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High School Hack and Slash Chapter 2 Part 4

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Translator: Pasifista

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「Shi, zuka…!」

　Sharp claws protruded from the cleavage of Shizuka’s, whom he reflexively embraced, and with a stab, pierced into Touma’s body as well.

　At the same time as the claws retreated back into Shizuka’s body, along with snapping sounds, the sound of something being torn could be heard from her back.

　A lurking black mass that looked as if crouching on the floor.

　The hand of the pure black human shadow, which looked as if a human’s shadow that had turned into a three-dimensional figure, was holding a pulsating, bright red lump of flesh.

　As the head of the shadow split to two sides, the shark teeth-like white jagged fangs chewed on the lump of flesh, creating munching sounds.

　Being embraced in Touma’s arms, Shizuka showed a troubled bitter smile at a hot feeling that felt as though her back were burning, rather than pain, and the outline of her body disintegrated into like that of fireflies in an instant.

「Not good! That’s probably『Natural Enemy – Aggressor』! We’ve stayed in the same place for too long.」

「Ah, ah, ah….」

　Next to Seiichi, who rigidly shouted with a startled face, Mai, who witnessed the scene of Shizuka having her heart dug out from her back, lost the strength of her body.

　Things were moving properly and favorably for them.

　Due to a small stroke of luck, the illusory world, namely reality, trampled them down after the meager break time was over.

　Even if they had assumed death from the beginning, when the incarnation of fear appeared in front of them, their instinct was to scramble and run.

　Warmth had already vanished from Touma’s arms, who had gone stiff, and all that was left was the remains of Shizuka, who had scattered as if having turned into particles of lights and vanished into air.

　Shizuka’s vestige.

　It was a small crystal that rolled into Touma’s hand from the depths of her body as it scattered into fireflies.

　A mild and faintly shining polyhedral crystal, similar to her.

　Licking its dyed red fingers, the black human shadow turned its gaping mouth into like that of a crescent moon and extended its arm toward Touma, who stood petrified in place.

「Sha!」

　In instinctual reflex against those that stole what was his, Touma unleashed a thrusting attack.

　Coming to his sense of feedback that was like that of punching a bulky tire, he tightly clenched his fists and unleashed them for the second and third time.

「Stop, you can’t beat it. That one is a bad news.」

「I see.」

　Evading the black human shadow, which was approaching him with outstretched arms like a child who was wishing for something, like a bullfighter, Touma unleashed a straight fist.

　The black human shadow, which looked as if dressed in black rag, was by no means an existent with either a huge body or swift movements.

　Rather than trying to attack Touma himself, its movements were more akin to outstretching its arms toward the carrot dangling in front of it.

　Thus, even while occasionally receiving cut injuries from its sickle like claws, Touma continued to single mindedly punch the black human shadow.

　Touma’s ears could hear Seiichi’s voice trying to stop him, but he could not understand its meaning.

　Even if it wasn’t someone he had special feelings for, even if it wasn’t the first girl whom he had sex with on a whim, having something stolen right in front of his eyes still made fury well up from the depth of his stomach.

　It was to the point he couldn’t care less about the fear toward the monster or the pain of his continuously punching fists that had turned bloody.

　Touma was furious at an absolutely unforgiveable enemy he’d encountered for the first time in his life.

　He punched, punched, punched, punched, punched.

　He simply single mindedly punched and punched and punched.

　His left hand lost its ability to clench a fist first, so he continued to punch with his right hand, which was still grasping Shizuka’s crystal.

　The black human shadow began to distort into a strange, uneven shape, and without even reaching out its arm, it turned into a black, rock-like mass.

　Eventually, in the dim chamber where neither Seiichi’s voice nor Mai’s groan could be heard, the remains of the black human shadow turned flat.

　Expressionlessly raising his right arm overhead, Touma was intending to smash his bloody right fist, whose fingers had broken, straight downward.

「It’s over.」

　Seiichi, holding Touma’s shoulder from behind, kicked away the black rag that had remained on the floor.

　The only ones remaining on the floor were bloodstains dripping from Touma’s wounds as well as the ones spattered from Shizuka’s back.

「… I see.」

「Yeah, … rather, it looks like it wasn’t an aggressor, but another kind of monster. I mean, it was said to be immortal, after all.」

　Seiichi bore fear to Touma, who was repeatedly breathing roughly in silence, beyond that to monsters, but still maintained his calm.

