Heroine Survival Vol 6 Chapter 18

The Desert’s War Demon

「……It missed huh.」

Ashe spoke out coldly on top of the huge shell dragon that was her ride.

Shell dragon had the name [dragon] but it wasn’t a real dragon. The  same like wyvern that had wings but no front legs, shell dragon was also  a “pseudo dragon”. It was just a large lizard that didn’t even have  wings. No matter how much it grew it would never go past rank 4.

But, a true dragon was fundamentally different. Even the low ranked  earth dragon could wipe out a group of adventurer with a single breath  attack. It could even destroy a human made tower that was located  several kilometers from it.

Just now Aishe found a “strange object” flying away from the top of a  broken tower and made the dragon attacked it. But, perhaps the dragon’s  aim was faulty or the distance was too far, because the attack only  managed to scrape off the tower’s top part even more while the strange  object was still going higher toward the sky.

「I think that is……the thing called [hot-air balloon] isn’t it?」

Aishe recalled the true identity of that foreign object when it fully  came into view. This was her first time actually seeing one, but she  remembered her “big sister” telling her about it several decades ago.

Aishe ordered the attack because of her instinct. But, her instinct didn’t betray her.

It was unthinkable that run-down town could possibly have something  like that. It was uncertain whether that thing was related to Carlfan  Empire or not, but either way it was highly possible the invasion of  evil race army would become leaked to human countries if they let it get  away from here.

「Make the earth dragon attack again-! Don’t let it get away-」

Aishe ordered another attack at the hot-air balloon, but one of the  dark elves beside her quickly bowed his head while trickling cold sweat  despite the desert’s heat.

「M-my deepest apologies, your excellency, giving “order” in succession is……」

「Tsk」

There was no monster tamer skill. After all it was impossible to enslave a living being forever with merely one ability.

Tamer was a technique based job just like alchemist or blacksmith.  Only some clans in the evil race country were passing down that  technique. The taming of earth dragon was carried out under the order of  the evil race’s clan heads, but dragon’s taming was extremely difficult  and it took several years of process where a whole clan was mobilized  for the endeavor that produced a lot of victim.

The earth dragon had stopped attacking the evil race army due to  special medicine and suggestion using darkness sorcery, but it was  possible the suggestion would become undone if the earth dragon was  given order in succession.

「Hurry」

「……Ma’am」

Even so, when Aishe ordered with a frown on her face, the black skin  of the man who was the head of the tamer clan turned pale and he ran to  the rear where the earth dragon was.

Aishe was still young and she was in an age where usually she would  be called as a novice for an elf, but she was feared in the evil race  army for her severe personality. The root of her severity was her  experience of losing her only family in the war against human race more  than fifty years ago. Her hatred toward human nation was still  continuing to smolder even now that more than fifty years had passed.

Aishe would kill anyone who got in her way even if it was woman or children.

Aishe glared at the hot-air balloon with such hatred filling her  eyes. It was then the sight of light that flapped like silver wings  falling off from there entered her eyes.

***

「……What?」

The marching evil race army numbered 2000 men strong. The hundred man  leader, the knight Hasan was the one ordered to be at the forefront of  that army. He witnessed the silver light swooping down from the tower  that had just gotten attacked by the dragon.

That emitted particles of light that fluttered like it was wings.  Because Hasan was watching it from far away, that sight looked like an  angel just like in fairy-tale and he unconsciously narrowed his eyes.

「How stupid……」

Hasan unconsciously laughed at himself for having such thought.

Hasan and other dark elves were judged as “evil” by the teaching of  the holy church that invaded here from other continent. They were feared  as though they were evil demon. Their quarrel with the forest elf that  had existed from the beginning was also used by the holy church to drive  them away from their fertile lands. Since then the dark elves swore to  take revenge and called themselves [evil race].

For someone like them to imagine something as [angel] and even felt entranced by the sight was simply laughable.

But, what was that thing that felt from that flying object? It was  still far away so he couldn’t see it clearly but perhaps a part of the  balloon broke because of the dragon’s attack and some glass fragments  fell off.

But, there was no denying that there was something at that place. If  it was something that could be dangerous to the evil race army then it  was also Hasan’s duty to eliminate it as the one who was ordered to be  the vanguard.

