Chapter 525: The Last to Laugh

The one who took action first was Vakala. By altering the shape and structure of his own body, increasing the number of his arms and joints, he was able to move in ways that would have been impossible for a human being. Until then, he had been fighting mainly with bone blades and fists. But now, in addition to that, he is shooting bones from his body and changing the shape of his fists with each swing, making his attacks unpredictable. Those attacks are also applied with poison and other magic, so even the slightest scratch couldn’t be ignored.

「Ugh!」

「Oh, I finally landed a hit!」

Between attacks, Vakala’s arm bent like a whip and touched Haruna’s cheek. Normally, it would be a minor injury, but as mentioned above, his attacks are poisonous. Haruna immediately took the antidote that she had put in her teeth beforehand, but this was only a stopgap measure. It’s not something that can completely cure the deadly poison in her body, and is only a temporary measure to allow her body to move. That’s why she can’t take any more attack, and she can’t let the match to drag on.

「Now, what are you going to do, Haruna-chan!? How are you going to get out of this predicament!?」

As soon as they landed on the ground, Vakala shot a large number of bone needles from his abdomen. Haruna was hit in the arms and legs by some of these needles, but she was able to knock down most of them as she moved forward. Then, she slashed the three arms that came at her and threw her Doggan Staff.

「Being in a pinch is something usual!」

「Nuuuh!?」

The Doggan Staff pierced Vakala’s upper body, giving him a strong impact that he would have been blown away if he hadn’t held his ground. However, Haruna’s onslaught didn’t end there. She grabbed Vakala’s and immediately used her Aiki.

「Hou…. So this is Haruna-chan’s sorcery that I’ve been hearing about. I see, I can’t move my body at all. The current Kira’s body is undergoing complex changes, but you still can do it. Moreover, the flow of magic power has stopped. I didn’t know this technique could seal magic as well.」

Haruna used her Aiki for the first time in this battle, and it’s very effective even against Vakala. To the untrained eye, it appears as if Haruna simply grabbed one of Vakala’s arms, but in fact, no matter how much power Vakala exerted, he couldn’t even move a single finger.

「It’s evolving day by day. Also, it’s not sorcery, but a crystallization of martial art. I’ve experienced Vakala-san’s way of fighting in the fight against Hund-san, so I already know how to use Aiki against such an opponent. Your flame breath also won’t hit me since your mouth isn’t facing toward me.」

「I see. Certainly, the manipulation of muscles and bones is similar to Hund’s ability. But Haruna-chan’s what are you going to do now? Even if you use this technique to lock me, you are the one who will be at a disadvantage as time passes, you know? Needless to say, you know that the bones I just shot were also poisoned. Soon, you will feel numbness and intense pain spreading throughout your body, and you won’t be able to fight.」

「………」n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

「Haruna-chan?」

For a moment, Vakala thought that the poison has spread and she is no longer able to speak. However, he’s still being restrained by her aiki.

「――Belial Shade.」

「Guooooooh!?」

The reason Haruna was silent was because she was chanting a magic she wasn’t familiar with. The bottomless intangible shadow was created on the floor at Vakala’s feet. This magic, which was once used by her master Deris, is a terrifying one that drops the target into an abyss and makes them into mincemeat. The shadow of Belial Shade that Haruna created is smaller than that of Deris, and it’s obvious that she’s less familiar with this type of magic than with the poison and gravity magic she usually uses. But even so, the power is still based on magic power. The abyss, where the blades of darkness that shatter everything stir, bites into Vakala’s legs.

「So that was your plan! You stopped me to beat me with this magic! Indeed, you can beat Kira if you tear the flesh and armor altogether…!」

「That’s right! I really want to fight more, but the poison’s time limit doesn’t seem to allow me to do that! So, please go down obediently!」

「You have a cute face, but you’re doing something nasty! Nuooooh!」

Vakala, whose lower body is trapped in darkness, struggled. The muscles and bones, which had been locked with aiki, began to move forcibly. The muscles of the legs were strengthened, and the bones were used to create armor. The sharpness of Belial Shade, which until then had been steadily chipping away Vakala’s flesh, was slowly but clearly diminishing.

「Fuhahaha…. That was a little scary. I still can’t move it directly, but I can make this kind of change now. It seems that the effect of your sorcery has decreased. Are you at your limit because of the poison, Haruna-chan?」

「Not… at… all…! Will I fall first… or will Vakala-san fall first…. If it’s a battle of spirit and willpower, I will never lose!」

「Umu, normally, that line is used by those who act tough, but when Haruna-chan says it, it sounds convincing…. That’s why, I will deliver the finishing blow. Look above.」

「Above? ――!?」

While keeping her gaze as is, Haruna searched for signs above her head. Then, she felt an unnaturally huge magic power swirling there.

「Well, there’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s just Graviton Hole. However, it’s a little bigger. I can’t skillfully use magic in this state, so it’s quite bland.」

Vakala said so as if it’s something trivial, but the magic above them is far from being trivial. A super-massive black hole, which broke through the ceiling of the laboratory and covered the entire space, was looking down on Haruna. Moreover, it was gradually beginning to fall to the ground.

「I poured all the magic power into that thing. I don’t mind the endurance contest, but I want to win. Unlike Haruna-chan, it won’t affect the user even if it falls. Well, if it falls further down through here, not only you, but also your friends might be in danger.」

「Haaaaaaa!」

Haruna tries to make Vakala fall into the mincing machine in the abyss, but it’s clear that the fall of the black hole is faster than the fall of Vakala. At this rate, Haruna will be sucked into the black hole, and even Chinatsu, Touko and the others will be caught up in it.

「Ugh…! Vakala-san, isn’t it against the rules to use zombies…!? According to the rules, Carmine’s forces should be limited to four people…!」

「What, after all this time you want to say it’s against the rules? The use of zombies is essentially the same as the use of tools. Who would count the weapons you picked up in the battlefield? Don’t disappoint me just because you’re in a predicament, Haruna-chan.」

「Tools, huh…. I don’t really like that way of calling it…!」

「It’s up to you how you think about it. Still, is it okay? You don’t have the time for such silly question――」

「――No, it was an important confirmation!」

Saying so, Haruna looked up and had a very nice expression on her face. Then, she suddenly opened her pouch, and something red appeared from there.

「T-That guy is…!」

「After all, the one who should defeat the Demon King is the Great Hero, right?」

The one who jumped out of Haruna’s pouch was Gobuo clad in hero-ish equipment.

「Goobu!」

Immediately after jumping out of the pouch, Gobuo held up two swords and slashed them with a shout. They left flames trails and cut off Vakala’s head in his astonishment.