Chapter 90: Crisis in the Water Kingdom 2
"Elegant Onee-samaa~"
One of the monsters (the third, I think?) rushes toward the fallen monster (the second), who has been pierced by hundreds of water arrows.
Since the fallen monster (the second) was near me, the monster (the third) was inevitably in front of my eyes.
Butーー
Kuh, I don't think I can finish her off.
If I attack, I will be the one to die. This certainty bound my whole body in front of what seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Ah, why did this happen..."
The monster (the third) gently touches the body of the monster (the second). The tears that spilled from her eyes looked no different from those of any other human being.
......I don't feel a strange sympathy for her. I'm thinking about how I can take advantage of this opportunity.
I'm desperately telling myself that.
"If you're dead, you don't need this dress!"
The monster (the third) was so happy that she began to rip off the dress from the monster (the second).
"Give back my conscience!"
I slash a sword wrapped in water at the neck of the monster (the second).
Wait, why did I!? I did it out of habit!?
I regretted it, but it was too late. In any case, in order to protect our kingdom, we have to get rid of her here.
Stay still.
I made up my mind in an instant and put even more power into my sword. With this much power, even a dragon would be cut in half.
Butーー
“Maa, Pretty. How mischievous of you to rip off the clothes of your sleeping sister."
Even though I half-expected it, my all-out blow was easily stopped by the monster. And to my surprise, the one who stopped my blow was――
"Why are you still alive?"
The one holding my arm was the second monster, who was supposed to be dead.
"I'm not a weak being that I will die just by getting my whole body pierced."
At that moment, the monster's entire body burst into flames, instantly vaporizing Winneria-sama's arrows.
“Guooo!?”
What ridiculous firepower. I reflexively cut off the arm that was grabbed and moved away from the monster.
"Ara, that's an unsightly judgment, just like an insect."
I was covered in blood and mud when the monster (the second) sneered at me.
"Auerne-sama!"
My subordinates, perhaps unable to see my state, rush to my side.
My subordinate's bodies were trembling in the face of the monsters, who had an overwhelming presence just by standing there, but in their eyes was a determination not to retreat.
Don't!
I shouted.
"Don't come closer! You guys should retreat."
"B-butーー"
"Don't make me repeat it! This is an order! Go!"
"!?...... R-retreat! All survivors, retreat inside the city walls while you still can!"
The hesitation shown by my subordinates was momentary. My excellent subordinates immediately begin to retreat.
"Arara. Crawling around, this is why you guys are insects."
The monster (the second) who said that must have intended to do something to my subordinates. She moved her arm, but Winneria-sama's arrows rained down on the monsters (the second) and (the third) before they could act.
"Jeez, you have no art. You shouldn't do the same trick twice."
The monster(the second) waved one hand. Then, a barrier was formed around the two monsters.
I was simply overwhelmed by the perfection of the barrier.
Kuh. Even Winneria-sama wouldn't be able to penetrate it from afar. But it would be suicidal for Winneria-sama, who excels at long-range attacks, to engage in close combat against these three.
In this situation, the only way for us to win against these monsters is to do our best in the vanguard.
While I was preparing myself, the water arrows made contact with the barrier set up by the monster. And then— It shot through everything.
"Eh?"
I was not the only one surprised.
"Kyaaaa!? There's a hole in my dress!? Elegant Onee-sama, what the hell are you doing?"
"A-ara? That's weird. This arrow... it's too strong."
“Mou, Elegant Onee-sama, please withdraw. I will do something about... a-ara? No, I can't stop it?"
The third monster follows the second and deploys a barrier, but Winneria-sama's water arrows pierce them all together and land on the two monsters.
"Jeez, cute sisters. What the hell are you doing?"
There, the monster (the eldest), who was watching her sisters from a little distance away, deployed a barrier, and at last, Winneria-sama's arrows were repelled.
"'B-Beautiful Onee-sama'"
The two monsters jumped into the monster's (the eldest) chest, evaporating the arrow that had pierced them.
“Jeez, these sisters of mine are troublesome. I always told you both to learn defensive techniques as well. You both should reflect on that."
The monster (the eldest) patted the heads of the two monsters lovingly.
"I'm sorry, Beautiful Onee-sama. But this arrow is filled with tremendous magic, and I'm a little surprised."
"It's exactly what Pretty says. This power clearly exceeds the limits of the power that the spirit race can possess."
"It's certainly as you two said. It's an individual that has exceeded the limits. So, is that one of the candidates of this era?"
"No, Onee-sama. I have read through the seven candidates, but the one who is looking at us sleepily over there is not on the list."
"Seven people? Elegant Onee-sama, I think there were six candidates in this era."
"Maa, Pretty. Calling your sister a liar, what a bad and cute girl you are. Where did you get that information?"
"From Chaos-sama. Elegant Onee-sama, where did you get the information that there are seven people?"
"From Arama-sama."
""I see. Then seven people are the correct one.""
The three monsters nodded at each other.
They have been hit by Winneria-sama's arrows, and yet they have this kind of composure?
A cold sweat hits my skin.
