“Damn it… How did things end up like this…”
The man muttered blankly.
He was in an S-Rank Dungeon.
And—it was hell.
“It’s over…” “There’s nothing we can do anymore…”
He could hear the voices of the other Adventurers.
The one thing common to all of them was—despair.
A Dungeon like a graveyard.
Within it, a massive horde of undead was advancing.
In the depths of this gloomy world, a skeleton clad in tattered rags floated in the air.
The Boss of this Dungeon was the S-Rank Monster, the No-Life King.
Its specialties were high-powered magic and—Summoning Arts.
Immediately upon entering the Boss Room, the No-Life King summoned five A-Rank Monsters: Liches.
At that point, it was one S-Rank against five A-Rank.
Our forces consisted of a mixed unit of thirty A-Rank and B-Rank Adventurers.
This was a Raid.
Even facing multiple opponents, we should have been able to overcome them through coordination.
We could still handle it.
Yes. If it had stopped there—
“If you don’t want to die, then struggle until you do!”
The man shouted.
Loud enough to reach across the entire battlefield.
“I’ve called for reinforcements! They’ll surely be here soon—”
“It’s impossible…”
Such listless words cut off the man’s voice.
The Adventurer who spoke quietly looked up at the sky.
Gazing at the gloomy, overcast heavens, the Adventurer sat down, looking resigned.
“It’s been ten minutes since the request for reinforcements went out. It’ll take at least twice that long. And yet—”
Was he crying, or laughing?
The Adventurer wore an expression swirling with complex emotions.
But perhaps that couldn’t be helped.
“And yet we’re already… almost completely wiped out…!”
Death was simply—far too close.
Finding any hope for survival in this situation was extremely difficult.
Because—
“Dealing with just the S-Rank Boss Monster might have been one thing, but five A-Ranks—and fifty B-Rank Monsters too.”
Because each of the five Liches had summoned ten Undead Warriors.
One S-Rank No-Life King.
Five A-Rank Liches.
Fifty B-Rank Undead Warriors.
An army totaling 56 bodies.
Moreover, even if they defeated some and reduced their numbers, they were replenished by summoning.
Essentially, a Raid battle is where Adventurers use their strength in numbers to hunt high-ranking Monsters.
By combining their power, they defeat Monsters they normally couldn’t match.
So—what were they supposed to do now?
What could they possibly do when they were overwhelmed in sheer numbers, the very advantage they relied upon?
“It’s doubtful if even ten members of the thirty-strong Raid Party are left. We’ll just be crushed by their numbers, and that’ll be the end.”
The corpses of Adventurers already littered the graveyard.
The Raid team was half-destroyed—no, annihilation was close.
“Even so, still—”
“You know, don’t you?”
The Adventurer shook his head at the man’s words.
“Miracles don’t happen in Dungeons.”
Those words—slowly seeped into the man’s chest.
Corroding him like poison.
“There might be absurdity, but there are no miracles. Not here, in the Dungeon.”
The man himself had delved into Dungeons countless times before.
That was how he had become an Adventurer capable of challenging the Demon Capital.
So he understood what Dungeons were like.
He understood.
And precisely because he understood, his spirit—felt like it was about to break.
Was there any point in him resisting alone?
Maybe it would be easier to just kill himself.
“So, anymore—”
Just as he thought that—
“—Apologies for the wait.”
A voice was heard.
It was a woman’s voice.
“I have come to provide reinforcements.”
Standing there was a woman clad in red and white shrine maiden attire.
Her lustrous black hair flowed as she stood upon the battlefield.
The woman walked across the battlefield with a graceful smile.
Her voluptuous figure, noticeable even through her traditional clothing, evoked a sense of maternal warmth.
“Is that…”
“Raven-black hair… An Adventurer in shrine maiden clothes…”
The men knew her.
They knew the name of the Adventurer who possessed these characteristics.
“—Itomi Kukuri of 【Holy Sword】.”
The strongest Party in the country.
Ask anyone, and only one name would come up.
Everyone thought of the same Party when they heard “the strongest.”
That overwhelmingly top Party—【Holy Sword】—she was one of its members.
“Hey! Reinforcements are here! With 【Holy Sword】, there’s hope—”
The man shouted.
