NBAA Vol. 8 Chapter 4 Part 2
“Phew… it worked.”
“As usual, your powers are ridiculously strong. I’m really glad you’re not my enemy.”
“That’s a terrifying power…To think you could cut such a huge body in half.”
“Hey! A-Are you okay?”
“That’s amazing.”
Dain and Gonzo arrived later and turned their gaze to the lying Goblin King and Reito. They had known for a long time how amazing Reito was, but he was much stronger than before.
“Hey, hey! Are you guys okay?”
“You really defeated him?”
“I can’t believe it… a brat could defeat such a monster!”
“What the hell is wrong with these guys?”
The other adventurers rush over, looking at the defeated Goblin King with shocked expressions. Then, they let out cries of joy as the hall containing the teleportation crystal pedestal was finally free.
“Yay! Now we can go home!”
“Let’s hurry back!
“I want to go home and rest now…”
“Hey, hey! At least say thank you!”
Many adventurers avoided the Goblin King’s corpse and rushed into the teleportation crystal hall. Just as Dain was about to complain, a scream rang out from the hall.
“Aaaaahhhh!”
“U-Uwaaahhh!”
“What’s wrong?”
“No way…”
They stopped dismantling the Goblin King’s corpse and headed to the hall.
A humanoid monster was enshrined in front of the teleportation crystal pedestal. The monster’s hands gripped the two adventurers’ heads, crushing them with its incredible strength.
“Eeek!”
“Wh, Why is it here…”
“Is that… a lizardman?”
The humanoid monster that killed the two adventurers was a monster whose entire body was covered in green scales, with a long tail wrapped around its body and the head of a lizard. Shizune cried out in surprise when she saw it, and Reito froze in his tracks at the sight of this monster, which he had never seen before.
“What is that thing… Isn’t it a Cyclops?”
“It’s a lizardman! You don’t know what a lizardman is?”
“Among the demons, the lizardman is a ferocious monster on par with the Minotaur. The hardness of its scales rivals that of a cyclops, and it is a dangerous monster that can produce a powerful breath like a dragon.”
“Charaaahhh…!!”
As Dain and Shizune, who were knowledgeable about the ecology of monsters, explained to Reito, the lizardman opened his mouth, stuck out his long, snake-like tongue, and roared at the sight of the adventurers around him.
“Shaoooooh!!”
“Uh, uwaaahhh!!”
“Gazin?! Damn, let go of him!!”
The lizardman leapt onto the beastman male next to him and pushed him down forcefully. He then sank his sharp fangs into his neck.
The fallen man’s companions tried to pull him away, but the lizardman’s tail slammed into them, blowing them away.
“Guaaah!”
“Shaaaah!”
“Higgh!”
The lizardman used his fearsome jaw muscles to bite off their necks, and blood splattered across the hall. No one could even scream at the sight, and everyone’s bodies froze in fear.
“Shaaaah…!”
“Hiiiii!”
“Don’t come any closer!”
The lizardman, his mouth red, raised his head and looked at the other adventurers. They readied their weapons, but their bodies were shaking and they couldn’t move properly.
“This…Flame Lance!”
“What?! Stop!”
The female magician, holding her staff, unleashed a fire-element bombardment spell. The mass of heat headed towards the lizardman like a ray of light, but he let go of the corpse and leapt into the air. The magic bullet collided and the corpse was engulfed in flames.
“Nooo?! G-Gazin!”
“Eh, ah… I was aiming at the enemy! It wasn’t my fault…!”
“Don’t look away!”
“Shaaaah!”
The male adventurer who had been blown away by the lizardman earlier cried out as his companion’s corpse burned.
While the woman was in a state of panic, the lizardman ran through the hall. His target was the male Dwarf adventurer.
“Shaaaah!”
“Uoooaa?! D-Don’t underestimate me!”
The lizardman swung down his sharpened claws like blades. The dwarf man held up the hammer he was holding in both hands to block it.
However, the hammer was pushed in by the strong arm. The lizardman then raised his other arm, made a karate-like piercing hand and thrust it forward.
“Gaah!”
“Guhaaah!”
The male adventurer called Dagan was pierced through the abdomen by the lizardman. Dagan spat out blood and dropped the hammer.
“Dagan!”
“Dagan! Shit, what are you doing?! Quickly cast a spell!”
“No way! If he’s that close, he’ll get hurt too…”
His companions urged the female magician to cast a spell, but they couldn’t cast one because there was a risk of involving others.
“Damn… Shadow Bite!”
“Guu…!”
“Ohhhhhhhh!”
Unable to watch any longer, Dain thrust out his staff and released a wolf head from his shadow, biting the lizardman’s arm. “Shadow Bite” was a magic that temporarily weakened the opponent’s abilities. The attack left the lizardman feeling weak.
Gonzo took advantage of the opportunity and prepared his Battle Fist and threw it out.
“’Golden Stark Strike’!!”
