Sousetsuka

Foul Play Cheating Rule Breaking

"'Chtuga'! Burn down all those demons!"


The giant of flame I summoned with Advanced Spirit Magic turned the demons into charcoal one after another.
I might end up destroying the town ahead of the demons if I'm not careful with friendly fire.


"Fmph! Ha! Zeiaaa!!"


Duke is acting uncharacteristically serious for once.
He's dual wielding his trusty sword and a dagger to better deal with crowd of enemies.

I wonder when was the last time I saw him with those.
A single sword is apparently better in a one-on-one duel so he never whipped it out against Demon King.
That was his style back in the day whenever he jumped into a swarm of magic beasts. It's kind of taking me back.


"Eat dirt, humans! 'Mana Blade Downpour'!"

"'Mountain Splitter'!"


Sword-wielding demons didn't want to lose and unleashed their Master Skills.
A heavy downpour of mana slashes and a giant slash of mana are coming at us.
Ordinary Combat Job holders can't possibly stand up against these.

What a sloppy way of fighting.


"Naive."

"Wha!?"

"aat!?"


Duke ran past the raining mana slashes and cut the giant mana slash apart with his dual swords.
That's a piece of cake for us. Might be trouble if we were caught in an ambush.
One surprised demon had its throat pierced by a dagger while the other got its chest stabbed through by a sword.


"Kah...! It, cannot be...!"

"Randomly dissing out flashy moves just because you've learned them is a sign of third rate. Start over from the basics, foolish demons."


Duke pulled his sword and dagger from the unmoving demons and got ready for next.
...I use plenty of flashy moves like Spirit Magic and all but I don't do it randomly, so I'm safe.


"Guh...! How many of us have been done in, just by these two...!?"

"Cool it! They can't possibly last forever against our number! Do not let up until they've used up all their strength!"


They keep coming at us endlessly no matter how many of their friends we killed.
...Oh dear, having to fight a group of Special Job holder-class opponents with no end in sight does get me a bit sweatier than usual.


"Duke, are you holding up okay?"

"Not gonna lie, it's getting tiring. I'd still take this over fighting Demon King though."

"And our cute little girl is doing her best against that Demon King up there..."

"She's surely, no, definitely gonna do just fine. She's our daughter after all."

"Not to mention our ever reliable in law supporting her, ufufu."

"...I've yet to give him my blessing. He gotta snatch a win over me if he wants my daughter."

"He's already much stronger than us though~."


I have to welcome them once they're back home.
I'm sure they'd be all worn out, have to be ready with warm meals.
Can't have us looking tired if we want that.


"Chaaaaaarge!"


Hundreds of demons are marching towards us.
Nobody but us two could possibly stand up against this.
...I wonder how will we last.


"Let's see how fare you against this many, humans!?"

"Lunati, how long can you keep it up? I can go on day in and out for half a month."

"Oh I'm not good. I don't think I can last more than a week. Ah, I hope I could hold out until Demon King is dead."

"...Wha?"


The demons flinched when they heard our chat.
Their faces scream, 'Are they seriously saying that?'


"Let's keep going now, shall we. Fufufu."

"You lot aren't even worth a warming up. Ufufu, ufufufufufu..."

"D, d, do not, falter! Get theeeem!!"


We won't let them break the home Alma-chan is coming back to.
She still have to get a taste of happiness as a bride, the whole lots of them.
Besides--


"Mwu, Lunati, why are you holding your belly. Are you injured?"

"...Not at all, I'm feeling the greatest in fact. Ufufufu."

"...?"





She's going to be onee-chan soon.



