Chapter 14

Back near the gate of Axel, the party was watching the fight between the Crusader and Dark Paladin in horrified awe.

A city guard on top of the wall was unsure on what to do after alerting one of his colleagues on what's happening, and telling them to send a message to the guild. The guard was first alerted to the fight when he heard the loud sound of metal hitting metal close by, and looked to see the Crusader sailing from the road close to the gate all the way to the nearby forest. Then the Dark Paladin ran and jumped reaching where the Crusader was, making a crater upon landing.

After that, as the fight kept going the guard almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. Axel was a town for novice adventurers. These types of battles wasn't something he had ever expected to see. The Crusader jumped back into the open fields away from the forest, and then the fight was on in the open, in full view of all spectators.

The city guard was then treated to a sight he could only call sword landscaping.

Gashes, gabs, holes, craters, and ground upheaval. The fields surrounding were always luscious and green, giving off a peaceful feeling of tranquility (except for that one spot, that crazy Crimson Demon girl started practicing Explosion Magic in).

Now, the field in front of the the City Guard's gate were starting to looking like that of a war zone.

A terrifying thing for anyone watching long enough to realize, was that beyond that first swing where the Dark Paladin launched the Crusade all the way to the forest's edge, he was fighting and using that large sword one-handedly.

Back on the ground with the party, their response to this violence were varied.

"Such strength, you couldn't have guessed it was in those muscles. Or it is Darkness the one who is all muscles for managing to take all those hits." Sedol wondered.

"That...That's..." Heinz gripped his sword hilt tighter. "This is too extreme. Big Sis...There are swordsmen of greater caliber in the world. I'll need to train a lot harder to reach them."

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." Dust was biting his nails. "I actually put him in a headlock. I didn't seem to remember me till now. I really hopes he continues not to.

"Awwwsome~." Megumin said as she watched Michael start using more acrobatic, and unconventional moves in his combat, like letting go of his sword after it bounced off Darkness's blade, and in the few moments while it's in the air out of his hand, he would punch and kick the Crusader, before catching the greatsword again, and go back to slashing with it. "Hm, it seems I have found my destined ally to challenge the abyss of this world, and conquer it." Megumin said with a held up fist in a guts pose.

"It's even worse than I thought." Schwanhild said under her breath, before narrowing her eyes in analytical concentration. "The power of the Dark Paladin is too great. My spy plan will have to go even...spy-eer."

"Huh, so that's what Michael is like when he's doesn't have to support any Servants at all." Aqua hummed, while trying to look neutrally pleased. "And now he's going Devil May Cry on her. I really wish I had some popcorn." She said to herself, before rubbing her belly feeling hungry.

"Um, ah, Miss Aqua, why did Michael get angry like this? What do we do?" Yunyun asked, slowly panicking.

"Hmm? Ah, well, the Sword pushed some buttons that it really shouldn't have." Even though Aqua was talking to Yunyun, some of the others, being Megumin, Schwanhild and Dust, were also eavesdropping, interested in the reason for the current situation.

"Did the Sword disrespect his friends who are...Are Michael's friends, umm..." Even though Yunyun stutter, and almost seemed to tear up, Aqua got her insinuation and shook her head.

"No, they are very much alive, just too far away for them to meet again." She explained. "Mash is, umm how to explain her, a sentient purple cinnamon roll that would give you diabetes just from talking to her."

Yunyun gasped. "How terrifying!"

"Yeah, I know." Aqua crossed her arms and sighed. "I mean, I know she has the whole 'too pure for this world' face, but seriously, she can be scary in a fight. Like a badass ready to woop ass, yet seeming like a harmless cute teddy bear. No, wait," Aqua held her chin in though. "That's probably the wrong comparison, since the teddy bear hits on anything female with legs, and then said female arrow shish kebab'd."

"So she's a living dessert weapon, Lady Aqua? Was she Mr. Chaser first attempt into animated weapons?" Asked Schwanhild with her head tilted.

"Huh? No, no, she's a test tube baby. Ummm, a homunculus in a sense, made to house a long dead heroes power to used to fight big threats humanity faced." Aqua waved her hand in a 'no' fashion, correcting Schwanhild's assumption. "She was Michael's first student, and heck, I might as well even call her his adopted kid. So yeah, making fun of her is a bad idea."

"And is this Olga person another one of the Heroes he trained?" Megumin asked, interested.

"What? Haven't you listened to Lady Aqua? This 'Mash' person wasn't a hero, merely one that housed the power of a hero." Schwanhild objected with a frown.

"Oh no, Mash is definitely a hero. By the end of their journey, she was punching Calamity Beasts in the face and stabbing Demon Gods and mugging them for their money." Aqua corrected. "I mean, not actually mug them, same feel."

"Woooow," Yunyun and Megumin said, while Schwanhild stayed silent. All of them, even Dust a few feet away, were wide-eyed. It really gava a whole new image of Michael. For Yunyun and Megumin, he seemed like a larger than life idol. For Schwanhild, she was intrigued by the mystery of what could befall him, that he would become so low as to be a Dark Paladin. In Dust's case, he was just more scared that his knees were clapping.

"Demon Gods?" Yunyun asked as she thought of that point. "Don't you mean Demon King?"

