Black Iron Magician

Chapter 518 The True Hero Alliance

When the two weapons collided, one of them was completely shattered. The one that was shattered was Akira’s long sword.

The difference in the quality of the equipped weapons and the difference in status of the two are unknown. However, if Haruna can accurately perceive Akira’s attack, she can surpass him with her Unique Skill. That’s why this result was a kind of inevitability.

「Damn…!」

「Hah!」

Akira retreated with only the hilt of the shattered sword, and Haruna immediately launched a follow-up attack with her Doggan staff. The Doggan Staff, which contains the power of the god of death, can inflict a lethal wound with a single attack. Even if Akira is as powerful as Haruna, it could be fatal if he received even a single hit. That’s why Akira was doing his best to avoid it.

「An opening!」

However, Haruna’s speed is superior. No matter how much Akira burns with revenge, there’s no way he could do something about it when they are so close. Akira just barely avoided the first attack of the Doggan Staff, but the second attack that was coming at him completely seized his torso and was about to cut it in half.

「Separate.」

Just before the brutal blow struck Akira, he muttered something. And at the same time Haruna recognized it, the armor, which is Akira’s body, burst open.

「――――!」

The parts that made up the armor, which had been disassembled into the smallest units, scattered with the force of being blown away by an explosion. It was a sudden phenomenon, and it happened in the middle of an attack. Naturally, Haruna, who was close by, would not be able to escape unharmed and would not be able to evade the attack in time.

(Check the trajectory! Focus only on the ones that will hit me!)

Haruna reacted immediately and confirmed all of the metal bullets that flew at her. Then, she decided to take them all with her Unique Skill.

Dozens of parts collided with Haruna all at once. The sound made at that time was so explosive that as if she was being hit by a large heavy weapon. However, Haruna’s face was not distorted after being hit by them, and she looked rather surprised that she had seen something unusual. She doesn’t seem to take any damage.

The reason why Haruna didn’t take any damage was because she perfectly grasped the timing of the attack and she increased her defense with her Unique Skill. Even though it was sudden and irregular, Akira’s attack was directly in front of Haruna. It wasn’t coming from her blind spot, so Haruna could defend herself with some leeway.

「…… Assemble.」

「They came apart and came back together again!」

Haruna is interested in Akira’s armor, which was disassembled and reassembled in front of her. Akira, on the other hand, seems to be a bit disappointed.

「Toue-kun, you’ve got an interesting body. I was surprised that you evaded and attacked at the same time like you did just now!」

「Hah, the one who was surprised was me. I didn’t think that it would end with just this, but I didn’t expect you to withstand it on the first try. What kind of body do you have?」

「Hmm? It’s just a normal girl’s body, though?」

「A normal girl’s body is much more slender and soft. It’s not a body of steel that can take a rifle bullet fired at point-blank range and withstand it unscathed.」

「Eh~, I’m confident in my soft body. I can spread my legs 180-degree, you know?」

「No, that’s not what I’m talking about.」

They aren’t on the same page.

(Still, I wonder if Toue-kun doesn’t know about my Unique Skill? I think Vakala-san would know about me…. Is it to let us fight fair and square without knowing each other’s abilities? Hmm, I don’t think that kind of consideration is necessary. I think it is the manner of those who are being chased to defeat the ones chasing them while their information is known.)

Haruna criticized Vakala. She has her own pride, and she was feeling very disappointed inside.

「But I’m convinced with the exchange just now. It’s better for me not to fight you head-on. Even the magic sword that was considered legendary in the human world is now like this.」

「Then, what are you going to do?」

「I’m going to do this. ――Vengeance.」

Akira chants a new magic, but Haruna, who a user of dark magic, knows about this magic. Level 30 Abyss Magic, a magic that can manipulate and command the surrounding corpses. The multiple footsteps that could be heard gradually coming from the surroundings probably belonged to the targets of Akira’s Vengeance magic. The question is, where did Akira get the corpses from?

「They are Elderado’s….」

「That’s right. They were the soldiers of this country that you incapacitated without killing them. They were all lying around, so it was easy to stop them, you know? When the wolf left, I prepared them just in case. But there were so many of them, so selecting them wasn’t easy.」

The people who emerged from the passageway leading to this space were all familiar to Haruna. The 『Flame General』 Zool, the imperial guards under his command, and there are even the enhanced soldiers from the laboratory. All of them have a fatal wound from a sword. As Akira said, the wound was probably inflicted by him. All of them have been turned into zombies by magic, but the wounds are new and fresh blood continues to flow from there.

「I see….」

「Hey, what’s with that face? If you’re using dark magic, you’re probably using a zombie or two. These guys are your enemies, and I’m now the king of this country. If I’m going to give it my all, I should utilize them, right? Besides, this isn’t the end! Separate!」

Akira’s armor exploded again and scattered around. However, it wasn’t to attack Haruna this time. The parts of the armor aren’t headed for Haruna, but for the zombies controlled by his magic. The scattered pieces of metal were driven into the bodies of the zombies and went into their bodies.

「What are you doing…?」

「Not yet, 『Brave Chain』!」

At that moment, the color of the zombies’ eyes changed. Their empty eyes turned red, and black mist are coming out of their mouths. Moreover, they are clearly getting stronger.

「What do you think, Katsuragi? This is my true trump card.」

「Brave Chain…. It’s a Unique Skill that strengthens with a sense of camaraderie, right?」

「That’s right! But this is different from what you know. The effectiveness of my Brave Chain is boosted to the highest level by injecting parts of my body into vital organs such as the brain or heart. Hahaha, the bodies were originally high-quality, so they are now about as strong as the current me. I guess you could call it the 『True Hero Alliance』. Hahahaha! It’s not the same as the Hero Alliance of the Jiba continent!」

「…… I see. Toue-kun, you really wanted to be a hero that badly, huh?」

「Hah! No, you’re wrong! I just want to kill you, Katsuragi! Being a hero is nothing more than a way to fulfill my wish! And this Hero Alliance is for that sake, Katsuragiiiiii!」

Akira’s mind is already beginning to break. Kill Haruna, take revenge―― that’s the only thing that keeps his heart burning, and he’s barely retaining his mind. That’s why Haruna decided to settle it before his mind broke.