<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >



~~~~~~~~~~Hero-turned Kajikawa's POV~~~~~~~~







I push my katana on Demon King's body before hitting its back with my great hammer, combining sharpness with weight.
Ordinary katanas would have gotten bent by this but this one's indestructible, all good.

I'm doing this to counter Demon King's body trait of being elastic yet sturdy and it seems to be doing great. I've managed to create a deep gash on it.
The arm I cut is loosely hanging yet his face looks perfectly composed.


『I believe nobody else in this world wield both a katana and a great hammer at once.』

"I'mma take your right arm next."


Aiming straight for his vital at the forehead seems like a tall order so the plan is to crush all of his limbs first.
Can't believe it consumes half of the energy buff I got from Aizawa-kun's group just to get an arm.

But at the pace this is going, I should manage to destroy his vital point with my own energy buff.
Thanks to Alma sword's mana draining trait being fused with Hero's Katana, I've barely used up a sliver of my mana either.
I put all my focus on evading his attacks so my HP is pretty much unscathed as well.

...No, I dunno if it's just me but I feel like Demon King has been slacking up with his barrage of attacks.
Is he pulling punches, or is he still in a wait and see mode?
But how can he stay calm after losing an arm?

...It's eerie.
What's he got in mind anyway.


"Shiiaa!!"

『...Fumu.』


I struck my katana with the great hammer once again and added more propulsion by bursting the Combustion Engine.
That managed to cut off his right arm. He's lost both now.
Yet, Demon King still keeps his default dour look.


....
That attack used up all the energy I got from Aizawa-kun's group.
I immediately buffed myself back with my own energy and went for the leg.


『Hmph!』

"Nuoooooo!!"


Demon King trampled down with his leg to assault me with shockwaves and floor splinters.
Can't believe this castle is staying intact. That thought crossed my mind when suddenly the scenery in front of me became a wide open area!?

The room itself seems to have changed structurally. It's more spacious than the castle looks outside. 
Maybe some sort of Space Magic. Guess that means no meltdowns will destroy this castle.


I protected myself from the flying pebbles with mana armor and hid myself in the cloud dust before swinging my great hammer at the right leg.
A furious strike at the knee. Humans would have lost their knee down if they were hit by this.


『...!』

"Gotyaaaaaaaaa!!"


I flew straight for his face and attacked!
I let out a barrage of pile bunkers on top of great hammer and katana to deal with his Blocking!
Doesn't matter how good he is at it, there's no way he can manage to defend against this high density barrage!


"Dieeeeeeeee!!!"

『...Hmph.』


Demon King is smiling like he's at peace as I've got right in front of his face.
...Has he given up? Or maybe just maybe, is he losing on purpose--


『Have you had enough?』


...Eh?


Something stopped my attack just before my pile bunkers landed on Demon King's face.
This something repelled my great hammer, katana and all of my piles.


The right arm that I cut earlier stopped my attack.
H, how did his right arm grow back...!?


『Haa!!』

"Gugaa!!?"


Demon King's fist made a clean hit on my body while I blanked out for a brief moment.
Not the right arm, it was his left fist.
He's gotten both his arms back...!!

I got blown away and crashed on the wall. I could tell my HP saw a drastic decrease.


『Did you know? All previous Demon Lords gradually weakened every time the heroes returned from death to challenge them.』

"What, are you...!?"

『The reason for that being Demon Lords and their inability to recover themselves, originally. They do not possess magic or Skills to that ends, nor will taking potions have an effect. That is to say, their HP kept decreasing until their eventual defeat while heroes were afforded with unlimited retries... However--』


Light glowed on the leg I crushed earlier before it returned to normalcy. 
That, can't be...


『I am the reincarnated form of a hero. Souma Ryuta was highly trained in Healing Magic, capable of even restoring missing limbs. And I inherit that ability flawlessly. Hence, losing limbs means nothing to me.』

"What, the..."

『Ordinarily, a continuous and unimpeded usage of such powerful Healing Magic shall consume your mana in its entirety. However, those who bear the Title 'Demon King' consume not their mana.』


I recalled what Black Dragon said to me at this point


【No matter how great your power is, there is no winning against 'Unlimited'.】


He was referencing to Demon King's unlimited MP and SP on top of his ability to heal his HP...!!


『It appears you have grown weary. Allow me to get serious.』

"You, gosh, darned cheating Demon Kiiing!!"


Screw that! How the heck am I supposed to win this!
The last boss being able to use full heal is the one cardinal sin you must not do... Uh, I guess that kind of last bosses do exist. Like a certain famous RPG 2 or something.
He'll block me if I go for his vital. He can regrew missing limbs.

To top it all off, I don't have much energy left.
Lost a lot of HP from that attack as well. The few potions I've got left won't do much.

How, what, how do I even defeat this cheating Demon King...!?

As I was panicking inwardly trying to figure out the path to victory, I recalled the word Black Dragon left behind.


【'Unlimited' is by no means 'Invincible'. The most trivial thing might very well be Demon King's weakness.】


That's the vaguest piece of advice I've ever heard! I bet that stupid lizard just made crap up!

Previous Chapter 

642 Springing, Fluttering About

It's one thing if the core is hidden somewhere in this room. But I'd throw in the towel if it were located someplace else in this dungeon.

"Psychologically speaking, you'd rather keep something that important close to yourself. I have no idea how that guy's mindset works though so the possibility of it being hidden in another spot is not zero."

Finding the thing would be an ordeal if so.

I mulled it over for about five minutes. Then I noticed how dumb it is to even worry.
I might as well start working my way with this room.

"I'll dig up all the walls here first thing first. I'm not gonna leave it be anyway. Might as well look in every nooks and crannies till I find the thing."

The idea of asking for help never crossed my mind.
Normally, the more manpower helping the faster you'd find something.
But my head was full of that 'Happy Time' on my way here so that idea just never manifested.
I would have come up with it if I only I cleared my head, but I spent a long time in Accelerated State to defeat Dyulden as well. It's inevitable.
I never managed to collect my thoughts back.

And thus the theater of destruction begins. The walls in this room are gradually crumbling down. They're mostly five meter thick.
I went straight to digging after entering Acceleration.

