He who Protects the Transforming Heroines from The Shadows - Chapter 22 - Reizeroll Showdown (Part 3)

Reizeroll’s sword was about to pierce through Spriggan’s body.

Convinced this was the end, Reizeroll was certain of victory.

But—

“…!?”

Just a mere millimeter before it struck, the tip of the blade was blocked by hardened darkness.

“What is this…?”

Before she knew it, Reizeroll realized that from Spriggan’s body, the same kind of black aura as hers own had begun to drift.

Spriggan’s left hand wavered, then touched the wrist with which Reizeroll was holding him up.

The half-dead monster grabbed Reizeroll’s wrist with unbelievable strength.

“Guh…!?”

Crack! — a nasty sound echoed from her wrist. At that signal of pain, a sensation Reizeroll had long forgotten, she reflexively let go.

She immediately took some distance with a backstep.

“Cough! Cough, cough! …Haa, haa, haa…”

Spriggan inhaled like retching, gasping violently for breath.

(What…? What just happened?)

Reizeroll poured dark power into what was likely the broken bones in her wrist, mending them. Such a level of damage would normally heal on its own in an hour, but this was mid-battle. So Reizeroll chose to expend energy on rapid recovery despite the drain.

With maximum caution, she manifested dozens of shadow arms around her. Then summoned dozens more soldiers.

All of them launched attacks at Spriggan, who was still heaving with breath.

(Tch… My stamina really is wearing thin, but I can’t retreat yet.)

Spriggan was still alive. Reizeroll had set up such a troublesome trap tonight specifically to eliminate this unknown factor in her plan. Withdrawing without results could not be called success.

“Haa, haa, haa… Annoying.”

The shadow arms reached for Eito. The weapons of the skeletal soldiers swung down to kill him.

But in the next instant, all of them were mercilessly slashed apart.

“!?”

Even Reizeroll’s eyes widened at this. For even with her sight, the slashes had been almost invisible.

Spriggan extended his left hand forward. Then, from the void, spiked chains shot out at terrifying speed toward Reizeroll. Twenty of them, at least.

(No incantations? What does that mean?)

Up until now, Spriggan always spoke words when using power. The fact that he did so meant those words were a necessary step to invoke his ability. Otherwise, there was no reason for him to bother.

But this time, Spriggan had said nothing.

And what that implied—

Reizeroll let some chains be intercepted by the newly summoned shadow arms, while she herself struck down the rest.

That same black aura around Spriggan’s body was proof of strengthening through darkness. And now, he no longer required words to use his powers. This was not the same Spriggan as before.

(…Something has happened to him. And whatever it is, it’s troublesome for me. Then the only thing to do is adapt. I will kill him for sure this time.)

Reizeroll cloaked her sword in darkness. If the current Spriggan could also harden his body with darkness, then converting darkness into destructive force was the best choice.

With wary eyes, Reizeroll glared at Spriggan.

Spriggan stretched his left hand straight out. At some point, his right-hand sword had also become shrouded in darkness, just like Reizeroll’s. No matter how much she hardened her body, Reizeroll could not avoid damage from that destructive blade.

Because Spriggan hung his head low, his expression could not be seen. Together with the black aura rising from his body, that sight was deeply uncanny even for Reizeroll.

A vortex of darkness appeared where Spriggan extended his hand.

Sensing an attack incoming, Reizeroll readied her sword.

But the attack never came. Instead, Spriggan vanished into the vortex of darkness.

“What in the—!?”

Spriggan disappeared suddenly from this world. That unexpected occurrence brought confusion even to Reizeroll’s face.

(Was that teleportation? Then did he escape somewhere? Or else—)

Just as Reizeroll was reaching a possible answer, a presence appeared behind her without warning.

(Tch!? So it is an attack through teleportation…!)

Reizeroll swung her sword at the same time she turned.

A counterattack born of reflex. A strike worthy of being called godspeed.

