Akatsuki Translations

If humans stop coming to dungeons, goblins will multiply endlessly. After two years, they’ll overflow from the dungeon. Even if we exterminate the goblins that pour out one after another, once opened, the dungeon’s lid will never close again.

From that open lid, goblins will constantly appear, beginning their activities with the sole purpose of killing humans without end. To make matters worse, until the government lifts dungeon-related regulations, human entry into such dungeons remains prohibited.

“Dungeons test humans,” Yonezaki had said. This test is compulsory; humanity has no choice but to enter. If we don’t enter the dungeons, goblins will overflow, followed by the fourth-floor monsters, the Night Walkers.

These threats force us into a situation where we must enter, no matter what. How long can isolationist countries maintain their stance? But for such countries, Yonezaki’s artificial level-up system must be a beacon of hope.

Even if one can level up by killing monsters that overflow from collapsed dungeons, leveling up with modern military weapons is of poor quality. However, if we kill monsters without using modern weapons, the attrition rate of soldiers becomes no laughing matter.

That’s why the artificial level-up system, with zero soldier attrition, is so valuable.

“China offered 10 trillion yen. America, 15 trillion.”

“I bet once everyone reaches level 10, he’ll start saying things like, ‘Oh, we’ve found a way to get to level 20,’” I mused.

I had a feeling Yonezaki was wearing that unsettling smile of his. As I pondered this, we were nearing the end of exterminating the goblin settlement.

“Misuzu, how about killing that one?”

“It’s probably the last one, I think.”

Misuzu used her exploration skill to thoroughly search the surroundings. Once no goblins remained in the settlement, the Goblin Emperor – nicknamed the Last Goblin – would appear. The Last, said to rule over goblins from the first to third floors.

Its overwhelming strength sets it apart from all the monsters we’ve faced so far. It’s so ridiculously strong that you’d wonder why they’d make such a powerful creature appear.

“Is everyone’s HP, MP, and SP okay?” I asked for a final check.

I punched the face of the goblin that wouldn’t flee even as the last of its kind. As a mage, my close combat abilities are weak. I stomped it down, making it grovel, and placed Mikamaru against its neck. If I swing Mikamaru, this one will die.

We each drank our potions thoroughly. We made sure to heal Rai and Lean properly as well.

“When this is over, make sure to tell me ‘I love you’ properly. It’s ridiculous that Evie heard it first,” Misuzu said, sounding almost like she was raising a death flag.

“Should I say it now?” I responded.

“I don’t want it as an afterthought. I want to hear you say ‘I love you, Misuzu! I’m in love with you!’ with real feeling.”

“I’ll do that when we’re done,” I promised. What a thing for me to say.

It seemed that both Misuzu and Evie had become much less concerned about the harem situation in these circumstances. The dungeon was life-threatening. We didn’t have the luxury of endlessly fussing over romantic matters.

“Let’s go,” I said, about to behead the goblin.

Suddenly, my smartphone rang. It was coming from the explorer’s smartphone stored in the outer pocket of my magic bag.

“A smartphone at a time like this? Who’s it from?” Misuzu asked.

“I’ll check,” I said, curious. I lit up the screen to see.

【Are you really as special as you claim? I rarely get to see what it means to be favored by a dungeon. I’ll be watching closely.】

Sender: Yonezaki Hideki

“It’s Yonezaki,” I informed them.

“Can I see?” Misuzu asked, with Evie peeking over as well.

“Ugh, what an unpleasant man,” Evie commented.

“Yuuta, this won’t affect our status, right? I don’t want to fail the quest because of Yonezaki, even if we defeat the Goblin Emperor,” Misuzu worried.

The phone rang again.

【I guarantee it won’t affect the quest at all.】

Was he listening from somewhere nearby? It wouldn’t be surprising if that man had been hiding near us the whole time.

【What if it does affect us?】 I replied.

【Then you can kill me if you’d like.】

“That’s what he says,” I relayed to the others.

Misuzu frowned, “I wish it would affect us just a tiny bit so we could kill that man.”

“I second that opinion,” Evie agreed. She seemed to dislike Yonezaki as well.

I wondered if higher-level individuals had some ability to monitor those at lower levels. The timing was too perfect.

