Chapter 169

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Translated by: borisdrakoni
Proofread by: stux

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Chapter 168: http://pastebin.com/n3euM2TE

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-- Chapter 169
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The World of the Sanctuary

"I wonder how the heck many spaces there are."

"Fuumu.  It is fortunate the enemies are not a big deal......hey, Goshujin-sama.  How far is it until Yue?"

Shia who came to attack the demonic beasts in the distance with Viredoryukken and blew them away muttered while staying alert, and Tio who similarly blew away the demonic beasts in the distance with a breath with increased power because of a spiral motion and compression although suppressing magical power, asked Hajime while looking back.

"Comparing to the first space as the starting point......we came to a place about 4/5.  The next space will be it I think."

"It's very soon!"

Hajime operated the compass while he answered so just as a demonic beast attacked from behind.  Shia floated a glad-looking expression while cutting into the space between it and Hajime by fiercely stepping in and blew it away with a full swing.  As far as it goes, if comparing with the hell of Orcus Large Labyrinth the demonic beasts are surely at the middle layer level, seeming to be really unsatisfactory opponents for today's Shia.  Hajime also still did not even appear worried.

Because the night before rushing in, Shia and Tio continued training within the Hour Crystal that stretched time until the sky grew light, and raised their level of power by the mastering of new power like Transformation magic and so forth.  There was a feeling of hasty preparation, but the hand that became a trump card was also sufficiently possessed.

Naturally, in addition to that their faces were quite strong by the grace of the ridiculous food overflowing with shadiness called Hajime's CheatMate, but......they just kept praying that their tummies would not hurt.  Since there were no restrooms or the like here, it became a serious thing for the female formation.

Presently, Hajime and the others were in the middle of the ocean.  It is a space where there was not one island in the sea as far as the eyes can see.  There, they advanced relying on the compass on their restored sky boards.  Sometimes they dealt with demonic beasts from the ocean system that came dashing out of the sea and demonic beasts of the bird system that came flying from the sky without any particular problems.

Nevertheless, because there were no landmarks, if they did not have the compass, how long would it have become with them wandering around......while there was no time, just imagining it becoming such a situation made them shiver.

Going by Shia's words however, it could be understood that Hajime and the others came to this space passing through several worlds until coming here. After they came out of the abandoned city's clock tower separating from Shizuku and the others, they came traveling through a space that inverted the land and sky, a space with a countless number of floating white blocks, a space where just a large mountain that could also be called Kamiyama soared, and a space like a huge library where countless bookshelves flooded.

Given that they could find the doorways of the next space without losing their way thanks to the compass, it did not mean that a large amount of time passed since parting from Shizuku and the others.  Nevertheless, because of thinking about Yue and feeling impatient after all, the countless spaces were nothing but gloom for Hajime and the others.

Was there really a doorway and the like?  Advancing ahead for several minutes in the space with the fine unobstructed view of the large ocean they came to want to doubt so.  Hajime and the others that ran a considerable distance in a flash thanks to the sky boards, suddenly raised their heads.

"Dark clouds?"

Hajime muttered while narrowing his eyes.  It did not mean that the words represented a metaphor pointing at the journey from now on in particular.  Presently, the sky that should have been clear actually began being covered rapidly with dark clouds like a video on fast forward.  Furthermore, the calm state of the sea was also beginning to be rough because of strong winds.  It seemed a large storm broke out suddenly.

At the obviously abnormal situation, Hajime, who suddenly narrowed his eyes, turned his gaze below.

"......Looks like there's a huge one."

"Uwaa, this is also......the best size within the demonic beasts I have seen until now."

"Umu, I feel power to draw a line with the demonic beasts until now."

Together Shia and Tio surveyed what was below along with unpleasantly distorted expressions.

In that previous glance, a huge whirlpool began to be made in the sea.  Obviously, it was not something natural.  It was not something that could be made by ocean currents.  That whirlpool was made like a side effect by a living thing's behavior.

Before they were aware, covering the entirety of the sea below while winding and coiling itself -- there was a huge snake.

If you saw the shadow reflecting on the rough ocean's surface, wasn't the length more than three hundred meters?  The thickness around its middle could not be measured easily for one example.  Scales of a metal quality were covering its whole body, it had a dorsal fin that possessed a shining hardness on its back that glittered just like a blade.

And, at that time,

KishaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

A fierce roar boomed that shook the space like an electric shock.  Even the physical shock accompanying it violently beat the bodies of Hajime and the others; moreover, an unknown wave spread to their minds.  Perhaps it was a roar that contained an effect like it might cause panic.

