Katahane no Riku Chapter 24

The first to go forward was Rebecca.

Raising her water covered sword, she charged at Riku. Riku defended the attack by parrying it in accordance to the orbit of the blow with her halberd. With her stance broken, Rebecca staggered a bit, and Riku wouldn´t let this chance go by. Riku swung her halberd upwards.

“N-not yet!”

Making the water that was enveloping the sword take the shape of a shield, she positioned it to protect herself. It was a shield that was made solid by compressing the water. But such didn´t matter to Riku. As if she was cutting paper, the halberd was cutting the water shield into pieces.

It would be good if she maintained the pressure until. But things wouldn´t end that easily. Just barely, Rebecca, who was at the other side of the shield, barely regained her posture.

“What!?”

“What´s the matter? Is all you´ve got only this much?”

As if having her shield destroyed being something regrettable, Rebecca twisted her face. She inflated her cheeks and glared at Riku.

“Uu… This stupid girl! Die for Rook!!”

Like a surging wave, she once again attacked Riku. If she was able to practice for ten more years, maybe she would have been able to become an exceptional swordswoman. But Rebecca was too young right now. As if she left her body to her anger, she kept swinging her sword. More than anything, there were many flaws in her swordsmanship. Although each of her strikes were full of power, by then, Riku had already seen through it.

“Is that so? Then, go die.”

To the battle that was more boring that she expected it would be, Riku let out a sigh.

Rebecca became panicked and tried to take distance by jumping back. However, Riku didn´t let her escape.

“I caught you.”

After she got right next to Rebecca, she held her down. Holding down both of her hands with her left hand, Riku pressed Rebecca down with her right foot at Rebecca´s chest. Just like that, using her weight of her whole body, Riku pinned her down. Groaning, Rebecca tried to get away, but it only ended in futile resistance. Riku looked down at Rebecca with uninterested eyes.

“Goodbye, young spiritualist-san.”

Riku raised the halberd she was holding with her right hand. Rebecca was still struggling, but as if she had noticed something, she opened her eyes wide and stopped her struggle.

“It´s a shame, onee-chan.”

In reaction to the out of place smile, Riku´s hand stopped. She frowned, puzzled.

“What?”

It was right at the instant she said that. Two knives Kurumi had thrown were flying through the air. The knives that were thrown at a speed comparable to arrows were rushing to her defenseless back. Because she was using her left hand to hold down Rebecca´s arms, she couldn´t use it, and by the time she could turn her halberd behind her, the knives would have already hit her back. If she got away from Rebecca, it was possible for her to evade the knives. However, in exchange, Rebecca would end up being set free. Perhaps at the instant she were to release her, Rebecca might attack Riku with her sword.

“Bye-bye.”

Rebecca slipped out a smile.

But the knives didn´t reach Riku. The knives that seemed they would hit Riku´s back were deflected. With a metallic noise, the knives fell to the ground in vain.

“Hey, it would be a problem if you forget I´m here.”( おっと)

The one that protected her back from the knives was Vrusto. And after that, he swung his sword aiming for Kurumi.

“Sorry, but your opponent is me.”

“Tch, get out of my way.”

Like a illusionist, she threw her knives at Vrusto as to disrupt his pace. While lightly deflecting the knives with his sword, he was gradually closing in to Kurumi in a steady manner.

“Stupid. Is there even anyone that would get out of your way just because you said so?”

With his sword, Vrusto slashed at Kurumi. And then, her arm was cut off and flew to the air. After raising a high-pitched cry, she groaned. With blood spraying off from her arm, the blood fell to the ground, taking a shape that looked as if there were many red caterpillars.*1

“Ku-kurumii!!”

Under Riku, Rebecca was screaming. Her face didn´t show the anger or the smile from before. What it was showing right now was fear. Looking at such Rebecca, Riku clicked her tongue in discomfort.

“That voice; it´s too annoying.”

“N-nooo!! He-help me, Ro-…”

Rebecca wasn´t able to finish her words to the end. With her halberd, Riku cut off Rebecca´s head. Her wheat colored hair was now dyed in blood. Without caring about the hair being soaked in blood, Riku picked up the head.

“Have your mouth shut for eternity.”

