Early Release!!
==================================
Chapter 4 Part 16
Translator : PolterGlast
Proofreader : John4891
Iris'
POV
After
all the school lessons were over, Tima and I decided to go out with Somia,
Mars, and Nozomu. Tima and I left the classroom and walked side by side to
Central Park. On the way, Somia, who had left her Ecross Academy, joined us,
walking alongside us.
Today,
I honestly thought a lot about what I said at Ushitotei yesterday, so I
couldn't focus on the lesson.
When
I was asked a question or when another student called me, I thought I'd be able
to answer, but I still couldn't get him out of my mind.
I
remember Lisa's appearance when I talked to her face-to-face yesterday.
She
was so different from her usual self. She wasn't even trying to hide her fierce
hatred for Nozomu.
Her
menacing look was terrifying. I had a cold sweat, and Tima, who was next to me,
was completely frightened, but at the same time, I felt a strange feeling.
No
matter how the rumors flowed, I felt it was strange that she so stubbornly
resented him.
If
anyone saw how she hated Nozomu now, any normal person would think that Nozomu
betrayed Lisa and she was right.
What's
more, the credibility of the rumor that "she was betrayed by Nozomu"
got stronger, as she was considered a straightforward and compassionate person.
She was one who resolutely fought against unreasonableness.
However,
if anyone thought that Nozomu was the right one, you would see a completely
different side. It was possible that someone wanted to tear apart the
relationship between Nozomu and Lisa.
I
didn’t want to think too much about it, but given her popularity, it seemed
that someone would definitely do it, and that person would need to have Lisa’s
trust.
The
person that Lisa trusted actually would have to have benefited after the two of
them broke up.
When
I actually came into contact with him, the impression I had of him was the
exact opposite of his reputation at school.
Despite
being his childhood friend, Lisa struck him with tremendous hatred.
The
rumors arose after he developed his Ability Suppression.
When
I thought about the person who had really benefited since the rumors surfaced,
the first person I came up with was ...
(Is
it Ken Notice?...)
I
hadn't actually confirmed it, but how shocking would it be if this were true
...
Recalling
what Nozomu looked like this morning.
When
I saw him in the morning, it seemed like he did something dangerous again, and
when I asked him "what happened?", he just replied
"nothing". He didn't want to open his heart up at all.
It
was clear that something had happened ………….
“…………………………..”
"Ai,
are you okay?"
"Ane-sama
……"
"A-Ah.
I'm alright ..."
Naturally,
I clenched my fists tightly on my chest. The impatience that swirled inside
grew bigger and bigger, and I couldn't help but feel I was in a difficult
position.
The
haze inside my heart didn’t clear up. Only anxiety and loneliness became
stronger.
"Yo.
Sorry, I'm late."
As
I was lost in my thoughts, I raised my face to the voice I heard. Mars was
walking over here. But ... Nozomu wasn’t there?
"Mars-kun,
what about Nozomu?"
"A-Ah.
He was….."
"Do
you have a minute?"
"...
You are ..."
When
Mars began struggling to speak, Mars' voice was stopped by someone from the
side.
Looking
at the person, a young Fox Tribe was looking at me.
If
I wasn’t wrong, he was ………….
"Sorry,
for talking to you so suddenly. I am Feo Rishitza. I belong to the second
class, third year. I need to talk with Nozomu Bountis, but ... it looks like
he’s not here."
"...
Do you need something from him?"
Mars
spoke to the boy named Feo in a stiff voice that seemed to be wary of him.
"No,
I just wanted to talk a little. How did he seduce that ‘black-haired princess’
...?"
The
moment I heard that word, my heart suddenly turned cold.
Those
words came from someone who didn't know how good Nozomu was as a person.
"...
You bastard ..."
"...
You sure can say that rude thing in front of the said person ………………"
"Wha!
Joke! It's a joke !! Don't get too angry."
The
young Fox apologized in a hurry, but our gazes didn’t soften.
It
was too bad to be a joke!!
