Akatsuki Translations

Assault of the Monsters from the Heavens

In response to the unprecedented attack by the monsters, Ur and the others quickly descended from the command tower and exited outside. The crash had already begun, with a large number of monsters raining down. More than half of them died instantly from the impact of the fall. However, the other half squirmed and began to move on top of the Uuga.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had an attack that made absolutely no sense…” said Ur.

“If you consider the attack of the slime mimicking a dragon to be nonsensical, it’s been about two months,” replied Shizuku.

“Correction, I guess it hasn’t been that long after all,” Ur retracted his previous statement based on Shizuku’s explanation. It seemed that too many bizarre and exceptional attacks had been occurring around them recently. He was starting to lose track of what constituted a normal monster attack.

“Can you find out the locations of the fallen monsters?” asked Ur.

“I can determine the locations, but I can’t distinguish between the ones that are alive, dead, or barely clinging to life. I think I’ll be able to tell after a little more time passes, but…” Shizuku had her hand pressed against her ear, but she seemed to be having great difficulty hearing. The sounds of the monsters continuously striking the barrier of the Uuga, the death throes of the monsters that had fallen through the barrier, or the cries of those writhing in pain, mixed with the screams of the residents, had all blended together, making deciphering the noise difficult.

“There are five of them alive near the command tower, and four each on the main street ahead and in the residential area,” said Eckstein, providing a correction to the information instead. He closed both eyes, touched his eyelids with his fingers, and scrunched his face as if reading something. Upon closer inspection, a faint magical light of a pale purple color was leaking through the gaps of his eyelids.

“The Magic Eyes of 【Transcendent Sight】. It’s convenient for chasing down criminals during city patrols,” explained Eckstein.

“That’s truly a godsend for the current situation,” said Ur gratefully.

“But unfortunately, I can’t determine the movements of the monsters. They’re completely scattered,” added Eckstein.

“That’s enough. Let’s head to the residential area,” said Ur decisively.

“By the way, Black-sama hasn’t arrived yet,” noted Shizuku.

“Leave him be,” said Ur dismissively.

While there was no doubt about his abilities, considering he was recognized as a gold-rank adventurer by the Adventurers’ Guild, it was best not to have any expectations of him in terms of combat power. If they looked at him with expectant eyes, he would do the exact opposite just for amusement. That was the kind of person he was, as they had come to understand well over the past few days.

It was best to leave him alone.

“Akane, will you be okay going to Diz’s place?” asked Ur.

《Mm-hmm, I think I’ll be fine since Diz has armor too, 》 replied Akane cheerfully.

“Then let’s do our best as siblings for the first time in a while,” said Ur.

《Alright! I’ll give it my all! 》 exclaimed Akane enthusiastically.

“Actually, it seems like you’ve experienced more hellish situations than us,” commented Shizuku.

Akane was the one who had been used and dragged around by Diz, the 【Hero】, and had experienced days of delving into the deepest depths of the Dungeons of Sin. Considering that, Ur wasn’t sure if he could match her experience, but he thought they could make up for it with their sibling bond. Or so he thought, but…

《Nii-tan, let’s go! 【Degradating Creation: Armor of Heaven】! 》 shouted Akane.

“Huh? What—Woah!?” exclaimed Ur.

In an instant, Ur’s body leaped into the air. Or rather, it flew. The scenery behind him vanished in a blink of an eye, and the residential area rapidly approached before his eyes.

“WHAT THE HELL!?” yelled Ur.

“Nii-tan! Kick!” shouted Akane.

“Wha!?” replied Ur.

The fact that he was able to thrust out his foot as instructed was truly a testament to their sibling bond, but honestly, Ur was desperate. In his field of vision, a Nameless parent and child who had apparently failed to evacuate in the residential area were about to be attacked by a monster. The Gozued humanoid monster was about to swing down its gigantic axe—

『ＧＵＵＵＢＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯ！？』, the monster cried out.

Ur’s kick struck directly at its head, breaking its neck and killing it instantly.

However, Ur was unable to completely stop his momentum and tumbled onto the ground, spinning for a while before slamming into the wall of a house and coming to a halt.

“Owww!” groaned Ur.

《Alright, way to go, Nii-tan! 》 cheered Akane.

“This… This is a damn traffic accident!” exclaimed Ur.

