114.Under Pressure
「あっはは! どうだい、びっくりしただろう!?」
アガチオンは肘から先が消失した左腕を振り回す。千切れてボロボロの断面は、首と同様に白い砂壁のようにざらついている。
左の前腕を破裂させたということは、一二三にもわかったが、理屈はわからなかった。
一二三は弾けた瞬間に両腕を前に出して顔と喉を守りながら後ろへと飛び下がった。だが、受けたダメージは深刻だった。
「魔法か......?」
「そうさ。人間の君には想像も付かない、純粋な魔力の爆発はどうだった? 両腕をズタボロに壊されて、どんな気分かな?」
アガチオンが嘲笑混じりに言う通り、一二三の両腕は肘から先が血まみれになっている。
道着の袖は無理やり引きちぎったように短くなり、腕はかばうために前に出した前腕外側が、骨は無事でも皮は裂け、筋肉が弾けて肘から先は動かない。
「初めてだな。ここまでやられたのは」
「おや、案外冷静だね。もっともっと泣き喚くかと思ったんだけど」
残念、とアガチオンが首を振った。
そのあいだに抉れた喉は修復され、左腕も少しずつ伸び始めている。
当然だが、一二三の方は自然に治るものではない。流れる血は、止まらない。
「呼吸をしているように見えたんだがな」
「しているよ?」
擬似的にだけどね、とアガチオンは笑う。
魔力を物質化した素材の集合体で、擬似的に人型を保っているだけだけれど、それでも呼吸や鼓動は再現しているという。
「これでもね、以前は普通の魔人族だったんだよ」
独自の魔力操作による魔法の失敗で、全身が物質化した魔法と置き換わってしまったのだが、どうせ説明してもわかるまい、とアガチオンはそれ以上語らなかった。
「まあ、僕が普通じゃ殺せない事がわかったなら......終わりにしようか」
フェゴールももうすぐ死ぬだろう、とアガチオンは視線をそらした。
面白くないよ、と石礫を次々に撃ち出すアガチオン。
その石塊を身体を傾けて無理やり受け流した一二三は、右腕から漆黒の刃を伸ばした。
「うぇっ?!」
思わず声を上ずらせたアガチオンは、わけがわからないままに黒い刃に再生しかけた左腕を肩から切り取られた。
「な、なんだよ、それは!」
「試しにやってみたが、うまくいくもんだな」
黒い刃の正体は、闇魔法で作った単なる収納の取り出し口の形を変えたものだった。
横から見ると視認できない程に薄く、生物は通さないので、うまくやれば物理的な武器として使えるのでは、と考えたのだ。
「使えるなら、丁度いい」
グイグイと力押しに迫りながら、一二三の奇妙な剣撃が続く。
斜め下から舐め上げるように叩きつける刃を、アガチオンは右腕で押さえつけようとしたが、右前腕を縦に裂かれた。
さらに、一二三が袈裟懸けに切り下ろす斬撃を、一歩下がって躱す。
「おや?」
血を失って、肩で息をしている一二三は妙な事に気づいた。
「なぜ、避ける必要がある? どうせ物質化した魔力でできた身体なら、斬られても問題無いだろう」
「な、なんとなくだよ! 妙な魔法を使ってきたから、びっくりしただけだ!」
更に襲ってくる礫を、一二三は冷静に見切って斬り捨てた。
アガチオンの攻撃速度と弾道に、慣れてきている。
さらに踏み込み、一二三は手足から顔面、そして胴へと刃を向ける。
四度目の斬りつけの時だった。
アガチオンが声を上げてのけぞり、斬撃を躱した。
そこで、一二三の動きが止まる。
「......どうしたんだい、人間? そろそろ限界かな?」
アガチオンが一二三を挑発するように嘲るが、一二三は肩を震わせている。
「......?」
「ふくくく......ひぁっはっはっは!」
首を傾げたアガチオンが、再び石礫を十ほど宙に浮かべた瞬間、爆発したように一二三が笑い出した。
ぴたりと笑いを止めた一二三が、真剣な目でアガチオンを見据えた。
「今から、お前を殺す。その前に俺を殺せればお前の勝ちだ」
何を今更、とアガチオンが眉を顰めた瞬間、再び一二三の猛攻が始まる。ただし、先ほどまでと違い、執拗に胸部を狙って刃が振るわれている。
「ぐっ!」
何度も胸を狙って飛んで来る突きや斬り払いを、アガチオンは腕を犠牲にして辛うじてそらしていく。
一二三は無言のまま、刃と化した右腕を振るう。
何合目かの打ち合いの中で、一二三の刃がアガチオンの胸を横一文字に斬り裂いた。だが、アガチオンは笑みを浮かべた。
「残念でした。胸を切られたくらいじゃ、ね」
だが、一二三はそれに答えない。
