Chapter 1: Part 2

Part 2

" Stop making useless resistance. If you do that then I will kill you painlessly."

The Tokyo life sphere's bay coast area, the abandoned harbor warehouse.

At the wharf where no sounds could be heard except the splashing sounds of the waves when it turned into night, there was the commanding voice of a girl ringing out.

The owner of the voice stood on the wharf, a student magician in the style whose body was wrapped in a Magi's jacket based on a cowgirl's outfit.

While her blond hair that released faint light like gold dust was fluttering from the sea breeze, the girl was taking a stance with her style's that was a silver revolver.

The of New Tokyo Sorcery Academy's 101st trainee platoon, Hoshikawa Sumika.

The girl right now was facing a single grotesque thing.

That grotesque thing was something that was around three times bigger than Sumika, a giant with a human body that had a head of a pig.

demon, orc.

This orc was the vanguard of the invaders from another dimension that the human race had continued to fight from one hundred years ago.

As a demon it was not categorized as strong.

It couldn't even use any particular sorcery, what it could do only amounted to swinging around the giant club that it held in its right hand.

―At best, its threat level was something like [an African elephant that held ill will towards humans].

Even for someone who was still a student, for a magician that had piled up training to defeat demons, this orc was an opponent that could be dealt with easily. That was exactly why, the girl―Sumika didn't fear that monster for even a bit.

"I'll say it one more time. Stop making useless resistance." [2]

She announced her last warning.

She put strength on the finger that was holding the trigger of the revolver-style that had its aim directed on the forehead of the orc.

If the girl put just a little more strength into her finger, a fake silvermythril bullet coated in magic power would pierce the demon's forehead from the gun muzzle.

If it was only something like a than just a single attack would certainly result in death.

Furthermore, using necromancy, a magician could bind a contract with the soul of a hero and through that they borrowed the hero's power.

Sumika's contracted hero was the Billy the Kid.

The bullet of couldn't miss. It would end if she shot. The orc would be killed if she pulled the trigger. But―

{Gufufufu-…! Bluff, useless. You, can't shoot.}

The orc laughed with an unpleasant voice that was similar with the sound of burbling mud.

"-…!"

Sumika's expression distorted from those words. After all, what the orc said was right on the mark.

Sumika couldn't shoot. The reason was located in the orc's left hand.

There was a girl with a mini-ponytail clutched in the orc's left arm with her face turning pale.

The girl was the same with Sumika, the 101st's . Her name was Ichinotani Chikori.

That's right, in other words, this was a hostage situation.

As a demon, the orcs were a weak race, but in place of that it was using its intelligence.

In reality, the one that was cornered was Sumika.

{Weapon, throw away. If not, this girl, crushed.}

Pressed with choices, Sumika gritted her teeth.

(Just against an orc, to be treated as it pleased like this…!)

For Sumika, this situation was a humiliation.

If asked why, it was because while Sumika was still a student, she was a genius magician that obtained the title of S-rank magician where there were only ten people in this world. Originally, just an orc or even ten orcs, she was an existence that could easily defeat them. ―The fact was, a few minutes before, this Sumika had instantly killed two orcs that were invading into the life sphere from a different place.

But, a trouble appeared when the third orc came invading.

The predicted place where the third orc would appear was in the side of the residential area, so beforehand Sumika made two of the 101st platoon members that were her subordinates to standby there, but―of all the things to happen, the moment the orc appeared one of the members got terrified of real battle and deserted the battle before the enemy's presence. No, if it was only that then it was still fine, but―

{If it's just around three minutes before leader comes, then even I alone can hold back this enemy!}

Like that, Chikori who couldn't be expected as a battle strength just by her lonesome didn't even hear her command to stop and rushed to the enemy by her own judgment.

And the result,

{Leader. Chikori-san was captured by the orc.}

Only three seconds after that, that kind of transmission came from the that was in charge of battle situation and from the place slightly separated from the actual scene.

(She cannot do it at all aren't she―!)

As expected, she wanted to cry.

And then, right now, under that situation she got cornered and that was why it was unbearable.

{Quick, weapon! Throw away!!}

"Leader! Don't mind me! I'm wrong for ignoring the order-!"

She wanted to shout angrily that it's exactly your fault, but right now it was no use even if she blamed the girl.

As a leader, as a magician, to do something like abandoning a human who was going to be killed by a demon right now was not something Sumika could do.

Right now she needed to continue this deadlocked situation for even a little longer, buy time, and wait until reinforcements arrived.

―But, that sneaky consideration was read by the orc.

{Do it quick!}

In order to hurry Sumika who was trying to buy time, the vein of the orc's arm protruded out and its herculean strength constricted Chikori's thin body like a vise.

"UAAAAA…-!"

"St, stop it-!"

Sumika reflexively raised her voice hearing the creaking sound that was like the crack of a decayed tree.

Chikori who was grasped in the orc's left hand turned limp and became unmoving.

It would be really bad if more than that happened. She couldn't buy time unskillfully. There was nothing that she could do except obeying obediently.

