It’s over now!
Part IV
◆
At Nina’s Hill, Hiroto was performing like a Fierce God.
Hiroto would choose a spot where there was a high density of enemy demons from the center of the hill and move freely as if it were unobstructed ground, rampaging about with flamboyant movements.
It was as if he was concentrating the attention of the demons on himself as much as possible.
Hiroto leaped into the center of the dense crowd of enemies, and with his beloved sword Ihaku in its sheath from his right wrist, he took the Iai stance.
He then quietly but fiercely channeled his Senki throughout his body and made the Ihaku a part of his body. The enemy demons stopped moving and attacked from all directions at 360 degrees at once.
Hiroto gritted his teeth revealing his canines.
Then, just as the Demon touched Hiroto’s Ki circle, he unsheathed his blade.
“Haaaa! Senjutsu! Shiyoon!”
Hiroto then sheathed Ihaku in the scabbard.
With that acting like a signal, the upper bodies of the demons within a 10-meter radius around Hiroto fell to the ground, and from the soldiers looking down from the hill, it seemed that a plaza of demon corpses with a radius of 10 meters around Hiroto suddenly appeared amid the crowd of enemies.
Starting with this, the enemy demons realized the folly of turning their backs on Hiroto and began to narrow their sights on him.
(All right! Come this way! But there are still so many enemies! And the Gargoyles are already coming that close! Mizuho-san and the others are not here yet!?)
Hiroto, who had changed into a dancing Ashura, was checking on the gargoyle herd while shredding the demons into pieces.
The Gargoyles were already close to the sky above the foot of the hill, and it was clear that they would enter this battle line in a few seconds.
Hiroto clucked his tongue while laying waste to the enemy demons.
It was then …….
A blinding flash of light appeared in the center of the writhing crowd of countless Gargoyles that were about to begin their assault from the skies above.
“That’s!”
As soon as Hiroto’s eyes fell on the flash of light that appeared in the center of the Gargoyles that were covering the sky, it burst open, and a tremendous roar that seemed to split the sky struck the surrounding area.
The roar shook the earth, and the blast from it reached the soldiers on the hill, and Teintan unexpectedly shielded himself from the blast.
When Hiroto looked up into the sky again, he observed that two-thirds of the gargoyle horde had been blown away solely by visual inspection, and pieces of the Gargoyles’ bodies were pouring down into the forests.
“Fuuuh, it looks like we made it.”
Mizuho exhaled and lowered her hands, which were held high in the air.
Marion was amazed at Mizuho’s feat but immediately turned to Arokaune and Nina, who were staring in amazement at the situation from inside the car.
“Nina san’s group, please go back to Minra right away! It is not safe here!”
At Marion’s words, Nina turned her head to Marion and then to the top of the hill.
“No, I will go to my father. I cannot leave my father and the others in this situation!”
Nina’s words surprised and angered Mizuho.
“What nonsense are you talking! Did you not see this situation? I am sorry, Nina-san, but you are a liability on this battlefield. Please return to Minra as soon as possible!”
“I don’t want to! I …… am more afraid of leaving here now! I want to see with my own eyes what my father is defending over there, on this hill, risking his life! Please! I will do anything!”
Nina bit down even though she knew that Mizuho’s words were right in confronting her.
The fact that it was her father Matthew, her mother Sunaina, and Guaran, whom she thought of as her sworn enemy, who had named this hill, this nameless hill, after her own name, Nina, spurred her on even more.
Moreover, her father is now fighting for Guaran, who is believed to have been seriously wounded.
And …… the meaning of the word Nina, ‘to be joined, to be united’.
He had kept this a secret, even from his daughter, and today, Matthew was about to reveal all of this.
Nina also wanted to talk directly with Guaran, whom she had thought of as an enemy, although she did not know why.
“Young Miss, Nina.”
Then Arokaune, in a calm voice, intervened between Mizuho and Nina.
“I believe that what Mizuho-sama and the others are saying is correct. Young Miss and I are nothing more than a hindrance in this situation.”
“Arokaune! I!”