“It’s no use.”
“Huh?”
But his voice was cut off again.
Even the arrival of 【Holy Sword】 wasn’t enough to light a spark of hope on the battlefield.
Or so it seemed.
“If I recall, Itomi Kukuri of 【Holy Sword】 is—a backline class.”
The Adventurer stated.
Normally, Adventurers don’t reveal information about their Skills and such.
However, when someone became as famous as 【Holy Sword】, there were occasional opportunities to hear about their combat style.
“Under normal circumstances, she might indeed be able to break this deadlock. But—in a situation where the frontline has completely collapsed, she can’t exert her power. The situation won’t be overturned.”
“No way…”
Backline classes like 【Wizard】 were certainly powerful.
However, that was only if there was a tank role to hold back the enemy.
Backline classes, which tended to have low physical capabilities, were powerless if exposed to enemy attacks.
They only showed their true worth when they had a foundation allowing them to focus on attacking.
(Is there… no hope…?)
Just as the man felt his knees about to buckle—
“Please do not worry.”
Kukuri smiled.
Facing the army of Monsters without any nervousness whatsoever.
She smiled like a benevolent mother.
“Please wait just a little moment, alright?”
Saying so, Kukuri faced the undead horde.
“—[Shikigami Summoning].”
Kukuri chanted.
[Shikigami Summoning]—it was a summoning Skill.
“Summoning Arts…!”
“But with Summoning Arts, even an A-Rank Adventurer can only manage about five familiars equivalent to A or B-Rank… Against these numbers, they’ll just be crushed instantly.”
One of the Adventurers said.
There was no error in his statement.
Even taking into account that Kukuri was S-Rank, double the amount of an A-Rank summoner would be about right.
In that case—
“Oh my. It will be alright.”
Still, Kukuri’s smile didn’t fade.
If anything, it deepened—
“My summoning limit is—100.”
—An immense number of Shikigami appeared around her.
Humans. Animals.
Their forms varied greatly.
The only common feature was that their faces were hidden by white cloth.
“Wh-…!?”
“You’re kidding…! She surpassed their numbers—with numbers!?”
The sudden appearance of 100 Shikigami.
The man recoiled at the overwhelming quantity.
“—Go.”
At Kukuri’s command, the Shikigami began to move.
Shikigami and Undead.
The two armies clashed.
White Shikigami.
Black Undead.
The tide of battle—was being pushed by the Shikigami.
“It’s not just that they win in numbers, they’re superior in quality too…!”
Those Shikigami weren’t just some rabble.
The animal-type Shikigami were fighting on par with the B-Rank Undead Warriors.
The human-type ones were easily scattering the Undead Warriors.
“Nearly half of those Shikigami are A-Rank equivalent…! Which means—”
Sweat trickled down the man’s cheek.
“At the very least—Itomi Kukuri possesses the fighting strength of 50 A-Rank Adventurers!”
“This is—Itomi Kukuri of the 【Night Parade of One Hundred Demons】…!”
While the man was still reeling in shock, the No-Life King, which had been holding back, made its move.
The No-Life King raised its staff.
Dark light began to converge.
And then—it was unleashed.
A black flash like a laser.
Its target—was Kukuri.
“! Damn it! It’s aiming for the caster!”
The man’s blood ran cold.
He realized that the No-Life King’s attack would seal their fate.
“That bastard! It knows! It knows the weakness of Summoning Arts users is the fragility of the caster!”
Summoning Arts users.
There was a clear commonality among them.
—The caster themselves is weak.
In exchange for gaining an advantage in battle through familiars, the caster’s own combat power is lacking.
That’s why, normally, someone must protect the Summoner.
However, no one, including the man, was protecting Kukuri.
Due to the sudden turn of events, their response was delayed.
It was far too fatal—
“[Talisman Arts: Guardian Formation].”
—If it hadn’t been Kukuri standing here.
As Kukuri spoke, talismans appeared around her.
The floating talismans encircled her, orbiting around her.
Then, a pale blue light deployed, centered on Kukuri.
That was—a barrier.
A barrier like a thin membrane.
However—it easily blocked the black flash.
It didn’t even crack, let alone waver.
“[Talisman Arts: Purification].”
As if it were only natural, Kukuri moved on to her next action.
