Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (WN)
chapter-253

AN: Regarding the case where everyone of Narou people has better understanding of Shirakome then Shirakome himself.

……I have no more excuse.

The first attack was a swept of a splendorous sword. The speed of the eye focus couldn't follow it. One Valkyrie charged with a speed that even produced afterimages, lunging toward Yue and Kaori who was still embracing Yue.

Perhaps it was trying to bisect the two simultaneously. The sword line that drew a trajectory that almost looked like a flash was rapidly approaching at Yue's neck as though it was absorbed to there. If the target was an ordinary person, they wouldn't even have time to scream, when they noticed there was no doubt that their death would be already a certainty.

「FUWAaAAA!?」

「Nngih」

Of course, the village chief's regrettable daughter, regardless of being a villager girl she was a regrettable girl that boasted a physical ability that was far removed from ordinary person. The sweeping attack that approached like the scythe of death god was evaded by falling backward while her arm wasted no time to circle on Yue's neck and she pulled Yue with her.

Death was passing through along with a violent wind just a millimeter above Yue and Kaori's face who were falling backward like in a limbo dance.

Although Kaori's posture broke down with her falling backward, she somehow succeeded in evading. But a shadow appeared above her without even any time to sigh in relieve.

「WAAAA!?」

「Higyo!?」

Kaori put strength into the arm that she circled around Yue's neck and without pause she rolled on the ground, taking Yue with her. That appearance could be seen as a brave figure desperately trying to protect a friend.

A hair's breadth.

A spear that also looked splendorous raised a really unpleasant impact sound *zudon-* when it pierced the spot where the two collapsed at just now. A small crater was even created from the impact. It was a terrifying strength.

The Valkyries made their entrance like a common goblin, but as expected their strength wasn't in a level that should appear around the village of the beginning.

From Yue's individual information screen just now, "Automatic Regeneration" wasn't listed there. It was unclear how much the system that was an effect of soul magic was suppressing that skill which was a characteristic ability.

In such state, furthermore inside this buggy world, if they got hit with that attack that was unmistakably a one-hit kill, even if it was Yue but there was a high possibility that she wouldn't come out of it safely.

And Kaori who was separated from her apostle body was also the same.

It wasn't clear what kind of effect a damage they got in this game world would inflict at their soul, because of that they absolutely must not get hit.

Cold sweat trickled from Kaori's forehead seeing the enemy's strength and the merciless one-hit kill attacks launched toward them.

Kaori made use of her rolling momentum to somehow straighten herself while she obeyed the warning that her combat experience informed her and leaped back from that spot. Right away, the vertical slashes of the Valkyries that launched pincer attack passed through before her eyes.

「Nngigih, gi, give-. I give!」it felt like some kind of strange voice could be heard, but right now there was no leeway to be bothered with that.

Kaori had to grasp the limitation of her lowered physical ability while during that time she had to evade the countless death approaching them!

Even if, there was the sensation of repeated tapping that felt relatively desperate on her hand that was circled around Yue's neck, but there wasn't any time to worry about that!

「It's fine! I swear I'll absolutely protect you Yue!」

「Tha, that's not-. My neeck! It's completely――」

Countless flame bullets rushed from middle range! Kaori strengthened her grip so that her friend absolutely wouldn't get separated from her while dancing the dance of death with determination!

Kaori stepped toward the swarm of flame bullets while still holding Yue. Rather than waiting for the bullets to converge at herself, she would move forward and slip through before the gaps were tightened.

Just like she planned, she slipped through the gaps in the barrage and passed through several shots, then with a rotation she evaded an attack that approached from the front. So that Yue's body wouldn't be separated from her because of the centrifugal force, she put even more strength to her arm that was holding Yue!

「Kafuu!? ……Ka, Kaori, I'll, I'll apologize, so, your arm, armmm~」

「It's fine! Because I'll absolutely protect you!」

「……You, you bastardd~, you're planninggg――」

Yue tried to say something, but at the corner of the sight a Valkyrie archer could be seen nocking an arrow that was enveloped with some abnormal light. It caused Kaori's heart to jump.

