The Clash of Heroes
If anyone unfamiliar with my disciples’ skills had been here, they might have worried the pair were about to stab each other in the back amid the chaos of battle. Even if they had voiced such concerns, I wouldn’t have had much to say in response. That was how lethally sharp the blade descending toward the top of Jenia’s head was. Had it been even a fraction slower, it might not have carved the Fragment of the Demon God at all. It could have split Jenia from the crown of her skull down to her groin instead.
“What the hell, Garam?! You missed?! You idiot! I was holding out and everything!”
“Shut up. If I’d gone any deeper I might have cut it, but then your shoulder would’ve been sliced off first!”
“Who doesn’t know that?! Why didn’t you just strike straight down?! Even half-buried that would’ve been enough to reach the bastard’s heart!”
“Hah! Next time I’ll make sure to do exactly that, you idiot!”
Yet neither Jenia nor the newly arrived Garam seemed particularly bothered by the fact that one Hero had placed another inside her attack range. What truly irritated them was their failure to deal any damage to the Fragment of the Demon God.
They growled and bickered every time they met, sometimes even coming to blows. But in the critical moments they stopped acting like mere disciples and behaved as true Heroes. They willingly played bait to fulfill their duty, and they performed actions that could easily be misunderstood without the slightest hesitation. Such things were only possible because of the absolute trust they placed in each other and because they always prioritized cold reason during combat.
After several aerial somersaults, Garam landed lightly and scampered over to me. In a sly tone she asked, “I’m not late, am I?!”
“You’re already late! Anything later than me counts as late!”
“I wasn’t asking you, you pointy-eared… stupid elf!”
Still, it seemed their bickering was impossible to prevent. At least with me present they refrained from calling each other “ear-scratcher” or “horny fox.” Had I been absent, the venomous barbs would have flown freely.
“Uahahaha!! Krahahaha!!”
What finally interrupted their staring contest was none other than the Fragment of the Demon God. Without it, they probably would have kept sniping at each other until I stepped in.
“Heroes! Two Heroes! Two of them!! I’ll devour you with gratitude!”
From the Fragment’s perspective, this had to be the luckiest possible moment. The Heroes who constantly interfered and erased the fear and terror of annihilation—the very emotions that should have become its food and source of power—were standing right in front of it. By removing them it could restore the smooth supply of that energy while simultaneously absorbing beings burdened with the fate of Heroes.
Creak. Crack—
The tightly shut mouths and eyes covering its body began to open. A murky aura seeped from every eyeball embedded in its flesh, and an incomprehensible murmur slithered into our ears.
“Foolish creatures! How convenient that you reveal yourselves so openly!”
There wasn’t a single falsehood in its words. Exactly as it said, the Fragment no longer had to waste effort hunting down the annoying interferers one by one. Eliminating Heroes was the most crucial task for the future it dreamed of, so of course it was delighted to find two of them together.
What a load of bullshit.
The Fragment had been beside itself with joy, but soon pained groans erupted from every mouth plastered across its body. Regrettably, it kept forgetting about my existence, so I took precise aim at its chest and fired a surge of internal energy.
“Kuk?!”
I deliberately waited for the moment when Garam and Jenia had pulled away from it rather than attacking while they were engaged. That way the Fragment could fully perceive and evade my strike—its own weakness of being unable to touch me would shield it instead.
Just because I could not escape the laws of this world, because I could not harm the Fragment of the Demon God, did not mean I could stand in the rear like some retired elder with my hands clasped behind my back. That would be unbecoming both as the master who had trained the Heroes and as a veteran player.
“Jenia! Spin it!”
At Garam’s shout the dark spear in Jenia’s hand whirled, whipping up a blade-like gale. The Fragment must have wondered what on earth she was doing. Even I hadn’t understood the maneuver the first time I saw it.
Uuuuuung—!
The Fragment lunged at Jenia, only to be hurled back by the spear’s tremendous rotational speed. Reckless contact could shred its own body. Realizing this, its movements slowed ever so slightly.
“Now!”
While Jenia continued adjusting the distance and drawing its attention, the spear suddenly stopped dead. From behind it Garam shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
The startled Fragment hurriedly tried to assume a defensive stance.
“Again!”
At Garam’s cry the tip of Jenia’s spear hooked against Garam’s foot, acting as a brake. Garam used the force to leap once more. As the spear spun in place, Jenia kicked its tip with all her strength.
Thud!!—
The destructive power of stabbing with a sword and launching a spear were on completely different levels. The Fragment, which had been preparing to block Garam’s attack moderately, was visibly thrown into panic. I had nearly embarrassed myself the first time I fell for that trick.
“Kraaaaa!!”
