Kuro no Maou

Swinging my baton, I once again release a storm of bullets towards Sariel.

“Shield.”

As Sariel whispered, a white inverted triangular shield appeared in front of her.

[Shield] is one of the most basic defensive magic, a normal magician would never be able to block my bullet storm with just a shield.

But, Sariel’s shield blocked all the bullets and sustained only a few bullet marks.

Even the same magic would be completely different if the magician is different, wait, this isn’t the time to be impressed.

“Not yet!!”

From behind the bullets, a black sword stuck right at the point where the shield had a little crack due to the bullets.

Finally the shields were pierced and broke with the sound of breaking glass.

“With this—-“

I attacked with more black swords, one from the same path as earlier and 3 from above.

All them came flying towards Sariel in the very moment the shield broke.

But, she had already moved away from there to evade them.

Although I was unable to catch when she actually moved, I had already predicted that she would evade.

The remaining 5 swords were already flying from the back of where Sariel was standing before.

Sariel who had jumped backwards was attacked by the 5 black swords from further behind.

“—–how’s that!”

“Stakes – Sagita.”

This time, Sariel used a basic attack magic.

The moment that voice reached my ears, I lost the sensation of all 10 swords.

Why? I don’t even have to think about it. The answer is in front of me.

The swords that were stuck in the ground as well those that were flying were all crushed by the stakes, no, bullets fired by Sariel.

“Will you stop attacking?”(sariel)

“hah, is that the first thing you say after stealing someone’s magic?”(kurono)

“......”

Sariel lifted her index finger of her right hand as if pointing towards me. In front of it, a white bullet similar to my Anti Material took form.

Although, its size was the same as the stakes, i.e. 30cm, rather than bullet this was big enough to be called a cannon shell.

“Your original magic is certainly unique and powerful—-“

The white bullet in front of her started rotating.

At the pointed end, white magical energy started revolving in a helix.

“—–but it cannot kill me.”

“Shield!?!”(kurono)

As I constructed the shield in front of me, at the same time Sariel fired the shell.

That shell that was even faster than my bullets, similar to that time, pierced through even my improved and stronger shield easily.

“Kuh—–“

Instantly my left hand reacted and the blade of the cursed hatchet crossed with the shell.

*Gagin!!*

With a high pitched metallic sound, I somehow deflected the shell.

Due to the shock, my stance got collapsed, and stumbled two-three steps behind and managed not to fall down somehow.

As I returned my sight in front of me, Sariel had disappeared from there.

“Where—–“

Before my eyes, I sensed her location instinctively——-above me.

As I looked up, with the crescent moon as background, Sariel was flying towards me with the spear in her left hand.

I don’t have time to recreate a shield; even if I had it’ll get pierced through anyway.

“oooohh!!!”

I met the spear coming from the sky with my cursed hatchet.

The clash of the edges gave off sparks.

“.......hard.”(Sariel)

Maybe she was planning to destroy the hatchet with a single attack, Sariel landed as she said that.

Even though both of us are in each other’s cutting range, we remain still.

“That’s my line.”(Kurono)

Uptil now this cursed hatchet had been able to slice through anything. This was the first time its blade was stopped.

“It’s a cursed weapon, it’s impossible to destroy it with that lump of magical energy.”(kurono)

Sariel’s spear was, in a way, similar to the white stakes. It was simply materialised by pressing your own magical energy together.

It’s the same as her using her hand as a sword and I was using a knife.

“If that broke, will you leave this place?”(Sariel)

Just a little, I felt that Sariel’s gaze got sharper.

Even now, she is allowing me to run away.

“If you want to stop me———“(kurono)

I took stance with the hatchet in my left hand and loaded bullets in the baton in my right.

Furthermore, from my shadow, I brought out 10 blackened swords and deployed them around in a circle.

“then come with the intent to kill!!”(kurono)

“That’s too bad.”(sariel)

As she said that, at the same time, a silver aura burst out of Sariel.

I have seen that aura before as well. Now that I have learnt a bit more about magic, I can confirm that it’s not any enhancement magic but simply magical energy leaking out.

In short, she has gotten a bit serious, but that’s it.

Although I still don’t know the extent of her powers, I instinctively as well as rationally understand that she is revealing more than enough power to kill me.

I won’t last long against Sariel clad in her aura, no, I might fall in a single clash.

There is a 5m of distance between us. The time between the moment when Sariel leaps towards me and pierces my body with that spear is the last chance I will have.

“I’m coming—-“(Sariel)

At the same time Sariel said that, I release the bullets from my baton. It heads directly for the forehead of Sariel that was approaching me.

Direct hit, but it is unable to pierce through the silver aura and vanished like the mist without dealing any damage.

Maybe even the blackened swords will not be able to pierce through, I thought that, but that doesn’t change the fact that I need to use all 10 swords to intercept Sariel.

From the front, I aimed for the forehead, neck, chest, stomach, and groin with 5 swords in a straight vertical line, and the crown of the head and the limbs were attacked by the remaining five.