反撃として飛来した石礫を真正面から受けた一二三は、両肩の関節を砕かれ、右手の刃もだらりと垂れ下がった腕の先から消えた。
「ほら見ろ、僕の勝ち......」
それでも止まらない一二三は、アガチオンの左足を踏みつけて押さえ、まだ残っている左腕の脇に頭を突っ込んだ。
雄叫びを上げた一二三が身体を起こすと、アガチオンの左腕が強制的に跳ね上げられた。
本来は身体ごと相手の脇を開いて、鎧の無い脇の部分に短刀を突き立てるための動きだが、今回の狙いは別にある。
「わわっ!?」
先に一二三が斬りつけた胸の傷。それが無理やり開かれる。
そこには、まるで砂に埋もれた宝石のように、直径十センチ程の赤い何かが脈打っている。
それが露わになっていることに気づいたアガチオンは、青ざめながらも余裕ぶった口ぶりだった。
「おっと! 僕の心臓見られちゃったね、恥ずかしいなぁ」
「見つけたぞ。この鼓動が、俺が探していたものだ。お前が必死に庇っていたものだ」
「ぅぐっ......でももう、君は両手が動かないだろう。惜しかったね」
「別に、問題ない」
踏んでいた足を払い、仰向けに転ばせたアガチオンの胸に、一二三は顔を突っ込んだ。
「ま、まさか......やめ......」
懇願を無視して、大きく開いた一二三の口が、その心臓に齧り付く。
「あああああああああ......」
魔法を使うのも忘れ、一二三の肩や背中を左手で叩く。
だが、それも長くは続かない。
硬い表面を噛み砕くと、中は柔らかく、一二三の前歯は無残に心臓を齧りとった。
「ペッ」
口に含んだ物を吐き捨てると、赤い液体にまみれた欠片が床に叩きつけられた。
残った心臓から、ドロドロと粘つく赤い液体が流れ出し、砂状になっている周囲へと染み込んでいく。
アガチオンは、恐怖に目を見開いたまま、死んでいた。
「......ようやく血を流したか」
そう言う一二三も、大分血を失っている。
膝の力が抜け、どすんと床に座り込んだ。
「ああ、やっとだ」
アガチオンと戦っているあいだ、喉を抉っても腕を飛ばしても、命を奪っているという実感は持てなかった。
それが今、脈打つものに齧り付き、香り立つ液体を浴びた事で、ようやく充足感を得られたのだ。
「うん。言葉を話す生き物の命を奪うのは、やはり良い心持ちだ」
朦朧とする意識の中、しみじみと、呟いた。
「......あれ、死んでるのかな?」
「フェレス、見てきなよ」
「やだよ。ニャールが行って来てよ」
中央に瓦礫が積み上がり、小石や砂が広がり、荘厳とも言えたはずのホールが見る影も無くなっている。
その入口の左右から顔を出して様子を窺っているのは、ウェパルについてきて正門前で盛大に嘔吐していた二人の魔人族少女だ。
ホール手前には、刀に貫かれて前のめりに膝をついているフェゴールの姿があり、奥に見える壇上には、胸から真っ赤な血を流し、仰向けに倒れた王の姿。その傍らには、まるで王を見守るかのように座っている人間の姿があった。
そして、その誰もが微動だにしない。
「ウェパル隊長を待っていた方がいいんじゃ......」
「でも、助かるのに助けなかったら、もっと怒られるんじゃない?」
治癒魔法が使える二人の少女を、ウェパルは重宝していた。訓練中の事故や戦闘中に出た怪我人を助けるため、彼女たちは事あるごとに駆り出されている。
副隊長であるベンニーアが襲撃現場に二人を呼びつけていたのは、反撃されて怪我人が出て余計な証拠が現場に残るのを恐れたためだったが、ウェパルは純粋に怪我人や死人が出ないならそれが一番だと思っていた。
そのせいか、彼女たちは戦闘面などではまったく成長せず、回復する間もない前線や、怪我人が居ない場面では、はっきり言って役立たずだった。
「......ちょっとだけ、近づいてみようか」
「わかった」
彼女たちは、城内の混乱を収める事に尽力しているウェパルに命じられ、城内で隠れて監視している者から聞いて、一二三が向かったと思われるホールへと状況の確認と必要があれば生き残りの傷を癒す事を命じられていた。
一歳だけ年上のフェレスが、恐る恐るフェゴールに近づき、その後ろをニャールがついていく。
二人共、フレアスカートにケープを羽織った姿で、申し訳程度の武装としてナイフを持たされている。だが、使い方はよくわからない。
とにかくナイフを両手で握りしめ、ヒールがあるブーツだが、つま先立ちになって気持ち足音を殺して歩く。
「うわぁ......」
