Kikori Had No Time To Try To Look Cool.

“Aria-san!”

“Yeah, I’m going!”

A Lizard Runner’s hard scales would block something like throwing knives.

Even a sword might get knocked aside by a sloppy strike.

But an axe was different.

If Kikori brought it down with all his strength, the scales would crack and the damage would go through.

And once its movement stopped, Aria’s axe would reliably finish it off.

But the enemy wasn’t just going to sit there and take it.

One of the Magi Riders Kikori’s group had judged to be a serious threat wheeled around and raised its staff.

What it fired was a magical arrow… a Magic Arrow.

But Kikori didn’t fear it and stepped straight in front of it.

Somehow, he felt sure he could do it.

Yes—Kikori’s new armor… the berserk mail did.

It absorbed the mana of anything it touched, right up to the limit. Which meant, of course, mana it touched as well.

“Gih…!?”

The instant the Magic Arrow touched Kikori’s berserk mail… more precisely, its mana stone, it was absorbed.

Even the ones that should have hit somewhere other than the mana stone—all of them.

And then… the mana stone set into it glowed faintly.

With that, the mana from that Magic Arrow was loaded into the mana stone.

Which meant Kikori could use that mana. He’d already been taught how.

“Charge!”

Mana flowed from the mana stone into Kikori.

He felt a terrifying urge to destroy surging up from inside his body.

Break, kill—something inside Kikori screamed that an enemy was right there.

But… there was no problem at all.

“Mjolniiiirrrrrrrrrrr!”

He shouted. Snap—lightning stronger than what he could trigger with his own mana alone wrapped around the magic axe.

“Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”

He threw it. The lightning-wreathed magic axe smashed the Magi Rider… the Hobgoblin Magician riding it—and then returned to Kikori’s hand.

In the next instant, Kikori lunged at the masterless Lizard Runner.

He lunged—only to stop short.

“Okay, stop!”

Pulled from behind, he stumbled in place.

“Attacking a masterless Lizard Runner is a waste of time! And besides…”

Where Aria pointed—the Hero Gate opened, and guards and adventurers rushed out.

At some point, the battle to defend the Hero Gate had already been decided, and it had shifted into a mop-up operation.

“Looks like we won’t be needed anymore. It’s okay, Kikori.”

Aria hugged him tightly from behind, and Kikori felt the emotions inside him begin to quiet down.

“Haa…”

And still leaning against him, Aria let all the strength drain out of her body.

“I’m at my limit… I don’t even have the leeway to try to look cool, so… I’m going to collapse, okay?”

“Huh!? A-Aria-san!?”

Hauling up the Aria who was sliding down toward the ground, Kikori carried her on his back and ran to the clinic.