「Look ouu~~~tt-」

「Kyupeh!?」

Kaori immediately jumped forward to get down on the ground. Flame bullets passed through overhead, further behind the sounds of explosion resounded. The impact that came assaulting within an instant caused Kaori and Yue's bodies to dance in the air like a leaf.

Kaori somehow kept her hold on Yue and she performed ukemi on the ground. There she noticed that the attacks stopped and she let out a faint exhale of relieve.

It seemed they managed to endure just barely the first wave of the attack.

The Valkyries were moving slowly. They were trying to surround Kaori and Yue. Kaori scowled at that while she talked to Yue.

「Yue. What should we do? Perhaps this is just as expected. These people are strong just as we thought. We have to break through this encirclement somehow……Yue?」

「……」

Just try to look. The white of her eyes is exposed and her mouth is half opened but, that's a beautiful face right? She is fainting y'know?

Such words crossed Kaori's mind. The friend in her arm, even now when the white of her eyes were exposed and her mouth was half opened, but she was still beautiful as usual.

「Who, who did something like this!? Yue! Get a hold of yourself! Just what in the world happened!?」

Kaori shook Yue's body back and forth, but Yue was only staying limp like an octopus and she didn't react even with how rough she was shaken. 'Rather, perhaps this is because of enemy's sleep magic I wonder!?' Thinking that Kaori glared at the enemies. While her mouth was twitching as though she was enduring something.

And then, while staying vigilant against the surrounding, she straddled Yue and lifted up her hand.

Yue had to be wakened up no matter what. Even if she had to use a heartless method, but in the battlefield it wasn't the place to say naïve things!

――*PAN-, PAN-, PAN-, BISHII-!*

Such sounds resounded in the battlefield. Kaori-san's double slap that was thinking about her friend burst on Yue's cheeks!

「Yue! Wake up! You are going to die if you sleep here! Quickly wake up! Come on quickly!」

Kaori's palm was swung with a display of accurate consecutive hits that drew artistic trajectory and hit spot. Yue's cheeks were painted with beautiful slap sound while moving to left and to right. Kaori-san's double slap also followed vaguely rhythmically.

「Qu-ick-ly! Wake-up!」

For some reason her voice sounded lively……

The Valkyries were looking at each other. They might be feeling bewildered.

One of the enemy they were assaulting fainted by herself when they noticed, and then the other enemy for some reason was dealing additional blows to that enemy……perhaps that was how it looked like to them. Objectively looking. In that case, it was also natural for them to be bewildered.

But, the next moment, the wrist of Kaori who was dealing out rhythmical slaps was caught *GRAB-!!* forcefully.

「……Good morning, Kaori. Sayonara, Kaori.」

「Eh?」

At Yue-sama's awakening *buppa*. A flame sphere the size of a pinball materialized in front of Kaori, and the next instant, it exploded grandly. It seemed that the "fireball" magic was super compressed before it was set free which produced directional shockwave.

'FUWAAAA' Kaori who was raising such scream while rolling around backward somehow stopped rolling in the posture of all fours. She then lifted up her face and began to let out a lot of cold sweats.

「……Even though even Hajime has never slapped me. Kaori, is your resolve okay?」

Yue-sama's anger was in the state of piercing the heaven. She was getting so angry that behind her back it felt like there was the illusion of sound effect letters *GOGOGOGO-*.

「I, I don't understand what are you saying here, Yue. Anyway, calm down? Surely we can understand each other if we talk about it.」

「……Hou. You are saying that you constricting my neck while wretchedly swinging me around, and in the end slapping my face on and on happily, aren't something that you did purposefully?」

「Such thing! That's misunderstanding! I was only trying to protect Yue! And yet, how can you be so cruel saying such――」

「……If you speak honestly, Yue's best selection. Ten sexy photo of Hajime, I'll prese――」

「Being able to payback for the daily prank, it makes my feeling really refreshed. You even made noise 'higyoh', or 'kyupeh', pupuh」

A blood vein jutted out on Yue's forehead with a snap.

