“Eh!? Just a minute!” The shrill voice of a girl resounded .

It was Veronica who was sitting on a tall chair .

Once she roughly placed the goblet filled with blood in her small hands on top of the table, she yelled, “――I haven’t heard anything about that! Mel?”

She approached Mel with vampire-like, bloodshot eyes .

“Even I don’t know anything about that . It’s just Kaldo-san who thinks so, right?” Mel soothed Veronica .

“Yes, indeed . It is as you say . ” Kaldo bowed his head politely .

“Whaaat, then it’s fine . I want to become guild master’s, Shuuya’s … . but I can’t…” Veronica enviously glared at the while being on the verge of tears .

“Uh, even if you look at us like that, it’s just troubling . ” Rebecca looked back awkwardly .

“Nn, Veronica-senpai, your eyes are scary, but pretty…” Eva’s violet eyes sparkled . She looked into the eyes of the vampire girl while donning a gentle, smiling expression in silence .

“T-Thanks, Eva-san? You also possess very beautiful, violet eyes . They draw you in…” Veronica’s mood improved immediately, apparently because she was happy over being praised . She stared into Eva’s eyes while being entranced .

“Well then, Kazun looks as if he can’t wait any longer . I will explain the strategy . The initial luring duty, in short the ambush task, will be handled by Kazun and me . Next, Veronica, Benett, and Guild Master’s esteemed bloodkin will a.s.sault the enemy’s leaders and soldiers from the front, behind, right, and left . Are you okay with this?” Mel inquired .

“Humph! Sure!” Kazun agreed while snorting .

“Ayes~” Veronica released blood from her whole body . Once she drew a blood red rose mark on her black armor, she said so while happily whirling around on the spot .

“I don’t mind . ” Benett told Mel while watching Veronica’s behavior with a smile .

“Nn, we also agree . ” Eva said to Mel, seemingly intending to act as representative of the

Rebecca, Yui, and Kaldo nodded silently .

“Let’s go then . ” Mel ordered .

Taking advantage of the darkness, 【Remains of the Moon】 and the

The bright light of the two moons illuminated their backs as if to bless them .

◇◇◇◇

Many footsteps echoed throughout the L alley . The owners of those footsteps became apparent through the moonlight peeking through the clouds .

It was a unique group wearing skull ogre masks with two horns on their heads . The one standing at their head was a small dwarf . He wore a black cloak that had a white fur attached at its neck part . Several blood-smeared, bound books with decorative, golden rivets hung down from his waist belt which he wore above a red leather armor . He didn’t hold any weapons .

Contrasting the short dwarf was a largely built person standing next to him . He likewise wore a red skull ogre mask . White, long hair, which stood out due to the reflection of the moonlight, fluttered on his back, and something similar to dark threads was coiled all around his body . Thick, dark threads were hanging down from both his hands .

That unique group turned around a corner, seemingly planning to head to the brothel .

The one who suddenly appeared from within the shadows ahead of the corner was Kazun . Next, Mel the Flash showed up behind him .

“…Zabusa, Zef, it’s been a while . ” With those words of Kazun, the masked group came to a halt .

The dwarf, who had been walking at the front, stepped forward and said, “What? That beast face, a leopard beastman’s…no way, Kazun, huh?”

“Hah! For you to have survived . ” The large man standing behind the dwarf said while laughing scornfully, making the dark thread-like wires expand and contract by handling them like yoyos .

“Yeah, thanks to you . I’m doing fine . ” Kazun laughed full of sarcasm, showing his leopardish fangs .

“I’m sure you want to have a nice chat after finally having reunited, but allow me to interrupt . Shorty-san, bean pole-san, and you guys behind them, why did you come to this city?” Mel’s words were stated with a hard, tense voice .

From her expression, one could feel the peculiar dignity owned by a dweller of the world of darkness, which she struggled to attain through her experience as former leader of 【Remains of the Moon】 .

Upon the solemn words of Mel, the masked dwarf acc.u.mulated mana in his eyes and glanced at her .

“…That tone, and this level of Magic Combat Style…a leader of 【Remains of the Moon】, huh? Were you picked up by them, Kazun?” The dwarf asked .

“According to the information, 【Owl’s Fangs】 was apparently annihilated . Zabusa, let me have this woman?” Zef said .

“Haah, you’re sure a pervert . ――You lot, get ready for combat . ” The dwarf took a blood-smeared book and ordered those behind him .

At that moment a blue light shone behind the dwarf, bursting and scattering his comrades .

“W-What was that?”

At that point an arrow with a black l.u.s.ter pierced the leg of the man who released black threads from his whole body .

“――Guooh, an ambush, eh?” The tall man manipulated his threads, had them entwine the stabbed arrow, and pulled it out in an instant . Then he emitted mana, displaying a terrific quality of skill .