“Well, it’s not worth thinking about now,” I said, putting the phone back in my pocket. I didn’t believe Yonezaki would do anything to affect our status at this point. He was probably just using the dungeon’s rules to observe what he wanted to see.

“Shall we really go then?” I asked. There was no point in delaying any further.

“OK,” Evie said, mounting Rai and moving to the rear. She was our mid-range support.

“I’m ready too,” Misuzu said, hiding in the shadows of the settlement and donning her ghillie suit. She was our ambush specialist. Lean and I were the vanguard.

“【Summon Beast Enhancement】,” Evie cast on Lean and Rai, completing our preparations.

I beheaded the goblin mage I had been restraining.

In that instant…

《How many times has it been?》

A chill ran through me in the dungeon. It felt similar to the pressure I’d sensed from Nagumo-san. But Nagumo-san had never directed killing intent towards us.

However, someone was clearly directing killing intent towards us. The air in front of me warped like a heat haze. Space twisted, and suddenly he appeared.

《Facing you humans is…》

He was right before us.

《I’ve killed most. But some have killed me as well.》

Did the Goblin Emperor have memories of past lives? His words could be interpreted that way.

His body was smaller than a General’s, but still about 2 meters tall – larger than an adult human. Dense muscles looked ready to burst out of his black armor. Sharp red eyes, two protruding fangs, and a single horn on his head gave him a demonic appearance.

His weapon wasn’t a great sword, but a slender black sword similar in size to my flame blade.

《I am Last》

Those words resonated heavily.

《The one bearing the bestowed name》

He was stronger than anyone we’d encountered so far.

《Are you stronger than me? Or weaker?》

Last’s black sword swung down. Too fast to dodge, I blocked with Mikamaru. The impact drove my feet into the ground.

“Lean, shield!”

In one fluid motion from clashing with Mikamaru, Last attacked Lean. Having focused all her Blue Bar on vital areas, Lean was mostly exposed. We jumped back together.

Last pursued. The Blue Bar barely deflected the impact. Evie’s 【Fire Arrow Formation】 and Misuzu’s arrows flew in. Misuzu’s attack had all her skills: 【Precision Double Shot】, 【Sturdy Bow】, and 【Color Change】.

Combined with Evie’s 【Fire Arrow Formation】, Misuzu’s 【Color Change】 arrows should be invisible to Last.

《Hmph, fire magic that won’t hit me. When you use such attacks, you’re always hiding something.》

Last sneered, dodging Evie’s 【Fire Arrow Formation】 and catching both of Misuzu’s intended killing blow arrows with his bare hands just before they hit his face.

《See?》

No, we didn’t “see”. How did he catch Misuzu’s arrows that should have blended with the scenery? They should’ve been as fast as bullets. Did he predict they’d aim for his face?

“Even so…” I began.

《Now then.》

Last looked around, as if appraising who to target next. I braced myself, thinking he’d come for me. Misuzu had hidden after firing her arrows. He targeted Evie. The moment I thought Last had taken a step, he was already in front of her.

“Ah, 【Teleport Summon】!” Evie cried.

The summoned Lean’s shield clashed with Last’s black sword. Surprisingly, Lean’s shield wasn’t cut. It was withstanding Last’s attack, which seemed more powerful than a General’s.

“Lean, I think you’re making the shield too rigid considering Blue Bar’s properties. Can you make it softer?”

After our battle with the goblin army, we’d discussed making the shield softer rather than harder. Even bullets can only travel a short distance in water. Continuous resistance can be surprisingly powerful.

So instead of enduring, we proposed Lean try to absorb impacts. Lean said she’d try it out, and…

《You say it can’t be cut?》

Lean absorbed the power of Last’s black sword while maintaining that elasticity. Simultaneously, she enveloped the black sword with Blue Bar. This was all according to plan – to immobilize Last’s weapon with Blue Bar. During this, I unleashed 【Serpentine Triple Strike】.

However, Last’s left hand moved. The three slashing attacks of 【Serpentine Triple Strike】, just like Misuzu’s arrows earlier, had all their snake-like trajectories read perfectly and were…

“Huh?”

