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Chapter 113 Being Chased
That guy Rugolf, he left us and went after Kyrie. I was on edge when she attacked, but thanks to Joanna-san, we made it through. ...But, I couldn't just trust her based on that. There was a possibility that she only helped because Kyrie and the others were watching.
"Dwarf... you'll pay with your life..."
Even when we were away from Rugolf, Leah-san remained with a doll-like expression. She didn't loosen her grip at all. His 【Domination】, it seemed, had nothing to do with the distance to the one he was controlling.
"Leah-san, come back to your senses...!"
"Die, dwarf...!"
It's no use; persuasion wouldn't work in this atmosphere. If that's the case...
"...I have no choice; I'll make you shut up with my fists!"
Leah-san's strength was considerable, but as a race, dwarves had more power than demons. I grabbed the spear and lifted Leah-san's body, swung her around, and repeatedly slammed her into the wall. Then, I swung her around some more, and finally, I tossed her into the hall.
"Toka-san, watch out!"
Just as I was about to move, I heard Joanna-san's warning as she ran towards me.
"And what are you doing to my onee-chan!"
Gah...!
"Aggh...!"
From behind, someone kicked my head hard. As a result, I was sent flying into the monster-filled hall.
"Onee-chan, are you okay?"
"I will kill... It's my mission..."
"Are you okay, onee-chan? Yay, you're okay!"
Who the heck was this rude person kicking a stranger's head? A petite female demon with blonde hair. She called Leah-san onee-chan, but they didn't look like sisters at all. Moreover, she clearly wasn't in her right mind. Mostly, her gaze was unsettling. This girl was also a victim being manipulated by 【Domination】.
"This is bad... there's another one..."
And to make matters worse, we were sent back into the hall, surrounded by monsters. If not for the 【Mech】, I would have given up by now.
"Overwhelming odds, huh? Well then, bring it on! Come, Magic Mech Golem, Magic Mech Dragon!"
From the sandy ground at my feet, I summoned the maximum number I could produce at this point: thirteen Golems and one Dragon. I arranged them around me in a circle.
"How about that? Even compared to the monsters here, I'm the winner in terms of quality, if not quantity."
"Don't forget I'm here!"
Joanna, with a dagger held in a reverse grip, lunged at the blonde demon from behind.
Immediately, Leah-san reacted, thrusting her spear, but Joanna skillfully jumped and dodged. She landed next to me, dagger at the ready.
"I might not seem trustworthy, but I'm on your side. Count on me."
She gave a cheeky wink.
I wanted to trust her, but she was undeniably suspicious. Suspicious, but just for this moment, I genuinely wanted her to be an ally from the bottom of my heart.
"...Yeah, I'll count on you. I don't want to die in such a dim and damp place either."
While holding my gauntlets, I gave attack orders to the Golems against the monsters.
The Golems, armed and ready, charged in all directions. The Dragon also flew high, flapping its wings, and spewed magical heat rays from its mouth, incinerating the monsters. Against the chaotic backdrop of monsters and mechs in a fierce battle, Leah-san and the female demon each poised their weapons.
"Sisterly collaboration! I'm so happy!"
"Bute... We'll kill together..."
"Yeah, for my onee-chan, I'll do the killing!"
Bute, is that her name? I couldn't let her or Leah-san die. A fight where neither side dies but is rendered incapable of fighting. It's quite difficult, but there's no other choice.
"Here we go! Die!"
With a crazed smile, Bute charged with a sword in hand. Strikes were unleashed with a speed that left after images, her limbs enveloped in Renki. This person was faster than Leah-san!
"There, there, there, there! Kyahaha!"
A rain of strikes. I guarded with both gauntlets, but each hit was heavy enough to numb my arms.
"This is bad... Can I win this?!"
On the other side, Joanna-san desperately avoided Leah-san's rapid thrusts. She had her hands full. Support wasn't an option, huh?
"The Magic Mechs are at their limit in terms of numbers too..."
But I made a promise, didn't I? To definitely catch up with Kyrie. Mel still wanted to play more; so dying here was out of the question.
○○○
"That guy has been chasing us for a while now."
Perched on the Chimera, Rugolf looked sluggish, not showing any signs of seriousness. I began to question whether he had any intention of catching us seriously.
"I see it, the staircase!"
I dove into the light streaming from the stairs that connected the underground and the surface, sprinting up a step at a time to reach the first floor. If we made it this far, it should be safe since there were people around, and we couldn't afford to engage in anything dangerous. That was, assuming that no one in the castle was being controlled by 【Domination】.
-Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.
"What's... that ground-shaking...?"
"...?"
"Oh, my bad feeling was right."
From the left side of the corridor, many demon soldiers ran towards us, each wielding swords and spears with bloodshot eyes. Of course, from below the stairs, Rugolf, riding the Chimera, appeared.
"Is everyone in the castle being controlled by him?"
In every conceivable way, it was the worst-case scenario. The entire castle had become the enemy's territory. It's hard to imagine that they would let us escape quietly in this situation.
"Anyway, to the exit!"
I dashed towards the entrance main gate from where we came in. But it's completely sealed off!
Running down the corridor, we approached a crossroads. Turning left would lead to the exit, but there was also a massive group of soldiers coming from that direction. If it were just me, I might have a chance, but with Beato and Mel-chan in my arms, breaking through would be impossible. Moreover, soldiers were coming from the front as well.
"In that case, this way!"
No one was coming from the right side.
I turned here, trying to find an exit, maybe a window. Glancing around, it felt like I was being gradually led towards the center of the castle.
"...Alright, there's a window!"
After running for a while, I finally found one. It was a sliding glass door. I couldn't see outside, but it was bright, and I was sure it was an exit. Soldiers were now rushing towards us directly.
No time to hesitate. Sorry, I'll cover the repair costs later! Apologizing in my mind, I delivered a high kick towards the window. There was a loud noise, and the window frame blew away.
"...W-We didn't break it. The window is still intact."
Mel-chan was trembling in fear, but I just miscalculated the force. Anyway, now we needed to get out quickly. Stepping over to the place where the window was, I landed on the grassy area.
Alright, successful escape... or not.
"This is the courtyard..."
We landed in a simple garden surrounded by the walls of the castle in all directions, located at the center. Oh no, was this what the enemy wanted all along? We fell right into their trap.
"Well, good job... I suppose."
Rugolf had somehow caught up. Lying on the back of the Chimera, he lazily yawned while looking down at us.
"Summon."
A magic circle unfolded, summoning soldiers instead of monsters. What do we do? We're completely cornered.
"Ugh... That's the end of the plan. From here, I'll handle things freely... Huh, so tired..."
Watching from the Chimera and being a complete jerk; he had some nerve. Now, what should I do? I couldn't kill the soldiers, considering the future relationship between Corcut and Stige. Despite being inexperienced, I would do my best not to take lives.
But, well... I had no idea what would happen if Beato was in danger. Could I stay calm in such a situation?
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