And then,

「……Today is your death anniversary!」

「Wawah, don't do that! If that flame bullet hit me, I'll totally die!」

「……Don't worry. I'll absolutely kill you!」

Countless flame bullets were fired from Yue. Every single one was hiding a power that could make anyone comprehended how it could destroy a church.

Kaori who got a bit carried away and got surprised jumped away from that spot and tried to apologize in panic but,

「……Perish, you eternal stalker woman!」

「Who are you calling a stalker I wonder!? I wonder!?」

Kaori spontaneously talked back hearing the extremely disgracing statement. When she avoided the flame bullets while glaring at Yue, Yue snorted「Fuhn」.

「……Just notice it already. Of your own true nature. And then, of Hajime's self-sacrificing spirit!」

「Self-sacrificing? What are you say――」

「……Aa, Kaori who is a stalker, a yandere, and a hidden pervert is really troubling. But if I leave her alone I don't know what she might do, can't be helped, perhaps I should look after her a bit, notice already that true feeling of Hajime!」

「There is no way Hajime-kun is thinking anything like that! Yue is just saying irresponsible thing!」

「……If that's what you think, then that's must be it. Inside Kaori that is.」

「……Fufu, Yue. Those words are too much you know? If you apologize now, then I'll forgive you. Come now, apologize. Quickly apologize.」

「……Eh? Why should I, yandere hidden pervert stalker-san. It's a bit scary, so can you not get nearer than that?」

*snap-* A blood vein emerged on Kaori's forehead. Even though she was showing a wide smile, but an illusion of sound effect *GOGOGOGO-* could be seen behind her.

「Right, I won't get near you at all. Who want to get near a hopeless vampire who is eternally horny. Ninety percent of the inside of your head is crammed with perverted things right? I wonder if perhaps Hajime-kun will notice it sooner or later? That this vampire princess (lol), is just a pervert. Ah, can you not get nearer to me than that? The legal wife (lol) can infect me.」

Toward Kaori who affixed (lol) even until two times at Yue's identity, Yue also smiled widely.

For some reason the Valkyries were flustered. 'What to do, it's a carnage, a carnage you know? Should we stop those two? Who will? You, go stop them already. Eh, no way, if you say that then you go there, you are a Valkyrie right? You are also a Valkyrie.' ――Perhaps they were making conversation like that.

But, the next moment their movement stopped still.

Because an extremely cold blizzard was blowing violently.

Because a dark cloud that was scattering flashes of lightning materialized.

And then,

――SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

――GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

Because behind Kaori who was smiling while sporting pulsing blood vein, a hannya-san tapping a large war sword on her shoulder materialized!

Because behind Yue who was smiling while sporting pulsing blood vein, a coiling lightning dragon raising a thunderous roar materialized!

The unthinkable supernatural phenomenon that shouldn't exist in this game system caused the Valkyries who were modeled after supernatural existence to tremble while backing away.

What reached the ears of those women was,

「……KAORI YOU STUPIIIIID-」

「……YUE YOU UIDIOTTTTT-」

In contrast with such delicate insult and intensity, they uncouthly grappled, clawed, and pulled at each other in a delicate scuffle――rather, it was their usual cat fight.

「Fushaah――!」When Yue Punch was unleashed, Kaori growled「Muiiiih」even while receiving it with her cheek and her hand pinched on Yue's cheek and pulled. When Yue pulled on Kaori's hair, Kaori would grind her finger on Yue's side, when Yue pulled Kaori's cheek in return, Kaori would throw away Yue's wimple and pulled her hair in return.