乾いた血だまりの中で、刀にしがみつくようにして事切れているフェゴールは、顔を伏せており、その表情は見えない。
「フェゴール様、治すとかいう状態じゃないよね」
さすがに、どれだけ治癒魔法が得意でも死者を蘇らせることは不可能だ。
「ねえ、この剣って......」
ニャールが指差したのは、フェゴールの身体を貫通している一二三の刀だ。
「あの人間が持っていたものだよね」
フェレスが指差したのは、こちらに背中を向けて座り込んでいる一二三の姿だ。
「うん。わたしも見た。それにしても、これってすごい武器なんだね......」
ニャールがそっと刀に手を伸ばしたとき、血走った目を見開いたフェゴールが、血の気を失った顔を上げた。
「貴様がぁ......」
もはや目も見えていないのだろう。目の前に立つニャールを一二三だと錯覚したのか、鍔を掴んでいた手を開き、ニャールに向けて伸ばしてきた。
「ひぎゃああああ!」
死者が動き出したかのような状況を前にして、ニャールは叫び声を上げ、フェレスも硬直して動けない。
だが、伸ばされたフェゴールの手は横合いからの蹴りに弾かれ、ニャールには届かない。
「ようやく結界が解けたか」
蹴りを入れた一二三は、力なく倒れたフェゴールを見下ろした。
「に、人間?」
「生きていたの......」
少女たちの声には耳を貸さず、一二三はフェゴールの胸に突き出た刀の柄を握り締め、一気に引き抜いた。
まだ痛みを感じるのか、刀の抜けた傷を押さえ、フェゴールは低く呻いた。
「まあ、生きていて良かった。止めはやはり自分の手で、だな」
引き抜いた勢いで振り上げた刀を、一二三は右手一本ですとん、と振り下ろす。
すでに多くの血を失っていたらしく、首が切断されても、さほどの血は流れなかった。
ニャールの足元に転がってきたフェゴールの生首、その怨嗟の念を思わせる凄絶な表情に、彼女は腰を抜かして座り込んだ。
その際に膝があたり、フェゴールの首はあさっての方向に転がっていった。
ニャールが見上げると、刀を懐紙で拭う一二三の姿があった。
助けられたと思ったニャールが、なんとか声を振り絞ってお礼を言おうとした瞬間、その眼前に刀が突きつけられた。
まるで研いだばかりのように美しく光を帯びた刀が、先ほどあっさりと首を刎ねたことを思い出したニャールは、震えながら唾を飲んだ。
「で、次の相手はお前か?」
助けられたと思ったが、どうやら違うらしい。
Chapter 114: Under Pressure
"Ahaha! How about it? You were surprised, right?" (Agathion)
Agathion swings the left arm which previously vanished up to the elbow. The torn and tattered cross-section has a rough feeling similar to the white sand wall at the neck.
Hifumi even saw the left forearm bursting open, but he didn't understand the theory behind it.
While protecting his throat and face by placing both arms in front at the moment he was repelled, he went flying to the back. However, the damage he received was serious.
"Magic, huh...?" (Hifumi)
"Yes, that's right. It's beyond the imagination of the human you. How was the explosion of pure mana? I wonder how it feels to have both arms broken and in tatters?" (Agathion)
As Agathion says with sneer mixed within, both arms of Hifumi are bloodstained from the tips up to the elbows.