If it was as usual, would the consciousness of each body be blown away to the darkness beyond by the shock-wave?  Even if the body and consciousness could barely be kept, it would disturb the shrinking mind, and the one that became prey could only wait to die while shivering.

However, there was not a single person in this place with such a charming nature.

"Shut up.  For now, eat this."

Hajime took out Agni-Orkan with an annoyed expression and started firing all at once.  Furthermore, he casually took out extra large bombs -- big metal sphere basketballs from the Treasure Warehouse II and dropped them into the sea.

One beat later.  Thinking the water's surface below shone for a moment, columns of water that spouted innumerably rose to stab the sky at the same time as muted explosions.

Gwuoooooooo!!

A shout was raised from the sea monster.  It was not a scream.  It was a roar of pure anger.  It seemed to be enraged about the tiny existence's impertinent attitude.

As if to point that out, dark red light moved in the water.  That glint in its eyes made them feel intense killing intent.  While its roar of anger still shook the atmosphere, it revealed its appearance while raising up from the sea like a mountain.

A long neck no less than fifty meters appeared from the sea raising a head like a dragon's.  If its size could be said to be to the extent that one scale was around one human child, that enormousness will be transmitted.  There, with its pair of eyes that emit dark red light, two layers of sharp fangs lined up in a row, and things like fins attached to both sides.  The fins, as well as the body, shone with a metallic quality and carried the sharpness of a blade; it seemed you would be cut in two only by touching them.

It was an abnormal pressure.  The sky was wrapped in dark clouds only existing there,  and the sea was stormy on a grand scale like even the end of the world appeared.  A large snake wrapped in scales that seem harder than steel, no, the form of a sea dragon was just like the Leviathan in Earth's legend.

"Is it a place where 'divine beast' or some such is said if I need to classify it?"

"Certainly, I feel pressure no less than when we fought the 'evil eater' in Merujine Undersea Ruins.  In this case, a monster from ancient times would be an appropriate expression." (T/N: A giant, regenerating clione with tentacles for those who haven't read it yet.)

Shia agreed with Tio's expression.  However, calling it 'divine beast', there was comparative composure in their expressions.  The appearance of tension was not especially seen in the tones of their voices.  On the occasion they calmly discussed its naming, it was like showing that they were not worried about a thing like the divine beast Leviathan's pressure.

That seemed to have been transmitted.  The divine beast raised a howl again.  As if to say it was impossible that its power was not comprehended, it resounded even stronger than the first roar.

However, it seemed something like that was a little too defenseless.

"Like I said, shut up."

Hajime took out the improved Schlagen.

No, it was already far surpassing the territory of 'anti-material rifle' in both form and specs.  The barrel that stretched no less than four meters straight, the caliber increased substantially, and however you see it, it should be called a turret.  All together, it became more than twice as large overall.

--Electromagnetic acceleration type large caliber shooting artillery <rail cannon> Schlagen AA. (T/N: AA = Acht-Acht, or eight-eight.  Named after 88mm German anti-aircraft guns from WW2.)

Is a wonderful romantic weapon desired?  If that is the case, 88mm is excellent!  The rail cannon was where Hajime's spirit lived.

Hajime fixed his aim by setting it up under his arm, while red sparks ran on the rail cannon.  Immediately afterward, the trigger was pulled without hesitation toward the divine beast whose big mouth opened.  The piercing specialized bombardment charged by an ultra fast speed that could not be compared to up until now, flew out while raising a terrific roar and spouting flames, and left a trail of a red flash as it plunged into the divine beast's mouth.

And then, BOOM!  It appeared breaking from the inside of the scales of the back of the divine beast's head while making noise, and furthermore, it vanished in the distance making the sky's clouds blow away.

Gaaaaaaaaaaa!!

The roar that was raised again was obviously a scream.  Throwing its head back in shock, blood scattered freely from its large opened mouth.

While laughing through his nose at that, Hajime made a shadow take flight.  Whether because it was hard to see since the surroundings were dim from the amassing dark clouds and the speed was too fast, or because of the divine beast's agitation from the damage it received, it overlooked that shadow and allowed it to invade its mouth.

It amassed it, and then, because it was violently angry from having been given injury, the divine beast spit out a flame with tremendous heat from its jaws.

Hajime in a state of silence took out cross bits.  Immediately afterward, the flame directly hit the four point barrier the cross bits raised.  The surface was licked by the red hot flame.  However, as long as it wasn't an apostle's disintegration attack, the cross bits' barrier would not be defeated easily, as inside Hajime's face was composed.

