Chapter 29: End of the battle!

“…
Ah, I see.
I used to be a magic knight.”

“I see (Got it!).”

I guess there were various reasons why you fell into evil! Alright, this is something I can negotiate well.
If she was a born villain, there would be no hope, but if she used to be a person of justice, there is room for dialogue!

Just as I was about to suggest talking it out, a shadow suddenly fell over us, and a tattered girl descended beneath Karen.
Who is this!?

“Hey, Karen, let's hurry up and escape! That black-haired one is a monster!”

The girl, holding Karen from the side said in a male tone, looking entirely normal.
Unlike the “Vampurgis” gang, she isn't wearing black clothes and has gray hair like any other village girl.

The only noticeable things about her are that she is covered in scratches and has a stone bracelet wrapped around her wrist.

‘Wait a minute? Didn't the black-clothed person I slashed first have that bracelet on…!?’

Ignoring me, the girl bounces up the stairs in zigzags while carrying Karen to the hole in the ceiling to escape.
Her physical ability is incredible.
Maybe she has been trained…

I just thought so, but her legs suddenly broke with a snap.
Wow, I feel that pain!

“Tch, so this is what ordinary civilian brats are like.
If only I could have taken that silver-haired body…”

“Hey, are you Nia!? What about the other comrades!?”

“Ah!? They've all been wiped out by that black-haired one! The knights we lured out will be back soon!”

Judging from their conversation, she seems to be Karen's ally.
Phew…
At any rate, I managed to avoid fighting~!

——Soul!——

‘Whoa!?!’

There is no way the hungry and angry Muramasa-kun would let the enemies escape.
He immediately chased after them and ran up to the ceiling in the same manner as when the girl broke her leg.

“You monster! You've come after us again!”

‘Ow, it hurts! I don't want to chase you!’

I screamed in pain while pursuing the two.
In response to this, the girl named Nia clicked her tongue while jumping on top of the building.
Then, she took out several hidden cards from her pocket and scattered them in the sky of Salem.

“These are the hidden cards I recovered from my original body.
I'm going to use them here.『Urgent Decree』!”

As she shouted, dark light overflowed from all the cards.
The light swelled up in the air, changed its shape, and descended into the surrounding area as a giant ‘monster’.

What the hell is that?! Hey, Naia, what did you release?!

“Go, you monsters! Kill him!”

The giant monsters immediately rushed towards me.
Muramasa managed to cut off the head of one of them, but at the next moment, many more monsters came and slammed

 

their fists down.

 

I managed to avoid them by jumping around, but gradually my body stopped moving.

“Haah, haaah…”

My body has reached its limit.
I am on the verge of suffocating because I have been fighting in the flames.
My joints are in excruciating pain, and my muscles are not only sore but also hot.

If I were to cut open my skin, it would probably be a mess of ruptures and inflammation.

“What the hell are these things?!”

“Reinforcements…
Ahhh!”

A scream came from below.
The civilians were bewildered by the appearance of the giant monsters and were being trampled.
Furthermore, the knights who came to help were being crushed like insects.

“Gaaahhhh!”

The monsters rampaged around, filled with joy.
I managed to dodge their attacks for a while, but it was no use.
I was going to die.
My body was breaking down to the point where I couldn't respond to Muramasa's orders.

“Haah…damn it…”

――Vessel…ah…――

Muramasa-kun seems to have given up too.
My body began to regain its freedom.
At the same time, my knees felt like they were about to give out.

“My body…it's…finished…!?”

Are all of my dreams of living a peaceful life, becoming wealthy, and marrying a beautiful wife going to end like this!? Ah, damn it…if that's the case――!

‘At least I'll become a legend! I'll have the coolest death ever and be engraved in the books of history――Aaaaaaahhhhh!!’

I have completely lost it! I ignored the limits of my body and held up my sword with my own will.
Muramasa's power still lingered within me, allowing me to make a dignified posture as a warrior.
The monsters were momentarily confused.

“Evil creatures, perish…!”

I yelled at them, making sure the people in the city and the knights could hear me.
I will continue to wear the mask of the ‘Evil Condemner’ until the end!

“Come on, evil demons! This Kurou is still alive! As long as I live, you will never thrive!”

I shouted as I ran out with a war cry, leaping onto the heads of the demons and thrusting Muramasa into their skulls.
I twisted it in and out repeatedly!

“Gaaaaahhhhhh!?”

The giant monster screamed in agony.
Other monsters rushed towards me upon hearing the scream.
There was no way to deal with them… ‘Ha…it's over now.
My body is really at its limit.’

Nonetheless, I held my sword against my enemies.
Even though I couldn't move a finger, I continued to pose as the ‘Evil Condemner.’

“Gaaahhhh!!”

The murderous fists of the monsters came at me in unison.
And then――

“Kurou-kun! Let's fight together!”

A beam of light sliced through the approaching monsters――!