Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Lilia
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 49 – At the End of the Trials
Erin took a quiet breath and looked at the demon that appeared in front of her.
Its appearance looked exactly like the individual that burned down her hometown and stole her family’s lives.
“……Everyone, are you okay? Do you think you can fight?”
Erin called out to her two classmates who were probably on the other side of the wall.
However, there was no reply.
It’s not an ordinary wall, it’s like the space is separated…
Erin didn’t feel like her voice reached the other side.
Considering this temple was controlled by the spirits, there must be more than meets the eye.
The main goal of this type of training is, after all, achieving mental mastery.
Although Erin was aware of that, she still didn’t feel well seeing the thing she feared the most put before her.
Even though it was an enemy she defeated together with her comrades, hatred and fear still remained deep in her heart.
“……In that case, I have to overcome this with my own hands, here and now.”
There was the sound of a sword being removed from its sheath.
As soon as the will to fight entered her eyes, Erin accelerated to her maximum speed.
[“…………!”]
The demon staggered and leaned back heavily.
A strand of hair drifting in the air was all that was left behind from the sword slice.
“What I’m scared of isn’t you, but myself who was helpless against you in the past!”
After a pause, Erin turned her wrist with a sharp gaze and unleashed her second sword.
The blade of the bigger long sword in her hand flashed.
“[Horizontal Flash Slash!!]”
The demon narrowly avoided the slash that cut through the space itself.
Despite the natural difficulty of the trial, in which the most feared being of the challenger stood in the way, it was an easy enemy for Erin to deal with since she had already defeated it once.
Even after the first slash was avoided, Erin’s blade was already approaching the destination of the demon’s evasive move.
“[Vertical Flash Slash!!]”
A majestic line traced by a sharp blade seemed to fall from heaven to earth.
It seemed to be attracted to the top of the demon’s head, but just before it hit, it was blocked by the crossed arms of the demon.
“[Vertical Flash Slash!!], [Vertical Flash Slash!!], [Vertical Flash Slash Vertical Flash Slash Vertical Flash Slash!!]” 1
But Erin didn’t stop.
Her power was increasing.
At this moment, Erin also enjoyed the feeling of growth that Sharon felt.
So until earlier, I hadn’t reached my limit yet! And from now on……!!
The slashes were unleashed at such speed that they overlapped, forcibly crushing the opponent’s defense from above.
The blade was pushed into the demon, scattering mysticism in place of blood.
Even though it was a series of straight slashes, the attack never ended, as if it was the rotation of a chainsaw.
Erin was a sword genius who practically reached the secret technique of the SwordX Family on her own.
When one reached her speed range, it wasn’t a problem to unleash the same attacks so quickly in succession that they almost overlapped with each other.
“I won’t lose again, if someone like you appears again──”
Erin used her whole body like a spring and perfectly coordinated all her limbs’ movements.
The power transmitted to both arms moved the sword without any waste in energy.
A flame of determination erupted in her eyes.
“I’ll defeat them as many times as it takes!”
If Haruto was watching this battle, he would have muttered, “She actually won just by pushing strong techniques, isn’t that the most boring battle of the year…?” with a cramped expression.
The final flash slash that was unleashed severed the demon’s arms and cut the demon’s body in a half. 2
◇
“……I guess this means I should handle this on my own, doesn’t it?”
Meanwhile, Sharon wasn’t as comfortable being separated from the other two.
Unlike the others, Sharon wasn’t suited for one-on-one combat, and cold sweat dripped down the back of her neck.
…That’s definitely not an opponent that should be faced in a trial!
What stood before her was the shadow of the Demon Lord.
Indeed, it might not seem that strong, since Haruto managed to annihilate it countless times on his own, but in reality, were it not for Haruto serving as a bulwark, it was something that was capable of wiping out humanity a long time ago.
Thinking normally, there’s no way I could win. It’s clearly an impossible battle.
Although it was a trial that Sharon asked for herself, she almost lamented that this clearly went overboard.
That said, she didn’t become desperate because she had a chance of victory.
