Above the swamp, earth, sand and dry leaves were piling up, Kazuki stepped onto the wet ground and ran towards the approaching enemy. From between the poisonous trees with violet trunks and leaves, Demon Beasts that looked like jelly-beans with brightly colored, slimy mucus——Slimes were approaching one after another to attack.
[Suppression of Demon Beasts that nested in the Haunted Ground]——That was the Quest that Kazuki and the others accepted.
A silver flash surged from the mouth of his scabbard, Kazuki drew his Iai towards the approaching blue slime in front of his eyes.
The slime that chilled the air was cut in half, but——the blue slimes immediately reattached and returned to how it was previously.
Kazuki's eyes opened wide because of the unknown enemy's mode of life. ...The sword was not effective against these things!
All at once the multi-colored slimes that were in Kazuki's way leaped toward him.
"The calling voice of the ruler of flame, liberate the rage deep inside the earth! Create the rampart of mine here...soaring on heaven and earth, isolate the impurity! Fire Wall!!"
However, Kazuki invoked Phoenix's Summoning Magic to assault the enemies. He chanted the spell while charging into the center of the enemies and waited for the right timing.
Together with flashes of light, fissures ran along the ground under Kazuki, and from there, a wall of flames burst out.
The slimes that attacked Kazuki were effortlessly swallowed by the wall of flames and were all evaporated at once.
The few slimes that managed to slip out of the flame walls attacked Kazuki, but he brushed them off with his katana. Thereupon, the dignified voice of the partner that supported Kazuki echoed from behind him.
"Scattered sparks of dancing wings! Lingering spiral wind, become life piercing bullet! Flap your wings and fire! Barrett!!"
Red lights lingered like wings from the stigma on her back as Mio invoked Barrett.
The flame bullet attacked the slime, and its body fused with the heat of the spell.
While Kazuki stepped back, he copied Mio by chanting Barrett and hit the slime.
"Kazukii! Hooray, we beat them with the same magic♪"
Mio's voice rose in excitement, and she clung to Kazuki's arm after scattering the enemy's group.
Although, until a little while ago, she was saying "How impertinent for someone like Kazuki to use the same magic···" Was it because of the exaltation in the battlefield? Mio was unusually honest and bold.
No, Mio seemed to not remember that time when she died. However, since Kazuki kissed and saved her, he had a feeling that her attitude had instantly softened.
...Was it because of the high positivity level of 120?
"Co-come on, don't let your mind wander in the middle of a quest!"
Because Mio's Magic Dress was highly revealing in the chest area that was pressed against him, embarrassed, Kazuki spontaneously uttered words of resistance. Mio made a face that was a little sulky.
"What? I properly watched our surroundings, and after that I took action you know. Bee~"[1]
While clinging to his arm, Mio brought her face near Kazuki and stuck her tongue out at him. Even though her expression was one of cheekiness, Kazuki was strangely conscious of Mio's lips near his cheek.
At that moment, a voice rang out from the thicket in front of them, and a new group of slimes came to attack them both. Mio who had just said that she had already properly observed the surrounding area, reacted quickly and sprung up just like she said, turning to Kazuki's rear——the swordsman protected the Summoning MagicianMagika Stigma, Heaven and Earth Formation.
"Barrett!" "Fire Wall!"
The flame wall of the vanguard, Kazuki, and the fire bullet from the rear guard, Mio, reduced the interweaving bunch of slimes to ashes. ——No, wait a second, what was that!?
A crimson slime flew out from inside the flames. ...Was it resistant to heat!?
Somehow this Demon Beast Slime appeared to have its own attribute based on the color.
Kazuki immediately leaped and cut the slime that gradually released heat. Because of the slash, the slime scattered in pieces. However the pieces slipped past Kazuki.
"Damn it!"
"Kyaaa! What is this!?"
The scattered slime became a spray of red mucus and incessantly rained on Mio.
Flustered, Mio tried to clear the mucus that fell onto her body and magic dress. However, the already revealing dress immediately started to melt where the slimy mucus made contact.
"No way! The, the clothes are melting!!"
——If the Magic Dress that supplemented the spell chanting was not there, the battle potential of the Magika Stigma would be reduced by half.
Because the magic dress was created by magic power, it could be regenerated if the user requested the Diva to fix it, but...for Mio it was just not possible. She crouched down to try to hide her exposed skin.