"Oh no, Demon Gods. They're like a Job level up from a Demon King. Kinda like the Destroyer but with a personal grudge against you." Aqua explained nonchalantly, to the pale faces of her listeners.

The Destroyer referred to the Mobile Fortress Destroyer. A mechanical monster that was more of a force of nature, than an actual defeatable monster. To say that this Mash could slay several of them, and even rob them of their money, painted a very bloodthirsty picture of her character. 

"As for Olga, she was his boss." Aqua continued.

"His boss?" Yunyun and the other blinked in confusion.

"What kind of horrific monster is this 'Olga' that she could order the mighty Dark Paladin around?" Megumin asked what was on everyone's mind.

"Oh yeah, she was totally scary. Whenever she walked everyone went and acted like they were doing work, so she doesn't lecture and fire them. Not that she could fire them when the Incineration happened. But no one wanted her angry at them." Aqua explained. "Everyone really didn't want her to be angry at them. And when she got that Druid's power really didn't want to anger her, since she could then put them in a cage and set them on fire, with her mind." Despite how contradictory some of Aqua's explanations seemed, the group listen could hold grow more terrified the more Aqua continued speaking of this horrific Olga, and all the scary reputation about her.

"So Mr. Chaser is scared of this woman even now, that he would step in to defend her, just to avoid her imaginary wrath?" Asked Schwanhild with conpiratory eyes.

"Oh no, Michael and the others working with him, were actually the only ones who blatantly weren't scared of her. It infuriated Olga, but she's a tsundere, so she was actually secretly pleased about the whole thing." Aqua elaborated. "In fact, one time--"

"L-Lady Goddess, is that really you?" A voice came from behind them.

Aqua and the others looked back to see a group of people had gathered at the gate, also watching the battle between Darkness and Michael, with horror and fascination.

Among them was a young man in knight's blue colored armor.

"Hmph, of course," Aqua replied, a proud smile and hands on her hips. "I am the one and only, Aqua the God--" She coughed. "The Arch Priest. Yes, young man, what do you want?"

"It's me. Kyouya, Mitsurugi Kyouya." He pointed excitedly at himself. "To think I would be so fortune to meet you here, and after hearing a most dreadful news." He sigh and looked down with closed eyes.

"...Do I know you?" Aqua tilted her head in confusion.

"Eh, you chose me as a Hero." He exclaimed in surprise. "You're the one who granted me my sword, and sent me to save this world."

Schwanhild looked at this exchange in confusion, before staring at Aqua intently. Yunyun wondered if she should feel relieved at the familiar conversation happening in front of her, like those of her village, or discomfort as she was never able to speak so bravely like her clansmen. Megumin was talking mental notes for roleplaying.

"Eh?" Aqua closed her eyes in deep thought. "Oh yeah," she opened her eyes and snapped her fingers. "I remember, that happened a while ago. So you're that guy. Sorry, I sent so many guys, it's bound I'd forget some."

"Eh, that's um..." The knight was confused for only a moment, before composing himself. "It's been a while, Lady Aqua. I've been working hard everyday as a Hero as you wanted, to solve the problems of this world." He looked toward the battle between Michael and Darkness with a frown. "And now it's time for me to fulfill that duty, and solve one of those problems. So that is the Dark Paladin going on a rampage, huh." Kyouya pulled out his legendary blade, (his Cheat Item) the Cursed Sword, Gram. "That Crusader is doing quite well for herself. I'll go and support her noble cause of defeating that villain." Kyouya starting jogging toward the dueling duo.

"Ah, wait! They's just fighting because--" Aqua began to explain.

"There is no need to worry, Lady Aqua. I'll be sure to win. We can talk after I get back." Kyouka said while looking back confidently, his two female companions finally arriving next to Aqua and the adventuring party, to cheer their party leader.

The second Kyouka looked forward, he frozen, locking eyes with the Dark Paladin who was in a blade hold with the Crusader, but turning to gaze at the Swordmaster from over his shoulder.

The next instant the Dark Paladin was in motion toward Kyouya having crossed half the distance between them, his giant blade pulled back with both hands on it. Kyouya barely had time to bring Gram up to defend.

CLANG!

Kyouka was pushed back by the force of Michael's hit, that he could see a line a few dozen meters in the ground, from him digging in his feet to stay standing. 

"So this...this is the strength of a Dark Paladin. Even with Gram, to think he would push me back this much--" Kyouya barely had time to think before Michael was in his face again.

Michael was attacking from below, which Kyouya positioned his legendary weapon to take the hit. The upward slash that Michael did, should have resulted in his hitting the ground, dragging his sword through the dirt, and effectually killing most of his momentum.

Instead Kyouya was treated to the sight of Michael's blade going through the earth from the sheer speed and power, like it was made out of water, and rise up connecting with Gram.

CLANG!

For a second Kyouya felt his blade vibrate but hold. It was a legendary weapon after all, and him not taken by surprise this time, he could withstand the Dark Paladin's might. Then he noticed that he felt weightless.

Kyouya realized his feet weren't touching the ground.

In the next instant Michael completed the motion of his swing, and Kyouya was sent flying in a large arc over Axel's walls. His two girl teammates cried out his name and ran after him. The Summoned Hero would land in the middle of Axel next to the Guild Building, and by the time he recovered the battle would be over.

Back at the torn up field, with the distraction of a probable threat gone, Michael dashed back toward Darkness. 

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