Arifureta Shokugyou De Sekai Saikyou: Irregularity

I feel like I blacked out for like ten seconds...

Yuuki [*Cough**cough*]

Just before Tio's fist could hit me, I tried to block with Teiko and my left arm to at least not die in one go... It worked, as I'm alive, but my left arm's flesh got riped so bad I can see the broken bones inside, even a part of the left side of my abdomen is missing... The reason my arm didn't fall of and I didn't die is because I used teiko to guard... There is not even a dent or a crack in her blade, her durability is incredible... The other reason is the VIT and DEF rise by "Strengthening", "Shinnen" and Teiko that rise that even further...

Yuuki [Haa- fuu- haa- ngh!]

It hurts to breath... Something important broke just now... Probably all my ribs. My right arm is fractured but still in one piece, so I can still hold Teiko.

??? (-Move)

I do as the voice says and dodge Tio's body that was about to crush me from above. While her eyes are hindered by the dust she made crushing the ground, I take the chance to hide.

Yuuki [(Looks like I can still move... "Transmutation"...)]

I use what's left of my cape to keep what's left of my left arm together... Miledi-san's ring is in there so I can't lose it... I use most of the gear above my waist to do the same with the wound on my abdomen and my right forearn... The fabric could not take a blow from Tio but it can take care of this...

I try to get up... If my legs can move and I can wield a sword, then I can still fight-

??? (-Can you?)

Yuuki [(!!!)]

??? (Can you really still fight? Against her?)

The voice, Teiko's voice, questions me as if to make clear that even I don't believe those words...

Yuuki [(Even if I can't, I have to)]

That punch sended me flying more than half way back the distance I made Tio follow me... from here, she may find Will and the others if she follows Shimizu's command... Just with one punch, all that became a worthless fight...

Yuuki [(It's almost like a joke...)]

Teiko (I don't find that kind of joke funny...)

Yuuki [(Then it was a totally worthless joke...)]

Teiko (Was there a meaning in fighting her like you did?)

There was... If I can't do this much, I won't be able to face what comes after this...

Teiko (Was there a meaning in doing it alone?)

Yuuki [(...)]

What do you mean? Aren't you with me right now?

Teiko (I told you before, to be able to wield me like this is your own strength... From the very start, I have not done even a thing for you... You know that already, don't you?)

Her voice sounded lonely on those last words...

Teiko (Why are you fighting alone right now?)

'Because I don't mind being the only one hurt'

Words that can't be hidden when your heart is open for others to read...

Teiko (...I guess it can't be helped, you are still a child so there are things you can't understand yet... In fact, it's fine if you don't understand, because just like there are things that you can't do right now, there are things that only the you right now can do...)

Yuuki [...]

Teiko (But if you reject something that only the you right now can do... Then you'll make us angry...)

Yuuki [...]

Teiko (You said "they became too strong for me to use them" but... that's not the whole truth...)

To use them is like changing the future "Even if I can't do it, it's not imposible..."

Teiko (There are certainly some rules, but using me helps you ignore most of them... You know that right?)

The one that makes it posible is the sword I'm holding right now...

Teiko (...I told you it's fine if you don't change... If you choose to change or stay the same at the end, we won't criticize you... Until you don't need us any more, we'll stay with you... But no matter what you choose, I want you to remember something...)

Yuuki [(...)]

Teiko (To run away doesn't make you a coward... You just have to make it worth it)

Yuuki [(...I know that...)]

If I had fought without running away even once in the labyrinths, I would be dead from long ago... That would make my whole existence worthless, and useless...

Teiko (To depend on others does not make you weak... No one can do everything by himself, every one needed someone or something at least once in their lives. No one in this world have right to hate you for that... You should not hate yourself either...)

Yuuki [(...I... know that already...)]

From the start, I knew that I would not be able to change the future... From the moment I could not stop Hajime, I knew that I would find something else I could not do, that's why I hoped I could find someone that could change it some day... But I wanted to believe that I could save at least one person by myself...

Teiko (Then, just focus on the things that you can do... We will take care of what you can't... That's the reason we were made after all, isn't that right?)

The voice of an a.d.u.l.t dearly talking to a child. Even when She is younger than me she sounds way more m.a.t.u.r.e, and way more reassuring... Even though I made her around three years ago...

I look at my tathered left arm, part of the hand is missing but the middle finger with Miledi-san's "Treasure Trove" is still there-

Tio [-------__________]

I can hear Tio approaching, to that I-

Yuuki [..."Kirin"]

A small light comes out of the ring and a silhouette, more than two meters tall, stands in front of me as I crouch on the ground...

Like before, a pure white body adorned by grey colored patterns of magic crystal... But the figure right now is completely different from the motorcycle I rode some days ago.