「But still, you sure are amazing. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard of anyone beating a monster to death.」

「My hands hurt.」

「Of course they do. The bones are visible. The fingers are bent in weird ways, so creepy. By the way, I’ve decided to never fight you, so if I ever do something that upsets you, be sure to tell me with words. I’ll run away, after all.」

　Seiichi gingerly approached Touma, who was staring fixedly at his own hands, with a rigid face.

　The left hand, which lost its ability to clench a fist first, had its middle and pinky finger broken and dangled limply.

　But even so, it was still better than the right fist, where all but the pinky and ring fingers had broken, torn, the skin had ruptured and the bones were exposed, and the grasped crystal had dug and pierced into the palm.

「My bad, I have no way to treat it. Mai, can you wrap it with a piece of cloth or something to hold it in place?」

「Hie!」

　Mai, who was in a daze while still limply seated on the floor where a puddle had emerged, raised her face to Seiichi’s calling and inched backward as if to indicate her refusal.

「… I guess you can’t blame her for being freaked out, huh.」

「Yeah, she lost her roommate, after all.」

「Well, there’s that too…. Yeah, instead of a shirt….」

「Agi.」

　Such a voice that sounded like nothing but a strange cry turned out to be Mai’s death throes.

　A club that was swung down from her right rear struck Mai, who had lost the strength of her body and was in a toppled backward state, on the head.

　The blow, which landed on her head without even giving a chance to put up a defense, broke her neck bone and ended her life without letting her to feel any pain.

　At the same time as her body was losing all strength, similar to Shizuka, her body disintegrated into fireflies.

「Mai! Damn it, this time it’s a goblin, huh.」

　The one standing on the place where Mai had vanished was a humanoid monster that boasted a skin color akin to that of a stagnant ditch.

　With a pot lid like shield and a rugged log-like club in hands, the article on its nether region, where a rag was wrapped around it like a loincloth, was swinging.

　It scurried around looking for Mai, whom it had personally sent to return from death, and its article that was expectant of what would happen after knocking her down was also indignant.

「Sonuva!」

　Seiichi, realizing the scene should Mai have survived, rushed over to the baton and plastic shield he had thrown on the floor.

　As the dull pain on both hands that felt as though being scorched with fire was gradually intensifying, Touma grit his teeth.

　Opening his left fist, which could barely move, he grabbed the rag left behind by the black human shadow that had remained on the floor.

　The rag did not reflect any light at all as if it was woven of shadows, and felt like the skin of a living creature.

　Biting and tearing it apart, he wrapped it around his right fist like a bandage.

　The shadow cloth, which stickily stuck like a sticky tape, was wrapped even around his right hand before then being twined around her upper body, over his tattered uniform.

　It gave off a sickening feeling like being wrapped by rawhide that had just been peeled off, as well as a chilly feeling that seemed to permeate him.

「Behind you, Seiichi!」

　Turning around, Touma promptly raised a shout.

　A ramming attack with the plastic shield.

　Straddling the goblin that had tumbled over facing upward, Seiichi madly swung down the baton, but was then pierced with a spear that seemed as though protruding from his back.

　The second goblin let go of the spear that had pierced through Seiichi from his back to his chest and frolicked about.

　For it to feel joy upon killing its prey meant it had a certain extent of intelligence.

　However, it was still foolish enough to get too immersed in joy and defenselessly receive Touma’s neck breaker.

「Kuh, haha…. As expected, I absolutely won’t ever fight you, Touma….」

　The goblin, which was slammed on the floor with its throat still tightly locked with an elbow, disintegrated into fireflies just like Shizuka and Mai.

　Just like the goblin that vanished under Seiichi.

　The spear of the goblin whose neck bone was broken by Touma also vanished along with its body.

　Seiichi’s body, which had lost its support pillar, collapsed on its back.

　Even if he didn’t die due to shock, Touma could tell that Seiichi, whose shirt of his uniform had been dyed red, had received a fatal injury.

「Damn it, as expected it hurts…. If I’m going to die anyway, it could’ve given me an instant death instead. But, cough… I did, I did it… me too.」

「Seiichi.」

「As expected, vengeance, is not my style… My bad, Touma… I’m going, first.」

「–Go in peace. My best friend.」

　Next to Touma’s feet, Seiichi’s body turned into fireflies, leaving behind a red puddle of blood.

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