「From here our squad shall head to the tower that the dragon  attacked! But, I have no doubt that if it’s the valiant people of our  clan then we will be able to take care of anything that lie in wait for  us there!」

『OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!』

After Hasan gave his speech to his subordinates, the one hundred evil  race soldiers responded by raising their weapons before marching toward  the tower to hunt for their prey.

Hasan’s one hundred troops consisted of the people from the clan that  Hasan’s father was leading. Even the common soldier in it was rank 2  and even some of the ten men captains who were organizing them were rank  3. Their strength was no comparison to the likes of human soldier. Even  if the enemy outnumbered them by twice, his subordinates would be able  to easily destroy them. The thought made Hasan’s lips loosened up.

But……his expectation was overturned.

「Young lord! “Something” is heading here!」

「You said, something……be clear when reporting──」

A young soldier who was marching ahead raised his voice. Hasan  reflexively turned his gaze to that direction and caught sight of that  “something”.

A silhouette clad in a tattered cloak was sprinting through the  desert with terrifying speed straight to here from the direction of the  tower.

The sun was setting and the sky started to be dyed orange. In the  middle of the orange sky and the sand, the shadow that stretched out  from the tattered cloak w

as undulating like a monstrous bird. The figure looked like an evil spirit that appeared in desert. Hasan unconsciously gulped.

「Fire arrow-! Don’t let it get closer!」

The vice commander beside Hasan who was also his uncle gave command  to the men. Then he smiled wryly while turning his gaze toward his still  young nephew.

「Hasan, don’t lose focus. After all you are the one who will become our next clan head.」

「I’m sorry uncle……」

The trained archers immediately fired their arrows. Dozens of arrows  rained down on the sprinting shadow. If these trusted subordinates and  comrades were at his side, he didn’t need to fear even a real evil  spirit. ……Or that was how it should be.

「Wha-!?」

The fired arrows didn’t hit. The arrows that were fired in an arching  trajectory were left behind in the dust of the shadow that sped up even  more.

As the result the archers hurriedly nocked their next arrow. But how  long it would take until they readied their next arrow? This was  different from firing arrows toward a large army. How long the archer  would take to aim at a far away enemy who was alone?

The enemy figure approached with speed that was several times of  ordinary person. Fear spread among the soldiers at the forefront for an  instant. It became anxiety that also spread toward the archers. When  they had fixed their aiming, the enemy figure had already closed the  distance until the soldiers at the forefront.

「Aaaaaaa!」

The forefront soldiers yelled like they were screaming while hiding  their body behind their shield. Then they thrust out their long spear  without even checking where the enemy was. But, there was no meaning at  all to spears that weren’t even aimed at anything. That enemy used their  palm to divert away the spear tip that was thrusting toward them, and  without stopping they used a large shield as foothold and lightly jumped  over the spears line.

「……Hih」

The figure that was clad in tattered cloak fluttered in the air like a  ghost. The silver light that leaked out from the hem of the cloak made  the archers let out their shrieks.

Jet black blade glinted from the shadow of the cloak. They were cut  apart by an invisible blade without being able to let go of their bow.  The survivors threw away their bow and drew out their short sword, but  at that moment the figure already left behind the archers and closed the  distance to Hasan and others.

「Don’t let it get closer-!」

The vice commander immediately gave instruction to his men. The elite  guards protecting the clan head’s son thrust their spears toward the  approaching enemy.

Several spears stabbed the tattered cloak that was fluttering in the  air. But that enemy kicked on the air and changed posture, then after  using their cloak as bait they stomped on the face of one soldier while  landing on the ground.

「Impossible……that was like……」

The vice commander’s eyes widened, but a flying knife was planted between his eyes before he could finish speaking.

Swiftness like lightning. Cutting into enemy formation alone to kill  the enemy leader. That fighting style and that martial art, it reminded  him of a famous female evil race who died in battlefield decades ago.

「……”War Demon”……」

A single girl was reflected on Hasan’s eyes. The desert’s war demon.

Hair that was burning with ashen steel color danced in the wind.  Until the blade that was thrown from that hand scattered Hasan’s life  into nothingness, those sharp eyes were simply turned toward the front  with Hasan’s figure never even entering it.

***

First…….

I killed two people who seemed to be the commanders of the unit that  marched at the forefront, and then I immediately broke into a run again.

I had listened from teacher about the way to fight against group. A  unit’s chain of command would be thrown into chaos when its head was  crushed and it would become unable to exhibit its actual strength. But  that would only be the case if the killing was done continuously one  after another.

