Ads

Classmate wa Isekai de Yuusha ni Natta kedo, Ore dake Gendai Nihon ni Okizari ni Narimashita - Chapter 86

on

Episode 86 – The Final Battle Begins, Part 1

“A-Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m holding up… somehow.”

We had flown straight toward the source of that voice using Wind Magic, but the thick red mist still blanketed everything around us, leaving us blind to what lay ahead.

We had no choice but to press forward. Just as I took another step—

“Whoa!?”
“Iori-kun!?”

My foot slipped through open air—I’d nearly lost my balance and tumbled down.

“Whoa, that was close…”
“Are you hurt? Are you okay anywhere?”
“Y-Yeah. I’m fine. But… what the hell is this…?”

The force of my misstep had blown away some of the mist, revealing what lay beneath our feet.

First, I realized we were walking along the edge of a massive, bowl-shaped crater.

And second—

“…That thing down there must be the one who was screaming earlier.”

At the very bottom of the great pit stood a massive red tree, humanoid in shape, its arms raised to the sky as if in worship. It had to be at least 50 meters tall. The tree pulsed as though breathing, releasing torrents of red mist from the crevices in its trunk.

(…Appraisal.)

Target: Type-A Large-Scale Substitution Ritual Formula
Effect: Appears in the form of a massive tree.
Utilizes a catalyst at its core to drain energy from powerful individuals, greatly enhancing a specific person’s power, vessel strength, and soul rank.
Constantly emits red mist, which drains the stamina and mental strength of those nearby.
Status: Currently inactive, in energy-absorption mode.
Note: The ritual is targeting Kuon Genji. The caster is ███ of ███.

There was a lot I still didn’t understand, but one thing was clear—this thing was currently dormant, conserving its strength.

I generated a scouting drone on the spot and had it descend the slope into the pit.

At a glance, the crater looked at least 100 meters deep. It would take some time for the drone to reach the bottom.

Which meant… now was the time to ask.

“Can I ask something? Earlier, you said ‘only I can stop this.’ What did you mean by that?”

Kyori stopped walking and gazed down into the mist-filled abyss.

“That man—Kuon Genji—was using a special Onawa passed down in our family to drain others of their power.”

“Onawa?”

“It’s a relic said to have been crafted by the Kuon family’s first patriarch. It supposedly converts latent spiritual energy in the surroundings into massive amounts of power. Genji appears to have used it as a catalyst to gain his strength.”

Onawa, huh?

I didn’t think he’d transformed into that monster without some kind of trick behind it… but I didn’t expect something like that.

“And what’s the connection between that Onawa and your claim that ‘only you’ can stop him?”

“The Onawa was made using the blood of the first Kuon head. Only someone with Kuon blood can touch it.”

I see. So that’s why she insisted on coming with me.

From the sound of it, I might be able to nullify it with Dispel, but…

(If the first head was a special ability user like me, then Kyori’s involvement is probably crucial…)

Just then, the drone signaled that it had reached the pit’s bottom.

I paused the conversation and activated Sensory Link to synchronize my vision with the drone’s.

(At the very least, I want to find that Onawa… wait, what’s that?)

From the base of the red tree’s trunk, thin root-like branches extended toward something.

But even from here, the mist made it hard to see exactly what that was.

“…Kyori, keep watch around us.”

“Huh? O-Okay! Got it!”

I intensified the Sensory Link and carefully maneuvered the drone.

Soon, it landed on a flat rock ledge.

The drone’s landing sent a small shockwave outward, scattering the mist and revealing—

(Ugh…!)

The sight almost made me sick.

At the end of those root-like branches was a gaunt, mummy-like man lying on his back, unconscious. A root was embedded in his head, leeching something from him.

That alone was grotesque, but even worse was…

(What the hell… how many…!?)

Next to him was a woman in the same condition—lying supine, hollowed-out, a root jabbed into her skull.

And it didn’t stop there.

Another man. Another woman. On and on. Too many to count. All alive, all being drained of their life force.

I circled the trunk with the drone to confirm neither Kuon Genji nor the thorn-figure was present, then focused on the man nearest the camera.

(Appraisal…!)

Name: Kuon Tōya
Race: Human, Age 61
Status: Unconscious, severe spiritual depletion, malnutrition, paralysis
Note: Power forcibly transferred to Kuon Genji via substitution ritual formula.

As I thought. The drone confirmed that this man—Kuon Tōya—was being drained by the tree.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do for these people right now. And since Genji and the thorny figure aren’t here, there’s little point in lingering.

Just as I was about to return the drone or dissolve it—

“Kyori… KYORIIIIII!!”

A faint red glow leaked from a crack at the center of the tree. There, a shadow stirred.

The humanoid tree pulsed again like a living beast, unleashing another maddened scream.

Then its branches rapidly extended, their tips sharpening like spears before whipping toward us with vicious force.

“Goddammit… this really is endless…!”

I froze one branch with Freezing Magic and shattered it, but another sprouted instantly and lashed out at me again.

“Iori-kun—Kuon Genji is probably inside that central crack!”

While I fought off the assault, Kyori had used talismanic fire to burn another branch and yelled that information over.

Given what I’d just seen through the drone, she was probably right.

“Got it! I’ll carve us a direct route there. Kyori, keep the branches off me!”

“Yes!”

I turned my focus to a bundle of branches growing directly from the trunk.

And then—

(Water Magic… followed by Freezing Magic!)

Water gushed down from above like a waterfall, dousing the branches, and in the next instant, it all froze—forming a staircase of ice.

(Ghh… using this many skills at once is rough…)

A wave of MP depletion hit me, and I nearly staggered. But I grit my teeth and held firm.

Turning back toward Kyori—

“Kyori, let’s go!”

“R-Right!”

From here on, we’d be relying on nothing but our own strength—not Skills.

I took Kyori’s hand, and together, we charged up the icy stairs.

Translator’s Notes:

  • Onawa (御縄): A possibly fictional spiritual relic; literally means “sacred rope,” but rendered here with its Japanese name due to plot importance.

  • Kuon Genji / Kyori: Maintaining surname + given name to avoid confusion, especially given that they share a surname.

  • Sensory Link (感覚共有): Recurring magic Skill in this series, denoting vision/sensory sharing with a summoned drone or familiar.

Comments

Post a Comment