Kuro no Maou

The feeling of scorching heat starts to spread in the shape of character of one (TN: Horizontal slash like (一)), though the wound is shallow, but the blade has definitely cut him.

“――”

If that attack was a martial skill, he would’ve died.

The Mithril Blade easily cuts through the black magic robe a.k.a『Baphomet’s Embrace』which increases the defensive power of the wearer.

Even if it was a swing of sword, if he took it head-on it would’ve had become a fatal wound. Kurono evaded with paper-thin difference and somehow runs away from Cyprus’s slashing attacks.

“Ora! What happened No. 49. Weren’t you gonna—”

4 strong arms attack Kurono who somehow was standing without breaking his stance even after getting a cut near his chest.

“—Kill me??”

They were not arms but 4『Crime Eater』

The head of snake covered with hard white colored scales capable of stealing the black magic head towards Kurono at high-speed. The impact of the heads easily surpasses the impact of that of a heavy-weight boxer.

“Ku!”

He was able to repel 2 of them with his『Cursed Grudge Hatchet「HaraRetsu」』, but was unable to fend off other 2 which land a strike at him with their heads.

Though Kurono’s body weight was far surpassing than that of a normal adult male, his enhanced body and height were also a factor in it, but the head-but of the white big-serpents were able to send him back flying back.

“......U, It hurts”

To not show any unguarded moment, he stood back while taking a defence stance.

“Hehe, you’re still full of energy, so then why don’t have another go with higher difficulty”

“Ha, so you were holding back, huh”

With the action of calling back the 2『Crime Eater』the black magical power inside the『Cure Grudge Hatchet「HaraRetsu」』was sucked out.

Kurono once again returned the hatchet back to the blackened state by pouring his magical power inside.

“If you couldn’t do that it would be boring! From the time I came to Pandora(here), I had been struck with boredom, but it’s not good to not have fun when it’s fun time.”

In good words to explain Cyprus’s dominance would be, he was playing with Kurono.

If the『Crime Eater』try not to head-butt, but bite or wrap him to seal his movements, then later Kurono would automatically become disabled after having black magical power sucked out.

And it will be end for him if Cyprus tried to stab him while his movement was restricted, Kurono, who had been defending understood that much.

On the other hand, Cyprus knows his own and his servant’s abilities completely, furthermore,

(We, ‘Creators’ know more about your body than you yourself.)

Cyprus even knows the abilities of his enemy, Kurono.

(No. 49 escaped during the end of the first phase of Holy Soldier Project, and so that bastard can’t use any black magic other than instinctively nor can he learn other magics.)

Cyprus understood the fact that『Foreigners』which become the experimental subjects are inhabitants of another world.

And the fact that the worlds from where foreigners were called from have no relation to magic was already confirmed.

Hence, it was an established theory that foreigners have zero ability in learning magic by themselves other than the ‘power’ given by them.

(After all,『Trans Word』is always activated and it translates the letters and spoken words. There is no way he can actually learn the real language.) [ET: Trans Word = Translation of Words. I need that thing in my mind so I can TL almost every language of World.]

The fatal disadvantage in not being able to learn various magic like Model magic et cetera was that.

The magic won’t activate unless one knows the meaning of the spell and the words written it. Even if one tried to mimic the pronunciation of writing of the spell, the magic won’t start ever.

In the first place, it was even impossible for Kurono to mimic the pronunciation or writing of spell, because the language of the world was replaced with Japanese from the start it entered his ears.

“—-Bullet Arts”

The cornered Kurono fired Bullet Arts which Cyprus had seen even in experiment and actual practice.

“I’m saying this is useless, you dimwit!”

The Bullet Arts though had the efficiency same to that of a real bullet, but to Cyprus who controlled the『Crime Eater』it wasn’t even a threat of a child throwing pebble at him.

Cyprus attacks straightly without having any need for defence or evasion.

And as if natural the bullets vanish in thin air before reaching the enemy as if putting a drop of water on a hot stone.

But, Kurono surely saw that the bullets reached Cyprus more than before because he poured twice the amount of magical power than before.

“『Lux Slash』”

“KuroNagi!”

The trajectory of white and black intersected.

The remains of magical power of both black and white magic scattered due to the blades exchanging blows.

Kurono took a step back because of the difference in compatibility.

Without a moment’s delay, the 4 big serpent assaulted Kurono with a terrifying straight head-butt(Punch).

