Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka?

The Human-Demon Great War – The situation of Sophia

「Say.」

「What?」

「Just why are we here, I wonder?」

「You should have heard the particulars already.」

I have heard them, I have! Why are we not on the battlefield, and here in a town instead I wonder? In particular, together with this woman!

「Could you not glare at me please?」

「I can’t help glaring. Aren’t you looking the other way anyway?」

「Merely being in your field of vision is unpleasant for me, so you entering my field of vision is also unpleasant.」

This bitch sure is talking big. Perhaps I should strangle her to death here? ……That sounds good.

「Oh, please refrain from getting any strange ideas about me. Goshujin-sama is looking after all.」

Saying so, Felmina suddenly takes a small white spider out from her clothes and shows it. That is definitely one of goshujin-sama’s clones. If I make a move on this impertinent girl here, then goshujin-sama won’t ignore it. As if slamming into the irritation with nowhere to go, I start scowling even harder.

If asked why we are here in this town right in the midst of the war, I can only say that it’s because of goshujin-sama’s instructions. Just when I thought I’d finally be able to rampage again, I never even thought that I might be kept from the battlefield. Furthermore, to deal with an opponent who we’re not even sure whether they’ll really come or not, of all things.

Since the fight with Kyouya-kun, I’ve not been able to satisfy my battle desires. Or rather, even with that fight with Kyouya-kun, because it was interrupted before the best part I’ve still not fully appreciated it. Also, probably in future as well, I’ve come to believe that I won’t be able to experience a more fulfilling battle than that one.

A fight with an almost equal opponent. Alternating between hope and fear at the opponent’s unforeseen actions, the ecstasy of breaking through those moments. Such an exhilarating feeling – sucking blood doesn’t come close. If that’s how it is in the midst of battle, I wonder just how incredible a sensation I will be able to experience at the moment of victory? Just imagining is enough to make my body tremble.

Yet in the end, because of that Kuro guy everything was ruined. All my built-up excitement was lost in an instant. Because of which, I don’t expect I’ll be able to experience a fight with such good conditions again in future. Since the only one in the world who can fight with me equally, is Kyouya-kun alone. The rest are either weaker than me, or those who are too strong starting with goshujin-sama. There’s no opponents nearby who can compete with me like Kyouya-kun, or otherwise give me a good fight. Even with Kyouya-kun, because he’s darn well gotten his sanity back, he can’t even fight me with the intent to kill like back then. There’s only opponents that I’ll definitely beat or definitely be defeated by.

That’s why, in terms of fights that can satisfy me, that was the first one and last one. Because I let that chance escape, all that I can vent in battle is just the everyday accumulated stress. All I can do is clear out the negative feelings, and it never becomes positive. I thought that’d at least be better than nothing, yet I was even kept away from the battlefield of all things. Does goshujin-sama hate me I wonder? Ah, I better not think about this too deeply. If it turns out that she really does hate me then I’ll cry.

「It seems, that they came.」

The clone of goshujin-sama that’s attached to Felmina is making animated movements, as if trying to convey something. Oh my, it’s kinda cute. Totally, not.

「I see. I guess I’ll be able rampage a bit then.」

「This direction it seems.」

They come from the direction that goshujin-sama’s clone indicates. We’re in corner of the town. A deserted housing district away from the public gaze. A group of hooded men are coming out through an open door from one of the houses.

「I can do them in, right?」

In response to my verification, goshujin-sama’s clone nods in assent. Seeing that, I throw myself at the suspicious hooded group. I strike my sword into the closest hood. It’s a large sized magic sword that Kyouya-kun made for me. Combining my power and the magic sword’s power, the hooded man meets the ground.

That wasn’t a slip of the tongue, okay? It seems I used a bit too much force huh. I had intended to cut him, but he was smashed into an unidentifiable mess buried in the ground. Yup, this was overkill I guess?

「Humph. It was a setup huh.」

The guy who seems to be the leader of the hoods calmly mutters that despite having seen the condition his comrade was reduced to.