"So Onee-sama. What happened to that cheeky fellow?...... Ah, I remember now. That person, as I recall, is one of the candidates, the one they call the Water King."
“To think that such an excellent individual would be born… It seems that the candidates of this era are very promising after all.”
“Agidnaus-sama said that we can do whatever we want with the exception of the candidates."
"Then Onee-sama, I want that very pretty face."
"I want that expensive-looking bow and armor. What about Beautiful Onee-sama?"
"That's right. I want those suckable limbs."
"""Well then, let's get along with it."""
All my hair stood up. I had a hunch. Never let these guys go to Winneria-sama.
"Wait! I'm your opponent!!"
Bravery. I am aware of it. How much time do I have?
Ten seconds? Five seconds? One second?
It would be a miracle if I could make one minute.
"Ara? You're still here?"
The monster looks at me as if I were a piece of trash.
But even so, there is one thing I cannot give up.
I created a water spear with magic. As if in response to my resolve, even more water rained down as arrows, but they could not break the three monster's barrier.
Perhaps even Winneria-sama might not be able to win against these three.
That is the worst imaginable scenario that could lead to the worst possible outcome.
But even so, there was a desire that I could not give up.
At least one hit.
Just when I was about to put all of my life into the spear I held in one hand.
"Eh?"
My eyes widened. I can't catch up with my thoughts.
"Ara?"
"Eh?"
"...Who?"
The monsters also noticed the person who had somehow entered their barrier.
The woman with her right eye hidden by an eye patch and her fiery red hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her upper body was wrapped around by a sarashi, and she was wearing a hakama underneath. Around her waist are two swords.
The woman mutters. Like an enlightened saint. Or like a madman who has lost everything in exchange for one ultimate thing.
"If I pull it out, it's a slaughter."
Kin*! The head of the monster (the second) flew off when I heard a high-pitched sound.
"What? You!"
The monster's (the third) right arm transformed into something like a dragon's arm and attacked the samurai woman who suddenly appeared.
"Any life will be cut in two."
Kin*! Kin*! Kin*! The sound rang out in succession. The monster's body was shredded in the blink of an eye.
What a terrifyingly fast swing as usual.
Before I knew it, she changed her position as if she had teleported. And the blade, which should have been pulled out of its scabbard, never shows its appearance to me. It is too fast for me to see it.
"This is..."
"Kuh, another transcendent individual? Who in the world are you?"
The last remaining monster (the eldest) attacks her.
"The blade's true power."
Kin*! Only the sound resounded.
At a speed I could not recognize, she and the monster (the eldest) switched positions. The monster's body slowly shifted, and then they separated completely and fell to the ground.
"Frega of the Fire Kingdom."
In front of her overwhelming power, I utter her name in a daze.
Fire Kingdom. The only daughter of the Fire King and the strongest swordsman in the central continent, she is "Frega of the Blinking Flame".
Being on the same level as Winneria-sama, she is the worst enemy of the inhabitants of the Water Kingdom.
Frega's one-eyed gaze caught me.
"Fuu. Did you take this opportunity as the Water Kingdom is being attacked by demons and come attack it?"
The Kingdom of Water, where spirits live, and the Kingdom of Fire, where fiends flourish, have been in conflict for a long time.
(TN: Not sure what to call them here, the writing says "akuma", a demon, but there is already a demon kingdom ruled by a "Maou", a demon king. Since their description is kind of a spirit in conflict with the spirit race, I decided to use "Fiend", an evil spirit.)
The reason for the conflict is quite clear. The fiends have a very unusual nature in that they feed on spirit material, while we spirits feed on semi-material life forms. Yes, the fiends eat the spirits and we eat them. Of course, we are the race that boasts the strongest magical power. We are not just eaten by fiends. We have been actively hunting fiends that boast of various special abilities since ancient times with the mighty magic we were born with.
After all, spirits and fiends are natural enemies of each other.
Since the beginning of history, spirits and fiends have been fighting each other as if God had ordained it, and the only time in history when the conflict disappeared was when the Founder ruled over us.
Fufu. Listen, Auerne. I love everyone.
I think of a frighteningly beautiful person I once traveled with for a short time. She captivated my young heart in an instant.
"What is someone like you doing fooling around on the battlefield?"
Before I knew it, she was in front of me.
"Frega of the Fire Kingdom."
"Frega is fine. Even if it's only for a short time, we'll be fighting together."
"What do you mean?"
I was not the one who asked Frega that. I turned around to see the person I had expected to see there, Winneria-sama, holding a huge blue bow.
In a panic, I hurriedly jumped between Winneria-sama and Frega.
"Winneria-sama, don't get too close to this person!"
The two are almost equal in strength. However, Frega had an overwhelming advantage in close combat.
"Kukuku. Winneria, as usual, you are brave. If I was going to cut you, what were you going to do?"
Frega smiled. But there is no murderous intent. She probably won't come slashing at us.
Even though I was sure of that, I could not stop sweating.
Winneria-sama, who is behind me, did not answer Frega's question.