My limit would definitely arrive sooner or later if I fought alone. What I was doing was nothing more than buying time.

Even so there was meaning to this fight.

Sorry……Elena.

When we were little, that day I promised you that if you wished for  it, I’ll kill even the demon king……but now I was risking my life even  though you didn’t ask it from me.

I slipped through the soldiers around the commander who were falling  into chaos and turned my gaze toward the direction of their main force.

.

▼Aria (Alicia)　Race：Human♀・Rank 4

【Magic Power：１５３／３３０】【Stamina：１８８／２６０】

【Overall Combat Strength：１４９７（During Special Body Strengthening：２７９７）】

【Battle Skill：Iron Rose/Limit 154 Second】

.

154 seconds remaining──my target was the evil race army’s general’s head.

「A Re-!」

I strengthened my speed and my legs kicked on the sandy ground. The impact blew sand backward.

I left behind the scenery around me as I sprinted forward. Light  residue trailed behind me like a comet’s trail. Dozens of arrows were  fired from the main force that noticed my approach.

「What’s that thing!?」

「Kill it quickly!」

「We’ll hit our own men!」

The soldiers fell into confusion. Because of the confusion their  spears and blades attacked artlessly. They grazed my body but there  would be no need to stop as long as it wasn’t lethal wound.

I diverted one spear that lunged at me to hit other soldier. I leaped  forward while rotating my body and cut down the enemy that got in my  way.

Not yet. I should be able to move faster. I passed through inside my  accelerated sense of time, slapped away even the scattered blood in the  air with my hand while sprinting with speed that the enemies couldn’t  follow with their sight, then I leaped to the bosom of a man who seemed  to be a commander. He was looking at me with a dumbfounded face before I  deeply planted my dagger between his eyes.

……Second.

***

「What, is that……?」

The evil race army was in confusion. That girl suddenly appeared,  sprinted through the battlefield with speed that was unthinkable for  human, then killed several unit commanders in less than a minute.

Of course the evil race army also didn’t just stand around watching.  They changed formation, changed weapon, and sometimes even used sorcery  that hit their own allies.

Even so the girl didn’t stop. Blood was trickling from several parts  of her body and her hair that was burning with ashen iron color was also  dyed with blood, even so she continued to swing her black blade that  was also dyed with blood.

「Stop!!」

The number of commanders who were killed by that murderous blade had  gone past five. That girl──Aria was hit with several arrows, even so she  continued cutting her way toward the main force where General Aishe was  located.

「You bastard, who are you-!」

Aishe fixed her stare at that figure and stood on the back of her huge shell dragon while drawing out her sword.

Hearing that voice and seeing that figure, Aria instantly judged that  the girl was the general. An elite guard stood on her way to stop her,  but a pendulum crushed his skull and she turned her gaze sharply toward  Aishe.

「Keep me company.」

「What……tsu」

The elite guards instantly surrounded Aria. They didn’t see how she  could do anything more in this situation. They all pointed their blade  toward the foolish enemy who leaped toward her own death when Aria took  out a jar from her storage and tossed it.

「Be careful!」

「Stop that thing!」

The well trained elite guards immediately moved. They threw a short  sword that broke the jar midair. But it wasn’t targeting Aishe. Its aim  was──.

『GUGYAAAAAAAAAAA!』

「What the-!?」

The content of the broken jar splashed on the shell dragon’s face and a terribly offensive smell rose up.

Most likely it was a type of nerve poison that caused intense pain.  The shell dragon lost its senses from the pain and intense smell and  started to rampage. Aishe who was standing on it couldn’t keep her  balance and kneeled down.

An opening was created for an instant. Aria slipped past the elite  guards in that moment and clung on the shell dragon. At the same time  Aishe threw her short sword despite her unbalanced posture. But Aria too  kicked on the shell dragon’s skin and then kicked on the air to dodge  the incoming short sword. Then she pulled the rein with all her strength  and showed a path of escape to the rampaging shell dragon.

「Damn you-!!」

Even though her eyes widened in astonishment at Aria’s martial art,  Aishe slashed at the bloody Aria from atop the horribly shaking shell  dragon. Magic steel sword and magic steel dagger clashed and created  sparks that scattered around.