《But Diz always does this kind of thing, you know? 》 said Akane.

It seemed that the Hero was constantly getting into transportation accidents. Ur once again realized the harshness of her work. The difference in experience between them didn’t seem like something that could be easily bridged by their sibling bond.

“A-a-a-are you okay, Ur-kun!?” asked Nenen, worried.

“Ugh… Nenen-san? Is your daughter safe?” Ur replied, recovering from the impact.

“Y-yes! But more importantly, the monsters suddenly…!” Nenen exclaimed.

“It seems there’s a strange attack going on. Hide in any vacant house you can find. It’s safer that way,” Ur instructed, quickly directing the evacuation of the acquaintance.

Although there was a rule in place to escape to the command tower during such times, with monsters raining down over the entire area like this, it would be even safer to hide.

However, the monsters were targeting and attacking humans. Naturally, there wasn’t much time to spare.

“So, I want to defeat them quickly… but,” Ur started.

『ＧＯＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡ！！』roared three 【Gozu】[1], the same type as the monster Ur had defeated earlier, approaching them. As far as Ur could remember, Gozu were 9th-rank monsters. They were equivalent to the Poison Omen Bird that Ur and the others had desperately defeated in the Dungeon of Lust. Just because they were of the same rank didn’t necessarily mean they were of equal strength. But Ur realized they were not opponents he could let his guard down against.

“If we charge in without a plan, we’ll die… But why are they popping up out of nowhere?” Ur wondered.

The emergence of monsters ranging from 9th to 7th rank as if they were small fry was on the scale of the middle layers of the Dungeon of Sin. The monsters that had died from the fall around them were more or less similar.

It was if the ecosystem of the middle layers of the Dungeon of Sin had fallen from the sky in its entirety. Of course, he had no idea why such an absurd thing had happened. He had never heard of a similar case before.

『ＧＵＭＯＯＯＯ！！』

『Ｇ，Ｇ』

『ＧＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡ！！』

Fortunately, it should be said, they were not targeting Nenen and her daughter who had fled from the scene, but were clearly focusing on Ur and setting their sights on him. However, the fact that they didn’t immediately pounce on Ur might indicate that they were wary of him, who had instantly struck down one of their comrades earlier.

To avoid letting them realize that the previous blow was mostly a fluke, Ur glared forward with a composed movement, giving the impression of being fully in control.

“For now, we have to defeat them… The investigation of the cause can come later,” Ur said.

《Wanna do the kick again? Kick! 》 Akane suggested.

“Rejected. There’s a higher possibility of my neck breaking than the Gozu’s,” Ur replied.

《Aww, 》 Akane pouted.

“Don’t you have a weapon that can safely and securely kill enemies?” Ur asked.

《How greedy~~,》 Akane said, changing her form. Instead of the dragonfang spear she was holding in her right hand, she coiled around Ur’s left hand. Before he knew it, a blade of dazzling flame was gripped in Ur’s arm.

《The Blazing Sword. It burns when you slash, 》 Akane explained.

“…I don’t feel like I can handle dual-wielding different types of weapons at all. I haven’t practiced with swords,” Ur said.

《Greedy~~~, 》 Akane repeated.

“I’ll do my best…” Ur decided to do his best, as complaining too much to his sister would diminish his dignity as an older Nii-tan.

For now, what he needed to do against the three Gozu was…

“Run away,” Ur said.

《Why!? 》 Akane exclaimed.

“If we get surrounded by multiple enemies in close combat, we’ll die,” Ur explained.

Whether the opponent was a monster or they were equipped with special weapons, the principle of numbers advantage in battle would never waver. Glen had thoroughly instilled this in them during their training days, and subsequent experiences had confirmed the teachings.

《But Diz could defeat them, right? 》 Akane asked.

“Nii-tan might cry soon… Are they chasing us?” Ur asked.

《Yeah, 》 Akane confirmed.

“【Roar】!” Ur aimed the dragonfang spear backward and twisted it. A rending light burst forth and directly hit the Gozu head-on.

『ＧＵＭＯＯＯＯ！！！』the monsters bellowed.

《Huh?! 》 Akane exclaimed.

“What happened?” Ur asked.

《They’re shielding, 》 Akane clarified.