Pinching a talisman between two fingers—she aimed it at the No-Life King.
It was like payback.
Released from Kukuri’s hand was a white beam of light.
The laser-thin beam of light contained tremendous heat—and pierced the No-Life King.
“Oh my. You’re still alright, aren’t you?”
A voice echoed in agony.
The No-Life King.
The Undead King was gasping.
In the pain of death.
“You are… still alive, yes?”
Kukuri, on the other hand—was smiling.
It wasn’t the merciful smile from before.
It was a smile so cold it could make one prostrate themselves.
“Please try harder. Okay?”
Kukuri smiled sadistically.
Multiple spheres of light materialized around her.
The same attack as before.
They had finished preparing to fire and were now on standby.
“Otherwise—you’ll die, you know?”
The light of purification—was launched.
“Ufufu… Does it hurt?” “I went to the trouble of avoiding your vital points, so why aren’t you fighting back?” “Just crying out won’t change anything, you know?” “Look… I’ve even dispelled the barrier… You can counterattack now, alright?”
Without waiting for a reply, Kukuri whispered.
All the while, the undead army was being trampled, and its king was being violated.
Bit by bit, from the edges, he was being broken.
“To toy with an S-rank Monster so one-sidedly…”
Someone muttered.
The undead, who shouldn’t possess the concept of death, were screaming.
The undead, who knew not death, were being made to comprehend it.
But perhaps there was no meaning in such a thing.
By the time the No-Life King understood death, its life would already be extinguished.
“Oh my. It really is over, isn’t it?”
The No-Life King faded away.
Watching its form disappear, Kukuri smiled regretfully.
The bone-chilling smile was gone.
“Too one-sided…”
The man was dumbfounded.
His life had been saved.
And yet, that fact didn’t even register.
“She blocked an S-rank Monster’s magic… and defeated an S-rank Monster.”
His eyes were fixed solely on Kukuri.
More than the fact that his life was saved, her very existence was overwhelmingly striking.
“Numbers. Defense. Attack. All her abilities are S-rank.”
She possessed all the strengths of a Summoning Arts user, with none of the weaknesses.
“Tank and attacker too. She handles every single position by herself.”
Adventurers have strengths and weaknesses.
That’s why they divide positions according to aptitude.
That’s how they cooperate to conquer Dungeons.
But—she was different.
In any position, she demonstrated power exceeding that of specialists.
“Does a monster like that—even need a Party…?”
☆
“Phew… It’s over, then.”
The woman—Itomi Kukuri—exhaled.
The request for aid had come about half an hour ago.
Since she happened to be nearby, she ended up diving into the Dungeon.
“There were so many of them… I had high hopes, though.”
According to the report, it was an enemy that even thirty Adventurers couldn’t handle.
That’s why she had been looking forward to it a little—but it was disappointing.
“I thought they might overwhelm me with sheer numbers, pin me down helplessly… and toy with me.”
As an S-rank close to the pinnacle, she had hoped they would shatter her arrogance, her dignity.
She had hoped they would break her mercilessly, no matter how much she cried or screamed.
“Without Keiichiro-san… my body feels unbearably lonely.”
Kukuri caressed her cheek.
Her face—was flushed.
It was always like this when she thought of her childhood friend.
Kageura Keiichiro.
Her most beloved man.
For his sake, Kukuri became strong.
Because the stronger she became, the greater the pleasure when submitting to him.
“………Ufufu.”
Kukuri vanished into the cityscape of the Demon Metropolis.
The voluptuous beauty clad in Miko attire—Itomi Kukuri.
Appears pure but is utterly sadistic—or so it seems, but she’s actually utterly masochistic.
According to Yukiko, she’s “The most lewd in 【Holy Sword】.”
Incidentally, the combat power within 【Holy Sword】 is:
Kurenai > Kukuri ≧ Yukiko
However, in a Kukuri vs. Yukiko match, Yukiko’s [Death Threat] can instantly wipe out all of Kukuri’s shikigami, so due to compatibility issues, Yukiko has a slightly better win rate.
That was interesting! I want to know what happens next!
If you thought so, please bookmark, rate, and leave comments.
Your support becomes experience points for Kageura Keiichiro and aids in his level-ups.