A high-pitched shriek echoed through the picturesque forest bathing area. The insect-like monster, ‘Night Mantis,’ covered in dark green armor, flaunted its proud scythe and rushed at me, its prey, in an utterly defenseless state—completely naked.
There was no need to panic. Indeed, I was completely naked, but I was not a weak female swordsman who could not fight without a sword.
“Fighting naked reminds me of the mobile experiment—’Magic Bullet: Full Fire’!”
I instantly blew away the unwanted memories with a barrage of magic bullets that I conjured in an instant. The jet-black bullets that floated around me were aimed at the approaching giant mantis. With this many closing in, it was certain to hit something.
Simultaneously, the roar of the simultaneous firing drowned out their cries.
Right after, the body of the mantis, diving in with momentum, was shredded into pieces by the onslaught of countless magic bullets.
Although its head, limbs, and torso were all covered with a considerable hardness of armor, it did not possess the toughness to withstand my magic bullets. Faced with black magic gunfire, its body was swiftly perforated, limbs blown off, and blood splattered extravagantly—ah, their blood is blue.
A bit taken aback by the rare blue blood, I quickly sprang into action.
Perhaps because Night Mantis was a swarm monster, even after many of its companions were instantaneously killed, they continued to attack me without hesitation, as if they lacked any sense of fear. In fact, they might not have any emotions at all. Their approach, devoid of anger or fear, appeared more mechanical than biological.
If that were the case, then I had to thoroughly crush them until the last one fell; there would be no stopping.
“Pile Bunker!”
With the Night Mantis becoming a killing machine, I too had no hesitation in taking them down. Kicking aside the corpse of a fallen comrade from the magic bullets, I met the next foe with a fist swirling with black magic power.
I struck directly with my right fist, now transformed into a drill by the swirling magic power, smashing the scythe of the Night Mantis that lunged at me. With a crunch, the mantis’s blade shattered, and with unyielding momentum and power, I sent its limb flying, pierced its torso, and even skewered the one behind it.
Though it was considerably weaker than when I punched Lily, I could still easily penetrate two Night Mantis. I could feel the power of the Pile Bunker growing stronger along with my own growth—it was something I realized in moments like this.
Since it’s rare to fight using only my bare hands and black magic without relying on weapons, I might as well unleash my full strength.
“Don’t ignore me while I’m trying my hardest—’Magical Hand’!”
I used the jet-black chains I created from the shadows to bind the Night Mantis, which was heading towards the exit where Brigit had escaped.
Essentially a binding spell, it could strangle a foe of this hardness. Like a snake catching its prey, the black chains entwined around their limbs and torso and began to tighten—suddenly, with a snap, they forcefully tore apart the body.
This was an easy way to defeat them, but it took a little time.
In that case, it would be quicker to throw the captured mantis. I forcefully hurled the bound mantis towards the ones emerging from the forest thicket.
The mantis, thrown with considerable force, collided with its comrades, crushing each other in a friendly manner. It was a given that similar-weight and hardness objects colliding at high speed would break both.
While watching the chaos of the chain throwing, I continued to fight simultaneously. If I stood stationary, focused solely on controlling the magical hands, I’d be nothing more than a third-rate black mage.
Well, I can’t really say much since I usually leave tentacle manipulation to Hitsugi.
“Grenade—wait, causing a fire in the forest is a bad idea, ‘Frost Grenade’!”
Just before unleashing the standard fire-type explosive ‘Grenade Shelling,’ I hesitated and hurriedly altered the spell and attribute. I released the ice-attribute version of the grenade, ‘Frost Grenade.’
The black magic materialized into a shining black metallic head, with blue lines radiating, the icy projectile detonated among the swarming mantises.
A pale blue explosion erupted, and the freezing blast, with a coldness enough to make my breath visible, swept through. As the mist-like white explosion smoke cleared, there stood a massive ice statue of a mantis, completely frozen.
Good, it froze solid on the first shot.
Relieved by the freezing power of the ‘Frost Grenade’ that I used for the first time in actual combat, I prepared to confront the fearless mantises charging without regard for their fallen comrades with my bare hands.
“Ha!”
There was no need to punch as a Pile Bunker. With the hard shell of the Night Mantis, I could easily pierce through it with my bare hands. Naturally, the black magic that swirled around my limbs drifted as a dark aura, and I went toe-to-toe in a slugfest with the mantises.