Ur understood Akane’s explanation. One of the three Gozu at the forefront had intercepted the 【Roar】. It was to prevent the two behind it from being directly hit.

Ur recalled the characteristics of the Gozu, the reason they were classified as 9th-rank. –Despite having the head of a beast, their coordination surpassed that of humans–. It was fortunate that they had managed to reduce their numbers by one early on.

《They scattered! 》 Akane shouted.

“What a pain in the ass!” Ur grumbled.

While one of them was shielding, the remaining two scattered to the left and right, hiding behind the shadows of buildings. The one directly hit by the roar collapsed to the ground, charred. It wasn’t dead yet, but it wouldn’t move immediately.

That left two. Completely hidden from sight, a coordinated attack from two unknown directions felt like a premonition of death. ——But if they could predict where the attack would come from, it was a different story.

“I’ve gotten used to it recently!” Ur exclaimed.

《Huh?! 》 Akane reacted in surprise.

Shifting his eyepatch, Ur opened his Magic Eye of【Future Vision】and threw Akane, who had transformed into the Blazing Sword, into the right passageway where no one was present yet. Shortly after, just as he had foreseen, a Gozu appeared. The Gozu, which was supposed to catch them off guard, encountered the absurdity of a flaming sword piercing its torso the moment it showed itself.

『ＧＯＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡ！！！――――…』the monster cried out.

“You said it burns when slashed, but it’s turned into charcoal…” Ur remarked.

《Don’t throw your little sister around so casually! 》 Akane scolded.

Ur was about to apologize, saying “sorry, sorry.” However, he didn’t have the leisure to do so.

Even though it was still daytime, a shadow fell. Of course, it wasn’t because the Sun God had hidden. The Gozu had somehow stood on the roof of a house, jumped, and was falling down.

『ＧＵＢＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯ！！！』the monster roared.

“Ugh!!” Ur grunted as he blocked the falling axe with his shield.

“…!!! I blocked it!” Ur exclaimed in surprise.

The Crystal Golem’s shield had been burnt in the battle against the pseudo-dragon, and the current shield was made of mithril, just like the armor. Not only was it sturdy, but what was astonishing was that Ur’s arm and body were unscathed despite directly blocking the axe swung down by the giant monster along with its fall, without being able to properly deflect it.

The mithril was far more reliable than the shoddy equipment made from drop items, just as the merchant from the【Great Eagle of Dawn】 who had sold it to them had said. It seemed to be true. Ur was very grateful that it covered for his own inexperience.

The problem was that no matter how strong the armor was, it couldn’t completely escape from all of the Gozu’s forceful onslaught.

『ＧＵＢＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯ！！！！！』the monster once again roared.

“Ugh… ugh…!!” Ur grunted.

The Gozu was trying to crush Ur with all its might on top of the shield he had blocked with. Ur’s feet sank into the ground. The fact that he wasn’t crushed immediately could be said to be the result of his own growth, but he didn’t have the strength to withstand the violence of the giant monster head-on.

《Nii-tan! 》 Akane called out.

Ur thought that if she could come to his aid, but he didn’t have the leeway to turn his gaze in that direction. He had to do something…

“Begone,” a voice said.

『ＧＯＢＯ！！！？』the Gozu cried out.

However, faster than Ur could come up with a countermeasure, the Gozu’s head was suddenly chopped off. The gushing blood splattered on Ur, but soon that blood and the Gozu’s body turned to dust and dispersed. And from behind its body, a familiar giant man appeared.

“Jain, thanks for the help,” Ur said.

“Huh?” Jain grunted.

“No, it’s nothing,” Ur quickly closed his mouth, noticing that Jain was in a terribly foul mood.

Jain, who wasn’t even properly wearing armor and was only holding hand axes in both hands while still in his sleepwear, was glaring at the monsters with a frightening expression.

“Hey, Ur, the Gozu you burned was still alive. You gotta make sure to kill ‘em properly,” Jain said.

《Waaahhh, lewd, Rabin, 》 Akane commented.

“I was sleeping, familiar-chan. It’s the worst way to wake up,” Rabin complained.

Rabin was accompanying him. Her outfit was also casual. Or rather, it was almost underwear. It was an all too sudden attack by monsters in the middle of peacefully spending their daily lives in the residential area. They couldn’t complain about their attire. However, the sight of her gripping a knife that could sever necks while being drenched in the blood of monsters was quite intense.