If it really had that level of power from before, it wouldn’t qualify as a trial. The difference in difficulty between previous fights to this one is just absurd… it’s just a guess, but I think it is adjusted to my level.
The basis of that was the pressure it emitted.
If it was the real Demon Lord’s shadow, it would give off a presence of “absolute nemesis” that would consume the world just by existing.
However, the illusion in front of her didn’t have that.
“──Fuuh.”
The assault spear slid open, the sound of steel scraping over itself echoing.
The mechanism was deployed and it awaited the command of its master.
The spear was in bombardment mode, exposing its muzzle, but instead of using the muzzle, it used a part that discharged excess magic power to the rear.
“It will be much sharper and faster than that time──!!”
An explosion of magic light blew away the darkness.
For Sharon, who had reached the maximum speed in an instant, the defense that the Demon Lord’s shadow was trying to take didn’t matter.
Sharon ran through with a loud noise that sounded like thunder.
Only a small part of her spear made contact, and the Demon Lord’s shadow succeeded in evading it.
But despite just deflecting it, its left shoulder disintegrated.
“One more time!”
It wasn’t over yet. Sharon made a sudden turn just before she hit the wall closing the space off.
While enduring the G-force that tried to turn her internal organs upside down, she used the jet of magic power to turn her body 180 degrees.
The Demon Lord’s shadow turned around, looked directly into the dazzling light, and immediately swung its arms.
Even that defensive blow would normally become a wave of death that couldn’t be resisted.
“Break through──!!”
However, Sharon charged right into the middle of it.
The assault spear imbued with holy light smashed through the waves of dark particles.
It wasn’t because she managed to determine the difference of output.
It was because she decided that the only way to break through was through a swift attack with overwhelming power.
The light rushed forward, driving away the darkness without encountering even a moment of resistance.
Sharon’s power wasn’t just dazzling, but was transformed into a magic power that harbored majestic mysticism.
It wouldn’t allow the collection of curses that brought destruction to exist.
After being run through, the Demon Lord’s shadow evaporated the moment the tip of spear touched it──
“──Byaah?!”
And Sharon continued to charge, crashing into the wall and letting out a stupid voice.
◇
After the other two used their strength and defeated their enemies── a little time passed.
“It’s, a bit, too strong, though♡”
As Kuyumi breathed heavily, she threw away her broken dagger and picked up a new dagger.
“…………”
Phantom Haruto wielded its holy sword without words.
A huge wave of brilliance surged through its swing, scraping away the entire spot where Kuyumi was.
…Gh, I’ll be finished if I get cornered.
She was still alive because she maintained her distance.
There was nothing but despair if she attempted close combat.
I can’t let myself be forced into a defensive position, so I have no choice but to continue attacking……!
Kuyumi kicked the ground and leapt forward to attack.
Using the sharpness she never showed to her classmates, the assassin of this generation outran her own shadow.
Her attacks were unleashed while she jumped around with acrobatic movements.
However, Phantom Haruto didn’t even look at them and knocked them all away.
“Ah~ geez, it really feels like I’m fighting against a castle wall here~?!”
While shouting in frustration, Kuyumi reeled out her wire anchor.
She tried to use her dagger’s slash as a decoy to slit her enemy’s neck, but it was easily cut to pieces.
“……Explode, the light of the god of destruction.”
Phantom Haruto muttered.
Kuyumi felt all the hair on her body stand up on end. She quickly jumped away from the spot, following her survival instinct.
Immediately after, the light from the Hero’s Sword radiated outwards in a chaotic manner, as if the chipped blade was diffusing instead of reflecting light.
Kuyumi jumped, curled her body, and used all her strength to avoid the attack that seemingly destroyed the closed space itself.
Guuuuhhhh! It doesn’t even let me put up a proper fight here…!
The output was definitely not close to the real thing.
It should just be a degraded illusion.
Even so, Kuyumi couldn’t see any hope that she could compete.
If it was reproduced based on my memory, then maybe I remembered sensei’s technique too accurately…!