Kaori struck cat punches *poka poka* on Yue who was pushed down by the difference in body height. Yue tightly grasped on the butt of such Kaori and when she flinched from that, Yue used the opening to overturn their position and then she launched a double slap on Kaori's relatively large breast as though to say that it was payback for before.

The rolled round and round, grappled on each other, then rolled round and round again and hit each other *poka poka* repeatedly, even though the two were beautiful girl, but they were covered all over with dust with their hair all ruffled. Both Yue and Kaori were wearing one piece type of clothing, so they were in a state where their panty was fully exposed, but they didn't even bother with that.

Just how long they were planning to do that?

The Valkyries who were somewhat dumbfounded suddenly returned back to their senses. They readied their respective weapon, making metallic sound rang to pull themselves together and galred at the two who were still entangled themselves in a quarrel. They glared……but, as expected the two were still going 'nyaa―nyaa―'.

The Valkyries looked at each other. They had no expression, but somehow they vaguely looked like they were speaking 'like this we don't even need to surround them to fight isn't it?'.

The women nodded at each other. One woman among them quietly walked forward. It was the Valkyrie carrying a divine spear. Perhaps she was being conscious of the blind spot of the rampaging Kaori and Yue, because sometimes she would circle around in her advance.

And then, she entered the range. The next moment, she stepped forward all of a sudden. She must be trying to skewer the two simultaneously. The sure-kill thrust was unleashed at Yue's back with a terrific speed.

Kaori who was looking up because her chin was pushed from below by Yue's hand couldn't see behind Yue. Yue too, her nose was pinched by Kaori so she couldn't look behind.

Killed.

If the Valkyrie could speak, then she undoubtedly would whisper that.

――*Bang-, roll roll-*

The two suddenly flopped to the side and without pause they insulted at each other while rolling over. They stood up again at slight distance away and then continued quarreling as though nothing happened. The spear that should be stabbed for certain kill was wandering vainly at the place where the two were at.

Her Valkyrie comrades were watching. The Valkyrie lancer showed a gesture as though she was clearing her throat, and then she pulled herself together before assaulting Yue and Kaori once more.

This time she wouldn't cut corner, she would bring down one person with certainty! Her aim was Yue. She would pierce the temporal region of her head――

「The yandere, is you Yue!」

The slap that struck along with such words dealt a clean hit on Yue's cheek. The lance attack passed through right beside Yue's head that was forcefully snapped away.

The Valkyrie hurriedly pulled back her spear. She didn't fail or anything. She was only testing the water a bit. That was just a practice swing. Now this is the sure thing attack! It stabbed toward Kaori's side!

「……I'm not ill. It's only my dere that is overflowing!」(TN: Dere = affectionate)

Kaori fell from neko damashi that was continued with a tripping up. The sure kill (lol) attack passed through above her head. (TN: Neko damashi = a sumo move, where you clap your hands in front of the opponent's face to surprise them)

「That is what is called yandere! You don't know? Sometimes Shia will subtly flinch away from Yue. Yaa~i, you yandere girl who is feared by your best friend.」

「……Shia doesn't fear me. There is no way that's true. Shia love me! Kaori yourself, you said that even though you were feared by Shizuku before this. Yaa~i, genuine yandere girl who even make Shizuku whose fortitude is maxed out to get creeped out.」

「Shi, Shizuku-chan isn't scared at me or anything! After all Shizuku-chan will accept any kind of me no matter what!」

「……Indeed, I won't deny the depth of Shizuku's broad-mindedness. Her figure is already like everyone's mother!」

「That's right! What's more, if I have to say which then she is the type of a gutsy mother of a big family! She is everyone's beloved and reliable mother!」

Yaegashi Shizuku――an active female high school student. She was She was a busybody who was being dissed in a sense before they knew it. Surely if she was in this place, she would resolve herself to participate in the fight from getting hit by the unexpected stray bullet.