“…Hey, Jain’s in a really bad mood,” Ur whispered.

“The monsters fell and died on the spot of my vegetable garden that was about to be harvested, and the body fluids rotted ‘em all,” Jain grumbled.

“Whoa, let’s definitely not go near there,” Ur said.

The anger of a man whose fruits of labor had been ruined and who couldn’t even take revenge was now directed at the monsters as a whole. It was reassuring but terrifying.

“So, how did this happen?” Rabin asked.

“I have no clue,” Ur replied.

“Really?” Rabin questioned.

“Can you please stop thinking that we’re the cause of all these crazy incidents?” Ur retorted.

And so, Ur and Akane, who had joined forces with the enraged Jain, continued to clear out the monsters in the residential area.

　　　　　◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Dragon-Devoured Uuga, Administrative District

“The residential area seems to be alright. Let’s leave it to Ur-sama,” Shizuku said as she moved to the vicinity of the administrative district with Eckstein. She conducted another survey of the entire Uuga using reverberation. With the mapping provided by the grimoire【Footprints in Fresh Snow】, they were able to grasp the overall situation of Uuga once again.

The residential area, which had the highest population density, seemed to be somehow protected by the hands of Ur, who had rushed out first, or rather, had flown out.

“Akane is with him too. The two of them will be fine,” Shizuku said.

“You really trust the two of them, don’t you?” Eckstein remarked.

“I’ve witnessed them overcome quite a bit of recklessness up close,” Shizuku replied.

Eckstein smiled nostalgically, but he remained vigilant, holding his sword and dealing with the attacking monsters. It seemed that he not only possessed magical eyes for reconnaissance but also had the appropriate skills as a knight.

However, the problem was the number and range of the monsters. Uuga was vast. If they moved around at a leisurely pace on foot, it would be difficult to prevent human casualties. As Shizuku was pondering a strategy, a voice called out.

『Hey, you two, wanna go for a spin? 』 It was Rock, who had transformed into a vehicle. Shizuku smiled brightly.

“Rock-sama, your form is even more convenient than I thought,” she said.

『Ain’t it? The passenger capacity is inferior to the Rock ‘n’ Roll, but hey! Eckstein or whatever your name is, get on! 』 Rock urged.

Eckstein, who had a look of astonishment on his face upon seeing the self-propelled carriage made of bones, shrugged his shoulders as if giving up after a while.

“…Well, as expected of Ur’s companions. They’re strange… no, unique,” he said.

『Ya can call us weirdos, I don’t mind, 』 Rock quipped.

With the two of them on board, Rock started speeding. Meanwhile, Shizuku opened 【Footprints】 and checked the results of her own reconnaissance.

“There are a lot of people in the dining area as well, but it seems the White Serpent who were there are taking care of it. Rock-sama, please head to the central southern park!” she instructed.

『At this time, Kalkara and the others should be training. Are they gonna be okay? 』 Rock asked.

“…No, there are no injured… it seems, but…?” Eckstein, who was also conducting reconnaissance with his magical eyes, tilted his head in confusion.

Soon, they crossed a gentle slope, and Uuga’s only hall came into view. There, they witnessed…

『ＳＹＵＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩ……！！』A strange, translucent monster floating in the sky. An【Aether Jelly】, and…

“Hiiiii!! Nuoooooo! Take thiiiiis!!!!” A giant Griffin were fighting.

『………… 』

“…………”

“…My,” Shizuku said, placing her hand on her cheek in admiration, while the two men were speechless at the extraordinary sight.

“Griffin-sama. You’ve grown quite large, haven’t you…” she commented.

“Physically, right?!” Griffin exclaimed.

TL Note(s)

[1] Gozu are basically minotaurs appearance-wise and are a type of Japanese youkai https://yokai.com/gozu/. I was debating on using the name Bull-head or Ox-head for the name, but I ultimately went with the Japanese name as I did for the Gashadokuro.

Also, as y’all may have noticed, I am planning on using proper dialogue tags from now on. Hopefully, it’ll read a bit better this way.

On another note, I finally received my copy of the light novel a few days ago! I’m excited to see if there’s anything that’s changed compared to the web novel.