The Spearmaster and the Black Cat

The humans charged while each making their own declaration. Among them, a guy <Threw> two gray daggers that were enveloped in light blue mana. Magic lines extended from the ends of the daggers’ pommels as they headed straight for the plant demon.

Both daggers squarely embedded themselves in the demon’s body. It wasn’t as though that served as a signal, but a guy who held two steel spears with two spearheads in his hands, a woman with a short wand, and a woman with a round buckler and a longsword assaulted just like an army with their movements being in perfect unity.

The one seeming to be the boss attacked the plant woman head on. The wand-holding woman acted like a rearguard. The dagger-throwing guy, who held two more daggers as he positioned himself as middle guard, manipulated the magic lines connected to the two daggers he threw through his own mana. The magic lines were no ropes, but he still pulled them towards himself as if hauling in ropes. At the same time, he deployed daggers, which were clad in his light blue mana, around himself.

Are those magic lines maybe some kind of <Guidance Sorcery>?

“Eh? My body…,” muttered the plant woman.

Bluish-white patterns had surfaced around the area where the two daggers had pierced her body.

Is it a magic effect of the daggers? It looks like the plant demon has become unable to move.

“Who are you people?” I naturally asked the intruders.

“…Those are our words, demonic-beast-using spearmaster.”

One of the humans answered me with doubt dyeing his voice. He was a handsome guy. He wore a special helmet that only guarded his brainpan and jaw. His forebangs were light brown, and so were his eyebrows. One of his eyebrows had been divided by a cut. He had clear blue eyes. Those very eyes were currently glancing at Baldok.

Just like with his eyebrow, a vertical scar was running from beneath his eyes across his cheek. He wore a pretty, thick-layered armor that was fastened with a pair of metallic fixtures around the collar.

I think his armor is something in the middle between a leather armor and an armor platelet. But, since the armor contains mana, it must be rather special.

He does have a certain atmosphere to him. Maybe an A- or S-Rank adventurer. Well, since there also exist superb warriors among C- and D-Rank adventurers, his aura alone isn’t enough of an indicator to make a call.

“…Sorry, I guess I’ll introduce myself first. Shuuya Kagari. Adventurer.”

“Hooh, an adventurer, eh…?”

“Ricks? Right now the demon, who killed all those people, matters more than the spearmaster over there, right?”

The light-brown-haired man nodded at the female mage’s words, “Yeah, you’re right, I guess. It’s better than nothing!”

He readjusted his hold of the daggers.

Suddenly, the female mage thrust both hands into the air, drawing magic seals with mana filling her fingertips. In the next moment, a magic crest appeared underneath the plant demon.

“――The response of the Noble Youth vanished. I don’t want to even think what we’ll be told by Left Leader if we don’t catch this woman…”

I turned my attention from the complaining mage to the magic crest. Small vascular rings were created by the magic crest. Those rings attached themselves to parts of the plant demon’s body while emitting energy.

“What’s this? It’s a sensation I’ve never experienced before～”

The plant demon moved her head left and right, checking her own body. She was talking in a rather relaxed manner, but…it didn’t stop the forceful movements of the rings and the bluish-white patterns.

The female demon was lifted up through the power of the small rings, and floated towards the trees behind her. And then, just like that, she crashed against a tree, being crucified to its thick trunk after having her arms and legs stretched out.

The guy called Ricks barked, “Now, be a good demon and stay like that,” and caused his floating daggers to head for the plant demon. The daggers stabbed her body further.

Following that, the guy handling two magic spears charged towards the plant demon, and unleashed a <Thrust>-based technique at her. Both spears drilled into her torso.

――Not bad, that spear user.

It was a dual-spear <Thrust> technique different from Delhart’s. In addition to his technique and those magic spears, his way of manipulating his own mana into sending it into both hands was pretty smooth as well. It should require quite a mastery level.

“…” The plant demon didn’t scream even after being hit by his chain spear attack.

Does she feel no pain?

