Credits
Cleaned color illustrations by Arturo Songor (@artson593)
Chapter 6: Slayers Excellent — Villain Fight!
“Freeze!”
The sharp command rang out, stopping
Lina in her tracks. The voice belonged to a man dressed as a priest, gripping a
small girl tightly while pressing a broadsword to her throat.
“If you value her life, stay still!”
Lina gritted her teeth.
“Let go! Let go!” the girl thrashed
and screamed in the man’s arms.
“You! Do you think you’ll get away
with this just because you’re a priest!?” Lina barked. “If you don’t let go of
her right now, I’ll send you straight to hell!”
“Don’t you dare joke like that!” Mina,
the hostage, protested.
“I’ve gone through great lengths to
persuade you, and you just keep ignoring me! Well, there’s no other way. I’ll
teach you a lesson, Lina Inverse!” the so-called priest sneered.
Lina stood firm, short sword in
hand, waiting for an opportunity.
“I don’t care what you have to
do, just save me already!” Mina wailed.
Lina raised an eyebrow. “Are you
even a real priest?”
“First and foremost, I’m a human
being,” the man replied, his expression deadly serious. “And I love myself the
most.”
Lina burst into laughter.
Sensing something off about it, the
priest and Mina exchanged wary glances.
“You know, Mina,” Lina said, still
chuckling, “I feel exactly the same way. Before being your bodyguard, I’m a
human first and foremost.”
“W-wait a minute! Don’t be hasty!”
the priest stammered. “We humans also have the spirit of camaraderie,
philanthropy, and self-sacrifice, you know!”
“Don’t worry,” Lina assured him,
starting a spell chant. “This won’t kill you.”
“Hold on! I’m still a hostage!” Mina
screeched.
Her protests were quickly drowned
out by a hail of offensive spells.
The sun dipped below the horizon,
casting long shadows over the wilderness.
Lina stood at the edge of a cliff,
arms folded, cloak billowing in the evening wind. At her feet, Mina, covered in
bandages, curled up like a shrimp behind her.
“And thus, the vile Hellmaster
organization was obliterated by Lina Inverse!” a narrator’s voice suddenly rang
out, “But as long as evil persists in this world, a second, or even third
Hellmaster may rise! Don’t give up, Lina! Keep fighting! Keep fighting until
all the world’s evil is vanquished!”
A quiet, melodic tune played as the
production staff credits scrolled down the screen.
The venue erupted in applause.
Inside a brightly lit hall, a
strange-looking crowd of about several dozen men sat watching. Though they
resembled ordinary people, they were anything but.
“That was fun”, “I liked when the
client told her to finish the priest without a second thought. I was moved to
tears”, “…Wait, that didn’t happen…”
“Ahhhh! Stop clapping!”
BANG!
The person who yelled smashed the
crystal screen with a furious punch. It was none other than Garrus Blader, the
same man who took Mina hostage, former leader of the Hellmasters.
An awkward silence filled the room.
Above them, a massive banner swayed
from the ceiling, reading: The 38th Annual Meeting of the Coastal States
Criminal Association
“This isn’t a damn movie festival!”
Garrus roared. “We’re supposed to be coming up with a plan to deal with that
violent sorceress who’s been wiping us out!”
“…That’s correct,” a gray-haired old
man muttered. He’s the boss of some crime syndicate, and his tone was as
unpleasant as his face. “She’s insanely powerful and utterly crazy. Hostages
don’t work, ambushes don’t work… There’s no chance we can take her head-on.
Frankly, I think we should just wait for an earthquake or a typhoon.”
“I agree,” another crime boss chimed
in. “Sorry, Garrus, but you’re still young. You can start over, rebuild your
connections. As for a real plan? The best option is for her to somehow die on
her own.”
“Don’t try to comfort me!” Garrus
spat. “Do you have any idea how hard I worked to build my empire!? I endured my
adoptive parents’ cold treatment! I busted my ass growing Charos Flowers, rain
or shine! When they finally bore fruit, and I turned them into drugs, I cried!
“All the prostitution, theft,
blackmail, robbery, I worked my way up from nothing! I finally got my own
minions! Just as I thought I could sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor…
BAM! That crazy brat showed up and ruined everything!”
By the time he finished, every crime
boss in the room had tears in their eyes.
“You’re making me cry, man…”, “It
was the same for me…”
“Enough,” a firm, resolute voice cut
through the emotional atmosphere.
Duran Balzark, the young master of
the Duos Connection, stepped forward. With his sharp, hawk-like eyes and
jet-black hair, he commanded respect. He was the one who had called this
meeting.
“We can’t let that girl roam free.
If we ignore her, we’ll lose face. And worse, a second or even third Lina
Inverse might appear. We must eliminate her, by any means necessary.”
“I have an idea,” Garrus said
suddenly. “That girl doesn’t waver, no matter who the hostage is. But… what if
we use someone from her own family?”
Duran’s expression darkened. “About
that… Some gang from Saillune already tried that. They sent a group to her
hometown.”
“What happened to them?”
“They never came back.”
The room fell silent.
“…The entire family’s full of
monsters…” someone whispered.
“In the end, Lina found and wiped
out that gang anyway,” Duran said. “Besides, if we were to send someone to
Zephyria now, it’d be too late. Garrus, are you willing to take revenge into
your own hands?”
“Of course,” Garrus nodded firmly.
