Tsuyokute New Saga (LN)
Book 9: Chapter 8

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Kyle turned to face Lieze and Urza with a smile for a quick moment but then cut down the other demons around them before celebrating this reunion. Since this all happened in a matter of seconds, the demons were all bewildered, which created an opening for Seran to take care of the rest. Lieze and Urza, as well as Yuriga, joined in a moment later, too. In this chaotic battle, Kyle’s team had an absolute advantage. And their teamwork excelled greater than anything the demons could muster in their scattered state. They wouldn’t allow the demons any sneak attacks as they mercilessly cut them down.

As more demons fell, a few of them managed to reorganize themselves and attempted to fight back, when objects came flying at them from the shadows, stabbing them in their necks. They were so-called kunai, small arrowheads dipped with blood that made the demons hit by them suffer.

“Minagi!”

Realizing that this was the work of a shinobi, Urza called out the name of their ally.

“Seems like I made it in time. Anybody hurt?” Minagi headed over to Lieze and Urza, now fighting in a group of three.

“Naturally, I’m here, too,” said Shildonia as she appeared in confidence.

The main body still remained within Kyle’s sword, so her current body was nothing but a projection that couldn’t even help in the fight, but it was still a valuable force to be considered. That said, the other side had no way of knowing about this, so it worked plenty to have an illusion walk around and attack. And while the opponents were bewildered because of Shildonia, Kyle and Seran could finish them off. In no time at all, a mountain of corpses filled the room, as the situation had turned around completely. Right now, the only ones still alive were Flame-Eye with a wall of fire and Targ.

“…But you said it would take two to three days, right?” Flame-Eye glared at Kyle and his friends.

“I told you I just forgot to let you know. Kyle did tell me that he would make it in time just barely,” Seran laughed as he calmly exclaimed. “Sorry for lying to you as well, Yuriga. I didn’t think you’d actually talk, but I couldn’t risk this information from getting out.”

“So you knew that Flame-Eye would betray us?”

“Not exactly. I just tried to keep as much information to ourselves. I felt like something might be off, though…”

Seran’s sharp senses once again saved his bacon.

“But why did you keep quiet to us, as well?!” Lieze complained, and Urza showed a similar reaction.

They were happy that Kyle made it in time, but that didn’t exactly make things easier.

“Deceive your friends, deceive your allies…Well, maybe not that much, but I figured that the fewer people knew, the better. And I was the one who gave that order. Apologies,” said Shildonia, speaking a genuine apology.

Since it actually worked wonders, neither Lieze nor Urza really had the strength to complain.

“Well, having an extra isn’t going to change much anyway.”

“Don’t call me an extra, you bastard.”

“Don’t think you can just come in late and hog all the glory, all right.”

As always, Kyle and Seran showed no hesitation in putting each other on full blast. That said, they might be harsh to one another, yet they had deep trust for each other, and this confidence was born because they had the other by their side.

“…How? How did you make it here? Leaving aside Yuriga-san and the others, how did you make it into the castle?” Targ pressed his hand on the injury he suffered thanks to Kyle as he uttered that question.

The inside of the castle was almost like a labyrinth, so he should have had an extremely hard time making it to this room quickly.

“Yeah, it would be…If this was my first rodeo, that is.”

Naturally, Targ didn’t understand what these words meant. Understandably so, as he never would have imagined that Kyle came from the future. When he entered the castle the last time, he actually heard the detailed locations of the castle from a demon they had tortured. That’s why he knew exactly where to go.

“Anyway, that’s how it is. We were the ones who set up the trap. While you were busy here, Kyle and the others already saved Luiza.”

“Wh-What did you say?! Then Luiza-sama is…!” Yuriga screamed in both anticipation and relief.

“Yeah, she’s safe already.”

“Ah…”

Kyle wanted to comment on that statement, but Seran was just grinning to himself, not realizing.

“With this, we’ve won. Now we just have to get rid of you two and make our way out of here.”

Targ and Flame-Eye’s backs were against the wall, with Seran pointing the tip of his blade at them.

“Actually…Hold on just a second.”

“They say that a schemer drowns in his own schemes, but that’s what you get for—”

“Like I said, listen to me!”

“…Can you shut up? I know you’re there, but just let Luiza do the—Huh?”

Seeing the fourth person enter the hall, Seran let out a dumbfounded grunt.

“Ghrud?!”

The one who screamed that out loud was Irumera. Just as she stated, there stood Ghrud in his human appearance.

“And I told you to wait! We still haven’t saved her.”

“Say what?! The plan was for us to draw in their attention while you save Luiza!”

Seran had assumed that the new arrival in the hall was Luiza herself.

“What did you expect us to do?! In order to save Luiza, we have to get through here! And you got here too early! If you prioritized that, we wouldn’t have made it here in time!”

“Wha…?! God dang it, right when I tried to act cool!”

“That’s on you for not even checking…”

They used a magic item in order to stay in contact, but since they could only communicate for a brief moment, they couldn’t update each other all the time, and this made cooperating extremely difficult. Lieze and the other girls gave Seran a judgemental look and Yuriga was now glaring at him with a mixture of disappointment and anger.