"That's
why, I'm sorry ... But I wonder where he is ... Sorry, I'll come back next
time."
He
bowed his head, turned his heels back, and quickly disappeared into the city.
I
looked up at the sky and the sun was starting to illuminate the western half of
the sky red. Looking up at the twilight sky, I felt an ominous premonition rise
in my heart.
=============================
".........
I was really impatient ..."
Feo
walked away from Irisdina and the others and entered the city, but he couldn't
stop sweating for a while because of their overly threatening attitude.
"But
to think that black-haired princess would go that far ... I had that coming,
but that sure was bad ..."
Feo's
mouth lifted up. His interest in Nozomu was growing stronger.
He
wanted to know. What kind of person Nozomu was? Why was the black-haired
princess so interested in him?
"...
A~~rggh!! I can't stand it anymore!! If it's like this, then the fastest way
is..."
Feo
disappears into the hustle and bustle of the city. His smile wasn't the usual
unreadable smile, but it was like that of an innocent child’s that could be
found anywhere.
=================================
"Vu~ooooooooooon
!!!"
With
a roar that echoed throughout the forest, the black demon beast rushed towards
Nozomu and the others.
Nozomu
glanced behind him. Shīna and her friends were ready for battle.
Their
party consisted of one vanguard and two rearguards. Due to his aptitude, Nozomu
decided to move forward. After he pulled out the katana on his waist, he
immediately stepped towards the black demon beast.
"Wa-Wait
!!!"
Mimuru
was flustered when she saw Nozomu charging alone, but Nozomu continued to run
regardless. This was to gain some distance from the opponent, so that the
rearguards could do their best.
"Gaaaaaaaaaa!!"
The
black beast opened its jaw, trying to eat Nozomu, but Nozomu escaped from the
demon beast's bite while relaxing one leg and letting his body flow to the
side. He tried to cut through the demon beast's body, but a black shadow came
from the edge of his field of vision.
"!!!!!!"
Nozomu
felt danger all over his body and immediately threw himself to the ground
without even checking the shadows that had come into view.
In
the next moment, a cloud of dust rose with a thunderous roar, and Nozomu was
blown several meters away due to the momentum and impact.
"Na~!!"
Nozomu,
who was lying on the ground, saw a big black tail. The demon beast's tail
became huge and pierced the ground like a blade.
"Gau!!!"
Nozomu
tried to stand up immediately, but the demon beast also immediately pulled its
tail out of the ground and prepared for pursuit.
When
the black demon beast tried to lunge on Nozomu again, an arrow shot by Shīna
pierced through the demon beast's shoulder.
"Gi~!!"
"Take
this!!"
From
the opposite direction, Mimuru started to attack the demon beast.
She
struck with her hatchet-like knife, which was strengthened by Qi, but only
scratched the black skin of the demon beast.
"Ku~!
What a d*mn tough body!"
She
threw curses at the demon beast because she couldn’t hurt it, but at the next
moment, the red-black blood clot-like eyes of the demon beast glared at Mimuru.
"!!"
Mimuru
lost her consciousness for a moment, but she was able to crouch down and dodge
the greatsword-like tail, which swung around her.
The
black beast tried to drive away Mimuru by swinging its greatsword-like tail
further, but she continued to dodge it with flexible movements.
However,
her facial expression stiffened. The speed at which the demon beast twisted its
tail was so fast that she couldn't find the right opportunity to break away
from it.
At
the back, Shīna shot another arrow. The flying arrow pierced the body of the
demon beast, but it only the sludge-like body. The skin underneath wasn’t
pierced. The demon beast's movement didn't slow down at all.
"Wa-Wait
a minute! Time out!! Time out!!!"
Mimuru
couldn't keep dodging the tail's attacks forever. Her body was slowly unable to
keep up with the restless onslaught of attacks. Considering the tail's attack
power when it pierced the ground earlier, her specialized skills couldn't
defend against the greatsword-like tail mowing down around her.
