Chapter 34: Kurou-kun, about to die

――Souls! Souls! Souls!――

“Oooh, ooh, ooh…! Muramasa-kun, stop running at full speed all the time…!”

――Silence!――

“?!?!”

It's been a day since I was appointed as a knight and I was running through the forest on the mainland while crying, or rather, being made to run.

Well, that's nothing new (and not good), but this place is huge and doesn't feel like it's enclosed by walls.
Iris said it would take a week on horseback to travel from end to end.

A long time ago, people enclosed such a large land with walls and rebuilt it as a “safe zone” for humanity by eradicating monsters from the inside.
It's amazing.

But there's a sense of something lurking in the dimly lit trees.
Many monsters are watching me.
The myth of safety has already collapsed.
Monsters poured in from the collapsed three cities and were lurking everywhere.

“…Monsters love killing humans.
They must have quickly gathered when they found out they could come to the mainland inhabiting plenty of humans.”

In many myths and legends, monsters are villains who harm humans.
Not only in the form of a story, but they have become extremely harmful creatures by taking on such a role in reality.

“I don't feel guilty about killing these guys.
――So go ahead and take care of them.”

My body went into to battle mode.
I jumped high and pulled out several black knives from inside my coat, throwing them at the lurking monsters around me!

“Gyaahhh?!”

A dog-like scream arises.
The group of monsters that appeared from the bush after being attacked were werewolf-like monsters.
They are troublesome monsters with high intelligence and physical abilities.

They have fur covering their bodies, and even if they were stabbed by a knife, they wouldn't fall over.

“Guhh, gaaaarrrrgh!”

It only took them a second to recover from the pain.
They showed their anger and jump at me.

“Once it's in, it's pretty much over.
Suck it up, Dainsleif.”

―Blood!―

The next moment, the werewolves kneel on the spot.
The redness fades from their bloodshot eyes, and their movements become sluggish all at once.
In contrast, my body is filled with energy.

“The legend of the 'Blood-stained Crimson Blade Dainsleif' involves 'sucking blood' and 'intensifying the combat prowess.' It strengthens me by sucking the blood of my prey.”

Now that it has turned black for various reasons, should it be called “Black Blood-stained Blade Dainsleif”?

The great sword that was cleaved in two had been transformed by Hypno's hands into 47 swords.
Though Karen, the female swordsman, had taken the handle side, weakening the original part of Dainsleif, it still possessed the convenient ability to weaken the enemy and strengthen oneself.

Without hesitation, I drew Muramasa and sliced through the werewolves at lightning speed.
As

 

always, I showed them no mercy.
But the werewolves, narrowly escaping the barrage of knives, retreated in fear, realizing they couldn't hope to win.

 

With a swift kick of their strong limbs, they vanished in the blink of an eye.
But I had no intention of letting them get away.

“Come on, Eyetone, don't let them escape.”

With a fierce shout, my left arm shot forward and a black chain lashed out from my sleeve.
The sharp, beak-like tip soared through the air, piercing the abdomens of the fleeing werewolves one by one, each cry of agony echoing through the forest.

“Behold the Black-clad Chain, Eyetone.” Its legend was one of “capture” and “liver extraction torture,” truly a weapon of sinister taste.

Originally, it seems that the chain was made up of various punishments inflicted by a god named Prometheus.
Normally, it's just a chain bracelet, but when it sees prey, this is what happens.

The principle behind it is that it can stretch chaotically and shoot straight for the liver.
Well, I like hormones too, so it's fine, isn't it?

“So, what do we do from here…
oh!?”

My body moved on its own as usual.
I concentrated the blood-charged energy I received from Dainsleif into my arm and pulled the werewolves impaled on my chain towards me!

“Gaaaaah!?!”

“Huhuhuhu!?”

The weight of the chains was so heaby that I felt a jerking sound from my waist, but I didn’t care about that and threw the chain into the air.
The werewolves were lifted up like fish caught on a line.
They can't escape now.
And then…

“You will be the one to deal the finishing blow, Arash…!”

―Disintegrate!―

I pulled the chain to my sleeve and drew out a large-caliber, jet black gun.
Dark light gathered at the muzzle.
I felt really uncomfortable.
I aimed at the werewolves and said, “Please, just die with one shot, all of youuuu!!”

The moment I pulled the trigger, an immense destructive light was released into the air! It engulfed the werewolves, and in an instant, they were reduced to dust.

It's incredibly powerful.
At first glance, it seems like an extremely powerful weapon, but…

“The Black Karma Death Gun―Arash.
Its legend is 'Annihilation' and…
Uwahhh!?”

The hand holding the gun suddenly twisted.
The muzzle, which was aimed at the enemy, is now pointed at me, and the trigger is being pulled with force.

――This is Arash's legend.
'Self-destruction after annihilation'.
This weapon, which used to be a bow, forces the user to face death in exchange for high firepower.

Its personality is just too nasty.
What's so fun about this, damn you?!

―Fear of the archer!―

―Suicide in despair!―

―Die!―

Ughhhhh, I'm about to be killed by this damn gun!!! Even a slight pull of the trigger and I'll be dead…