The Heroines' Majesty
A massive creature appeared, so huge its head nearly scraped the ceiling of the underground passage, its bulk filling almost the entire width of the tunnel. Its nun's habit had been reduced to a charred, tattered wreck. Wild white hair hung in ragged clumps. Where its eyes should have been, two points of blazing crimson light burned, and its skin was so desiccated it was barely distinguishable from bone.
The thing's identity was a C+ rank monster: a Hell Sister. Its blackened, fire-scorched appearance and grotesque moans were enough to strike terror into anyone who saw it. The creature shrieked, black ichor streaming from its body.
"Everyone up! Combat readyyyyy!"
Only then did the women wake. Lumina and Aki startled as they came to.
"The hell? Shit, what the fuck is that all of a sudden?!"
"Oh my gosh, pardon me, but you've been completely burnt to a crisp~!"
The situation was pretty serious. For one thing, Hell Sisters weren't supposed to be that big. They were only a little larger than a regular person — this thing was giant-sized.
In the scenario, Hell Sisters are monsters connected to the Abandoned King. But this isn't one of the ones that showed up in the wipe event...
I drew my sword and focused. This wasn't the time to think. It was time to act. Stepping forward to protect the heroines, I raised my blade.
"Everyone get back!"
"Lashu?!"
Aunt looked at me with worry. I smiled and shouted.
"Dawn, Calibeeeeer!"
Dawn — Caliber
I'd always thought this watching manga and anime. Why don't they use their finishing move right from the start? To build atmosphere? And then they lose a fight they should've won and die? That's why I always went all-out from the beginning.
Dawn revealed the true nature of the holy sword, wrapping itself in light. A golden radiance poured from the blade and swept over the Hell Sister in a wide fan. The light that had engulfed the Hell Sister's entire body faded.
"Geheeeeel!"
Amazingly, the Hell Sister was fine. Black energy bubbled up across its entire body, swelling into an inverted cross that absorbed the sword aura.
Ah, so that's why they don't use it from the start?
I learned a lesson. Sorry, anime characters. Wait, should I be apologizing to the directors? Still, I was surprised. I'd held back a bit, but it blocked that? Unbelievable.
In that opening, Lumina charged in and threw a haymaker at the Hell Sister.
Wham!
Surprisingly, the Hell Sister staggered from a single punch. That shouldn't have been possible. As it reeled, I could see black energy leaking from its body.
It actually felt that punch? Must've burned a lot of power blocking my sword aura.
I grinned and approached slowly. Then something grazed past my cheek. An arrow.
I looked back. Aki was nocking arrows onto a bow made of energy and loosing them. Being made of energy, they looked otherworldly.
"Aki, that's—?!"
"Heheh, it's my ability. The Spirit Bow and Arrows!"
She even unleashed a rapid-fire volley. The Hell Sister, bristling with arrows, staggered back and then swung its arm.
"Aaagh!"
Lumina took the hit and was thrown back.
"Holy shit, what kind of strength is that...!"
Lumina should be fine, right? I tossed her a whetstone.
"Lumina, here! Rub it on your fists!"
"Goddammit, now we're doing every crazy-ass thing under the sun!"
She rubbed it not just on her fists but her arms and shoulders too. Hey, you're gonna wear it all out! That's precious! She tossed the whetstone back to me and dove back into the fight.
Wham, thud! Crack! Her punches started landing with real force. The Hell Sister staggered but gripped the inverted cross like a scepter and swung it.
"Hup, hyaah!"
The inverted cross cleaved through the air toward her. Lumina dodged and drove an elbow into the Hell Sister's ribs. The inverted cross impossibly changed trajectory mid-air, aiming for Lumina's back. She slipped past it with dancer-like flexibility and delivered a backspin blow.
Wham! Crunch!
Half the Hell Sister's face caved in. That's when I saw her true level.
Lumina's grown a lot since before too, huh? When did she hit mid-Expert?
She'd always been higher than me, but you don't just become Expert because you want to. Lumina, you were a woman who actually trained. Damn, that's hot as hell!
I closed the distance again and swung Dawn's Guardian, slashing the Hell Sister's thigh.
"Kihyahahahahahk!"
The Hell Sister shrieked and tried to snatch Dawn with its hand. I sidestepped, and Lumina slammed another blow into its ribs. Aki's arrows punched through the gaps between the two of us in a rapid volley. The Hell Sister was struggling more than expected.
This thing was originally a ridiculously strong bitch. And now it was a Black Troop addicted to Kahloom on top of that?
Crystallization
Aunt delivered the finishing blow to the reeling Hell Sister. The Hell Sister's already-charred body began to crystallize, hardening bit by bit — like a river freezing over as winter arrives. Fully crystallized and frozen solid, the Hell Sister shattered into pieces without even being able to scream.
I was stunned.
Ganging up on something is the eternal truth, sure. But the heroines were this strong? Holy shit.