I slammed a straight punch into the torso, decapitated one with a roundhouse kick, grabbed a leg, spun it around, and tossed it aside.
I was causing quite the ruckus in the nude, feeling like a primitive man. Though, even primitive men would wear at least some clothing. More like a level of an ape.
However, the beastly instinct for combat, being something that even a man possesses to some degree, brought an inexplicable feeling of exhilaration and liberation as I fought. The pounding of my heart was exceptionally loud, perhaps because this beast-like heart was relishing the wild battle.
“What’s wrong, you guys? Are you done already?”
After freezing those who came down from the high trees with ‘Frost Grenade,’ I strangled those who ignored me with the magical hands, and sent flying any that got too close with a Yakuza kick, finally, no new foes emerged from the thicket.
When it was all over, there were countless corpses. The shredded Night Mantis remains were scattered throughout the bathing area, and the eerie blue blood formed pools here and there. Since many were frozen, it might be a somewhat better situation. If I had a machete, they would have all been shredded.
Anyway, the forest returning to silence likely meant that this was the end.
“Lord Chrono, you defeated them all, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, these guys were completely relentless. More importantly, are you safe, Brigit?”
“Thanks to you, Lord Chrono, not a single one approached me.”
Good, I’m glad that in my eagerness to fight, I didn’t accidentally let one or two slip past.
As she said, I could clearly see from her exposed body that she bore not a single scratch.
“That’s good; I’m glad you are unharmed.”
Not good. Once again, I missed the timing to say, “Please put on some clothes.”
Moreover, why is she still naked… If monsters attacked and I evacuated her to the temple, couldn’t she have at least wrapped a bath towel around herself?
“I sincerely thank you for protecting me. I should have been the one, as a shrine maiden with the duty to protect here, to fight—”
At that moment, as Brigit attempted to move forward with a gentle smile toward the gruesome scene of mantis corpses, a heavy, low growl echoed out.
Goooaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr!!
Unlike the Night Mantis, a monstrous, resonant voice filled the air. No, as it reverberated, the source of that voice had already appeared.
With a heavy landing sound, what descended before me was a massive gray figure. It had a rough surface reminiscent of a giant rock. This creature’s massive frame far surpassed the Mantis.
While the Night Mantis were human-sized monsters, this one was the size of a tank or a truck.
Its body was thick, hefty, and most notably, it had an unmistakable silhouette featuring eight robust legs.
“Is that the ‘Rook Spider’?”
The mantis named after knights, and it belonged to the same group, with a name derived from the fort. The Rook Spider was an insect-type monster. Danger level rank 4, boasting combat abilities that surpassed the Night Mantis.
I felt a bit anxious facing the grand spider that appeared confidently.
It seemed troublesome to deal with it bare-handed, not in terms of pure strength.
Simply put, two Rook Spiders had appeared.
One was before me, and the other was in front of Brigit.
“I’m sorry, please run again, Brigit—”
While shouting, I extended my magical hand with full force to stop the Rook Spider targeting her.
However, I was too late. My outstretched hand came to a halt.
“You needn’t worry.”
Her response was leisurely, making me feel like a fool for shouting.
In the middle of her declaration, as if there was some mistake in perception, something black, shadow-like, and sword-like flew past the large Rook Spider that was about to lunge at her.
What the—before I could even think, the answer revealed itself.
The Rook Spider’s rock-like body was cleanly bisected. Its thick gray armor, certainly possessing the hardness of stone or iron, separated smoothly to the left and right.
Such a sharp cut. The same blue blood as the mantis splattered once its severed body collapsed onto the ground.
It wasn’t an illusion.
The Rook Spider was indeed slashed in half by a blade that resembled a black shadow.
Of course, the one who executed that was the naked girl standing in front of the giant spider, who should have been a powerless prey.
Brigit, beyond the fallen spider’s corpse, directed her unchanged radiant smile at me and said:
“The shapeless dark sword ‘Zetsuei’—this is my specialty in black magic.”
As I stood there, Brigit suddenly appeared right next to me.
For a moment, I lost track of her. It was as if she moved with the ruthlessness of Sariel in a sparring match. No, it wasn’t merely speed; she seemed to be utilizing some technique that obscured her movement.
