BXBX NOVEL Chapter 72 – The Preceding Hero and the Arena 2
「Daaaahh!?」
Magnificent. There’s probably no mistake that that simple word would be leaked out to describe that evasion just now.
Though I didn’t do anything but bend back into the shape of a shrimp as I was smiling with a nihilistic feeling to it.
Immediately dodging by the skin of my teeth the gunshot of Maryoku that flew by horizontally, I slid on the ground as if I were in an anime, with a *Zusa~*.
「Damn it. ……You, little, no-good Sister! Suddenly shooting me like that, what’s the meaning of tha……!」
When I turned my head as I was getting up, I saw the three or four men that got blown away from taking the gunshot as well as the figure of the fox-eared jerk that slipped through the gunshot and was drawing closer to Bernadette. That Bernadette, because that guy was at my back……
「Bernade──っ!?」
As I was partially looking over at Bernadette, a shadow stretched over me.
*Zugan!*
「Hou, you dodged that well, shitty brat.」
The swung down sword smashed the stage that was made out of stone.
Dodging that attack by a hair’s breadth, I looked at the owner of that sword that was swung and I clicked my tongue.
「Why you……『The Killing Thief』 Doumel! To think that someone like you would participate.」
「Same to you. It’s been a while, baggage guard!」
That large built man, Doumel, raised his sword overhead, and came swinging down at me with a lot of force.
I dodged that with a paper-thin distance.
「You’re probably just participating so that you could legally kill people or something, aren’t you!?」
「Correct! I’ll kill you as your prize!!」
This man’s name is Doumel.
We met during my journey three years ago. When we reached a certain town, while I was acting separately from Sylvia and Leo, he was the head of a group of thieves that attacked us while we were being baggage guards.
「I’ll return the debt that I owe you from that time, got it?」
「Wasn’t that just you reaping what you sowed!!」
Although I was naturally able to easily repel the thieves, only this guy was strong enough to be in a different league, and since I was fighting while protecting Olivia and the others, it was a close fight.
……But, right now, I don’t have anything to protect.
「Rapid!」
「ッ!!??」
The moment he held his sword aloft in a big way, I dove into Doumel’s chest and drove my fist into the pit of his stomach.
Maybe because I did it with quite a bit of strength, Doumel fainted with just one attack.
「I’ll take your sword!」
Robbing the sword that was on Doumel’s body, I kicked Doumel off into the sea outside the ring.
It would be a bother if he got back up after all. With this, he’ll be treated as disqualified.
「Now then……」
I was about to head over to Bernadette’s side, but, hearing the sound of something waving about from the left, I reflexively crouched down.
*Vwon!*
An iron ball flew right over my head as I was crouching down. And then, the fighters that couldn’t dodge the iron ball that was connected to a chain were all blown away together.
「Guhihihihi! You did well to dodge my iron ball, youngster of the Hero troupe!」
「『The Demolishing Iron Ball』 Lugoro!? Even you’re participating!?」
Lugoro was a guy that used an iron ball attached with spikes that really suited guys with really round builds, and he was also another crook that attacked us in the middle of our journey.
「Guhihi. I’ll turn you into sloppy minced meat――ッ!?」
「!?」
Just now, Lugoro was right about to fire off the iron ball. However, fresh blood spouted up from his back and, *Dotsun*, making a large sound, he collapsed.
*Gasha, gasha*
What appeared at his back was a man wearing armor that was wet with blood.
「……It hath been a while……Black-haired boy.」
A knight with the characteristics of having a subdued and hard to understand way of speaking and having a preference of fighting in a way that opposed the chivalrous spirit,
「『The Fiendish Knight Labangs』!? What the hell, is this round a huge gathering of villains!?」
「En, garde!」
Labangs drew near while swinging his blood smeared sword at me. It seemed that he wanted to blind me by hurling blood into my eyes.
「Like always, you’re using such underhanded tactics……ッ」
Catching the blood with my arm, when I try to prepare for the drawing near Labangs, Labangs took out a small bag from the other side of the shield attached to his arm, and threw the contents of it at me.
「Wha!? Damn it, sand got in my eyes!」
「I haveth you now, boy!」
If blood is no good, blind them with sand. So it was a two-stage preparation!
Confident in his victory, Labangs “turned” the tip of his blade at me.
「Y, you bastard!」
「Too bad for you! I read what you were intending to do!」
That’s right, I had promptly closed my eyes and pretended to be blinded. Labangs, who had prepared to attack, showed an expression of surprise.
「I won’t kill you. Go to sleep!」
I swung my sword faster than he could unleash his thrust. Although Doumel’s sword broke with this one stroke, Labangs armor was cut up and he was given an injury that won’t turn into a fatal wound.