「A human woman-!! Why do you get in our way-!」

「Because I have something to protect.」

Aria’s stamina had dropped until the limit from the attack sorcery  and blades that hit her. But, the sword of rank 5 Aishe was unable to  push Aria back.

Aishe was superior in pure technique. But, Aria’s status was  strengthened by Iron Rose. And not only that, on this battleground with  unstable foothold, Aishe who was a member of a long lived race was being  pushed back by a human girl who hadn’t even lived for twenty years due  to the difference in experience of the carnage they had struggled  through.

「You bastard, so this is your aim-!」

She separated Aishe from her subordinates and lured her to a  disadvantageous battleground. That way of fighting, her movement just  now, it was as though she closely resembled the person who was called as  “War Demon” in the battlefield.

「But it’s pointless-! You can’t defeat me no matter what kind of trick you played-!」

Even so Aishe had the technique that she had polished for decades as a  warrior of evil race. Even if the enemy possessed abnormal status, she  wasn’t strong enough to defeat Aishe.

「I already told you, you’re keeping me company.」

「Tsu!」

There Aishe finally realized what was the aim of the girl before her.

The shell dragon was running to the rear. What was in that direction?  That way there was the earth dragon who was finally going to fire its  next attack toward the hot-air balloon.

『GUGAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!』

The manipulated earth dragon was distracted by the rampaging shell dragon that crashed on it.

The taming that was applied on a true dragon like the earth dragon  wasn’t a complete thing. Even so, an attack from a tiny being like human  wouldn’t even annoy it. If its mind was in normal state then something  like a shell dragon’s attack wouldn’t be something that was even worth  its notice.

But, the imperfect mind control resulted in the awakening of its  instinctual defensive instinct when it saw the shell dragon’s huge body  approaching.

.

──*GOU*──!!

.

The fire ball that should be fired at the hot-air balloon was directed toward the shell dragon.

「Tsk!」

Aishe tsked hard and jumped backward. Aria also leaped away to match her.

The shell dragon kept running even then got burned by the earth  dragon’s breath. It expired in this desert. Aria was using its huge body  to shield her, even so the blast blew her away and the light of Iron  Rose vanished from her hair. Aishe saw the good opportunity and  brandished her sword, but Aria too never took her eyes off from her even  while getting blown away. The two swung their blade at the same time.

.

「──Vorpal Blade──!!」

「──Critical Edge──!!」

Two Battle Skills were unleashed at the same time. Those two clashed  in the air. Aishe’s sword pierced Aria’s stomach, while Aria’s blade  tore Aishe’s side.

Both were blown away while spilling a lot of blood, then their body fell on the ground.

And then several seconds later……one side was slowly standing up with unsteady legs.

「What the hell, is she……-!」

Aishe pressed her hand on her heavily bleeding side while asking the  same question for the nth times. She walked toward the unconscious pink  haired girl.

Why did this girl fought until this far?

Wasn’t she scared of dying?

Why was this girl knew that technique?

At the last moment, she couldn’t kill her with that Battle Skill because she dodged using that person’s technique.

What was with her hair color? It was slightly different but Aishe had seen pink hair color before.

「But……」

She was dangerous. Aishe instantly made that judgment.

She had a mountain of questions she wanted to ask. But, as a general  of the evil race army, she couldn’t spare the life of someone who could  obstruct the evil race army’s invasion and killed multiple commanders  alone.

「Die」

Aishe lifted up her sword even though she herself was heavily injured.

But at that time──

「Wait-!!」

Someone stopped Aishe before she could swing down her sword.

「You……-!」

Aishe’s eyes widened seeing that boy’s figure.

He had appeared there without her realizing it. Standing there was  the prince of evil race country whose whereabouts became unknown since  several years ago. He was staring at Aishe while breathing hard.

「Lower your sword, General Aishe. I order you under my name to hand her to my custody.」

The prince came here riding on a beast accompanied by two servants, a  man in his prime and a still young girl. Aishe wordlessly got into a  glaring match with the prince in respond to his words. Then she spat out  her saliva that was mixed with blood and quietly lowered her sword.

「Do as you please with that dying girl-, but, if she actually pull  through from this……then I also have a business with her. I have  questions to ask her about my elder sister’s technique.」

***

「We’re falling, grab on something-!」

Ron yelled inside the basket of the hot-air balloon that was gradually losing altitude.

