The scorpion’s first move was spraying a purple liquid from the stinger on its tail. It came flying at a considerable speed, but Hajime immediately dodged by jumping back. The floor where the purple liquid landed on emitted a sizzling sound and melted in the blink of an eye. It appears to be a solvent.

While confirming with a side glance, Hajime drew Donner and fired.

Dopan~!

Maximum Power. Bullets with speed of 3.9 kilometer per second burst on the head of the scorpion monster.

Yue’s shock was transmitted through Hajime’s back. A never before seen weapon, releasing a flash-like attack without any signs of magic ⌈¹⌋. Although the right hand looked somewhat wrapped in electricity, there wasn’t any use of magic circles or chanting. Yue noticed that, in other words, Hajime is similar to herself, possessing a way of directly manipulating magic.

“Similar” to herself, then, why was he in the abyss. Yue knew that it wasn’t the appropriate situation, but she kept her attention on Hajime instead of the scorpion.

On the other hand, Hajime repeatedly leapt using 【Aerodynamic】without rest, his expression unprecedentedly grim. Hajime realized what the unmoving scorpion was doing through 【Presence Perception】 and 【Magic Perception】. As if to prove that point, the scorpion aimed its other tail stinger at Hajime. Then, the pointed end of the tail seemed to bulge momentarily before the stinger was shot out at a terrific speed. Hajime tried to avoid it, but midway, the stinger exploded into a wide area buckshot attack.

“Ku!”

While giving a bitter groan, Hajime shot with Donner, swept with 【Grand Kick】, and hacked with 【Air Claw】. Finally tiding over it, as if returning the favour, he fired Donner. Immediately after that, he tossed Donner into the air and while it was falling, he took out a grenade from his pouch and threw it at the scorpion.

The scorpion endured another hit from Donner, and was about to release even more buckshot stingers and acid. However, before that could happen, a grenade eight centimeter in diameter tumbled over and exploded. As the grenade exploded, it scattered burning black slush which stuck onto the scorpion.

This was the so-called 【Incendiary Grenade】. Using the Flame Ore he has obtained at the Tar Level, it could spread three thousand degree celsius of “clinging flames” ⌈²⌋.

As expected, it appears to be effective in disrupting the scorpion’s attack as it rampaged, trying to tear off the clinging blaze. Sensing this opportunity, Hajime landed on the ground, having already caught Donner and quickly reloaded.

By the time that was done, the tar from the 【Incendiary Grenade】 has burnt out and the flame was just about to extinguish. However, despite having smoke billowing everywhere and appearing to have taken damage, the scorpion’s intense fury was clearly transmitted ⌈³⌋.

“Kishaaaaaaaa~!!!”

Raising a shriek, the scorpion suddenly started moving its eight legs, charging towards Hajime and Yue. With a howl of the wind, all of a sudden, its four huge pincers extended like cannons as they approached Hajime.

The first was dodged with 【Ground Shrink】, the second was avoided by jumping with 【Aerodynamic】. Using 【Grand Kick】 to kick away the third destroyed Hajime’s stance and the fourth pincer struck. But Hajime shot Donner at once, and using the force from the discharge, he blew himself away while twisting his body, somehow managing a successful evasion. Yue, who was on his back, let out a groan, “Uuu”. However, she somehow withstood the violent movements.

While in the air, Hajime leapt and landed on the scorpion’s back. Then, as he was maintaining his balance on the raging scorpion, he pressed the muzzle against the shell, and with a Click, Donner released a point-blank shot. ⌈⁴⌋

Zugan~!!

A tremendous explosive noise resounded, and the scorpion’s body was slammed into the ground from the impact. However, even receiving a direct hit on its shell was unable to damage it, and seemed to barely scratch it ⌈⁵⌋. As he gnashed his teeth at the fact that he was unable to deal any damage, Hajime brandished Donner, invoking 【Air Claw】. Kaching, along with a sound of striking metal, he was still unable to break through his enemy’s shell.

As if to say “That’s enough!”, the scorpion aimed and fired buckshot stingers towards its own back.

