“UGH!!! Those wings are getting on my nerves!!!”
I continued to run, sometimes hiding in already crumbling buildings, wondering how I could deal with the fact that projectiles were ineffective against my enemy.
And in the end, the only choice I could think of was to directly slash it, but as long as that monster was flying around freely using its wings, in all probability even if I fired a strike with all my heart and soul, it wouldn’t reach the enemy.
If only judging things based on risk-reward, I couldn’t use the “Star Slaying” technique, as it was extremely taxing on the body.
No matter how good my attack was, if it didn’t hit, it was meaningless.
“…It breathes fire, flies around, and destroys everything as they please… If this monster isn’t troublesome, I don’t know anymore…!!!”
As I continued running to lure the monster away from the entrance of the town, the things that I needed to consider about the enemy who had set its eyes on me were gradually becoming more clear.
First, it has wings.
Not only was the monster highly mobile, but since it could fly above the ground, there were almost no places to hide inside Minaura— a place lined with abandoned buildings with wrecked ceilings.
And above all, it breathes fire.
Unleashing flames from its mouth.
Once it decided to go forward, it would just keep going straight ahead, not caring about all the buildings it could potentially slam against.
Therefore, I tried to escape to a place surrounded by ruins, but the monster destroyed all the buildings it encountered just to chase after me.
It was out of control.
“…If I want to defeat it quickly, I have to do something to reduce its mobility…”
I muttered to myself as I looked at the monster, that monster, flying around freely.
But no solution came to mind.
If only I could use magic like Siva could…
I thought about such a thing for a moment, but it went without saying that begging for something I didn’t have was not an option right here and now.
Therefore, I shook my head and let out the breath I had been holding in my lungs.
“I’m not the smartest guy in the world, unfortunately.”
After a few minutes of running, I stomped my feet and decided that I had had enough.
So I turned again to face the monster that was closing in behind me.
“My head will break if I try to think about a difficult strategy, so—”
The only way to deal with the monster was to face it head-on and cut it down.
I roared with dismay at my own abilities.
“—I don’t know why you’re after magicians, nor why you’re after me, but I’ll fight you as you wish. I will… make you my nourishment to help me become a Star Slayer—!!!”
To eat or to be eaten.
I only had two choices, and so, I picked mine.
Come—
Go ahead and come at me, stupidly and honestly.
Reconsidering the monster without its wings, the only chance I would have of hitting it directly would probably be the first time it charged at me, vulnerable.
The corner of my mouth turned up in delight as I pulled out the rugged sword at my waist with my right hand.
And next, I aimed the tip of the sword at the ground once, and then timed it right.
“——!!!”
A wordless scream.
A scream so loud that I feared my eardrums might be ruptured.
Perhaps I could say the monster was intimidated, as he got angry with my foolish and honest manner of confrontation.
But if it made its blood boil, it was fortuitous.
It was the best development I could’ve asked for.
I thought of the “Star Slaying” technique.
And remembered that every time I used it, my whole arm would break as it couldn’t withstand the force of the strike.
“Haaah——”
***
Reaper Scans
***
I took a deep breath.
Although I was too absorbed during the ogre’s incident to notice it, the power of this technique depended on the magic power that was put into it.
Moreover, my magic, “Sword: Creation,” was so effective at conducting magic power that one might think it was only for the purpose of performing the Star Slaying technique.
Therefore, one could only imagine how powerful it was.
Soon after, I shifted the tip that was pointed at the earth and re-pointed it towards the sky.
Although less powerful, I still poured magic power into the sword, being careful not to break my arm.
“My hands, feet, shred my enemy into a thousand pieces—”
Without paying attention to the slight glow of my sword’s blade, I focused on the monster that was closing the gap between us at a frightening speed, stomping down on the earth with a powerful thud.
At the same time it extended its claws towards me, I drew a lone moon with the sword in my hand.
With its accompanying brilliance, it shimmered in the night sky, as if it were a…
『 —Shooting Star 』
As I swung, a slash-like blow was unleashed from the crescent moon trajectory I drew in the air in front of my very eyes, which ferociously bared its fangs at the monster, piercing it hard to the ground.
Now that monster had surely suffered a fatal wound…!!
I shuddered with glee.
A splendid strike that was born from the insult of the thought of only helplessly running away.
Although the attack was a step-down from the real technique, I was confident that a fatal wound was still unavoidable upon taking it directly.
But just as I was convinced that I had won, the other claw came at me with a tornado blast, with its speed being several times faster than the previous one.
It was a miracle that I could even see it.
“You’ve got to be kidding me—!!!”
I reflexively tried to defend myself with my sword by swinging it down as a shield, but I couldn’t make it in time for a few tenths of a second.
And immediately after, my left arm writhed miserably.
The oncoming claws tore through my skin and reached my bones.
On top of that, the blow was delivered with frightening force, easily hurling my small body to the right.
There was no time to even scream out in pain.
Throw away your common sense.
…I thought I understood Siva’s words properly, but it seemed I was too naive to recognize them.
My body bounced repeatedly on the ground like a thrown ball, not seeming to stop even though my feet were already scraping against the ground.
All this was the result of a monster taking my “Shooting Star” head-on, without even having the time to react to it.
Even though about a third of the right half of its body has been shattered by the attack, it doesn’t cower in pain, but immediately counterattacked with such composure.
…It was so far out of the ordinary, let alone common sense.
“Ah— Ggh!”
Struck in the chest, my body slammed into the distorted trunk of a tree, and I finally came to an abrupt stillness.
“Th…at monster… really got me bad…!”
It should have been finished off with a series of blows and onslaughts.
Even if it took some strain on my arms, I could’ve just kept on making the monster eat consecutive “Shooting Star” attacks, without even giving it a moment’s pause.
But, what happened hereafter…
I thought that if I was going to fight against the leader of the monsters that Siva mentioned, I would have to be careful, but the present me couldn’t afford to do just that.
I felt a sharp pain coming from my left arm, which was beginning to bleed and turn red.
It was probably shattered.
I couldn’t move it as I intended to.
But I couldn’t just remain standing still because of the pain.
I needed to keep myself together first—
“A…re you… kidding me…?!”
Just after I thought so, a familiar shadow covered me once again.
It was coming toward me, accompanied by the stench of iron rust and lumps of meat.
Following my instinct, I threw myself to the side.
And soon after, I felt a heat that burned my skin.
Before I realized that the monster blew fire, I recreated my sword, which I had let go of when I was blown away by its claw.
I couldn’t afford to be injured any further.
I decided so, blaming myself for what happened a few dozen seconds ago.
Once again, I needed to perform another “Shooting Star.”
Or so the monster saw me intending to do so, as it got up from the bloody, red puddle on the ground and opened its beak-like mouth with a snap, and headed to the sky.
“PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII…!”
The monster let out a strange, high-pitched cry.
“…Come on now…”
I recognized that very behavior, and hence, my hands stopped.
…Strictly speaking, I was aware of that action just now, similar to the other monsters I had fought in the past.
And it was the common habit of monsters… to seek help from other monsters when in a bind.
——
——
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