Chapter 288: 【Adventurer Mitran】Ibrabarleg's Rampage and the Collapsing Ruins

【Adventurer Mitran】Ibrabarleg’s Rampage and the Collapsing Ruins

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“T-Tappa!?”

The sudden atrocity committed by the “Ruins Plunderer” Ibrabarleg!

Betrayed by an ally and having his partner stabbed, the long-faced eyepatch man widened his eyes and let out a scream of anguish!

“You bastard! Ibrabarleg! What the hell are you doing!?”

The bearded large man, enraged, swung his machete and charged at Ibrabarleg… but!

“…Ihih.”

“Gefu…!?”

Ibrabarleg, without being intimidated by the large man, delivered a sharp kick.

It was a kick so fast that even my cheat dynamic vision couldn’t keep up with it!

There was no way the large man could be unscathed after taking such a kick to the chest.

The bearded large man boasted a huge physique like a bear.

Yet his body, upon receiving Ibrabarleg’s kick, was blown away with a force that didn’t even feel his weight, crashed into the stone wall of the ruins, and embedded into it!

“‘What the hell are you doing,’ you say something strange, Mr. Megzam. He said to ‘show the power of the sword,’ didn’t he?… So I just showed him. Ihihi, I’m letting him experience it with his own body! The power of the soul-devouring magic sword, ‘Soul Devourer’!!”

“Aaaaahhh!!”

While speaking happily, Ibrabarleg put strength into his sword-wielding hand.

At that moment!

The ominous red blade flickered strangely for a moment, and the square-faced eyepatch man, who had been stabbed by ‘Soul Devourer’ and was gasping in agony, let out an even greater scream!

“Ah, that is!?”

“W-What is the meaning of this…!”

Leseida-san and I unintentionally grimaced at the sight.

The square-faced eyepatch man wasn’t just suffering!

His body was… rapidly shriveling up, turning into a mummy-like state!

“I… Ihihi, ihihihi! This, this is the taste of the soul!? Yes, yes! That’s right! It’s irresistible! Power is surging through me!!”

Ibrabarleg laughed while drooling and swung the magic sword ‘Soul Devourer’ in his hand horizontally.

The square-faced eyepatch man’s body, which had transformed into something that could only be described as a dry, black lump, rolled onto the floor of the ruins, shattered into several pieces, and then disappeared into dust.

“You… Ibrabarleg… betrayed us…!”

A low voice filled with hatred.

Looking in the direction of the voice, it was the bearded large man.

He gulped down a magic potion handed to him by the long-faced eyepatch man, peeled his body off the stone wall, and then slammed the empty bottle onto the floor with all his might.

Crash!!

The high-pitched sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the room.

“Yes, well, I suppose so. I betrayed you. But what of it? Ihihi, you villains are denouncing the misdeeds of others while ignoring your own, Mr. Megzam.”

“…………”

“Ihihi, ihihihi! Ah, it’s ridiculous! Do you think so too? Of course you do! Ihihihihi!”

As if conversing with someone, Ibrabarleg muttered to himself and continued to laugh creepily.

Megzam readied his machete, looking like he was about to slash at Ibrabarleg at any moment.

But… I noticed.

That bearded man’s gaze was flickering.

He was gauging the distance to the stairs leading upward on the side.

“Oops, don’t try to escape.”

But Ibrabarleg wasn’t one to misunderstand the meaning of that gaze!

This villain lightly raised ‘Soul Devourer’ and slashed the air.

Then, amazingly.

A red, whip-like light extended from the blade of ‘Soul Devourer’ and attacked Megzam!

“Whoa!?”

Megzam narrowly dodged the whip-like light slash!

Deep, deep slash marks were left on the floor where he was standing until just now, and on the wall behind him…!

What incredible power!

“Ihihihi, this is interesting. I see, so it can do things like this too? Ihihihi!”

Ibrabarleg, while laughing maniacally, began swinging ‘Soul Devourer’ wildly and unleashing slashes in all directions.

