Tamashiro Naofumi's POV 

  

  

  

  

 

  

  

  

  

20 Minutes ago. 

It was when the undead breached the gate. 

  

  

"Rio! Naofumi, I'll leave this place to you..." <Kazue> 

"Wa-wait Kazu....e" <Rio> 

  

  

I looked at Kazue who was about to run at the Ghoul that we had been chasing for a while. 

She came into a running position and suddenly dashed forward at a speed that even I could not follow. 

[The hell?! Did she used a skill just now?] 

  

  

"Aa~ she's gone" <Rio> 

"Whew~ I've already seen it just a while ago but that movement. She must have used some kind of skill, right?" <Naofumi> 

I asked Rio who knew Kazue well. 

"I think so? She moves a lot faster than usual after all." <Rio> 

  

  

I looked around and saw that the adventurers and the soldiers who were gathered near the gate had engaged in battle with the undead. 

On how things are going on right now, we are at a disadvantage. 

Most of the undead here are not the typical undead that we faced in the forest from earlier. 

The summoned undead was a rank above the ones we fought inside the forest. 

Unlike Skeletons and undead hounds which were E-rank undead the ones entering the gate right now were mostly Ghouls and Undead Knights. 

A Ghoul is D-rank while the undead Knight is C-rank 

Both are monsters that we should avoid fighting. 

  

  

As one of the heroes summoned into this world, I have discovered that most of us are actually stronger than most of the people of this world. 

I may not be as strong as my classmate, the "Chosen One" Hano Ryuusei, or the girls who joined his party but I am strong. 

[Well maybe I am still a bit weaker than Kazue and Keikain, but still compared to my other classmates I am still quite a talent. YUP, At least I can tell that I was stronger than Shunsho and the other boys...] 

  

  

"HEY! What are you spacing out there?! Did you not hear Kazue just now? we should deal with one of those Undead Knights!" <Rio> 

"Eh?! Are we not going to chase after Kazue?" <Naofumi> 

"Haaaahhh??? She left this place to us! Why would we chase after her?" <Rio> 

"No, No, No, I know what she meant when she said that she would leave this place to us. Why are we taking on one of the Undead Knights?" <Naofumi> 

"Are you blind? Look around who else could do it besides us?" <Rio> 

  

  

I looked around and saw that most of the adventurers here are trying their best to avoid the Undead Knight. 

Two of the 6 undead knights were being held back by some skilled adventurer's party while another one was being held back by the skilled soldiers. 

The other one was fighting against the leader of the guard. 

That leaves two undead knights who had advanced further into our lines. 

There are soldiers who tried to do their job to protect the city. 

They tried to stop the remaining two despite knowing that they are no match against them but still face the Undead Knight. 

They got slaughtered and were helpless against that monster. 

  

  

"Aaaa! I got it! I got it! we just have to slow it down right?. there's two of them... which one should we fight?"<Naofumi> 

  

  

Rio ran towards one of the undead knights without even responding to my question. 

This undead knight was running in the direction where Kazue and the ghoul went. 

This must be the reason why miss Ota run toward this undead. 

  

  

Around us were adventurers and soldiers who were fighting with the ghoul. 

They are grouping together to deal with just a single ghoul and were barely managing to defeat it. 

Before the gate has broken down some other guards joined us and our number was twice that of the undead charging in. 

Thankfully there are still other guards who are gathering to our position little by little as time passes by. 

On the other hand, the adventurers and soldiers who fell on the battlefield turned into Zombies. 

[Well, Zombie is just an F-rank monster so... It's not that bad.] 

  

  

Rio jumped into the air and attacked the Undead Knight. 

She targeted the exposed skull of the Undead Knight without hesitation. 

In terms of speed, I and Rio were slightly faster than the Undead Knight. 

I also attacked the Undead Knight and tried to strike it on the opening of its armor with a thrust. 

  

  

-thud- 

[What the? my thrust is stopped? how?] 

I was dumbfounded by the fact that my attack was stopped. 

