Ads

The Paper User: Exiled for a ‘Trash Skill,’ Awakens True Power and Rises with Two Unique Skills ,Volume 2 - Chapter 43

on

Chapter: Battle at the Hidden Village III

The moment those words were spoken, two of the dark elves sprang into motion.

Gripping their short swords, they charged straight at us.

“Piln! Fight alongside Armine!” I shouted, tightening my grip on the Demon-Eater dagger.

“Die!”

The dark elf to my right lunged, planting his left foot forward and thrusting his blade toward me.

I caught the strike with my dagger.

“Not done yet!”

His short sword flashed again and again, relentless. I retreated step by step, biding my time for an opening.

Something about his strikes felt… off. He wasn’t aiming for vital spots. Instead, he targeted my hands and arms, not putting much force behind the stabs.

Looking closer, I noticed his blade was dotted with tiny holes, seeping a translucent liquid.

Poison…

I bit my lip hard and widened the distance between us.

Out of the corner of my eye, Piln had already entered berserker mode, swinging his colorful magical hammer with abandon. The dark elf across from him struggled to fend off the attacks, unable to go all-in thanks to Armine’s spells raining in from the rear.

I had to finish my fight quickly and back them up.

With a sharp breath, I rushed the dark elf who had begun chanting.

Four red-black spheres materialized, hovering around him.

Not if I end it first!

I conjured five transparent sheets of paper, each cut to the shape of my soles, and leapt onto them. Using them as stepping stones, I bounded upward, chaining jump after jump.

The dark elf’s eyes widened as he saw me bouncing midair.

“W-what the hell?!”

He jabbed his blade upward in panic, but I twisted my body mid-leap, slashing downward with the Demon-Eater. The bluish-white edge extended in an instant, cleaving his carotid artery.

A spray of bluish-purple blood burst from his neck.

“Gah—!”

The spheres dissipated as the dark elf collapsed lifelessly.

I sprinted toward the one still engaged with Armine and Piln.

“Wind Shuriken!”

From my coat pocket, I pulled ten paper shuriken, each imbued with wind. They spun in graceful arcs, embedding themselves into the dark elf’s body.

At that moment, Piln barreled in with his hammer, striking the enemy square in the chest. The dark elf’s body slammed into a stone pillar with a resounding crack.

Good. That leaves…

I turned—and saw Kinako overwhelming Zamd. The captain’s clothing had been shredded by Kinako’s claws, purple blood seeping from the wounds.

“Damn it… I won’t lose to some filthy catfolk!”

Zamd thrust his left palm forward, releasing a glowing sphere about twenty centimeters wide. Kinako ducked low, letting it whistle past, then seized Zamd’s ankle with his left hand.

With a twist, he wrenched it sideways. The joint snapped and Zamd collapsed.

“Guh—damn…!”

As he struggled to rise, Kinako slammed his padded palm into Zamd’s chest.

A thunderous impact rang out. His ribcage caved inward.

“Gah… a-ah…”

Blood streamed from Zamd’s mouth as the light vanished from his golden eyes.

“Impossible…”

Rugal’s lips quivered, drained of color.

“You underestimated us,” Kinako snarled, charging at him.

“Gh—!”

Rugal hastily cast a spell, a translucent wall forming between them.

Armine raced up and chanted her own incantation. The sound of shattering glass rang out, a chunk of the barrier dissolving.

Rugal turned his back to us and fled into the altar’s depths.

We slipped through the breach and gave chase, finding a spiral staircase beyond.

Ascending quickly, we emerged into what looked like a storage hall. At the far end, Rugal was already at the door, trying to escape.

Not happening!

I conjured paper chains, sending them lashing forward. They wrapped tightly around his ankle.

“Guh…!”

Rugal spat a spell at the doorway.

“Not this time!”

Another translucent wall sprang up, but Kinako was already upon him.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

Rugal thrust his ring forward. From the sapphire set into it, a beam of light shot forth.

“Paw-Step Shift!”

Kinako’s body blurred. In the blink of an eye, he was at Rugal’s flank.

Panicked, the bishop began another chant.

“Too slow!”

White claws extended, piercing straight into his chest.

“Ghhk… y-you—”

Rugal crumpled to his knees.

“H-how… are you this strong?”

“You misjudged me because of my plate’s color. I may wear A-rank, but even the Guild acknowledges my strength as S-rank. I’ve slain more demons than you can count.”

Kinako touched the silver plate at his belt.

“And my companions are just as strong.”

“Ghh…”

Rugal glared up at him with hatred, then went still.

“Hmph. Your execution just came early,” Kinako muttered, flicking blood from his claws.

I pressed close to the door, peering through a crack.

The village outside was in chaos. Houses burned, white smoke curling into the air. From afar came shouts of panicked cultists.

“Bring more water! At this rate the assembly hall will catch fire!”
“Get Rick! He can use water magic!”
“No—we must report to Lord Rugal first!”
“I’ll go tell him!”

A brown-haired cultist hurried toward the storage hall.

We quickly ducked behind the shelves.

The door creaked open. The man entered—only to freeze at the sight of Rugal’s corpse.

“L-Lord Rugal!”

He rushed forward, but Kinako was faster, seizing his hair with one hand and pressing claws against his throat.

“Don’t move. One twitch and you die.”

“Wh-who are you people…?” the cultist stammered, eyes darting between us.

“We’ll ask the questions. Where’s the Divine Tree’s band?”

“The… Divine Tree’s band?”

“Over a hundred of your lot marched out earlier. They went to fight them, didn’t they?”

“I…”

“If you won’t talk, you’ll die here. Isn’t that what your Dolls cult preaches?”

“…S-south! They’re to the south, near the great boulder on the plains!”

“Good. Then you’ve just bought yourself a few more hours of life—until your execution.”

With a dull thud, Kinako struck the back of the cultist’s head with his paw. The man slumped unconscious.

“Perfect! Now we know where Zeldia is. Let’s slip out while the cultists are still in chaos!”


Comments

Post a Comment