…caught bare-handed.

《Interesting. What a strange, snake-like attack.》

His left hand, not holding the black sword and presumably not his dominant hand, caught all the attacks with striking precision. That was my current maximum firepower. I had long since activated my 【Acceleration】 and 【Great Strength】 skills.

《Hmm, it’s hot.》

Last gripped my flame blade as if it were merely hot food, then let go.

《Well, little blue girl. How long will you hold onto my sword?》

“Lean, let go of the black sword!” I shouted frantically.

As Lean tried to release it, the black sword swung at high speed. It shredded Lean’s Blue Bar, then followed through, slicing vertically from her chest to her stomach.

《Kuku, how weak!》

A kick was launched at Lean’s wound. She rolled on the ground, bleeding. As Lean struggled to stand, Evie rushed over with Rai. Rai moved forward to act as a shield.

“Drink this, Lean,” Evie said.

“Master, no good. He’ll kill you if you come here,” Lean warned.

《Kuku, I won’t pursue the weak.》

“Hey, aren’t you too strong?” I blurted out. How could he catch Misuzu’s invisible arrows, grab 【Serpentine Triple Strike】 barehanded, and move his weapon while restrained by Blue Bar? It seemed impossible to defeat him at level 14.

I took a step back, signaling Misuzu to attack. Her arrow suddenly pierced Last’s unarmored abdomen.

《Hmm?》

But it didn’t penetrate fully, blocked by muscle. Only a mosquito-bite-sized blood spot appeared.

《As expected, even a direct hit doesn’t do much damage. Girl, at least poison your arrows.》

What was this guy?

《You’re a bit weaker than others who’ve challenged me. But your status upgrades don’t seem poor. That snake-like slash would kill a General in one hit. I’d guess you’re low level. Level 14?》

He even had the leisure to chat.

“Y-yeah,” I admitted.

《Oh? It’s been a while since I’ve seen fools at level 14 come at me. Most reach this floor’s level cap of 16. Even then, most die. Coming at level 14, do you have some strategy?》

“…”

I didn’t answer. Of our three planned strategies, two seemed unlikely to work given Last’s unexpected strength. Only one remained.

《Seems you still have something up your sleeve.》

“…”

《Well, fine. We’ll see as we fight.》

He closed in. His right arm moved, seemingly becoming three without using any skills. I countered with 【Serpentine Triple Strike】, but he grinned, slashing rapidly as if using skills.

An unstoppable attack aimed for my neck. I barely blocked with my gauntlet, turning it sideways to avoid losing my arm. The gauntlet’s surface shattered.

Misuzu’s arrows and Evie’s 【Fire Arrow Formation】 flew in with staggered timing. The fire should’ve made Misuzu’s arrows penetrate deeper. It seemed perfect, but Last grabbed my arm.

《Here.》

He positioned me in front of my allies’ attacks. I frantically blocked Evie’s 【Fire Arrow Formation】, but Misuzu’s invisible arrow pierced my leg.

“S-sorry, Yuuta!” Misuzu cried out, revealing her position.

“I-it’s okay. It was my fault for getting grabbed.”

《Haha, like a clown!》

Last attacked without pause. His black sword gleamed in the sun. I could barely block his casual slashes.

《I haven’t even used 【Acceleration】, 【Great Strength】, or 【Roar】 yet. Can you win like this?》

Last seemed to be holding back, deliberately weakening his attacks so I could block them. My heart began to shrink in fear. I shouted at myself to stay calm and not be afraid.

“Damn it, get it together!” I slapped my trembling knees hard.

《Good. Your eyes don’t show resignation yet. True fools beg for mercy at this point. I kill such ones without mercy. If you want to die, beg all you want.》

“W-who would do that? I intend to win.”

《Kuku, such spirit.》

Last’s attacks stopped. He faced me directly, his red eyes blazing as he looked down at me.

《Don’t fear me. Steady your breathing.》

“…Inhale, exhale.” I truly steadied my breath and gripped my flame blade firmly.

《That’s it. Shall we go?》

“Yeah, bring it.”

