Hey. Sorry for the delay. Things were a bit hectic in real life. Should have a bit more time now, so I'll get some chapters out.

Anyway, enjoy.

Chapter 317 – Helpers

Thanks to Muir's help, Ionis was able to escape from the danger by a hair's breadth. Then, she followed up with yet another attack towards BeJohnny who still didn't seem to have comprehended what was going on.

"Haaaaah!"

A silhouette then suddenly approached him at great speeds, but BeJohnny also noticed it and tried to quickly jump out of the way, however…

"Like I'd let you run! «Wind Formation: Exploding Claw»!"

That silhouette brought forth a terrific air blast, and despite BeJohnny taking a step back, it still managed to blow him even further and slammed him into the checkpoint's wall.

"You did it, uncle! I expected nothing less from you!"

Muir expressed her admiration towards the person who achieved that feat. Indeed, it was no other than Arnold Ocean, Muir's guardian as well as one of the very first comrades of Hiiro.

"Hehe, 'course I did!"

Arnold Answered while grinning widely and showing his white teeth. But the next moment his smile was replaced by a frown as he overlooked the surrounding situation.

"That reminds me, I heard there were three commanders here, but where's the third one?"

Hearing his all too natural question, Ionis and Crouch had their expressions clouded in depression.

"W-What's wrong, Io-chan? Crouch-sama, too…"

Muir asked them in worry after seeing the states they were in, but Ionis dully answered her.

"…He was done in… by him."

She sent a hateful glare towards BeJohnny who was collapsed on his knees.

"Wait a minute, by done in, you mean he was killed? That demon commander?"

In fact, Arnold and Halvrid had faced each other in a duel before. He believed knew his strength and personality well enough. And for that reason, he found Ionis' words quite hard to believe.

Looking closely, he noticed that Halvrid's soldiers were holding back their tears in regret.

"…You b.a.s.t.a.r.d…!" He directed a clear killing intent towards BeJohnny, his fists trembling to the utmost.

"We were too late… I'm sorry, Io-chan," Said Muir, wis.h.i.+ng they have gotten here faster. But that moment…

"Ahahahahahahahahahaha!" BeJohnny suddenly burst into laughter quite unsuitable to the battlefield. His conduct further heightened everyone's hatred towards him.

"Hnn~ Could you guys be one of those? Are you fools? This is a battlefield, you know~ When you fight, you can get wounded and die. Kill or be killed is what the true battle is about~"

He stood up and once again burst into laughter as if he had found something comical.

"If you didn't want to die, maybe you shouldn't have come here in the first place~! This is a battlefield, it is natural for the weak and the ugly to die here~"

Hearing those words, Halvrid's men erupted in anger. due to losing their guide, they all brandished their weapons and rushed towards him, failing to realise just what that action would invite.

But BeJohnny did not let that go. He raised the corners of his mouth disgustingly and one again spread those high-lethality bubbles around them.

One of them yelled at others to stop and their advance ceased. However, they were already trapped in a place with no way to retreat.

"You all should become elated with the momentary beauty too~"

The moment those bubbles started to s.h.i.+ne, the soldiers expected the explosions to follow and closed their eyes in resolution. However, there was neither explosion nor pain no matter how long they waited.

Finding it strange, they once again opened their eyes and found BeJohnny's bubbles covered by even more bubbles just like before.

"I won't let you!"

Muir yelled at him with an angry expression, BeJohnny also erasing his smile and focused his sight on her.

"…Similar magic to mine… No, you should be a Beastmen according to our intel. In that case, this should be «Binding» huh. It seems that you are covering my bubbles with your own and preventing explosions."

"That's right! Everything that my «Thunder Formation: Void» covers will be disabled."

"Everything? …In other words, movements, effects and so on…?"

Muir chose not to answer and instead glared daggers at him. BeJohnny then broke into laughter once again.

"I see~ so this is what it was~ So that's why His Highness was… I understand now, Muir Castrea."

BeJohnny gazed at her as if looking at his prey, making chills run down her spine.

"Ahaha! Your silver hair is quite beautiful! And your eyes, albeit inferior to mine, are also lovely indeed! Hnn~ moreover, that «Binding» that took me by surprise! Nice! Nice! I like you! As expected of the survivor of the 'Silver Dragons'!"

His words caused not just Muir but even Arnold to react.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! What nonsense are you spewing! Just disappear already!"

He rushed towards him as if to stop him from saying anything else. However, BeJohnny wrapped his body with a bubble and escaped towards the sky.

"Tsk! Come the f.u.c.k down!"

"Ahaha! Save me from your ugly enthusiasm~. So, what now? Will the foolish Beastman leap into the sky in desperation? Or will he try something from down there? Ahaha!"

Seeing him immersed in his sense of superiority made Arnold click his tongue, but at that moment, Ionis' eyes narrowed down confidently.

"You are coming down here!"

"Eh? What are…ugh!?"