I felt like I just thrust my sword into an invisible wall of hard soil. 

The power of the thrust was dampened resulting in it stopping in mid-air. 

  

  

I looked closer to where my thrust was stopped. 

There was an eerie-looking mist coming from the inside of the armor. 

"This is..." <Naofumi> 

It was the same thing that envelops the body of a ghoul that makes its skin hard enough to repel an attack. 

[Sh*t! So, this thing was hiding its aura inside its armor?!] 

  

  

I pulled my sword back and stayed away from the attack of the Undead Knight 

"Stupid! Aim for the head! Most of its body is hard to damage with just physical attacks! So, aim for the head!" <Rio> 

"It's easy for you to say! this thing is huge!" <Naofumi> 

Ota Rio who was often so silent is now shouting at me it's an odd feeling. 

I don’t like the way she talks to me; it's as if she's looking down on me... 

  

  

"Hahaha~ ok ok... I got it. Just you wait... I'll show you how it's done." <Naofumi> 

The two of us continued to take the attention of the Undead Knight to ourselves. 

Soldiers and adventurers are joining in the battle little by little. 

They eventually managed to stop the remaining Undead Knight who had already killed so many on its path. 

  

  

"Alright, it's just a matter of time till more and more reinforcement would arrive!" <Naofumi> 

"I can see that, but since they are gathered here means that Miss Kazue would be alone in fighting that monster." <Rio> 

"That's true but we can't follow her until we defeat this monster in front of us" <Naofumi> 

  

  

The Undead Knight swung its sword toward Rio who was standing right next to me. 

I moved to the left while Rio went to the right. 

In the few minutes that we have been fighting this monster, the undead knight seemed to be more vigilant of Rio more than myself. 

[Yep, I admit that she continually lands the more effective blows. Compared to me who struggles to even find an opening to jump in and land a blow... I could not blame the monster] 

She seemed to be more accustomed to fighting than me. 

  

  

"Tsk, Naofumi! leave this one to me. Afterall, it seems to have completely ignored you." <Rio> 

"Huh?! what are you saying? If it is ignoring me the more I should find a chance to land a hit right?" <Naofumi> 

"Arghhh!!! Annoying! Do you think that just landing a hit is enough? Do you have a skill that can do massive damage?" <Rio> 

  

  

-boom- 

A crashing sound from the attack of the Undead Knight who just missed and hit the ground with its large sword. 

The undead knight had completely ignored me and was only focused on Rio. 

Its back was wide open for an attack on my side. 

The Undead Knight chased Rio but she skillfully dodges the attacks of the undead knight fairly easily. 

[should I attack? it's back is wide open] 

  

  

[She seemed to be using some "Skills" into her attack that makes her attacks effective on the undead. That is why the Undead Knight was more focused on her than I am] 

While it was true that I don't have a skill that could give massive damage to the undead I still hesitated to just leave it to Rio. 

"Even if you say that, what should I do now?!" <Naofumi> 

  

  

She did not say a word but she stared at me with a serious look on her face. 

She seemed to have no time to spare to talk since the Undead Knight was attacking her continuously. 

She dodged another attack. 

All I could do was to watch from behind. 

[Sh*t! What can I do to help! I need to do something.] 

-boom- 

  

  

Rio dodged another attack. 

The Undead Knight had its sword pierced into the wall of a house resulting in it to collapse on the Undead Knight. 

Rio quickly created distance between her and the Undead Knight and move closer to my location. 

She then turned her head to scream at me. 

  

  

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! GO AND HELP KAZUE-CHAN!" <Rio> 

"AS I SAID! I CAN’T LEAVE YOU HERE FIGHTING THAT THING ALONE" <Naofumi> 

I frustratedly replied with a screamed at Rio. 

She was urging me to leave her alone. 

  

  

"ARHG!!! ANNOYING! DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN EVERYTHING TO YOU?! I CAN DO THIS ON MY OWN! I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP." <Rio> 

"WHAT?! ARE YOU STUPID?! THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN DEFEAT THAT THING ON YOUR OWN!" <Naofumi> 

  

  

As the two of us were screaming at each other. 

