The Spearmaster and the Black Cat

Chapter 397.2

His hand with the five magic swords, which could teleport around within the darkness of his dark body half, were no different from before either. He was using a magic claw swordsmanship with both his body halves. An extremely combat style at that.

I felt somewhat jealous of his overly magnificent sword fighting. A ultra-high-level swordsmanship making use of a darkness world.

Moreover, those test tubes were still stuck in the back of his hands. The small bugs living inside those tubes were going strong. They were cooperating with the ten magic swords.

At the same time as his dark side’s arm stabbed forward, the magic swords on its fingers were quickly brandished, creating three crimson trails in the air. Following that, five bluish-white traces were created. Then several yellow-green wave-shaped sword lines were created too, looking as if they were chasing the crimson and blue traces.

A divine warrior, who had approached Hoffmann, was instantly turned into small pieces. Another divine warrior swooped down on Hoffmann. But, the blade of the warrior’s longsword was cut by five of Hoffmann’s magic swords. And at the same time, a dark blade, which stabbed out of his darkness world, pierced the warrior’s golden loop.

I didn’t know about that technique yet.

The arm, which I got used to seeing, rushed out of the darkness world, quickly brandishing its five magic swords to instantly slice the warrior’s head apart in five parts.

Hoffmann advanced, killing one foe after the other.

A divine warrior in front of him thrust the head of his spear at Hoffmann. Hoffmann repelled it with one of his magic swords, and used moved the other four magic swords on that hand up and down, instantly creating sword lines in all directions. The warrior’s arm was cut over and over again together with the spear it held, turning into chunks of meat.

Moreover, as if copying the human body half, the other arm from the dark body half extended forward alongside its five magic swords. Those swords gouged out the heart of the divine warrior in front of him.

The swordsmanship of his tent fingers was very precise, despite it being night.

Hoffmann stopped moving and looked at me, saying, “The number of enemies sure is huge. Now that I lost Schmihazar, I don’t really feel like showing you my real power…,” with classical music playing from the coffin in the background.

Immediately following, he summoned a female magician with a reddish tinge from his dark body half. The magician floated in the air with a bluish-white, force-field-like defense spell cladding her whole body, including her red hair.

Suddenly, a great number of black-colored doll-look-alikes popped out from her bluish-shining body. Those dolls were different from Kisara’s paper dolls. They stuck themselves to the divine warriors, and exploded abruptly.

A small divine warrior instantly crumbled apart alongside his armor. And a part of the divine forces started to fall back.

A fishman-type subordinate, who had been around from the start, let his blades, made out of scales, fly off in all directions, continuously offsetting the golden boomerang-shaped loops of the divine troops.

But then, a tall divine warrior confronted him. He had eight metallic arms, unlike the ender Deltabard Buu. It was the guy who introduced himself as Jenga Buu at the start. His eight arms wielded clubs consisting of golden loops that had been stacked into spirals.

Even right now he was heartily swinging his clubs, crushing one of the clubs against the fishman’s torso. Alongside a loud gong, the fishman had its abdomen pulverized into bits, falling while scattering bloody vomit.

Jenga Buu was powerful.

I think the battle between Hoffmann’s forces and the divine warriors is even.

“Priest Solck, here I come!”

“Priest Delgack, likewise!”

Two humans with shaved heads yelled while adopting poses as if chanting Buddhist prayers with one hand lifted. They were clasping a steel staff in their hand.

Are those guys also on the side of the divine domain? They’re wearing chain mail with battle-designed aprons.

Exactly because I couldn’t sense an ounce of mana from them, I could tell that they had to be fairly strong. I don’t know from where they popped out, though. Maybe from the Sea of Trees below?

A tall tree was violently shaking.

Maybe they’re vampire hunters?

At that moment, Rollodeen took a sharp turn. The priests, and the battle between Hoffmann’s forces and the divine troops left my line of sight.

Since I’m curious about the being that named itself a Spirit World Knight earlier, I’ll look for them, I guess.

While at it, I poured mana into my Dark Hell Bone Knight. As usual, magic beams extended from the ring. With a release of smoke, the Burning Knights manifested behind me.

Rollo’s tentacles coiled themselves around their armors.