The black threads, which were clad in mana, enveloped his body, forming a unique armor .

He started to jump lightly, showing a footwork with a peculiar tapping rhythm with his toes .

“Tsk, I will contact guild master, guaah!” The dwarf tried to do something by lifting the book in his hand .

However, a sharp sword dripping with blood pierced through the dwarf’s small arm, hindering his movements .

“There’s no way we’re going to allow you that contact or whatever, right?” The one talking with a high, clear voice was a small vampire girl .

She had transformed the blood released from both arms into slender swords . Countless b.l.o.o.d.y swords .

That big number of blood swords was floating as if possessing an independent will . Veronica approached the masked dwarf as if performing a dance with the floating blood swords .

In the meanwhile, the survivors of the masked soldiers, who had been blown away by blue fireb.a.l.l.s, were cut apart and killed by Yui and Kaldo .

The head of a Skull Ogre soldier, which was cut off in a single stroke, flew through the air in the alley . According to the inertia of falling, the head slowly rolled around on the ground, losing the mask and thus exposing its face . It wasn’t the face of a human . It was the face of a monster which had a special, red triangle figure carved onto its forehead .

Yes, they were monsters with slightly low intelligence .

“These guys aren’t human, eh?” Yui observed .

“Seems so . Goblins and ogre types, huh?” Kaldo added .

Yui and Kaldo looked at the faces of the monsters while cleaning their bloodied blades .

“W-What!? In an instant…the soldiers…” The dwarf showed his discomposure .

He had gradually retreated backwards, and now his back hit the wall, stopping him in his tracks .

“Huh? It’s already over?” Rebecca asked in surprise .

“Nn, the leaders are still left . ” Eva pointed out .

Rebecca approached from the edge of the roof above, whereas Eva got closer from the other side of Veronica; both talking to the dwarf and the darkness thread user .

Black arrows headed towards the darkness thread user in succession, but the threads collided with the arrows at an amazing speed, easily bisecting the arrows vertically starting from the arrowhead part .

“…As might be expected from one calling himself a Darkness Beheading Thread Master . Surprise attacks won’t work any longer, huh?” Benett appeared while putting away her bow .

She got down behind Eva in a stance allowing her to throw the daggers in her hands at any time .

“A Shadow Archer, eh? And there are some d.a.m.ned, strange s.h.i.+ts mixed in as well――” The thread user glared while cursing like that .

“Nn, that steel-like thread penetrates everything . ” Eva caused a group of many, green metal blades, which were clad by her own, violet mana, to appear as if to exhibit her own powers .

It was such a quant.i.ty that it formed a wall in the alley . A quant.i.ty unbeknown to her comrades .

Eva’s , her unique power to manipulate metal had definitely grown .

“Haha, I’ll be d.a.m.ned, Zabusa . I haven’t heard a word about someone like that being here . ” Zef said .

“…Even I had no clue . ” Zabusa answered .

“It’s not the time to look away . Die and scatter your blood . ” Veronica yelled .

As if they were agitated by the swarm of green blades, a ranged onslaught by the blood swords started from the left side . The dwarf had his mask cut apart, revealing his fretful face . He frantically moved and squirmed along the wall, trying to dodge the b.l.o.o.d.y swords, but the number of swords was too big .

Being late in reacting to the dance-like movements of the swords, the dwarf had his whole body chopped up . With his body covered all over in gashes, the dwarf stopped dodging, and then screamed, “I won’t let ya toy with me as ya please!”

But, immediately following that, his neck was cut deeply by a blood sword .

――Blood surged out of the wound .

However, a strong spirit dwelt in the eyes of the dwarf . He opened his blood-smeared book . At that instant, the large quant.i.ty of blood that had gushed out of his neck was sucked up by that book .

Probably as an effect of absorbing the blood, many crimson runes with a l.u.s.ter appeared on the opened page, and then the pages started to turn over at a terrific rate while s.h.i.+ning reddish brown . Moreover, a huge, crimson hand suddenly manifested from within the book .

What then crawled out of the book was a giant with a height of three meters . A gigantic, reddish brown monster with its whole body covered by a dazzling, silver membrane .

The blood sword swarm, which unleashed a sword dance around the dwarf, was completely repelled by the field magic which was cast by the giant .

“Gubooaaaaahhh . ”

“…Indius, get rid of those guys . ” The dwarf instructed while leaning back against the wall .

The wound at his neck had been healed by a potion .

“That book is one of the prohibited books, eh…?” Mel muttered while looking up to the giant .

“It came out, huh? Let me deal with it . ” Kazun made the fur on his back swell .

It was proof of him being a mutant . He transformed into a far bigger leopard beastman .

“I’m Kazun of 【Remains of the Moon】! Zabusa and giant, I will have you allow me to clear my grudge from long ago! Nuoooooooh――”

While raising a war cry, Kazun charged and started to directly pummel the giant . Spiked claws extended from the fists of both his hands .