The sleeves of the dougi have become short as if they had been forcibly torn off. The exterior of the forearms, which he had put in front of him to protect himself, has the skin ripped up even though the bones themselves are fine. With the muscles having snapped, he can't move the arms up to the elbows.
"It's the first time. For me to get done in this far." (Hifumi)
"Oh, you are unexpectedly calm about it. I believed you would cry about it a lot more though." (Agathion)
"How regrettable", Agathion shook his head.
While repairing the gouged out throat, the left arm begins to grow little by little as well.
It's only natural, but Hifumi's state isn't something that can be fixed spontaneously. The dripping blood doesn't stop.
"It looked like you were breathing though." (Hifumi)
"Am I?" (Agathion)
"It's fake though", Agathion laughs.
With an assembly of raw materials transformed into a substance of mana, he is just maintaining a fake human shape, but nevertheless he is reproducing breathing and palpitation.
"Even if things may appear this way, I was a normal demon once before." (Agathion)
"Due to a magic failure caused by me manipulating my unique magic, my entire body ended up getting rearranged by that magic and transformed me into a substance, but you won't understand anyway even if I explained", Agathion talks about the further details.
"Well, if you knew about me not being able to get killed in a normal way... let's finish this, shall we?" (Agathion)
Phegor will likely die any time now, too
"That's no fun", Agathion shoots pellet after pellet.
Hifumi, who eluded those rocks by forcibly bending his body, held out a jet black blade from his right arm.
"Ue!?" (Agathion)
Agathion, who unintentionally made a shrill and nervous voice, had the regenerated left arm cut at the shoulder by the black blade while still not comprehending the state of affairs.
"W-What's this!?" (Agathion)
"I wanted to test it out, but it seems to have gone smoothly." (Hifumi)
The true identity of the black blade was something changed into the shape of the darkness storage's outlet simply created with darkness magic.
It's thin to a degree that one won't be able to see it if looking from the side. And since it doesn't penetrate living creatures it's possible to use it as physical weapon if it works properly
"Just right if it's usable." (Hifumi)
While pressing on with a brute force approach, the strange sword attacks of Hifumi continue.
Agathion tried to pin down the blade, which struck him diagonally from below upwards, but had his right forearm cleaved arbitrarily.
Moreover Agathion evades the diagonally downward-swung slash of Hifumi by taking a half step back.
"Oh?" (Hifumi)
Hifumi, who is heaving heavily while losing blood, noticed something odd.
"Why is there are need to avoid? If it's a body changed into a substance by mana anyway, there's no problem even if it's cut, right?" (Hifumi)
"F-For some reason or another! I just got startled since you used strange magic!" (Agathion)
Hifumi calmly observed the attacking pellets and cut them down.
He has become used to the speed and trajectory of Agathion's attacks.
Stepping even further in, Hifumi points the blade at the torso and face after the limbs.
It was at the time he slashed for the 4th time.
Agathion raised his voice and dodged the slashing attack by bending his body.
Accordingly Hifumi's movements come to a halt.
"... What happened, human? Are you gradually hitting your limit?" (Agathion)
Agathion ridicules Hifumi in order to provoke him, however Hifumi's shoulders are trembling.
"...?" (Agation)
"Fukukuku... Hahahahaha!" (Hifumi)
Although Agathion was puzzled, he once again placed around 10 pellets in mid-air, but at that moment Hifumi burst into laughter.
Suddenly ceasing his laughter, Hifumi stared at Agathion with a serious look.
"From now on I'm going to kill you. If you can kill me before that, it will be your win." (Hifumi)
At the moment Agathion knitted his eyebrows asking "what are you saying this late in the game?", Hifumi's fierce attack began once again. However, unlike before, he is persistently wielding the blade while aiming at the chest.
"Gu!" (Agathion)
Agathion barely averts the the slashes and thrusts, which are approaching him many times over while aiming at his chest, by sacrificing his arms.
While staying silent, Hifumi swings his right hand which had transformed into a blade.
Within the long exchange of blows, Hifumi's blade cleaved open Agathion's chest in a straight horizontal line. However, Agathion showed a smile.