By the way, even while these two were making this conversation, spear was wielded against them many times. The Valkyrie changed the angle of the spear, used feint, she used sweeping attack and the butt of her spear, launching attacks from every position like a surging waves.

But everything was evaded.

What's more, everything was evaded only with extremely natural movement from the scuffle.

Somehow it looked like the Valkyrie lancer was looking like she was going to burst crying anytime.

Perhaps thinking that was pitiful, her Valkyrie comrades surrounded the two and lunged. It was the beautiful friendship of Valkyries.

They wouldn't let their might getting humiliated even further than this by method that looked like gag scene. They wouldn't be ignored!

It was a perfect encirclement. There was no place to escape. It was impossible to dodge.

This time for sure, death in the shape of sword and lance assaulted from all directions toward the two who were in the middle of scuffling.

――*SHaaAAN-*

A clear sound resounded. It was a tone that was played by metals scraping each other. The scream of the targeted two people didn't mix there.

Rather,

「-!!!」

「a, a――」

「!?」

The wordless scream, came from the Valkyries.

The Valkyries took distance all at once. However, there were three people who didn't retreat from there, no, they couldn't retreat. The Valkyrie lancer, and two Valkyrie saber who were carrying beautiful sword.

The reason was simple.

Because the Valkyrie lancer's lance pierced the heart of a Valkyrie who should be her ally, and Kaori's sword was digging into the neck of that Valkyrie lancer.

And then, the one other Valkyrie saber got her beautiful face――more accurately her right eye literally turned into a wind hole. It was a round wind hole that was carbonized black.

Looking closer, in the center of the Valkyries, there were the unmoving figure of Kaori with her iron long sword in an unsheathed state, and the figure of Yue laying down face up between the legs of such Kaori while her fingers were making gun shape could be seen.

The posture of the Valkyrie saber whose right eye was shot through turned limp and she was falling. Without hesitation Kaori smoothly took away that Valkyrie's sword and without pause she handled that sword casually, yet with an astonishingly elegant motion and mowed the neck of the Valkyrie lancer with that stolen sword.

Different from the iron long sword, Kaori's sword attack this time slipped through Valkyrie lancer's neck as though she was cutting butter. Blood didn't spurt out, in exchange red particles whirled while rising to the sky.

「Yep, this is a good sword as expected. Though I'd like it better if it's thicker and bigger……」

「……Kaori, lewd. That's why you are going to be called a hidden pervert eternally.」

「No one call me that! Or rather, I don't understand what do you mean by lewd!」

The two resumed their quarrel as though nothing happened. Yue stood up, and Kaori shrewdly stole the sword of the other Valkyrie saber and now she used two sword style. It was at that time the two defeated Valkyries also scattered red particles while disappearing.

The Valkyries were still spreading out as though they were hesitating to resume their attack.

Perhaps their battle program couldn't judge how should they attack after witnessing the offense and defense the two displayed just now.

The two's method to get through the attacks from all direction just now was simple.

Kaori who understood that she wouldn't be unscathed if she honestly fight from the front seeing her physical strength and also sword quality merged her sword with the approaching enemy's sword and twist its trajectory. As the result, the averted sword hit the sword beside it and averted that other sword's trajectory too.

Furthermore, Kaori rotated her body and used her bare hand to avert the lance and caused a friendly fire, by doing that she even evaded the third sword too.

And then, regarding the fourth sword that Kaori couldn't dealt with, it was dealt with by Yue that sniped at the weak point that was commonly shared by living thing using a super compressed flame bullet that was fired from Kaori's blind spot.

The Valkyries combat thinking rejected close combat against the two who in a glance looked like they were full of opening from being absorbed in quarreling with each other. If the visible opening wasn't actually opening, then they would make opening that coincided with their convenience.

The Valkyrie archer and Valkyrie mage launched a pincer attack!

Long range physical attack from arrows that were enveloped with light to increase its destructive power, and long range magic attack using invisible and swift wind blades became countless fangs that were like an intense rain, attacking Yue and Kaori.

