Chapter 115: Grynbringer of the Banner
ㅤThe Four Heavenly Demon Generals ・Grunblin the War Banner, has the appearance of a tall, beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes.
ㅤHer long, braided hair hangs over a blue breastplate with gold edges, and her long legs peek out from the gaps in her loose-fitting white flared skirt.
ㅤ
ㅤIt’s a figure just like a Valkyrie, but the only thing out of place is the ominous black spear she holds in her hand.
ㅤFrom the spear, which looks to be about two and a half meters long, something like miasma is rising.
ㅤIt has a very similar atmosphere to the Wand of Regret that I have.
ㅤ
ㅤWhat ruins her Valkyrie-like look, along with the black spear, is the expression on her face.
ㅤIt’s the smile of a ferocious beast licking its lips before its prey.
ㅤ
ㅤFor now, I hold the Black Steel Sword I have in front of me.
ㅤThe Wand of Regret is wrapped in the Goblin Thief’s Furoshiki and held in my left hand.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Grunblin-san…”
ㅤ
ㅤArsh calls out sadly.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I found you, Demon King. Here, Hamilton won’t interfere. You did well to escape from him. I want to kiss you in gratitude for your foolishness.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”So, you were going to take Arsh’s power from the beginning?”
ㅤ
ㅤWhen I ask Grunblin,
ㅤ
ㅤ”…Huh? Did you say something, gnat? I have no business with anyone but the Demon King. If you’re a bug, act like one and run away before you’re squashed.”
ㅤ
ㅤShe seems to have no interest in me at all.
ㅤ
ㅤ（Ignored just like a bug… Rejection by deliberation, huh.）
ㅤ
ㅤMaybe I’m thinking such nonsense because I’m just that nervous.
ㅤI was able to defeat Imsoda because he was incomplete, but the Four Heavenly Demon Generals in front of me are now fully incarnated.
ㅤMy hands holding the sword are slick with sweat from the powerful pressure emanating from her entire body.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Even if you say that… there’s nowhere to run in this room.”
ㅤ
ㅤI said that jokingly.
ㅤ
ㅤ”M-Minato!?”
ㅤ
ㅤArsh’s face turns blue, perhaps thinking she’s been abandoned.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmph. That’s true. This is a strange dungeon.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”How did you get ahead of us?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I didn’t do anything special. I just stepped on transfer formations based on intuition and redid it if I made a mistake. I thought I’d catch up along the way, but it seems I was the first to reach the exit. That’s why I decided to lay an ambush here.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Is there a possibility that we were the first to get out of the exit?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”The ether waves emitted by the Demon King are powerful. You can’t help but leave distortions in space. It’s a trace that we demons would notice immediately.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I see… so we lost the chase.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Human. I’ll let you through if you don’t interfere.”
ㅤ
ㅤGrunblin indicates behind her with her eyes.
ㅤThere was a larger transfer formation than the ones we had seen before.
ㅤIt’s a huge transfer formation, probably ten meters in diameter.
ㅤ
ㅤ”That’s very kind of you.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Don’t misunderstand. I just want to eat that Demon King over there. I don’t have time to deal with a gnat. I’ve been enduring this hunger for so long…”
ㅤ
ㅤA dark light flickers in Grunblin’s eyes.
ㅤArsh gasps and shrinks back.
ㅤ
ㅤI glance at Arsh and say,
ㅤ
ㅤ”If that’s the case, I think I’ll gratefully take you up on your offer. I don’t think I can beat you.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”W-What… Minato!?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”A wise decision. Now, go quickly.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Yes, yes.”
ㅤ
ㅤStill holding my sword, I move in a wide arc around Grunblin and head towards the large transfer formation.
ㅤ
ㅤ”See you later, Arsh. Hahaha… A Demon King should be able to take care of their own subordinates, right?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Minato…! N-No way!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”You have a good friend, Your Majesty the Demon King. You’ve learned firsthand what happens when you trust humans.
ㅤNow, let me have you――”
ㅤ
ㅤGrunblin loses interest in me and takes a step towards Arsh.
ㅤ
ㅤMore than ten Ether Shots hit her back.
ㅤOf course, it was my attack.
ㅤ
ㅤ”――Guh!? You, are you going to interfere!?”
ㅤ
ㅤGrunblin turns around as if she’s been flicked.
ㅤI’m already right in front of her.
ㅤGrunblin catches the Black Steel Sword I swing down with the handle of her black spear.
ㅤGrunblin pushes back with tremendous force.
ㅤI don’t resist it, and instead, I deflect it diagonally and move to Grunblin’s side.
ㅤI mow down with my sword, like the Nuki-Do technique in Kendo.
ㅤGrunblin crouches slightly and guards my sword with her breastplate.
ㅤThere’s a heavy metallic sound, as if something has buckled.
ㅤ
ㅤ（It’ll probably be bad if I get away from her.）
ㅤ
ㅤHer weapon is a spear.
ㅤIf I’m fighting a spear with a sword, it’s not a good idea to increase the distance.
ㅤI barely manage to fend off Grunblin’s tempestuous spear with my sword, waiting for an opening while staying close.
ㅤ
ㅤ”You’re pretty good for a gnat! You’re buzzing around my ears and it’s annoying!”
ㅤ
ㅤGrunblin swings her spear.
ㅤThis time it’s not just an attack.
ㅤIt’s a blow infused with the Four Heavenly Demon General’s intense ether.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ugh!”
ㅤ
ㅤI can’t take this at such close range.
ㅤI jump back a large distance and fire Ether Shots in rapid succession from the Gatling Turret I created earlier.
ㅤ
ㅤMore than ten Ether Shots and Grunblin’s Demon Lance Attack （I named it myself） collide and disappear.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Oh! You can withstand this in a human body!”
ㅤ
ㅤGrunblin laughs ferociously.
ㅤ
ㅤI take the opportunity to say to Arsh,
ㅤ
ㅤ”Come here quickly! Go around the long way!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Y-Yes!”
ㅤ
ㅤArsh, who had been watching the events unfold in a daze, runs towards me.
ㅤGrunblin is positioned in the middle of this space. From the place where I first warped out, I’m standing diagonally behind Grunblin. The exit transfer formation is diagonally behind me. Arsh tries to join me by taking a detour, keeping her distance from Grunblin.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I won’t let you!”
ㅤ
ㅤGrunblin fires her Demon Lance Attack again.
ㅤThis time, the target is Arsh.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I won’t let you!”
ㅤ
ㅤI fire a volley of Ether Shots, intercepting the Demon Lance Attack.
ㅤ
ㅤ”D*mn, you’re troublesome!”
ㅤ
ㅤSeeing that the Demon Lance Attack is ineffective, Grunblin dashes towards Arsh.
ㅤ
ㅤHowever, Arsh is already approaching me.
ㅤNo matter how fast Grunblin is, she should be able to reach me first.
ㅤ
ㅤ…Or so I thought,
ㅤ
ㅤ”Kyaa!”
ㅤ
ㅤArsh trips over nothing.
ㅤ
ㅤ”W-Why!?”
ㅤ
ㅤI can’t help but blurt out and freeze in place.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Got you!”
ㅤ
ㅤGrunblin pulls back her spear and closes in on Arsh――