Slash!

Clang!

Slash!

Terrifying powerful slashes ravaged the interior of the ruins!

“Whoa!”

“Hiih!?”

The bearded man and the remaining eyepatch man desperately dodged the randomly flying slashes.

“Hmm, this is a bit difficult to handle, but… this is the end for you.”

Ibrabarleg, who seemed to have grasped the feeling after several test shots, finally aimed at Megzam and was about to unleash a slash.

But that’s when it happened!

Zuzuzuzuzuzuzu…

The ruins began to shake, making an eerie sound!

“Oh no…! He went too wild! The ruins are… collapsing!?”

Leseida-san immediately grasped the situation and shouted!

Zuzu… Zugaaa!

Gagaga…!

Dododododo…!

At the same time, the floor of the room collapsed and stones began falling from the ceiling!

“Watch out!”

I jumped at Leseida-san and tackled him, protecting him from the falling rocks!

“Tch, don’t screw with me…!?”

“Uwaaah!?”

On the other hand, the ones who couldn’t be saved were the bearded large man Megzam and his eyepatch subordinate.

They were swallowed up by the large hole that suddenly opened beneath their feet and helplessly fell even deeper underground…!

Their screams were drowned out by the sound of the collapse, and we couldn’t hear them until the end.

“Hmm? Strange? A miscalculation? The ruins are more fragile than expected? Someone had been rampaging wildly in the ruins before me, you mean to say?”

Ibrabarleg, without panicking at all at the sight of the collapsing ruins, raised the blade of the magic sword ‘Soul Devourer’ in front of his eyes and muttered to himself as if talking to it.

And in that monologue, the ‘someone who had been rampaging wildly in the ruins’… Leseida-san and I had an idea of who it might be…!

We unintentionally turned to look at Emi-chan standing to our left!

Emi-chan, in response, turned to look further to her left!

But there was no one there!

Idiot!

Emi-chan, you idiot!

We don’t need such a small joke at a time like this!

No matter how you look at it, it’s you, Emi-chan!

I’m not trying to blame you though!

“Hmm, no problem? Then that’s good. Indeed. The only regrettable thing is that I couldn’t devour those two.”

Now, while saying that, Ibrabarleg slashed away the falling rocks from above with ‘Soul Devourer’ to protect himself.

Then he stared intently at us and twisted his mouth into a grin.

“But I suppose it’s fine? There are still three more left.”

And with those words, he readied ‘Soul Devourer’ and began drooling again.

This means… you know.

Of course, that villain is trying to kill us too.

That’s what it means, right…!

The hand gripping my sword is getting sweaty.

This guy… Ibrabarleg.

Even among the enemies I’ve faced so far… he’s exceptionally dangerous!

Even with my cheat mental strength, I can’t suppress my own fear, and my heart is beating strongly!

I’m scared!

I’m scared…!

But.

But, still!

Get… your spirit up!

I glance to the side.

Standing there is Leseida-san.

An archaeologist, not a combat specialist.

I am this person’s bodyguard.

“…Don’t worry, Leseida-san! I will protect you!”

“M-Mitran-kun…!”

I smiled at Leseida-san with the best smile I could muster, even though it might have been a bit strained.

For some reason, Leseida-san blushed and clasped a hand to their chest.

But I didn’t have the composure to notice Leseida-san’s slightly strange behavior at that time.

The fear hasn’t subsided yet.

But do your best!

Do your best, Mitran!

“I will… protect you!”

Finally making up my mind, I turned to face Ibrabarleg with my sword ready.

But.

What entered my vision wasn’t Ibrabarleg’s figure.

It was the back of a black-haired girl standing as if to protect us.

“That’s right, you protect him.”

Emi-chan spoke in a quiet but clear voice.

“Take him and run away quickly.”

She said those words to me.

And then.

Staring straight at Ibrabarleg.

With fighting spirit and murderous intent.

…She declared!

“I will kill him!”