Saying only that, she looked at Vrusto´s direction. Kurumi wasn´t able to hold a sword any longer. Even though she still had some things similar to grenades hidden, because she didn´t have arms anymore, she couldn´t use them. Without her being able to resist anymore, finishing her off was easy. But Vrusto didn´t kill her yet.

”Really, what are you doing?”

After glaring at Vrusto, she lightly swung her halberd, sending Rebecca´s blood that was at her halberd flying. She was going toward Kurumi, who was doing her drama at the ground.*2 But Vrusto stopped her.

“Don´t kill her, ojou-chan.”

“…What are you talking about?”

She wondered if she had heard correctly. Because she had been together with Vrusto for these ten years, she knew his personality. Vrusto should have been angry at Kurumi´s actions. That´s why she had no idea why Vrusto still didn´t kill her. Riku pointed the axe-blade of the halberd towards Kurumi.

“This is one is guilty, you know? Didn´t she by herself declared she had connections to Rook Barusak and also tried to kill us? Or what? Is it because she flattered you that you don´t want to kill her?”

“Stupid, there is no way it is that.”

Vrusto plainly declared. His eyes were unusually cold.

“Try to think. This guy is from the intelligence division. There is a need to investigate what information she leaked to the spiritualists or whether there are other traitors around.

“That…It is like that, but…”

Riku hanged her head down a little.

She understood what Vrusto meant.

Kurumi wasn´t a spiritualist, but from the demon lord army. And what´s more, she was from the intelligence division, which worked with varied secret information. In result of the leaked information, that recent battle took a complete different shape from what it should have been. And besides, there might be other demons that has connections to spiritualists besides Kurumi. It wasn´t Riku´s job to meddle in this case, but the job of an interrogator.

“…But if she is going to die anyway, then it doesn´t matter if she dies here.”

Riku muttered while biting her lips.

She just couldn´t leave a demon that had connections to spiritualists, and moreover, to the Barusak, alive. Even if she were to mow her down, smash her and cut off all of her limbs, it wouldn´t be enough.

But even Riku knew she shouldn´t do it.

“Control yourself, ojou-chan. Taking this guy prisoner is for the sake of the army… For the sake of captain Leivein.”

Vrusto put his hand at Riku´s shoulder. He was putting a strength that felt like his claws that would often be used to cut people would sink in her skin. It was as if he was straining himself to hold an unbearable anger back. Vrusto also must have wanted to kill her right away, but he was desperately enduring it. Riku quietly looked at him.

“…That´s right. The information she leaked might affect the captain in the future.”

“That´s the case.”

After Riku lowered down her halberd, Vrusto released his hand from Riku.

“Then, after we deliver this guy to Roppu, let´s rethink on our plan to invade that residence.

Vrusto went back to his usual tone of voice. Riku was finally able to wholeheartedly agree with his suggestion.

“Now that I remember, I´m actually a bit worried where that ladder goes to…”

“Is that so? But let´s go back for now.”

“Also, since it will be a pain to carry her, shouldn´t we also cut off her legs?”

Upset about the situation, she looked at Kurumi.

“…k…Do.”

Perhaps because it was hurting so much, she was mumbling random things out of pain. Because it was too muddled, it wasn´t possible to know what she was saying.

“Yes, that´s right. But, s.h.i.t, I completely forgot. Stop her bleeding. If she ends up dying, there would be no meaning to it.”

“I know that.”

Riku approached Kurumi.

After she got close to her, she started to hear more clearly about what she was mumbling about. Riku was very annoyed by that. While she was hoping that Kurumi would lose her consciousness, right at the moment when she was next to her…

“…I will do it. For Rook… will.   …For Rook´s sake, I will kill everyone.”

Riku noticed. She saw that inside Kurumi´s clothes, there were many explosives attached closely to one another.

“That´s bad!”

A bad feeling went through her. Because Kurumi didn´t have arms anymore, there were no signs of her activating the bombs. But there was still the possibility of something unexpected happening. Throwing away her halberd, as if to get away from Kurumi, Riku pushed Kurumi away from her.*3

“I´m sorry, Rook.”

But Riku was one step late. While having tears flowing from her eyes, she clenched her teeth. In that instant, crossing both of her hands to protect herself, she received the shockwave. But this much wouldn´t be enough. Right at the moment she prepared to be sent flying by the explosion, everything was already over.

All sounds had been drown out by the thunderous explosion and white light completely covered her eyesight.