But Spriggan avoided that blow with reflexes just as superhuman.

(He dodged this…!?!)

Reizeroll’s widened eyes caught Spriggan’s golden gaze.

At its center, darkness shimmered.

(He strengthened his eyes with darkness…!)

Realizing the reason for Spriggan’s reactions, Reizeroll was already too late.

Spriggan’s sword cleaved into Reizeroll’s body.

“Guh…!”

Though she had hardened her body with darkness, this time it had little effect.

Bl00d sprayed from the slash across her right shoulder. Unlike Dark Thralls and Darkians, Reizeroll’s bl00d was an ordinary red.

Eito’s attack did not stop there. He leveled the sword horizontally, then thrust it straight into Reizeroll’s body.

“Gah…!?”

Pierced through the abdomen, pain wracked Reizeroll. But that was only the beginning.

Spriggan then kicked the hilt of the sword embedded in her with full force.

“Ghhhhh—!?”

Pain beyond comparison exploded through Reizeroll as she was hurled away.

With Spriggan’s physical strength, further enhanced by darkness, the blow carried more than enough force to send any humanoid body flying.

♦

“……”

After confirming that he had blown Reizeroll away, Eito moved to the center of the barrier.

Looking up, he saw shattered marks at the very top—the place he had kicked through from the outside.

Eito raised his right hand. Immediately, a torrent of explosive darkness surged upward from it, shooting into the sky.

The torrent exited through the hole at the top where he had broken in. From there, all of it poured upward into the sky.

Once it reached a certain altitude, the torrent suddenly sharpened into countless spears of darkness and rained down upon the barrier.

““““!?”””

That black rain pierced the barrier and poured down all the way to the ground. The condition for breaking the barrier was receiving a certain amount of impact from the outside. By that logic, this was certainly an ideal method for destroying it.

However, the rain’s lethality was far too great.

The black downpour struck with such sharpness that it embedded itself into the concrete ground.

Faced with this sudden development, the four onlookers were thrown into confusion.

“It’s attacking indiscriminately!? What the hell is he thinking!?”
“How should I know!? Everyone, dodge!”
“D-dodge? But where!?”
“There’s nowhere to—!”

Even as they argued, the black rain of darkness was about to fall upon them. Naturally, it was an attack that covered the entire field. Avoiding it, even for the Lightguide Princesses and the Guardian, was nearly impossible.

But in the next instant, the four were enveloped in light and vanished.

♦

“…! Finally…”

Once the rain of destruction ended, Eito collapsed to his knees. His breathing was ragged—his stamina had already reached its limit.

(What the hell… what just happened? Who the hell was using my body?)

When Reizeroll had been strangling him, Eito had felt something like a will pressing upon him. From that point on, his body had been seized by something else.

His consciousness had remained. That’s why he remembered what had happened. But he had no idea what exactly had been done to his body.

Only now had his freedom of movement finally returned to him.

(Still… the result itself wasn’t bad. I landed a solid hit on Reizeroll, and completely destroyed the barrier. It’s just… in the end, I dragged those guys into danger…)

For the time being, Eito set aside his questions and considered the outcome.

With the barrier shattered, teleportation had become possible. Most likely, Soleil—who had been observing the situation through one of their eyes—had transferred the four of them away. The timing had been close, almost too close.

He would have to thank Soleil later. It grated on him, but in this case, he’d have to be honest.

(! That’s right—Reizeroll…!)

The destruction had left terrible scars on the area, but Eito forced himself to accept that and turned his golden eyes in the direction Reizeroll had been blasted.

Scanning the surroundings where the enemy should have landed, he found no trace of Reizeroll.

“Did she get away…?”

There was a pool of bl00d some distance away, but nothing else. Reizeroll was nowhere to be seen. Most likely, she had teleported away. Eito knew that Reizeroll could sink into her own shadow and vanish to another place, so it wasn’t hard to imagine.

