Area Boss (Part Three)

The moment I thought Nyankoromochi had been struck by the massive club—

The club was the one that was repelled.

“Huh?”

Dumbfounded by a sight I could hardly believe, I stared blankly.

Nyankoromochi landed nimbly in front of me, then hissed a threatening “Shaaa!” toward the giant lizardman.

After the giant lizardman regained its posture, it swung its club at Nyankoromochi again.

Clang!

It was a sound like striking a metal iron plate. The club drifted to the right, as if it had hit something above Nyankoromochi’s head.

“Meow!”

Nyankoromochi moved swiftly and swung his right foreleg at the giant lizardman.

There was distance between them.

Nyankoromochi’s short foreleg should have cut vainly through empty air.

“Guoooooooooooo!”

The giant lizardman screamed.

With a slash, as if it had been clawed by a dragon’s talons, the leather armor the giant lizardman wore was torn apart, and the scales beneath were shredded to pieces.

…What was going on?

Nyankoromochi’s attack had not reached it.

Together with that defense against the club just now—

It felt as though a transparent force field was working around Nyankoromochi, assisting his attacks and defense.

…I had kept him thinking he was just an ordinary cat, but—

Was he not just an ordinary cat!?

“Meooooooooooooow!”

The battle between the cat and the lizardman began.

Nyankoromochi moved around nimbly, dodging the club and cutting up the lizardman again and again.

“Guoooooooooooooo!”

However, the giant lizardman was not losing either.

With its hard defense and tough endurance, it withstood the attacks, and once every few strikes, it landed its club on Nyankoromochi.

Of course, that blow was repelled by the mysterious force field covering Nyankoromochi, but—

…No…

It was not completely repelling it.

Was some sort of impact being transmitted? Nyankoromochi’s body trembled with a jerk.

Little by little, Nyankoromochi’s movements began to lose their sharpness.

The knockback when he took a hit grew larger.

Even so, Nyankoromochi did not flinch.

He challenged the giant lizardman while letting out brave cries.

…I see, Nyankoromochi.

You’re pushing yourself, aren’t you?

For me.

To protect me.

Then—

As his owner, I couldn’t just stand here and watch!

“Ooooooooooooo!”

I readied my sword.

I probably could not beat the giant lizardman alone.

Even Nyankoromochi alone might not be enough to reach it.

But if it was “us”!

“Hey, lizard bastard! Over here!”

In my battered state, I would probably be nothing more than a target, but… that was enough. As long as I could reduce the attacks on Nyankoromochi even a little.

I slashed at the giant lizardman.

The enraged giant lizardman turned back toward me and slammed its club at me.

Clang!

I caught it with the large shield. Caught it? No, an unbelievable pain ran through my arm. I braced myself and endured the force that nearly sent me flying backward.

I would stand here. Even if only a little longer!

If I did that—

“Meow!”

“Guoooooooooooooo!”

Nyankoromochi’s attack would get through to the giant lizardman!

The giant lizardman, enraged beyond reason, swung its club wildly. That confusion was a chance for us. Nyankoromochi and I attacked the giant lizardman, which was full of openings, one after another.

Could this work?

I thought so, but the giant lizardman regained its composure faster than that.

It was at a disadvantage because it was fighting two enemies at once.

All it had to do was crush us one by one.

Yes—from that nearly dead one.

The giant lizardman swung its club down at me. I dodged it.

In that opening, Nyankoromochi landed an attack.

Until now, it should have immediately turned back toward Nyankoromochi.

Ignoring Nyankoromochi—

It slammed its club at me.

“Whoa!?”

I dodged again. But the lizardman did not care. It did not let up its attacks on me.

“Guh!?”

I allowed several hits to land. I blocked them with my sturdy shield and armor, but the impact that could not be fully killed mercilessly battered my body.

“Gwoooooooo!”

The accumulated damage had already reached its limit. I could no longer move nimbly enough to dodge.