(A hidden door should be pretty sturdy, it's gotta be camouflaged to look indestructible.)
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
My effort would be for naught if it was the 'transport by a magic circle' type like you often see in fantasy work.
But I'm not stopping. Whenever I destroy a portion of wall and find there's no more, I move on to the section next to it. I got too much into this repetition.

Eventually the room became almost twice as large than it was initially. Yet, I couldn't find any hidden path.

(Could it be, like you know? Guy was hiding it in a blind spot... The ceiling perhaps?)

That line of thinking should naturally bring you to the ceiling.
People don't tend to focus their attention upward. Up or down, anything that's not in front of their vision easily gets ignored.

(Alright! Let's try the ceiling next! But how do I reach it, my jump won't be high enough.)

I undid Accelerated State for now. Which prompted the wreckage I had set aside to start shooting off randomly in all directions.
I shoved aside all the sections I dug out without thinking, so there is no order in their trajectories.

"Oh craaaaaaaap! Uoo! Uoo! Uoo! Oooooo!?"

I shoved the wall I dug backward when I was digging a straight path in the upper floor but the wreckage flying here kept hitting each other and changed trajectories which added to the chaos.

I really had to sweat until the chaos subsided.

"T-thought I was a goner there... I was about to get offed by my own doing, an incredibly stupid one at that...?"

My body may be monstrously strong but I never want to test how far can it take.
I don't want to get hurt. It's probably never happening all my life.
Luckily, none of the flying wreckage hit me. It wouldn't be a laughing matter if a random debris hit a vital spot and killed me. Like, seriously.

Previous Chapter 

Final Battle

...........


I could tell the Fusion was done once the light enveloping me subsided.


『Oaa!!』


The black barrier covering Demon King broke apart at the same time.
Revealing his Final Form in all its glory with a grand shout.


Put in one word, it's a giant.
The metal and porcelain-like matter covering his whole body has a luster to it with black patterns all over it.
It looks hard at a glance but considering it's pulsing along with the muscles, it seems to be a form of elastic skin.

His elbows and knees have got sharp thorn-like things protruding on them.
Each of those thorns must possess enough attack power that far outstrips the best Unique Magic Beast's equipment.

His stature easily exceeds 20 meters.
'Cthuga' Spirit that serves Alma Mama may be bigger, but the presences he exudes is in a whole other dimension.
Demon King would easily decimate Cthuga in seconds.

A super heavyweight, super sized, simple and offense-oriented design.
You might think it lacks that last bit of sinister oomph for being a last boss, but try standing right in front of this thing, I bet you'd struggle to stand faced with its pressure.


The Demon King's original face is buried on its forehead.
That's the weak point huh... How am I even supposed to land a hit there.


The large mouth of demon king's head where the small face is buried flapped open. 


『...Now then, I have kept you waiting. I beg your pardon.』

"I don't need your apologies. Gimme your head on a platter."

『That I cannot comply. For it is your head that shall be severed.』


We're both probing each other's strength while hurling sarcasms.
Our fight has long since started. The slightest let up would bear a dire consequence.


『I ask thou.』


Perhaps he's starting with a feint by throwing a question.


"What is it."





『Where has Hero, gone to?』


....

Eh, what is he even saying.

His word prompted me to check on myself for the first time after fusion.


It's the same eye level, nothing feels off.
My clothes changed from looking adventurer-like to a business suit. What the heck.
Nothing seems amiss besides the sudden suit.

Hold it, hold up. All of us did fuse. I'm sure of it.
But my gender hasn't changed, I probably look the same as usual too. What's going on.


『...It matters not. Die.』


Demon King's fist was right before my eyes not a moment after he uttered that.
Fast!? I couldn't see him moving at a--


"...Eh?"


My body reflexively moved away before the fist hit me.
I didn't even realize I had already drawn the katana on my waist and slashed at the fist while dodging the attack.
I never swung a katana in my life before yet it felt so natural in my hands like I've been at it for decades. 


『...I suppose it shan't be quite simple.』


Demon King murmured like he foresaw this.
Uh yeah go on and get it on your own when the person in question himself is full of questions.


...Could it be that Kajikawa Hikaru has become the fusion's base form? And without my appearance changing in the least at that.
As I tried to cool my head off, I sensed the feelings and consciousness of Hero-kun, Alma and the girls inside.

Is it because my body is not that of this world's human, so the Fusion ended up incomplete and their Status gets added to my buffer Status instead?
That hypothesis is kinda pushing it but I can't think of any other explanations considering our situation now.


"T, thank goodness...!"

『...What makes you put that look as if you have narrowly overcome death.』

"Well y'see, I really don't want to turn into a woman which would be the case had Neora-kun been the base. Just so we're clear here, I absolutely am not a misogynist, but getting turned into one myself is a bit..."

『....』
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >

Demon King is glaring at me like he can't believe it.
It's a grave problem for me you know.


"I've got a suit on somehow but asides from that, all good. Praise be."

『What are you relieved about.』

"...If by any chance that frilly dress stayed on, do you really want to have a front row look at a spare old man unit wearing that dress in all its glory?"

『I shall deny it with my all.』


Even Demon King frowned at the though of that nightmarish sight.
Hmm, this suit is so easy to move around despite how it looks. I don't feel restricted at all.
I can tell it's real sturdy too. It's soft yet I can't see it ever tearing off. How'd that even work?


『To think that you took over the hero as the fusion base. I do not believe such a case has ever occurred in all history... Truly you are incorrigible.』

"I'm just as surprised y'know. Haa, it's good that I don't get to be a woman but having to deal with this mess myself instead of pushing it all on Neora-kun is a pain."


...Ah, I can sense Neora-kun protesting in my mind.
'Why aren't you a woman, that's unfair!' or something. Don't ask me.

Leviara isn't keen on having to fuse with me.
'...Why does it have to be with this monster.' Stop that, you're gonna make me cry.

Olivie is as anxious as she is gritting her best to support Neora-kun.
'No matter what, no matter who I'm up against. I'll give it my all for my dear Neora-san.'