“Gyaah…?!”
“You did it?!”
Gonzo’s strike landed on the lizardman’s body, blowing him away to the wall. The sight elicited cries of joy.
Gonzo felt something strange about the sensation when he struck, and immediately cried out.
“It didn’t hit him!! He jumped back to neutralize the impact!!”
“What?!”
“Eh?!”
“Shaaaah…!!”
The lizardman got up, looked at the wolf’s head that was still biting his arm, and took a deep breath.
“Aaaaaahhhh!!”
“Whoa?”
“F-Flame thrower?”
“It’s Fire Breath!!”
Flame spewed from the lizardman’s mouth, wiping out the head of the wolf that had bitten his arm. Shadow magic’s weakness was strong light, so it could be wiped out even with flames.
Relieved of the weakness that had been attacking his body, the lizardman stopped spitting flames and moved his arm as if to check his condition. Despite having been hit by flames, there was no sign of any burns to his arm.
“That guy, he could resist the heat?”
“Lizardmen’s scales are special. They’re as hard as metal and highly resistant to fire. They’re a troublesome opponent…”
“I’ll hold him back, so you can all attack him while you do that!!”
“Can you capture someone who moves that fast?”
“Ugh…”
If Dain hit him with “Shadow Bind”, he’ll be able to capture even a lizardman. But to do that, he’ll need to hit him with shadow magic. Lizardmen moved very fast, so even if Dain used his shadow, the lizardman would be able to avoid it.
“Leave this to me. It’s been a while since I’ve faced such a strong opponent… My arms are itching to fight, that I am.”
“Are you confident you can defeat him?”
“I’m sure I can beat him when it comes to speed!!”
Hanzo pulled out Muramasamaru and pointed at the lizardman. Then, the lizardman also prepared, his back against the wall, on guard.
The two of them glared at each other, watching each other’s reactions. The hall was filled with tension, but Dain had a question.
“Oh, eh? By the way, where did Reito go?”
“Now that you mention it… I don’t see him.”
“Reito?”
Everyone noticed that Reito, who had been there just a moment ago, had disappeared, and looked around to see what was going on. He was nowhere to be seen, and it didn’t seem like he had used a skill like “Stealth” to disappear.
“Hey, where did he go at a time like this? Why isn’t the most reliable person here?!”
“I can’t imagine he ran away.”
“Of course. Reito isn’t the kind of guy to abandon his friends.”
“Then where… ah?!”
“Shaaah…?”
Dain turned his gaze to the lizardman. Seeing his face, the lizardman turned his head back curiously. And at the same time that he saw the black vortex of space magic there – a fist was thrust out from within the vortex.
“Lightning Strike!!”
“Agh!”
“““Whaaat?!”””
A fist filled with gravity and electricity protruded from the black vortex and hit the lizardman on the cheek. The lizardman was unable to react to the unexpected attack.
“Whew… the surprise attack was a success.”
“Re-Reito?”
“Where did you come from?”
“From the passageway… I was hiding and watching the situation.”
When the black vortex by the wall of the hall grew large enough for a human to pass through, Reito appeared from within. He had inconspicuously returned to the passage a little while ago and created a small black vortex behind the lizardman and in front of himself, connecting them.
“Ouch… I should have used my sword after all.”
“Shaaaaaaaaaaa…?!”
“Oops, you’re letting him get away!”
Though holding his fist, Reito looked down at the lizardman and quickly picked up the Extermination Blade on his back and struck with all his might.
“Helmet Smasher!”
“Shagyaah!”
The lizardman was immobilized by the lightning of the “Lightning Strike” and Reito struck a slash at his back, this time causing the lizardman’s blood to soak onto the floor of the hall.
“Shaaaaaaaaaa…?!”
“You’re still alive, but this is it!”
“Agaah!”
Reito struck another slash, but it was blocked by the lizardman’s sturdy scales.
He struck again, but the blade dug into the same spot and the scales peeled off, sending blood flying everywhere.
“Shagyaaah…!!”
“Haaaah!”
Reito thrust the blade of his Extermination Blade at that spot.
The Extermination Blade penetrated the lizardman’s flesh.
“Agaaaaahhh…!?”
“Hmph!!”
When Reito pulled out the Extermination Blade, the lizardman fell to the ground, motionless.
Shizune used her sheath to stimulate the lizardman’s head, making sure he was completely dead, and called out to the others who were watching the battle.
“It’s okay now. He’s completely dead.”
“I-I see… That’s good then.”
“Uuh… Gazin!!”
“Adan!! How did this happen…!!”
The body of the adventurers killed by the lizardman was swarmed by their friends, and mourned their deaths.
Reito was thinking that if he had acted sooner, they might not have become victims, but as if reading his thoughts, Shizune placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry about it. You did your best, they just got unlucky.”
“Yeah…”
“Let’s go now. Maybe we should head back for today.”
“Okay.”