Suddenly, he started accelerating towards the ground with terrific speed and slammed at it with a big cras.h.!.+ And the bubble covering him, too, disappeared along with it, perhaps due to the impact.

"Gahh…!?"

Bejohnny's face was dyed in bewilderment, not because of the pain, but because he found it strange that he could not separate his body from the ground.

Both Arnold and Crouch were dumbfounded, unable to understand what had happened. Muir, however, was the only one who did understand.

"Ah, could this be «Magnetic Magic»? I see… you did at that moment!"

When Ionis was saved by Muir, she used that chance and attacked BeJohnny with her «Kaijin». He suffered almost no damage from it, but the magnetised «Kaijin» did touch his skin. During that instant, she transferred it to his body and created a similar situation to the time with Nigg.

This was her unique magic; anything that came into contact with something that was clad in her magnetism would be similarly magnetised.

"What should we do about him?" Arnold asked while looking down at BeJohnny wriggling on the ground.

"We don't need prisoners of war. Ionis… will finish him off."

"Io-chan…"

Muir could not hide her agitation to her words, but she did not say anything and simply continued to stare at her with unease. She hated to see people dying no matter the circ.u.mstances. However, everyone present felt hatred towards how insignificantly he looked at people's lives.

And it was a fact that he had taken many lives. And as he said it himself, this was a battlefield. Even if they captured him now, no one would agree to that conclusion.

She probably didn't want Ionis to become a murderer, but because she clearly understood how she felt now, she could do nothing but remain silent.

As Ionis quietly approached him, countless bubbles suddenly appeared all around him.

"You don't know when to give up!"

Even so, this magic was undeniably troublesome. Apparently judging that she would be engulfed in the explosions were he to detonate them now, Ionis briefly took distance.

But then, one of the bubbles floated away from BeJohnny towards the sky. Everyone noticed that and followed it with their eyes.

"…What's going on? Isn't there something inside it?"

As Arnold said, there was indeed some kind of red stone inside it. A moment later, that something exploded along with the bubble.

Following that, red light like that of the firework's started to rain down through the surroundings. BeJohnny, who was supposed to be shacked to the ground, lightly stood up as if he was not feeling the gravity at all and took distance.

"Wh!?"

Naturally, Ionis felt surprised the most. After all, she had not cancelled her magic. Therefore, it was hard to believe that he could move about so lightly.

After BeJohnny took his distance, he wiped off the blood streaming down from his mouth and said.

"As expected, taking all of you on by myself is quite troublesome. That's why I gave up… on doing it alone that is."

His words were followed with a terrific earthquake and the rumblings.

"I already finished stalling for time~"

He then climbed up on the checkpoint using the rocky area and returned to his initial position, overlooking everyone under.

The quakes and rumblings kept growing in intensity all the while. Then, they came to a sudden stop, and a shocking sight spread before everyone present.

The checkpoint was about thirty meters high. And there stood a giant body that surpa.s.sed even that, looking down on Muir and the rest.

"It's time. I'll be withdrawing now."

At the [Bridge of Mutig], Abyss and Iraora were facing the Allied Forces commanded by Shublarz and Rushbelle.

The Allied Force gained predominance and was invading the Human Realm just like the [Bridge of Dohas].

The countless zombie soldiers before them were being returned to the earth by Shuri and s.h.i.+n.o.bu, the heroes Shublarz took along. Also, at present, Iraora was confronting Shublarz and Abyss – Rushbelle, however, Abyss suddenly announced his withdrawal.

"Ah? Is it already that time? I still haven't rampaged enough though?"

"Didn't I say, Iraora, that you could remain here if you wanted. Since you were the one who lost that woman once, then you can just make up for it here."

"Hey now, don't be mistaken, Abyss! I did not lose her, I let her go! Isn't that right, Shublarz?"

Iraora turned his grim face towards Shublarz and smirked.

"Your face is as vulgar as always~ Even your breath stinks so could you not face towards me~"

"You b.i.t.c.h… Do you want me to crush you that much?"

Veins popped up on Iraora's face. Then, as Abyss was about to turn back…

"Wait! I'm not letting you get away! I'll skewer you with this war spear!"

Rushbelle brandished his prided «Killer Javelin» and displayed his eagerness to fight.

"…Sorry, but your opponent will be that huge guy…"

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, who are you calling huge!"

Abyss didn't respond to his complaint and continued.

"…and a giant."

"A…giant?"

In a moment, a magic circle spread out behind him separated by a little distance. The body that appeared from within turned everyone speechless.

It had a big frame, considered to be over thirty meters in height. It was a disgusting creature, as if the ugly face of a goblin was merged with the giant body of a troll and was made to enlarge. It had filthy green skin, and fangs peeking from its giant jaw, unable to fit inside, with drool spilling down from within. Without a doubt, it was a giant.

"Let me introduce it. That is called «Ugly Giant»."