This girl sure got the guts... It makes me look like I'm peeking at someone else love affair. It's not a good feeling.


And, Alma.
...I almost regret fusing now.

It's the worst.

The worst.

I should have conveyed my feelings to her sooner if I knew I'd end up peeking at hers.


『Please don't worry about it. I can sense how you feel as well, Hikaru.』


It's as if I could hear her say that without a voice.
That was probably Alma's thought.
...Ah, crap it's the final battle and here I am feeling both embarrassed and happy, aah, no, aaaahh!!


"It's all your fault you stupid demon king!! I'mma beat you up!"

『...You appear to harbor a misplaced anger toward me, but it is you that shall meet your end.』


He clapped at me like he was trying to flatten a mosquito.
PAAN, a huge shockwave that could easily kill 20-30 people spread out along with that loud booming sound.


It was super easy to dodge though.


『...!』

"Raaa!!"


I went straight to Mana Flight from my jump to dodge the clap, heading for Demon King's weakness (probably) on the forehead.
I cut at Demon King's head with an iai slash while simultaneously striking it with my great hammer via Remote Mana Control.


Two shrill metallic sounds resounded just before they hit, repelling both my katana and great hammer.


...That pseudo-blocking again huh.
Guess I can't expect to hit his weak point willy-nilly.


After moving around a tad, I see that I seem to have gained the effects of Hero's Brave Skills.
I can finally use Skills too, or so I thought before I found out there was no particularly flashy move I could use.

By the way, 'Skills', 'Master Skills' and 'Unique Skill', Gravity Magic from Alma's accessory are all apparently gone.
As it looks like, ※Unobtainable※ still works its magic on every Skills besides Brave Skills... I was kinda hoping for it too.

Brave Skill is probably an exception to avoid the paradox of 'Fused via Valorous Fusion, but Valorous Fusion is unusable.'
Or maybe they're treated as a different category from ordinary Skills or something.


！


『Haaa...!!』


Bird shaped flames showed up all around Demon King as he growled.
A type of Offensive Magic huh... I can tell each and every one of those is loaded with much much higher firepower than Alma Mama's Advanced Magic.


『Hmph!』


Those flaming birds flapped their wings and flew toward me as if they had wills.
They're fast, hard to predict and I also have to deal with Demon King himself.


All the better though!


I folded open giant hands made of mana cushion and grabbed the birds with them.


"Guoooooooo!!"

『Wha...』


I threw them all back at Demon King while he was dumbfounded!
Fuhahahaha! Fool, half-baked Offensive Magic Spells are easy pickings for me!

The flaming birds landed on Demon King, but it didn't seem to do a thing.
His skin got some burn marks but I can tell it's fine inwardly.
Even though the floors and walls where those birds landed melted.

I couldn't have thrown back Offensive Magic that powerful if it were me before the fusion. It's a simple matter now.
I've got the fused boosted stats of Hero's Party Members and all the buffs from Aizawa-kun's Energy Control. It's just a dizzying amount.
My Attribute values are probably around 200,000 right now. Same with Demon King I bet.

I'm smaller which means more maneuverable.
Meanwhile, even though a lot of attacks don't work well on Demon King due to his sheer size, stuff like air resistance must make him slightly slower.
It's very slight yet enough to be a decisive factor to give me the upper hands in mobility.


But that doesn't change the fact that I'm still at a disadvantage.
The moment the buffs I got from Aizawa-kun's group end, my defeat is all but assured.
I don't have unlimited mana or stamina either. No replenishing them either since I can't use Item Screen. I've only got a few vials of Recovery Potions on hand.

Meanwhile, Demon King can use stamina and mana without limit thanks to his Title.
His body is paradoxically sturdy and elastic. Both my katana and great hammer don't work as well.
To top it off, attacks on his vital get blocked and nullified with extreme precision.

It's an opponent I'd have to take my time on yet that's the one thing I must avoid.
A protracted battle would only put me in a bad spot.
It's a crappy game where Demon King has access to unlimited resource while I've got very little.
It's gonna be a real pain in the arse trying to find an opening to land a decisive strike on his forehead.


...But, it feels like I've overlooked something important.
Not just one, around two at that. Maybe due to all my boosted Attributes, my intuition, the ghost in my head is whispering me that.
Something hopeless. Something something overturn.

...Menu-san could have told me what if only it were here.

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter 

641 What To Do? What Do?

(What have I done... Well, whatever, I guess?)

I have to take care of this thing if I want to keep going anyways. I'm just doing it sooner.
Another question pops up in my mind. How many times have I hit this giant boss's chin?

I have never hit the same place for so many times in Accelerated State before.
I can't imagine how will it end, and this Dyulden Second Form is pretty tough.
No telling how much tougher he is compared to ordinary men. You can't really tell someone's endurance without testing it firsthand.
Yet I'm sure the end result won't be less even against a monster like this thing. I shiver at the the possible outcome of someone eating this many hit.

I'm afraid of undoing Acceleration. But I can't progress if I don't.
I steeled my resolve and undid Acceleration.

The scene was straight out of a nightmare.
His neck instantly twisted off and spun high into the air.
Then it stopped mid-air before it immediately, BAM!, popped off.
The leg I used as a foothold broke into pieces and the arm I one-two punched crumbled down.
Having lost its support, the gigantic body fell down with a loud thud.

"The expression he had when the head stopped was like... 'Ugeeeh'... It looked so gross."

I'm sure he couldn't understand why he was suddenly spinning or how he died.
I feel bad for doing something so cruel. Yet I don't regret it.
Just gotta be careful next time.

"Ah, figured that killed him off for good. They're starting to vanish."

Dyulden's body turned translucent as it crumbled down into blue light particles.
Same goes with pieces of his organs that got splattered everywhere.
It looks beautiful especially after that grotesque showing.

"Ah, right, this doesn't solve everything yet. What to do about... The dungeon core?"
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
The most important thing had slipped my mind. That is how to take care of the Dungeon Core.

I can't opt to just leave it alone.
Best thing to do is to take Dungeon Core out and let the dungeon collapses on itself but that's gonna draw all the attentions to me. I don't want that.

I alone went in the dungeon, beat the Dungeon Master and took the Dungeon Core out even though I'm not an adventurer.

