Chapter 66: He’s a Demon Lord, That One.
That Tsubaki, of all people, had been defeated was completely unexpected.
I’d hoped she would hold out a little longer, but what’s done is done.
Now, I have no allies left; I’m completely isolated and without support.
But it’s not over yet. I haven’t lost either.
My body is unharmed, and my condition is perfect. So, there’s no problem at all.
Yes, not a single problem.
“Kukuku, hahahaha, AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”
The former student council team was surprised by Kazuma, who suddenly burst into loud laughter.
They worried that he might have lost his mind after his comrades were defeated and he was left alone, but Shiori, who knew Kazuma well, felt cold sweat bead on her forehead.
“Everyone, all-out attack!!! Finish Kazuma-kun before it’s too late!!!”
The former student council team hesitated for a moment at Shiori’s command but then obeyed and launched an all-out attack on Kazuma.
Souji and the others near Kazuma could focus on attacking without worrying about friendly fire, but their danger precognition activated, warning them that staying there was dangerous, so they hurriedly retreated from that spot.
Due to the former student council team’s simultaneous attack, the spot where Kazuma had been standing was engulfed in an explosion and obliterated without a trace.
Dust and smoke billowed up, and Kazuma’s figure couldn’t be seen, but surely, after taking that much damage, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
The former student council team was convinced of their victory and was in a celebratory mood, but some of them felt a sense of unease because no victory announcement had been made.
Normally, a victory declaration would be made the moment the opposing team was wiped out, and fireworks or similar effects would go off as a victory display.
And then, Shiori, realizing the source of her unease, her face paling, shouted.
“Run, now!!!”
By the time Shiori shouted, it was too late.
Kazuma leaped out from amidst the dust and smoke.
Simultaneously, Kazuma took down several people in front of him with his Handgun, and as he landed, he slit the throats of several others who were still in disarray with a knife.
In just a few moments, several people were defeated, and the former student council team, who should have had an overwhelming advantage, found themselves in a situation as if the tables had been completely turned.
Witnessing Kazuma’s astounding strength, the former student council team’s feet froze, turning them into scarecrows, but Shiori managed to get them moving again.
“Don’t stop! Gifted with Body Enhancement, carry your allies and retreat! Kenzaki, you’re the vanguard! I’m counting on you and the hero! I’ll provide support, so fight like your lives depend on it!”
“Leave it to me!!! Hayate, Raika! Just as you heard! We’ll take down Kazuma with all our heart and soul, at full power!”
“”Roger!!!””
Their desperate plan began.
Souji, Hayate, and Raika formed the vanguard, with Shiori providing support, as they confronted Kazuma.
However, Kazuma defied their expectations, moved backward, and began to retreat.
“Huh?”
“Wait! Don’t let him escape!”
Shiori couldn’t hide her bewilderment at Kazuma turning his back and fleeing just when things were about to start, while Souji and the others hurriedly gave chase.
Watching Kazuma flee, Shiori’s mind raced.
Why was Kazuma running?
Was escaping his objective in the first place?
No, that’s wrong. If it were Kazuma, he wouldn’t need to run; he could just intercept them.
He was alone, surrounded by multiple enemies.
Certainly, retreating would be logical, but not for Kazuma.
In that case, he must have a reason to flee. What could it be?
“It can’t be…!”
She imagined the worst-case scenario.
It was just an assumption, but Shiori, somehow knowing it was correct, shouted from the bottom of her lungs.
“Kenzaki! Put up a Protective Barrier! Quickly!!!”
“Eh, ah! Understood!”
Souji, who had been about to run according to Shiori’s instructions, stopped and erected a Protective Barrier covering the largest possible area.
Kazuma, who was fleeing, almost cursed when his intentions were seen through, but more than that, he was pleased by Shiori’s growth and grinned fearlessly.
“Nice~. But too bad. If Souji-senpai’s Protective Barrier had a slightly wider range, I might have been at a disadvantage, but…”
Kazuma, who had been fleeing, made a sharp turn and charged towards the retreating members of the former student council team.
“Everyone! Hurry and take shelter inside the Protective Barrier!!!”
Shiori frantically ordered them to return inside Souji’s Protective Barrier, but it was too late.
Faster than the fleeing students could return to the barrier, Kazuma took out his bow and arrows and, like a hunter stalking prey, picked off the panicking students with unerringly accurate shots.
“You can’t be serious…”
“And now… it’s just us.”
The student council is formed by five members: president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and general affairs.
Therefore, the former student council, combining members from the first to the eighth divisions, had a force of forty people.
Earlier, they had clashed with the new student council, reducing their numbers to twenty-four. But the moment they first engaged Kazuma, he had taken down eight with his Handgun and four with his knife.
At that point, their numbers were halved, and Shiori, to increase their chances of winning even slightly, had tried to let everyone except Souji and herself escape.
However, Kazuma didn’t overlook her plan and targeted the fleeing students first. The result was as you see: Kazuma swiftly took down the ten fleeing students with his bow and arrows.
“So Aoi and Ojou were taken out too…”
“That’s right. It’s just us left. However, if we include the Kira-zaka siblings Kenzaki summoned for us, that makes four. There’s still a chance we can win.”
“By the way, is the current Kazuma serious?”
“…I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? Huh? Didn’t he train you?”
“He did train me, and we’ve fought quite seriously before, but… Kazuma-kun’s depths are unfathomable.”
“So, he said he’d go all out seriously, but does that mean he’s still not there yet?”
“If Kazuma-kun’s words are true, then he must be serious… but there’s probably still another level above this.”
“I wish you’d say you’re kidding…”
Looking at the situation alone, Souji’s side had an overwhelming advantage.