I was exposed to the giant lizardman’s fierce assault.

Violence like a heavy rain poured down from above my head.

“Guh—!”

“Meooooooooooooow!”

I heard Nyankoromochi’s voice. His usually carefree cry was filled with urgency.

He was surely continuing to attack the giant lizardman desperately.

Just a little more—just a little more—I had to endure—

That was what I thought.

But the existence of stats was not so light—

That it could be overturned by a gutsy theory like that.

“U… ah…”

Unable to stay standing, I dropped both knees to the ground. My hands, which had been raised above me to protect my head, fell limply. The shield slipped from my hand.

The fact that I did not let go of my sword—

Was perhaps the last bit of pride I had.

But—

It was already impossible.

Nyankoromochi… If it’s just you, you can somehow manage… Do your best…

“Guoooooooooooooo!”

The giant lizardman swung its club down.

I no longer had the stamina to dodge or the strength to block.

All that was left was to take the final blow and die.

Goodbye, Misha. Nyankoromochi.

The club that would crush my life smashed down toward my head—

At that moment.

“Meow!”

—Huh?

Pressure struck my body from the side. My body was sent flying sideways.

Nyankoromochi had tackled me.

Thud!

The giant lizardman’s club struck not me, but Nyankoromochi, who had cut in.

Without even time to scream, Nyankoromochi was slammed into the floor. His small body bounced.

“Guoooooooooooooo!”

As if seeing this as the perfect chance, the giant lizardman madly brought its club down.

Nyankoromochi did not move. He curled up and endured it.

The force field surrounding Nyankoromochi seemed to gradually lose its strength. The club still had not reached Nyankoromochi, but who knew how long that would last?

Little by little, Nyankoromochi stopped moving.

Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!

I wanted to pick Nyankoromochi up and run away right now, but I could not. My body would not move properly.

So all I could do was stretch out my right hand.

“Nyankoromochi… No, don’t die…!”

The giant lizardman gripped the club with both hands.

Then it swung it down with all its might.

Gaaang!

With a massive sound. In the blink of an eye. It was brought down.

Nyankoromochi’s form was—

Not there.

He had vanished. As if he had been smashed to pieces by the destructive energy contained in the club.

“Guoooooooooooooo!”

The lizardman roared. It was a victory cry. It was a cry that announced the fact that it had slain the difficult enemy it had struggled against until now.

“Ah, ah, ah, ah…”

I staggered to my feet—

And ran.

I ran disgracefully. Dragging my body along.

“No, I can’t… If it’s me… if it’s only me, I can’t win…!”

Nyankoromochi and I had clashed with it, and this was how things had turned out. There was no way I could win by fighting normally.

For now, I had to run. Desperately, within this sealed space.

I had to keep my life going, even a little longer.

That was all I could do now. That alone was hope.

“Guoooooooooooooo!”

The giant lizardman chased after me while intimidating me. But its steps were not rushed at all.

It knew.

It knew that the prey called me could no longer escape. It knew it could snap my life off at any time.

I knew that too.

But this was the only thing I could do anymore.

There were not many places to run. In no time at all, I was driven into the corner of the room.

“Haha, hahahaha…”

There was nowhere left to run.

I turned around.

The massive lizardman was right there.

“Guoooooooooooooo!”

Along with a roar filled with murderous intent, the giant lizardman raised its club.

It was over.

Yes, over.

My end?

No. Not my end.

Your end! Giant lizardman!

I held my right hand forward.

“Schrödinger’s Cat!”

And shouted.

“Do it, Nyankoromochi! Full-power attack!”

Immediately after.

“Meooooooooooooow!”

The roar of an enraged cat echoed throughout the sealed room.

After taking an unexpected fierce attack from behind, the giant lizardman screamed.

My ability was not something that took a cat in and out of a bag.

My ability was—

Schrödinger’s Cat

It makes the existence of one cat in an enclosed space ambiguous.