I can't even imagine how much problem would that cause. One thing for sure though, nobody else has ever done the feat.
There will be no stopping the news from traveling far and wide, which includes my existence. Rumors about Griffon have probably spread, but I don't want to bolster that further.

What do then?


"...Destroy it I guess? But then, this dungeon will self destruct, no? I'd probably get caught in it if I don't get away right after..."
This space will turn into nothing. Me included if I'm still inside.

"Ah, but I do posses the 'Power' to avoid that."

After realizing that, I come face to face with another snag.

"So, where is he hiding the room that houses the Dungeon Core?"

Previous Chapter 

Next Chapter 

Do You Have the Resolve

This chapter starts from Hero's POV

After leaving Floor 21 behind, we Fast Traveled away from some really familiar looking ruins.
I wanted to go straight to Demon King's Castle but we couldn't get to the chamber. Probably because Demon King is there.

As I was wondering what to do, I noticed Alma and the others standing by near the castle.
I had put Markings on Alma and Reina beforehand to prepare for them joining my party so I can Fast Travel to them anytime.
...I see, that's why he suggested me to add them. He foresaw this far ahead. But then, can't it just be Alma?


"Uh, isn't it cause you hate the idea of letting a man join as the final member?"

"Besides, the last person is currently higher leveled than Neora-san, so he must have purposely lied to avoid Neora-san rushing it..."


...Yup. If I were to be honest, I still can't get over having an all girl party.
But we really can't afford that right now though we still have to do something about our level difference. Really.

<<A certain Feature becomes available once he reached Lv90. I believe he was aiming for that.>>

You're telling me that feature can solve the issue with level difference?

<<In all likelihood yes. That man has amassed an absurd amount of Resource after all. It's as if he defeated the last boss of a world or something...>>

What was he doing on Floor 21 anyway...
Well whatever, we gotta join up with Alma quick.



I teleported next to Alma where she was waiting with several other members in front of Demon King's castle.
They all look surprised... No wait, they don't look all that surprised? They're kinda glaring at me looking kinda impatient.


"You're finally back! We've been waiting forever!"

"What took you so long. Kajikawa-san's fighting on his own right now, yaknow?"

"...Yeah, he's a boy who just looks like a girl. My eyes musta played a trick on me back then, yep."

"Welcome back, Neora. We've heard everything from Hikaru. Add me to your party quickly and let's go to where Hikaru is."

"O, ou...?"


They're all inching on me hard. Leaving aside one guy who's muttering something dumb.
It's good that things go smoother without me explaining but it's also kinda hard to accept.


"Once I'm a party member, perform fusion immediately."

"Next up, Baredo, Rasfin, Alan, Hiyoko and I will buff you with Energy Control."

"Better than us draggin' yer feet up there... I still don't like it."

"And once all that's wrapped up, I'll be carrying you to Demon King with Shadow Dive."

"He thought that far ahead huh..."


Demon King's plan was super simple and nasty, but Kajikawa-san won't lose on that front.
If Kajikawa-san was on Demon King's side by some sorta mistake... Humanity prolly won't even last three days. Way scary.


"Quit spacing out, and fuse already dangit. Go beat the crap outta that Demon King."

"Y, yeah yeah I get it. Lend me your hand Alma, I'll add you to my party."

"Un."


I gripped Alma's hand and added her.
Activating Valorous Fusion.


My body as well as Alma's, Levia's, Olivie's glowed and turned transparent.
Four lights mixed into one.

....

.....


........Err.


Valorous Fusion you see, is a Skill that gives me the sum package of the fused party members' abilities, combat experience and knowledge.
A not insignificant amount of memory and feelings also get transmitted to me, mixed in with my own.

The feelings Alma's got for Kajikawa-san is so strong, I'm taking it head on.
...Kajikawa-san's so blessed. Blow up.


The light subsided as the Fusion completed.
And now, I just gotta get buffed by Aizawa (dumb brat), Radia and the rest then Reina's gonna take me--

...?
Why are they all looking at me in silence? What's wrong?


"Fuhaa...!"

"W-whoaaa... I ain't never seen anyone like her..."


Ah, I seldom showed Valorous Fusion in front of anyone, no wonder they were surprised.
...Hm, Aizawa just grabbed my hands. Ah yeah yeah, go ahead and buff me.


"Marry me."


.....


Wha?

Wha?

Whaaa?


Aizawa dropped a huge bombshell with his hands still grabbing mine.


"Oy, this ain't no time to joke around. Actually, ewww. You said it yourself earlier, I'm a man."

"I'm being serious. I declare without a shadow of doubt that right now you are the most beautiful..."

"Hey, the hell you're blabbering about, for real!? Your eyes don't got focus on, pull yourself together dangit!!"


Wait wait wait! Was this guy always like this!? Something's obviously not right with him.
Checking his State shows "Charmed [Maximum] (Target: Neo Raifu)."
Is it cause I fused with Alma? What? Was Alma a Succubus or something?


"Aah aah aah... Well, can't really blame him when she's this gorgeous..."

"Look away, Baredo... I hate to admit but she's quite the temptress."


Reina was half laughing while Rasfin said something while covering Baredo's eyes.
Eh what? What's going on with me?

<<No uh... How about you look at yourself in the mirror for now?>>

I'm afraid to check but I gotta see myself on a hand mirror.


"……………Ｏｈ"


My face reflected on the mirror... Is the incarnation of Beauty itself.


My red and silver forelock now has black hair from Alma mixed in, and my features has become even more devilishly attractive.
It's not just my face looking pretty. There's this sort of charm that directly aims at men's instinct in a barrage... My vocabulary can't express it.
My body's all filled up here and there thanks to Olivie, yet they're all perfectly in harmony.

I really loathe to admit, but my fused form which was already a pretty girl before Alma has now become an unreal super pretty girl that perfectly embodies the ideal beauty in men's dreams.


....No good, this is not good. She's too cute. Too beautiful.
I'd have confessed to her without a second thought if only she weren't me.


"....Why can't this girl leap out of the mirror..."

"You're kinda sounding like a narcissist there."

"I'll make you happy for the rest of your life. Once Demon King is defeated, let's--"

"Oh shaddup! Just get on to buffing you dumbaaarse!"


I slapped Aizawa's face twice, thrice to forcefully wake him up and got the buff done.
We don't have time for this crap, not when everything might end for real if we're too late...



<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >

