Ossan Saikyō Chapter 8 Part 13
As we ran toward the village, several more sharp impact sounds echoed through the air.
Without a doubt, those were the sounds of the giant crocodile-type golems trying to break through the village walls.
The adventurers currently in the village were probably already out there trying to stop them, but facing those monsters without Freynil's『Halo』weakening them would be extremely dangerous.
The village walls came into view.
The main gate was shut tight, and several adventurers stood atop the watchtowers, firing arrows and spells downward.
DOOOOM!
The impact was immediately followed by a loud crackling sound.
Not good. The wall had been breached.
I saw one golem climbing over the collapsed section of wall.
A second one was following behind it.
“Rani, go ahead and draw the rear one's attention over here.”
“Roger!”
Using【Dash】, Rani closed the two-hundred-meter gap in an instant and slashed at the second golem's tail.
Apparently she had infused her blade with fire.
The tail burst into flames for a moment, burning brightly.
GROOOOAR!
The wounded golem turned around, spotted us, and began charging our way.
“I'll hold it. Fray, use『Halo』. Sphenia, hit it with «Stone Lance».”
““Yes.””
Hearing their replies, I charged straight at the golem.
Judging from our previous fight, I could handle it even without «Divine Glory» weakening it.
(E/N: Please remember, Halo is code word for Divine Glory since Divine Magic is very rare and sought after.)
Its enormous jaws lunged toward me.
I sidestepped and smashed its snout with my mace.
The upper jaw exploded apart, nearly half of it disappearing.
Apparently its defensive power had been low from the start.
Abandoning its bite attack, the golem switched to a body slam.
That attack was much more troublesome because of the overwhelming difference in mass.
I blocked with my shield.
Even with【Stability】,【Steadfast】, and【Steel Core】, I couldn't absorb the impact completely and was pushed backward several meters.
Then again, the fact that I could stop a two or three-ton monster's charge with only that much damage was absurd enough.
At that moment, light enveloped the area.
Stone spears rained down onto the golem's back.
GYAAAAAH!
The golem screamed and froze.
I brought down a full-powered strike onto its skull.
Just like before, its head exploded.
That made two.
“Soushi, it's bad!”
Rani shouted.
The other golem had already entered the village and was advancing deeper inside while smashing houses apart.
I could hear the screams of villagers and the shouts of adventurers.
“Rani, hold it back!”
“Got it!”
Rani rushed ahead and slashed at its tail again.
The monster ignored her and kept moving forward.
It seemed completely focused on the prey in front of it.
I ran with everything I had.
I was probably moving at something like one hundred meters in five seconds, yet it still felt slow.
Right now, I really wanted the【Dash】skill.
“You bastard!”
This time Rani slashed at one of its hind legs.
Its advance finally slowed.
Then the golem's tail whipped around and struck her.
Rani was sent flying.
The instant I saw that, my vision turned red.
My entire body boiled with energy.
It was a sensation I hadn't felt in a long time.
“You PIECE OF SHIT! HIT IT!”
I roared as I ran.
The giant body of the golem suddenly seemed to rush toward me at twice the previous speed.
First, that damned tail.
Activating【Whiplash】to its fullest, I swung my mace back and forth at blinding speed.
OOOOOOOH!
The mace became pure violence born of mass, speed, and rotation.
Like a drilling machine, it blew apart the golem's tail from end to base.
Of course, I wasn't stopping there.
Next came its rear.
Then its belly.
By the time I had pulverized everything up to its chest, the golem stopped moving.
Naturally.
It was already dead.
Well, it hadn't exactly been alive to begin with.
“Soushi-sama, it's over now!”
I heard Freynil's voice in the distance.
That's right.
It was over.
Calm down.
I needed to check on Rani.
“...Yeah, I'm fine. More importantly, what about Rani?”
When I turned around, Rani emerged from a pile of rubble.
“Ahh, that hurt... Good thing I got【Dampening】.”
Right.
She had just acquired that skill.
Was this another effect of【Bad Luck】?
Either way, seeing her unharmed made me breathe a sigh of relief.
“Sorry. I put too much on you.”
“No, that was my mistake. Things had been going so smoothly that I got a little overconfident.”
“I see... No, maybe the same goes for me.”
“We need to be more careful. But were you worried about me?”
“Of course. You're an important member of the party.”
“Hmm... But you were amazing just now, Soushi. Was that a skill too?”
