High School Hack and Slash Chapter 68 Part 2
「Even if we, or rather, even if Touma were to assist you, would it be still impossible?」
「There’s no need for you guys to step in. That’s our role. And that’s also what Asura-chan wants.」
「That’s not it, if this is an『Invasion (Barbatoi)』 type raid, you see, from what I heard, perhaps we won’t be able to get out.」
「… Maybe, it won’t be like that.」
Biting his finger, Kaoru frowned.
「Even if we are sacrificial pawns, the purpose of the academy should be to gather information. If that’s the case, they’d need to retrieve us. As per the time limit for an advanced rank stated in the preliminary documents, we will be subjected to a compulsory return six days after logging in. I think that was the plan all along.」
「And then, feigning ignorance afterwards, huh. That’s a probable possibility, but… are you sure you’re okay with that?」
「Both you and I can’t afford to step down in such a place at this point. With that much reasons, we’re here right now. Isn’t that right?」
As if spitting them out, the words he put together were not directed at anyone else, but akin to being told to himself.
「You mustn’t be swayed by emotions and misplace your priorities….」
◇ ◇ ◇
The morning of the fifth day in the outside world’s time arrived.
The air inside the interception base is, to put it mildly, the worst, I think.
As opposed to stormy and desperate, the atmosphere is somber, as if they have given up on something.
I pat the heads of Shizuka and Mikan-senpai, who are lying on my lap.
Everyone must have been anxious.
With both Shizuka and the other and the Senpais, we spent the night huddled together.
It’s a rather unusual situation, or rather, a situation I’ve experienced for the first time.
Incidentally, everyone is wearing clothes.
Strangely enough, it didn’t lead to an erotic development.
No, I knew the reason why.
It’s because my mind and body have been in battle mode all the time.
Prepare yourself, the enemy is here, it says.
Even if the color of the sky that can be seen through the window remains the same, if you take a look at the clock, it shows that the day has begun.
The same goes for everyone who is huddled together like kittens, as some of them are rubbing their eyes and yawning cutely, starting to wake up.
Shizuka-san’s hand movement as she strokes my thigh is subtly lewd.
*Thud thud thud* I hear the sound of footsteps running up the stairs.
As Kurumi-senpai pushes the door open with a bang, everyone, who is still half asleep, jumps with a start.
*Haa, haa* Out of breath, Kurumi-senpai’s face is pale.
「It’s gone… The ham, the cheese, the bread I baked to make rusks, everything!」
It seems that we’ve got a very gluttonous thief.
Or rather, the culprit is too easy to identify.
「Where’s, Doggy-senpai?」
「She’s disappeared! I’m currently having everyone at Black Honey look for her, but…. Could it be….」
I have a feeling that, someone, must have ended up making some mistakes.
◇ ◇ ◇
A small figure ran down a nature-type dungeon corridor.
Bread and salami sausages protruded from the arabesque furoshiki carried on the back.
Asura’s feet never stopped as she continued to munch on the chunks of ham.
Passing through the third stratum, she headed for the fourth stratum, and passing through the fourth stratum, she headed for the fifth stratum.
The current Asura didn’t particularly feel hungry.
That was the fuel she burned to activate the karma.
Since when had she ended up forgetting about this?
Was the trigger when she got her hands on the『Watchdog of the Bottomless Pit (Over-Gluttony Gear)』 in the dungeon?
As the compensation of attaining great power, Asura lost the bliss of being『satisfied』.
The craving where she continued to starve.
The hunger that she continued to have.
This was the fundamental component of the human being called Asura, cultivated through near-death experiences of starving to death that she had wandered through countless times since she was born.
In other words, 『karma』.
The ever-growing『power』 and『hunger』 would eventually begin to eat away at the existence called Asura itself.
The synchronization with the paradigm tool called the Key of Origin (Origin Gear) was nothing but a trigger.
Originally, from the very beginning, Asura had never known the bliss of being『satisfied』.
This was why she happened across the『Watchdog of The Bottomless Pit (Over-Gluttony Gear)』.