“I’ve summoned you guys, but we’re currently up in the sky. It’s different from usual. And this is the situation here――”

“Your Excellency, is this a battlefield in the Spirit World?”

“No, you’re wrong, Adomos. This is Sela.”

“It’s as Zemetas says. We’re in the skies of Sela. It’s a chaotic battlefield, nonetheless. Anyway, I spotted a Spirit World Knight-like group over there earlier.”

At that moment, Rollodeen folded one of her big wings, boosting the turning.

“――We know…those knights on the left side.”

“――They’re the Spirit World Knights of Demonic Moth King Zebal. They’re right riding Mugu-ranked demonic beasts.”

All names I don’t know.

“――Demonic Moth King, huh? That name’s new to me. I was sure they’re the famous Dead Sea Knights.”

“――None of those under Tyrannical King Boshiado’s banner are present.”

At that moment ― though I don’t think they’ve heard our conversation ― one of those riding black horses approached us. He had the appearance of a tall and broad black knight. The skin of his demonic beast steed had black-steel-like line patterns. Crimson flames dwelt inside those lines. His limbs were engulfed by flames as well.

“――Would you let me have a duel with you, spearmaster?”

“Ah, Delhart, that’s not what was promised!”

A female knight, who had been fighting against a demon that looked like a fusion of two eyeballs, cut that demon apart while creating a yellow and a bluish-white sword trace, and immediately cried, “Delhart, are you stealing a march!?”

“Ah, wait!”

Two female knights rushed over as if to chase after Delhart. Both rode demonic beasts who were similar to Delhart’s. All of them used demonic horses who could keep up with Rollodeen’s speed.

According to Zemetas, they seem to be under the command of Demonic Moth King Zebal, but…since they’re riding such imposing beasts as befitting for Spirit World Knights, they look strong.

“Zebal’s knights, why are you here!?” Zemetas yelled.

“Addressing Zebal-sama without any honorific titles!? You asked for it, so bring it on you lowly foot soldier!” The black knight yelled back, seemingly thinking that Zemetas had insulted his lord.

He stabbed out a magic spear with a conspicuous spiraling form. Its violet metal stood out even in this night sky as he used a thrusting technique.

“No! I’m a Burning Knight!”

“Right, we’re His Excellency sole Burning Knights!”

Zemetas and Adomos roared while squaring off against the black knight. But, the range of his spear was naturally different from that of their shields and swords. And seeing how we were up in the sky, they couldn’t cope with his attack.

Rollodeen was about to unleash her tentacle bone swords in their stead, but I dealt with his attack. I extended Baldok so as to cross Delhart’s approaching magic spear. I met the violet spearhead with a spiraling <Thrust> of my red spear.

Red and violet spear clashed, releasing an intense metallic clank alongside large amounts of sparks.

“――The lowly was unnecessary, you know?” I commented in passing.

In the next instant, Rollodeen turned around with a speed as expectable of a divine beast. It’s not like it was linked to the Burning Knights’ angry voices, but I made use of <Divine Beast Serene Mind ・ Soaring> to share my senses with Rollodeen.

As Rollodeen performed her turn, I swung Baldok upwards from below. The red ax blade caught the knight’s back. A sound of metal suddenly being dented could be heard from his back.

“Guuaaaa!”

The ax blade was stuck in his broad back. I felt a solid feedback from the hit. Continuing to rotate, I aimed to severe Delhart in one swoop, but――

A yellow-gleaming magic blade came flying. At this rate, my right arm would be chopped off.

“What maneuverability! Delhart!” The female knight who had unleashed the magic blade shouted.

I let go of Baldok, allowing the yellow blade, which flew at an extremely high speed, to pass between my hand and Baldok. The continued towards directly below Rollodeen.

“Shuhelia, huh? You have my thanks!”

“Don’t mind that――”

The female knight charged my way in order to save the black knight. The point of her glistening magic sword grazed the tip of my nose.

――Ouch, that hurt.

My blood sprayed into the air.

『Your Excellency, her swordsmanship is fast――』

Just as Helme said, the female knight was quick. And the trajectory of her sword was hard to read. Her magic sword created several yellow sword lines.