The divine beast, although it stared for a moment seeing that its flame had been stopped, it raised the force and heat even more like saying it was the spirit of the divine beast that Hajime suffer from burning to death.  As one would expect from one that should be called a divine beast, that heat was not normal, and began evaporating the sea while raising white smoke even though they were not touching directly.  Was it the flame's influence?  The dark clouds that were once blown off started to come back.

However, immediately after that,

"You should hurry up and read the air already!!"

A mass of light blue came falling down to break through the black clouds like a meteor.  Her rabbit ears were made intensely wild being agitated by the wind.  It's Shia.

Immediately after Hajime blocked the flames, Shia jumped into the sky to finish things in one go with the sky board from the Treasure Warehouse II, piercing through even the dark clouds, whirling in the clear sky, and turned around as she was.  She fell aiming at her target like a meteor by continuously stepping with Aerodynamic.

Shia appeared in the center of a wall of air.  Shia who broke into the world of the speed of sound in that moment, without the power decreasing a little, prepared to use Viredoryukken that she raised over her head which had its weight increased to 20 tons with gravity stones.

And then, she violently drove in a blow without mercy or restraint into the head of the divine beast that was dazed with its large mouth open to shoot out flames.

A thunderous roar.  The sound of smashing.  And then a scream.

The divine beast who closed its mouth by force, while flames leaked out of the opening of its mouth.  Muted screams similarly leaked out from the opening.  From the head being covered in metal scales, broken like smashing glass, dark red flesh was seen.

Shia's blow seemed to have been extremely effective.  Staggering not suitable for the dignity of a divine beast was shown.  A brain concussion might have been caused.

However, the hand was not loosened without reason because of that,

"I think it is also good with Goshujin-sama's training."

While muttering such a thing, Tio who floated in the sky fluttering her dragon wings focused black magical power with her hands facing each other like jaws.  Then she released it in one go.  Dragon's breath, the piercing compression method.

The blow that was launched shooting like a thin lance that drew a spiral didn't differ in aiming, impacting the spot Shia pulverized and piercing through the head of the divine beast.

The black spear, entering the mouth as it pierced the head, shot into the sea as it broke through from the interior of the throat.

A fatal wound.  Whoever saw it would have also thought it was so, but it seemed to still be insufficient to finish killing the divine beast that surpassed ancient monsters.

Guaaan!!

The divine beast didn't die instantly, and thinking that its raised voice was a little shrill, the ocean gradually rose as if its body was crawling.  And then, hiding the place that was destroyed, sea water was taken into the wounds like permeating them completely, and immediately afterward the wounds swelled and repaired similar to playing back a video in reverse.

"Uhee, could it be that as long as there is sea water it can regenerate as many times as it wants, that sort of feeling?"

"If that is the case, it is time to finish killing it.  Though it is best if the magic stone can be destroyed......Goshujin-sama, what should we do about that point?"

Tio asked while alighting near Hajime.

Hajime shook his head while watching the divine beast with an unusually dazzled look.

"No, I can't find the magic stone.  There's a possibility of missing it in the large body too, but...... because the magic stone becomes proportionately huge, it doesn't seem like it would not be found just looking for it from the beginning.  The evil eater seems similarly dyed entirely dark red."

"Muu, it is troublesome.  There is no intention to lose, but I want to avoid eating up time......"

"What do we do?  Hajime-san."

Hearing it was the same kind of monster as the founder demonic beast they faced before and also considering it was a monster of ancient times, Shia and Tio drew their eyebrows together.

However, Hajime who faced it lightly shrugged his shoulders.

"Like this, a huge living thing of the sea, is attacking it from the interior entering inside the body a theory?"

"Ah, a little while ago......"

Shia raised her voice having noticed something.

That moment, the divine beast restoring its head raises a scream that erases her voice.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

Unmistakably a scream.  Its whole length writhed violently like it was completely suffering in pain.

Seeing that state, Tio asked Hajime while she nodded her head like she was also convinced.

"By the way Goshujin-sama.  What is the course?"

"Eel broiled from the inside by tar.  Explosives and deadly poisons garnish it."

"Oou...... then again, I might feel a little bit of sympathy."

To Hajime's reply, Tio sent a look at the divine beast like she saw a pitiful thing.

The divine beast in question still writhed violently while it raised a roar.

That also could not be helped.  At any rate, from the cross bit sent into its body, a large quantity of tar and explosives, and in addition poison of the strongest product of hell was finally scattered through the open gate, and simultaneously set on fire.  This way it also had nothing to do with the hard scales.

The divine beast began to drink the sea water.  It might be said that the wounds would heal putting sea water into the body.  However, that was a poor move.

To prove it, immediately after the divine beast gulped down the ocean water, one part of its body burst from the inside together with a grand explosion.  A burst of flames also spout up from its mouth.  From the divine beast a scream that was full of bewilderment was raised.