"Understood. I surrender…"

Sumika threw away the revolver in her hand and also one more revolver that was holstered on her hips,

"-―――!"

That instant, a shock ran through Sumika's brain that informed her of danger to herself.

That was the intuition that came from the girl's contracted heroic spirit, Billy the Kid's Hero Skill.

What is called Hero Skill was the obtained special move or something like enchantment that came from being possessed by the soul of a hero.

From this, a magician became able to wield power that was equal with heroes of previous life.

And then the danger signal that ran through Sumika's brain at this time was 's Hero Skill .

With this Hero Skill that was associated with Billy the Kid's legend that said that he shot to death enemies behind him without even turning back, its effect was [perfect invalidation of blind spot]. The contractor of became able to detect all dangers of attack that came from blind spots with 100% accuracy using instinct. And then, this instinct was by no means inaccurate―

"Barrier ExpandProtection!"

Sumika immediately expanded a no element first grade magic barrier using sorcery.

Thereupon in a flash that barrier was hit by the orc's club.

That one hit possessed the brute strength of several tons' weight, but the expanded magic barrier that was for use pertaining to physical impact didn't even twitch.

It was exactly like her instinct told her.

Sumika safely evaded the surprise attack completely.

For her it was something really easy. But―

{Don't defend! Next, if defend, this girl, crush!}

"Kuh-"

When there was a hostage even that couldn't be kept up.

{You, kill comrade! Not forgive. Pulverize. Pulverize until became mince meat!}

The orc once again swung its club.

If she evaded this next attack the orc would unhesitatingly crush Chikori.

She couldn't evade.

If it became like this then she could only become a sandbag while reducing the damage as much as she could using magic power.

For Sumika that was a bitter choice.

(Even though I cannot die in this kind of place…!)

Sumika had a dream. An important, strong wish that could even be called a craving.

Five years ago, the giant seven headed dragon that burned to ash everything in the world. .

That day, where everyone could do nothing except looking up to the closed sky, sinking into despair in front of the overwhelming power.

―There was someone, who killed that dragon.

That Typhon, who bore not even a single injury even with all the militaries of all the world's countries challenging that monster …there was a magician who killed that monster just by his lonesome.

That day, Sumika watched up from the burning ground the full story of what happened.

And then, she thought. That she wanted to become like that.

Like that, she wanted to become an existence that could save people from no matter what kind of despair.

―That dream, was still not fulfilled.

She was still half-way.

(That's why, even though I cannot die in this kind of place, why does this kind of thing happen!)

While gritting her teeth in frustration, Sumika wrapped her body in magic power.

For the sake of softening the blow for even a little.

She was waiting for reinforcements while receiving the orc's blow.

Having no option other than that, she could only brace herself by all possible means.

The club that was swung down cutting wind.

Against the approaching strong blow, Sumika resolved herself and closed her eyelids.

"Sheesh. Can the apprentices these days not deal with just a single orc."

She heard that voice.

"Eh…"

Instantly, a blast resounded in the wharf.

It was the sound of a severe shockwave hitting and breaking the concrete surface.

But that was not the sound of destruction of a blow that was produced by a club.

The one who broke apart the concrete was, a lone young man.

Jumping down from a passenger plane that was flying in the far above sky at the height of ten thousand meters, the young man that split apart into two the orc's body from its head until its crotch using an obsidian sword, was the one making the sound of the broken concrete and landing.

The orc's body was torn vertically, split into left and right.

Of course, it died instantly.

The hostage spilled out from the arm, that orc's body changed into shining ashes in a rustle and scattered apart from the sea breeze.

Inside that prism, the young man said.

"But, I'll give you a passing mark for not abandoning the hostage."

A loose and disheveled, uncontrollable black hair.

The end of a long stole flapped like a wing, the young man looked down on Sumika with a listless eye. A look that didn't seem far from Sumika in age.

Looking at that face, Sumika gulped her breath.

"Yo, you, are...!"

It was only natural. For magicians that lived in this age, there was no human that didn't know that young man's face.

The grand magician that mastered all the sorcery that existed in this world, the human that employed the existences that were far more powerful and even far more evil than even the [Demon King], the like one would use a familiar, the .

And then, on the five years ago, possessing the overwhelming power that subdued even god, the hero of salvation that just alone subjugated who burned 90% of the earth surface―

"Kamishiro, Homura...!"

"Yeah, that Homura-san. As for today I got assigned to 101st platoon. Well, take care of me okay."

Why did the hero that saved the world get assigned to a mere trainee student platoon―

Even such an obvious question didn't cross the head of the current Sumika.

Homura who stood still inside the shining wind with his long stole flapping.

That standing figure was powerful, beautiful, in that one moment Sumika even forgot all words and became entranced.

It was as if time itself had come to a complete stop.

And then, during the instant where everything stood still, Sumika obtained a single conviction somewhere inside her heart.

This time, this moment, ―a tale was beginning, that was what she believed.