Chapter 57: I Trust Seiko as Much as I Trust My Own HUD
It wasn't that Natsuya didn't care about the friendly NPCs.
It was just that...
The boy raised an eyebrow, wearing an expression of genuine confusion.
"Hostages? Oh, you mean the groups in the Eastern Warehouse, the Western Tunnels, and that one attic corner?"
"The ones guarded by your clones?"
The demon's laughter died in its throat. A cold chill of a different sort settled into its gut.
"I cleared them out on my way here," Natsuya said, casually kicking the paralyzed demon. "Since they were just clones, they didn't even drop any XP. I was actually pretty annoyed about it—killing all those adds for zero return."
"I figured you'd feel them disappearing. I guess your 'Shared Consciousness' network has some serious lag issues, huh?"
Natsuya had assumed the demon would be like a Hive Mind where every unit shared data instantly. Turns out, the "Fission" mechanic was just a low-tier bot-spawning skill.
"No... impossible! There is definitely one more! The most hidden one is at the—"
The demon roared, pushing its remaining mass to sense its final trump card.
But Natsuya was done listening to the dialogue. He gripped the handle of Wind-Breaker.
"The one under the water tower? Don't sweat it..."
The sharp edge of the fist-blade pressed against the demon's neck. The silver-white steel reflected the demon's hideous face, mirroring its absolute terror.
"I trust Seiko-chan to handle that one."
"Now, time to log you out."
The demon's eyes glazed over. Wait... is it too late to ask for a truce?
A flash of steel. Natsuya didn't give it another frame to react.
[Proficiency +411]
Progress for all four of his Breathing Styles ticked upward. His primary spec, [Thunder Breathing], hit LV.4 (275/4000).
Tactile feedback felt a bit like snapping an Oreo...
Ignoring the demon's dying gurgles, Natsuya checked his System Panel and turned to Dojima.
"You can still move, right? Keep an eye on these civilians."
"I'm going to check on Seiko."
He means Ms. Yukibashiri... Dojima thought, ignoring the nickname. He bowed deeply. "Please go ahead, Lord Tsuguko!"
Honestly, Dojima was still processing the last five minutes. A demon he was completely helpless against had been dismantled... by a teenager's fists.
If I hadn't been so obsessed with the sword, could I have done that? Dojima wondered. He thought about it for two seconds. No. Absolutely not. I'm not built different.
Meanwhile, beneath the western water tower.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
Seiko swung her blade, a trail of blue light cutting through the dark. Although she couldn't land a killing blow, she managed to knock back a writhing mass of flesh that was lunging at a comatose Slayer.
It was a fragment of the demon's "Multi-Will" clones. It moved with an erratic, jittery animation and seemed to ignore the damage from her slashes.
"So persistent... Natsuya-kun, Mr. Dojima, hurry up!"
Sweat poured down the girl's forehead. Her breathing was becoming ragged. This was the second time she had run into a "Mechanism-type" demon she couldn't easily decapitate. She had been spamming her sword forms for several minutes, and her stamina bar was flashing red.
Just as the clone ignored her strike and prepared to pounce on a civilian—
BOOM!!!
The roof above them, already rotting and unstable, exploded inward!
A figure dropped from the night sky like a meteor. There was no flashy sword trail—just pure, concentrated kinetic energy and velocity.
Falling from a high altitude, Natsuya added the bonus of gravity and momentum to his drop. He landed dead-center on the demon clone.
SPLAT.
With a sickening, wet crunch, the clone was reduced to a puddle of splattered fluids.
Natsuya had arrived. Angry Birds style.
"Good work, Seiko."
Natsuya stood up, giving the puddle on the floor a few extra "efficiency" stabs with his blade to make sure the hitbox was dead.
He looked at her with a casual smile—the kind of look that instantly lowered Seiko's stress levels. The moonlight shining through the hole in the roof caught his profile, highlighting his sharp features.
For a split second, Seiko felt her heart skip a beat. The tension in her shoulders vanished instantly. A massive sense of relief, mixed with a warm, fluttering feeling, made her ears turn red.
Am I... blushing?
She nodded vigorously, her voice a bit shaky. "I-I'm okay! Natsuya-kun... thank you!"
Natsuya nodded back. No time for a long cutscene. He turned to the comatose bodies on the floor and began systematically flipping them over, slicing the flesh-buds from their necks.
With the "Main Body" dead, the parasitic buds offered no resistance. One hit and they dissolved into ash.
Soon, the civilians began to regain consciousness. Natsuya's gaze swept past Seiko and the crowd, stopping on a Slayer slumped in the corner.
Another familiar face.
The Slayer offered a grin that was both awkward and profoundly grateful.
[Kondo Kojiro (Power Level: 38)] — Water Breathing LV.2
It was the same Kanoe-rank guy from the logging camp mission.
"..."
Natsuya stood in silence for two seconds before walking over. This guy is consistently in the 'Critical HP' state whenever I find him. Is he cursed, or is his luck just garbage?
Kojiro saw Natsuya and struggled to stand up.
"K-Kokonoe-senior!"
"I am so sorry! Once again... I've caused you trouble..."
The Slayer's face was a map of shame. I'm the designated 'Damsel in Distress' NPC, he thought miserably.
Natsuya waved a hand, telling him to sit back down. "Save it. If you're hurt, stay still."
"Honestly, instead of apologizing, you should spend more time grinding. You're a Kanoe rank, but your stats and Breathing levels are lower than the two apprentices I know back at the dojo. Stop playing like a rookie."
Natsuya calculated that by now, even Giyu and Sabito probably had higher combat potential than this unlucky man.
Kojiro looked crushed. I really am trying to train...
"Yes, Senior..."
He watched as Natsuya began to expertly treat his wounds. The boy's focus was absolute, ignoring Kojiro's dejected response.
I feel even more depressed now, Kojiro thought.
Seiko walked over, noticing the look on his face. She glanced at the hyper-focused Natsuya and whispered to the injured Slayer.
"Natsuya-kun is just... blunt like that. But he's actually very kind."
She gave Kojiro an encouraging smile. "You did well, Kojiro-kun. With all those injuries... it's clear you fought until the very end to protect everyone."
Kojiro: (╥_╥)
(What an angel. I'm going to cry.)
While they talked, Natsuya finished patching up Kojiro and moved on to the other survivors. As he cleared each "Medical Mini-game," XP flooded into his panel. His [Medicine] icon began to pulse with a steady, golden light.
It was the manifestation of his accumulated knowledge and surgical precision.
Finally, he reached a new threshold.
[Medicine LV.3]
In that instant, Natsuya felt like his "Medical Vision" had expanded. He could see blood flow patterns and nerve clusters with even greater clarity.
Beside him, the two Slayers didn't know what had happened, but they felt a shift.
Senior's aura... just got even more intimidating.
☆☆☆
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