“W-Well, you did make it in time, so I guess I can’t complain…”

Seran picked up on the air around him and decided to cut off this conversation.

“Ghrud…So you came, too?” Irumera spoke to the male dragon, who showed a bitter expression.

“I didn’t want to, but Gramps’ orders…Told me to help the humans as best as possible.”

His whole body emitted a feeling of him definitely not wanting to help.

“And I have a message, too.”

“A message?”

“Yeah. For Juvars, that is.”

The moment Ghrud said that his expression grew grim, and Irumera must have had an idea of her own as her face was colored by tension.

“I see…That means we still have a chance.” Targ continued to sweat profusely as he held his shoulder.

“Oh? And what do you plan on doing with those injuries?” Seran kept up his guard, ready to slice at Targ whenever the chance arose.

“I admit you did well evading a lethal injury…But I don’t intend on letting you leave.”

Targ’s injury was deep, so fighting any more would prove difficult. Kyle knew that better than anybody else. However, Targ of all people wouldn’t just stay down even if he suffered an injury like that, and a wounded beast usually brings the greatest danger to the table. Yet, they continued to provoke him.

“I have no intention of running. I don’t believe I have any chance of besting the both of you in my shape…So, I’d like to negotiate.”

“Negotiate? And you think we’re gonna accept that?” Kyle said with a bewildered tone, but Targ continued.

“You could call it a negotiation, or you could call it a trade…First, to the two dragons, as I stated earlier, I have no intention of fighting you,” Targ said while sighing.

Understandably so, because fighting Ghrud, a relative of the Dragon King Zeurus, would turn all of the dragons against them.

“Since we have to deal with this problem ourselves, I will tell you the location of Juvars-sama. He is on the lowest floor of this castle, the throne room.”

“What…did you say?”

The one who was surprised the most was Kyle. That place was where everything started and everything began. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴovᴇlꜰirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“And so, I will guide you there. Yuriga-san probably won’t find her way there, as she is going to take Luiza-sama…so I am the only one who can take you there.”

Irumera and Ghrud looked at each other, which made things more troublesome for Kyle and the others. The dragons’ only goal was to meet Juvars, so if they learned of his location, they would have no reason to fight the demons. Realizing that Targ was going to hit where it hurt, Kyle grabbed his sword.

“That is no condition to negotiate. After all…I can take them there myself!”

Kyle judged that letting him talk more than this could prove difficult, so he attacked him. Targ tried to evade the attack by teleporting, but the wound dulled his reaction, so Kyle and everyone else were sure that this would be the end of him. However, right before the blade could reach him, Kyle jumped back. Immediately after, pillars of flames appeared around Targ. If Kyle had continued for even a bit longer, he would have been swallowed by those flames.

“Sorry, but I can’t let him die here,” said Flame-Eye across the flames.

“Much appreciated, Flame-Eye-sama…Could I leave the rest to you? It’s okay if you just buy us time.”

“I guess I have no choice. You’ll have to keep your promise, after all.”

“Why yes, of course. I will—”

The conversation continued, but the scorching sounds of the flames were too strong and erased all other sounds.

“Tsk…!”

Kyle’s dragon leather armor was heat resistant, and because it was made from the Dragon King Zeurus’s skin, it was especially effective, but he still didn’t want to risk jumping into those flames. As a result, when the pillars disappeared, so did Targ. He probably teleported somewhere else.

“This really messes up my plans. Whenever you kids are involved, things just go south, don’t they?” Flame-Eye pushed up her red hair and sighed. “Now then, I should probably take care of all of you…” Flame-Eye flashed a grin as she looked at Kyle and the others.

“You seem pretty confident. You sure you can hold your ground against all of us?” Kyle showed confidence.

At first glance, Kyle and the others had absolute confidence. With their whole party present, they even had two dragons on their side. Even a strong demon like Flame-Eye should have no hope of making it out of here. And Flame-Eye knew that. Even so, her composure remained unchanged.

“I’m not that stupid, of course. But I don’t need to win here, do I? My goal…is to annoy you guys,” Flame-Eye was confident enough that she could at least slow down those guys enough.

“And we could just try to end you immediately, right?”

Even Kyle’s fierce threat didn’t shake Flame-Eye’s determination.

“You know how strong I am, right? I might not be able to win, but I’m not going down without a fight. And as you know…time is my ally.”

If a fight were to break out, Flame-Eye would make herself useful and buy time. That was something she was confident in. And Kyle couldn’t argue against that, either.

“And so, you won’t be able to make that choice. Your priority is to save Luiza. Now that Targ can move freely, you can never know what he does next, so you’ll have to rush, right?” Flame-Eye spoke like she had seen through everything, as Kyle clicked his tongue.

“Buying time…huh? So talking any more is just a waste of time. It hurts to do this now that we just got reunited, but I think we should probably split up,” Seran said and Kyle reluctantly agreed.