Arokaune then turned to Mizuho and the others with a blank expression on his face.
“But it appears that there are wounded at Matthew-sama’s location. So, we will retrieve only the wounded while we are at it and return to Minra immediately. Why don’t we do it that way?”
Arokaune asks Mizuho and Marion.
Mizuho and Marion looked at each other and sighed.
“I understand, ……. I’ll ask you to do that. But after that, please leave immediately. This is a battlefield where anything can happen. And it is a very dangerous battlefield.”
Arokaune closed his eyes and lightly nodded his head in thanks to Mizuho and the others from the driver’s seat and turned his head.
“I understand. Then we will hurry, Young Miss!”
Without waiting for Nina’s words, Arokaune stepped on the gas pedal.
Nina looked at Arokaunee from the passenger seat.
” ……Arokaune, thank you.”
Nina thanked Aroukaoune, but Aroukaoune did not reply, as if he had not heard her.
Hiroto saw the car rushing up toward the top of the hill where Mathew and the others were, and Mizuho and Marion followed behind it, jumping toward them with an almost inhuman leap.
“Mizuho-san! Marion-san!”
Hiroto cut off the demons around him and called out to Mizuho and Marion.
From the top of the hill, the soldiers were frenzied at the arrival of their dependable reinforcements.
“You two, go to the top of the hill and deal with the Gargoyles! I’ll handle it here! After Mizuho-san’s attack earlier, the Gargoyles will spread out and attack! Be careful!”
Mizuho’s big move succeeded in destroying most of the Gargoyles that were crowded together, but there were still many Gargoyles left.
And since they were alerted to the big move and spread out, the situation is not yet reassuring.
Moreover, the Gargoyles showed their readiness to ignore Hiroto and attack Mathew and the others.
Mizuho and Marion immediately understood what Hiroto was referring to, and their expressions tightened.
“All right! Marion, get to the top of the hill first! I’ll head for the hill with those Gargoyles in tow!”
“Yes!”
After confirming what they were going to do to each other, the three of them spread out on their own.
“Nina-sama! What brings you here!?”
Tientan was surprised to see Nina in a car that had suddenly pulled up alongside them.
Galvan glanced at Arokaune, who was driving the car, but he only smiled lightly and immediately returned his eyes to the front and continued to fire his submachine gun at the enemy demons.
Matthew turns back to his daughter, startled by Tientan’s words.
“We will talk later, father! We want to return to Minra with the wounded! Is that okay?”
“Ni-Nina! This idiot. …… No, no. We’ll talk about it when we get back. Then hurry up and take the wounded!”
“Yes, Father!”
“This too …… may have been Sunaina’s thoughts that lured you here ……”
“Eh!?”
“Okay! Teintan, Arokaune! Get Guaran in the car!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood.”
Nina got out of the car and lined up beside Guaran, who was being carried by Teintan and the others. She was speechless at Guaran’s serious condition and hurriedly wiped the sweat from Guaran’s forehead with her handkerchief.
“Su……Naina……Sunaina.”
Guaran’s consciousness was clouded, and the words leaked out weakly.
Nina’s eyes widened at those unexpected words.
（EH!? He just mentioned my mother’s name! The person’s name that comes to mind in this situation is …… why is this, my mother?)
Teintan and the others carefully placed the seriously injured Guaran in the back seat of the car. Nina climbed into the back seat with Guaran out of concern for him and placed Guaran’s head in her lap.
“Ni-Nina …….”
“……!?”
(Now, it’s my name ……?)
Mathew and Arokaune quietly watched the surprised look on Nina’s face.
Arokaune closes the backseat door and bowed to Mathew.
“Mathew-sama, now then, we are going straight to the hospital in Minra!”
“All right! Hurry up, Arokaune! Take care of Guaran and …… Nina.”
“……, Understood, sir.”
After saying that, Arokaune got into the driver’s seat and started back the way he came here, avoiding Hiroto’s battlefield on the left, where he was working tirelessly as a lion against the hordes of enemy demons.
