BGM: Unwritten in the Star
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Retreat or confront. I couldn't made the decision until the very last mont.
However, the single remark from Rem had completely change my decision.
「Master… Rem will fly, and explode.」
When we retreated to the plaza under the cover of a smoke screen, Rem released her Dark Knight form and said that in her young girl form.
Clutched to her flat chest, though I had no idea when she retrieved it, was the core bomb we didn’t use in the battle against Yamata no Orochi.
「…You really will be able to co back, right?」
「I can. Rem is always by your side, master.」
What would happen if Rem, who had evolved into a 『Shadow Doll』 had her true form, the young girl form, destroyed? In the end, I had never once tested it. I couldn’t possibly test it. If it didn’t work, I’d lose my precious partner.
However, in this once-in-a-lifeti opportunity to take down this side path, and in a desperate situation where all my comrades have fallen… I have no choice but to do it.
Either way, there was no ti to recover both Hayama-kun, Kinako, and Beniwo and still escape via teleportation. Just bringing Kyoko along was already pushing it.
If I were only thinking about my own safety, it would definitely be best to just teleport away to sowhere else right now.
But I couldn’t do that. In the end, I’m just the weakest 『Shaman』. I wouldn't survive without my comrades.
So I had no choice but to make up my mind: either abandon my comrades and die alone, or save them and survive together. There was no need to even think about which one to choose, right?
「Rem, I'll be relying on you.」
I didn’t want to take the risk of losing Rem. But if she was the one who said she’ll do it, then I’ll believe in her. As her master, and as her partner.
「If I’m going to lure Yokomichi to the teleportation point, I’ll need a decoy. But the 『Twin Shadow』 will be seen through, so I guess I’ll just have to pull it off myself…」
「Don't worry————」
And then, Rem cloaks herself in shadows and begins to transform.
What appeared a mont later wasn’t the towering dark knight’s armor———— It was .
「You can actually transform into , too?」
「————Yeah, Rem’s been watching master all along. Actually, I've been able to do it for quite a while now.」
「Whoa— You can even copy the way I talk perfectly?」
Wait, does that an Rem could actually speak normally already? Was the young girl Rem’s clumsy pronunciation just an act?
「More importantly, let’s get started already. Yokomichi is almost here.」
Rem’s impersonation of is so perfect it’s scary. She was pushing to carry out the plan using exactly the kind of lines I would say.
「Well then, let's begin.」
No detailed explanation needed. If it was Rem, she already had the entire plan in her head.
For this battle against Yokomichi, I made sure to leave both options open: a decisive fight or an escape. We were short on ti and unprepared; that was exactly why flexibility was key. You could also say I was indecisive, though.
I hadn’t gone out of my way to explain everything to Kyouko and Hayama-kun, but I had told Rem. While my clone was acting as a decoy to buy us ti, it was Rem who helped directly here as I made preparations. And when it cos ti to carry out the plan, it’d be Rem supporting then as well.
That’s why, as I set things up, I’ve been explaining to Rem alone what I’m thinking about, why I’m placing things this way and so on. So she already understands the purpose behind this teleportation explosion plan.
The real key to defeating Yokomichi was the pitfall trap.
But what should I do if that plan fails? Whether we run or try to defeat him, there were three key cards to play.
The first one was the teleportation magic circle.
If we could use this, a successful escape was 100% guaranteed. It was a one-of-a-kind escape route. But at the sa ti, it could also be used to teleport only Yokomichi away. Even if we couldn’t completely defeat him, if we could use teleportation to send him off, that could still be considered a secondary kind of victory.
The second one was the core bomb.
It was a valuable bomb I had prepared as a counterasure in case Sakura-chan betrayed us, or to finish off Yamata-no-Orochi. It holds enough destructive power to serve as a trump card, but precisely because of that, it couldn’t be detonated nearby. Still, if we found ourselves in a desperate enough situation, I wouldn’t hesitate to take the risk and use it. If I could have fed it to him and detonated it while he was in his『Re: Monster(Complete tamorphosis)』 form, that alone might have been enough to guarantee our victory.
The third one was Rem.
Not just Rem, but also the corpse puppets of roirops and grimgore were included. My clones and corpse puppets that Rem created by consuming cores are disposable pawns that can be replaced as many tis as needed. When escaping, they’ll be left behind to slow down Yokomichi, and if we choose to fight, they could be used for reckless attacks or defense.
Depending on how we used these three cards, we’ll either be able to escape or defeat him, one of the two will be accomplished.
And after hearing Rem’s resolve, the plan I ultimately chose was the teleportation explosion strategy, using Rem as a decoy to teleport Yokomichi away and then blow him up with the core bomb on the other side.
