“Tch… How many is that now?”
Jesha, flicking blood from his Magic Steel two-handed axe, muttered as if spitting while looking down resentfully at the Rank 3 Monster, a Thunder Tiger, that he had just crushed.
“Don’t say that, Jesha. Aria is drawing the enemy’s Eye. We decided to advance as far as we can in the meantime, didn’t we?”
As Camille, who was similarly wiping blood from his Demon Sword, a dagger, said this admonishingly, Kadri and Izel nodded in agreement, and Jesha let out a sigh.
“…If only these things tasted good, I’d be more motivated.”
“No doubt.”
More than a week had already passed since the Ceremony of Selection began.
Within it, Camille-tachi’s party was in a position to be targeted by all participants, but so far, they had only fought attackers from the Sorcerer clans and hadn’t even encountered warriors from other clans yet.
This was because Camille-tachi, lacking any supporting clans, were employing a different strategy than the other clans. Camille-tachi had no scouting units to gather enemy information, nor any supply units. Some members of the clans in the fortress had provided Prince Camille with supplies, but due to differences in power dynamics, no one offered direct assistance.
For Camille-tachi, who had to worry about their weapons and armor breaking and were forced to rely on Dungeon Monsters even for food, winning against other clans in a direct confrontation was difficult.
That’s precisely why they aimed for victory in the Ceremony of Selection not by the traditional method of past ceremonies, which had always been settled by “defeating the warriors of enemy clans,” but by the original method of “obtaining the proof from the Dungeon’s Innermost Sanctum.”
However, that too was not an easy path. The reason it had become a deathmatch between warriors in the first place was that, aside from the first Evil Lord, no one had ever managed to reach the Dungeon’s Innermost Sanctum.
The Dungeon beneath the fortress had transformed into a more complex labyrinth than any other, and while advancing further did indeed allow them to avoid battles with other clans, it also meant constant Monster attacks.
Fortunately, the higher the rank of the Monster, the fewer of them appeared, so even Camille and Jesha could somehow manage to repel them. However, after more than a week of Dungeon exploration, mental fatigue, more so than physical, was evident on everyone’s faces.
Monster meat, while high in nutritional value, was incredibly tough. Spending over a week with it as their main food source, rather than just in small amounts, was enough to make even Jesha, who was accustomed to camping, unconsciously complain.
Still, compared to Aria, who was single-handedly holding back and thinning the ranks of Rank 4 and Rank 5 warriors, perhaps their situation was still better. Both Camille and Jesha were adventurers accustomed to fighting Monsters, but fighting other people was not their specialty.
“…Something’s coming.”
Sensing a certain urgency in the voice of Izel, who was scouting at the front, Jesha readied his weapon and moved forward.
“As expected, we can’t avoid everything, huh…”
Humans had a different presence from Monsters. To be precise, Monsters don’t attack humans out of hatred. Only humans attack other humans solely for the purpose of killing them.
Making Kadri and Izel fall back, Camille stepped forward and readied his weapon beside Jesha, as several human Shadows emerged from the darkness at the end of the passage.
“Prince Camille… So it’s you. Where is That Woman?”
The female warrior clad in Magic Iron chainmail and Magic Steel partial armor… Evil Race Army General Aisha shot a glare at them, exuding Intimidation.
Aisha-tachi were here because the Ceremony of Selection had progressed, and the battles between the warriors of each clan had begun to shift their battleground deeper into the Dungeon. The warriors she led had been reduced to half their number, perhaps due to battles with other clans. At this point, clan support wouldn’t reach them, but conversely, the warriors remaining here could be called true powerhouses who had survived fierce battles.
“What do you intend to do after hearing that?”
At that, Jesha stepped forward, as if to block the gaze directed at Camille.
Having been hired as a warrior, it was Jesha’s job to protect his employer, Camille. But more than that, Aisha’s attitude, as if she had eyes for no one but Aria, irritated Jesha as a warrior.
“Move, dwarf woman. You small fry who’s been running away from warrior battles.”
“Huh? The little miss general who was protected by the men around her sure barks a lot.”
Jesha taunted back mockingly at Aisha’s contempt.
Killing Intent, along with anger, overflowed from Aisha’s subordinates, who felt they too had been insulted. Aisha suppressed it with a single swing of her sword and flashed a ferocious smile, as if baring her fangs.
“You dare run your mouth, you little brat of a fallen barbarian.”
“Hah, so not a little miss but an old hag, huh? If you say so yourself, then there’s nothing more to say.”