The Undead Knight was trying to escape from the rubble. 

It was moving very slowly as if taking its time. 

[I can't leave her here alone. There's no way she can defeat it on her own. Sure, she had a skill that makes her attacks much more effective than mine but our overall abilities are just about the same... There's no way she could defeat it even with those skills.] 

"HAH?! DEFEAT THAT THING? EVEN WHEN I AND KAZUE-CHAN WORKED TOGETHER TO KILL ONE OF THESE BEFORE WE HAD A HARD TIME. NOT TO MENTION YOU'RE MUCH WEAKER THAN HER... HONESTLY, YOU'RE EVEN WEAKER THAN ME" <Rio> 

She said without even looking at me. 

[Well... it's true so I can't reply back.] 

  

  

"THAT'S WHY YOU SHOULD GO, YOU WON’T BE MUCH HELP" <Rio> 

"Aaa~ you already said that you had a hard time with one before and that's even with Kazue was around. The more reason why I should not leave you alone!" <Naofumi> 

"-sigh-, What I'm saying is that I don't have the plan to defeat it. As you can see more and more reinforcements are coming here. Soon with their help, we might be able to do it. Since it's already ignoring you, you might as well go and help Kazue since you can't help me if I am just trying to draw its attention" <Rio> 

  

  

The Undead Knight escaped from the rubble and was looking in our direction. 

Still, its attention was focused on Rio and was not paying any attention to me. 

[Does she plan to just run away from now on? Indeed, I could not even help her draw that thing's attention... Well, if it's just dodging and drawing its attention, I think with her abilities she could manage to do that much.] 

I was conflicted if I should just leave her here or not. 

"TRUST ME AND GO." <Rio> 

She looked back at me. 

It was the first time I saw that kind of expression from Rio. 

She does not resemble her usual shy self. 

It was unexpected, that unusual behavior of hers moved me in a way. 

I closed my eyes. 

  

  

"Tsk... I got it. Just don't die OK? think of what Kazue would feel if you did." <Naofumi> 

"Die? There's no way this thing can catch me." <Rio> 

"Oh~ I would love to know where that confidence is coming from... even though you're usually shy and all..." <Naofumi> 

  

  

Rio realized that she had been out of character for a while and blushed... 

"T-T-This-s not the time for that... A-a-anyway! Just go!" <Rio> 

She stuttered with her words, and she was back to her usual self. 

"Hahaha~ alright... now that's the Rio I know" <Naofumi> 

  

  

The Undead Knight picked itself up and started charging once again. 

"S-S-Shut-up! Just GO!" <Rio> 

Rio moved into a corner and the undead knight followed her. 

I turned around and ran to where Kazue and the Ghoul ran to. 

[I wonder if this was the correct thing to do.] 

  

  

. 

. 

. 

  

  

"Dammit, Kazue! where did you go?" <Naofumi> 

I have been looking for Kazue for quite some time now. 

I have arrived in the residential area of the city. 

The people here already evacuated; I don’t think that anyone is still around this area. 

[I am quite positive that Kazue and the Ghoul went around this area. I must find her fast and help her.] 

  

  

Few minutes passed and I heard a sound coming from not so far away. 

It was a sound from something crashing. 

[That!] 

I followed the origin of the sound which was around the corner. 

There, I saw Kazue and she was on her knees. 

And from not far away was a collapse wooden structure of some sort. 

  

  

"KAZUE!" <Naofumi> 

I called out her name and It was really Kazue. 

She looked back at me while still on her knees. 

"Wow, what perfect timing." <Kazue> 

She replied. 

  

  

When I looked closer at her she was full of wounds and was bleeding from all places. 

The most noticeable wound she had was the one on her side since it already dyed her clothes red. 

I also noticed that she looked so drained that her lips even became pale. 

Back in the castle I often see my classmates become like this after training. 

It was a sign of someone depleting all of his or her mana. 