From the swamp behind Mio who currently crouched down——the cylindrical shapes of tentacles leaped out.
A Demon Beast different from the slimes! Was it waiting for an opportunity like the one just now!?
They were just Demon Beasts, and yet they matched their breath superbly and performed combination attacks.
The slimy tentacles entangled the mostly naked Mio.
Just like wrenching open flower petals, the tentacles twined around and pulled Mio's limbs, exposing what should be hidden. The girl's face flushed bright red in unbelievable shame.
"No way no way, don't look, Kazuki! I will do something on my own so don't come here!!"
Mio shouted at Kazuki with a tearful, panicky voice as he moved to help. However, a shadow floated up in the muddy water surface. The owner of the tentacle's real body was now on the verge of surfacing.
"Is this the time to say that kind of thing!? You are going to be eaten!!"
Kazuki drew his Iai and severed the tentacles in one go. What kind of aquatic creature was it that lurked inside the swamp? It was unknown, but the tentacles could be cut as opposed to the slimes.
As Mio fell from the severed tentacles, Kazuki caught and carried her like a princess.
But the problem was that, currently, they didn't have any means to defeat the red slime.
The mission was to defeat the Demon Beasts, but if they didn't escape from here somehow...!
"...Nihility of ancient times, the nothingness residing inside this heart, become the freezing breath. The streaming silence of rejection, freeze and be silent···Glacier Wind!!"
A chilly wind blew from next to Kazuki. That was the breath of a mermaid. The red slime that assaulted him was frozen in the blink of an eye by the wind. ——Ice attribute summoning magic!
"Hiakari-san!? ...Thank you! So you came to save us!"
Turning around, there was the mystical classmate clad in magic dress that resembled a white leotard. Hiakari Koyuki was standing there without a hint of expression.
Her attitude toward Kazuki was sharply aloof, identical with her sharp ears that was the characteristic of an elf.
"When I thought that we received the same quest by chance...this is a totally shameful sight, isn't it? You are only a hindrance if you can't fight already, how about you just go back home."
After her gazed briefly fell on the nude Mio, Koyuki briskly turned her back to Kazuki.
"...Hiakari-san, be careful of the blue slimes!"
Similar to the red slimes that radiated heat, the blue slimes radiated chilly air.
That was why there was no doubt that the blue slimes had strong resistance against cold.
Koyuki's ear twitched at hearing Kazuki's warning, but without even glancing back, her figure disappeared between the strange trees that grew wildly inside this Haunted Ground.
"...No choice then, let's return to the academy for the moment, Mio."
Kazuki spoke with Mio as she clung to his arm. All of this was the swordsman's responsibility because he couldn't protect the rearguard.
"...Kazu-niii" said in a drowsy, sweet voice as she was carried nude in Kazuki's arms.
"Mio? Now that I think about it, are you fine after being attacked by a slime like that?"
"Kazu-nii...my chest is hot. My body, my chest, and stomach are itching..."
Mio hugged Kazuki tightly. Somehow her condition seemed strange.
While not knowing where to look, Kazuki peeked at Mio's face. Her face was flushed red like she had a cold, her eyes were intoxicated like they saw a hallucination, and rough, panting breath escaped from her half-opened lips.
...Perhaps it was because of the hot liquid from before!
That liquid melted the magic dress. Magic dresses were created from magic power, namely the force of will. If that was melted then——that liquid was a poison that influenced the mind!
No wait, rather than poison, this liquid was...a type of sake and aphrodisiac...
"Kazu-nii...I love you! I love you I love you, I love you so much!! Hug me more!!"
Heart marks scattered around, Mio pushed her bare-naked breasts against him, and her legs coiled around. A sweet scent resembling milk drifted in the air. Her sighs hitting Kazuki's neck were hot and amorous.
This is bad. This situation is very bad! ...If we don't escape to a place where there are no Demon Beasts and people then...!
Her sanity should return after a short while, and then she could reform her magic dress.
...If I don't preserve my reasoning until that time, then in this strange situation, towards Mio, I will...!
"I am the swordsman of Hayashizaki style! No way I'll lose to this kind of temptation!!"
While shouting 'UOOOOOO!' Kazuki ran through the forest carrying the soft body of Mio.