Abruptly they rotated. Yue and Kaori were.

The two were facing each other and quarreling until now, but in an instant they executed their steps as though they were even dancing and stood back to back. With a matching elegant turn, golden and black hairs spread out softly like a dream.

Kaori's swords instantly drew countless trajectories in the air instantly, cutting apart or averting all the flying arrows that were hiding terrifying power.

Countless flame bullets instantly materialized like stars that were floating in the vast night sky, they obeyed Yue's slender finger and flew out like a meteor shower and blew away all the wind blades with the impact of destructive blast.

The two who were standing back to back didn't look like they were concerned at all against any threat that might come from their back. Even without looking back, they believed without doubt that behind them was an absolutely safe area.

The attacks suddenly stopped. The arrows and magic attacks that were fired consecutively ran out.

Right after that, Yue and Kaori danced once more. The sleeves of their one piece clothing elegantly spread out at the same time with their rotation using steps that looked as though they had been arranged beforehand. The two who were dancing as though mirroring each other swung one hand as though inviting the other party for a dance.

Although, it seemed the invitation was for a world of death.

What flew out like a bullet from the swung hands were a flame bullet the size of a pinball and a beautiful sword.

The flame bullet that was hiding a destructive power that rivaled a high class magic pierced the heart of the Valkyrie archer with unerring aim, and the beautiful sword also pierced the heart of the Valkyrie mage.

「Hm~m, what's this? Just as I thought even though they are all the same Valkyrie but there is difference in their defensive power depending on their class but……. Is it just because the sword is powerful I wonder?」

「……I think that's possible. But, no matter even if it's the enemy's weapon, I don't think that a sword thrown by the spec of a level 1 can easily pierce the armor of that close quarter combat type before. It should be seen that this one is weak against physical attack because of her mage class.」

「The flame bullet that I evaded before was deflected by the armor of the mage class wasn't it? But the flame bullet going through the archer means that even though their armors all look the same, but there is no doubt that this one's defensive power against magic is low.」

Yue and Kaori talked about their analysis result while still standing back to back. They were directing observing gaze toward the two Valkyries who were turning into particles and vanished.

The two remaining Valkyries were trying to take distance slowly.

*snap-*, Yue and Kaori's face turned toward the surviving Valkyries in a flash. It was awfully scary. As the proof, the Valkyries' body twitched seeing their gaze.

「……Kaori. You noticed?」

「About the level up? Yep, while fighting 'pirurin!' sound rang out several times. Also, announcing sound like 'such and such is liberated!'. Though honestly, I'm wondering if there is option to erase the sound.」

「……Certainly it's distracting. This will depend on the user's preference, so I'll suggest to Hajime if he can attach on/off function. But, for now――」

「Yep. For now――」

The Valkyries were slo~wly, slo~wly taking distance from Yue and Kaori who were conversing with each other. The moment the two's conversation cut off, the Valkyries turned their body adroitly and flew to the sky.

If it was said in game style, this must be a situation of「Valkyrie is running away!」.

A shadow loomed. On the Valkyries.

What the two Valkyries who quickly looked back saw, were the figures of the villager girl and apprentice sister who took their above with a leap that was higher than even themselves. The two readied overhead a sword that was gleaming from the sunlight and a flame bullet that was like the sun itself while looking down of the Valkyries.

「Let's try it out.」

「……Trying out.」

They wouldn't let go of the chance to test out their liberated ability.

Yes, if it was said in game style――this is the situation of「Failed to escape from villager girl and apprentice sister!」.

There was no scream of death agony.

However, there were only beautiful red particles dancing toward the sky right outside the village of beginning.

AN: Thank you very much for reading this every time.

Thank you very much too for the thoughts, opinions, and reports about misspelling and omitted words.

Just since when I was deluded that the subtitle of Yue - Kaori arc is one?

Next chapter, 「Welcome, I am the village chief of demon king village desu」