Far from it, I could sense how she was furiously moving the mana inside her body so as to amass power even while continuing to receive attacks by the spears. Seemingly having suspected the suspicious movements of the plant demon, the spear-wielding guy immediately pulled back.

“…Just who are you people?” I asked the dual-spear-wielding guy after he retreated.

Mana converged in the eye sockets of the plant demon, and in the next moment, hexagrams and pentagrams appeared in her eyes. Small magic crests extended in layers from deep within her eyes while rotating.

『Your Excellency, please be careful. Dark tree spirits and spirits I’ve never seen before have assembled in her mana. Taking the earlier, soundless branch attack into account, I think she might possess power equal to the demi-goddess』

『Roger. Let’s go with <Spirit Ball Conception> then』

『Okay――』

A part of Helme surfaced from my left eye to guard me. Helme’s mysterious patterns filled my left field of vision.

No matter how often I see it, <Spirit Ball Conception> is mysterious. …I won’t use <Elixir Law – Catfish Conception> yet.

And then Helme’s power took shape, making it possible for the unknown humans to see it, but…it can’t be helped.

“…We are the 【Savage Land’s Skill Exploration Party】. I’m the leader of 【Sea of Trees Hunt】, a group directly affiliated to Left Leader of the Exploration Party. My name is Uno.”

“My name is Ricks. I’m a member of the same 【Sea of Trees Hunt】.”

“I’m the Dual-Spear Wielder Malega. Likewise a member.”

“Aleyza. Likewise a member of 【Sea of Trees Hunt】.”

The organization mentioned by Nora, huh? Have they been chasing after the black-haired vampire who picked a fight with Eva?

Previously Nora had explained that 【Savage Land’s Skill Exploration Party】 might come after me, if they learn about me being part of a new race.

“So, why are you, the members of that exploration party, trying to catch or kill that demon?”

“Before answering your question, I see that a liquid has come out of your left eye. You don’t appear to be an ordinary spear user. Besides, that spear-wielding woman isn’t ordinary either. You guys seem to possess superb skills.”

“I guess.”

“So, what about it? Rather than that――” Kisara whirled her witch spear around.

She had pointed her spear at the exploration party guys, but suddenly she looked back at the plant demon while jumping so as to escape into the sky. Her intuition as Four Heavenly Witch was correct.

“――Sealing me with such fake powers? Don’t make me laugh, brats!” The plant demon swung her arms as she spat that ridicule out, freeing her own body.

It looks like the power of the layered magic crests from her Demonic Eyes has activated.

The daggers embedded in her body melted away. At the same time, the bluish-white mana enveloping those daggers dispersed. The magic crest at her feet evaporated at the places where the demon’s feet touched it, making footprints appear in the magic crest.

“Huuuaaaa, my Blood of Destruction…I cannot endure it any longer!”

The small rings that had been binding the plant woman dissolved as well. She pressed both her hands against her head, and moved her palms towards the back of her head as if fixing up the hair-like branches on her head into a swept-back-hairstyle.

At that moment, a diadem combining silver and gold manifested on her head. Revealing an ecstatic expression, she started to walk forward.

“――Tsk, that thing ain’t no normal demon, eh? She fucking forced her way out of the combination technique of <Skill Stakes> and <Ring Seal>.”

“We go with Ham Bottom.”

“Aye.”

“Roger.”

At once, they took a distance while keeping certain intervals and making sure to be in combat range. Aleyza, the woman holding a sword and buckler, stood at the front. She was looking just like an Amazon. And seemingly having invoked some skill or magic, a god-like illusion appeared above her shoulders.

I’ve never seen the being depicted by that illusion before. For an instant, it reminded me of the God of Justice Shafah, but it wasn’t him.

“Hee, a kin of the divine domain is part of your lil’ group?”

The instant the plant demon spread her hands to the side while commenting, countless flamberge-like swords appeared from her crooked fingertips, flying out in a fan shape.

In the next moment, Aleyza thrust out her buckler after pouring mana into it. The illusion floating above her imitated Aleyza by also adopting a shielding posture, and then it advanced as if to oppose the flamberges. The illusion swung her circular shield from the left to the right as if carrying out a shield bash, flicking away the flamberges.

