Ruinblade ④
I was dumbfounded.
“Agaro-san…?”
“Yo. You alright?”
“Y-Yes. Why are you here?”
“We’ll talk later. We’re surrounded.”
I realized Mimics had surrounded us.
And a Mimic so huge I had to look up was lying in wait.
This is the worst.
Why has the Junkyard turned into a battlefield like this?
“Onii-chan…”
“It’s okay.”
I smiled at the Little Girl’s anxious face and patted her head.
“Woff. Can you protect that child?”
“Yes. I will protect her.”
“Good answer.”
Agaro-san grinned, attached a sake flask to his hip, and drew the Saber from behind his waist.
It was a simple, unadorned Saber with a basic knuckle guard.
A rough hilt wrapped in cloth. A simple knuckle guard and a curved blade.
It had the color of dull iron. A kitchen knife might be the closest comparison.
“Alright then, let’s do this. Flame Tongue.”
When Agaro-san called its name, the blade turned red, and faint smoke rose from it.
Did they sense something? The Mimics attacked us all at once.
I readied [Vanish], and Agaro-san swung Flame Tongue.
Mimics were sliced apart and vanished.
“So strong…!”
Is this the Relic [Annihilation], the [Ruinblade]?
And that’s Agaro-san’s Saber.
No, an OOPArts. Flame Tongue… I see.
It certainly is a Saber shaped like a tongue.
And this is the power of a Tier II Seeker. Incredible strength.
Now, only that giant Mimic remains.
“Damn… Just as expected. That’s The Witch for you…”
The giant Mimic closed its mouth—its lid.
Then it shook, opened its lid, and tipped over.
“What the?”
Dolls came pouring out from inside the Mimic.
They were wooden mannequins.
They had no faces and a simple construction, but they wore equipment and carried weapons.
Their equipment and weapons were mismatched, with no consistency.
“Puppets?”
“Are they monsters?”
“They’re monsters now. A Puppet Box. Anyone eaten by that thing becomes a puppet.”
“Eaten…”
So, does that mean those puppets were originally Seekers?
Even so.
“Aren’t there a lot of them?”
Countless puppets occupied the Junkyard.
All of them, victims.
“Woff. I’ll make an escape route. Take the kid and run.”
“What about you, Agaro-san?”
“Don’t worry. This is better than a dragon.”
Agaro-san extended his arm. Flame Tongue smoldered.
The Flame Tongue stretched and swelled greatly.
“When I give the signal, run for the exit.”
“Understood.”
Agaro-san swung Flame Tongue.
With immense power, dozens of puppets that touched Flame Tongue were annihilated.
An opening appeared in the Junkyard.
“Now, go!”
“Yes!”
I ran towards the exit, practically carrying the Little Girl.
The puppets rustled towards us. Everything was red; I couldn’t see anything.
“Kuh!”
I deactivated the Relic [Danger Detection].
Agaro-san swung Flame Tongue wide once more.
With that, the swarm of puppets was wiped out, and the Little Girl and I managed to escape the Junkyard.
We continued straight out of the Dungeon.
There were many people at the Dungeon entrance.
Seekers, guards, and gatekeepers.
“Ennie!?”
“Ah, Onee-chan!”
The Little Girl left my side and ran towards the older girl.
The two embraced, crying.
“Thank goodness…”
I was exhausted. I couldn’t help but collapse right there.
In the end, I didn’t get anything.
No, more importantly, I wonder if Agaro-san is okay.
“Alright.”
I should go help him.
Just as I stood up, there was movement.
“Hey, back up, back up! Woff, you get away from here too. It’s dangerous!”
Gauro-san and the other gatekeepers and guards were driving away the Seekers and onlookers around the Dungeon.
I can’t enter the Dungeon like this.
Can I only pray for his safety?
Just then, someone emerged from the Dungeon entrance.
“Phew—damn, that was just the opening act…? Goddammit, I wanna drink.”
It was Agaro-san.
He was injured here and there, but he was safe.
“Agaro-san!”
“Oh. You guys okay?”
“Yes! Agaro-san, you’re bleeding from your head, though.”
“This ain’t nothin’ serious.”
I think his horn is cracked.
I don’t know much about Fauns, but will that heal?
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe. That Mimic…”
“If you mean the Puppet Box, I took it down.”
“A-Amazing.”
He defeated that huge Mimic solo. This is a Tier II Seeker.
“But if something like that showed up in the Junkyard, it’ll have to be closed off.”
“Is that what’s going to happen…?”
“Don’t look so down. I’ll take care of this anomaly.”
“Y-Yes. Please do.”
“Yeah, count on it.”
With a reassuring smile, Agaro-san gently patted my head.
And so, the Dungeon was closed.