First Outer World Story Series: The Black Mist that Devours - Chapter 144
Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter
(Third person POV)
Meanwhile, on the ground.
Against the invasion of the Octopus King, humans and the Demon Kings temporarily set up a joint front, compulsively conscripting humans over 15 years old who had been hiding in all dungeons to defend the cities.
At the same time, swarms of monsters and the Demon Kings’ kin were defending the understaffed areas.
In the midst of this, there were stories of larger-than-usual Cuélebre being unleashed into the sea and causing almost one-sided devastation, involving allies as well, as well as stories of abnormally well-coordinated Mud Puppets exterminating monsters, but let’s leave those stories aside. This time it was a story of a boy with a one-handed sword.
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(Kusanagi Yata POV)
“That’s the… Octopus King’s monsters…”
“Are you okay? If you’re frightened, you can stay back, kid.”
I instinctively murmured something like that to the man standing next to me, a man named Tachikabe, when I caught sight of the swarm of monsters on the horizon, covering the entire ocean.
While musing over his words, I checked the sword hanging from my waist.
“Certainly at my age, I wouldn’t be criticized if I didn’t participate, but I do own this,” I remarked, clutching the one-handed sword that Kurokiri gave me.
One year had passed since then. I had been fighting with this sword nonstop, and my level had risen to 3. Other than that, I was significantly better equipped and competent than I was when I first met Kurokiri.
However, I still did not believe that I had the same capability to match this sword. Therefore, in order to achieve my goal at the earliest opportunity, I would like to actively participate on the battlefield. That was why I was present here.
“Well, I don’t really care, it’s your life, kid.”
After saying that, Tachikabe began to do some preparatory exercises.
Then, I figured it was time for me to join in, so I lightly swung my sword with my right hand and moved my left hand, which was holding a shield, to ensure that all was well.
“Speaking of which, what’s your name, kid?”
“My name? Oh, I haven’t mentioned it. I am Kusanagi Yata.”
“Yata. I’ll remember your name, so when the battle is over, let’s have a meal together. I’ll buy you a round.”
“Okay.”
With that, Tachikabe left the place after mentioning that “My area of expertise is over that place,” apparently.
“They’ve landed on the groundddd!”
The voice of a man on the lookout diffused over the area after a while of parting from Tachikabe.
A wide variety of the Octopus King’s monsters were approaching before my eyes.
Their momentum was such that they threatened to engulf all existence, and I can feel and hear their deafening rumblings and cries, as well as their oppressive presence.
Yet, there was nothing to be daunted by nor was there any need to retreat. All I needed to do was to wield this sword.
“Everyone. Take chargeeeeeee!!”
The voice of the person in command was raised, to which we in the vanguard surged towards the opposition, while the rearguard released their marksmanship skills to support us.
Among them, I set my sights on a Hanryojin in front of me, and the other party also focused on me.
“Gah!” “Hah!”
Taking the initiative, I blocked the piercing claws of the Hanryojin by using the shield in my left hand and counterattacked with the sword in my right hand. The sword inflicted a shallow wound on the Hanryojin’s chest.
The Hanryojin responded by taking a few steps back, his gills flaring in fury, then lunging at me with all his might, thrusting his claws into my face.
Tilting my face slightly, I dodged the claws while suffering a minor cut on my cheek before lifting my sword in my right hand in one swift motion.
That blow accurately bisected the Hanryojin’s torso, ending his life.
“This is only the first one.”
After taking a glance at the lifeless body of the Hanryojin, I attacked the following one.
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Despite the fact that the struggle had been going on for two hours, there was still no sign of the war coming to an end.
“Haa… haa…”
I had already quit counting how many enemies I had eliminated, but I believed I had killed at least 100 or more.
In fact, my level had already advanced by two.
“The break is over… I should join the fight again.”
As soon as my level-up process and break were over, I rose to my feet and searched for the place where the front line was about to fall apart.
“That place seems to be in a bad shape… wait, that girl!?”
At the place I thought was in a poor condition, the Kirijin girl who had been the reason for my departure from the village was battling a large crab-like monster with a woman who resembled a grown-up version of that girl.
Even though there were other humans around, they were too preoccupied with the Hanryojin to support the girl.
At the moment when I witnessed the crab raising its right pincer and about to thrust it at the girl, I leaped out at full speed, slicing up the crab’s pincer and severing it in two.
“Get away from that girl!!”
“Huh?” “Eh?” “?????????”
That blow startled me, the girl, and the crab.
