Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode

“Hwaah!”

The Deputy Director, Maren Burstian, swung a massive greatsword through the air.

Maren’s sword strikes, based on Meditatio, created enormous waves as heavy as the sword itself, crashing down on the Outcast Gods.

Soft cheese shattered under pressure, resembling the defeated Outcast Gods.

Seeing those Outcast Gods easily being wiped out made him think this war would end soon, but reality was anything but easy.

Maren looked elsewhere.

The pink mist was still rolling—there were just too many Outcast Gods for it not to look that way.

In between, he spotted white sword strikes being indiscriminately unleashed.

That must be from the White Mask.

If she had reached the level of Meditatio, she could casually unleash such strikes without issue.

Ta-ta-ta!

Footsteps drew closer from all around Maren as if they wouldn’t even allow him a moment to daze.

The moment the girls revealed themselves, Maren’s eyes widened as he raised his greatsword high.

“Don’t know when to stop, do you?!”

Spinning with the greatsword in place, the girls were not sliced neatly but instead crashed into the wall.

Could he have accidentally hit them with the back of the sword?

No way that was a mistake.

It was then that Maren realized he was panting heavily.

His stamina was gradually running out.

In trying to reduce casualties even by one, Maren was left all alone in this space; it was an unavoidable result.

He had to hold out until Tanton returned at the very least.

“Haha, this is getting troublesome.”

It couldn’t be helped.

A knight is someone who can sacrifice anything to protect what is precious to them.

Even if that so happens to be their life.

If he couldn’t survive this war and met his end, it would still be a glorious finish.

As he squeezed what little stamina he had left, trembling arms lifted the greatsword once more.

“Deputy Director.”

In that instant, Maren felt a shiver as he turned towards the voice.

It was none other than the Knight Commander.

He had explicitly told her to rest within the headquarters; what was she doing here?

With a look of disbelief, Maren murmured.

“Commander, this place is dangerous.”

“Hmm? Dangerous, you say?”

The Knight Commander tilted her head, not grasping the situation as she looked at Maren.

Maren thought this was extremely dangerous.

If something suddenly attacked the Commander in this situation…

They say a thought can become a thing.

As he was lost in that inner monologue, one girl sneaked up behind the Commander and aimed for her neck.

“Commander!”

By the time Maren raised his voice, it was too late for him to dodge or for Maren to intervene.

The image of the Commander turning her back on him sprang to mind, and tears flowed from Maren’s eyes.

How could he lose someone precious without even being able to do anything?

But fortunately, the heavens were not that indifferent to Maren.

Thud!

Maren stared blankly at the Commander as she responded to the sound.

Her gaze remained on him; she had twisted her arm behind and was gripping the girl’s head in her hand.

That thudding sound was clearly the noise of the girl’s head being crushed, thanks to the sheer strength of the Commander.

“Hmm? Ugh, what the?!”

The Knight Commander, shocked, threw the girl she had just grabbed onto the floor.

It was a reaction as if she hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.

The girl, with her skull cracked, naturally lay still, her body becoming a cold corpse.

Maren couldn’t even breathe at that sight for a moment.

He got to witness a glimpse of the Knight Commander he had always known.

The one he had relied on and respected.

Perhaps it was because of that.

Maren, who had been fighting alone, crumbled under the overwhelming fatigue and crashed his knees against the ground.

“Hey, are you okay?!”

The Knight Commander, startled, supported Maren, but he smiled back at her.

He wanted to protect her as much as he could.

He didn’t want to overwork her, making her suffer without any memories.

However, in that moment of movement, Maren had seen something.

Even so, her body longed to protect Rondan.

Marks etched in their body would never disappear.

For a moment, as if his mind traveled back to the past, Maren found himself embraced by her.

“Deputy Director?!”

“Commander.”

The Knight Commander was startled, thinking Maren had fainted, but even in her voice, Maren twisted his lips.

“What is it?”

“Those wicked beings are bothering me. Can you help me?”

“What did you say?!”

Maren’s single remark made the Knight Commander’s eyes widen as she looked up at the sky.

The anger evident in her eyes was unmistakable.

“How dare they bother someone who treats me to meals!”

Hack!

Maren felt pity at the notion that he was treated so lightly but couldn’t help but laugh at it.

She would often tease him with a delighted smile whenever she saved him from dangerous situations.

Although she had lost her memories, the Knight Commander hadn’t changed at all.

“I’ll go teach them a lesson. You should rest in that building.”

With that statement, the Knight Commander lowered herself as if to gather momentum.

And in a moment, she soared into the sky.

She appeared to float mid-air like a dot.

Due to that, perhaps drawn by her presence, the horde of pink Outcast Gods shifted direction and flew straight toward the Knight Commander.

Like they were perfectly lined up in a row.

However, instead of being flustered, the Knight Commander took a fighting stance against the Outcast Gods.

Fwoosh!

Just by doing that, massive waves of force erupted around the Knight Commander, engulfing the entirety of Rondan.

Was that an actual force that could come from a human?

Maren swallowed hard at witnessing the pieces of the Knight Commander after so long.

But that wasn’t all.

Just as the horde of Outcast Gods approached within striking distance, the Knight Commander swung her fist toward the very frontmost Outcast God.

Such a simple action…

The winds inside Rondan changed direction.

Was a typhoon approaching?

No.

It was the airflow being forcefully altered by the Knight Commander’s punch.

A wave formed right in front of her fist, and the foremost Outcast Gods were swept away, leaving not even a trace behind.

The fate of the lined-up Outcast Gods behind them was equally disastrous.

“…Huh.”

Maren was filled with awe.

It was as if the sky itself had split open in front of the Knight Commander, as there was nothing left.

A vast ripple of air spread out in the shape of a triangle.