"Large quantities of water on flames of 3000 degrees Celsius...... will always cause a steam explosion.  And, there is no way that a beast would know such a thing."

"That's, the thing of someone about where Hajime-san burnt inside the body of such a living thing.  It is absolutely the first experience."

"No, it is not the first experience......  No, rather is it a wonderful first experience?"

"Aren't your acts steadily becoming more intense?  Sometime, I'm afraid you'll make a request I can't carry out with my hands."

To Tio's nonsense, Hajime followed with a disagreeable expression.  And then he returned his gaze to the divine beast ignoring Tio who was somehow bashful and laughing "Ehe ehe".

Far from recovering it was carrying further damage, while somewhere a hopeless atmosphere floated from the divine beast, and yet was there pride at being a powerful monster?  It turned its glare that overflowed with killing intent on Hajime while spitting out a massive amount of blood.

Hajime that received it......  why did he lick his tongue with a slurping sound?

The divine beast quivered with a startle.

While floating a ferocious smile at such a divine beast, Hajime muttered with a sigh.

"I want to eat......"

""Eh?""

Although it was a small mutter, in defiance of the great wind violently blowing and agitated sea, to the words that somehow resounded clearly, Shia and Tio vigorously faced in Hajime's direction.

The divine beast also, although it writhed in pain as expected, it stared at Hajime stopping its moving suddenly.

Hajime, while he turned straight to the divine beast and pointed strangely glittering eyes at it from a little while ago, muttered again.

"The meat is filled with power that feels good.  In this case, it is likely to become my food."

And then, he licked his tongue again.

Because of that, the divine beast also finally noticed.

The glittering look the opponent in front of it turned towards itself, it understood it was not hostility or killing intent...... it was appetite.

Since it was born it had never felt a chill that ran down its entire length.  It was not known to the divine beast to perform an unbecoming "retreat".  The look an existence that stood at the top of the food chain never faced -- the indescribable fear from a predator that invades the body.

It never thought -- it wasn't able to do it.  Actually, now, it was itself that was cornered.  The divine beast believed.  If it fought as it was, it would certainly...... be eaten.

And so, just as it understood, the divine beast turned its body, surprising even itself by its quick-wittedness.  The heat burning inside its body, hurting from the poison eating into it, and the shock of the explosions that occurred when it touched the sea water, disregarding everything, it poured out all of its power for the sake of nothing but escape.

To the divine beast that attempted escape by impossible resoluteness as the strongest level of demonic beast, even Hajime was stunned for a moment.  Up to that point it was a splendid escape.  The "pyu~" sound effect seemed to stick to it.

"Ugh, you bastard.  Wait, meaaat!    Don't run away when you're a divine beast!"

PigyaaAAA!!

When Hajime forced it to stay in a hurry using the cross bit that was inside the divine beast's body, the divine beast raised a howl feeling a little pitiable.  Making that long body shrink in an instant, it grandly spit out a large quantity of ocean water that had been taken in from who knew when.

Naturally, grand explosions occur, although it blew up from the inside of the body here and there, somehow it successfully spit out the cross bit.  And then, it manipulated the ocean water as it was to produce several waterspouts on the water, diving to the bottom of the sea at full speed while running away towards Hajime.

"Let. Me. Eat. Your. Meaaat~"

While blowing away the waterspouts that approached from all directions with Impact Conversion magic, Hajime demanded the divine beast's meat with a voice that like it carried a grudge.

The divine beast that turned its head for just a moment from under the sea, and the small animal whose eyes that became bloodshot demanding its meat matched their gazes, but it turned its head away in a panic while holding tremendous fear and thinking it had "seen what it should never see".

Then,

Piiiiii~~~~!!

And, while resounding a voice that broke into weeping that went beyond miserable to invite pity, it disappeared within the darkness of the ocean's depths.  Somehow, did it seem in their imaginations like it is saying "I won't leave home agaaain~"?

"Damn it!  That level of demonic beast escaping immediately is impossible!  Even though it was a chance to power up at the last moment!"

Because the divine beast disappeared, the dark clouds dispersed, while the stormy sea was in the process of regaining its calm, Hajime stomped his feet in the air.

There, Shia and Tio approached turning an amazed look.

"Goshujin-sama, it is already too late to prey on the divine beast."

"Until now, it has never been looked at with such eyes, and its resistance was nonexistent.  The last cry a little while ago was pitiful.  Won't it become a hikikomori carrying a trauma?"

"Tsk, it's a snake with no guts."

The divine beast certainly must have never thought in its wildest dreams that something like its guts would be questioned.

