"Tch, damn it all!"
He coated his sword in a dense layer of sword aura. A tremor of power so intense it made my skin crawl radiated from him.
Realizing what he was trying to do, I screamed, "Are you going to take it head-on?! That's crazy, dodge it!"
"If you can't move, shut up! Four-Eyes, set up a full-power barrier! Things are about to get real rough!"
Saying so, the old man sheathed one of his swords and gripped the other with both hands. Raising the blade overflowing with sword aura—
"RAAAAAAAGH!"
He slammed his sword against the incoming mass of aura! The impact of two overwhelmingly massive forces colliding tore deep fissures into the ground, radiating in all directions! The air trembled, and space itself shattered!
For a moment, the forces seemed evenly matched. But—
"Guh…! You bastard, what kind of attack is that to throw at an old man…! Show a little respect for your elders, damn it!"
Bracing himself, Morris's feet were gradually being pushed backward. Sweat poured down his face, his expression twisted in pain. That old man is being pushed back…?! The Sword Saint himself is being forced back to this extent…!
Even so, he cut through it. He slammed his blade right through the pitch-black blast, cleaving it in two and surviving the crisis. Having sliced through Asem's attack, the old man was breathing heavily, but he managed to catch his breath.
"Phew… He really doesn't mess around."
"Stopping that, are you? In that case—"
Asem prepared to launch another attack… but he was cut off. A wave of holy energy blasted into his right side, blowing him far into the distance.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't forget about me."
"My, my, I had no intention of forgetting you."
A fierce exchange of slashes broke out between old man Strada and Asem. Rejoining them after catching his breath, Morris made it a two-on-one battle. Yet, against Asem, whose power was rapidly rising, the two were struggling to keep up. Where they had been on the offensive moments before, they were now being forced onto the back foot.
They're fighting while trying to protect us, and yet I… I…!
I commanded my battered body to stand. But Yaegaki-san stopped me.
"Don't be reckless! You can't even stand right now! Joining that fight will only make you a liability!"
"I know that! But… even so, I…!"
As I tried to shake off his grip, Yaegaki-san grabbed me by the collar. "If you vanish here, there are people who will grieve! Didn't you swear to protect her?!"
"…!"
His words struck deep into my chest. The heat that had been clouding my head instantly cleared.
If I went out there now, I would definitely die. Even if I somehow managed to protect everyone, what came after would be—
Exhaling sharply, Yaegaki-san dispelled the dragon surrounding us and stepped forward. He then manifested a single dragon woven from holy aura, wrapping it around me to protect me.
"You stay here. I'm going."
"No way…! You can't! With your power, against that fight…!"
"I know. But it's far better than you going out there. Even if it's just a split second, I should be able to create an opening for them to go on the offensive."
He might be right. The opening he could buy might only last a fraction of a second. It might not even be long enough to blink. But with that much time, those two could surely grasp a chance to counterattack.
"But if you do that, Yaegaki-san, you'll…!"
At my words, Yaegaki-san shook his head. "I came here to secure a future. If I do nothing here, I won't get that future. So, even if it costs me my life, this time for sure—"
Yaegaki-san raised his sword.
No, you can't go. Even if you were once dead, right now you're—
I reached out to him as he prepared to leap forward. Just then—
"Hey, Four-Eyes! Did you forget your promise with me?!"
A voice resembling a roar flew over from the old man, who was parrying Asem's magic up ahead.
He shouted, "Whether you used to be dead or whatever, I told you not to go sacrificing yourself like that!"
And then, he continued. "Besides, don't just go deciding we're gonna lose on your own! I brought a secret weapon just in case something like this happened!"
A secret weapon? He brought something like that? No, coming to think of it, that made sense. Considering the enemy's strength, it wouldn't be strange for him to prepare some kind of trump card. It was precisely because of this desperate situation that he decided to use it.
Reaching into his coat, the old man pulled something out and tossed it over to me. A square object that fit right in the palm of my hand. There was a button in the middle, and several small holes on the side.
The old man yelled, "Press the button to activate it! Once you do—"
I didn't know what this thing was, but if he said to press it, I had to. It was a secret weapon he prepared to break us out of this jam. It had to have some kind of effect.
Thinking that, I pressed the button as told.
And then—
Da-da-da-DAAA-da-da-da~ Da-da-da-DAAA-da-da-da~ Trrr~ Trrr~ Trrr~ Trrr~ Trrrrr~ Trrr~
"…Hyoudou Issei-kun."
"…Yes?"
"Is it just me, or is a song that sounds suspiciously like Rocky playing right now?"
"…It sure sounds like it."
I replied shortly to Yaegaki-san's question.
I mean, isn't this—
"IT'S JUST A MUSIC PLAYER, DAMN IT! WHY THE HELL ROCKY AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!"
"Just listening to it gets your blood pumping, right?"
"NO IT DOESN'T! WHAT KIND OF TIMING IS THIS TO SHATTER THE SERIOUSNESS, YOU CRAZY OLD MAN?!"
That was Yaegaki-san's very first tsukkomi.
~ Afterword Mini-Story ~
Miu: "Hey, hey, Big Brother."
Issei: "What's up, my beloved little sister?"
Miu: "You know, I've been thinking lately… ever since we entered the final arc, we barely have any sibling interaction! In fact, there's almost none!"
Issei: "I know, right?! Honestly, I'm at my limit here too! My Imouto-nium reserves are completely drained, I'm reaching my limit! So, Miu! Are you ready?!"
Miu: "Yeah! My Oniichan-nium ran out too… so, hug me as much as you want!"
Issei: "Miiuuu!"
Miu: "Big Brotheeer!"
Diarmuid: "Nii-ni, Nee-nee… can I join too?"
Issei & Miu: "DIARMUID-CHAAAN!"
It is said that the sibling hug continued for several hours after this.
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