Of course, those flamberges approached us as well, albeit in a smaller number. Helme’s liquid expanded from the left eye in a belt shape. She absorbed the flamberges temporarily in her body, but she didn’t take them in, but instead ejected the swords outside. While watching that, I swung Baldok upwards from below, repelling the point of a flamberge that had closed in.

When we had repelled all the flamberges coming our way, the plant woman overflowed with a rich mana. And as her body suddenly expanded, she transformed into a huge monstrosity while pushing down the trees around her. The diadem on her head also changed its form somewhat. It grew out symmetrical horns that reminded me of a spider’s legs.

“Destruction, Destruction, Destructiooooon!”

An intense flash of light was released from her Demonic Eyes. Moreover, a swarm of thick stakes flew out of her ripped-open mouth. On top of there being many of those stakes, they were fast.

I focused on <Elixir Law – Catfish Conception>. Helme’s <Spirit Ball Conception>, which covered a part of my left shoulder centered around my left eye, transformed into a catfish-shaped defense layer while expanding. My visual field took on a mysterious, turquoise blue.

After slashing the first approaching stake with Baldok, I bisected it. The left part of what used to be a stake, which got scattered towards the left, was absorbed by the catfish conception and disappeared. The right half stabbed into the ground.

While rotating, I continued to evade the chain attack of stakes. And as I did so, I observed. Just like there were stakes, the attack also had flamberges mixed in.

And then I moved Baldok right in front of my eyes so as to transfer the momentum of my rotation to Baldok. I revolved Baldok as if it was a pinwheel while retreating. The stakes got shattered by the rotating Baldok as I continued to block a big chain attack of stakes and flamberges.

In the meantime, I extended <Chain> from both my wrists, creating a chain shield around me. The stakes and flamberges crashed into that shield.

I guess I’ll protect the female spirit world knight behind me for the time being. Her expression still appears to be somewhat hazy.

Meanwhile, something like hands extended out of <Elixir Law – Catfish Conception>. Those hands dragged the stakes and flamberges into the turquoise blue and absorbed them.

『Helme, don’t force yourself too much』

No answer from her came back. Well, my will has been passed on to her, however. She doesn’t try to protect all of me, only focusing her catfish shield on my upper left.

Given that the defense effort eased up a bit, I checked my vicinity.

My partner has transformed into her divine beast form. She expanded a net of countless tentacles, and was offsetting the attacks by knocking them down, continuing to protect Hina and Sana.

Matabe also tried to protect the two girls by standing in front of them. He seemed as if he was gazing up to Rollodeen and the huge plant demon, who released an overwhelming presence.

Eva, Kisara, and Rotalz also devoted themselves to defending by using their respective weapons and abilities.

I don’t know about the guys from the exploration party.

“Eva, I’ll plunge in at that point. I leave the spirit world knight to you.”

“Nn, roger.”

The instant I finished telling Eva without looking at her, I clad my whole body in Magic Combat Style, and dashed off. I capitalized on my chain shield and the defensive layer of <Elixir Law – Catfish Conception> while rotating Baldok all the while.

Just like that, I ran up all the way to the feet of the plant giant. While running, I expanded water of life magic at my feet, and unleashed <Dark Water Moon of Nothingness> after performing a rotational evasion of <Hazy Moon Reflection on Water>.

I delivered a point-blank, vertical kick from a stooping posture against the plant giant’s leg. The part I hit was dented in with a print of Arzen Boot’s instep remaining behind.

Next I leaped by pushing myself off the ground with the other sole, and used the red ax blade that drew a semicircle in the air to slice through her leg while rising. At the same time, I activated <Demonic Brain Speed>. Accelerated by my trump card, I pummeled the waist and abdomen of the plant demon with mana fists of <Magic Hand guided by Thought> while heading for her head.

Fast, multi-layered chain attacks came in the shape of vine needles flew at me as if to deal with my trump card. But, my <Demonic Brain Speed> was superior in speed. I easily dodged the needles while using the plant demon’s body against her.