He wasn’t. But with all these crime
bosses watching, there was no way he could admit it.
Duran smirked. “Good. You’re the
only one here who’s faced her and lived. I’ll leave the planning to you. I’ll
provide the resources, just get the job done.”
The room hesitated, but in the end,
they all reluctantly agreed.
Garrus, meanwhile, felt like he had
just drawn the worst hand of his life.
“So, what’s the plan, Lina?” Mina
asked, her voice laced with suspicion.
They sat in the dining area of a
small seaside inn. The restaurant was lively, yet there was a calming
atmosphere, with the scent of salt air drifting in through the open windows.
“What do you mean?” Lina asked,
taking a sip of her shark stew.
“The other day you dragged me into
your mess and wiped out an entire gang!”
Lina raised an eyebrow. “You’re
still mad about that? It was just a simple spell…”
“Oh, I remember, alright! I wrote
about it in my diary! I illustrated it! And I read it to myself every night
before I go to sleep!”
Lina shuddered.
“…You wanna see it?”
“No, no, I’m good,” Lina said
quickly, waving her hands. “You’ve shown me enough already.”
Her writing is miserable, just pages
and pages of complaints. And her so-called “drawings” were even worse. A
creature that could roughly be identified as a giant poisonous caterpillar was
drawn with an eerie, childish touch. The moment Lina first saw the annotation
with her name underneath, she felt dizzy.
“…Anyway, there are many gangs here
with a strong sense of camaraderie. They even form strange alliances.” Mina
tilted her head as she leaned forward, peering into Lina’s eyes with her large,
auburn eyes. Her long golden hair gently swayed.
While she’s clearly younger than
Lina, her attitude is abnormally arrogant.
“…And?”
“And!? What if they team up and come
after us!? What do you plan to do if that happens!?”
“Mina,” Lina looked at her with a
straight face. “In life, there are many things you just can’t avoid. And for
me, fighting bandit gangs is one of them.”
“How do you take your job of
escorting me to Roll City so carelessly!?”
“If it happens, it happens.” Lina
tried to hold Mina’s hand to reassure her. Might’ve worked if her other hand
wasn’t holding a crab.
“A bandit attacking you is something
that just ‘happens’!?”
“Yeah… more or less, that’s usually
how things go.” Initially, they got attacked by simple thugs, but soon enough,
more and more bandits came, and ultimately, Lina wiped out the entire gang. “Besides,
we gain nothing by dwelling on the past…”
“Why are you acting as if this was
unrelated to me! This is all your fault!” Mina quickly grabbed Lina by the
collar across the table and shook her back and forth.
“M-Mina—”
“Guarding me isn’t some minor job!
You should be grateful you came my way! I want to escape that twisted, sexless,
closed society, keep pretending to be an ordinary person. I want men to buy me
things, drink until I can’t anymore, live like a normal girl!”
“I-I get it… Just let go, ah!”
“I want to do so many things! Go to
a gambling parlor, eat delicious food from all over the place! Take a bath in a
hot spring…” Mina continued yelling nonstop as she refused to let go of Lina,
who was steadily getting dizzy, drawing the attention of the other guests.
Duran was unsure of their next move.
A considerable amount of supplies was
delivered to Garrus from all gangs. He should have enough weapons and armor to
take on a small country.
However…
“Can he do it…? Can he defeat Lina
Inverse…?” he muttered to himself.
It’s not as if he didn’t have faith
in Garrus’s abilities, he’s proven himself as one of the strongest bandits. The
issue is who he’s facing.
Rumors say that Lina Inverse is
actually several hundred years old and can destroy giant castles in a single
attack.
Others say that Chaos Dragon Garv,
one of the five confidants of Ruby Eye Shabranigdu, has taken human form in
order to collect human souls. Could Lina be Garv?
Another rumor says that Lina Inverse
is actually an archmage of the Principality of Letidius, which was destroyed
500 years ago, and although she’s already dead, a black bandana holding her
lingering soul remains.
In a way, these are all highly
credible rumors.
It’s not as if he had any obligation
to help Garrus, but the predicted course of Lina Inverse indicated that she’d
be passing through Duran’s headquarters in the not-too-distant future.
Garrus might be able to take care of
her, but the chances are slim.
However, it’s clear that some form
of confrontation is unavoidable. It’s better to just join forces with Garrus
now and attack her with all their strength. Although, if Duran keeps a low
profile, there’s also a chance that Lina Inverse just doesn’t notice him.
That’d also work just fine.
In any case, Duran wanted to choose
the method that would hurt him the least…
Fight, or pretend to be dead? It was
truly a fateful choice.
The full moon illuminated the pier.
Only the sounds of the waves could be heard.
An entire block of warehouses
belonged to a bandit gang, though nobody except the owner knew.
Garrus was in one of the warehouses.
It was filled with supplies sent by the other gangs.
There were twenty catapults, enough
to siege a castle. Not even the greatest sorcerer would be able to dodge the
countless giant boulders suddenly flying at them.
There were seventy sets of plate
mail, the same number of warhorses, which were kept elsewhere. Hundreds of long
spears, javelins, and swords, as well as all kinds of armor and bombs.
And enough food to feed a town for a
month and a half.
If they made full use of them, it’d
be impossible not to eliminate Lina Inverse.
“Perfect…” However, even as he said
this, Garrus’s expression was tired and gloomy. “Now if we could get more
people…”
The moon felt strangely cold. It was
a lazy summer night, and Garrus Blader was just twenty-seven years old.