(So when I broke the barrier, she was able to teleport too… Well, it was her barrier to begin with—she probably could’ve dispelled it herself anyway.)

In truth, it was a relief that Reizeroll had withdrawn. If Reizeroll had chosen to keep fighting instead of retreating with her injuries, Eito would likely have ended up dead.

“She’s not dead, obviously… but still, that was a hell of an attack.”

A normal human would’ve died instantly—slashed, stabbed, and kicked away like that. No one could survive that.

“Well… now what…”

Averting his eyes from the surrounding devastation, Eito thought. Ordinarily, he would’ve wanted to speak with Soleil directly. But since Soleil hadn’t spoken to him after witnessing all that, it meant she was in no position to.

(Most likely, Soleil transferred those guys to the Divine Realm and is dealing with them there…)

Just as he was thinking that, the area around him began to grow noisy.

Looking around, he saw scattered figures of people and cars appearing here and there.

“Crap! That’s right—since they’re gone, the barrier’s gone too…!”

This was a main street—normally a place bustling with people. With the Lightguide Princesses gone, their concealment barrier had vanished, and people were beginning to return.

“Tactical Retreat, Commence…!”

Eito hurriedly bolted from the scene.

♦

As Eito had guessed, Youka, Miya, and Akatsuki had been transferred to the Divine Realm where Soleil resided. However, there was no sign of Scarecrow anywhere.

“Are you three all right!?”

Soleil’s voice echoed across the light-filled Divine Realm.

At the sound and sight of her, the Lightguide Princesses cried out in surprise.

“S–Soleil-sama!?”
“Wh–why is Soleil-sama…?”

Youka and Miya wore baffled expressions, but though Akatsuki was still startled, she gradually pieced things together.

“I see, so that’s how it is… You two, Soleil-sama saw our situation and transferred us here. Isn’t that right, Soleil-sama?”
“Yes, that’s exactly as you say, Lightguide Princess Akatsuki. I was watching over the situation through your eyes and ears. I’m sorry for sharing them with you without asking, even if it was an emergency.”

Soleil bowed her head apologetically. The goddess’s action made Akatsuki fluster, and she waved his hands rapidly.

“No, no, please don’t bow your head over something like that! I don’t mind it at all, and thanks to that, we’re safe now!”

Indeed, they would have been in grave danger if Soleil hadn’t transferred them. At least, Akatsuki herself had no way of defending against the black rain Spriggan unleashed.

“I’m glad to hear you say that …If I am allowed to explain myself, I tried to transfer you here when Reizeroll first appeared, but that barrier of hers prevented teleportation. That’s why I was only able to transfer you at the moment that mysterious person calling himself Spriggan destroyed the barrier.”

Soleil said this to the Lightguide Princesses with deliberate composure. In truth, she wanted nothing more than to speak with the injured, violent Eito immediately, but first she had to tend to these three.

“I see… Um, Soleil-sama, the Guardian who was with us isn’t here. What happened to him?”

The three Lightguide Princesses had accepted her explanation. Then Youka asked her that. Scarecrow had been enveloped by the same light as they had, yet he was nowhere to be seen.

“Ah, as for that Guardian, Ralva transferred him. Guardians aren’t under my jurisdiction, so only Ralva can transfer them. Likewise, Ralva cannot transfer Lightguide Princesses.”
“I see, that’s a relief…”
“Yes, it puts me at ease…”

Unaware of that fact, Youka and Miya both breathed sighs of relief. Unlike them, Akatsuki already knew this, so she hadn’t been worried about it.

“Um, Soleil-sama. May I ask one thing?”

Miya spoke firmly to Soleil. In her eyes was a mix of conviction and unease.

“Yes, what is it?”
“If Soleil-sama was watching over everything that happened, then this must have been the first time you saw Spriggan’s appearance.”
“Yes, that’s right. I had heard about Spriggan from you, but this was the first time I saw him.”

