18-8. Tales of Hero Hayato [5]

After an encounter with the cheeky duke's daughter at s.h.i.+ga Kingdom's Dungeon City Selbira, we crossed over Great Desert and went to visit the western country group on the continent.

The first visit was to the Holy Land of the little G.o.ddess which shares her namesake, Parion.

Here to investigate the ruin of a dungeon [Demon G.o.d Gaol]--also known as [Devil's Grotto] where a demon lord emerged once.

Master Burume and Maryest aren't with us. They had some sort of complicated matter to talk about with the pope and the sage, so they stayed at the cathedral in Holy City Parion.

"An entrance in the middle of nowhere desert..."

"Would be bad if the demon lord lurks here."

Rokos who picked up my murmur gave his impression. Exactly.

"No worries there. I mean demon lords would only show up in a [Living Dungeon] not a ruined one."

"Please don't let your guard down, but Seina has a point. Demon lord ceased to emerge in Holy Land Parion ever since the dungeon here turned into ruins."

Seina aside, if Loreiya said so it must be true then.

"Hayato, let's head back."

Subac said while looking around.

"The base of my tail feels itchy. s.h.i.+tty stuff tends to come up whenever this happens."

"That dumb superst.i.tion aside, you won't see me against that. We're gonna be eating sands if we get raided here."

"Me too~! My hair and ears are getting gritty from all the sands."

Rokos the scout, and Seina also wanted to go back.

I personally wanted to explore this Devil's Grotto a bit but no one seems to be on board.

Longearkin s.h.i.+aryi keeps looking at the surrounding rocky mountains, and deer hornkin Zayan and knight Jerid are looking away like it's none of their business.

No, they're watching out the surroundings.

Come to think of it, Maryest said something about the spread of a demon lord believer group, [Wings of Liberty] in Holy Land Parion.

"Got it. Let's go b--"

I felt a stinging presence as I was speaking.

The talisman from G.o.d Parion is reacting.

This is--.

"--a demon!"

Learning from our last experience, I quickly activated [Invincible s.h.i.+eld] around us and surveyed the area carefully.

『Kyokkyokkyo. Good sense there hyero.』

I hurriedly jumped away from a yellow shadow spreading out below me.

A huge yellow ocher-colored demon showed up.

I immediately used a.n.a.lysis skill to read the demon's info.

"Mid-clasa demon! Level 55! Watch out for its venomous claws and ice magic!"

Loreiya cast support magic while I was gathering info.

It's gonna be a bit tough without Maryest and master around, but we're gonna make it out without losing anyone for sure.

--Cause I'm a hero!

"I'll stop its attack!"

There's nothing my Unique Skill cannot stop.

I've also used [Unlimited Regeneration] just in case.

"Come! Demon!"

I shouted with a [Provocation]-laden voice.

It doesn't work too well against intelligent beings, but the demon went after me nonetheless.

"--Buster Hacker!"

A red glow came from the side before Subac's finisher exploded.

"Dangit, that didn't work?!"

The strongest skill of axe was stopped by a barrier that emerged before the mid-cla.s.s demon's hand.

The demon sent Subac flying by swinging its tail, and leaped at me while baring its venomous claws.

I blocked it with my holy s.h.i.+eld.

"Don't panic guys! Let's whittle at it slowly but surely!"

Everyone tried attacking just as I instructed, but they all got blocked by the barrier that stopped Subac's finisher.

"Jerid!"

"I'm on it! --Blast Armor"

Jerid's armor breaking finisher hit the mid-cla.s.s demon's barrier.

--That hit didn't break it?

"What a demon!"

If this is mid-cla.s.s, just how bothersome greater would be.

"If once didn't do it, I'll just keep at it until it does!"

Jerid shot the second, third Blast Armor.

Subac and I stopped the mid-cla.s.s demon from trying to eliminate Jerid.

And eventually--

"It broke!"

"Nice, Jerid!"

As I praised Jerid, I s.h.i.+eld bashed the demon to make it lose its balance.

"Evil Slasher."