“Our duty is to protect the black forest. Lord Chrono, I apologize for bothering you.”
She lightly swiped at the air as if brushing away a fly.
From her fingertips, a long, thin, non-glossy shadowy blade formed. That black blade tip, like tracing something on the water’s surface, passed through the body of the Rook Spider that stood before me.
In one slash, two slashes.
In the next moment, a beautifully quartered corpse of the giant spider rolled onto the ground.
“Another thing I must apologize for… Hehe, I couldn’t help but get lost in admiration for your fighting style, Lord Chrono. You are even more valiant than I had heard. Moreover, you are the first person I’ve seen handle black magic outside of my clan.”
“Is that so? You’re the first I’ve seen use black magic other than family too.”
Though I was conversing, my gaze shifted back and forth between her and the corpse of the spider.
That shadow blade, ‘Zetsuei’, had incredible cutting power. It might boast sharpness comparable to a finely honed sword or excellent craftsmanship.
Reproducing such sharpness with only my black magical power seemed quite challenging. What kind of spellcraft was she employing?
While I was curious about her black magic in itself, I also felt a bit of resistance in accepting Brigit’s considerable skill.
It’s usually possible to sense strong individuals by their aura, but up until now, I hadn’t felt that kind of presence from her at all. Truly, my surprise was significant.
“Uhehe, Lord Chrono is indeed deserving of being my fated partner. Should I say I’ve fallen for you again?”
With a dreamy smile, Brigit started to inch closer to me.
Even now, she wasn’t giving up.
“W-well, this situation where monsters have appeared here is an extraordinary emergency. We need to handle the aftermath, and we should quickly return to Morrigan to report, right?”
“Yes, that’s true. However, are you truly alright with just that, Lord Chrono?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“You must be quite excited from battle. If you wish, I can quell it for you right now.”
She naturally touched my… thing, and it finally dawned on me. I realized that, somehow, my male equipment was standing stiffly.
“Whoa—’Demon King of Love’!!”
Without relying on the fourth blessing, I wasn’t confident I could resist Brigit’s allure this time.
In any case, I somehow managed to shake off the temptation of the bathing area.
Even Brigit seemed serious from here on.
“I will return to report to my grandfather immediately.”
“Shouldn’t I accompany you?”
“No, please rest, Lord Chrono.”
I appreciated her consideration. Well, considering the reporter, Brigit alone was indeed more than enough.
“Then I will prepare for tomorrow.”
“Prepare?”
For some reason, Brigit looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Our enemies are the ‘Bugs Brigade.’ It will be an emergency quest, right?”
“Y-yes, probably.”
The ‘Night Mantis’ and ‘Rook Spider’ that attacked in the bathing area looked like entirely different types of monsters, but they were considered the same species, forming the insect-like monster horde called the ‘Bugs Brigade.’
The naming, reminiscent of chess pieces, indicates that even if they are different types of insect monsters, together they comprise a single army.
The ‘Bugs Brigade’ is recognized as a famous disaster-class monster. Naturally, it would be prominently featured in guild materials, so I was roughly aware of the information.
And if they appeared near human settlements, meaning a nest had formed, the Adventurer Guild would promptly issue an emergency quest for their extermination.
“However, Lord Chrono, you have already completed your investigation of the monolith, haven’t you? There is no need for you to stay here any longer, let alone take on an emergency quest.”
“As an adventurer, it’s natural to take on emergency quests. Besides, how can I just ignore them?”
“But for you, wouldn’t it be better to distance yourself from a woman like me?”
“Well, being tempted is a problem… But whether I dislike Brigit because of that is a completely different matter. At the very least, if disaster-class monsters appear, I want to help. So, I’m going to fight.”
Honestly, I had stronger feelings of goodwill towards Brigit. While it may just be my own values, I can empathize that being a woman with the mission of producing strong men and children may be sad.
Above all, regardless of the reasons, I couldn’t look down on a woman who approached me so straightforwardly.
“I see… I truly appreciate your kindness. If you join the extermination, it would be greatly reassuring.”
“Yeah, I’ll show a cool side so you won’t be disappointed.”
Now that it was decided, I’d better get ready quickly. My opponent was the innumerable insect horde, the ‘Bugs Brigade.’ I would fully equip myself and take them on.