Plan 1: Pretend to be a passerby and
ask Lina Inverse for directions, then attack when she lets her guard down.
Cons: Since she’s familiar with
Garrus, he’ll have to wear a mask or something. That’s just too suspicious any
way you look at it.
Plan 2: Wait until she’s asleep and
then set the inn on fire.
Cons: There’s a high risk she’ll be
able to escape. Furthermore, the area is Duran’s territory. It’d be troublesome
if the fire went out of control.
Plan 3: I’m too scared to fight
Lina. I’ll just apologize to everyone and return their stuff.
Cons: This plan is not feasible.
“No! No! No! No!” He grabbed the
papers in which the various plans were scribbled and scattered them wildly.
Under the dim lamplight, holding a
quill in one hand, he tried to encourage himself. But the more he wrote, the
more disheartened he felt. Eventually, the plans changed from [How to defeat
Lina Inverse] to [How to live a quiet life].
In the middle of calculating how
much it would cost to buy a house in the countryside near Atlas City or Crimson
City, he came to his senses.
“No, no! I have to defeat Lina
Inverse!”
There were more rumors that said
defeating her was just impossible, but Garrus was trying not to think about
that.
“Calm down and think. If she casts a
spell, then it’s over for me. That means my only option is a surprise attack.
If she were just the average sorcerer, then a shot from my bow gun while she
chants should be enough. But that woman is also a skilled warrior…” he
muttered, trying to organize his thoughts.
As the moon began to set and the sky
began to lighten, a plan finally began falling into place.
“Alright!” He looked at all the
weapons. “I’ll just hire someone else!”
…After an entire night, that was
everything he could think of.
“Hey, do you want to make money
quick?” In a rundown bar, Gotton called out to a man.
It was a morbid place where
wandering mercenaries were known to do business.
“Are you talking to me?” The man
turned toward him.
“Do you know of Duran?”
“I heard he’s the boss around here.”
“That’s right.” Gotton smiled and
sat next to the man.
Duran covered the weapons; Gotton will
cover the manpower.
He was looking for wandering mages.
“By the way, how are your magical
skills?”
“As far as magic goes, nobody can
match the mighty Zelgadis.”
“That’s impressive,” Gotton spoke in
a low tone. “I want you to take care of someone. Here’s an advance payment.
Once you’ve dealt with that person, I’ll pay you the rest.”
The man slightly raised one of his
fingers. “I see… Fine. Who’s the target?”
Gotton took out a folded piece of
paper from his pocket.
The man’s eyes opened wide.
“What’s the matter? Do you know her?”
“It’s impossible! She’s the one who
made me, Garmut Hannibal, taste humiliation!”
Gotton frowned. “Didn’t you say your
name was Zel-something?”
“My name doesn’t matter! Whatever,
I’m taking the job!”
“Nah,” the sorceress rejected him
curtly.
“Hey, don’t say that. You won’t find
a better deal anywhere else.” With a smile that was equal parts fawning and
lustful, Garrus pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. “All you need to do is
take care of one girl.”
“I don’t do that kind of work.”
Perhaps frustrated that the woman
wouldn’t even look at the paper, Gotton forcibly shoved it in front of her. “Don’t
tell me she scares you?”
“Ohhh…” She scanned the paper
carefully. “Now this sounds like an interesting job.”
“Right?” He was oblivious to the
venom in her words.
“What’s her name?”
Garrus turned pale at her casual
question. “W-well, her name is…”
“Ooooooooohohohoho! If you’re too
scared to even say it, then allow me, Naga the Serpent, to say it for you! That
girl is none other than the Robbers’ Killer herself, Lina Inverse! Picking a
fight with her is like asking for death!”
“You know Lina Inverse?”
“Hmph… I fought her once, and even
though I was seriously injured, she yielded to me.”
“W-what did you say!?” he blurted
out. “Seriously, you!?”
“Of course!” Although it wasn’t the
whole truth, Naga hadn’t lied. She thought for a moment before adding, “If
she’s the target, that changes everything. I might consider accepting… if the
pay wasn’t so small.”
“I-I see…” Thoroughly intimidated,
Gotton stood up. “Excuse me, could you come with me?”
With a small smile, Naga followed.
Amidst the bustling crowd, Lina
suddenly stopped.
“Hey, why’d you stop all of a
sudden?” Mina asked, ruining the atmosphere.
Lina remained silent, standing still
as if waiting for something.
“Did you not hear—?” Mina started
again, only to be cut off.
“It’s been a while,” a familiar male
voice said.
Sensing trouble, the crowd
dispersed, revealing the speaker, a man standing with his legs apart, arrogantly
pointing at Lina and Mina.
His sword was already unsheathed as he
took a few steps closer. He had red hair, a sturdy build, and fairly
good-looking features. But there was a dangerous glint in his eyes that set him
apart from ordinary people. It was none other than Garrus Blader himself.
“Ah, it’s you!” Mina couldn’t help
but raise her voice.
“You know this guy?” Lina asked.
The wind blew quietly.
“…Hey,” after a pause, Garrus
finally spoke. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about me, Lina Inverse!”
“Forget you?” Lina tilted her head. “Do
I even know you?”
She said it so decisively that
Garrus was left speechless.
It wasn’t that Lina was pretending
to be stupid or trying to throw him off. She genuinely had no memory of him.