It could be said that this was also a『karma』.
Things that should be, in the form they should be.
This was the law of the world, as well as『Fate』.
Even if she hadn’t obtained the『Watchdog of The Bottomless Pit (Over-Gluttony Gear)』, most likely the existence called Asura would have eventually been consumed by the urge of『gluttony』 and become a martyr to her karma.
However, such a『law of the right world』 where『things that should be, in the form they should be』 was carelessly altered without any sort of respect, like simply turning a switch.
There was no concept of good or evil in this action that had trampled down fate.
If there was someone who performed such a thing with such an intention, they ought to be a『hard to describe something』 that had deviated from the framework of the『World』 and had become『things that should not be, in the form they should not be』.
Such Asura, who had been released from her『karma』 without her knowledge, had unknowingly forgotten about『the self who had never known the bliss of being satisfied』.
That happened in an overly natural manner as it had been very comfortable and kind to Asura.
As she was about to lose it, she finally remembered.
The『craving』 of extreme hunger that was akin to a bottomless pit.
Her own『karma』.
The『bliss』 in that small palm that she was on the verge of losing.
「Found it….」
The depth of the dungeon.
In the innermost part of the sixth stratum, a huge body was staying still with its back turned on the stratum gate.
The monster, sitting there with a huge body that seemed to dominate the chamber, moved its mouth with a crunch.
The hideous looking monster looked down at Asura with glowing red eyes.
Its bull-like blue jewel horns glistened, as if they were pulsating.
Its deeply wrinkled, frowning, lion-like face was clearly laughing.
As it opened its fanged mouth and stuck out his tongue, like candy, there were multicolored pearls on top of it.
*Crunch crunch* As if to show it off, it began to suck and chew on them again.
「Give it back….」
Even though Asura didn’t know what they were, she could intuit that they were something important, something that had been stolen from them.
「Give them back! Give everyone back to me!」
It was a howl, a cry of anger.
As Asura’s body creaked, the eyes of the kigurumi glowed.
Asura charged on it head-on, but was blocked by an invisible barrier.
It was the Divine Gear, 『Brilliance of Praise (Dingil Meram)』, which nullified all the attacks of the Black Honey members.
「Aaaaaaaaargh!!」
As Asura, who was getting stopped in mid-air, raised her hands, the claws of both hands stuck out like knives.
The claws, which were thrust into the invisible barrier, cut through the resistance as if biting into it.
With a bang, its huge fist, which was swung down casually, sent Asura’s body flying with a force akin to a building’s wrecking ball.
As the squashed furball slammed into the wall like a bullet with a crack, the rock crumbled.
As the huge body stood up with a cry, at the same time, Asura, who had turned herself around while blowing away the rock fragments, rushed on it.
The blood splash on her mouth as she raised a war cry was the remnants of her wholly broken bones as well as ruptured internal organs.
The combo of the out-of-the-ordinary regenerative power of『Watchdog of the Bottomless Pit (Over-Gluttony Gear)』 and the『Gluttony』 ability to eat and absorb the power of the opponent exhibited a fearsome battle endurance prowess.
However, the more she let the power of『Gluttony』 go out of control (overload), the more the existence of the girl named Asura itself would be eaten away.
Baring her fangs and stabbing her claws, Asura tore apart the huge body.
Raising a cry, biting, ripping off, and devouring, she had turned into a beast of gluttony.
The wolf, which had gone through the barrage of fists that gouged the ground, used its jaws to bite at the neck.
The giant, who had had the flesh of its throat bitten off, grasped the Asura wolf with both hands as if it felt no pain.
A blue blood stream gushed out from the giant, who had had the bones that seemed to be the neck bone crushed.
However, in exchange for that damage that normally would’ve been fatal, Asura, who had ended up being captured, was slammed against the ground.
*Boom boom boom* Along with earth tremor, the ground caved into the shape of a crater with Asura, who was trampled down, as the center.
Clamping its fists together and holding them up high, the giant swung them down toward the reddish-black stain.
NEXT CHAPTER
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High School Hack and Slash
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