My hazy consciousness gradually began to clear, and as my vision sharpened, a familiar scene came into view. A distorted space that looked as though blue and white paint had been dissolved into water and swirled together.
There was no doubt about it. This place was…
“I’ve been waiting for you, Daishi Ajiri!”
The women completed their own teleportation into the space moments later. Behind me, they assumed combat positions, facing the monstrous demon standing approximately ten meters ahead of us.
“Rakshasa, I presume.”
“I shall never forget the humiliation you inflicted upon me that day!”
It hadn’t been all that long ago that I’d defeated Rakshasa right here. I was certain I’d reduced him to dust with the combination of Hell Gate and Cremation skill. And yet, there he stood before us, perfectly composed, as though none of that had ever happened.
Apparently, he retained his memories, too. As for the humiliation he spoke of, he was probably referring to that pose I’d struck just before finishing him off. You know, the one where I stuck my butt out and let rip a silent-but-deadly fart to activate Hell Gate .
Of course, back then, I hadn’t known the skill’s activation requirements, so it couldn’t really be helped. Still, from the perspective of the poor bastard on the receiving end, it must have been a thoroughly unpleasant memory.
“Is that the same Buddha statue Daishi-san fought at the temple?”
“That’s right, Satsuki-chan. That guy is the real Rakshasa.”
“Maybe it’s because his body has shrunk, but he looks weaker than the statue…”
“No, the statue doesn’t even begin to compare to how strong he really was. And the Rakshasa standing right in front of us now is…”
“That’s right! Today, I’m 530,000 times stronger than I was back then!”
Yeah, right. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think? He was obviously just looking for an excuse to throw the number 530,000 around.
“That might not be an empty boast after all. Its combat power is truly off the charts.”
Perhaps drawing on her extensive battle experience, Shion-san gave her assessment of Rakshasa with cold sweat trickling down her face. As for Ryunosuke-kun, he had crouched down behind Shion-san, trembling violently from head to tail.
“F-For now, we’ll hang back and provide support, Daishi-san… We’ll leave the frontline to you!”
“Hey, you don’t have to retreat quite that far…”
Mina-chan had fallen back even farther than Ryunosuke-kun, staff at the ready.
She’d already deployed a green defensive barrier and was the only one following the strategy “Prioritize Your Own Survival.”
Oh, and the Space-Time Rabbit had vanished again without me even noticing! That bastard really does nothing but lead the way.
Honestly, we don’t even need a guide. Maybe I should make a meal out of him the next time he shows up.
Eh?
Comments began pouring out at this time too:
| > Looks like Rakshasa has revived just fine > He looks the same as last time > But he’s stronger than before, right? > If he comes back to life even after you beat him, isn’t he immortal? > It’ll be an infinite loop unless they defeat the loli goddess > W-Well, at least they can neutralize him > Seriously, can the old man even win this? > Isn’t everyone except the old man scared out of their minds? > Satsuki-chan’s just standing there with her mouth hanging open, lol > Mina-chan, that’s cheating! You’re the only one protecting yourself! > Mina-san just wants to make it out alive, no matter what > You can’t exactly call that “providing support,” lol |
The viewers had a point!
Mina-chan, how about casting that defensive magic on me, too?!
“Well, I’m not a complete monster. I have absolutely no intention of laying a hand on any of the ladies here, provided they’re not Daishi Ajiri. I can at least maintain that much self-restraint within this realm.”
No, you literally are a monster. Why are you trying to sound so cool?
And what’s with the “here” part? Are you trying to justify how you lost all restraint in the real world, which was why you tried to crush Satsuki-chan along with me when we fought in front of the temple?
Well, to be fair, you were acting pretty weird and talking strangely when you were in that Buddha statue form, so I’ll let you have that excuse. But seriously, you don’t need to bring up such irrelevant details.
“Do you give me your word, Rakshasa?”
“I am a gentleman. I swear upon the Dungeon Master that I shall never lay a hand on the ladies—”
Rakshasa had been moving his gaze from one woman to the next, as though appraising them. But now, his expression suddenly froze. His eyes had landed on Mina-chan, who had already surrounded herself with a thick layer of defensive barriers.
“Raaaaaaargh!!”
“…Huh?”
The moment Rakshasa suddenly let out a mighty roar, his figure vanished from right before our eyes. At the same time, a gust of wind suddenly swept past me.
KRAAAAAASH!!
A sound like shattering glass erupted from behind us!
I immediately spun around, finally understanding what had happened in that split second.
Rakshasa had shot past me at incredible speed, smashing through every single defensive barrier Mina-chan had deployed with nothing more than a full-speed charge. And for some inexplicable reason, he had brought his face right up close to hers!
“Ah…”
Faced with Rakshasa’s utterly unexpected move, we all froze, completely helpless!
Mina-chan was no different. She didn’t even have time to think of her next move. All she could do was stare up in terror at Rakshasa’s face, which had suddenly appeared right in front of her!
HEY! WHAT HAPPENED TO NOT LAYING A HAND ON THE LADIES?!
“Mina-chan!”
Damn it! I couldn’t just stand by and watch this happen! I had to rescue Mina-chan, and fast…
…Huh?
“So… your name is Mina, is it?”
“Y-yes.”
“…You are beautiful.”
“Pardon?”
“Never in my life have I laid eyes upon a woman whose face was so breathtakingly beautiful.”
Uhh, excuse me, Rakshasa-san?
I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about right now.
“Th-thank you…”
“Mina-san!!”
“Y-yes?!”
“Please… please marry me!!”
“?!?!”
…Seriously. What in the actual hell is going on here?
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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