"What bad luck. At least my chest was cut." (Agathion)
However, Hifumi doesn't reply to that.
Hifumi, who was struck by pellets hurled at him from the front as counter-attack, had the joints of both his shoulders broken and even his right hand blade vanished from the tip of his arm which dangled loosely.
"See, it's my win..." (Agathion)
Hifumi, who doesn't stop even then, pins down Agathion left foot by stepping on it and thrust his head into the armpit of the still remaining left arm.
Hifumi, who roared a war cry, raised his body and was able to forcibly throw up Agathion's left arm.
Originally it's a move to stab a dagger into the part which has no armour by opening up the flank of the opponent with the body, but the aim this time is another.
"Wh-Wha!?" (Agathion)
The chest wound, Hifumi had caused before, opens up by force.
In there something red with a diameter of around 10 cm, just like a gem buried in sand, is pulsating.
Agathion, who noticed that it had become exposed, spoke in a way of behaving as if he had the leeway even while becoming pale.
"Oops! You got to see my heart, how embarrassing." (Agathion)
"I found it. This pulsation was what I was looking for. It's also what you frantically protected." (Hifumi)
"Uguu... But, well, you likely can't move both hands anymore. How regrettable." (Agathion)
"That's not really a problem." (Hifumi)
Sweeping the foot he stepped on, Hifumi thrust his face into the chest of Agathion who toppled over while facing upwards.
"N-No way... stop..." (Agathion)
Ignoring the pleading, Hifumi opens his mouth widely and his teeth sink into the heart.
"Aaaaaahhh..." (Agathion)
Forgetting to use magic, he beats Hifumi's shoulder and back with his left hand.
However that doesn't last for long either.
Crunching on the hard surface and the soft inside, Hifumi's front teeth bit into the heart mercilessly.
"Phooey." (Hifumi)
Once he spit out the objects he held in his mouth, fragments smeared with a red fluid were thrown onto the ground.
A syrupy and sticky red fluid spills our from the remaining heart and is absorbed by the surroundings which has taken the shape of sand.
Agathion died while his eyes were wide open in terror.
"... At last he shed blood, eh?" (Hifumi)
Hifumi has also lost a considerable amount of blood.
Losing strength in his knees, he sat down on the ground with a thump.
"Ah, it was close." (Hifumi)
Even while sending the arms flying and gouging out the throat at the time he fought with Agathion, he didn't have the actual feeling of stealing life.
But now, with him having been basked in the fragrant liquid after biting into the pounding object, he finally obtained a sufficient amount of that sensation.
"Yea. Stealing the lives of living creatures which can use words is a good feeling after all." (Hifumi)
He earnestly muttered within his dimming consciousness.
"... Huh? Has he died, I wonder?" (Pheres)
"Pheres, have a look." (Njal)
"No way. You go, Nyal." (Pheres)
With pebbles and sand spreading and a pile of debris rising in the centre, that, which ought to be a hall you could even call impressive, has lost its shadows.
The ones peeking at the situation from the left and right side of the entrance are the two demon girls who magnificently barfed in front of the gate after following Vepar.
In the hall itself, there is Phegor, who has fallen to his knees and is pitching forward as if about to fall while being pierced by the katana, and the figure of the king, who collapsed with a pale face and red blood shedding from his chest on a platform visible inside the hall. Next to him was the figure of the human who was sitting as if watching over the king.
And, none of them even twitches.
"Wouldn't it be better to wait for Captain Vepar...?"
"But, won't she be even more upset if we didn't save them although we could?"
Vepar valued the two girls, who are able to use healing magic, highly. They are brought along at every opportunity for the sake of rescuing wounded people who appeared during battles and in accidents during practise.
Bennia, who was the vice captain, summoned those two to the attack site because she feared there would be too much evidence left behind at the actual site if injured people emerged in a counter-attack, but Vepar truly thought that it would be the best if there are no wounded or casualties.
As result of that, the two girls haven't grown in regards to combat at all. Stating it bluntly, they were useless on scenes with no wounded and at the front-lines where there's no time to heal.
"... Let's try to get close, just a bit?"
"Got it."
They have been ordered to assist in bringing the chaos within the castle to a close by Vepar. Listening to people, who have watched the situation while hiding within the castle, they were ordered to heal the survivors' injuries if necessary and to check the state of affairs in the hall where Hifumi was supposed to have headed.