~~~~~~~~~Kajikawa's POV~~~~~~~~~~






"So Reina got me here afterward where I saw you locking hands with Demon King. I was going for his neck given the chance but nope, he dodged that."

"Yeah, no way you could defeat Demon King just like that. Thanks a lot for the save."


Sounds like things went mostly as planned.
...I'm worried about Aizawa-kun in all sorts of ways though.


"! Hikaru, what happened to your eye!"

"Ah, Demon King gouged it out. Sorry, mind healing me with magic?"

"Sure thing, but I can't grow missing organs back you know."

"That's fine, I can do it myself as long as I've got HP... See."

"U, uwaa, it really did grow back..."


Fumu, I was sure he should know about Life Force Control now that he's fused with Alma. Guess he doesn't get to access all of her memory and knowledge.
Well, nobody wants to share everything with another person so this is good.


"...I see, to think you rescued the hero even after time slip had taken him into the far future. Truly you are our greatest adversary, Kajikawa Hikaru."


Demon King murmured while glaring at us.
Well, the hero he finally went all the trouble of banishing got back here not a moment later after all.


"However, he must have lost the Grace of Revival after his connection was temporarily severed from this timeline, correct?"

"...Well yeah."

"If so, I have no need to expend effort on such a serpentine scheme. I merely ought to exterminate you here and all is well."


He found out about the loss of Revival already huh.


"For your information, I'm way stronger than I was before, yano?"

"...It appears to be the case. Attribute values that exceed my True Demon Release deserve extol indeed. Tremendous Status."


All thanks to the Energy Control buff he got from Aizawa-kun and the others outside. Think they're around 70000-80000 right now.
They're probably around 10k-ish without the buff.


...Hold it.
Something felt amiss with what he just said.

He could see Status?
Meaning, his Menu Function is back online...!?


"Heroes have three Great Graces."

<<U...!?>>

<<...!?>>


Noises ran through my and Neora-kun's Menus a moment after Demon King started speaking.
The usual blue screen turned into sand blank tv-like with a sizzling sound.


"The first being Heroes' abundance of powerful Skills including Brave Skills and their superhuman Attributes. The second being Grace of Revival. And lastly--"


<<Oh... No...! This... Is...!>>

<<■Jamming... ・Akin to Virus・...・Forced・ ...Shut Down・...>>


"The existence of Menu Function."


Our Menus' Noises got worse with every word Demon King uttered.
What the hell's going on...!?


"My Menu has malfunctioned due to my imperfect reincarnation. It has lost several Features, and gained a particular new one. The feature to amplify Menu Function's bugs, capable of affecting other Menus."

"You're talking about this!?"

"Indeed. It is a feature that forcefully shuts down Menu Function for a period of time. I name it 'Support Virus'. It has put my Menu Function in a hibernated state yet my situation is far from dire, unlike you two."


Oh crap, I won't be able to fetch all those potions I stockpiled in Item Screen.
No, more importantly!


"Menu!! Quick give Neora-kun--"

<<...『Resource Transfer』・・..It is・..・...Done..・..>>


'Fsh' Menu Display disappeared along with that vanishing sound.
I tried opening Item Screen, Map Screen and Status Screen to no response.

...He got us good, who could've thought he can do something like this too...!


"Well then. Now that we all have lost our Menu Function. Have you sufficient recovery items on hands?"

"Y, you bastard...!"

"It appears you have them all stored in Item Screen. Be ashamed not... Such was the way of Souma Ryuta as well."


Considering that geezer's personality, he probably hoarded a mountain of trash inside. Demon King's Item Screen must look like a chronic hoarder room.
...The only thing we have left are several vials of potions intended for Alma's immediate use.
Might be a tad chancy against Demon King.


"Very well then, and now onto your disposal... Gu, uuu....!!"


Demon King crouched down and started groaning.
Almost looks like he's in pain, but that's not it.
The power I feel from him is gradually increasing, no his body itself is swelling.
Is he seriously gonna transform into his Final Form now...!?


"Like I'd let you!!"


Neora-kun swung his katana at Demon King, but a black barrier covering Demon King stopped his attack.
...Guess you're not allowed to attack during the transformation.


"Dammit... It's no good, the recoil feels all wrong. Ain't no way we breaking this."

"No stopping the transformation huh... Guess we'll finish our business too while he's at it."


I stretched my hand to Neora-kun.


".....Are we seriously gonna do this?"

"There's no winning this fight if we don't. Demon King's power is already doubling as we speak. Gotta shoot every shot we got."

"...Err, isn't it impossible cuz I'm lower leveled than you?"

"Before hibernating, Menu-san transferred exp points to you, Neora-kun with 'Resource Transfer'. Your level should be higher than me now. No problem."