Hajime finished returning the cross bit seemingly in an ill humor, took out the compass again, and chooses a route.

Thereupon, just at that time, with Hajime's and the others' gazes forward, the space of a place several kilometers away started flickering softly.  Then, several moments later, a large island appeared inside of the space that dissolved like it was melting.

"Seems like, the gate to the next space appears to be in the center of that island."

"I wonder if it appeared because the divine beast retreated?"

"That is highly probable.  Surely, anyone would think that if it retreated by such a feeling."

Sending glances of sympathy to the the place where the divine beast which had trauma etched into its mind vanished, Shia and Tio left in accordance with Hajime's guidance.

The island seemed to be a considerable size.  Trees in the dozens of meters high covered its entirety while, excluding the coastline, the land could not be seen at all.  The entrance to the next space seemed to be in the center of the forest.

Then, Shia's rabbit ears perceived a great number of powerful demonic beasts spread out in the center section.

Though not to the extent of the divine beast, they were all strong demonic beasts. Not to be defeated, it seemed to take time to deal with numbers of this many just like the with divine beast.

Shia asked Hajime "What should we do?" with a glance.

Hajime, taking out Schlagen AA again from the Treasure Warehouse II, entered a shooting posture taking a stance on his knee on the sky board.  The scope penetrated the trees, reflecting the heat source sensed of all living things there.

"Aah, perhaps Hajime-san......"

"Wait just a bit.  I'll put them in order shortly.  The lightning fast precise bombardment is outside their perception.  They won't be able to deal with it.  Just the fellow who seemed to be a hindrance before will get his big head blown off."

Shia, when she got confirmation from Hajime with a cramped expression, the answer that came back was completely as expected.

Immediately afterward, a tremendous roaring sound resounded, and a bright red flash ran though the sky in an instant.

The light beam's flash instantly blew off the top of the head of the Giant Kong that was like a huge gorilla that walked in the interior of the deep forest without it noticing, and scattered its brains in the surroundings.  Next, the ground was impacted blowing off many trees in the surroundings.  A large crater was completed.

Furthermore, continuous roaring sounds reverberated.  From a distant place no less than ten kilometers away, the light of death came flying at an impossible-to-recognize speed, and the large demonic beasts that loitered around where the space's entrance was thought to be scattered their heads one by one.  The dense forest became a battlefield full of holes in an instant.

"Surely, after the divine beast was beaten,  there is an addition of a lot of powerful demonic beasts!  Now, it's terrible!  It seems to be that sort of feeling.  Originally."

"Well, since it is not a labyrinth, calling it a trial is wrong...... it does not seem to differ from something that is an obstacle."

Until coming here, Hajime easily eliminating obstacles was not a frontal attack method like now, Shia and Tio recalled that they had not taken an active part at all with faint smiles.

When his desire raged on the verge of regaining Yue, the two of them exchanged glances full of sympathy.

Nevertheless, that enthusiasm showed itself before reaching Yue's location.

After slaughtering the island's demonic beasts one-sidedly, Hajime and the others, who moved to the next space from a stone statue that was in the center of the forest, appeared in the sky of a world where there were several huge islands that floated.

There were islands with a diameter of dozens of meters, and there are also islands of a several kilometer scale.   With what kind of principle did the rivers' water keep flowing down from the floating islands without interruption?  The height consequently changed the waterfalls straight into mist on the way, and the white mist drifting in the surroundings was a very fantastic spectacle.

On top of the floating islands where greenery also overflowed, there were grasslands and forests.  There was not a single floating island in a state of just being a mass of floating rocks.

A sea of clouds extended below.  Lingering at the height of their gazes, clouds like cotton candy drifted in the sky.  A sweet fragrance seemed like it was going to float over at any moment.

Bright light was pouring down although there was no sun, weaving pillars of light in the gaps of the clouds -- making a great number of the so-called "angel's ladders".

Many floating islands overflowed with white clouds, and then beams of light poured down.

It was impressive and mysterious.  Without knowing anything, one might believe unconditionally that here is the world of Heaven.

Hajime and the others, after being captivated by the scene for a little while, advanced forward shaking their heads.  The destination was an especially large floating island among several floating islands.  The compass was pointing there.

Flying on the sky boards, they shortened the distance in a flash.  Simultaneously, they perceived a strong presence on the floating island.

Ahead of Hajime and the others who strengthened their vigilance narrowing their eyes, that person appeared.

"As I thought you came?  Nagumo Hajime.  The fool that chooses to go against God."

With silver wings and hair like an apostle that fluttered in the wind it was the demonic beast user of the Majin tribe -- Fried Bagua.

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