Of course, the space itself was definitely Kuyumi’s ally.
She could feel that her abilities were skyrocketing as the battle continued.
The accumulated experience finally raised Kuyumi’s current abilities.
──But it’s still not enough! Even though Kuyumi-chan supposedly became super strong, I still can’t catch up!
The reason was obvious.
Kuyumi landed in between the enemy’s attacks and looked up sharply.
Even though that person is a phantom, it’s getting stronger as I speak! What’s going on?! It doesn’t make any sense~~!!
The phantom side was clearly increasing its output little by little.
It looked around while handling Kuyumi emotionlessly with its clothes still soaked in blood.
“……I was summoned to defeat you, right?”
“!”
The distance between them became a fatal range in an instant.
The phantom swung at close range. Kuyumi solidified her magic power and tried to block it.
But that defensive magic was shattered like candy.
The penetrating power pierced her body.
“Kafuh…”
Kuyumi didn’t have the power to stop the blood that rose up her throat.
Phantom Haruto thrust the tip of the holy sword at Kuyumi, who was covered in blood on the ground.
Ah, this is dangerous.
“──You, are?”
Its movement stopped.
The hero who was supposed to deliver the finishing blow suddenly stopped.
“What, the? I… no, but…”
…!! This is my only chance, but!
It was an instinctive counter attack.
Kuyumi leapt, forcing her body, which had already exceeded its limits, to move.
While throwing her shattered dagger, she unfolded a thinner blade from under her sleeve and thrust it forward.
Considering its reaction speed, in the best case scenario, we’ll end up defeating each other in one go…!
Her highly honed senses captured the world in slow motion.
The stab she unleashed was approaching the throat of the monster with the same face of her beloved teacher.
But considering her opponent’s speed so far, it would be natural for her attack to not reach her target. Even if it did, the countering sword swing would cut her in a half.
Is this my current limit…?!
In fact, even the spirits predicted the end result would be them killing each other.
If one failed the trial and died, that was it. The spirits wouldn’t help.
Kuyumi’s chance of survival was zero.
Her original destiny was to be forced to realize the difference between her and the peak she longed for and die in defeat.
“I see… so that’s how it is.”
However, the result was different from everyone’s expectations.
Just before Kuyumi’s attack was about to reach its neck, she was blocked by its arm.
The light of mysticism burst out.
The mysticism used by the spirits to create the body of Phantom Haruto danced outwards in the place of blood.
“……It seems I was summoned for a stupid reason.”
The body of the Descendant of the Hero was pierced by the Hero’s Sword.
In order to make sure to shatter its own heart, Phantom Haruto switched to a reversed grip and thrust its sword into itself.
“…………Wh……y.”
The collapsed Kuyumi looked up at the Descendant of the Hero.
Its dark, shining blue eyes held a color of an emotion that wasn’t there before.
“I’m someone who fights on behalf of those who can’t fight, so my blade isn’t meant to be swung toward you.”
It glared into the sky while giving a succinct reply.
The spirits that had been floating around earlier had already escaped.
“Tch… I guess that’s something to reflect on. If someone summons me to misuse my power like this again, I should immediately remove the restriction and kill the summoner or commit suicide.”
As it accepted the fact it was a phantom, Phantom Haruto calmly mused about the future.
It then crouched down and began to clumsily apply recovery magic to Kuyumi.
“Eh…”
“I guess you must be someone related to me. Am I still alive in the present? Or is this supposed to be the far future?”
“N-no… Sensei is alive…”
“Sensei?”
Hearing Kuyumi’s words, Phantom Haruto frowned.
“You mean I am a teacher…? No wait, damn it, it seems my knowledge is restricted, but I do feel your face is somewhat familiar…”
“Ah~! Y-you don’t have to try to remember it at all!”
Kuyumi desperately tried to stop the phantom, as she mistakenly thought it was trying to recall her dark history.
There was no way she could have known it was trying to recall game knowledge.
“……In other words, the student of my future self nearly got killed by me… no, I guess from your perspective, I am his past self, huh. That’s not a funny joke.”