It was in passing, but her sword handling of attacking me thrice with her sword was proof of her terrifying skill.

If it’s only sword techniques, I assume that she’s far above the third rank of the Eight Divine Sword God Ranking, Revel, but…well, even if compared to beastmen or demonic knights, her strength is in another league, I guess.

There was a Demonic Eye on the hilt of her magic sword. An eyeball that seemed to glare while embedded in a tapered cone-shaped container.

“Your Excellency――”

“Leave it to us――”

The Burning Knights tried to cover me by swinging their bone swords and shields in the back. But, Rollodeen was fast. Rollo turned for them, but the Burning Knights’ attacks didn’t reach. It was pointless as we had already passed each other.

On the other hand, Delhart, who had been rescued by her, wriggled, trying to get the ax blade out of his back.

As the one having let go of it, you can’t really call it very persuasive, but I don’t want others to touch Baldok.

While thinking that, I focused on <Saraten’s Secret Art>. But, I wasn’t targeting Delhart. Instead I had Saraten head for the other approaching female knight.

『Good decision――』

Saraten praised me while buzzing. It was a fast secret art which had been impossible to cope with even for that demi-goddess. The instant Saraten tore through the knight’s demonic horse’s head, let alone her magic sword, the knight’s head also popped and dispersed in all directions.

『The quality of her blood is great!』

Saraten cheerfully told me via telepathy and divided into three. Unlike before, they didn’t overlap like a mille-feuille. She really split into three separate swords. Midgets were riding on top of each sword’s hilt. They were acting as if surfing on the swords while each wore different clothes. Their hair styles and colors were completely different, too.

And immediately after she told me, 『Vessel, I shall accept the blood and flesh!』, the three swords charged at the falling horse and knight with a tremendous speed.

It was only one who had sent me a telepathic message, though…

The three divine swords with their respective midget riders tore horse and knight to shreds as if rejoicing over the bloody festival they were creating themselves.

It was horrifying. I guess you can actually describe the first blood spray as no more than an overture.

The three swords chaotically raced through the air as if greedily devouring the flesh and blood. The female knight’s body dispersed within a second.

“――Elimia has…!”

The other female knight stopped moving, and her demonic horse neighed in blatant terror. The horse made its two front legs point upwards, clearly confused.

In the meantime, I shot <Chain> at Delhart. At the same time I told Rollo and the others, “I’ll leave for a bit――”

While jumping, I followed the trajectory of <Chain>. The chain got repelled by Delhart’s magic spear. Baldok still remained embedded in his back, however.

Even so, Delhart had rotated his body and defended against the chain by quickly and compactly brandishing his spear.

It allowed me to predict his spear skills to be formidable. Also, he had apparently given up on removing Baldok from his back.

After feinting with the chain, which had headed to the right with a warped trajectory, I erased it.

Thereupon, the Time Tapir, who had been rampaging at the left corner of my sight, shouted, “Guhahaha! ―― <Reluctant Face – Beast Face>!” 1

He was grasping chakram weapons with big links in both hands. In the next moment, he summoned a giraffe-like monster. That giraffe unleashed lightning strikes into its surroundings, and after cladding itself in lightning,it charged through a group of monsters. The giraffe’s lightning also reached the red magician on Hoffmann’s side, who retaliated by attacking the Time Tapir with a swarm of magic spears. A part of those spears stabbed the shell of the turtle he was riding. 2

The battle between Kisara and the rose-crowned demon was even.

Intense battles all over the place, huh? Ah, no, Rotalz is quite motivated, one-sidedly eradicating the demons around him.

Now then, I’m also worried about Eva, but let’s clean up this place here first.

I held up the palm of my left hand with its hole, and strictly ordered Saraten, who had continued flying around while devouring other demons in the vicinity, telepathically to get back

In an instant, the three holy swords homed in towards my left palm and rushed into the hole. Saraten, who usually acted like a restive horse, had behaved this time.

『…Helme, I leave the magic swordswoman on the right to you』

『Okay――』

Helme immediately left through my left eye, heading straight for the Spirit World Knight who had fixed her posture just now. Helme’s style of flying while spreading both arms was lovely. It made my heart race the most today.