Killing Intent sparked between the two, and simultaneously, they stomped their armor-clad feet with enough force to shatter the stone floor.
“…Die.”
“You first!!”
GAKIIIIIN!!
In the next moment, the Magic Steel one-handed sword and two-handed axe clashed, shaking the Dungeon’s atmosphere.
“Jesha!!”
Camille couldn’t help but shout Jesha’s name as the battle began.
Even if combat was unavoidable, depending on how the conversation went, something like a duel might have been possible. But now that it had come to this, it wouldn’t end until one side was annihilated.
He had wanted to avoid an all-out battle without Aria, but Camille instantly switched his focus and threw his chain weight at the feet of the warrior who was trying to surround Jesha.
“Ngh!?”
The warrior, who had readied a longsword, noticed at the last second and tried to jump away, but couldn’t completely evade it. Aiming for the moment the chain wrapped around one leg, Camille slashed with his Demon Sword.
GING! While losing his balance, the warrior blocked with his longsword. Blocked, Camille pulled hard on the chain, trying to further unbalance him, but another heavily armored warrior in full plate noticed and charged in with his shield raised.
“Tch!”
“I won’t let you!!”
Both were formidable Rank 4 enemies, the same as Camille. Camille instantly judged that facing the heavily armored warrior, in particular, with his dagger would be a bad matchup. He kicked the charging heavy warrior’s shield, using the recoil to leap away, and then raised his Demon Sword, preparing to unleash its power against the longsword warrior.
“–[Relea…”
“HAA!!”
But that attack too was interrupted by another warrior from the side, wielding an unusually long spear. Camille, whose shoulders and arms were lightly cut by the thrusts and slashes that rained down freely as the warrior wielded the long spear like a whip, couldn’t press his attack and instinctively took some distance.
“…Kuh.”
“So that’s the infamous Demon Sword… Be careful.”
The Demon Sword, given by the current Evil Lord to protect the human girl he loved, was a memento of his mother to Camille, and at the same time, an abominable thing to the Evil Race who loathed humans.
As the long spear warrior said this, keeping a wary Eye on Camille’s Demon Sword, the longsword warrior and the heavy warrior nodded silently and surrounded Camille.
Aisha had four warriors. All were high Rank 4, surpassing Camille’s combat power.
Kadri and Izel were holding back one of them, but he felt it was too much to expect their support here. Even Jesha was single-handedly taking on Aisha, a Rank 5 who was his superior in rank, so that alone was an excellent feat.
The reason the warriors were acting cautiously while surrounding Camille, who was inferior in combat power, was because of his Demon Sword.
Similar to Aria’s [Iron Rose], if they let their guard down, there was a risk the tide of battle could be instantly overturned. However, that also meant that, currently, Camille’s only means of fighting back was his Demon Sword.
“……”
Even for Camille, who was silently keeping the warriors in check, he couldn’t easily use his trump card. Activating it consumed magical power. Even though he could use a Rank 5 Battle Art, there was a recoil, and if used carelessly in a situation other than delivering a finishing blow, it could create a fatal opening.
CLANG CLANG! The sound of iron violently crashing against iron echoed, in stark contrast to Camille and the others who were glaring at each other in silence.
Even Aisha couldn’t easily dispose of a Rank 4 Dwarf heavy warrior. But Jesha also lacked a decisive move to defeat a Rank 5 warrior.
It was precisely because it was Jesha that he could endure; Camille wouldn’t be able to last long. However, Jesha couldn’t defeat Aisha, and to do so, Camille’s Demon Sword was necessary.
While keeping that in mind, Camille and the warriors watched each other for an opening. As the violent sounds of impact, as if to grate on their sharpened nerves, resounded—
“Switch!!”
“Huh!?”
Jesha, who had suddenly cut in between Camille and the others, swung his axe as if turning towards the longsword warrior, sending him flying.
“!!”
As if swapping places, Aisha, who had readied her sword, leaped in front of Camille. The two, as if by a sudden, unspoken agreement, avoided a collision by clashing their weapons, and though they lost their balance, they ended up crossing blades.
Whether it was by chance or planned from the start, Jesha, who had made the two leaders clash and was now rampaging, swinging his axe without a thought for his remaining stamina to prevent anyone from interfering, gave Camille a smirk.
With Jesha’s fighting style, unlike Camille, he couldn’t take on multiple enemies of the same rank, but he could endure. That’s why Jesha had maneuvered to provoke Aisha, and by swapping places to hold back the warriors, he had bet on Camille’s single strike.