Arokaune saw Hiroto on the right, and sincerely prayed for his safety as he fought for them, and gripped the steering wheel tightly.
On the road leading to Minra, Aroukaoune sped up.
Arokaune looked at Guaran again in the rearview mirror and his …… face clouded over deeply.
He was about to tell Nina something when he saw a group of troops coming toward him with a cloud of dust in front of them.
“That’s! It looks like reinforcements.”
Nina was concerned about Guaran but felt a sense of relief at Aroukaune’s words.
Mathew’s troop passed Nina and the others’ vehicles and hurriedly headed for the hills.
But Arokaune frowned when he saw them.
“The troops are few in number,…… what’s holding them back. No, or something …….”
“What’s the matter? Arrowcaune …….”
“No, nothing. I’d rather …… have a word with Young Miss Nina.”
“A word? What is it? At a time like this ……”
“It’s very important …… for Miss Nina, it’s very important”
“……”
“Perhaps …… Prime Minister Guaran will not survive. It is very unfortunate. ……”
“……! T-That’s. ……”
Nina’s hands trembled, and she looked at Guaran, who seemed to be in pain with his face on her lap, feeling an indescribable sense of loss.
“Then …… this Arokaune has a favor to ask of you, Miss Nina.”
“A favor? Is that …… something you would say at a time like this, right now?”
“Yes,…… it’s now or never,…… it’s only now.”
Arokaune stopped the car and turned around, looking into Nina’s eyes with a serious expression.
Nina had never received this kind of look from Aroukaoune before.
Nina felt something like affection and sorrow from the depths of Arokaune’s eyes and waited for Arokaune’s request.
“Young Miss Nina. Just once is enough. Just once, please hold Prime Minister Guaran’s hand there …… and call him …… “Father” ……”
Nina’s eyes widened at Arokaune’s request and she ……
looked down at …… Guaran in her lap.
Marion and Mizuho were fighting hard together with Matthew and the others who had joined them at the top of the hill.
Marion neutralizing the enemy demons’ attacks and Mizuho’s concentrated attacks on the Gargoyles gave them more hope of survival, and then Teintan announced the good news in a loud voice,
“General Matthew, reinforcements! The first wave of our troops has arrived!”
“Ohh, they are here! Listen up, everyone! Reinforcements! Those of you in Guaran’s unit, get ready to take your places! But don’t get distracted yet!”
“Ohhh!”
Matthew’s words brought a smile of joy to the faces of the exhausted Guaran contingent.
And then, at the top of the hill, the long-awaited reinforcements arrived. The commander of the arriving troops jumped out of his military jeep and ran up to Matthew to report his arrival.
But the look on his face was one of desperation.
Mathew had a bad premonition about his expression, and when he …… turned to him, the report was unimaginable.
“General, we have an emergency! A large number of monsters are currently on their way to Minra! Return to Minra now! We’ll take the perimeter!”
“W-What!”
“T-That’s not all! We do not know the details at this time, but similar information is circulating in the major cities of Miramar! Right now, the military in the capital city of Nephi is in chaos trying to deal with this situation!”
Mathew was shocked by the alarming report.
“O-Outrageous! Why even in Nephi with Kaliguda there! What is going on! They’re after me, aren’t they!”
“I-I don’t know! But for now, please return to Minra and prepare to intercept them!”
Mizuho and Marion, who were listening to this from the side, were surprised at the unbelievable report, and as expected, for a moment they could not decide whether they should believe it or not.
To be honest, Mizuho did not know what to do in response to this report.
For the time being, she was still Matthew’s escort, but the scale of what was happening was now too large.
Then …… Marion called out to Mizuho.
“Mizuho-san! Please tell Hiroto-san about this! Hiroto-san may be able to do something!”
When she said so, Mizuho also felt that it would be better.
At this moment, the only person she can rely on more than herself is this boy.
“I understand! Hiroto, there’s trouble! ……”
Actually, …… Marion didn’t really know what to do either.
It was such an unbelievable report.
But when Marion tried to think about it, she immediately thought of the boy who usually seemed so kind and unreliable.
