255. End of the Prelude

A rising pillar of fire and black smoke.

Seeing the battered form of Schwarz thrown out from within it, I instinctively doubted my own eyes.

“Schwarz!”

“Wha—no way…”

Libera-san also stared toward the pillar of fire in disbelief.

We headed there immediately.

—The place we arrived at was horrific in the extreme.

A giant crater had been formed as if by a bombing, and not a single tree in the vicinity remained unburnt.

At its center were Schwarz and the Sea King, whose body had shrunk by about two sizes.

So the reinforcements Libera-san mentioned were indeed the Sea King.

However, the Sea King’s power had also grown quite faint.

“Hey, Schwarz, are you okay!?”

“Wan!”

Momo and I tried to draw near.

But at that moment, Schwarz pulled himself up.

『NO PROBLEM. I WAS MERELY A BIT CARELESS…』

“Kishi!”

He faltered, nearly collapsing, but at that moment an ant monster emerged from the shadows and supported his body. It was likely one of Schwarz’s kin.

『UNNECESSARY. I DO NOT NEED IT.』

“Kishi…! Kishi…!”

He tried to shake off the ant monster attempting to support him, but the ant stubbornly refused to let go.

“Wan wan!” “Gishiiii!” “Garuru!”

“Waoooooooooon!” “Shaaa! Shaaaa!”

Furthermore, other monsters jumped out of the shadows one after another and began to support his body.

They must care for Schwarz very deeply.

I knew Schwarz had a pack, but I was honestly surprised that such a strong bond of trust had been built.

『HNPH… TO DISOBEY THE COMMAND OF THEIR MASTER. DISRESPECTFUL FELLOWS…』

Despite saying that, Schwarz looked somewhat pleased.

“What on earth happened? The presence of the Vanguard is gone, but…”

『……』

Schwarz averted his eyes at my question.

As if he didn’t want to answer.

The Sea King answered in his stead.

『…RANDALL INTERVENED AT THE END. HE HAD RIGGED IT SO THAT IF GLEN WERE ABOUT TO LOSE, HE WOULD SELF-DESTRUCT AND TAKE HIS OPPONENT WITH HIM.』

“Wha…”

『I WAS CARELESS… TO THINK HE WOULD TAKE SUCH A TACTIC, DISCARDING A COMPRADE—A MAN WHO WAS ONCE HIS BEST FRIEND. HAVE YOU FALLEN THAT FAR, RANDALL…』

The Sea King looked somewhat helpless as he spoke.

On the other hand, Libera-san clicked her tongue.

“We already knew that idiot was an idiot long ago. More importantly, checking the current situation comes first. Shuram, how much longer can you maintain the barrier in that state?”

『…REST ASSURED. AS I SAID AT FIRST, IT WILL HOLD FOR TWO HOURS. HOWEVER, RETURNING TO THE FRONT LINE MAY BE DIFFICULT. FOR BOTH MYSELF AND THE WOLF KING OVER THERE.』

“……Is treatment useless?”

『YES. GLEN’S FLAMES HAVE INFLICTED SEVERE DAMAGE NOT ONLY TO OUR BODIES BUT TO OUR VERY SOULS. IT IS NOT A WOUND THAT CAN BE DEALT WITH VIA SKILLS. WE WILL BE UNABLE TO FIGHT PROPERLY FOR AT LEAST SEVERAL DAYS. PERHAPS HE RIGGED GLEN WITH THAT IN ANTICIPATION.』

…Certainly, if the Sea King and Schwarz cannot return to the front line, our combat power drops significantly.

I understood it well after fighting that girl, Shuri.

The power of the Vanguard is literally on a different scale.

And eight of those guys still remain.

Without the Sea King or Schwarz, can we really win?

That anxiety reared its head.

“Wan!”

“Ow!”

Momo bit my hand.

She must have sensed my anxiety.

She seemed to be telling me to pull myself together.

“Haha, sorry, Momo. You’re right. It’s not about whether we can win. We have to win.”

“Waon!”

Momo barked, as if saying “That’s right!”

I really am no match for Momo.

She’s a truly reliable partner.

“Anyway, we still have time until they start moving in earnest. Let’s reformulate the plan.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

“Wan!”

After collecting Schwarz, the Sea King, and Igarashi-san—who was stuck upside down in the distance—we returned to the base.

Meanwhile, the members of the Vanguard were also witnessing the conclusion of the battle from within the barrier.

“It seems Shuri and Glen have fallen. To think those two would be defeated…”

“Indeed.”

The man holding a spear standing behind the Vanguard leader Randall—Beld—could not hide his surprise.

From the perspective of someone who knew Shuri and Glen’s abilities, this result was unbelievable.

He hadn’t thought for a second that those two would lose.

He had even considered that Shuri and Glen alone could take down all the forces on the Earth side, including Libera.

The other members were also more or less shaken.

—Except for one person, the leader, Randall.

He alone was not the least bit shaken by Shuri and Glen’s defeat.

And for good reason.

This result was within the scope of his expectations.

—It went well.

Internally, he smirked.

Through this battle, he was able to grasp the approximate strength of Kazuto’s group.

On top of that, he had managed to take down the enemy’s main forces, the Wolf King and the Sea King.

One could call it a sufficient achievement.

(I’ve also confirmed that the ‘Dragon King’ is absent. He is likely already dead. Furthermore, the dragon that was the Dragon King’s mate shows no sign of becoming the new ‘Dragon King.’ Very convenient.)

The “Sea King” and “Dragon King,” who had the highest probability of siding with Libera.

Those two were now out of the picture. The unexpected “Wolf King” was also dealt with by Glen’s self-destruction.

(The only remaining combat forces are Libera and Kudo Kazuto.)

Everyone else was just a collection of people who could hardly be counted as combatants.

At most, the Dragon King’s mate and Kudo Kazuto’s party members were somewhat noteworthy.

(Even if Kudo Kazuto possesses some kind of unique skill, it won’t be enough to overturn the situation…)

Based on the fight with Shuri, he could guess that Kudo Kazuto possessed some kind of trump card.

Even if it were a skill that significantly strengthened himself and all his party members, that level of power wouldn’t be a threat.

Their fundamental base strength was different. It was a gap that couldn’t possibly be bridged even with skills.

Since there were no other Six King-class opponents, their victory was unshakeable.

The barrier erected by Sea King Shuram would also vanish in a few hours.

In a mere few hours, it was impossible—even if a miracle occurred—for multiple Six King-class entities to appear.

(The prelude is over.)

From here on is the real thing.

The true power of the otherworld’s greatest combat force—the Vanguard—was about to set upon Kazuto and the others.

And—

“W-wait, Ayame-chan! You’re running too fast!”

“What are you saying, Senpai? If we don’t hurry, we might not make it in time. We’re going to save Kazuto-kun!”

“Myau—”

End of 255