Nozomu
stepped forward with an Instant Move to distract it.
He
sheathed the sword he’d drawn out and plunged into the black beast while his
hand was on the hilt of his katana.
The
black beast glanced at Nozomu, then roared and attacked Nozomu with its tail, which
had been targeting Mimuru earlier.
A
greatsword-like tail approached from the front, and Nozomu made a sword-drawn
stance while moving sideways.
He
hit the tail from below and launched it upwards. Then relaxed his legs and
snuck under its tail.
The
tail passed over his head and a few strands of hair fell off, but he didn't
care. Nozomu stepped inside and slashed with his katana.
"Gyaa!!!"
Nozomu's
slash pierced the demon beast's skin and blood flowed from the wound.
"!!!!!!"
With
the smell of blood flowing out and the feeling of tearing the demon beast
apart, he remembered yesterday. Nozomu's face was distorted with disgust and
nausea, but Nozomu clenched his teeth and swallowed the sensation.
He
was able to injure the demon beast, but the sludge-like shadow covering its
body immediately closed the wound.
"Ku
!!"
"Guaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
Because
it was angry because of the injury, the black beast raised its forefoot and
slammed it at Nozomu.
Nozomu
jumped sideways to dodge the demon beast's forefoot, leaving only a large claw
mark on the ground, but that didn't slow its attack. The demon beast
immediately swung its tail and chased Nozomu.
"Nozomu-kun!!
Get out of the way!!!"
Nozomu
tried to handle the approaching tail in front of him, but in response to the
voice he heard from the side, he used Instant Move to withdraw with all his
might, regardless of his own appearance.
Then,
a flame bullet flew from the side and exploded at close range to the demon
beast. A raging blast enveloped the demon beast, but at the same time, Nozomu
was also blown away by the blast.
"Guu
!!!"
"Uuaaa
!!!"
"Hey,
Tom! Why are you attacking him!!"
"So
sorry!! It seems that the catalyst was a little too effective ..."
It
seemed that it was Tom who fired the flame bullet earlier. It seemed that he
intended to attack only the demon beast, but the effects of the catalyst, which
enhanced his magic power, was unexpectedly strong. As a result, Nozomu got
caught up in the explosion.
"
*cough cough* No ... It's okay. Leaving that aside, the demon beast is
..."
It
seemed that he had managed to escape from the range of the flames at the last
minute. Even though he was coughing, Nozomu tried to confirm the situation.
Mimuru
and the others also prepared in advance. They stared at the rising smoke while
getting ready to move at any moment.
"Grrrrrr
..."
A
growl could be heard and red lights could be seen from the other side of the
smoke.
Seeing
the red lights moving around, it seemed that the demon beast was still alive.
“…………………
I'll finish it ……”
The
smoke hadn't cleared up yet, but Shīna, who was holding her bow, poured her
magic power into the nocked arrow. The magical power that was excessively
poured out rose like steam, and the nocked arrow began to shine brightly.
“Gather
in my hands.
The
stardust of the starry sky.
A
single arrow I hold in my hands.
The
light of the North Star shows me the way.
Cut
through the night of the abyss …”
Shīna
chanted her spell .
It
was a ritual prayer. It was a poem to completely extinguish the existence in
front of her, and it was sung with the intention of extinction beyond
annihilation.
"…………Eh?"
Nozomu
suddenly saw her face. Her facial expression and her eyes' color petrified him.
(What?)
Her
face was distorted. It was a face that enjoyed killing like when Nozomu
murdered the Triclopes yesterday. It was the face of someone who couldn't help
but rampage furiously.
Her
eyes were dark. Black. It was like a chaotic mixture of despair and hatred ...
It was the same color as the sludge-like color the black demon beast in front
of them had.
Nozomu
was confused when he realized the feelings Shīna had now.
She
looked exactly like he was yesterday. Nozomu realized that she was dominated by
anger as much as he was.
She
was ready to shoot the arrow. The strings stretched to their limit, and the
nocked arrow was just waiting to be fired.