The moment Last’s face twisted ferociously, his right hand blurred out of sight. He focused entirely on me, unleashing slash after slash. I blocked them with everything I had, my body screaming in protest. A kick launched. It sunk deep into my stomach, sending me flying.

Last shouted, “《I’ll get a little serious! 【Acceleration】 【Great Strength】》”

He moved at a speed I could barely see. Still, I managed to block with Mikamaru, but my body was sent flying, bouncing across the ground and smashing through a settlement building. My ribs felt like they might be broken, throbbing with pain.

“《Oh? You blocked even one hit? What’s your name?》” Last asked.

“Rokujou,” I replied.

“《Rokujou… I’ll remember that!》”

Last charged towards me with incredible force. Evie cast a water formation, but he broke through effortlessly. Misuzu fired arrows, which he dodged by accelerating further. When Lean tried to grab his leg with Blue Bar, he kicked her away.

As Lean’s body was thrown, Last leapt up, declaring, “《You’re in the way. Die.》”

He swung his black sword down at Lean first. I barely made it in time to block his sword. Then Last grabbed my head, slamming it towards the ground.

The impact wasn’t as bad as expected – Lean had created a Blue Bar cushion. Still, my vision shook violently.

“Yuuta. He’s strong. We can’t win,” Lean said, embracing me from behind.

“You’re right,” I agreed. Despite his words, Last didn’t seem to be serious at all.

“But, Yuuta, why are you smiling?” Lean asked.

Smiling? Was I smiling?

“I don’t know. But I’m happy,” I replied.

“Yuuta is strange,” Lean commented.

“Maybe so. Yeah, I guess I am.”

Despite seeing no way to win, I felt more eager to fight than afraid. What was this feeling?

“Strange Yuuta, Lean will help,” Lean declared.

How could Lean help me? She couldn’t even beat a General, let alone Last. Yet Lean clung to my back, her body’s sensation reaching me through the armor.

“Lean, Evie opposed what I suggested,” I reminded her.

“Master wants this,” Lean insisted.

Blue Bar spread widely, far beyond what should be possible from just her arms. Looking at Lean, I saw Blue Bar dyeing her remaining body blue. Evie nodded firmly. Lean began to envelop my body.

It was like she was invading me. My Mikamaru equipment glowed red in response. Lean’s Blue Bar stuck to my bare skin, covering even my face.

“I-I can’t breathe!” I gasped.

“Don’t worry. It’s okay. Lean and Yuuta become one,” Lean’s voice echoed in my mind.

My mouth was completely sealed. Finally, Lean’s movement stopped. It felt like my entire body was wrapped in a woman’s soft skin.

“Is he wrapped in Lean?” Evie asked worriedly.

Lean had converted everything to Blue Bar. The gems on her forehead and eyes were set in Mikamaru’s breastplate and gauntlets. My body, enveloped by Lean, had become something resembling High Blue.

This concept had started when I asked, “Lean, can’t you turn more of your body into Blue Bar?”

“I can. But with more than both arms, I can barely output attack power when cutting enemies,” she had replied.

Then Misuzu had suggested, “Then Lean, can’t you possess someone else with Blue Bar?”

At the time, Evie and I thought it might be a good idea.

“I’ll try,” Lean had said.

But when we tried it, having too little of her body left interfered with Lean’s life functions. Still, I thought the concept wasn’t bad.

So I had said, “Then why not turn your entire body into Blue Bar?”

But Evie had angrily objected, “What if Lean dies?!” And the idea was rejected.

“Lean, are you conscious?” I asked.

“It worked. Lean did it. I’m okay, I’m conscious,” Lean’s voice echoed in my ears, though I wasn’t sure how she was speaking.

“Evie! Lean is alright!” I called out.

“R-really? Thank goodness,” Evie replied, slumping down in relief despite Last’s presence. She must have been terrified that Lean might die.

“《Fufufufufu! Hahahaha!》” Last suddenly burst into laughter, his voice echoing throughout the ruined settlement.

“《Wonderful. I thought there was a strange monster, but you do amusing things. Blue girl, do you become stronger by uniting with that man?》” Last asked.

“We do. Stronger than Blue Ranger,” Lean replied.

“《Haha! Good! Then I’ll kill you along with that man!》” Last declared.