Zayan's great sword finisher burst the motionless demon.

The demon's body seemed quite st.u.r.dy even without its barrier, that move failed to cut it apart, only leaving red sparks scattering everywhere.

Knight Jerid approached from the opposite side of Zayan.

"Aim at the gap on its armor!"

Jerid's one-handed sword finisher, [Evil Piercer], stabbed a gap in the armor.

『Annoying flies buzzing everywhyere!』

The demon spun like a top, blowing Jerid and Zayan away.

"Sniping Swallow Eye."

s.h.i.+aryi's red arrow pierced through the demon's eye.

"--Buster Hacker!"

Subac attacked frontally after the demon lost its sight.

Loreiya's healing magic must have fixed him up.

Scout Rokos and Seina also let out their dagger finishers.

Even with everyone going all-out, it wasn't enough to end it.

I too forgo my defensive stance and activate [Strongest Pike] Unique Skill joining in the melee.

As expected of Unique Skill, G.o.d's authority.

Even normal attacks are as powerful as the guys' finishers.

The mid-cla.s.s demon is losing its HP amusingly quick.

"This is the end! --s.h.i.+ning Strike Rush"

I tried using the move the previous hero specialized in I learned from master Burume for the first time in a real combat at the end of the guys' finisher rush.

A dazzling blue light pierced through the demon before it dispersed into black mist.

Clank, clank, a near jet black magic stone dropped by the demon fell down.

"Did we beat it?"

"Yeah, it's our victory!"

Even though I had a doubt with the anticlimatic end, we really did beat it.

I celebrated our victory together.

"Still, I can't believe a level 55 would be this tough."

Demons possess unmeasurable strength outside their levels.

"But we nabbed the victory without losing anyone. Us together can beat even demon lords!"

High in victory, knight Jerid spoke words that were unlike him.

He must be ecstatic to have won against something that strong.

『That's a death flag dyesu!』

A yellow shadow showed up along with an eerie-sounding voice.

--What the heck is this guy.

"Jerid!"

A moment after the yellow b.a.s.t.a.r.d showed up, it beat knight Jerid down with a swung of its arm.

--What the heck is this guy.

"Subac! Zayan!"

Subac and Zayan who rushed ahead to save Jerid got cut in half by a magic the yellow body demon unleashed with no time lag.

The bloodied remains of the two fell on the ground.

Those guys can't have been beaten this easily.

Am I looking at a mirage right now?

--What the heck is this guy.

I would also have been done in for sure if the Unique Skills I used earlier weren't still active.

I tried to drew the yellow body demon's attention so Loreiya could heal Subac and Zayan, but even though my holy sword with trace of Strongest Pike could stop the demon, it couldn't break through its barrier.

a.n.a.lysis skill gave me what I wanted to know of the yellow body demon.

A level 72 greater demon. A frightening opponent bearing the t.i.tle [Hero Killer].

"Hayato this guy's bad news. Run away with Loreiya now. I'll buy you time."

Rokos who ran up to me whispered in fl.u.s.ter.

『My oh my, where are all your big talks' gone off to dyesu, humans?』

The yellow demon stopped our attack with its hand, and grinned evilly.

Every time this ma.s.sive 5 meter tall demon attacks, ground splits apart, armor gets torn asunder.

Moreover, looking at this thing's skills, it's supposed to specialize in magic.

That weirdly strong barrier must be one.

"Hayato-sama, we should withdraw. Our foe is--"

"Yea, I know."

Its pressure and presence completely beyond the earlier mid-cla.s.s demon, shriveling us.

There's no doubt that there's no hope of winning.

Even so, I will buy enough time for the guys to run.

Steeling my resolve, I focused on the powers of G.o.ds dwelling in me.

--Invincible s.h.i.+eld (Nothing can pierce).

--Strongest Pike (Nothing cannot be pierced).

--Unlimited Regeneration (Endless Healing).

I liberated all my Unique Skills.

An enormous power far above the traces earlier wraps me.

A sense of omnipotence drives away my fear, unraveling my shriveling body.