Yep, I acquired 'Resource Transfer Feature' when I reached Lv90.
An incredible feature that lets me transfer exp points I didn't use to level up other people.

Apparently Menu-san forcefully unlocked a part of this Feature to preserve the Resource I got from defeating that Kyuubi BBA on Floor 21.
It wasn't possible to give it to other people until I reached Lv90.
The amount was quite enormous, I glanced and saw Neora-kun at Lv94 now.


We might just be able to defeat Demon King's Final Form if we add my Attributes in there.
Neora-kun opened his mouth and confirmed me one last time.







"...Hikaru is going to turn into a woman, albeit temporarily, once we're fused. Do you have the resolve?"


.....

AAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
No! Absolutely not!! Why must I bid farewell to my son!
But there ain't no more hands we could use besides this! I get it! I get it really, but dangitall!!


"..................I really really don't, but this is no time to act selfish."

"Okay then, let's do it."

"...Yeah you go and get 'em."


Neora-kun grabbed my arm before both our bodies got wrapped in lights.
...Ah, I've steeled myself and all, but, still...

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640 Usual Word

After about a minute, his broken leg shined blue and started healing.
The torn leg is returning to its original state before my eyes.

"Restoration? Recovery? Healing? ...Ah, guessing it's mana related cause he's connected to the Dungeon Core."

I murmured when that classic setting crossed my mind.
He must have overheard me. Dyulden replied once his pain was gone.

"...Indeed, that is correct. Nobody can kill me! I'm the only being able to open the passage to the Core! Weep in despair! You shall forever be locked up here unless I lie defeated! Yes, as a punishment for hurting me, you shall become my plaything for the rest of your life!"

Where did he even get all that confidence from? He couldn't even dodge or bear the pain from my attack.
I can't even begin to fathom how his mind works. This guy can't win against me. Is he incapable of processing that fact from what just elapsed?

"Don't get ahead of yourself just because you managed to land a low blow on me! Ugaaaa!"

Looks like this guy is averting his eyes from reality. He greatly swung his arm at me while still on his knee.

There's no way such a large swing can hit me. But the range was surprisingly huge, I couldn't guarantee it wouldn't graze me even if I easily dodged.
Therefore, I entered Acceleration to be safe.

(Well now, where should I aim next?)

I can't get my mindset out of the game, I'm now deciding which parts to destroy next.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
(It's gotta be the arm. But the swinging one is out of range. Guess I'll go for the one touching the floor.)

Dyulden has got one knee and one arm on the ground which is my next target.
I walked up to it and went with a kick. A low kick if you will.
But just that is gonna give the same end result as earlier which is boring. So I jump and hit his arm from the elbow above as well.
Still not feeling enough, I turn my sight at the knee.

(This guy won't be able to perceive my attacks anyways. It'll be same old torrent of questions like 'Why?!', 'How did you do it!?'.)

As a Dungeon Core is supposed to be a crystallization of mana, this guy will probably keep regenerating until the core runs out of mana. 
And as he keeps getting wrecked and regenerated, he'll eventually say 'Who are you really!?' as his last word.
Might as well send him to the afterlife while the guy's still ignorant.
With that decided I jump on top of his knee.
Then I jumped lightly and punched his chin once.

(Whoopsie! And land... Hm? Is one punch enough? Maybe another?)

I got on the knee again and let out a full powered jump kick.

(Hyatts! And land! 100 points!)

I had already spent a long time in Accelerated State by this point. Yep, I was in a state of euphoria.
Also, I still couldn't shake off feeling like I was in a game, like it was a fever time.

Second Form Dyulden was already wrecked beyond belief by this point.
I had forgotten all about my earlier feeling of pity for him.
It was like a child in an amusement park, I didn't stop hitting his chin for ten more times afterward.

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As Hero in The Realest Sense

This chapter is from Hero's POV again

Once we finished exchanging information and formulated our plan, we managed to find a door that connects to real time Parallecia.
...Or to be exact, it's Parallecia 624 years in the past but we apparently can go back to present day Parallecia by spending 624 years in a room that quickens the passage of time first.

The room in question is pure white with partitions every few meters. Each partition has a clock on the wall. It's very weird.
...You can tell at a glance the spacetime works wonky here.


"Don't go deeper in or you'll get to be Urashima Tarou."

"...Ura-sima?"

"Err, you might end up slipping past the correct time and get thrown into the far future instead."

"Yep. The passage of time goes faster the deeper you go in, or more like slower from the perspective of people outside."

"...Was that an idiom from Japan? I can't believe you people can understand so much from so little..."


Wonder if the world here doesn't have a similar fairy tale? Like Rip Van Winkle maybe.
First we spend 600 seconds or 10 minutes in the 'One second here, one year outside the door' spot.
Then around 400 seconds in 'One second here, one week outside' spot to fine tune the time.


"There'll be no going back if you spend even a second deeper inside by mistake so yeah, take it easy, sip some tea or something."

"...This man really went and got us a tea table and cushioned chairs."

"It's so relaxing our fight to death against Demon King just earlier almost feels like a lie..."


...I mean, I'm not complaining. I just don't get how can this man stay composed.
Meanwhile here I am losing my mind over the prospect of having to fight that Demon King.


And without the grace of revival at that.


Heroes' biggest advantage is the ability to be immediately revived endlessly. It enables them to keep going until Demon King is defeated, risk free.
Without this Grace, the world is at risk of ending the moment a hero is beaten. It's an extremely important ability.
And I no longer possess it.