“One group takes on Flame-Eye, and the other goes to save Luiza…And since the two-sworded demon is with her, you’ll be going, right?”

“Naturally,” Seran grinned, flashing a confident smirk.

“I’m going to save Luiza!” Yuriga said without hesitation.

“Wouldn’t want it any other way. So that means I’ll have to cut you down, huh…”

Just now he may have hesitated, but now Kyle was prepared. He took a step forward but was interrupted immediately after.

“No, we’ll split into groups of three. You have to show Irumera and Ghrud the way, remember?” said Lieze.

“That’s right. You were the one who forcefully cut off the negotiations, so it’s your responsibility to do your part.”

“Ack…”

Urza’s argument was absolutely right, too. Kyle attempting to cut down Targ was the same as denying any negotiations.

“Kyle, I’ll be staying here, too. I don’t think Seran would want me to get in the way…and you’re going to the throne room, right?” Minagi added.

That would mean that Flame-Eye would have to fend off the three girls. And she didn’t miss the glimmer in Kyle’s eye changing when the throne room was mentioned.

“Even so…” Kyle yet hesitated.

Leaving this to the three girls wasn’t the best course of action, but it was better than wasting time.

“I don’t know what you’re so worried about. We did beat her once, remember?” Urza said it with a confident tone, completely on purpose.

But in reality, they all knew the situation was different.

“Please! We just want to help you!” Lieze added, sounding panicked.

Ever since they had come to the demon territory, they pretty much only relied on Seran, so they felt guilty for not contributing at all. Of course, she had no intention of fighting in such an emotional state, but it got the better of her.

“…”

Kyle still hesitated, but the more time they spent arguing, the more time Flame-Eye managed to buy. During that time, Targ could do something again. He definitely wouldn’t be laying low. But in return, if they acted now, they might be able to catch up.

“Got it…But don’t overdo it, okay?” Kyle said to the girls, deciding to put his trust in them.

“Oh, are you done talking? You can argue some more if you’d like,” Flame-Eye continued to poke fun at them.

Since she was just trying to earn time, she didn’t attempt to attack them. But of course, they didn’t bother giving her any attention.

“Seran, take this with you,” Kyle threw something Seran’s way, looking like a rolled-up paper.

Accepting this reflexively, Seran asked.

“What is that?”

“A map of this castle. It shows the location where they’re keeping Luiza.”

Opening it up, it definitely looked like a map. Even with small markings on it.

“H-How come you have it in such great detail?” Yuriga was bewildered to see this.

“You only went through this place once, right? Your memory is insane…Wait, hold on!” Seran observed the map only to scream in anger.

His face seemed frustrated and furious.

“I’ll leave that to you. We need Luiza back immediately. You have to save her,” Kyle said with a serious face, silencing whatever Seran was trying to say.

Yuriga ignored this exchange and started running.

“Let’s go!”

Rushed by Yuriga, Seran was forced to follow her.

“That bastard…He better remember that later,” Seran tightly grasped the map in his hands and ran after Yuriga.

“Hm, what do I do, then…” Shildonia pondered to herself.

She was not exactly a strong fighter, but her wisdom and adaptability were amongst the best of what humanity could offer, as she was the former ruler of the Ancient Magic Kingdom Zaales.

“The Ancient Dragon Juvars, huh? Haven’t met him in person, but Zeurus told me about him. Guess I should go see him,” she decided to follow Kyle.

“Then we’ll leave this place to you. Let’s be off, you two.”

“Yes, let’s go. Don’t fall behind!”

Shildonia hopped on Kyle’s shoulders like it was the most natural thing, ordering the two dragons.

“Don’t act so arrogantly, human!”

After Ghrud was defeated by Kyle during their last fight, he still harbored a grudge against all humans, so getting orders from them was not on his bucket list, but he knew this was his best bet at getting to Juvars.

“Juvars-sama…”

Irumera’s expression was stiff, but she seemed hopeful now that she saw a chance to meet the great Ancient Dragon.

And so, Kyle’s group split into teams of three. Left behind in the hall were Lieze, Urza, and Minagi…as well as Flame-Eye.

“Since you might not see each other again, I wouldn’t have minded giving you a few extra minutes to say your last goodbyes,” said Flame-Eye with a teasing tone, but her eyes were dead serious.

“You three, huh…Honestly, I would have preferred to keep one of the boys who defeated Three-Arms here with me to buy time, but…it is what it is. I’ll live with it,” Flame-Eye seemed disappointed as she shook her head.

“You’ve got guts talking like that after losing once.”

“That’s right. We’ll just have you taste the same defeat again.”

Urza and Lieze showed their confidence as Minagi snuck behind Flame-Eye to create a triangle formation around her.

“Why are you acting like your victory is written in stone? You should know all too well that the situation is different from before,” Flame-Eye had seen right through that, not seeming any concerned. “That said, I don’t mind getting some feedback for last time. It’s a shame that one person’s missing…But, we should start.”

Together with Flame-Eye’s words, the battle began.

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