The way she stands on her four legs make her look like a creature protected by a metalic armor, just like Tio's dragon form, but more similar to that of a white horse, though definitely not the same... Sharp claws instead of hooves, a long, smooth and pointy tail unlike the hairy tail of a horse, long ears pointing backwards at the sides of a hairless head with a slightly shorter, more sharp face than a horse, with a few sharp fangs visible even with her jaws closed, and finally, a sharp horn that looks like a short, three-branched sword in her forehead...

The artifact resembling a magic creature, Kirin, stands proudly looking at me, I stand back on my feet, and looking at her eyes I-

Yuuki [I'm sorry... I can't do it alone...]

My voice sounds as if breaking, I can almost feel tears about to come from my eyes...

This is reality, and my own limit...

The me right now can't go further than this...

The ring in my finger and the sword I'm wielding were the proof from the start, that it's impossible by myself. Miledi-san asked me to keep her ring, and Teiko asked me to use her... Without that kindness, I would be dead long ago...

Looking at my pitiful and weak self, Kirin-

Kirin [...]

Magic power gathers around her body little by little, green colored magic power, turning into a bright mane that goes from the back of her head all the way through her back to the tip of her tail... The pattern on her body, her claws, fangs and horn, that are made of grey colored magic crystal take the same green color as her magic power...

Magic power diferent from mine, magic that is diferent from mine... Right now, Kirin is not an object to be used but a sole individual that can think by herself... And it's not just her, it's the same for Teiko...

Yuuki [(I'm pathetic right?)]

I couldn't really save anyone by myself and had to be saved at the end... Now, in my stead someone will be hurt, and that same person will have to hurt someone else that doesn't have a real fault in my stead...

Tio [________-----------!!]

Tio is some distance away from us and we stand side by side directly in front of her without hiding, I'm still holding Teiko in my right hand, and to her and the Kirin that stands at my side-

Yuuki [Thank you...]

Teiko (...)

Kirin [...]

Teiko says nothing and Kirin just rise her head slightly and blow air with her nose without looking my way as if it was nothing...

...I will definitely make this worth it...

Tio [_______+++-------------+++!!!!!]

When she see us in front of her, Tio approach slowly, first one step, then a second one, little by little rising her speed.

Yuuki [("Strengthening", "Acceleration", "Shinnen")]

While I recast the three skills on me, Kirin moves as if to advance one step and then-

'Air Walk'

She disappears...

Yuuki [-Eh?]

Then she appears right in the way of Tio's charge... Tio stop just in front of her at the surprise of the strange phenomenon similar to teleportation.

Kirin move her body, small in comparison to Tio's, softly like a leave guided by the wind and in a natural motion, slightly touch Tio's c.h.e.s.t with the tip of her horn-

'Flash Step'

Again, she disappears, but this time, Tio disappears with her and as if to prove that they were here a second ago, the ground splits violently and trees blow in the air...

Yuuki [...]

For a moment, I'm too surprised to react-

Yuuki [...-!!! I have to follow them...!!]

There's still something I can do, no matter how small, If I can do it, I will...

I follow the trail of destruction until I find them. Kirin seems to be trying to force Tio to bak up even more as she try to pierce her armor-like body with her horn... Tio have a small mountain of earth behind her as if it was digged with her own body as she was being pushed, and her claws pierce the ground as if to break Kirin's speed...

Tio [____+++----+++--_____+++++-----!!!!!!]

Tio throw her claws at Kirin but she moves with a speed that makes you think she disappeared, and strike her right side making her roll on the ground.

Kirin [...]

Tio [---_-___----#####++++_--_++#!]

Magic power gathers, and Tio use her breath to attack, but again Kirin dodge her.

Tio [___----####(+_-_---__________]

Tio's breath follows Kirin like a blade trying to take her head, even so It doesn't seem to be able to reach her.

Kirin's AGI seems to be higher than Tio's, but I can't see her stats so I'm not sure if it's due a skill effect, or her base AGI by itself... If that is so then-

Yuuki [(Kirin is strong...)]

I knew from the start... Izana-chan, Teiko, Tsuki-chan, Kirin and everyone else are stronger than me... Even so seeing it happen like this, is like the difference between dream and reality...

Tio [##++++___...]

Kirin [...]

Tio's breath stops, and for a moment she doesn't move from that place-

Yuuki [...Ah-]

-Until her wings spread...

Her wings fall to the ground as if trying to crush it and Tio rise in the sky leaving a gust of wind heavy enough to rip a normal person apart...

Yuuki [She is not running away is she?]

Kirin [...]

I actually hoped for that to be the case but she keep looking at us from the sky.

Yuuki [-!!!]

An immense quantity of magic power flows through her body, not comparable with what she used against me or Kirin... This is what I feared when I fought against her...

Yuuki [She is trying to destroy the forest with us in it...!!!]