「……How, cowardly……」
「You’re the only one I don’t want to be told that by!」
Fresh blood coming out, Labangs collapsed. ……Jeez, at this rate, just how many more acquaintances will I meet with (the bad kind).
「Well, putting that aside, shield, GET!」
Since my sword broke just now, I took Labangs’ shield. Since his sword was wet with blood and looked rusted, I passed on taking it. While I’m at it, I’ll kick Labangs and Lugoro off the stage.
Still……Just how in the world am I going to fight with just a shield.
When talking about shields, in things like games, isn’t that one of the land mine jobs[1]?
When talking about a shield as a main equipment, I could still understand it if were a knight that uses a sword, but only having a shield, I still think that it’s impossible, that’s how I feel.
「Hogeah!?」
「Ah, it surprisingly went well.」
When I fired a back fist with the shield at a guy that came at me from behind, *Pahn!*, a good feeling sound resounded and the opponent was blown away.
Good, good, this is pretty useful.
A Hero that only fights with a shield might be alright.
「Here I go!!」
Obtaining some new tactics, I went to mow down my enemies with great vigor (with a shield).
◇
「The Magic Clad Martial Arts Demonstration has begun without delay. Immediately following the start, it’s become a fierce battle. Now then, here, we’ll have the introduction of our guest and commentator.」
「Hello, this is Jean Jack Eustace.」
「It is the author of that huge best-seller, the 『Hero Biography Series』, as well as an investor of today’s tournament, Eustace-shi. We are glad to have you for today.」
「Likewise, I’m glad to be here.」
「Now then, I think we should move back to the current situation. Immediately following the start of the match, with the attack that bib number 28, Bernadette fired as a start, the top of the stage has now become a battleground!」
「Already more than ten fighters have dropped out. Among the fighters that haven’t dropped out yet that stand out are……bib number 28, 『The Mysterious Beautiful Agent (Self-Proclaimed)』 Bernadette, and then the one that has unfolded a fierce fight with that Bernadette is bib number 1! 『Kuon the Profuse Hurrican』, aka, the one we all know, Kuon Heleott! Kuon Heleott is the son of Vodan Heleott-shi, the chief of this town of Be Io! Being the head of the next era for the Heleott group, he’s a being with great expectations for him. Other than them, there’s bib number 14, possessing a huge build surpassing two meters, 『The Fist Priest』 Ulgan! Number 7, 『The Middle-Aged Knight』 Falhut Enhans! And then, number 36, the nameless warrior Yuuya Shirou!!」
「Fufu. Yuu……Excuse me, Fighter Yuuya Shirou has made notorious warriors such as the Killing Thief and the Fiendish Knight powerless.」
「Made powerless? But Fighter Labangs has spilt blood……」
「Fufufu…… He “won’t kill” them.」
「?」
「Ahh, excuse me. He won’t let them be killed. That one attack, I don’t know if it was because the armor was tough or if it was on purpose, but the spot that was cut by the sword was a spot that won’t turn into a fatal wound, and moreover, there is only a small amount of blood. According to my diagnosis, Fighter Labangs probably only fainted from the intense pain. Even the for one that had his equipment stolen and kicked and dropped off the stage, that was probably done after it finished with him fainting.」
「I see, thank you very much for that. ――Uh-oh? In the middle of Eustace-shi’s commentary, there was a rapid development on the stage!」
◇
「っ!?」
*Gou!!* (Boom)
Immediately, a strong fist skimmed by close to my ear.
Fast. ……If it was just the speed of the fist, it probably exceeded my own. The blood that went along my cheek supported that presentiment.
「Funnu!」
The fist that was unleashed from that near two meter body possessed a destructive force like that of a cannon ball due to the muscular and brawny arm that seemed to be simply specialized in hitting.
「Damn!」
I was already thinking that I shouldn’t take the attack. Even if this body has deviated from that of an ordinary person’s, it would break all of my bones and “kill me”.
With the air of the battlefield, the smell of blood. And in the middle of the feeling of mental strain pushed to the utmost limits, I remember the impulses I felt three years ago.
There was no way I couldn’t be engulfed by those impulses. In a certain sense, it felt like something more troublesome than my Chuunibyou was going to be revived.
「For this Ulgan, in these forty four years of life in this world, this is the first time that I’ve been this out of breath.」
「I bet.」
The giant man tightly gripped his fist and was charging and preparing his next shot.
It’s probably a certain kill attack. Even though he’s a priest, he’s trying to beat his opponent to death.
Jeez, the same goes for Bernadette but, aren’t the people related to religious organizations a bit too suited to the fighting scenes?
……No, at this point that doesn’t matter.
「It’s already been several months since I came back to this land. ……It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten this fired up!!」
That’s right, it’s because what I sought for was a struggle to the death that made me burst out in blood and sweat!!
Translator’s Notes:
[1] Not sure what this means: 地雷職.