"With this I--"

--Still can't win, but I won't go down as easily.

Or so I wanted to say, but I lost my consciousness midway.

『You are supposed to be a bearer of G.o.d's authority, what a disappointment dyesu.』

I raised my face as I vomited iron-tasting saliva.

My brain seems to have a concussion, my vision is blurry, I can't think straight.

I could recall up to a point an impact hit my s.h.i.+eld.

"--What the h.e.l.l is this."

A disastrous scene filled with heaps of corpses.

『I suppose it won't be much of a match until you're done buffing yourself with magic and potions dyesu.』

Rokos whose limbs are torn apart, a doll-like unmoving Seina with a missing leg, Loreiya whose limbs are still intact but laying on a pool of blood, s.h.i.+aryi is the only one still moving.

Even that s.h.i.+aryi has lost her bow and right hand, only making a diversion with a vermilion magic sword.

『You can't even break through my barrier, too bad so sad dyesu.』

No, Seina and Loreiya are still barely hanging in there.

I'm sure they can be saved with the magic potions in my Inventory.

"Hayato! I've contacted the princess. Hero summoning in the talisman will activate soon. Live on!"

"s.h.i.+aryi! What are you--"

A magic circle emerged around me.

s.h.i.+aryi got kicked away by the yellow demon in front of me.

My body floats up, the sensation of teleportation magic I experienced once before is wrapping me.

--Run away?

Me alone? Leaving these guys behind?

"...Like h.e.l.l I could do that!"

I pushed the teleportation magic away with my spirit.

If I run away here, I can't save s.h.i.+aryi, Loreiya or that cheeky Seina.

『Oh my oh my, and just when I was thinking of letting him go, your hero appears to be the biggest fool in all history dyesu.』

The yellow demon sneered at me.

"Call me fool all you want. Because--"

--Hayato-chan, what do you want to be like when you're all grown up?

My childhood memories rush about in my head like a revolving lantern.

--Me? I wanna be an adult who saves those in trouble!

"Because that's me. I'm hero. Hero Hayato Masaki!"

I use my Unique Skills once again.

The little G.o.ddess told me not to overuse them, but who cares about what's ahead now. I put three layers of [Invincible s.h.i.+eld].

But it's no good.

It's still not enough.

This cannot overturn the 12 levels difference.

--This shrine's talismans possess a miraculous quality to them, use only when the need truly calls for it

I had another flash back.

--It shall sweep away thine trouble, although only once.

I took the talisman out of my Inventory.

How do I use it?

Dunno.

I'll just shout out loud then!

『Talisman! Grant me power to overcome!』

I shouted out loud in j.a.panese.

The talisman in my hand burned out instantly, my holy sword and holy armor got clad in a rainbow colored aura.

『What is that light dieeesyuuuuu?!』

The yellow demon sounded fl.u.s.tered for the first time.

The yellow demon roared out, several white flames emanating incredible heat manifested around it.

『Eat this

> dyesu!』

That's bad news.

I had made a headlong rush toward the yellow demon with Flickering Step, they would hit me head-on at this rate.

I can't dodge it now.

In exchange for my life, I'll definitely drag this demon down with me!

The air feels heavy.

It's like I'm running underwater.

Every second feels very long.

I could see the incoming white flames.

I dodged them by slightly moving my body, but I eventually ran out of spots to go.

I'll just parry them by sacrificing holy s.h.i.+eld--my trusty s.h.i.+eld is not here. It must have been blown away somewhere when I got knocked out earlier.

Then I'll sacrifice my arms--.

With that resolve, I hit the white flames with my arms.

A rainbow light burst out along the surface of my arms, erasing the white flames.

The totally unexpected spectacle created a blank in my mind before I realized.

More and more white flames. .h.i.t me, but every one of them disappeared.

Furthermore, my holy sword shrouded in rainbow light easily pierced through the nigh impenetrable barrier the yellow demon boasted, like they were made of paper.

As if it's the [Pierce All] dragon fang that appears in the legend of dragon.

The yellow demon lost a lot of its HP.

I can win now!