“I was utterly stunned—I never expected a monster to speak.
It was unimaginable, given the appearance of that creature.
‘When a monster reaches the upper-middle level, it can speak a bit. That’s also a way to identify its rank…,’ Kurt said, his face tense.
‘…This is the worst-case scenario I had foreseen…’
He clenched his back teeth.
An upper-middle level monster corresponds to the fifth-grade demon rank in terms of strength. Just by rank alone, it means that it is evenly matched with Kurt.
‘Nero… stay hidden at a distance. Whatever you do, don’t come out,’ Kurt instructed me without taking his eyes off the giant centipede.
Ayra was ready to fight alongside him as well.
Before, Ayra would have created a magical barrier to protect me in a situation like this. The fact that she didn’t this time meant that they couldn’t afford any distractions.
A foe they couldn’t defeat without fighting together… In that case, I should obediently follow their instructions.
I moved away as instructed and hid behind some cover. I stayed close enough that I could help if anything happened to them.
Once Kurt and Ayra confirmed that I was out of harm’s way, they raised their swords. The giant centipede let out an eerie laugh as if mocking their stance.
‘Heh… heheheh…’
Kurt signaled to Ayra with his eyes. She nodded back, and flames enveloped Kurt’s sword.
As soon as this happened, Kurt kicked off the ground. In an instant, he vanished.
He had used a body-enhancing spell to increase his speed.
The next moment I saw him, he had appeared behind the giant centipede, aiming to strike its back with his flaming sword. It was a direct hit from its blind spot.
But—
The sharp, metallic sound of clashing metal echoed through the air.
Kurt’s sword had been deflected by the creature’s tough, armor-like skin. It hadn’t left a scratch.
‘Damn it, not good enough. In that case… how about this!’
Kurt, having been repelled, kicked off the ground again, leaping upward. He raised his flame-imbued sword, likely aiming for the same spot to deliver continuous damage, trying to wear down its tough exterior.
But then, it happened.
The giant centipede’s tail suddenly swung down, as if it had timed it perfectly. Its pincers at the end of the tail aimed straight for Kurt.
‘Watch out!’
I shouted reflexively. But before my voice could reach him, Ayra, clad in magical armor, leaped in front of Kurt.
‘Guh…!’
‘Ugh…!’
Sparks flew like glowing fragments as their magical defenses clashed. Ayra’s armor completely blocked the centipede’s pincers from cutting through Kurt.
But—
It couldn’t fully absorb the impact.
Their bodies were flung back together, as if struck by a perfect home run.
I was shocked at how far they flew through the air, crashing into the stone wall of a nearby house.
‘Ugh…!?’
‘Argh…!?’
They let out short cries of pain as they collapsed against the wall.
‘Dad! Ayra!’
Without thinking, I broke my promise and rushed over.
‘Ahh… Nero, I told you not to come out,’ Kurt said through gritted teeth, trying to hide the pain.
‘But…’
‘This is something the grown-ups should handle.’
Kurt tried to stand as he spoke.
But—
‘Ugh…!’
As soon as he placed his hand on the ground for support, his face twisted in pain.
‘Did you hurt yourself somewhere!?’
Ayra immediately raised her voice in concern. Kurt managed a strained smile as he faced her worried expression.
‘Heh… looks like I’ve messed up my arm…’
‘You… back then…'”
Ayra realized something, but Kurt quickly dismissed it.
“I’m not skilled enough to do something like that. It was just a simple mistake.”
But I had seen it.
At the moment they crashed into the stone wall, Kurt shifted his body to protect Ayra.
With my keen eye, I saw that Ayra had focused her magical armor at the front, knowing the enemy’s strength and bracing for the impact. Because of that, her back was left unguarded.
But even though she had layered her magical defenses multiple times, she probably didn’t expect to be blown away like that.
As a result, Ayra took the full brunt of the impact, lost her balance, and was thrown back.
She would have smashed headfirst into the wall if things had continued like that.
That’s when Kurt grabbed her and pulled her back, positioning himself between her and the wall to shield her.
But in that split-second decision, he couldn’t execute it perfectly.
He tried to use his whole body to absorb the impact and spread it out, but it didn’t go as planned, and his arm took the brunt of it.
Because of that, Kurt injured his dominant right arm.
The stone wall was dented and cracked.
Seeing it like this made it clear how powerful the impact had been.
It wouldn’t be surprising if his arm was broken.
No, he was probably keeping a poker face, but it was likely fractured.
He’s not good at lying.
“I’m sorry, it’s my fault…”
“I told you, it’s not that. Right now, we need to focus on what’s in front of us.”
Kurt raised his head, and we all turned to face the same direction.
There, the giant centipede was writhing its long body, waiting for the right moment.
“Gigigi… Hungry? Who… to eat? Hehehe…”
It was as disturbing as ever.
I already couldn’t stand regular centipedes, so this giant one was even worse.
And the fact that it could speak made it all the more unsettling.
As I was feeling disgusted by the creature, I noticed Kurt fumbling with something beside me.
“What are you planning to do?”
I asked, hoping he had some kind of strategy against the monster, and he pulled out a cylindrical object from the belt pouch on his back.
“I’m going to use this.”
It was a small, brass-colored metal cylinder.
The moment I saw it, I understood.
It was that alchemical item he had mentioned—something to be used as a last resort.
I didn’t know what kind of effect it had.
I definitely needed to ask.
“What… is that item?”
“This contains a teleportation spell.”
Teleportation!? That means it can instantly transport you to another location?
So, such magic exists.
It would be convenient if I could use it too… but the fact that it required alchemy probably meant it was ancient magic, like transmuting human bodies.
“Listen, Nero, hear me out calmly. I’m going to use this to teleport you to a nearby town. After that, find help at the church in that town, got it?”
“Wait… hold on! What about you guys?”
When I asked, Kurt’s eyes grew somber.
“Unfortunately, that giant centipede is beyond our ability to defeat. Apart from you, the strongest demon hunters in this town are Ayra, me, and the members of the Gutstein family. Even if all of us combined our efforts, it’s uncertain whether we could win against it. Though a mid-upper class monster is classified as a fifth-grade demon, that ranking is just a human construct—there’s always unexpected variations. The moment I crossed swords with it, I understood. We can’t match its strength. And with my arm injured, I’m effectively out of the fight. Ayra, being focused on defense, can’t hold this position alone.”
“……”
Ayra looked at me with a resolute expression, as if she had made up her mind.
Kurt continued.
“If there’s no one left to fight, this town is finished. No one will be able to stop that creature. In this situation, you are the last hope. But you’re still young. So, survive and grow stronger.”
“……”
So, they intend to use the teleportation magic to help me escape?
While they stay behind and sacrifice themselves?
Is that what Diana agreed to back then?
Is that the way of a demon hunter, their pride?
No way.
They’re giving up too soon.
They’ve only managed one strike.
That’s not enough to judge the outcome.
Besides, from what I sensed, that giant centipede doesn’t feel that powerful.
Sure, you can’t know for sure without trying, but I don’t think it’s the kind of enemy that would kill me instantly.
It’s worth a shot.
“Dad.”
“What?”
“Hold off on using that item for now.”
“Huh? What are you talking about…?”
Ignoring Kurt’s confusion, I stood up.
I looked straight at the giant centipede in front of me and declared:
“I’ll take care of that thing.”
“…Huh?”
Kurt and Ayra froze in shock, unable to process what I had just said.