Now, Mizuho and Marion were not confused at the last minute by the unprecedented situation that had hit this Miramar.
They don’t know why that is.
But the two of them were in agreement.
(If it’s Hiroto!)
(If it’s Hiroto-san!)
He would show them some way.
Hiroto heard the dreadful situation that was sweeping through all of Miramar from Mizuho’s wind.
Hiroto’s expression changed and he thought about how to deal with the situation while he was knocking down the enemies with his dance that did not show any fatigue at all. Now, the majority of the enemy demons that had come to the hill had been defeated by Hiroto’s efforts.
The only thing that is more troublesome is the few remaining Gargoyles in the sky above.
“Mizuho-san, I’m heading that way now! Concentrate all your firepower with the intention of firing all your shots at all of them!”
“I understand!”
Saying this, Hiroto cut down the demon in front of him with a single blow and returned to the top of the hill at breakneck speed amidst the fire from his allies.
Mizuho and Marion could not hide their surprise at Hiroto’s ability to do this as if it were a matter of course.
They wondered how many people, even those with abilities, could return to the top of the hill without difficulty while avoiding gunfire in this melee.
The two of them completely abandoned the idea of looking at Hiroto as a Rank D certified by the Agency.
Even Mizuho honestly accepted that even they, who are rank A, would be no match for this boy if they had to deal with him …… on a one-on-one basis.
As soon as Hiroto arrived, he immediately gave his opinion to Mizuho, Marion, and Teintan.
“I have a suggestion, but those Gargoyles are in the way if we are going to retreat like this. So, Mizuho-san and Marion-san, you must first give priority to the eradication of these Gargoyles. After eradication, return to General Matthew and Minra immediately. Of course, you will all retreat, including the reinforcements. If Minra is in danger, there is no reason to stay here any longer. When we get there, Marion-san will escort Matthew-san, and Mizuho-san will contact the agency. Perhaps they may already have some information.”
“I understand.”
All three nodded in agreement. Mizuho and Marion did not take what Hiroto said as a suggestion.
They accepted it as if they had been instructed to do so.
“What are you going to do, Hiroto-san?”
“I’m going to assist in the retreat. I can manage on my own as long as the Gargoyles aren’t there!”
“No way! It’s dangerous! We’ve reduced them a lot, but there are still a lot of enemies out there! Even demons on the ground are still coming out of the forests!”
“It’s okay. As soon as I feel that you are in the safe zone, I’ll return to Minra. With my legs, I can meet up with you in Minra without much of a time lag. And there is no time to think about it! Please take care of those Gargoyles Asap!”
It was not this simple.
This was a sketchy plan that only this boy can do.
Mizuho and Marion thought that if this boy says he can do it, then he can do it.
Mizuho and Marion narrowed their sights on the remaining dozen or so Gargoyles and launched their techniques.
During this time, Teintan instructed Matthew and the Guaran soldiers to prepare to retreat.
Matthew, while getting into his car, looked at the boy who was still running into the enemy demons and glaring at them.
“Hiroto-kun is …….”
“It’s all right, General! He’ll be after us soon.”
“……I understand.”
Matthew got into the car, looking at the boy who had pulled the enemy for them and was still on the front lines as if he was still in his mind’s eye.
“Hiroto! Gargoyles are down!”
Hiroto, who is thoroughly crushing the enemy demons from the front lines, replied.
“I got it! Then, everyone retreat!”
At Hiroto’s signal, everyone gets into the vehicle and the retreat begins.
Hiroto stayed behind and did not allow anyone to approach this vehicle at all.
He continues to swing his beloved sword while constantly moving between the vehicles and the demons. The group of vehicles went down the hill and came out to the road leading to Minra. All that was left was to hurry to Minra.
However, at …… the last moment, a large number of demons appeared from the mountain forest at the border between the road and the hill, as if they were trying not to let the retreating troops escape.
“No way! They even came to this place!?”
As soon as Mizuho and Marion got out of the car and opened the vehicle door to deal with the enemy, the demons that appeared on the road were cut into small pieces.