I swallowed dryly. It compared to yesterday's fight. Yesterday was a chaotic melee, and now the terrain's narrow and we were prepared, so this kind of coordinated assault was possible. Still, they're really something else, haha.
I realized anew that this world wasn't one where the hero becomes omnipotent all by himself. That's right. This world has a Demon King, and things even worse than the Demon King could exist just as easily.
"Phew, everyone did great!"
I approached the fallen Hell Sister. Then I noticed a change spreading across its body.
"Huh?"
A yellow haze was overlaying the outline of its entire form. I knew exactly what this was. Anyone who'd played the game through Act 2 would.
Wait, this is the self-destruct indicator?
I couldn't believe my eyes. A Hell Sister self-destructing? What the fuck is this?!
"Everyone hide! I don't care where, just take cover!"
When I suddenly shouted, the women, who'd been about to rest, tilted their heads. Lumina clicked her tongue.
"Oi, the hell's this all of a sudden?"
Overwhelming energy erupted from the Hell Sister. It detonated in an instant, rushing out in every direction. I threw myself backward. Even so, the blast radius expanded faster. Goddammit, I just hope the women are okay.
Just as the entire clearing we were in was about to be swallowed by the explosion — a frozen barrier shielded us from the Hell Sister. I hit the ground and lifted my head.
Pale blue glacier ice, thin as it was, had wrapped around us on all sides. Aunt had used her power. It was thin enough to see through, and it blocked that explosion?
"A-Aunt!"
"Still calling me Aunt? Heheh♥"
Looking at Aunt's smile, I felt like I'd met an archangel in hell. She didn't even seem to have put much effort into it, and it was this strong. Haa. I really didn't know enough about the heroines.
The heroines are strong even without me.
I'd always thought I had to take care of them, protect them. That was just my pathetic preconception. Right now, they were strong. This fight too — the Hell Sister had been neutralized by their coordinated assault. I hadn't done much of anything.
The explosion faded, and I looked at where the Hell Sister had been. There, a gaunt nun now lay collapsed. I rushed over to check on her.
The nun gasped for breath, and even so her chest was torn wide open, revealing flesh burned down to the bone.
"Khuhk, uugh, L-Lord..."
Dammit, nuns are hot just by existing. Who the hell did this?!
"Can you hear me? You... you weren't a monster?"
The nun looked at me, then at the women behind me. She wept. Even her tears were black.
"Be careful... Those Who Recite Sins, huhhk, they kidnapped me, imprisoned me, uugh... energy, they injected the black stuff, uugh, hekhk, kheeeaaaagh!"
The nun, struggling to keep talking, went into convulsions. Her body shuddered, and then in an instant — she burst like a firework and crumbled into ash, vanishing.
It was identical to the end of a Black Troop. We were stunned. Aunt looked at the pile of ash and shook her head.
"It's no use. She's dead."
A sigh spread through us. A grim atmosphere seemed to settle over the clearing. I made a decision and headed for the carriage.
"Everyone, let's just get moving. I don't want to stay here any longer."
We talked as we boarded the carriage. Aki's face darkened.
"Do you think this is connected to Those Who Recite Sins?"
"Probably. From what she said, it sounds like she was kidnapped and imprisoned. Those bastards are more than capable of that."
Aunt rested her chin on her hand at my words.
"And then they made her take Kahloom too?"
"Yeah. That seems to be how Those Who Recite Sins create Black Troops. They kidnap goblins or people, force-inject them with Kahloom, and if it succeeds, they become Black Troops."
"And if it fails?"
Lumina asked, and I hesitated a moment before answering.
"If it fails, they just die... or if they're lucky, they end up like the little lord."
The little lord had actually been lucky. If things had gone one step further, if the Kahloom had been more virulent... we might have encountered Black Troops even earlier.
If that had happened, our territory might have been completely devastated.
Black Troops were a concept where you fundamentally couldn't predict what would happen. Even a mere goblin could keep moving with its head blown off, and they'd turned an ordinary nun into a C+ rank monster. My rage toward Those Who Recite Sins only grew. All I wanted was to beat the shit out of them right now.
Aunt spoke as if drawing a conclusion.
"Hmm, I hope we get to the capital soon. These filthy, lawless heretics... I think they need to be judged."
Aunt spoke with a cold face, chewing over each word. She was endlessly terrifying, and because of that, she looked noble as a saintess. Aki agreed.
"The wicked must be punished! I-I'll do my best!"
"Aki, you were amazing earlier."
"That's my power as a shrine maiden! Heheh♥"
Lumina pumped herself up too.
"Hell yeah, everyone! I'll give it my all and beat the lot of 'em into the dirt! Those worthless fucks! Whoo, whooooot!"
Having such capable, strong heroines fire themselves up like this felt good. They really were reliable women.
I looked around at them and smirked. With these women by my side, we might even be able to take down the Demon King. With that thought, I finally caught my breath.