“A-ahahah… I guess that’s true♡”
The pain in her body was already starting to subside.
Rather than that, Kuyumi felt uneasy because Haruto’s face was so close to her, staring at her sharply.
“The fact that my future self is sending you here means he definitely thinks you can survive it, but I guess that’s a wrong assumption on his part. I’d want to kill my future self for this… but wait, if there’s information you haven’t disclosed to the future me, then I guess it’s not strange that my assumption is mistaken.”
“Uuh.”
Kuyumi realized that without the doubt, that was the reason.
It was true that the moment she was told she would be facing the thing she feared the most, she thought that maybe… she could fight against Haruto and prove her strength.
But when it actually happened, she completely misjudged the difference in their abilities and almost got killed.
If not for Phantom Haruto managing to break through the spirits’ control, Kuyumi would have either ended up as a stain on the wall or been vaporized without a trace.
“Next time, make sure to speak up when I ask if there’s any questions.”
“O-oka~y…”
Relieved from extreme tension and also feeling exhausted, Kuyumi replied seriously.
In front of her eyes, Phantom Haruto, whose core had been shattered by itself, was gradually dispersing.
In the first place, it wouldn’t be strange for it to disperse the moment its core shattered, but it seemed to remain through sheer willpower.
“……Hey, don’t you think your words just now sounded very teacher-like?”
“Hm? No, which words?”
Seeing Phantom Haruto tilting its head with a serious expression, Kuyumi couldn’t help but laugh.
“Sensei, as I thought, you’re really suited to be a teacher after all.”
“……I wonder about that.”
There, for the first time, Phantom Haruto’s expression changed.
It was a slightly sad smile.
◇
Since I started camping outside the temple── three days have passed.
Just as I was thinking I also waited this long the last time I was here, Erin and Sharon came out.
It seemed they passed their trial at a fairly ideal pace.
After defeating the final enemy, they were guided outside by the spirits, and they didn’t seem to be imposed upon with weird blessings.
“All that is left is Kuyumi, but she sure is late.”
After watching the sun go down, Sharon muttered in a weak voice.
This was the third day since they came out, so it was the fifth day for me. 3
We sat around the bonfire on folding chairs and waited quietly.
Since the time flowed differently inside and outside, this kind of phenomenon occurred when there was a difference in clearing time.
“You’re right. Unlike us, it seems the thing Kuyumi fears is seriously strong.”
“Well, we have no choice but to believe in her after all…”
When I asked Kuyumi before the trial, she said it should be her parents.
What a dark answer… or so I thought, but since the phantom would be detuned for the temple of trial’s purpose, I judged there wouldn’t be any problem.
Sharon managed to blow away the Demon Lord’s shadow after all.
Unless it was an entity whose original power was so outrageous or incomprehensible, Kuyumi should be able to kill them instantly.
“……Ah! She’s out!”
At that moment, Erin stood up vigorously.
When I looked, I saw a small figure walking toward me from the entrance of the temple.
“Kuyumi, it seems you passed saf… why are you so worn out?!”
For some reason, Kuyumi’s clothes were in tatters with her shoulders exposed, and bloodstains were everywhere.
I hurriedly put my jacket around her and was about to use recovery magic… huh, she didn’t have internal damage?
“What happened? Did you heal yourself?”
I never expected she would be injured this much.
Be it in terms of the game system or the way the temple gave trials, there was no way a detuned existence could have damaged her this much.
“Hm~…”
After she stared at me, I flinched in shock.
Kuyumi embraced the jacket tightly and smiled.
“It’s sensei’s actions that made me like this, so take responsibility～♡” 4
“Eh, wai, what, seriously, what?”
Erin and Sharon looked at me with horrified expressions.
No no no no no no no no no!
I was together with you two all this time, so you know it’s impossible, right?!
Right?!
Want early access to Cannon Fodder, Melancholy of the Demon Army Officer, and I Was a Man Before Reincarnating, So I Refuse a Reverse Harem? Support the translator on Patreon!