Pheres, who is only one year older, timidly approaches Phegor and Nyal follows behind her.
Both of them are holding knives as an excuse of arms and are wearing capes with a flare skirt. However, they don't really know how to use either.
Grasping the knives tightly with both hands anyway, they walk forward while somewhat silencing their footsteps by standing on their tiptoes although they wear boots with heels.
"Uwaaa..."
Phegor, who has died while clinging to the katana within a puddle of dried blood, has his face hidden and his expression can't be seen.
"Phegor-sama isn't in a state that he can be healed or such, is he?"
As one would expect, no matter how good one is with healing magic, it's impossible to resurrect the dead.
"Hey, if it's this sword..." (Njal)
What Njal pointed at is Hifumi's katana which has penetrated into Phegor's body.
"It's the sword that human had, right?" (Pheres)
What Pheres pointed at is the figure of Hifumi who is sitting down with his back turned towards them.
"Yea. I saw it as well. At any rate, this is an amazing weapon..."
At the time when Njal quietly extended her hand towards the katana, Phegor, who opened his bloodshot eyes widely, lifted his face which had lost all its blood.
"You bastard are..." (Phegor)
Did he hallucinate that Njal, who is standing in front of him, is Hifumi? Opening the hand which grabbed the guard of the sword, he stretched it out towards Njal.
"Higyaaaa!" (Njal)
In front of a situation similar to a dead having started to move, Njal raises her voice into a scream and Pheres isn't able to move either as she has become stiff.
However, repelling the stretched out hand of Phegor by kicking it from the side, it doesn't reach Njal.
"The barrier was finally broken, huh?" (Hifumi)
Hifumi, who was the one kicking, looked down on Phegor who feebly collapsed.
"H-Human?"
"You were alive..."
Without listening to the girls, Hifumi grabbed the hilt of the katana which was stuck in Phegor's chest and pulled it out in one go.
Holding down the wound from the extraction of the katana, Phegor groaned deeply.
"Well, it's great that you survived. I'm able to finish you with my own hands after all." (Hifumi)
Hifumi swings down the katana, he had raised overhead with the force of pulling it out, with his right hand.
As he had apparently already lost a lot of blood, not much of blood flowed even when the head was cut off.
Phegor's freshly severed head rolled up to the feet of Njal and she sat down while unable to stand up out of fear due to his extremely gruesome expression that gives one an impression of his feelings of resentment.
Being hit by her knee when she did so, Phegor's head rolled in the direction of the day after tomorrow.
Once Njal raised her eyes, there was the figure of Hifumi who is cleaning the katana with a paper.
At the moment Njal, who thought that she had been saved, tried to somehow muster her voice to thank him, the katana was thrust before her eyes.
Remembering the katana, which had a beautiful lustre as if just having been washed, easily beheading Phegor before, Njal gulped down her spit while trembling.
"So, you are the next opponent?" (Hifumi)
She thought that she had been rescued, but it seems to be somehow different.
Summoned Slaughterer
呼び出された殺戮者
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/summoned-slaughterer/
Action Adventure Fantasy Martial Arts Mature Psychological Romance Shounen
Adapted to Manga Aristocracy Arrogant Characters Average-looking Protagonist Beastkin Beautiful Female Lead Betrayal Calm Protagonist Clever Protagonist Cunning Protagonist Dark Demi-Humans Demons Determined Protagonist Different Social Status Dwarfs Elemental Magic Elves Enemies Become Allies Enemies Become Lovers Evil Protagonist Fantasy Creatures Fantasy World Fearless Protagonist God-human Relationship Gods Kingdom Building Kingdoms Knights Love Interest Falls in Love First Magic Beasts Magical Space Male Protagonist Marriage Monsters Nobles Obsessive Love Overpowered Protagonist Politics Power Struggle Protagonist Strong from the Start R-15 Royalty Ruthless Protagonist Samurai Schemes And Conspiracies S*aves Strong Love Interests Strong to Stronger Summoning Magic Sword And Magic Sword Wielder Transported to Another World Underestimated Protagonist Unique Weapon User Unique Weapons Wars Yandere
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4399ci/
井戸正善／ido