“Ku, Shield”

He deployed defensive magic, but regrets the moment because it was a bad move.

But, it’s truth that he had no other way of defending.

Its result,

SFX: Shaaaa–!

The 4 head pierce through the shield as if it wasn’t there and Kurono takes four heavy strikes on his body.

He took a impact very strong that it might have taken his consciousness. Then Kurono saw from the side of his vision that the place of snake which touched the Shield deployed by him were sucking his black magic form him.

“Gaha, Geho......”

The once again blown away Kurono, somehow took defensive stance but was unable to stand right up immediately.

And, Cyprus, who didn’t had any intention of ending the one-sided fight waited for Kurono to stand back up.

(Don’t lose confidence with just this much No. 49. You’re the great masochist, who actually completed the human experiments while retaining sanity after all. This much won’t mean any shit to you.)

Kurono stood back up while gripping the hatchet with his left hand pushed forward.

In his eyes, the peculiar pair of black eyes, the fighting spirit still hadn’t wavered even after knowing the absolute affinity difference.

(That’s right, those shitty conceited eyes!

Right now I’m thanking god with my whole heart. After I get a chance to instill insanity and despair in you, in those unyielding-spirited eyes of yours!!)

Cyprus didn’t knew that he was laughing, but even if he knew there is no reason for him to stop laughing.

(The ‘Real Thing’ comes later, beating the hell out of you and bringing you back is only opening performance, but I will have fun,

until you understand that no matter how you struggle, you won’t be able to defeat me ever)

Seeing Kurono poise the sword with both hands, Cyprus too poised the sword a second later.

(There is no introduction to martial skills in the first phase of experiments. The『KuroNagi』No.49 is using is the curse of that hatchet.

He might be able to kill scum around here and there with the power and weapon ability, but, hmph, that technique ain’t much to me who has learned martial skills and equipped with a『Mithril Sword』).

While pushing back the sadism rising from the bottom of heart, Cyprus inspected the weapon that Kurono acquired after the escape.

(It must be good luck that he got a baton for black magic use, but that level of thing won’t give much firepower.

He knows that the strongest he has right now is only that hatchet.

It’s clear that you don’t have any other weapon hidden, after all we have the skill to see through you black magician’s dimension.

or rather you don’t even have a sword with『Auto-Killer』function. Hmph, showing-off against some damn Crusaders. Good work No. 49)

If Kurono had an artifact class weapon or an item, then counter-attacking would have possible.

However, there was no way he had anything like that, that was confirmed with 100% confidence after Cyprus inspected through the『Shadow Gate』of Kurono with『Dimension Search』.

(The only reliable thing at the end is your own power.

But, your black magic, physical ability too, magical power amount too and the amount you would have grown after escape are already predicted by us, it’s impossible for you to win)

Cyprus had always been pursuing human experiments from the time Kurono was brought in this world and made in an experimental subject.

Them, researchers, have the possession of all data about the status of Kurono showing how much he had grown or his growth rate and things like that which even Kurono himself doesn’t know.

If one looks at that magic, it was clear that there was no way to enlarge the magical quantity than what was provided to him.

If the magical quantity and growth-rate was seen as a magician then No. 49 had highest potential, but no matter how high it was, it would be completely empty with just 2『Crime Eater』.

And considering the fact that he hadn’t learnt any other magic, then in terms of magic Kurono’s growth cannot be estimated more than what he had already learned before.

Also, it was hard to think that there would have been rise in Kurono’s physical ability along with him learning martial skills.

The strong factors in the current situation would be Lily and Fiona against whom the experimental subjects were having hard time.

Cyprus was able to know the war situation due to periodic telepathic transmission.

However, he judged that they would be stall both Fiona and Lily till the time he teased Kurono to his heart’s content and captured Kurono.

Everything was within his prediction, no irregularity in his plans.

“You’re all idiots with no imaginative power, you are also the same No. 49. You still think you can kill me , right!?”

Kurono had wounds all over his body.

Due to the draining of black magic, even if he closed his wounds with black magic, the magic will get drained and result would be blood loss.

It was obvious that he had endurance but it was obvious that it would also get exhausted if the fight would continue like this.

However,

“Yeah, of course, How can I let a shitty ass-hole scumbag—-”

Kurono smiled.

Cyprus showed him a deadly stare filled with irritation in his eyes.

“—keep on living in this world!”