The balloon didn’t get attacked by the dragon again and managed to  fly away. But, the first attack apparently caused some tower’s fragments  to hit and damage the balloon. Around two hours after they left the  town, the balloon reached its limit and started to lose altitude.

「……Aria……tsu」

Elena was holding on the basket’s edge while muttering the girl’s name.

Why did she do something like that?

Why did she go off on her own?

At the end Aria called Elena her [friend]. The two of them had  different standing. Elena thought that word mustn’t be said no matter  how much she wished for it.

The smile that Aria showed her at the end flashed inside her mind.

Was that, Aria’s……Alicia’s true smile? Or was it a smile that she  forced herself to make because it was the last time? Was the usual her  just a false mask……?

(……No, that’s not it.)

Both were the true Aria. That must be a smile that she was showing to her true friend.

It wasn’t because that would be the last time. She wouldn’t accept  that as the last time. Aria was alive. It was impossible for Aria to  break her promise with Elena and died.

「……I won’t forgive you if you die.」

Elena muttered that and lifted her face. The look of grief that was  showing from her eyes until then vanished. In its place was a strong  light and faint anger.

Aria went that far in order to keep Elena alive.

Aria absolutely wouldn’t die. She wouldn’t forgive her if she died.  She would head to Carlfan Empire, contact Claydale Kingdom, and then she  would absolutely save Aria even if she had to use her everything.

That was why Elena swore that she would survive come hell or high water.

「Ron, please give me instruction-!」

「Lena……」

「I’m not depressed anymore. Also, I do not mind if you call me “Elena”.」

「……I get it. Go pull that rope over there-」

Seeing the depressed Elena started moving caused Chako and the other children’s scared faces to recover slightly.

But that didn’t mean that the situation was changing for the better  with that. The balloon’s altitude was still unstable, and it was unclear  whether they would be able to deal with danger now that their two  strongest fighters were absent.

「Ron, monster from the sky-!」

「At this kind of time-!」

Two Giant Crows were approaching from the sky. They were rank 3  monster because of their huge size, but they wouldn’t be that great of a  threat if only the hot-air balloon was in proper condition.

But in this current situation, it was unclear how long the balloon  would last even though it was made from monster leather. Even Elena who  could attack was unable to use sorcery because of the shaky foothold. If  even one of the ropes that were connecting the basket to the balloon  was severed while they were standing idly, it would become difficult to  even land softly. It was even possible that it would become impossible  to repair the balloon.

『Gueeeeeeeee!』

「Kyaaah!」

One of the Giant Crows launched an attack at the balloon. The basket  shook violently. The ground was getting closer and Ron was working hard  to at least land the balloon on a flat ground, but finally the other  crow charged toward the rope.

「──Hurricane──」

In that moment, a level 4 wind sorcery was fired from somewhere and  tore apart the charging crow, blowing it away toward the sky.

Elena sighed in admiration seeing that sorcery. What impressed her  wasn’t the sorcery’s level, rather it was the technique that blew away  the Giant Crow without shaking the hot-air balloon despite being a wide  area sorcery.

Everyone was surprised. Even the remaining Giant Crow stopped  attacking when a jet black beast leaped like a gust of wind toward the  crow that had gotten close to the ground. It was dragged toward the  ground where it got ripped apart.

「W-we’re falling-」

Ron came back to his senses and raised his voice. The hot-air balloon  landed on the sandy ground after that. Cutlass Town looked very small  from this location.

But it was difficult to call the landing soft. Both the balloon and  the basket fell on their side, but thanks to that the children also fell  on the sandy ground and got away from the crash with only shock and  bruises.

「Is everyone alright-」

「Yes, we are alright……but」

Everyone nodded at Ron’s question. Nobody was seriously injured. At  most they were only bruised or scratched. Their feeling of shock and  surprise were greater than that and they became absentminded, but then a  woman voice called out to them. The voice came from someone wearing a  hood that covered most of her face. She seemed to be the one who fired  the sorcery just now.

「You guys, it doesn’t look like anyone is injured.」

She seemed like an adult woman and her gentle voice made Chako and the children exhaled in relieve.

「Thank you very much for your help. But……you are?」

Even so Ron and Elena were showing a little bit of wariness. The  woman smiled wryly and removed her hood, showing the face of a dark elf.

.

「I’m searching for someone. By the way, have any of you seen my pink haired surly disciple(daughter) around here?」

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