Soleil replied to Miya’s words. In truth, this was a lie—she had secretly shared Miya’s vision back when Eito first transformed and saved Youka and Miya, so she had seen him before.

“Um… Spriggan does use the power of darkness, and he is an enigma. Without your transfer, Soleil-sama, we might have been pierced by the black rain he unleashed. But… I don’t think Spriggan is a bad person, or an enemy..”

At that, Miya took a deep breath. Certainly, Spriggan had seemed like a different person near the end of the battle with Reizeroll. To say she hadn’t felt fear then would be a lie.

But more importantly, Spriggan had saved them many times before. He was their benefactor. And Miya did not want Soleil to misunderstand him.

While Soleil, Youka, and Akatsuki quietly watched over her, Miya continued speaking.

“Spriggan has helped us many times. I don’t know why he chose to help us. But that fact doesn’t change. That’s why… I don’t want you to think of him as dangerous or evil.”

Her words didn’t come together well. How difficult it was to put all her feelings into words. But she wanted to convey her heart honestly to Soleil.

“Miya…”

Youka understood Miya’s feelings. She too had been saved many times by Spriggan. To have their benefactor thought of negatively was painful.

“…I feel the same way. We don’t know anything about who he really is, but to us, Spriggan is our benefactor. I want Soleil-sama to understand that.”

Following Miya, Youka also conveyed her feelings to Soleil. As Miya had said, they had nearly been struck by Spriggan’s attack at the very end, but something about him had seemed strange then. Youka thought perhaps that was the reason for the indiscriminate attack.

“You two…”

Soleil nearly said “thank you” to their words. Youka and Miya had understood the kindness of the boy who, alone, without telling anyone, without relying on anyone, fought while keeping his true identity hidden, in line with her unreasonable demand. That fact warmed Soleil’s heart.

But such words could never be spoken. No one could know she and Spriggan were connected. That was the rule she had set. Spriggan’s being a mysterious figure belonging to no faction—that itself held meaning.

“…Soleil-sama, I don’t trust Spriggan as much as these two do, but I don’t think he’s a bad person. I don’t know his intentions, but in the end, he was protecting us.”

After a brief pause, Akatsuki spoke as well. It was her first time meeting Spriggan, but from what she’d heard, she didn’t think Spriggan was evil.

Well, when Spriggan unleashed that indiscriminate rain with full killing power, Akatsuki had felt like shouting “Don’t screw with me” and even briefly harbored murderous intent. Still, since she was safe now, she decided to overlook it.

“I see… If that’s how you all feel, I’ll keep that in mind about Spriggan. I’ll also speak with Ralva about this, and pass along your thoughts.”

With a slightly stern expression, Soleil said this. On the surface, she had to maintain this stance.

“Yes. Please.”
“Thank you very much, Soleil-sama.”

Miya and Youka bowed their heads to her. Their sincere manner reflected their personalities.

“Please, raise your heads. You two have no need to bow. Just to be sure—none of you are injured, are you?”
“Ah, no, we’re fine. Including me, none of the Lightguide Princesses were hurt. Of course, that Ka— the Guardian is fine too.”

Akatsuki answered Soleil’s question. Spriggan had fought Reizeroll, and none of them had been wounded in the fight with the Dark Thrall.

“I see, that’s good. Well then, it’s late already, so let’s leave it at this for today. I’ll send you back to the surface. The coordinates will be the place where you were before the battle began. Is that all right?”

The three nodded to Soleil’s words. As she said, “Then,” their bodies began to be wrapped in light.

“Thank you for today, all three of you. And I’m sorry. When you were in danger, I couldn’t do anything for you…”

Until Spriggan destroyed the barrier completely, she could only watch and listen. The three had been constantly at risk, and at the end nearly caught up in Eito’s attack. As someone who forced such a life-threatening role as Lightguide Princess upon these girls, it was audacious even to think such things, but her words were Soleil’s honest feelings.

“That’s not true, Soleil-sama.”
“Yes, we’re always saved by your kindness!”
“Don’t belittle yourself so much, Goddess-sama.”