Four skilled individuals—Shiori, Souji, Hayate, and Raika—were gathered, and everyone except Hayate was almost unscathed.
Shiori had used some of her strength to defeat Issei, but she still had enough power left to fight.
“Let me confirm, just in case. Kazuma-kun’s equipment is a Powered Suit with five times Body Enhancement, a Handgun, and a longbow. Is that correct?”
“And a knife. Also, the Handgun can only fire eight shots, if I recall correctly, so we can assume he can’t use it anymore.”
“Then, all we have to do is fight while being wary of any hidden weapons he might have.”
“Any strategy?”
“Fight like our lives depend on it. Is there anything else? Our opponent is Kazuma-kun, who’s like a Demon Lord.”
“A simple and excellent strategy…”
Petty tricks wouldn’t work on the current Kazuma.
The fact that he was deliberately waiting while they held their strategy meeting was the composure of the strong.
Souji and Shiori understood all too well that there was such a difference in their abilities. At the same time, they were frustrated and wanted to make Kazuma cry uncle, just once.
The plan was decided. Simple is best: let’s fight like our lives depend on it.
“Is the strategy meeting over?”
“Yep. All set.”
“We can go anytime.”
“I see. Then, struggle as much as you can! Former Student Council!!!”
“”Bring it on!!!””
The three of them—Souji, Hayate, and Raika—clashed with Kazuma.
Shiori moved to provide support, firing Elec blasts towards Kazuma as the four engaged in a chaotic brawl.
Kazuma dodged the erratically fired Elec blasts as if he could see the future, simultaneously overwhelming the three.
Naturally, Raika, given the era she lived in, possessed not only high Gift abilities but also excellent physical capabilities and was skilled in close combat.
Of course, Raika, renowned as a hero, was strong, just like Hayate, but Kazuma was even stronger.
“What’s wrong, what’s wrong! Is that all you’ve got!”
Kazuma was so strong it was as if he wasn’t just born in the wrong era, but in the wrong world entirely.
In Shiori’s line of sight, the four of them were engaged in a brawl like something out of a battle manga.
Naturally, the students who had logged out of the Virtual Space were also watching intently.
Of course, Alicia and Charlotte, who had been watching from the beginning, were extremely excited, standing up from their chairs and cheering for Kazuma.
“Fwoooooh! Gooo! Kazuma!”
“Right there! Kazuma-san! A body blow, like you’re gouging out their organs!”
The spectator seats were in an uproar.
The audience was fired up by the intense battle between Kazuma and the four, their excitement uncontainable.
“…He’s dodging all my long-range Elec attacks. At this rate, I have no choice but to brace myself.”
Although she wasn’t very good at close combat, Shiori leaped into the chaotic melee where the four were fighting.
Using the techniques Kazuma had taught her, Shiori enhanced her physical abilities with Elec and forced her way onto their battlefield.
With Shiori joining, the battle grew even fiercer.
Kazuma, facing four opponents, let a fearless smile slip and shifted into a higher gear.
“Fuhahahahaha! Good! More!”
“Damn it! Isn’t he seriously a Demon Lord?!”
“Is this the strength of a modern person?!”
“This person is definitely living in the wrong era!”
“It’s truly an irritatingly absurd strength!”
Even with all four of them attacking, they couldn’t inflict a single scratch on Kazuma.
Their initially uncoordinated teamwork was gradually becoming more refined and should have been growing stronger, yet Kazuma was increasing his power at a rate that surpassed their own.
It was as if he were growing stronger in the midst of battle, causing Souji and the others to start panicking.
Souji and the others mistakenly believed Kazuma was growing stronger, but that wasn’t actually the case.
Kazuma was merely learning their movements and gradually releasing the power he had been suppressing; he wasn’t actually becoming stronger.
However, from his opponents’ perspective, it appeared as though he was getting stronger, so it was understandable that Souji and the others would misunderstand.
“(It’s only a one-time chance, but to defeat Kazuma-kun, I have no choice but to use my trump card!)”
In the midst of the fierce battle, Shiori decided to use the trump card she had been practicing for so long.
She was confident that with this, she could even outwit Kazuma and inflict a fatal blow.
While fighting like a raging storm, Shiori, intending to catch Kazuma off guard, unleashed an Elec blast from her eyes.
“Wha-!?”
Kazuma had taught her about Gifts before, but he never imagined she would actually make it a reality.
Basically, Gifted often use their Gifts from obvious places like their hands, so if one could discern the preliminary movements, it was possible to dodge them, whether it was fire or lightning.
However, due to the high projectile speed, it was impossible for an ordinary person.
“No way!? He dodged that!?”
“Hahahahaha! That was good! Even I panicked a little!”
“Excellent work, Saijo! You took one of Kazuma’s arms!”
Just as Kazuma had taught her, Shiori hadn’t aimed for a small target like the head, but a large one like the chest.
Kazuma, not expecting an Elec blast to come from her eyes, reacted a fraction of a second too late. He instinctively dodged the Elec, but couldn’t avoid it completely and lost an arm.
“Nice one, young lady!”
“This is our chance to attack!”
Hayate and Raika also praised Shiori for firing the Elec blast from her eyes and relentlessly pressed their attack on the one-armed Kazuma.
“You think losing a mere arm will weaken me?”
Kazuma’s chillingly low voice instilled a primal fear in them.
It was death. The one before them was death itself. Even Hayate and Raika, hailed as heroes, were overwhelmed, their movements faltering slightly.
“This is just the right handicap. I’ll show you. The true potential of a human!”
Despite losing an arm, Kazuma’s movements didn’t slow in the slightest, and he fought on par with the four of them.