For someone like Lina, who has wiped
out countless bandit gangs, remembering individual faces isn’t worth the
effort. In her mind, there are only three categories of bandits: bearded, bald,
and neither. Expecting her to remember a random one was simply unreasonable.
If Garrus had left even the faintest
impression, she might have at least said, “I don’t remember you well.”
“Lina, Lina,” Mina poked her. “He
was the chief of some gang we fought a while ago. He used me as a hostage, and
you blew him away with a spell. I wrote it all in my diary.” She pointed at
Garrus, clearly holding a grudge.
“Well, if you say so.”
“You really don’t remember him at
all?”
“Nope.” Lina nodded curtly.
Garrus had sworn revenge on the
woman who destroyed his gang, yet now, standing before her, she didn’t even
remember him.
Nearly discouraged, he forced
himself to press on, saying something he rehearsed countless times.
“I-I came here to warn you…”
“Warn?” Lina frowned.
Things weren’t going the way Garrus
had expected, but he pushed forward.
“R-right. It’s a warning for what
you did the other day… H-hey, wait a minute!” Without a care for his words,
Lina walked forward, heading straight toward him, “Let me finish—!”
THWACK!
And so, Garrus’ plans were forced to
undergo major changes.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to
go… he thought bitterly, lying tied up in the middle of a busy town in broad
daylight.
His original plan was to announce
that the bandits grouped together and hired sorcerers to eliminate Lina. Then,
he’d casually leave the scene, letting paranoia take its toll on her. She’d be
on constant guard, unable to sleep, mentally exhausted…
Instead, he was knocked out before
he could even finish his warning.
“If you came here to warn me about
something, that means you’re up to no good! …But what exactly were you going to
warn me about?”
“D-d-d-d-do you really want to know?”
“Wow, what an arrogant man,” Mina
said, astonished.
Pot, meet kettle.
Ignoring her, Lina continued, “You
wanted to warn me, right?”
“And what if I… don’t tell you?”
“Then you’re forcing me to use that.”
Lina pointed to the side of the road.
Garrus followed her gaze, and went
pale.
A steaming pile of horse dung.
“All right, all right! I’ll tell you
everything!”
“Then, what should I be wary of?”
“T-the other day, all the gangs in
this area held a meeting. They decided you had to be eliminated at all costs,
so they hired sorcerers to attack you!”
Of course, the true mastermind
behind this scheme hid his involvement. Revealing that would be suicide.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“This is retaliation from the gangs!
A warning to the whole world!”
“Hmm…”
As soon as he finished, Mina grabbed
Garrus by the shoulders.
“H-hey, I have nothing to do with
this! I was dragged into it! Y-you understand, right!?”
“Calm down, Mina! Your shaking is
working a little too well!” Lina hurriedly stopped her. Garrus was close to
passing out. “No need to worry, we’ve got a trump card up our sleeve!”
“A trump card?”
Garrus shook his head and let out a
faint, mocking laugh. “Don’t make me laugh! How could you possibly fend off an
army of sorcerers? You don’t even know when or where they’ll attack!”
“Hmm.” Lina smirked. “With a
hos-ta-ge!”
…
“Daaaaaaaaaaamn!” Garrus’ anguished
cries echoed through the streets.
“Hahahahaha! I finally found you,
little girl!”, “I have no grudge against you, but I’m sorry to say this is the
end of the line for you—”
“Mega Brand!”
“For the second time today, she just
blasted someone mid-speech. A truly devilish attack.” Mina scribbled in her
notebook. “By the way, Lina, what was the name of that spell again?”
“Mega Brand. Are you writing this in
your diary too?” Lina asked, slightly annoyed.
“They got taken out by a Mega Brand…
Of course, I’m writing it down!”
“I don’t like this side of you…”
Lina muttered.
Lately, Mina had been pouring all
her pent-up excitement into her diary.
Which would be fine, if she didn’t
insist on reading it out loud every night.
“Well then, let’s hurry up.” Mina
tucked her diary back into her bag and gave a firm tug on the rope in her left
hand, dragging Garrus along.
“Consider yourself lucky,” Lina
said. “We should be using you as a human shield, but the occasional sorcerer
attack is so weak, it’s not worth it.”
“Ugh… This is almost the biggest
embarrassment of my life…”
“Not almost. It is the biggest. And
we’re not done with you yet.”
“That’s right! I’ll immortalize your
humiliation in my diary, so it’ll live forever.”
Not that their words encouraged him
in any way, but Garrus reluctantly started walking again.
“Hold on.”
Just as the group resumed their
journey, a man’s voice called out.
When Lina turned around, her face
twisted in shock.
“Y-you!?”
A slim, handsome sorcerer stood
before them, his black beard neatly trimmed, a ram’s skull perched atop his
head.
It was him.
The same sorcerer she fought
before, back when she helped a girl track down her brother’s killer.
But how is he alive? Didn’t he go up
in flames?
Of course, Mina and Garrus had no
idea about their past battle, but struck by his strange appearance, they both
watched in silence.
“Girl, it’s been a while,” he said
in a low voice, the flicker of hatred burning deep in his eyes. “You had the
nerve to make a fool of me, Xellos, once—”
“How are you still alive?”
“Fuahahahaha!” He flipped his cloak
dramatically. “Did you really think a mere Fireball could defeat Graham
Brandara, the sorcerer with a thousand aliases!?”