Miya, Youka, and Akatsuki answered her that way. Their words made Soleil feel once again the girls’ kindness, even as her self-loathing deepened.

(How long will I keep forcing these girls to fight…?)

Without letting even a trace of that thought show, Soleil smiled and said, “Yes, thank you,” until the three were fully returned to the surface.

Once they were completely enveloped in light, they returned to the world below.

“…Now then, first I must speak with Eito.”

Eito must be exhausted, but he had sustained serious wounds in the battle with Reizeroll. If necessary, she would have to arrange treatment for him.

“—Eito, can you hear me?”

Soleil immediately began telepathic communication with Eito.

♦

“—He is dangerous.”
“Well, yeah, no kidding.”

Meanwhile, Scarecrow, who had been transported to Ralva’s private space in the Divine Realm, was discussing Spriggan with Ralva.

Like Soleil, Ralva had observed the battle between Spriggan and Reizeroll through Scarecrow’s eyes.

The judgment Ralva rendered on Spriggan, after watching that fight, was the words he had just spoken.

“Oh, and thanks for teleporting me out of there. Honestly, that was bad. I was in real danger.”
“For that, I should be the one apologizing. Even if it was by chance, I dragged you into danger you should never have been involved in. I’m truly sorry, Scarecrow.”
“Nah, nah, that’s not something you need to apologize for. Still, that guy’s strength was not normal at all. No way he’s human, right?”

Even before the chief god, Scarecrow did not drop his frivolous attitude—though his choice of words was slightly different.

“Yes. The very fact that he could fight on even ground with Reizeroll already proves he’s not ordinary. And on top of that, he inflicted that much damage on Reizeroll all by himself. There’s no other word to define him but dangerous.”

The only clear thing they had learned about Spriggan from that battle was his extraordinary combat ability. Just as the rumors said, he wielded the power of darkness, with overwhelming physical ability. His true purpose remained unknown, and it was still unclear whether he was friend or foe.

“We’ll need to inform all the Lightguide Princesses and Guardians across the world about him. For now, only the Guardians and Lightguide Princesses in Japan, where Spriggan appeared, have been told of his existence.”
“That’s probably for the best, huh?”

Scarecrow gave a half-hearted response to Ralva’s words. He wasn’t interested in the finer points of divine judgment.

“Yes… I’ll have to speak with Soleil again. Ah, sorry, Scarecrow. I need to send you back to the surface now.”
“Much appreciated, Lord Ralva.”

With his usual frivolous grin, Scarecrow bowed his head lightly. His body was wrapped in light, and soon he vanished completely from Ralva’s presence.

“…Spriggan. Just what is he, really?”

That fundamental mystery weighed heavily on Ralva’s mind.

♦

“…What the hell was that feeling?”

Lying on his bed at home, Eito muttered those words.

For the time being, he had fled the scene, dispelled his transformation, and returned to his own room.

Just a short while ago, he had been conversing with Soleil through telepathy, but they had agreed to go into detail another day when Eito would visit the divine realm. The reason being, apparently, that he was too exhausted today.

“…Seriously, what a messed-up day. Even the wound on my shoulder from Reizeroll’s slash is just… gone.”

In fact, that had been Soleil’s greatest concern. But by the time Eito noticed, the wound had already vanished. He didn’t have the skill to use his dark power for healing, so it was a complete mystery.

(Could it be… when someone hijacked my body, they healed the wound using the darkness? Back then, I was somehow able to use power without incantations, and I even had my body constantly reinforced…)

There were far too many unanswered questions. Normally he would have wanted to dwell on them more, but an overwhelming drowsiness was crashing down on him.

(…So sleepy… Well, I guess that’s what happens after a day like this…)

Before he knew it, Eito’s breathing had become slow and steady in sleep. It couldn’t be helped—far too much had happened that day.

And thus, Eito’s long day finally came to an end.