“――【Release】――”
Camille, understanding this, immediately unleashed the power of his Demon Sword.
Even though both had lost their balance, compared to the heavily armored Aisha, the lightly armored Camille could move just a fraction sooner.
“――【Dancing Reaper】――”
The level 5 Dagger Technique Battle Art, 【Dancing Reaper】, activated, and a furious eight-hit combo, raging like a tempest unleashed from his left and right blades, assaulted Aisha.
Aisha, too, because she had been fighting the heavy warrior Jesha until then, hadn’t switched from a defense-oriented to a speed-oriented fighting style.
“Haa!!”
Still, she wielded her one-handed sword and shield to deal with the eight-hit combo. But even someone like Aisha couldn’t parry all the attacks of the Battle Art and took half of them with her body.
“Aisha-sama!!”
At that sight, Aisha’s warriors who were fighting couldn’t help but cry out. Jesha, seeing this, smiled faintly. There was no way a human could take a level 5 Battle Art and be unharmed. Everyone thought so, as a matter of common sense. But――
“…Light.”
“Gua!?”
The moment that faint whisper was heard, Camille’s face was struck by Aisha’s shield.
In contrast to Camille, who was sent flying and staggered, Aisha stood up. She licked the blood trickling from the corner of her lip and spat it out, then directed a scornful gaze at him.
“Is that all you’ve got? Or is that your limit? It seems you haven’t fully drawn out the power of that Demon Sword. You might have been able to defeat ordinary opponents with it… but do you think you can defeat me with such a borrowed technique?!!”
“Kuh.”
Aisha had definitely taken damage too. Realizing she couldn’t switch to a speed-focused stance, she had taken it in a defensive posture, but if it had been a genuine Battle Art, Aisha probably wouldn’t be standing there.
More than her injured body right now, she felt anger towards Camille for trying to defeat her with such a technique.
Even if one lacked power, if there was a technique to serve as a model, one should have been able to approach it by training desperately. Aisha had done just that. Chasing the image of her vanished “older sister,” she had desperately engraved that technique into her own body.
Aisha, fueled by anger, swung her sword with all her might, sending Camille flying again.
“Ngh…”
“I’ll show you a real 【Battle Art】.”
Aisha thrust her shield forward and drew back her right-hand one-handed sword high behind her.
Seeing this, Jesha and Kadri’s group hurriedly started to move, but this time, Aisha’s warriors held them back.
“――【Vorpal Blade】――”
Unleashed from the level 5 Swordsmanship Battle Art, a five-hit combo of sword flashes assaulted Camille.
Unlike Aisha, he had no shield, and Camille, wearing only leather armor, had no way to defend. Camille, who should have been torn to shreds, still readied his Demon Sword to receive it, and at that moment――
“What!”
Suddenly, Camille’s body was knocked aside, and Aisha’s slashes only damaged the Dungeon floor and walls.
What happened? Camille hadn’t been in a state to dodge on his own. The moment Aisha tried to sense her surroundings to find the cause, a sudden, immense presence fell from a passage opened in the high ceiling.
“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”
A beast’s roar that made even the warriors tremble. The enormous beast, like darkness incarnate, ran along the walls and ceiling with blurring speed, mowing down the warriors.
“…If I disappeared, I thought you, at least, could live a proper life, you know.”
“Ngh!?”
At the voice that suddenly came from behind her, Aisha instantly swung her sword.
The woman, clad in a cloak, dodged the sweeping slash by ducking and evaded the immediately following shield bash by taking a step back.
Her physical abilities were clearly inferior not just to Aisha’s, but even to Jesha’s. But Aisha’s attacks wouldn’t land. The woman, who dodged Aisha’s attacks as if she knew all her habits, leaped to avoid Aisha’s sweeping kick aimed at her feet, then changed her posture with a mid-air kick-like motion and kicked the astonished Aisha’s jaw.
“…N-No way… That technique is!?”
Before Aisha, whose eyes widened from a shock far greater than the damage from the attack, the cloaked woman quietly lowered her hood, and Aisha’s eyes widened further at the nostalgic face.
“…Nee-san!!”
The person whose identity was completely obvious who appeared during Camille’s group’s crisis.
Next time, Aisha’s actions?
[A book adaptation will be published by TO Books!]
Book Title: “Strongest Survival as an Otome Game Heroine” (Former title: “Otome Game Heroine [de] Strongest Survival”). For details, please check the activity report!
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