Mina, diligently taking notes,
frowned. His name changed yet again. For once, she didn’t have the guts to call
him out on it.
“But it was your Fireball!”
“Silence, girl! Don’t you know I’m
terrible at casting Fireball?”
“Why would you say that so proudly—!?”
“So, you came to settle things, huh?”
Lina cut Mina.
“You’re quite perceptive. Then let’s
get to it!”
“Wait, wait! We can’t just fight in
the middle of town. That’d be a problem.” Lina held up a finger. “How about the
docks, after sunset?”
The two locked eyes. The air grew
tense.
“…Very well.” The man with a
thousand names smirked fearlessly, then turned around. “Be prepared, girl.”
Without another word, he walked away.
There was a brief silence before
Mina’s voice broke through.
“W-wasn’t that cool, Lina?” Her eyes
sparkled.
[That was awesome! A nighttime duel
at the docks! This is the kind of excitement I’ve been looking for!]
She wrote in her diary.
Lina sighed and placed a hand on
Mina’s shoulder.
“Mina, listen—”
“I know, I know. This isn’t a game.
You’re not putting your life on the line just for my amusement—”
“I don’t plan on going.”
“—And… what!?” Mina’s eyes went
wide.
“I never said I’d meet him at the
docks. Or that I’d fight him.”
Mina and Garrus exchanged looks of
disbelief.
“…But…”
“Now that you mention it, that makes
sense…”
“Anyway,” Lina continued, already
walking away, “there’s something else that’s not gonna happen—I’m not fighting
all those weak sorcerers. It’d be a waste of time.”
“Wait! Just when I thought I finally
found some entertainment, you’re backing out!? What the heck!?” Mina yanked on
Garrus’ rope and hurried after her.
The next morning.
“We meeb agai'n, girl!” sniff
The sorcerer with a thousand names
reappeared, standing on a road along the coast. Behind him, children played by
the water, their laughter carried by the sea breeze.
The sky was a brilliant blue. The
waves lapped gently against the shore. The salty wind drifted through the air.
And the man with a thousand names
dramatically shouted at full volume.
Lina squinted at him.
“…What’s wrong with your face?”
“Shut up!” His cheeks were red. “I
waited for so long, I caught a cold! Now, you’ll pay for mocking Wein-Streiser!”
He began chanting.
“Mina, stand back!” Lina shouted,
her voice urgent.
The sorcerer’s incantation was
unfamiliar to her. What? Is he summoning?
Not one to be outdone, Lina started
her own spell. Against the peaceful backdrop of the blue sky and sea, their
ominous chanting felt wildly out of place.
Lina was faster.
“Elmekia Lance!”
A spear of light shot toward
him, designed to damage the astral body and knock the target unconscious instantly.
However—
A black shadow rose up to shield
him. The spell hit, and the shadow crumbled to dust.
But another took its place. And
another.
Ten.
No, twenty.
“Do you see, girl!?” the sorcerer
shouted triumphantly.
“Golems!” Lina realized. She quickly
changed tactics.
“Dug Break!”
A simple spell that dispelled
curses, if Lina’s magic power exceeded the opponent’s, the golems would vanish.
However…
Nothing happened.
The golems remained, even more
emerged from the ground. Slowly, they began advancing.
“Impossible!” Lina’s expression
tightened.
Last time, this worked against his
golems. But this time…
There was no time to be shocked. She
quickly began another spell.
These aren’t true golems… He’s
controlling spirits.
There are two ways to create
zombies, either infect a corpse with parasites or trick a floating spirit into
thinking a dead body is its own.
He did the latter.
Except, instead of corpses, he used
earth golems.
The difficulty of such a feat is
absurd. To animate one like this is impressive, let alone so many.
While he may be awful at Fireball,
his necromancy skills are next-level.
The golems lurched forward.
Lina finished her spell.
“Blam Blazer!”
A blue shockwave tore through them,
shattering several golems.
But—
They instantly pulled themselves
back together.
“There’s no end to this!” Lina
grabbed Garrus by the collar and yanked him back. “What was your name again?”
“…Garrus Blader?” he answered
warily.
“Right. Mina, let go of the rope.”
“Huh?”
Lina positioned herself behind
Garrus as the golems closed in.
Garrus chuckled nervously. “Don’t
tell me you’re actually using me as a shield—”
“That’s not what I’m doing.” Lina
took a deep breath. “Behold my new special move, Garrus Crusher!”
A cold chill ran down Garrus’ spine.
The man with a thousand names smirked confidently. Mina muttered to herself,
scribbling notes furiously.
“Ray Wing!”
A barrier of wind surrounded them.
Then—
Like a bullet, Lina launched them
forward.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” Garrus’ scream
echoed across the beach.
The wind barrier, and his body,
smashed through the golems like a wrecking ball.
Soon enough, they, well, he, collided
headfirst into the sorcerer.
With a loud thud, the man crumpled
to the ground. The golems dissolved into mere lumps of dirt.
Lina landed. Garrus collapsed at her
feet, battered and groaning.
“…Hate…you…” he mumbled weakly.
Mina came running over, diary in
hand. “That was amazing, Lina! I couldn’t stop sketching! Want to see?”
“…Nah, I’m good.”
She glanced at the drawing. It
looked like a mummy wrapped in toilet paper. Or maybe it was supposed to be the
sorcerer? Lina decided not to ask.