“Yeah. It seems so.”
While we were talking, Freynil and Sphenia arrived.
“Thank goodness...”
Freynil immediately threw herself into my arms.
After patting her head, I asked her to cast【Life Magic】on Rani.
She didn't appear injured, but it was better to be safe.
Meanwhile, I noticed that Sphenia's eyes seemed slightly moist.
Her pale cheeks were also faintly flushed.
(E/N: Woah there, she's an M? 🤣)
Maybe she had simply been surprised by the effects of the【Fury】skill.
“Soushi-san, you become like a completely different person when you're fighting.”
“No, that was the skill's influence. It raises my abilities, but apparently it also makes my behavior more aggressive.”
“A skill like that...? You were so different from your usual self that it surprised me.”
“Honestly, it surprises me too. I'd appreciate it if you didn't find it frightening.”
“Never. I don't find it frightening at all. It looked to me like it was triggered because Rani got hurt.”
Sphenia's words made Freynil nod.
“Soushi-sama was just as angry when I was attacked before. I think it's a skill that reflects the kindness hidden underneath.”
“No, I don't think it's something that noble...”
After all, the first time it activated had been when I myself was attacked.
I understood what Freynil and Sphenia were trying to say, but I didn't think it was that kind of admirable skill.
Still, if thinking of it that way helped them avoid being afraid of me, then perhaps that was for the best.
As we talked, villagers and other adventurers began gathering around.
Some stared at the golem corpses.
Others poked them curiously.
“What happened here?!”
A little later, Village Chief Ghoslit arrived accompanied by several guards.
He looked around at the destroyed houses, the broken wall, and the golem corpses.
His eyes widened in shock.
Then he noticed us and looked shocked all over again.
“Soushi-dono, Lady Sphenia, what in the world happened?”
“We don't know. These giant Flesh Golems suddenly appeared and attacked the village. Fortunately, we were able to defeat them, but this may not be over yet.”
When Sphenia answered, realization flashed across the village chief's face.
He immediately ordered the guards beside him to secure the area and remain vigilant.
Seeing that, Sphenia continued.
“Village Chief, if these were golems, then there may be someone controlling them. I've never heard of Flesh Golems of this size appearing naturally. I believe an investigation is necessary.”
“Indeed. However, a golem of this scale, especially a Flesh Golem... there are very few people capable of controlling such a thing.”
The chief issued further orders, instructing the guards to detain anyone suspicious.
Something about this golem discussion caught my attention, so I asked Sphenia a question.
“I thought golems appeared normally in dungeons. Is that not the case outside them?”
“Yes. Golems, like these, are artificial beings. Generally speaking, they are created and controlled by someone.”
“Are there many people capable of creating golems?”
“Let's see. The people who specialize in that are called alchemists. Anyone who graduates from the Royal Academy can become one. However, I've heard the Alchemy Department only graduates around twenty students per year, so there aren't many.
…
Other than that, I've heard that the nation of Ozu is particularly known for controlling golems, but since they maintain no diplomatic relations with other countries, details are scarce.”
And there it was again.
Ozu.
According to Guild Receptionist Mylan, it was known as the Nation of Sorcery.
Things were starting to sound increasingly suspicious.
While we were talking, Mylan and several other guild employees arrived.
They began inspecting and dismantling the golems.
Watching the work, I saw one of the dismantling specialists remove a magic stone the size of a volleyball and place it onto a cart.
As expected, giant monsters produced giant magic stones.
Then suddenly, a commotion broke out near the village gate.
One of the guards ran over to the village chief.
“We've detained a suspicious individual. Appears to be an adventurer, but they seem to possess a magical tool capable of summoning undead...”
Before long, a single person was brought over under heavy guard.
“I tell you, I know nothing of these golems. I have never even seen that tool before. Question my party members. Then my innocence shall become clear.”
(E/N: She speaks in an old-fasioned way, like ending sentences with -dearu (for males) and -oru (for females) and referring themselves as "Warawa" or "This great me-")
The person making that strange declaration while being prodded along with spears was none other than the shrine maiden outfit-clad girl we had seen at the Adventurer's Guild a few days earlier.
The adventurer said to be from the Nation of Sorcery, Ozu.
——————
E/N:
So, the real culprit or… a red herring?
Stay tuned!
——————
——————————
Check out my other translations -
——————————
Comments