263. VS Vanguard – Total War (Part 4)

(—Honestly, I wasn’t into this operation from the start…)

Gashmash Mariel.

The man called the “Ice Emperor” in the other world wore a weary expression. He was a man of such caliber that even the Dead King Libera once remarked, “I don’t want to fight him.”

(These people are just regular humans. Where are the “inferior monkeys”? Randall is a massive liar. Ah, I really hate this. It’s such a pain. I don’t want to do this…)

He had been against this operation from the beginning. Or rather, it’s more accurate to say he had no motivation for it. He possessed a temperament that disliked conflict; if he could get by without fighting, all the better.

Therefore—basically, he never initiated an attack himself.

He only fought when an opponent attacked him. Because someone had made a move, he fought out of necessity for self-defense, and he always won. Through fighting while not wanting to fight, he realized he had become the strongest. He was the only person in the other world capable of defeating one of the Six Kings, the “Phantom King,” single-handedly. But he took no pride in it. Not fighting was best, and he had no desire to. He was a man who loved peace and quiet above all else.

(Why would they choose someone like me for the Vanguard…?)

What the Vanguard needed was absolute strength. If that was why he was chosen, it was a miscalculation. Gashmash had not a shred of loyalty to Randall. The only reason he participated in the Vanguard at all was that his acquaintance, Fist King Rialdo, had invited him.

—”I heard we can fight strong guys! Let’s go together!”

“I don’t care,” he had said, refusing at first. But no matter how many times he refused, the invitations kept coming persistently, so he joined out of obligation. He had no intention of fighting from the start, and had even considered slipping away midway to leisurely sightsee this world. This war was “at that level” to him.

However—

(…What’s the meaning of this? I’m sure I dodged it, but… it hit.)

A hole was opened in his forehead. The bullet he thought he had swatted away with his hand had penetrated his palm and, of all things, passed through his own head.

(I’m sure it’s some kind of skill, but I wonder what it is? Well, it’s not a problem, but still…)

Normally, it would be an instantly fatal wound. Yet, his consciousness did not fade. The spot between his brows that had been shot through immediately froze over. Once the ice covered the entire wound, it shattered with a crack. Standing there was Gashmash, completely unharmed.

“……Over there, huh.”

He looked toward the distant Ichinose as if nothing had happened.

“Hey, is this your ability? And was the one who ‘hit’ me the power of that little dragon next to you? For now, it hurts, so could you stop shooting? If you shoot any more, I’ll have to fight too. Even though it’s a pain.”

Despite being shot, Gashmash didn’t falter or get angry; he simply gave a warning. In contrast, Ichinose was the one who became agitated.

(How…? I definitely hit him. It should have been fatal…?)

A terror she couldn’t understand gripped Ichinose. Conversely, Gashmash, judging that Ichinose wouldn’t follow up immediately, looked away from her to scan the surrounding presences.

“……Hmm. Libera-san is captured? Well, Orion and the others are her opponents, after all. Beld is struggling more than expected… Though, he probably can’t get serious against his older brother. The most surprising one is the barrier where Boa is. I feel the power of a ‘Sword Saint’ just like Boa’s from the opponent, and then there’s another person nearby… no, a beast? Is that a cat? Why is there a cat on the battlefield? That idiot Randall is… Heh.”

Gashmash’s smile deepened. Randall hadn’t started fighting yet. He seemed to be in a standoff with a warrior of this world.

“Ah, ouch.”

Another of Ichinose’s bullets penetrated his head. Then his heart. Next, his neck, brainstem, tip of the nose, and for good measure, his crotch. One clean hit after another.

“Hey, it hurts, it hurts, I said it hurts. Aren’t you being a bit relentless?”

But it had no effect on Gashmash. The hit areas regenerated immediately.

“I’m telling you, it’s useless, so you should stop. I have no intention of fighting, so go support your allies instead.”

“Ts……”

Waving a hand dismissively at Ichinose, Gashmash thought to himself. Rialdo, fighting next to him, had the upper hand for now, but the opponent was biting back hard. Orion, Lizzie, and Narus were busy sealing Libera. Beld was practically covered in wounds. And Boa was struggling against an equal opponent.

(Hmm, this… might actually turn out into something unexpected?)

Gashmash could grasp every presence through the surrounding air—specifically through temperature—and understand the situation perfectly. Therefore, he was the first to imagine that possibility.

(Honestly, you’re a total moron, Randall. Hurry up and ‘recognize’ these people as equal enemies like Rialdo-san did. Otherwise, you’re really going to get the rug pulled out from under you…)

Yes—the possibility that they might lose.

—Within the Fourth Barrier.

Ivar was gradually being cornered by Beld’s onslaught.

“Guh…”

“Die! Just die, you traitor!”

“Beld… you…”

Ivar had his hands full just parrying the attacks. The composure he had previously held vanished from his face. The reason was—

“Ha! Is he that important? That human!”

The man collapsed in the corner of his vision—Goshogawara. His heart had been pierced by Beld, and he was in a critical state. It was a miracle he was still alive. Fighting while protecting him was difficult even for Ivar. He had gradually been forced into a total defense and was now in a tight spot.

(If I could use my ‘Recreation,’ I could save him…!)

Ivar’s “Recreation” was currently being suppressed by Libera’s “Divine Majesty” to prevent it from running wild. That was still ongoing. If he broke this seal, his “Recreation” would immediately spiral out of control, not only repeating the tragedy at the campsite but also endangering the existence of Satsuki and the others who were pseudo-resurrected by his skill.

(At least I should collect him and get him to the others…)

But Beld wouldn’t give him such an opening. More than anything, he was the only one on this battlefield capable of keeping Beld, who had escaped the barrier, pinned to this spot.

(What to do… what can I do…?)

At this rate, I’ll lose. In the next moment, a tremendous light erupted in each of the barriers.

“……What is that light…?”

“That is—”

Ivar recognized that light. It was the light of Kazuto’s “Heroic Hymn.”

(You used it… that trump card, here and now…?)

Ivar had heard about the effects and duration of Heroic Hymn. It was certainly a massive effect, but he didn’t think it would be enough to surpass the Vanguard’s strength. After all, only eight people including Kazuto could receive unique skills and a massive power-up. It was an far too unreliable a number to face the remaining Vanguard, including Randall.

(—If only there were others with power equal to Kazuto-san or Libera-dono…)

Normally, the Wolf King and Sea King would have fulfilled that role. As a member of the Six Kings and the strongest monsters, they could have supplemented that fighting force. However, both the Wolf King and the Sea King had sustained near-fatal damage from Glen’s self-destruction.

“I see, so that is your trump card… But it’s too late.”

“Ts…!?”

A momentary lapse in Ivar’s focus. Beld did not miss that split second. Beld’s spear was supposed to have pierced Ivar’s heart.

“……Who are you?”

The spear had stopped just before the target. Blocked by an ominous magic sword.

“Who am I, huh… A while ago, I had no ‘name’ to give, but now I suppose I’ll go ahead and use this one…”

The figure holding the magic sword had no flesh. Only pure white bones peeked through the gaps in his robe. A bare skull, with pale blue flames flickering in its hollow eye sockets. An existence born in this world, who was the first to kill a human in this world, and who took his own unique skill as his “name.”

Yes, his name was—

“—My name is Arrogance. Nice to meet you, warrior of the Vanguard.”

End of 263