Kuwuuung!
Kurika’s claws crushed down on me. I thought I could take him head-on this time, but…
Grrrgh!
I felt blood from my whole body rising up through my head and hands. I opened my mouth wide, exhaling as if I might vomit from the overwhelming weight pressing down on me.
“Are you holding up?”
Seeing that I had endured his strike, Kurika let out a slightly bewildered voice.
In that moment, Kurika’s body floated away and soared far into the distance. His black fur scattered, leaving only traces that he had ever been here.
“How dare you fight amongst yourselves in front of me!”
That bastard is enjoying this now.
Sharcarl, who had initially acted out of anger towards Kurika, was now pounding the ground with his staff, his voice bubbling with excitement.
It seemed he had lived trapped in the Forest of the Demon Realm for a long time. Being as strong as they were, there were no magical beasts daring to challenge him or Kurika.
Must have been boring.
Incredibly boring, indeed.
Especially for someone like Sharcarl, who proclaimed himself as the guardian of the gods’ treasure vault, it seemed the fight was long overdue.
“Daniel McLean! I will cleanse myself of the shame of defeat once again!”
“Fucking battle maniac!”
It had splashed back on me.
I dodged as I watched Sharcarl’s invisible distortion swing his staff.
I’m different from these monsters. Just one clean hit and I’d be done for.
I needed to fight while avoiding attacks as much as possible to survive.
Grroooaaar!
Even after taking a direct hit from Sharcarl’s magic, Kurika had already closed in on me. His powerful claws approached me when I was thrown off balance by the magic.
It would be more accurate to say I was bracing my sword than blocking.
Crack, clang!
My sword, lacking proper strength, snapped in half, and Kurika didn’t stop, continuing to charge at me to finish me off.
“Are you mocking me?”
Kurika, feeling that Sharcarl had disrespected him, began unleashing a torrent of massive strikes. Kurika’s head slammed violently into the ground.
Invisible meteors started to pound Kurika’s body mercilessly, trapping him as he curled up, unable to escape the beating.
Thanks to that, I quickly discarded the broken sword, drew out another one, and charged at Sharcarl.
The most troublesome now was Sharcarl. I might have had a chance to convince Kurika like before through conversation mid-battle, but Sharcarl was madly obsessed with combat and posed a significant interruption to any dialogue we needed to have.
Bam!
“Do you really think I would fall for that twice?”
My swung sword was stopped by an invisible distortion in the air. It felt like slicing through a transparent whirlpool.
Just a bit closer, and I could stab Sharcarl. The silver glint in the eye behind his skull mask flashed, mocking me.
Hmph!
Gripping my sword with both hands, I pushed down with all my might. It would have been impossible before, but now I possessed the physique of my youthful prime.
I was confident it was entirely possible.
Ha!
Sharcarl’s defensive magic shattered like glass. He seemed dazed, swallowing a breath and glaring at me.
“Defense doesn’t suit the strong, does it?”
“You know me well!”
Of course! You told me that yourself.
Compared to his overwhelming firepower and area-of-effect spells, Sharcarl’s defensive magic was not all that impressive.
It was ill-suited for the distorted mana he used, but given Sharcarl’s personality, the best defense was an offense.
Crack!
My sword penetrated right into Sharcarl’s shoulder.
Thanks to Kurika inadvertently serving as a bait, I managed to approach him. The odds of me winning against Sharcarl had drastically improved with this proximity.
“That’s right; the best offense is often a defense.”
At that moment, something invisible knocked me back with great force. I felt the shock as I was slammed into a passing carriage.
Sharcarl’s robe showed signs of wear in several places too. This crazy guy had purposely placed himself in the area of effect of his own attack spells just to create some space from me.
Cough! That’s shocking!
Sharcarl, leaning on his staff, muttered contentedly. At the same time, he began hammering out more magic again.
But this time, Kurika barged in, using me as bait and showcasing his beastly instincts to charge forward.
It seemed he had judged that he needed to take down Sharcarl instead of me, showing his teeth as he sprinted.
His speed was markedly different from when I charged in.
Moreover, Sharcarl had just been wounded while trying to shake me off, so he couldn’t avoid the magic casting.