The man stirred. “L-Lina…?”
“Huh? I never told you my name?”
His face twisted in frustration. “Grrr…
Had I known it was you… I’d have apologized from the start.”
Damn. What a coward.
“…Wait, what?”
“Actually… my wife is a huge fan.”
“…You’re married!?”
Maybe one of his fake names had a
wife at some point.
As Lina wondered, a certain figure
crossed her mind. Indeed, this man’s taste in clothing was oddly familiar...
“Say, is your wife a weirdo who
wears extremely revealing clothes, a skull necklace, and spiked shoulder
guards?”
“Don’t call my wife a weirdo! And
no, she doesn’t dress like that,” the man snapped, looking slightly offended.
Then, as if remembering something, he blushed and pulled out a parchment and
pen. “Since we’re on the topic, she asked me to get your autograph if I ever
ran into you. You’d really be helping me out.”
Without thinking too much about it,
Lina took the pen. “To…?”
“Her name’s Millienne. Oh, and
include today’s date.”
“To Millienne, from Lina Inverse…”
Lina tapped the pen against her chin. “Any particular message?”
“Any good quote of yours will do.”
“Evil people have no rights! …That
works?”
The man with a thousand names took
the parchment and nodded in satisfaction.
“Perfect. Thank you very much.”
He turned and walked away.
“Uh… say hi to your wife for me…”
Lina called after him, still processing what just happened. She simply stared
at his back as he disappeared into the crowd.
Mina watched, looking impressed. “Wow,
you’re pretty famous.”
“…I guess,” Lina muttered, though
she didn’t look particularly pleased. “More importantly, how did we even get
out of that mess—? Aww, what the hell!?”
“Hmm?” Mina looked around. “What’s
wrong?”
“He’s gone!”
“Who is?”
Lina frantically scanned the area.
But sure enough, the spot where Garrus had been tied up was now empty.
“He escaped while I was signing that
stupid autograph!” Lina groaned in despair. Before she could spiral further,
Mina grabbed her by the shoulders, making her tense up, “M-Mina, calm down, we
can work this out—”
“What are you going to do now, Lina?”
Mina demanded, shaking her violently. “How do you plan to handle all the
assassins after you now, huh?! Answer me!”
Lina couldn’t answer, because she
passed out from all the shaking.
“Garrus! Glad to see you made it
back in one piece,” Duran greeted him with a weak smile.
The crime boss’s headquarters were
located in a certain port town, disguised as a multi-tenant building. The sea
was visible from the windows. It might seem careless to leave them open, but
since Duran hadn’t caused any major conflicts lately, closing them would only
look suspicious.
“This is a disaster… My reputation
is completely ruined…” Garrus groaned, sinking into a chair.
“Don’t be so discouraged,” Duran
said, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
Of course, this wasn’t an act of
kindness, let alone friendship. It was simple calculation. With Garrus’s gang
wiped out, his territory was up for grabs. There’s no way he’ll be able to
rebuild it after suffering multiple humiliating defeats at the hands of Lina
Inverse.
That meant his turf would soon be
divided among the remaining gangs. But even if Garrus himself is finished as a
leader, his support could still prove useful.
Not that Garrus cared. He could see
right through Duran’s intentions, but it didn’t matter. His mind was consumed
by a single thought: revenge against Lina Inverse. And to make that happen, he
needed a powerful ally.
Both men were conspiring against
each other.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe. Sorry
to throw work at you so soon, but the sorceress Naga wants to discuss the plan
with you,” Duran continued. “If you’re too tired, I can handle it.”
“No, let’s just get it over with.
Bring her in,” Garrus muttered, rubbing his temples.
One of Duran’s subordinates went to
fetch her. Supposedly, Naga once defeated Lina before. That claim gave Garrus
enough confidence to march straight to war with her. And, well… that didn’t go
well.
At first, he thought he’d been lied
to. But knowing who she was up against, it was unlikely she’d spout nonsense.
Naga was their trump card. That’s
why, even after Lina took him hostage, he kept her existence a secret.
“It’s time…” he muttered as the door
slid open.
“Oooooohohohoho! Garrus, I see you
made it back alive!”
“…The plan, let’s hear it.”
Naga tossed back her cloak and took
a seat across from him. “First, I need you to put all the other sorcerers on
hiatus.”
“Fine,” he nodded. The list of
sorcerers was safely kept in Duran’s room, locked away, and Duran carried the
key at all times.
Naga let out a small, knowing laugh.
“Nice weather, huh?” Lina stretched.
The road cut through a seaside
forest. The clear blue sky, the salty ocean breeze, and the dappled shade of
the green trees created an exquisite, peaceful atmosphere.
“We haven’t been attacked since
yesterday,” Mina noted, writing in her diary as she walked. “It’s nice to have
some peace, I guess, but there’s nothing exciting to write about.”
“Yeah, but I doubt this calm will
last,” Lina sighed. “They’re probably just regrouping. Say what you will about
those guys, but they never let go of a grudge.”
“How twisted.”
“I know, right? Imagine if they put
that effort into a legitimate business…” Lina shook her head. “Then again, I
guess even some legitimate businessmen are just as bad.”
Before she could finish that
thought, a loud, unmistakable laughter echoed through the trees.
“Oooooohohohoho! We meet again, Lina
Inverse!”
“No way…”
As expected, stepping out from the
shade of the trees was none other than the infamous sorceress, Naga the
Serpent!