Despite having had a perfect opportunity to attack, Last had done nothing, waiting for us to prepare. We had become stronger, almost as if Last had guided us to this point.

“I didn’t know monsters like you existed,” I said, honestly surprised.

“《If it’s boring, I’ll cut! If it’s weak, I’ll cut! That’s what battle means to me!》” Last proclaimed.

Last moved, and I leapt forward. I could move at an unimaginable speed now, crossing blades with Last.

Five attacks flew in an instant, all clashing mid-air. It almost looked like flowers blooming between us.

“W-whoa, what’s that? It’s too fast, I can’t follow,” Misuzu exclaimed.

“Misuzu. Don’t interfere carelessly,” Evie warned.

“I-I know. I’m scared of hitting the wrong target again,” Misuzu replied.

It finally felt like we were fighting on equal terms. What was this guy? He had clearly been holding back until now. I unleashed 【Serpentine Triple Strike】. Lean’s body assisted my movements like artificial muscles.

I could now match Last’s speed that I couldn’t keep up with before. The three slashes scattered sparks in the air. Lean had completely unified with me. Last’s heavy slash came down from above, but we blocked it with both the specialized equipment and Blue Bar.

Blue Bar acted as a cushion, while Mikamaru’s gauntlet ultimately stopped the attack. I launched another 【Serpentine Triple Strike】, which Last also blocked. With each blocked attack, I felt an impact that made my body creak.

“《Good! The wait was worth it! It’s because there are those like you who grow stronger during battle!》” Last exclaimed.

For an instant, Last’s speed surpassed mine. His slash aimed to cut off my arm. Blue Bar caught it and grabbed hold.

“Lean, keep holding it!” I shouted.

“Leave it to me!” Lean replied.

Without his black sword, he should be weakened. Time to end this!

“《Not so fast!》” Last surprisingly discarded his black sword easily and threw a punch. Lean couldn’t predict it, and it landed squarely on our side. Our body was sent flying, rolling on the ground. Last pursued, launching a kick.

While I was regaining my posture, Lean blocked the kick.

“《Excellent, blue girl!》” Last praised.

“Why are you happy about that?!” I shouted.

That was dangerous. But now the opponent had no weapon. I wanted to show the composure to return my weapon like Last had, but I couldn’t.

“Forgive me! I’m different from you! I kill enemies when I can!” I swung Mikamaru down.

“《That’s fine,》” Last said as his right wrist fell.

“…”

“《What’s wrong?》” Last asked.

“I’m going to kill you. Is that okay?” I asked, poised to behead him at any moment.

“《You’re not wrong. Do as you like,》” Last replied, his face looking genuinely happy as I approached.

“【Acceleration】 【Great Strength】,” I cast.

“《【Acceleration】 【Great Strength】,》” Last cast simultaneously.

I unleashed 【Serpentine Triple Strike】. Last stopped two slashes by sacrificing his arms, and even dodged the final strike of 【Serpentine Triple Strike】.

I didn’t let him escape!

“Die!” I shouted.

My thrust pierced Last’s chest through a gap in his armor.

“《Kuku,》” Last laughed, even with his chest impaled.

“《Is this the end? It’s a shame I can only die once with humans I like,》” he said.

“Why didn’t you use 【Roar】?” I asked.

“《If I used it at the start, you would have died immediately. After you merged with that strange woman, it likely wouldn’t have had much effect,》” Last explained.

“Is that true?” I doubted his 【Roar】 would be so easily defended against. 【Roar】’s power increases with the user’s strength. If Last had used it, it surely would have stopped our movement.

“《This world’s life is ephemeral to me. But occasionally, beings like you and the blue girl appear, keeping this duty from becoming tedious,》” Last mused.

“Duty?” I questioned.

“《There’s no point in probing further. I have nothing more to say. Kill me,》” Last commanded.

Named monsters seemed quite different from other monsters. But it seemed pointless to ask more. Last appeared to have been encouraging my growth through battle.

If he had gone all out from the start, I would have certainly lost. I didn’t know such monsters existed. Nevertheless, I swung Mikamaru horizontally, slicing open Last’s abdomen. Unlike other monsters, Last’s body vanished like mist.