[Whoa~ she has really pushed herself to her limits, I really came in perfect timing.] 

  

  

"Are you Okay Kazue-san?! You're bleeding all over!" <Naofumi> 

When I approached her, Kazue's attention was still directed at the rubble of wood that collapsed. 

Most probably that "that" ghoul was there. 

I looked for a potion that could restore both mana and health from inside my magic bag and give it to Kazue. 

  

  

"Ah, Naofumi, I am fine. I am just exhausted from mana depletion. In any case, be careful." <Kazue> 

[JUST?! YOU'RE BLEEDING ALL OVER, YOU ARE NOT FINE AT ALL, THIS GIRL IS STUPID!] 

Instead, I handed over a potion unto her. 

"Here drink this, It's a potion. It will heal up your wound and restore a little bit of your mana" <Naofumi> 

It was a mana potion. 

With this, it can replenish Kazue's mana for a bit. 

[I need to buy her some time.] 

  

  

"For the meantime, I'll buy you time to recover!" <Naofumi> 

"Stupid! don't! it's too strong for you" <Kazue> 

"You don't know that for sure! Even if I look like this, I’m quite strong! Also, it seemed that you already cut off one of its arms so I should be able to manage somehow!" <Naofumi> 

[Well... it's just to buy a little time I think I can give her about a minute.] 

  

  

I pulled out my sword and charge at the ghoul who had emerged from the rubble. 

[WHAT?!] 

The ghoul moved faster than I anticipated and effortlessly dodge my attack. 

It did not move like any of the undead I've seen so far. 

Its movement was refined similar to that of the skilled soldier I sparred at the castle. 

  

  

-Khuuukkk- 

The next thing I realized was my body flying into the air. 

I felt a dull pain somewhere in my body. 

Then I felt colliding into something. 

[What? What happened?] 

  

  

I tried to stand up but I could not. 

[Was I defeated? Just like that? ...] 

  

  

[I... damn… I’m blacking out] 

My eyes started to close on their own. 

I must help Kazue 

[Sh*t, why am I so useless] 

[I’ve always been dragging her down. Even during that time…] 

[Huh? Always? That time? ... What am I…] 

Memories started flowing into my head. 

They are memories of the things that I had experienced. 

  

  

“You look pathetic…” <Voice> 

“You’re…?” <Naofumi> 

I felt A hand over my forehead. 

Memories flowed into my mind. 

It was like watching a movie compressed in an instant. 

“Nice to meet you, my kindred… No, in this situation I think “Welcome back” is the right term?” <Voice> 

  

  

“…Luna-sama…?” <Naofumi> 

I could feel her looking at me with a smirk. 

It was not as if I could see her face; it was just that I remembered her looking at me with a smirk every time I saw her. 

In actuality, all I could see was a silhouette of a little girl standing before me with a pair of glowing purple and red eyes. 

But I knew her. 

I remember her. 

[Huh? How?... It’s no use I can’t think well.] 

I was so confused; my mind was all mixed up. 

  

  

“I would love to hear more about you my kindred but for now… Sleep” <Voice/Luna> 

From just her words, my entire being surrendered into her words. 

  

  

I blacked out 

  

  

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

**************************************** 

  

Author’s Note: 

Whew At last I finally introduced one of the major characters that I plan to use in the future. 

He’s always been on my mind and I was wondering how to introduce him. 

I purposely made him as a background character for the past few chapters >.<v. 

Did I hide him well? 

  

  

Now then~ now that the “regressor” (REGRESSOR = Something similar to a Returnee (BUT I DON’T LIKE THAT TERM) or a time Traveler (TOO COMMON)). 

  

  

               I was planning to do some artwork here but Luna won’t allow me. 

               (A joke related to time) 

  

  

Oh yeah, this short but often update is comfortable for me, I’ll continue doing this schedule of updates. 

Also, I changed the title for the last few chapters to make it uniform with the earlier chapter. 

I kinda Like the "and" thingy in my titles so I decided to just continue with it. 

               Anyways thanks for reading~ >.<v