I had been cut off from the Revival Formula engraved on the world itself the moment I was sent from present day Parallecia to another world, or more like the future dead Parallecia.
There is no linking me back to the formula. The goddess might be able to do it, but even if I somehow manage to get in touch with her, there's no guarantee she can reconnect me according to Menu.


<<Activating and maintaining the Revival Formula requires an extreme amount of Resource. We don't have enough energy to consume unless another person from earth gets reincarnated here.>>

What's a 'Resource'?

<<It's a type of energy in broader terms. Or rather, a component that can transform into any form of energy. Earthlings have an unbelievable amount of Resource within their body. Their latent potential to become anything without a Skill is also thanks to that tremendous energy contained in them, you see.>>

...I don't really get it, but in short, there's no hooking me back up unless we sacrifice an earthling.
Maybe we can find someone on a death row.

<<Can you not with those disturbing thoughts!? No, it can't be done! The earth's god would definitely penalize us if we did that!>>

Ah, figured earth has a god too.
So we gotta get the permission from that god?

<<Yep. Once every several hundreds years, a human who dies on earth gets to be reincarnated as a Hero in Parallecia. They act like a porter that brings the Resource within them here. That has been repeating many times for over tens of thousands of years in Parallecia.>>

So, it was my turn this time huh.
Are you sure you're allowed to tell me that.

<<Nope! Goddess would scold me if you found that out before Demon King is defeated... But Neora-san already got an inkling didn't you? That the epic of Hero defeating Demon King is a farce at global scale.>>

...Well yeah.
Also, Demon King and demons are the regulators with the sole purpose of culling humanity, right?

<<Yes. If they don't exist and humanity proliferate unchecked, it's gonna turn out like Neora-san's...  'Oishi Shinobu (Neora-san in previous life)'s' earth, on the verge of dying due to resource running out.>>

This revelation is only gonna put reincarnated people in a bad spot in this world, so I won't publicize it.
Being known as the hero who defeats the Demon King is going to make all kinds of things smoother, especially to those who love isekai genre.
...Just like I was.


Haa... Well, that didn't really come as a shock since I already expected it.
That's for the goddess to deal with, it doesn't change what I gotta do.

Defeat Demon King, save the world.
The only thing that changes is it's no longer a farce now. It's the real deal.
...Frankly missing the revival has got me scared stiff.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >

"Whoops, it's about time. Guys, put this on."

"Eh, what's with that weird mantle. I don't wanna."

"Is there something that necessitates us to do so?"

"It's called 'Veil of Tengu', an equipment that conceals your presence by consuming your mana. Past Kajikawa Hikaru (me) is going to enter this room soon, we gotta stay out of his sight."


Ah, the Kajikawa-san that initially found this room is coming huh... Man it's so convoluted.
We hid in the veil for a while before someone entered the room and left not long after. I couldn't really see it well since it happened so fast but that must have been the past Kajikawa-san.


"Phew, there he went. Well then, I should get going as well. You guys do your best."

"Hey, can't we get back earlier too? Like maybe we can prepare for stuff in secrecy before the final battle..."

"Don't. Menu-san said there's a high risk of causing unpredictable outcomes when two of the same person exist at the same point of time."

"Like say?"

"Like a god much greater than Earth's and Parallecia's gods handing down divine punishment, destroying the entire world."

"...Yup, we're gonna wait for our correct timeline. Yes."


I thought it was something to do with Time Paradox but things are way out of my hands if it relates to the godly side of things.
It's not worth risking to lose everything anyways, we just gotta wait patiently like the good kids we are.


We exited the room back to Floor 21 once it was the time.
We should be able to return by opening the door to real time Parallecia now.

...Starting anew without revival huh.


"Aah, if only I could run away to another world, heck, maybe even back to Japan."

"Neora-san, that's..."

"Hey, are you seriously going to run away with your tail between your legs now after all this time?"

"Oh come on, I'm just grumbling out loud. I get that I can't run nor I plan to. It's just that..."


I've experienced death countless times now.
Both Levia and Olivie have shared the suffering as well.
I won't let there be another time.

I don't care about myself. I'm scared of dying but I already died once on earth. Were I to die again, it just meant my borrowed life ends for real.
But that's not the case with Levia and Olivie.

The only reason I let them join me without much thought was because of Grace of Revival. I invited them in the fight against Demon King because I knew they were never at risk of dying for real.
But not anymore. A death is final now.
As such, I absolutely won't let them die.


"Don't die on me, you two."

"Hah, says the person who's died the most. Worry about yourself first."

"Besides, we're one mind and body once we are fused. We'll be fine as long as Neora-san is alive."


...Fair points.
Now that it's come to this, I'm gonna beat the crap outta Demon King with sheer will and grab our happy ending.
Now then, time to head back. It should be the door next to that wooden door.



Knock knock, someone knocked on the wooden door.

...Eh? Aren't these doors supposed to be safe as long as you don't open them from this side?
Oh crap, some unknown monster from the other side might get in here at this rate!
...Calm down me, I gotta calmly and politely refuses them.
Err, what should I say, what do, what do, telling them to stay away sounds bad, what do I do, ah geez I got no time to overthink!


"It's occupied."

"Ah, excuse me."


Aaah I'm an idiot! What is this, a toilet?! There's tons of way to phrase that better!
And the person who responded right at the other side! What? Did you want to use a toilet booth for real?
...Gotta go back to our world pronto before more weird stuff crops up. That sudden knock was real bad for my poor heart...

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