Tio raise her head, as if preparing to release enough power to destroy a whole mountain.

'Air Walk' 'Aerodynamics'

When Tio was about to turn her head this way to shoot her breath, Kirin moved in the air almost like flying with her blinding speed... With her claws, she grabbed Tio's neck right below her head and while tightening her grip forced her to look up.

A black pillar rises to the sky... The power in it is enough to feel it from the ground even when the origin is far in the sky... If I were half the distance I'm now, the air would probably burn me...

Yuuki [Kirin...]

Tio's breath dies out after a few seconds and the black pillar disappears... Tio fight Kirin's grip and try to rip her apart with her claws but Kirin dodge using "Aerodynamics" until she is above Tio and while three of her legs are standing in the air, she grabs the top of Tio's head with the fourth-

'Flash Step'

With a thunderous sound Kirin crash back to the ground using Tio as a cushion to break the fall, but then stops moving for a moment as if she was taking a breath... She probably took damage being that close to Tio's last attack.

Tio [+++##***"+$$';--&$*"]

While Kirin is standing on top of her without moving, Tio finally grab hold of her with her claws.

*Crack**crack*

With the sound of Kirin slowly breaking, little by little cracks appear in her body.

Yuuki [Kirin!!... -!!!]

Then again, magic power gathers inside Tio's body just like it did many times already...

I can't fight any more, right now, I can't even become a shield... Even so there is still something that I can do...

Yuuki [(..."Gusha no Hokori(愚者の誇り/Fool's pride))"]

This is a "derivative skill", to say, a skill that developes after you rise enough the proficiency of a certain skill, the derivative skill fullfil the same purpose as the main one, or in cases rise the effect of it... at this point I already have some of this skills, like "Acceleration" and "Shinnen" that derivate from "Strengthening"... but the first one I attained was "Gusha no Hokori"-...

Yuuki [OI-!! PERVERT DRAGON!!!]

Tio [_______________________]

Yuuki [...Come for me...]

-A derivate of the "Proboke" skill...

Tio [#&#&#[email protected]#-#-$--"-'+";#;#++"+';'!!!!!!!!]

Tio's breath intended for Kirin is aimed and shooted at me almost mindlessly, I could dodge even with my body falling apart thanks to "Detect magic" and the extra efect of "Gusha no Hokori" that let me read the attacks directed at me... If she had actually came for me with her body, I would be dead...

Kirin [...]

'Steel Legs'

Tio [#$&&___-]

While Tio try to burn me to cinders, Kirin kicks her off and attacks her with "Flash Step" again...

Tio [€€^¥¥•π°°®®¥°©©¥^

}]

Kirin [...!!!]

Unlike before, this time is a head on fight trying to take down the other with physical strength. Kirin's AGI is higher so the number of her attacks is overwhelming... But Tio has better STR, VIT and DEF...

Tio [#$&5__&#$&@&$#$-----]

At the end, Kirin is pinned down against the ground by Tio's claw as she tries to crush her.

Kirin [...-]

Tio [____###$--$_&-++----]

Tio again tries to erase Kirin with her breath-

Yuuki [-move...]

I ordered my body that still is under the efect of "Strengthening" and "Acceleration" to run to were those two are fighting... When I'm about to reach them-

Yuuki ["MANAMI"!!]

-I bind Tio's neck as she is looking down ready to release her breath...

I slide under her body, all the way down to between her legs (Again sorry) and pull her neck, with my fractured arm, with my leg, with my teeth, I pull with all my strength using every part of my body that I can move... Until her head is aiming at the ground below her legs...

Right after Tio release her breath, the ground exploded right under her nose. A cloud of dust rise, so thick Tio may not be able to see us even if she is still conscious...

Kirin [...]

Kirin jumps in the air and comes to my side. we are far from the waterfall in wich Will and the others are hiding, and we are free from Tio's pursuit, we should go-

Yuuki [-!!!]

Magic power gathers again, right in front of us... I try to get up but my legs won't move and my right arm is bending to a weird direction- Before I could think or do anything, the world in front of me becomes pitch black...

#####

Mi whole body feels heavy...

I can't see anything...

I can't breathe...

It hurts...

-!!!

Yuuki [*Cough*cough*cough*]

A painfully familiar sensation... When my lungs find air to breathe, they expel the water that invaded them... I feel how I'm pulled (More than probably Kirin) until we're outside of the river. We brought Tio far from that waterfall so this is probably another river that was close by...

...We survived... No... I was saved...

Kirin grabs me from what's left of my collar and let me go softly so I can lie down in the ground...

After my breath comes back to normal and I have no water in my lungs I try to get up again...

Yuuki [Now I... Have to... Go... Back to Ul...]

I almost fell trying to get up but I could stand at the end...

Yuuki [...A... re...?]

Until Kirin lightly push me and made me fall to the ground...