“It’s you again…” Lina groaned,
sweat forming on her forehead.
“L-L-Lina!” Mina yelped,
instinctively hiding behind her. “What is that strange thing?!”
“It’s fine, Mina. She may look
bizarre, but she’s just a human.”
“I-I can’t believe this! I have to
write it down!” Mina gasped, immediately flipping open her diary and sketching
Naga.
“…Do you seriously have the nerve to
talk about me like that…?” Naga gritted her teeth.
“Not a lot of people dresses like
you! It takes real guts…”
“…Shut up!” Naga snapped. Then,
turning to Mina, she narrowed her eyes. “And who’s this brat?”
“She’s my client,” Lina said
gloomily. “I’m her bodyguard.”
“Hmph… Hey, Lina, an acquaintance of
yours, a grown woman with a terrible personality who looks like she’ll never get
married, just called me a brat. I’m going to hold a grudge until the day I die.”
Naga’s eyebrow twitched as Mina
jotted that down in her diary.
“Well then, Lina.” Naga smirked. “I
have business with you.”
At an abandoned quarry to the east,
the air buzzed with magic as a swarm of sorcerers emerged from hiding.
Lina had no time to counter. Their
spells were already mid-cast, attack magic flying toward her from every
direction.
There was only one option: run.
She launched herself into the air
with Ray Wing, but before she could escape, Naga’s wind barrier slammed her
right back to the ground.
Then, the first wave of attacks
came.
A storm of Flare Arrows rained down.
Before she could even think about
countering, the second wave followed, Fireballs.
The heat alone made her vision blur.
Damn it—!
Watching from afar, Garrus let out a
gleeful chuckle.
“It’s perfect… Naga’s plan is
absolutely perfect!”
He’s been imagining this moment all
day.
His underlings, however, were less
enthused.
“Boss, please do something about
him…” an underling approached Duran, many where unnerved by Garrus’ odd
behavior.
Duran sighed. “Yeah, it’s creepy… But
I understand how he feels.”
She left early in the morning. If
she ran into Lina, then she should be coming back soon.
“Fuahahahahahahaha!” Garrus’ face
twisted into all sorts of smirks as he laughed.
“He looks so creepy…” Duran
instinctively looked away, “Hopefully Naga gets back here soon.”
The door slammed open with a bang as
a minion burst in, panting heavily.
“What’s the matter?”
“Boss, it’s the woman, Naga—!”
“Was she killed!?”
“N-no, she’s coming!”
“Then why are you so agitated?”
“She’s coming with Lina Inverse!”
“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?”
Panic instantly consumed the
headquarters.
What followed could only be
described as a magical fireworks show.
“Elmekia Lance!” “Freeze Bird!” “Flare
Arrow!” “Dam Brass!” “Blam Blazer!”
The air filled with glowing
projectiles and deafening explosions.
Inside, where large-scale magic
became impractical, Lina and Naga still treated it like a contest, firing off
spells as if their lives depended on it. Fire and smoke filled the halls as men
were sent flying left and right.
Mina, standing behind them, jotted
everything down in her diary.
“…And then, the men were blown away
by Lina’s magic… Mmh! Yes, this is the kind of excitement I wanted! I have to
tell everyone at the temple when I get back!”
She stood fearlessly amid the chaos,
completely absorbed in writing.
Lina tried to talk her out of coming
with them, but Mina refused, insisting she was here for the thrill.
“…Hey, Lina,” Naga whispered, “Let’s
use the confusion to get rid of that girl.”
“Try it, and she’ll never let you
forget it. Making sure to write everything down.”
Naga clicked her tongue.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Gotton, the man who
recruited Naga suddenly appeared, “What the hell are you doing!?” bloodshot
eyes darting around as he gripped his sword. His shaking legs, however,
suggested he was one bad scare away from bolting.
“Oh, that’s simple,” Naga smirked,
arms crossed. “I was never on your side. Truth is, just like Lina, I can’t
stand thieves and their little gangs.”
“B-B-B-But what about the other
sorcerers!?”
“They all ran away when I told them
they’d be fighting Lina Inverse!”
“Damn you!” Gotton, now utterly
desperate, charged, only to be effortlessly blasted away by Lina’s magic.
“The bosses are up there!”
“Okay!”
They raced up the stairs. By now,
most of the gang had lost the will to fight or had already fled. A few
stragglers tried to stop them, but Lina and Naga mowed them down with ease,
reaching the top floor in no time.
“Lina, over there!” Mina pointed to
a large mirror floating over the wall.
Naga rushed forward and kicked it,
shattering the glass. Behind it was a large hole.
“A hidden passage? Classic!” Lina
dove in headfirst.
“Let’s go!”
“N-No, I think I’ll stay here. You
two go ahead, I’ll wait—”
“Stop acting tough and move it!”
Naga kicked the hesitating Mina into the hole.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” And for the
first time, Mina regretted coming along.
Meanwhile, deep underground…
Garrus and Duran sprinted through a
secret cavern beneath the base. The walls were lined with glowing moss, casting
an eerie greenish light over the room. Only a handful of people knew about this
hideout.
“This is so humiliating,” Duran
gritted his teeth. “Helping Garrus got me into this mess… Once we’re out, I’m
punching that idiot.”
Unbeknownst to him, Garrus was
thinking the exact same thing.