Crash!
Kurika’s claws dug right into Sharcarl’s abdomen. Even though he was wearing the skull mask, his expression was hidden, yet blood started seeping from the robe.
Huh, heh! Isn’t this fun, Kurika?
Sharcarl, who could barely speak, posed the question, and Kurika wiped away blood-soaked eyes from previous magic spells.
“You are truly a warrior to the bone.”
Even faced with death inches away, Sharcarl laughed, utterly thrilled by the battle, while Kurika replied, showing a look of disdain.
Sharcarl vehemently denied it.
“Don’t misunderstand! I’m no warrior. I’m not a fool who lives or dies by battles at the cost of his life!”
A fierce silver light began pouring out from Sharcarl’s chest, where Kurika’s claws were lodged.
Startled, Kurika hastily tried to pull back, but it was already too late.
“Only victory! That’s all that holds value to me! How dare you compare me with worthless beings who fight without risking their lives! How dare you presume to assure victory against this tyrant!”
From Sharcarl’s chest erupted a multitude of hands and feet of magical beasts. One massive hand slapped Kurika hard, and the wolf-man staggered back, spitting blood.
Grrr!
Despite facing that sort of power at that distance, Kurika appeared to suffer no more than the bleeding from his mouth.
He had some internal damage, but he roared back, proving he was still strong.
“I am a flawless winner! A tyrant who only gluttonously feasts upon victory! If mere proximity can lead to defeat, what kind of absolute power is that?”
The claws and limbs pouring from his chest began to grow in number and size. There was no denying it: if it were just me, I would have lost to Sharcarl.
Also, Kurika too would have lost to Sharcarl alone.
While I was off at the Academy, Kurika kept secret the truths of the Forest of the Demon Realm.
All alone, Sharcarl had been striving for power and fighting, squeezing every ounce of effort from himself.
He must have prepared this against the gap I showed last time.
I wondered how he managed such preparations in such a short time, but he was the sort to lock himself away studying magic every day.
He must have sought knowledge beyond imagination and brought it back.
Finally, having regained myself, I drew out another sword, gripping it tightly in both hands.
Out of the three swords, one was already broken, leaving just two left. I had to face both Sharcarl and Kurika with these.
“Hey, Kurika.”
I suggested to Kurika, who was roaring and howling.
“How about a temporary alliance?”
“……”
His eyes shone with the moonlight of the night, reflecting something unusual. He seemed to take longer than expected to decide, so I sighed and continued.
“The Priestess of Time didn’t tell us what our relationship was in our past lives, did she?”
“……So you had some relation to me?”
Just as I thought!
I chuckled and scratched my head.
“I just came by at night, bored, to drink a few glasses and exchange gifts. That was all.”
“Hmm?”
Kurika’s expression showed disbelief; he never expected that. Yeah, while drinking with me, he never dreamed we’d one day call each other friends.
I felt a strange wave of nostalgia.
“That sounds like nonsense.”
“Fuck, man, it really ticks me off how you ignore what I say and just listen to the priestess!”
“Choose your words wisely.”
How could I get him to trust me?
With Sharcarl’s massive hands barreling towards us like they were about to swallow the entire Forest of the Demon Realm, I needed a strong and clear statement.
A rather decent phrase popped into my head.
Though somewhat shocked, I brushed it off as a drunken quip, but looking into Kurika’s eyes back then, I could tell he was sincere.
“As the one putting a period on this long life, you chose me.”
“……!”
Kurika’s eyes widened immensely as he looked at me. I met his gaze, but that was my mistake.
Sharcarl, not missing the chance, swung his beastly hands towards me.
Crack!
By now, Kurika’s teeth and claws obliterated the magician’s grasp without reservation.
Kurika spoke as I braced myself behind him.
“Just once.”
There was no misunderstanding that statement. I nodded, gripped my sword, and stood by his side.
Kurika still held on to the thought that he had to kill Rin. That was how he would rid himself of the dagger of doom he possessed.
He had to kill Rin, so, unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to share drinks with him in this life.
“Looks like I’m doing something I never did even in my past life.”
For the first time, I stood alongside him.
We faced the same enemy.
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