It demonstrated overwhelming power, proving she was the only Elite Outsider killer.

“What the—?!”

“The Commander is floating!”

While the surrounding knights were in a frenzy, Maren couldn’t help but smile.

“…You’re still amazing, Commander.”

With her joining the fight, this war was anticipated to become much easier.

*

Hahaha!

The interrogator’s laughter echoed.

In contrast, I gritted my teeth, throwing myself about haphazardly.

A sphere condensed with pain.

It made it hard to approach properly due to the interrogator’s attacks, as if firing them like a cannon.

Asti was barely dodging too, but perhaps her stamina was running thin, as she was panting heavily.

The Saint’s words flashed in my mind.

The interrogator could potentially become stronger at the Idea Level, they said.

The power of the Elite Outsider at the Idea Level.

Even that seemed like child’s play.

The only thing I did notice was that Asti’s wings could bounce back those attacks, thanks to the power of the Elite Outsider.

So now, I’ll take my chance.

“Asti.”

“Yes.”

“…I’m sorry, but could you attract the interrogator’s attention?”

“…Do you have a plan?”

“Yes.”

It was a completely improvised plan.

I was anxious, but there was nothing I could do.

It seemed Asti picked up on my cue as she nodded.

“Alright.”

And then Asti silently executed my command.

Tatadadak!

Asti exploded with all her might and charged towards the interrogator.

The interrogator glanced at her with a disdainful look and then extended her palm toward Asti.

“Guh!”

Just like that, Asti was being pulled toward the interrogator.

“Those who feel pain cannot escape from me. That also includes you, my daughter.”

But Asti resisted until the end.

To fulfill my request.

To lead this battle to victory.

I could feel her resolute will.

And as if to continue that resolve, I had already gotten close to the interrogator.

“Ha, have you chosen death on your own?”

Saying this, the interrogator shot a concentrated sphere at me.

It was sizable, but I had no choice.

I caught the sphere right in front of my face with my wings.

Was it because the force was overwhelming? It felt like they would tear apart.

Huaaa!

Straining to keep my consciousness, I put strength in my wings.

As a result, the sphere’s angle was thrown off and shot off into another direction. Seizing that moment, I dashed towards the interrogator.

“What the—?!”

The interrogator’s shock was only for a moment.

My sword headed straight for her abdomen.

Shlick!

The sound reminiscent of a game effect echoed, and I felt an unpleasant sensation from the sword.

I had pierced through the interrogator’s abdomen.

To confirm the kill, I twisted the sword 90 degrees.

“Guh!”

The interrogator gasped out in pain, but I ignored it and pulled the sword out.

Blood poured from her abdomen.

The interrogator staggered backward, holding her abdomen as she retreated.

The image of the Elite Outsider symbolizing pain seemed very contradictory as she appeared to be in distress.

Yeah, I’ve won…

Wait a moment.

Distressed? That’s odd.

The interrogator transforms all pain into pleasure.

Even if it’s her own pain, she should be able to do that.

Seeing her suffering so much felt wrong.

“…Huhuhuh, h-heh.”

The interrogator started to laugh softly.

I felt certain that something was amiss at that sight, and I tried to escape from the spot.

“Hahaha!”

Suddenly, she bent her waist and burst into a fit of maniacal laughter, charging at me with a speed that was hard to perceive.

“What the—?! Ugh!”

Before I could even attempt to do anything, the interrogator seized my neck, throwing me down to the ground and taking the full impact.

Even so, her hand hadn’t released my neck; she was now riding on top of me.

“Ha, haha! How long did I spend looking for a gap like this? Thinking you had landed a finishing blow, how ecstatically happy I was!”

The interrogator’s eyes were wide, her face drawing in close, with only her red eyes filling my vision.

“Oh, that expression! The one of despair because you believe you’ve wasted your last chance and can’t do anything now. I wanted to see that expression!”

What utter terror was this?

I grimaced as I glared at her, trying not to fall into contemplation, but the fear blossoming in my heart would not subside.

Am I going to die now?

For those who have been defeated by an outsider, death is inevitable.

“Interesting, human. You are the first to show such an amusing reaction!”

The interrogator declared with a voice full of delight, suddenly sweeping her arm to the side and blasting forth a wave of air.

Asti, who had stealthily approached, had been detected.

“Ugh!”

“Don’t interfere, you damn girl!”

The interrogator, perhaps overly excited, used vulgar language she wouldn’t normally.

Gasping for breath, she confirmed Asti had collapsed before shifting her gaze back to me.

“It’s just as I thought. I can’t kill you. You will serve me forever. I’ll reward you accordingly in return. How does that sound? If you want, we could even have a physical relationship.”

Seeing her lose her mind was like watching a drugged patient drowning in pleasure.

That bizarre sight only heightened the horror.

At the same time, it summoned a sensation to its extreme.

Powerlessness.

Is this it, where I can do nothing?

I tried to exert my strength, but every time I did, the grip of the interrogator tightened.

I couldn’t breathe.

I felt like I would faint any moment.

Ah.

Is this how my grand plan crumbles?

In the end, I couldn’t defend Rondan.

As despair seeped in over my inability to achieve what I wanted, my vision gradually faded to black.

…

…

‘For my precious one.’

…?

‘Don’t you dare touch him!!!!!’

As my consciousness drifted away, a thunderous voice hit my brain like a hammer.

For that reason, I forcibly returned to my senses and realized something was strange.

The interrogator had suddenly frozen in place.

With a look of panic on her face.

“Y-you, why…?”

The interrogator spoke words she couldn’t comprehend as she stepped back. Behind her, something strange began to occur.

Space distorted, turning black as it started to suck everything in.

It resembled a black hole.

I didn’t know what it was, but I understood one thing.

Something had appeared that could change the tides of this situation.

---