Hajime swiftly jumped away from that spot and twisted his body in the air as he fired towards the origin of the buckshot stingers. The high speed bullets accurately struck the end of the front end section of the tail and was grandly repelled…… the tail which was covered with a hard shell appears to receive zero damage. The firepower was completely lacking.

Once again, like a tempest, the four giant pincers assaulted the midair Hajime in succession. In desperation, Hajime threw an 【Incendiary Grenade】 on the scorpion’s back and took a huge leap back. The scattered tar from the explosion seemed like nothing more than a stalling attack.

Thinking about “What to do” the instant after he evaded the scorpion, the scorpion let out an unprecedented shriek. ⌈⁶⌋

“Kyi~i~iii~!!”

Hearing that cry sent chills running across the entire body and made Hajime want to take distance with 【Ground Shrink】 instantly…… but, it was already too late. As the shriek echoed across the room, suddenly, the surrounding ground heaved and with a resounding roar, countless conical needles protruded from the ground.

“Son of a ——!!” ⌈⁷⌋

He was completely caught by surprise ⌈⁸⌋. Hajime was planning on desperately escaping into the air, but upon noticing the approaching conical needles from behind, he twisted his body to cover for Yue, causing his posture to be broken. Though he managed to somehow parry with Donner and 【Grand Kick】, on the edge of his vision, Hajime saw the buckshot stinger and solvent-releasing tail aimed squarely at him.

Hajime’s face stiffened. The next moment, the buckshot stinger and the solvent were fired from both its tails to shoot down the aerial target. Hajime steeled his resolution, in such a situation, it was impossible for him to dodge both attacks. Clenching his teeth, he avoided the solvent with 【Aerodynamic】, and crossed his left arm which was only up to its elbow and his right arm to protect his vitals as best as he could. Furthermore, Donner’s gun barrel was also used to shield his face, and then, he used direct manipulation of magic power to strengthen his body muscles to their limits. Immediately after which, along with an immense force, several tens of sharp needles pierced deeply into Hajime’s body.

“Ga~a~aaa!!!”

Raising a scream, he somehow barely avoided a fatal wound. As he had used his own body to stop the needles, Yue who was on his back, was uninjured.

Hajime was blown away by the impact. The immense pain from the strike and being further thrown onto ground caused him to simply tumble along. Yue was also thrown from his back from the impact.

While gritting his teeth and enduring the pain from the countless needles stabbed in his body, Hajime took out a 【Flash Grenade】 from his pouch and threw it at the scorpion. The 【Flash Grenade】 flew in a parabola, releasing an intense flash before the scorpion’s eyes.

“Kyisha~a~aaa!!”

The scorpion cried and instinctively stepped back due to the sudden flash. From the start, it seemed to be mostly relying on sight to observe Hajime’s movements, so he went and followed through with the throw, and apparently, his guess wasn’t wrong. ⌈⁹⌋

Hajime bit into and drank the Sacred Water fitted behind his molars as he pulled out all the needles in one go.

“Gu~u~u!!”

Groans due to the residual pain escaped from the gaps between his clenched teeth. However, it wasn’t to an unbearable extent. Hajime could endure manyfold this pain, a pain of simply this degree was completely insufficient to break his spirit.

While removing the needles, Hajime was looking around, searching for Yue, but before he could find her, Yue was quicker, and has already came over to his side.

“Hajime!”

Yue rushed up to Hajime anxiously. Her expressionless face has crumbled and was on the verge of tears.

“It’s all right. More importantly, isn’t that guy too hard? I can’t seem to find an appropriate method. I would have to go pass the four pincers’ obstruction to aim at its eyes or mouth…… Should I resign myself to getting damaged and go for the suicide attack?

Hajime pondered over he should deal with the scorpion, oblivious of Yue’s worries. Seeing such a Hajime caused Yue’s tears to begin falling.

“…… Why?”

“Ah?”

“Why didn’t you run away?”

Yue’s appeal implied that she understood the possibility that ‘He might be able to escape alone’. Hajime sent a shocked look towards those words.

“What are you saying at this point in time. I haven’t fallen far enough that I would abandon you just because a slightly stronger enemy appears.”