Several seconds later, Eva’s metal blade swarm swooped down on the thread user .

“Tsk! Zabusa, I ain’t able to back you up . ” Zef yelled .

While looking at Zef’s face from the side, Zabusa curtly replied with a pale face, “…I know . ”

Zef hurriedly manipulated a crowd of threads which he released from his whole body . He sent them towards the swarm of metallic blades while making them flap their crow-like wings . However, the green metal swarm easily cut through the crowd of darkness threads .

“――The h.e.l.l!? My threads that cut even through steel!” Those words became the last ones of the Darkness Beheading Thread User .

As if his body had turned into the target of a throwing game played by several people…it was cruelly crammed with green blades . Zef collapsed to the ground without uttering a single word anymore .

The darkness threads, which covered his body, curled up, obviously having lost their steel-like strength, and vanished after turning into dust .

“W-What…Zef…in an instant…” Zabusa revealed a shocked expression behind the giant who had a fist fight with Kazun .

“Eva, you rock . I had planned to go into close combat with my blue flame fists, but it looks like it’s unnecessary now . ” Rebecca said .

“Nn, same toughness as monsters . ” Eva smiled beautifully .

But, it wasn’t the smile of an angel, but one that allowed others to understand a part of why she was called death G.o.ddess by the adventurers who opposed her in the past .

“Well, that makes sense . The evil beast was powerful . But, the giant over there seems to be a challenge . ” Rebecca replied .

The two

“…Mel, I think we should build a good, permanent relations.h.i.+p with guild master’s family from now on . ” Benett commented .

“Benett, I think so, too… Now then, leaving that aside, exterminating the monster that came out of the prohibited book is still left . Please a.s.sist Kazun . ” Mel instructed .

“Roger . ” Benett jumped with a movement that seemed to be a skill, and vanished into the shadows .

And then sharp black arrows, which appeared to be shot by Benett from within the shadows, stabbed into the face, shoulder, and foot of the giant who was fighting against Kazun . However, they didn’t work against the giant .

“Soldier Indius of the Ten-layered h.e.l.l, smash the Sebaka mutant and his friends!” The dwarf ordered while hiding himself like a fox borrowing the power of a tiger, the strength of a giant .

The magically constructed book, which was called prohibited and was dripping with blood, in the small, thick hand of the dwarf shone as it was apparently linked with the giant .

“Ugoooooh――” The giant roared .

At that point Kazun’s roundhouse kick cleanly hit the giant’s solar plexus after a right hook . But, the giant didn’t budge at all, even after receiving a kick .

“It was a good kick――” The giant said roughly with a low voice, and swiftly joined both hands in front of its face .

It raised those joined hands above its head ― and swung that two-handed fist downwards ― hitting the head of Kazun .

Kazun had his head jolted as if it had been struck by a hammer .

“――Guuaah . ” Kazun went down on his knees with his legs obviously having buckled .

Moreover, the giant thrust out his fist . The power knuckle, which seemed to cut through the air, directly hit Kazun’s chest .

“Gaaaah――” Kazun was blown away deeper inside the alley while spinning around .

“Kazun!” Veronica hurried over to Kazun and sprinkled a potion over him .

“It looks like he’s struggling . ” Yui said .

While slowly walking atop the wall…she looked keen like a hunting dog that was about to bring down its prey .

It was her characteristic power, . In order to specify the giant as a.s.sa.s.sination target, his large frame had a red border added to it .

Yui grasped the special, magic katana in her left and right hand . With every step she made atop the wall, those two katana swayed slowly back and forth . To the untrained eye it might look as though the katana’s blades were thirsting for blood .

As if following Yui, Kaldo walked along the alley below the wall .

“Two, two, six . ” Kaldo gave instructions through an original cryptogram to Yui .

“Understood, I’m off . ” Yui leaped down upon the giant first .

Her magic katana drew a trajectory that made it obvious that she planned to mow down at the giant’s flank .

――A speedy, scything katana slash .

Next Kaldo set out . Running, no, jumping towards the other side of the giant, he dyed the blade of his sword with blood, starting from the sword’s point . He seized the flank of the giant, and cut it up, just to land on the exactly opposite side of Yui .

Following the flow without any break, Kaldo sliced the right foot of the giant once more with his katana which he was pulling back .

Next, Yui, who had activated her , brandished her magic katana while crossing with Kaldo . Yui’s katana cut the backside of the giant’s left knee .

The two continued their blade dance with superb timings .

In a flash, the giant had its ankle, the backside of its knee, and its s.h.i.+n deeply cut . Being covered in wounds all over, the giant went down on his knees .

However, the spirit world’s giant swung its big arms, trying to catch Yui and Kaldo with its big hands as it got confused by their cooperative sword techniques, but the power of the