"Why
was ......... that ..."
Nozomu
let out a confused voice.
Shīna's
dark eyes only focused on the demon beast in front of her, and she released the
pinched string from her fingers.
*Punishment
of the Star Sea*
A
magical spear appeared and enveloped the arrow. Then ir fired.
The
arrow she shot easily erased Nozomu's voice and landed on the black shadow
behind the smoke. A roaring sound and a blast, which surpassed Tom’s flame
bullet, had just been scattered around.
"Fuu
..."
Shīna
exhaled and released her stance. In front of her, there was a hole several
times bigger than the demon beast, and in the center of it was two times as
much smoke as before.
She
must have put a lot of magical power into the arrow. There was a straight mark
that cut through the ground towards the hole, and anyone could see how intense
her violent emotions were.
“……………….”
However,
Nozomu hadn’t yet released his stance. Certainly, the arrow seemed to do a lot
of damage, and the demon beast's presence was rather weak, but Nozomu's ominous
premonition didn’t disappear.
Perhaps
his premonition was right. The presence he felt behind the smoke suddenly grew
stronger.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
…………"
"!!
Not yet!! We haven't defeated it yet!!!"
What
appeared from the other side of the smoke was still the black demon beast.
Moreover, its body was bloated.
The
muscles all over its body swelled rapidly with a squeaking noise, and the
surface of its black body cracked one after another with blood gushing out.
From
the back of the body's surface, red eyes similar to the blood that gushed out
appeared, and countless red eyes were glaring at Nozomu and the others all at
once.
The
tail that was originally one split apart and became two, and it became greatly
enlarged. There were countless thorns and red eyes on its tail, and the sludge
that covered its body became even dirtier.
(Damn!
Is this its true form!! That means it didn't even fight seriously until now!!)
"This
is bad!! Let's withdraw from here!! This guy is too dangerous!!!"
Mimuru
proposed to retreat. Nozomu agreed. Obviously, it was different from any demon
beast Nozomu had ever seen. It wasn’t smart to keep fighting unnecessarily
unless it was known what the opponent had in store.
"Th-That's
............... Kuh !!! Take this!!!"
However,
even after she saw such a scene, Shīna was unwilling to back down. Once again,
she nocked an arrow on her bow and aimed at the black demon beast.
"Don't!!
Don't do it!!
"Noo!!
I won't run away anymore! I'm sorry for doing this!!!"
No
matter how anyone looked at it, it was a reckless act.
Nozomu
tried to stop her with his voice, but she was trapped in her own anger and shut
her ears out.
When
she tried to shoot another arrow, the demon beast moved.
"Gaaaaaaa!!!"
"Take
this!!"
The
demon beast rushed straight toward Shīna. Its speed was overwhelmingly faster
than its previous movement. Furthermore, when it rushed over, it swung its two
tails and tried to get rid of Nozomu and Mimuru who were trying to get in its
way. Obstructed by the swinging tail, the two's actions were delayed by one
step.
Shīna
shot an arrow in a hurry, but because the demon beast's skin became stronger,
the arrow couldn't even penetrate and was repelled instead. The demon beast
opened its mouth wide with that momentum and tried to eat her.
She
jumped sideways and escaped from its jaw, but she couldn't stop the demon
beast's rush and was inevitably blown away.
"Kyaaaa!!!"
"Shīna!
Kkuh!!"
Tom,
who saw Shīna blown away, grabbed a stone which was a magical catalyst, in his
right hand. He tried to release magic. Because the demon beast felt the wave of
magical power flowing, it targetedTom.
"Tom!
Don't!!!!"
Mimuru
warned Tom, but it was too late. The demon beast opened its jaws, with a myriad
of sharp fangs exposed, leaping towards Tom. Tom's magic wasn't ready, and
neither Nozomu nor Mimuru were close enough. They were clearly not on time.
"GI,
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
A
scream reverberated in the forest.
The
jaw of the black demon bit into Tom's right arm which was trying to release
magic.