「But, even though the information was bait it wasn’t false. Get her.」

To the leader hood’s orders, the remaining hoods simultaneously rush at me. I mow them down with one swing of my magic sword. In addition, a chakram comes flying from behind my back and scores a direct hit on one of them, chopping off his head. I guess Felmina is going to provide covert supporting fire.

The beheaded man topples, and at that moment his hood comes off. The uncovered man, had long ears. The trait of elves. The ones who attacked me, were a group of elves.

Goshujin-sama allowed the elves gain bait information. That when the demons simultaneously invade the humans, I would then be in this town. That for the elves who gained that information, should they want to try to do something about me, then come and settle things. We didn’t know whether they would come or not, but the elves believed the false information and thus they came waltzing in. Well, since I am actually here, it’s not really false information. Their leader also said that the information was bait but it wasn’t false anyway.

It seems that goshujin-sama expected that if information about a reincarnator such as me was spread out, then the elves would make a move. Since it was a critical situation, then I wouldn’t have Ariel-san’s protection.

I merely swung my sword, and the elves who attacked me were defeated. Weak. How boring… the instant I thought that, my face was suddenly punched.

Eh? Huh?

Unable to understand the situation, my face went blank. That was also for an instant, as the shock from when I clumsily fell onto the ground allowed me to regain my senses. Immediately I tried to take a stance, and right in front of my eyes a foot was incoming.

「!?」

I used the magic sword to guard against the impending foot. Even though the edge was held out, the opponent’s foot wasn’t cut.

The magic sword and foot pressed against each other. Looking up at the opponent, there with his face half-concealed by the hood, was an expressionless man. It was their leader.

I put strength into my arm, forcing back the leaders foot. The leader doesn’t fight my strength, and steps back.

I never thought that I could be punched so defenselessly. I’m a bit surprised at the opponent’s speed being more than expected. However, there’s almost no damage. I was just careless. That’s right, if I hadn’t been careless then there’s no way a guy like this could have punched me.

Still, isn’t this guy a bit too hard? Why couldn’t the magic sword cut him? How strange.

Somehow I’m getting rather irritated. So as to confront that irritation, I slash at the leader.

The leader faces his palm out towards me, and something comes flying out from a hole there. Without time to avoid, something pierces my body. I can tell that my HP decreased even without looking at Appraisal.

What, was that? A laser? But, it doesn’t matter. Ignoring the damage, I brandish the magic sword. That’s enough for even this leader guy to show a hint of surprise on his face. Using all my strength I strike at the leader’s body with the magic sword. After going through a sense of hardness, it feels like it was destroyed. The leader’s body is cut right in half, and sent flying by the impact.

After a pause for breath, I chase after the leader’s body. There, with just half remaining, the leader rolls over. Seeing the cross-section of his body, it’s a mechanical body. No wonder it was so hard. Half this man’s body has been turned into a cyborg. Although I had heard from goshujin-sama that the elves had advanced mechanical technology, until I saw it for myself I was half in doubt.

「This, was a huge miscalculation. I never expected this body to be defeated.」

「Oh my? You’re still alive in that state?」

I’m surprised. To think he’d still be alive after having lost half his body. Cyborgs are amazing huh.

「It seems it was a blunder to let Ariel get hold of you. Failing to kill you at that time seems to have been a terrible mistake.」

「Indeed. I’ll be coming to destroy the elves soon or later, so look forwards to that time.」

Then again, you’ll have died here. Striking with the magic sword, I make sure to finish him off this time for real.

「Are you done?」

「I am.」

Felmina suddenly turns up, taking a glance at the corpse of the dead leader, or rather the wreckage.

「For now, let’s collect this and leave.」

「Indeed.」

There’s many things that goshujin-sama doesn’t mention, but for me to be the bait this time, I guess it was for the sake of collecting this then? In order to learn what their level of technology is. Just how far ahead is she looking when planning future actions. Ally she may be, but she’s terrifying.