“This is all Duran’s fault! As soon
as we’re safe, I’m beating him up!”
If they escape, a fight will be
inevitable. Unfortunately, fate has other plans.
“Come on! We don’t want to keep them
waiting!” A voice rang out from the darkness.
“Huh?!” Their terrified gasps
harmonized perfectly.
“What do we do, Duran!? They found
us!”
“Don’t be stupid! Finding this place
is impossible! It must be our imagination.” Duran refused to believe anyone
could’ve made it this far. “Besides, I’ve got a trump card.”
With a confident grin, he pressed a
series of switches on the wall. A mechanical rumble echoed through the cavern
as a cage slowly emerged from the shadows. A putrid stench filled the air, the
foul smell of decaying flesh.
Garrus went pale.
Breathing heavily, a massive,
grotesque creature lumbered forward, stepping into the light.
“Go, Vuzevam! Tear apart anything
that enters this cave!”
As if responding to its master’s
command, Vuzevam let out an ear-splitting roar and charged toward the dark
hallway.
“What the hell was that!?” Garrus
demanded.
“A chimera I created long ago,”
Duran smirked. “Obedient, vicious, and perfect for situations like this.”
“Y-you’re terrifying…” Garrus
gulped.
Moments later, agonized screams
echoed through the cavern.
“AHHHHHHHH! What the hell is this
thing!? It’s disgusting!”
“Yeah, but we need to take it down!”
A fierce battle followed.
“…Man, this thing is weak.”
“…Has it been stuck in a cage for
years? It can barely move.”
“DAMN IT, DURAN!”
“Less complaining, more running!”
Duran barked. “Let’s get out of here!”
And with that, the two fled for their
lives.
Lina and the others emerged by a
riverbank near the ocean. After dispatching the incredibly underwhelming
chimera, they made it out unscathed, aside from Mina falling into every single
trap along the way.
“There!” Naga pointed as they
spotted Duran and Garrus vanishing into a riverside building.
“You won’t get away!” Naga began
chanting.
“Where?” Lina asked, but quickly
followed suit.
Grabbing Mina by both arms, they
chanted in unison.
“Ray Wing!”
Mina flailed helplessly between
them, lying on her back as the wind barrier carried them forward.
“Hey Naga, when did you learn this?”
Lina asked mid-flight.
“I saw you do it and thought it
looked fun!”
Lina’s eye twitched. Ray Wing isn’t
a simple spell. Despite its appearance, it requires finesse and skill to
master. The fact that Naga copied it on a whim and was already using it
perfectly is… unsettling.
…Maybe she’s more talented than me,
Lina thought.
“Lina, over there!”
Ahead, Garrus and Duran split up.
“I’ll take the right, you take the
left!”
“Okay!”
A powerful scream finally caught
their attention.
“Ahhhh! Stop!”
They turned just in time to miss the
building directly in front of them.
CRASH.
“Ugh…”
“Hey, are you okay? We hit that wall
head-on.”
“I’m alive.”
“Hey, great work with that spell!”
“Let’s go! I’ll take Mina to the
right, Naga, you go left!”
“Got it!”
They continued their high-speed
chase, weaving until they reached the river again. There, two men scrambled
onto a makeshift log raft, attempting to escape.
“They’re getting away!”
Lina and Naga pressed their palms
against the water. Their eyes met.
They both smiled.
“Sea Blast!”
A massive wave surged forward, transforming into a water dragon that
crashed onto the raft, swallowing the men whole.
“We did it…” Naga grinned at Lina.
Lina blushed and looked away, “…Yeah…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
Suddenly, she remembered. “Wait… Where’s Mina?”
“Uh… I think she got swept away by the water—”
“AHHHHHHHH! We gotta find her!”
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden glow over the
waves, Lina folded her arms and stared out at the sea, a single drop of sweat
trailing down her cheek.
Behind her, Naga was giving CPR to the limp Mina, her exaggerated
efforts making it unclear whether she was trying to revive her or finish her
off.
“…Hey, Lina.”
“Yeah?”
“In hindsight…” Naga pressed down on Mina’s chest a little too
enthusiastically, “…Maybe we should’ve left her back at the cave.”
Lina sighed. “I was thinking the same thing.”
And then, suddenly, a dramatic narration rang out!
[Thus, thanks to the heroic efforts of Lina and Naga, the notorious
criminal syndicate, Duos Connection, was no more! But as long as evil still
lurks in the world, more villains are sure to rise again!
Lina, Naga, continue your fight until justice reigns supreme!]
As if on cue, the background song Promise began playing, and the ending
credits scrolled across the sky. A thunderous round of applause erupted through
the venue.
“This one was actually pretty good.” “Yeah… shame about what happened
to Mina, though.”
“Stooooooooooop! Stop clapping at this crap!!”
Duran’s desperate wails cut through the cheers, but no one paid him any
mind. After all, no one wanted to share his fate. The applause only grew
louder, drowning him out entirely.
And so, they lived happily ever after.
Contents
Chapter 1: The Prince of Saillune
Chapter 2: Revenge!
Chapter 3: The Robbers’ Killer
Chapter 4: Naga's Challenge
Chapter 5: Elsia's Castle
Chapter 6: Slayers Excellent — Villain Fight!
Afterword, Color ilustrations and Download Links
If you liked what you've read here and would like to help to make more feel free to support on Patreon or Kofi!
Comments
Post a Comment