…Of all things, its countermeasure was exactly the same as mine. Abandoning defense, it used overwhelming physical strength to receive the spear with everything it had. Then it swatted Garam from above its head and attacked Jenia before fully absorbing the impact.
This was the method the Fragment had chosen, and it was quite close to correct.
Second Form: Crescent Moon
What the Fragment regretted, however, was that only two opponents were not present. The ones who should have assisted it were currently restrained by the most terrifying woman of all.
A keen crescent moon slashed toward its lower body. From the Fragment’s perspective, reaching Garam required stepping on the ground, yet occupying that lower space robbed it of the necessary power. At the same time, ignoring the crescent I had drawn would send a chill down its spine. The technique’s power did not diminish simply because it could not reach the target.
It was an attack the Fragment had to guard against even more carefully than those of Garam or Jenia.
“Kraaaak!!”
In the end it could not lay a hand on either of them. All it managed was to dodge the crescent moon drawn beneath its feet.
“Shut that mouth already!!”
Seizing the upper position, Garam brought her sword down in a mighty arc. A glittering trajectory raced toward the crown of the Fragment’s head—an impact that could have split it cleanly in two. Yet a final boss was still a final boss; such a blow was nowhere near enough.
Swoosh—!
Even though the Sword Hero’s blade had struck from a perfect position and advantageous height, it failed to slice cleanly as usual. Aside from the blade sinking in ever so slightly, the creature suffered almost no damage.
“Idiot! Fall back!”
Before the Fragment could snatch Garam, Jenia swung her spear. I also made a motion to strike its rear, preventing any reckless movement. In that opening Garam barely managed to retreat and steady her shaken breathing.
“Grrrrr…”
It looked human, yet the sounds it made were purely monstrous. Then again, with faces plastered all over its body, what else could it be but a monster?
“Don’t think you can finish it in one go. This thing is different from the monsters or Demon God Worshippers you’ve faced before. Even if you damage it, the moment it catches you, the fight is over.”
“Understood, Master.”
At my command not to give it the slightest opening and to beware its power absorption, the two disciples who had been about to charge bravely corrected their stances. As if the frustration might kill it, the Fragment unleashed a grotesque scream woven from countless voices—like a snack it had been eagerly awaiting had been stolen by a stranger. The revolting chorus mixed male, female, elderly, and child voices.
“Jenia! Once more! I’ll support you this time, so take the lead!”
“Do it properly! I have zero desire to get caught like you!”
Garam leaped into the air while Jenia focused energy at the tip of her spear. Normally I would have followed and pretended to assist in moderation. But as I watched the creature continue screaming as though none of that mattered, an inexplicable chill kept crawling down my spine.
At first I thought it was merely rage, irritation, and other trivial emotions. Yet it didn’t take long for me—and for Garam and Jenia—to realize it was no ordinary scream.
“Garam! Jenia! Cover your ears! Protect your hearing!”
Almost simultaneously with raising my internal energy to shield my ears, a wave of power strong enough to daze the mind slammed into us. Had I been even slightly slower, the shock would have traveled straight through my ears into my brain. It was a devastating strike powerful enough to rattle one’s internals completely.
…These damn developers are spouting lies again? They called it a fantasy world, so why the hell is the Fragment of the Demon God using a lion’s roar? The characters have the Heavenly Demon NPC and received her teachings, so I can accept lingering influence. But what about the Fragment of the Demon God—a being that purely despises this world? Damn it! I never imagined the thing would actually use the sound arts I’d only heard about from my master. Fortunately Master had shown it to me directly and let me experience it, so I was able to prepare. That was the only silver lining.
“Kyaaak?!”
It must have been aiming for the instant we paused to block the sonic attack. The moment Garam landed, the Fragment snatched her. We had all been flustered by the sudden roar and had only just finished defending. Jenia and I rushed after it, but the situation was already dire.
“Kyaang! You—you stinky bastard! Kyaaang!! Let go!!”
“Hero! Hero! I’ll devour you!!”
If we thrust our spear or sword carelessly, Garam might be injured as well. All we could do was wait for her to escape its grasp by herself, yet watching her struggle like that made her look far too vulnerable.
“Garam! Stop the pointless struggling and get out of there, you idiot!!”
“Kyat! Kyaaaaat!!”
She thrashed wildly, trying to force it to release her, but once the Fragment of the Demon God had seized its prey it refused to let go easily. It tightened its grip on her neck, attempting to knock her unconscious.
At this rate we would lose a Hero in a way that completely deviated from the plan. After thinking for a brief moment, I instinctively realized there was only one option left. I could only pray with all my heart that the creature was more of a coward than I had assumed.
“Jenia.”
“Yes, Master!”
“Get clear.”
Fourth Form: Full Moon