In order to survive, Hajime has sneak attacked, ambushed, tricked, and even used cowardly lies or bluffs. The fight against the Talon Bear was the only exception, but fundamentally, he doesn’t give a **** about things like fair and square ⌈¹⁰⌋. It wasn’t a generous place that would allow such leeway. He has no feelings of guilt, he has been changed by such an atmosphere.

Nonetheless, he didn’t feel like willingly falling into heterodoxy. To determine right from wrong with virtue, and obtain understanding. The one who made him remember and regain all these, was none other than Yue. That’s why, Yue must definitely be saved, abandoning her here wasn’t an option. The instant she entrusted herself to Hajime, he has made his decision and this moment, was also the turning point of whether Hajime fell into unorthodoxy.

Yue nodded as though she understood something from Hajime’s words and suddenly threw her arms around Hajime.

“Oh, Ouh? What is it?”

With the situation as it is, what are you doing all of a sudden? Hajime was somewhat shaken. The scorpion could be coming back at any moment now. Hajime’s wounds were healed, he should enter combat mode soon. However, Yue doesn’t seem to care as her hands wrapped around Hajime’s neck.

“Hajime…… Trust me.”

Saying that, Yue kissed the scruff of Hajime’s neck.

“——!?”

No, it’s not a kiss. It’s a bite. Hajime felt a prickling pain at the back of his neck, and then, there was an uncomfortable feeling as if energy was drained from his body. For an instant, Hajime wanted to shake her off, but recalling that Yue had called herself a vampire, he realized that she was sucking blood. “Trust me”————Those words, seemed to wish that he would not run away even if he was scared or disgusted by the act of a vampire’s blood sucking.

Thinking that while giving a wry smile, Hajime tightly hugged and supported Yue’s clinging body. Twitch, Yue quavered for a moment before she embraced even tighter with a squeeze. Her face was buried deeper into the back of his neck. It may be just an imagination, but she somehow seem really delighted.

“Kyisha~aaaa!!”

The roar of the scorpion resounded. It appears to have recovered from the shock of the Flash Grenade. It probably grasped their current location, as the ground began to heave once again. It seems to be the scorpion’s Unique Magic, the ability to manipulate the surrounding terrain.

“But, that’s my specialty!”

Hajime placed his right hand on the ground to perform transmutation. The rippling within a three meter radius stopped, and instead a stone wall which enclosed around Hajime and Yue was formed.

The conical needles flew from all around to attack them, but they were completely prevented by Hajime’s defensive wall. Every strike was able to chip away at the wall, but new walls would be erected in place immediately, making the needles unable to get close. Both the scale and strength of the scorpion’s offensive power were by far superior, but Hajime holds the advantage in transmuting speed. His transmutation radius couldn’t go beyond three meter, and neither could he create needles with enough power to fly out and attack, thus Hajime’s type of transmutation was more suited for defense.

While Hajime was absorbed in transmuting defense, Yue’s mouth finally parted. Licking her lips, her expression seems to be in delirious passion. Coupled with that action, seductiveness could be felt despite her childish appearance. Somehow or another, not a speck of her previous emaciation could be felt, her white skin has recovered its tone and shine, similar to that of white porcelain. Her cheeks were a dream-like rose-color. Her red pupils were faintly giving off a warm light, and those small slender hands were gently caressing Hajime’s cheeks.

“…… Thanks for the meal. ⌈¹¹⌋”

Saying that, Yue slowly rose and lifted an open hand toward the scorpion. At the same time, an enormous magic power that was unimaginable from such a delicate body was emitted, the light from her magic power —— a golden color that seems to mow down the darkness. And Yue, who was shrouded in magic power the same color as her fluttering golden hair, muttered a single phrase.

“【Azure Sky】”

Instantly, a sphere of bluish-white flames approximately six or seven meter in diameter appeared above the scorpion’s head. The attack obviously haven’t landed, but the strong heat was enough to make the scorpion shriek in retreat. However, the bloodsucking princess of the abyss would not allow that. Extending her lovely finger and waving it gracefully like a baton, the sphere of bluish-white flames faithfully executed the conductor’s instructions, pursuing the escaping scorpion and…… a direct hit.

“Gu~ugyiya~a~a~aaaa————!?”