But, I supposed, our reactions were justified. The spot where I had just slashed was not a joint, which was a common weak point of crustaceans, but the shell. And yet, this sword cleaved it in two, as if it were slicing through tofu.
On top of that, the fatigue that I had felt earlier had faded away as if it had never existed in the first place. It was as if this sword had deprived the crab of its SP.
“Buopoooo!!”
However, there wasn’t time to ponder about it in depth since the next opponent was striking. This time, the foe was a spirit-type monster with no physical form, and its number must be no less than 20.
“Damn! ?Enchanting Holy?.”
I hastily applied ?Enchanting Holy? attribute to my sword and shield so that they can affect non-entity monsters as well.
“Please back me up!”
“I know! Onee-chan!”
“All set…”
At the same time the girl called the woman “onee-chan,” I saw her firing a wide variety of magical arrows and I charged into the group of enemies. The monsters were in agony after being struck by the magic arrows, and I flashed my sword, imbued with holy power, sideways, simultaneously dispatching about five of them.
[[[Ogeropeperaaaaa]]]
The remainder of the monsters, however, seized advantage of the opening created by my strike and thrust their translucent hands out towards me all in one go.
These apparition-like monster hands were extraordinarily chilly, and I had learned from prior confrontations that if they touch me, I’ll suffer frostbite and have my HP sucked out at the same time. Furthermore, because they were not corporeal, physical defense appeared to be ineffective against them.
“How naive!”
It didn’t matter, though. My present shield, which incorporated ?Enchanting Holy?, can defend me against the apparitions’ strikes.
“?Firebolt?, ?Thunderbolt?.”
“Step aside! ?Magic Bundle of Bolt?.”
[[Fire!]]
Just as I was about to repel one of them with a counterattack, voices called out to me from behind and I jumped back from the spot. I then noticed something similar, but different, to what I had observed during the sham battle years ago. It turned out that massive arrows, a mixture of fire-red and lightning-yellow, were ready to pierce the ghosts.
Once the arrows penetrated the ghosts, a burst of fire and lightning was scattered. With that blast, the ghosts were rendered lifeless and dissipated.
“Thank you, both of you.”
“No, we are the ones who should be thanking you, and we don’t have time to exchange words like that just yet.”
“Right. See you later, then.”
“Yes. If possible, let’s meet again.”
Thus, I parted ways with the girl I had been hoping to meet again someday and re-joined the front lines.
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How many hundreds of times? No, how many thousands of times have I wielded this sword?
Yet, there was still no indication that the adversaries are running out. The Octopus King’s onslaught was driving us, the human side, back one step at a time.
But even in such a situation, I kept on fighting with hardly any wounds. Or, to be more accurate, I had several wounds. Nonetheless, with each cut I inflicted on my enemies with this sword, my wounds healed, my exhaustion disappeared, and my mental vigor was replenished
I wonder what this sword made by Kurokiri-san is all about? Even in such a heated struggle, the sword is so formidable that not even the edge of the sword breaks and its sharpness effortlessly slices through the shell of a crab-shaped monster. Not to mention, it also heals my wounds after each attack.
By any measure of the imagination, this was no average sword. On the contrary, I didn’t think even the finest adventurers possessed a sword like this.
But, for the sake of Kurokiri-san, who gifted me this sword, I believe I must train to be a swordsman worthy of it.
“…”
I was surrounded by a myriad of monsters. Since I had been isolated from the group, they presumably perceived me as a convenient prey.
Under normal circumstances, I would have been distraught or despairing at this point. Yet, strangely enough, calmness prevailed in my heart.
Right. I should announce myself with the title I have just acquired here. If I did so, I was sure they will pounce on me with enthusiasm. And if I can get back at them, I’ll be even mightier.
I once more cast ?Enchanting Holy? on my sword and the new shield I picked up around here since my previous one was broken, as well as applying ?Agility Enhancement? on myself. Then, I declared my identity.
“My name is Kusanagi Yata, the ?Sword Saint?! Those who challenge me, come at me!”
And I stormed towards the crowd of monsters.
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A/N:
There are some battle junkie-ish things about Yata-kun of the Black Mist that Devours and Yata-kun of HASO, but they are completely different people. They belong to parallel worlds.
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T/N:
Kusanagi Yata is the MC of the author’s subsequent work. The Yata of this world has relevance to the Yata of the parallel world and his “existence” plays a major role in that series. So you could say this chapter is laying the foundation for the author’s Outer World Story next work.