When I evaded all of them, I focused on <Tree of the Evil King>, and invoked <Dusk of Lancer>, creating a foothold out of trees in the air.

Kicking off those trees, I leaped, and shot <Dusk of Lancer> against the giant’s body while continuing to fly by sporadically hopping through the air.

“Fast――”

Just as the plant giant commented like that, I transferred the force of my accelerated body and all my muscles into Baldok without paying her any attention. I drew close to her head while somersaulting forward, and activated <Powerful Slash>.

The furiously rotating, mighty ax blade hit her chin. After cutting up from her chin, across her mouth, all the way to her nose in one swoop, the ax blade struck her diadem. At that point, an abnormal, discordant gong resounded. Something similar to a scream that made the atmosphere tremble thundered across the land.

Once the ax blade tore through a part of the diadem, light brown blood gushed out of the diadem’s cut ends. I attacked her chin and the rest of her body, and yet I see blood here for the first time?

Showered by the blood, Baldok trembled.

Nuuooo――

Dizziness――

I felt the tolling of bells while shaking my head. Immediately afterwards, Baldok released a scream of delight or something else that sounded weird. The skull patterns on its blade also released a flash of light.

At the same time, the time for my <Demonic Brain Speed> ran out.

Just as the plant giant’s head tore open, she squealed, “Guuuaaaaah, Mephalla!? But, for you to absorb my Blood of Destruction…”

“Aaaahhh! Shuuya-samaaaa! That is one of Damo’Anun’s magic spear techniques!”

Eh?

I was also surprised by the split head’s talking, but the transformation of the red spear and ax blade, as pointed out by Kisara, astonished me just as much.

Baldok has changed. But, right now I don’t have the leeway to calmly examine my weapon.

I triggered five instances of <Shining Chain Lance>, followed by the water-based 《Frozen Chain Snake Arrow》.

The head of the plant demon had been completely split apart. I stabbed the light spears and arm-sized Snake Arrows into the cut-sections of her head. The giant plant woman fell backwards, crushing many trees underneath her.

But, as clear from her screaming, she was still alive even after her head been cleaved open. As proof of that, she released nets of leaves, vines, and branches from her entire body. The plant demon shrunk down while those nets encroached upon a part of the Sea of Trees. In the end, her body returned to its previous size.

The horned diadem part became smaller than before. But, it looks like it hasn’t worked too well.

And then, a huge amount of plant-based demons spawned from the ground around her.

I landed while watching the plant demons as they appeared. Kisara and Rotalz launched themselves at those new enemies, routing them. The Burning Knights also sent them flying after bisecting demons with their swords. Rollodeen also released her flame breath, purging the nearby plant demons in one swoop.

But, the enemy’s state is weird.

――What does this mean? The new demons aren’t fighting back.

All of them were genuflecting, bowing their heads towards the shrunken plant demon.

“Queen Sardyne-sama――”

“Queen of Destruction and Trees Sardyne-sama――”

The other plant demons extolled in a way like Kisara’s <Magic Breath>.

Is that diadem the symbol of a queen?

『I’ve never heard such a name among demon queens, though』

『…She’s not recorded on the Picture Scroll of Sebdola’s Gods. Or rather, just how many devil-like existences are around anyway?』

『I think there exist countless, just like spirits』

I shifted my eyes towards Eva while talking with Helme telepathically. She shook her head so as to tell me that she had no clue either. The female spirit knight with her ahegao lay at Eva’s feet while covered by violet mana. Eva was protecting her properly.

“Shuuya-sama, the smell resembling Kyulha-sama’s roots, which are sleeping underneath the Rhinoceros Lake, has become stronger from Queen Sardyne. I think there is no doubt about her being a relative of Kyulha-sama.” Kisara had the filaments expand from her witch spear in a radial form while retreating.

Rotalz grew out a horn, and clad that horn in fire.

𝐟𝐫𝗲𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗯𝐧𝗼𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝗰𝗼𝐦