Is she nervous? N-no way.
Prompted by a bad feeling, I turned around again, and there she was, resting and rocking her body on the bow, which was bigger than she was.
"Don't sleep!"
I smacked her head unintentionally.
"Ha!? Sleeping? I'm sleeping?"
Winneria-sama shook her head. She's tall for a spirit, and despite her dignified features, she still behaves somewhat childishly.
"Kukuku. You're falling asleep in front of my sword again? Seriously. I want to cut you, Winneria! I will cut you!!"
A change from her calm demeanor. Frega pulled out one of her two swords, the one with the shorter blade, and lunged at Winneria-sama.
“Frega, you're as small and cute as ever.”
Frega is only about the same height as the spirits among the fiend race, where most of the members are rather tall. Winneria-sama stroked Frega's head.
"Stop it! Is this the courtesy of the spirit race to those who came to help?"
"Help? You guys?"
Winneria-sama tilted her head curiously (but did not stop patting Frega's head).
"Yes. Look."
"Mu? That's?"
When I looked in the direction Frega was pointing at, there was――
“A horde of fiends!? Invasion, no, are you saying that they are here to help?
"As you have guessed, almost all the armies that exist in the Fire Kingdom are coming."
"The whole army!? Nonsense!! Why would you go to such lengths for our kingdom?"
Are you trying to invade by making it look like a joint fight? No, if that's the case, it doesn't explain why they're coming here at this time.
"Hmph. Everything is guided by the Great Father. How long will you keep stroking my head! You rude person!!"
Frega forcibly shook off Winneria-sama's hand.
"But then, how are you going to defend your kingdom?"
“What, have you not heard? Your king has come alone and promised to lend her strength."
"Mirage-sama?"
I don't understand. Why such a thing?
I'm reluctant to ask Frega about the situation because it would expose my shamelessness, but it seems that the situation is such that I can't even ask it.
"Oi, Freーー"
"Get away!"
At Winneria-sama's cry. Frega and I immediately jumped away from the spot.
Immediately after, huge flames rose from the bodies of the dismembered monster women.
"What? What is this ridiculous magic?"
The flames flared up as if they wanted to scorch the heavens. From within the flames, I could feel incredible power.
Did we... step on a tiger's tail?
The flames eventually subsided, and what emerged from the flames was not a simple creature such as a tiger.
There was a dragon with bright red scales and three heads.
“Hydra!? And this ridiculous power. Could it be the evil dragon "the downfall of countries"?"
A legendary dragon that rampaged through this continent that suddenly appeared long ago and struck the central continent. The fairy tale being, who was supposed to have been defeated by the great kings and disciples of the Founder, appeared in front of us.
“You had done it. I didn't expect us to go into dragon form against these people."
The head in the middle said disgustedly.
"I can't wear a dress in this form."
"Yes. And it makes me very hungry."
The heads on each side caught us with their fiery eyes.
"Hii!?"
That alone made my whole body tremble like a mouse in front of a cat.
"……Not cute."
"Hmph. It looks like it's going to be worth cutting."
But with that relaxed and confident voice, my whole body once again regained its vitality.
A roar of warriors rang out in the distance.
"What is this time!?"
The Spirit Army, who should have evacuated, was returning with reinforcements from within the city walls.
"We will protect our kingdom. Don't fall behind the fiends!"
"They're a bunch of jerks."
"But we can count on them."
I nodded in my heart to Winneria-sama's words.
"Ara, I don't like this. Onee-sama, a lot of small insects are coming."
"Since it's troublesome, let's let the demons deal with it."
"That's good, let's do that."
And so, the hordes of demons, which had stopped moving under the monster women's instructions, finally started to move.
"Winneria-sama, Frega. Let's leave the demons to our subordinates and let's defeat this dragon."
"Okay~"
"Hmph. It's a joint fight just for now. Once I've dealt with this guy, I'll use you guys to clean the rust on my sword."
While listening to the two's encouraging replies, I suddenly became concerned about the Kingdom of Light.
When the Kingdom of Light requested help, I never imagined that the situation would develop to this extent, but I wondered if they are okay.
After all, if the resurrection of the Daimaou is the true aim of the Demon King's Army, then the Kingdom of Light is in even more trouble than it is now.
A threat equal to or greater than a dragon. Even if the King of Light is there, it's a situation where one person wasn't enough.
We have Winneria-sama. But is it really in the kingdom of light? A heroic warrior with power close to that of the king?
The one that comes to mind is Sharna Swordaina, but she's just a human who hasn't lived a hundred years yet. Her strength is probably equal to or less than mine.
If that's the case, then the kingdom of light is alreadyーー.
"Auerne, it's coming! Don't dawdle around."
I was startled by Winneria-sama's reprimand.
Eh, what am I? For now, I must concentrate on the enemy in front of me. I am sorry for the people of the Kingdom of Light, but we cannot send out reinforcements since the Water Kingdom has been threatened to this extent.
Feeling sorry and anxious about whether it's really okay.
Pushing them aside. We challenged the legendary evil dragon.
And as a resultーー
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