Yuuki [-I... Have... To...-]

I try to get up again, but Kirin uses her claw to force me to stay down, and then just naturally lie down at my side.

I look at Kirin to ask why is she stoping me.

Yuuki [-?!!]

The words about to come out stop as I see her partially melted body...

It was probably in that last attack from Tio... Not only at that time... When I could not fight anymore and when Tio tried to destroy the forest, Kirin fought in my stead and protected me...

Yuuki [...I'm sorry...]

Kirin looks at me as I apologise and after a short pause-

Yuuki [...Thank you...]

After I said those words, Kirin just rise her head slightly and blows air with her nose... I can't hear her words, but that's probably her way to say "This much is nothing"...

I look up at the sky that became red without me noticing... A small sphere of light floats softly in fron of my face.

Of a shiny gold color like the sun and unlike the expressionless Izana-chan and the not very expressive Tsuki-chan, an arrow-shaped smile complements her round eyes to make a clear, easy to read expression...

The golden colored cheerful spirit, "Amaterasu(天照)", look at me before disappearing from my sight and then comes back with a vial of "Ochimizu" in her small arms that she got from my "Treasure Trove", take off the lid and move it closer to my mouth for me to drink it...

Amaterasu [...]

When I finish, she looks patiently at me as if waiting for the "Ochimizu" to make effect... but as nothing happens her expression change to wonder...

Amaterasu [...?...!!]

After a while, her eyes blinked as if she had just thought about something, an she slowly, softly and peacefully float and spins over my body lying down, as if she was dancing.

Shiny, gold colored powder fall to my tattered body...

Yuuki [(It's warm...)]

Just like Izana-chan and the others, Amaterasu-chan strengthen my own magic, being able to rise her own strong point, "Restoration" magic, three times the original value... Sadly, as my affinity with "Restoration" magic woulf be "one out of hundred", even with Amaterasu-chan's help, it only rise to three... Still, Ancient magic is what it is, and with the "Ochimizu" added I'll definitely heal to brand new in some days...

Yuuki [...]

I won't say that I failed, but is barely a passing grade... I couldn't save them by myself, I had to be saved at the end, everyone got hurt a I couldn't do anything to stop it... Even now I can't go back to ask for help... I won't let this be worthless... But I'll probably won't be able to move before Hajime arrives to the town... Right now, I can only hope that they survive enough time to be saved by Hajime...

I close my eyes as I see Amaterasu-chan dancing on top of me...

#####

A metalic bird fly in the sky of the "Northern Mountains" using it's artificial eyes to see over the forest, and after some time, go back to it's master's side...

Yue [Hajime... How was it?...]

Hajime [A real mess... Someone let out lots of steam up there...]

Yue [Is that so...]

She didn't looked really interested and just keep a close distance with him

Shea [Maybe they are already dead? That's too bad-desu~]

While she was being pushed by Yue, Shea gave an uninterested answer and tried to get close to Hajime too.

Hajime [No, actually I found a life signature in there...]

Aiko [Nagumo-kun, is that true? Did you find something?...]

He turns his head to her small teacher and after grinning answers-

Hajime [Yeah... I found six of them...]

The group leaded by Hajime go straight to the point where he found the life signature, that ended up being a cave inside a waterfall...

Hajime [(...This was made with "Transmutation"...)]

After unsealing the entrance he found the six people that looked like they were living or at least residing from some time ago inside the cave...

Will [...You are, don't tell me, did help finally came- pukya!!-]

The youngest looking one approached Hajime as if trying to hug him so Hajime flicked his forehead by reflex making him roll in the ground a pair of times...

Hajime [Oops, my bad, it was a reflex...]

He didn't sound sorry at all and crouched besides the young man...

Hajime [Are you Will Kudeta? I came to bring you, and I guess this guys back with me...]

Will [Yes, it's me! What happened to Yuuki-kun?! And what about the dragon?!]

Hajime [...Did you say a what?...]

'______+++--+++---------------'

A deafening roar sounds outside the cave.

Will [Is that thing again!! what are we- mm-!]

Hajime [Shut up and follow me... You lot too...]

Hajime cover his mouth to shut him and go back to the entrance of the cave, when he looks outside-

Atsushi [Nagumo! A black dragon just came at us flying out of nowhere!!]

Noboru [I don't wanna sound like a country pumpkin but is that normal?!]

Hajime looks how Sonobe Yuka and the others covered Aiko to protect her and then look at the dragon.

Hajime [No it's not...]

Hajime pulls out "Donner" and shot at the dragon without thinking twice but the bullet bounce in the scale armor and does no damage...

Hajime [So this is the one that had it's fun decorating the forest...]

With his right eye Hajime see how the magic power gathers in the dragon's body and take out a black shield as tall as himself.

Hajime [If someone is scared of dying get behind me now!!]