ch381-ch400 · 399-ch399

Chapter 399: Not a Jumonji Spear!

"There—we're good."

After getting chewed out by Miko-san, who finally came back the other day, today Mia-san and I are renovating the shrine.

Seeing the spear, Miko-san berated me for why it wasn't a jumonji spear.

"The enhancement goes through."

So I had Mia-san attach a side blade to the 'Giant's Spear.'

"Yep, looks good. You can put it down."

For confirmation, Mia-san raps the side blade of the 'Giant's Jumonji Spear' I'm holding with her hammer—a fine ring spreads through the air.

It's been a while since I used 'Weapon Enhancement.'

A month has passed since then, and yesterday the university entrance exams ended.

"Ended"—assuming I passed, that is.

If I failed...... let's not think about it.

I probably passed.

......Maybe that carelessness is what did me in.

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"Haruki-san?"

Kasumi-san's voice wakes me.

......No, I'm not awake.

It's a familiar great hall.

Inside the 40s-floor fortress, the room holding the 'Gate to the Next Floor'......

Crap, I fell asleep.

This past month—no, ever since that last dream, I hadn't slept in the dungeon.

Even with exam studying running until dawn, I never once slept—to avoid that dream......

Exams are over, and today I had nothing to do alone.

I truly let my guard down......

"Kasumi-san, lend me that spear."

I push the rental spear into her hands and wrench the silver spear away from her.

"Eh? H-Haruki-san, where's your armor?"

I'd like to ask that myself.

Today, as ever, a school uniform and a rental spear.

Armor aside, I need a shield.

(【Charge・Spear】!)

No time.

Bank MP.

Defeat it, and it ends.

Forty seconds until the boss spawns?

To beat it, I want at least 400 MP.

Then, if I can endure the remaining 360 seconds—five minutes......

"The other three aren't coming in. Something's wrong. P-put up a Gate. Let's retreat for now!"

"Calm down. It probably doesn't connect to anywhere but...... 【Gate】."

Kasumi-san is panicking more than I am.

I can't have her falling apart.

I have to explain the situation somehow.

"What!? What do you mean? That can't be...... We can't get home?"

"It's fine. I'll protect you, Kasumi-san. Attacks from the front, I'll block. Watch your back. Assume everything is a 'charge attack' and don't touch their spear points."

Anything else—anything else I need to warn her about?

"Haruki...... san?"

"Just five minutes. Endure five minutes, and we can go home together."

With that, I touch Kasumi-san's armored shoulder.

Good......

Her armor's enhancement wasn't active yet, apparently.

"I don't understand, but I believe in you, Haruki-san! Leave the back to me! Ah...... my armor's enhancement......"

"Here it comes!"

I activate super mode at the last moment.

Spear and armor—two kinds, hyper mode.

(【Gate】)

I block the 【Dimension Slash】 that comes flying at the opening with the 'Left Foot Gate.'

I can deploy three pairs, six 'Gates' now.

I have to use all of them—use all my skills—to keep Kasumi-san safe......

The 'Left Foot Gate' blocks my own view too, but 【Presence Detection】 tells me where things are.

Five black undead presences in front, and one above.

I look up—and my eyes meet a thing that should have no eyes.

The thing that should have no expression seems to grin.

(Calm down. It's fine. I can beat them. I WILL beat them.)

After the second 【Dimension Slash】 comes flying, the sounds change to something heavy.

'Sword Saint-chan skeleton' has switched to 【Flying Slash】.

I can tell it's closing in even while hurling 【Flying Slash】 after 【Flying Slash】.

At just that moment, a 'Gate' appears behind us.

It's fine—Kasumi-san has noticed too.

She deflects the incoming jumonji spear cleanly.

Kasumi-san is a 【Spear King】, after all.

If she knows what to expect, she can handle 'my skeleton.'

Which means what I have to deal with is 'Sword Saint-chan skeleton.'

Endure, endure—and when it closes to spear's reach, I burst out.

(Now! Tch—【Gate】)

'Blue Shadow skeleton,' its angle changed, hurls shinobi knives at me as I leap out.

Two—one arcs toward Kasumi-san.

'Both Eye Gates' deployed skillfully knock them aside.

'Blue Shadow skeleton' changed its angle but won't close in.

'My skeleton' neither.

'The All-Rounder Samurai skeleton'—Yukiya-san's—heads our way a few steps behind 'Sword Saint-chan skeleton,' and that's fine.

But Kasumi-san's 'Black Armor skeleton' is moving toward HER from the opposite side of my breakout.

I have no choice but to trust her.

'Sword Saint-chan skeleton' is right in front of me.

I dodge one 【Flying Slash】 and enter my range.

Strike with the silver spear faster than it can switch to close combat—

('Mountain Kata'!)

An attack that can't be deflected.

I'm not wearing armor, but even counting that skeleton and its armor, I should be heavier—fleshless as it is......

And yet it gets deflected like nothing.

Because the silver spear has NO side blade, that's why.

I couldn't press through.

What an idiot I am—I want to die...... no, wait, my body overextends into a death stance.

But spear against sword—thanks to that one step into its range, I duck under the horizontal sweep.

I leap back and dodge the return stroke before it comes.

Dodged it, I'm sure—and yet a reverse-diagonal slash comes from below.

No, I completely dodged that. Right?

It's lag. It's LAG, I tell you.

"Haruki-san!"

"I'm fine!"

I answer the startled Kasumi-san at once.

A graze.

No—I wasn't even grazed. With Endurance 200 plus hyper mode's enhancements, it wouldn't get through.

Just the top layer of skin and my uniform got cut, so it's bleeding a little.

But wouldn't you know it, right there the 'Black Armor skeleton' attacks.

The instant of opening Kasumi-san left—she managed to handle it, but the jumonji spear thrusts in.

Direct hit.

Yet Kasumi-san, though startled, seems fine.

Thank goodness—the insurance worked.

I'd cast 【Charge・Armor】 on Kasumi-san's armor before it started.

Besides 'Armor Enhancement・Armor,' I'd added 'Impact Nullification'—one-shot only, but not even knockback happens.

Blocking its 【Charge・Spear】 came down to the plain difference in banked MP.

【Charge・Armor・High】 gathers 2 MP per second—twice 【Charge・Spear】's rate.

"Hgh! Thank you!"

The recovered Kasumi-san shouts.

I want to re-cast it for her—but that would require touching Kasumi-san's armor directly.

I don't think I'll be allowed to.

If anything, I'M the one in trouble here......