“Stakes.”

Similar to before, white bullets accurately shot down the 5 swords coming from above, left and right. The 5 coming from the front were cleanly destroyed with one swing of the spear.

But, the distance between us is currently 3m.

If I take one step, I could cut her. To take it on, she will have to bring back the spear used to destroy the swords. But, in this close range, that will become a fatal mistake.

“haa!!!”

Dropping the baton, I held the hatchet with both hands and I stepped in to deliver a powerful slash.

Even though I have never learned swordfighting, but together with my enhanced body and the abilities of the hatchet itself, I can produce strength enough to cut through her aura along with her body.

The hatchet that was swung sideways, its blade certainly cut through her aura, but the moment it was about to reach her thin body,

*Gakin!!*

It was blocked with the spear that had somehow returned back to place.

“—-“

Our gazes crossed.

Even though expressionless, her eyes appealing to end this fight.

The fact that my attack, that was made while she had already swung her spear, was stopped means that she can make two swings with her weapon in the same time I swing once. That’s how high her attack speed is.

If she is that fast, by the time I attack next, she could freely choose any part of body and pierce through it.

I can’t attack with the cursed hatchet anymore, bullets didn’t work in the first place, I used up all my swords with the last 10, and I have no way to counter-attack between the time her spear swings and attacks me.

Probably, Sariel is thinking the same thing.

And that will be my only chance at victory.

“—-now.”

From the shadow space I opened near my legs, I fire a single black needle from the darkness.

That needle is [Basilisk’s bone needle], a ‘cursed weapon’ I never got to use after buying it at Irz Village.

The moment it stabs, it starts corroding the body, a simple yet dreadfully effective poison needle.

If the wielder himself touches it he’ll also get poisoned so it is treated as ‘curse’.

But, this needle can pierce through Sariel’s aura, if I can hit her once more then I can deal a fatal blow.

And in actuality, the poison needle came into contact with the silver aura, started corroding it and flew directly towards the heart.

“Is this your trump card?”(Sariel)

And sure enough, the needle was unable to reach her heart.

“Kuh.........”

The needle was fired at the same speed as that of a bullet but, Sariel moved faster than that, and that’s all it took.

The right hand that had not yet moved uptil now, before I realized it, had moved over her right chest to protect her and her palm had blocked the needle.

The needle that had pierced through her palm completely only reached her robe and stopped there.

Sariel who had taken it with her bare hands, the corrosion of the poison began to spread.

But still, Sariel without seeming even a little bit agitated, took a step back and used her spear to pierce through her whole palm along with the needle.

The needle was smashed, and the poisoned flesh was instantly shaved off, thus stopping the corrosion.

As blood gushed out, a painful looking hole could be seen on Sariel’s palm.

All I could do was be dumbfounded as I looked at this chain of events.

*Dotsu*

Suddenly, a shock ran through my left arm.

I realized that Sariel had attacked with her spear when I saw that the cursed hatchet had fallen to the ground.

“Guh........”

Probably, my left wrist is broken.

It’ll heal by itself sooner or later but it won’t do so instantly, I don’t even have the time to pick up the cursed hatchet either.

All plans were broken through, and I don’t even have a weapon in my hands now.

I still have magical energy left, but I don’t have any magic that could be activated faster than Sariel attacking with her spear.

It was checkmate. In this situation where I had nothing left to help me win, the regret and fear that I had subdued instantly spread within me.

I should have run away. Should I beg for mercy? Someone save me.

——-I can’t think of anything better.

I’m pretty sure I’m currently sweating like crazy with a pathetically pale face. Probably due to pity, Sariel’s spear had not yet pierced through me.

“.......wait a second.”

As my mind was in chaos, I remembered one thing. A magic that could pierce through her aura and was also faster than her spear.

I didn’t hesitate even a second to use it. My right fist had already become tight.

“Pile—–“

I raised my fist overhead and stepped in.

The activation process is simple. Simply gather magic in my fist and release it.

Already, magical energy of density much stronger than the time I had first used it, gathered in my arm and swirled around.

The image is a drill, rotating at high-speed, I concentrate all the destructive power on the pointed end.

Eat this! My final useless struggle.

“BUNKEEEEEEERRRR!!!”

The swirling black fist was intercepted by white magical energy.

The first thing I felt was the sensation of that magical energy, next my brain recognised what I was seeing. It was the sight of Sariel blocking my pile bunker with her bloody right hand alone.

From the hand that had blocked me, white magical energy was rotating in the reverse direction of my own.

Both the magical energies were nullifying each other out at the point where they touched. And soon, my destructive black magical energy disappeared without any trace.

“.......so, it really was useless.”

As I finally felt a sense of complete defeat, a strong shock attacked my head.

The last thing I saw was the usual expressionless figure swinging the spear horizontally.

Sorry Lily, it seems I won’t be able to protect your village———

While thinking that, my consciousness was broken off.