The scorpion raised an unprecedented scream. It was obviously a scream of anguish. At the point of impact, the entire vicinity was covered in pale blue light and nothing could be seen. As Hajime shielded his eyes with his arm, he could only gaze dumbfoundedly at such a grand magic. Before long, the magic’s effective duration expired and the bluish-white flames were extinguished. What remained was the appearance of the scorpion suffering in agony, the red-hot shell on its back has been melted and was all gooey.

While Hajime was in a dilemma over whether he should be praising Yue’s magic — which destroyed the monster’s defense that even the three thousand degree celsius 【Incendiary Grenade】 couldn’t melt and his zero distance railgun shot barely scratched — or commending on the scorpion’s durability, which had directly received such a high temperature attack and merely had its surface melted.

A flop sound made Hajime peel away his vision from that astounding scene back towards Yue, who was sitting on the ground while panting. It looks like she has exhausted her magic power.

“Yue, are you alright?”

“Nn…… Highest tier…… Tiring”

“Haha, aren’t you impressive hm. We’re saved. Leave the rest to me and have a good rest.”

“Nn, good luck……”

Hajime waved his hand as he used 【Ground Shrink】 to shorten the distance in one go. The scorpion was still going strong, despite having the surface of its shell melted off. It raised a roar of unconcealed rage, firing its buckshot stinger at the approaching Hajime.

Hajime quickly retrieved a 【Flash Grenade】 from his pouch and tossed it high overhead. Next, as he pulled out Donner, he fired before the buckshot stinger was scattered. Then, non-electromagnetically accelerated bullets struck and exploded the falling 【Flash Grenade】.

The scorpion was already accustomed to the light. Although it was annoyed, it wasn’t shaken and searched for Hajime’s presence in the room dyed bright with light.

However, there was no sign of Hajime no matter how hard it looked. Just as the scorpion was bewildered over losing Hajime’s presence, Hajime landed on the scorpion’s back.

“Kishua?!”

The scorpion let out a startled cry. That would definitely be the case as the presence it had been searching for managed to slip through its detection net and all of a sudden, reappear on its back. Together with the flash of light, Hajime had used 【Hide Presence】 to sever his presence in order to land atop the scorpion’s back.

The scorpion’s red-hot shell burnt Hajime’s skin from beneath. However, without caring about such matters, the muzzle was pushed against where the surface of its shell has been melted thin, and the trigger, was being pulled repeatedly. The scorpion’s shell, having lost its original durability and receiving consecutive zero distance shots from the railgun, finally, that absolute shield yielded and broke apart.

The scorpion ignored the possibility of hurting itself and try to knock Hajime off with its twin tails, but Hajime made his move first.

“Here, eat this.” ⌈¹²⌋

As if burying a parting gift within its body, Hajime took out a 【Grenade】 from his pouch and used his arm to stab it deeply into the hole opened by Donner. Hajime didn’t even care if his arm festered from burns.

Withdrawing with 【Ground Shrink】before the scorpion’s attack could reach, the scorpion tried to turn around for another attack at Hajime who was retreating from its back. However, that was it.

“BOOM————!!”

Along with the sound of a muffled explosion which echoed the vicinity, the scorpion quivered with a twitch. The scorpion, which was facing Hajime, stopped moving, and the entire area was wrapped in silence.

Eventually, the scorpion began to slant and with a rumbling sound, and collapsed onto the ground.

Hajime warily approached the unmoving scorpion, thrust Donner into its mouth and fired another two or three rounds before he was convinced that the scorpion was dead. Hajime nodded his head while muttering a “Good”. It was definitely dead! This action could be called a policy that Hajime follow these days.

Looking over his shoulder, while still expressionless, her eyes seem to be somewhat delighted as Yue sat there, watching Hajime. He couldn’t tell when this dungeon capturing is going to end, but it seems like a promising partner has appeared.

It is said that Pandora’s Box contains all the world’s Evils ⌈¹³⌋ and a sliver of Hope. Somehow or other, it seems like that example he made before entering this room was fairly on target ⌈¹⁴⌋. While thinking of such stuff, Hajime slowly walked over to her side.