Hiroto, who had grasped the situation, had come to their aid.
Then …… Hiroto turned around and smiled at everyone.
“Mizuho-san and Marion-san, go quickly. You can leave this place to me!”
“Eh!?”
“Huh!?”
Mizuho and Marion were shocked by Hiroto’s appearance.
Using himself as a shield, letting themselves escape, this dependable back and reassuring smile …….
It was at this moment …… that they were convinced they had seen this kind of situation somewhere before.
This itch …… that had been there before.
However, this time was different.
Mizuho and Marion had a clear realization.
(There was definitely something like this,…… yeah, there definitely was. Where I…… this scene..)
(That smile …… I have been saved by that back! It surely was there…… when? Ah, the rookie …… exams?)
The hazy memories, images, and minds of the two girls are cleared.
And all the déjà vu that had been there before, all the strange feelings and doubts about Hiroto in the back of their chests …… connected …….
As the military vehicle passed by Hiroto, all the soldiers saluted him.
Some of them were shedding tears.
Mizuho and Marion impulsively put their upper body out of the window of the military vehicle and shouted loudly as they passed by Hiroto.
“Hiroto!”
“Hiroto-san!”
Hiroto looked back at the vehicle in which Mizuho and Marion were riding, wondering what was going on at a time like this.
Then they both said to Hiroto in a core voice as if their voices were in unison.
“I need to talk to you when we meet up at Minra!”
“Yes! We need to talk!”
“Eh! What kind of talk!?”
Hiroto asked back, to which Mizuho and Marion responded in a louder voice.
“Mostly preaching!”
“Mostly a sermon!”
“Eeeeeeeeeh! Why!? What did I do!?”
“Come back soon!”
“That’s right, come back soon, or I won’t forgive you!”
“I-I understand!”
(I don’t understand, but I don’t want them…… to be angry anymore…… ……)
Satisfied with Hiroto’s reply, Mizuho and Marion sat down on the seat.
Mizuho was surprised to find herself so excited, even though she knew that even if she returned to Minra, there would be great hardships to come.
Then she looked at Marion, who was standing beside her as if she could see that he must be the same.
“Marion, you also remembered”
“W-What are you talking about?”
Marion was desperately trying to sound calm and cool.
“Fufufu, there’s no use in hiding it. Because you …… are smiling right now.”
“Eh!? But, Mizuho-san is also smiling!”
Mizuho showed a mature smile without denying Marion’s words.
“Hey, Marion, do you remember that story? The story in the hospital room.”
To Mizuho’s question, Marion gave a mature smile that was not unlike a little girl’s.
“……Yes, of course.”
The two looked at each other and nodded in satisfaction.
“Marion, I, now I do not feel like losing no matter what kind of enemy comes.”
“Odd coincidence, isn’t it? So am I.”
“A horde of demons coming to Minra? Don’t go kidding with me!”
“Yes! No messing around!”
“”Any enemy that stands in our way now we’ll ……””
“Crush them thoroughly!”
“Crush them!”
“””Hoo!”””
The fierce fighting spirit rising from the two girls elicited light screams from the soldiers riding with them.
Among the mountains in the northern part of Miramar, the highest mountain is called Mount Gulwa.
Now, from the depths of a cave in the middle of the mountain, an insane and maniacal human voice echoed through the air.
“Oh, oh, oh! Wonderful, wonderful! Unlimited magical power wells up from this body! Ha ha ha, it’s more than I imagined. I can summon as much as I want! Watch the moment when I, this Rokialm, destroy the common sense of the world! Wait and see, you softlings of the Agency! Watch as the devastation of Miramar spreads across the world!”
In the dim light of only torches in the vast space of the cave, the high laughter of an old man standing in the center of the magic circle, tears streaming down his face with maniacal joy, reverberates through the air.
At his feet, Niezbeck, who had troubled…… Hiroto’s group, collapsed with his pupils dilated.
The blood that would have flowed from his mouth had already dried up, and the echoes of Rokiarum’s laughter caused small crusts of blood to drop to the ground.
—–end—–
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