Against a fully capable Yokomichi, this plan wouldn’t stand a chance. The mont he sensed the signs of teleportation, he’d definitely escape. We had no way to stop a fully powered Yokomichi for the few seconds it takes to activate the teleportation.
However, thanks to the pitfall trap strategy and the double sacred beast awakening, Yokomichi has been pushed to the brink of exhaustion.
Depending on how the battle unfolds, if Yokomichi was worn down enough, there was a good chance we could hold him using a combo of black hair tentacles and chains. With that in mind, I scattered all the restraints I could, chains, leather belts, ropes, around the teleportation magic circle in advance.
Since roirops could carry a lot of cargo, we had a decent supply of belts and ropes prepared. We didn’t have much in the way of chains, but I released so tal materials on the spot and quickly forged them myself.
Who would’ve thought that the work I did with Hino-san to mass-produce the chain and harpoon set for restraining Yamata-no-Orochi would co in handy in this place. I’m really glad I learned the trick to quickly forging chains through alchemy.
And with that, all the conditions were in place.
Rem, transford into , stands on the teleportation magic circle with a bag containing the core bomb strapped to her back. I also gave her a sword to make it look like a final act of resistance from a cornered prey.
Just like when I used 『Twin Shadow』 Rem perfectly replicates my appearance, voice, and even scent at 100% accuracy. But on top of that, since she was the real body, she also possesses a high amount of magical power, sothing only I, the original could have. Yokomichi himself once said that the clone was like "Diluted Calpis", and explained that he could tell the difference because 『Twin Shadow』 had weaker magical power compared to the real .
Even Souma-kun and Tendou-kun couldn’t perfectly see through 『Twin Shadow』 without attacking , aning that Yokomichi’s detection abilities must be quite exceptional. While Rem’s mimicry was even more advanced than 『Twin Shadow』 if the real was present, he’d likely realize which was the fake one.
That's why I needed to hide myself sowhere. Sowhere where neither my scent nor my magical power would leak out.
Maan, thank goodness the treasure chest had just the right size for to enter.
Even soone like Natsukawa-san said you can't know what's inside a 『Treasure Chest』 without opening it. In other words, the chest also had a high-level magic-blocking function. Well, without that, it probably wouldn't be able to preserve items for long periods anyway.
And so, I hid inside the treasure chest, waiting for the mont Yokomichi would catch Rem’s attention.
And then co, the mont of truth.
「Co here, Yokomichi.」
Pushing past Alfa, who was only there to buy ti, Yokomichi erged from the smoke, shouting sothing disturbingly deranged to the top of his lungs as he lunged at Rem.
「N-No… this isn’t Kotarou-kyun at aaaaallllllll!?」
NOW.
I flung open the treasure chest and stepped outside.
「WHO THE HELL ARE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!」
「Good job, Rem————『Blackhair Bind』」
I restrained the raving Yokomichi with all my strength.
As expected, he must be reaching the limits of his strength. The iron chains creak loudly under the strain, but they didn't break.
Yokomichi turned toward , but only opened his wide mouth in vain.
「This is the end, Yokomichi——— Activate teleportation magic circle.」
Bathed in a dazzling radiance, the monstrous Yokomichi vanished into the white light, as if being purified.
He'd explode right after.
Sowhere in a distant corner of the dungeon, the core bomb must have gone off. The response from Rem, who was linked to , suddenly and completely disappeared.
「W-We did it…」
I heaved a long, deep sigh.
That was close, seriously cutting it way too fine. It was a fierce, tightrope battle, just as intense as subjugation battle of Yamata no Orochi, but in a completely different way.
「No, this ti, I was completely saved by my comrades.」
The MVP of this battle was Hayama-kun. If he hadn’t awakened the ability to use sacred beast summoning at the last possible mont, we wouldn’t have stood a chance against Yokomichi in his 『Re: Monster(Complete tamorphosis)』 form. Faced with a monster like that, I couldn’t have even run away and laid the final trap.
Let's postpone the reflection eting for later.
「First, I need to tend to everyone who’s passed out.」
What was this, like the vibe where everyone got wasted at a drinking party, so the one sober person had to take care of them? I’m the one who dealt with Yokomichi until the very end, so I’m the most exhausted one here, you know!?
The only reason I could joke around like this was because everyone was safe. No way am I digging graves for my friends with this worn-out body—count out of that kind of heavy labor.
Naturally, I had to resummon Rem with 『Shadow Doll』. I wouldn’t be able to relax until I make sure she’s safe————
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New Project:
The tar who "ABUSED" his tad monster.
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