Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode

---

“Don’t let them get away!”

With a bizarre sound that swirled like a headache, a colossal roar swept over the battlefield.

The source of that noise was the voice of the Dragon Slayer summoned by Tanton.

The Dragon Slayer’s gaze was locked onto Tanton.

No, more accurately, she was aiming at the Outsiders chasing after Tanton.

To prevent the second princess from being stopped as quickly as possible, the Outsiders were trying to chase down Tanton first, but the Dragon Slayer was there to block them.

Her mouth opened wide.

And into that mouth, crimson energies began to swirl.

As the absurdly large fireball formed in the Dragon Slayer’s mouth, Deputy Director Marenne felt a sense of overwhelming pressure wash over him.

“What in the world is that sound?!”

At that moment, a woman’s voice rang out from behind.

It was the White Mask.

“What kind of creature is this… huh.”

Stepping forward to grasp the situation, the White Mask noticed the scene Marenne was witnessing and realized she had transformed into a state similar to his own.

A fireball larger than the raging flames in a hearth.

It was unleashed at the Outsiders scuttling towards Tanton.

────!!!

“Ugh!”

“Ugh!”

The first thing to happen was the shockwave generated by the blast.

It was so intense that Marenne and the White Mask felt threatened enough to be swept away, but they both managed to brace themselves against their weapons planted firmly into the ground.

Just as they barely held their ground, a sound even more overwhelming than the Dragon Slayer’s roar erupted.

The noise was so loud that both the White Mask and Deputy Director instinctively hunched their bodies.

Once the aftermath subsided, they both turned their gazes simultaneously towards the area where the Dragon Slayer’s fireball had exploded.

And both of them had their pupils shrink as if struck by shock.

Marenne was equally surprised but felt a strange emptiness wash over him.

“…Does that mean the one who fought me was just toying with my situation?”

A massive crater, as if a meteor had struck.

In its center, a colossal flame blazed, igniting fiercely.

Just before the expedition in the Snow Mountain incident, the Deputy Director had been told by the princess that the Outsider dealt with alongside the Knight Commander had nearly reached Elite Outsider status.

Of course, considering the overwhelming number of minions, it was understandable that it had been difficult, but even so, the Outsider did not have the same aura as the Dragon Slayer now.

The Outsiders crumpled before colossal power.

According to Tanton’s exotic teachings, the Dragon Slayer was said to be just below the realm of the Record Keeper.

Are we, mere humans, somehow still surviving against such a being?

At this point, it felt as if we were already being played.

“Snap out of it, Deputy Director!”

Just then, the White Mask’s shout jolted him back to reality.

As he came to, he realized a massive number of Outsiders had surrounded them again, just like before.

“Damn it, I lost focus. What about the other knights?”

“Fortunately, we haven’t been surrounded. We just need to focus on surviving.”

The White Mask said this, and the Deputy Director slowly lifted his great sword.

Victory was not guaranteed.

There were just too many.

It would be nice if other Elite Outsiders could help, but from what they’d seen earlier, the number of Outsiders they were dealing with was overwhelming, so expecting help was futile….

Suddenly, something resembling a wolf appeared and leaped among the throng of Outsiders.

Even the Outsiders seemed taken aback by the unexpected presence, all turning their gazes toward the wolf.

The wolf, showing no regard for the killing intent surrounding it, began to swipe its front paws swiftly.

Despite its seemingly light movements, each swipe sent numerous Outsiders crashing down like fallen leaves.

Eventually, the last remaining Outsider was caught in the wolf’s jaws, and with a vigorous shake of its head, it dismembered the creature as if it were a simple meal.

Then, as if nothing had happened, it tilted its head and emitted a soft panting sound.

“What is this, does it mean I don’t belong here?”

The Watcher, unleashing such a bizarre sound, leapt away to another place.

Marenne counted in his mind that it all happened in about five seconds.

In the face of such an absurd sight, the Deputy Director and the White Mask glanced at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

“What just happened?”

“…No idea.”

“They look like they’re in a pinch; let’s go help them.”

“I understand.”

Marenne chased after the now dashing White Mask but turned his head at another sound of something breaking.

There, he spotted the Gardener controlling numerous human corpses and crushing the Outsiders to their demise.

…Marenne sometimes wondered.

What would have happened if he had made even a slightly more serious blunder when he first met Tanton?

Shaking his head, he dashed toward where the White Mask had gone.

He didn’t want to dwell on incredibly horrific thoughts that hadn’t happened yet.

#

Moving forward, battered by a torrential blizzard.

Eventually, Apta was flying separately.

While she made light of it, Apta also appeared not to force her desires, as if wishing for this world to return to peace.

The protective gear provided by the princess had since frozen solid, making even the slightest movement feel stiff and creaky.

The only upside was that the enormous wings of the Dragon seemed somewhat immune to the Second Princess’s powers, likely due to Zumiya’s ability.

Anyway, the speed had significantly picked up compared to before, feeling as though the strong winds were pressing against their faces.

“It seems we’re almost there.”

The Hunter, who had been quiet up until now, murmured as the figure of the second princess became gradually visible despite the heavy snowfall obscuring them moments ago.

Despite his words, it felt like they still had quite a distance to cover.

The princess’s tense voice reached his ears.

Feeling she was finally going to face her sister, she was evidently getting anxious.

“I wish we could just fly straight up to the second princess and face her head-on.”

However, life seemed anything but simple.

“What is she doing going ahead on her own?!”

“Stop her!”

Of all times, a few Divine Beings capable of flight spotted him and quickly soared upward toward him.

If he tried to evade them, chances were high that problems would arise by the time he got near the second princess.

The number of Divine Beings rushing him would likely pile up like a snowman.

Currently, in their airborne state, the only combatant was the Hunter.

Continuing to fight in the air with the princess there would undoubtedly lead to an unfavorable battle.

Reluctantly, they had to head for the ground.

“I will land now.”

With no time to wait for their responses, he simply descended to the ground.

Apta followed him down in haste.

Upon landing, the Hunter placed the princess on the ground and surveyed the perimeter.

The frozen knights.

Each and every one bore expressions twisted in agony.

“We need to deal with them quickly and push forward.”

“Deal with them together, huh.”

As he muttered this, seeing the Outsiders converging towards them, the Hunter seemed to be rambling elsewhere.

Confused about his intentions, he turned his gaze back at the Hunter just in time.

“…Huh?”

He realized that the princess and he had been thrown into the air.

Recognizing reality, he turned to look in the direction of the Hunter, where the outstretched arm indicated they had been tossed.

As they took flight, the Outsiders all suddenly charged toward the Hunter.

The Hunter produced something from his mouth and swiftly tossed it to the ground.

It was a cute bomb with a skull design drawn on it.

“Hunter!!!”

Boom!

Despite the violent explosion, a charming sound reached their ears.

Outsiders caught in the blast were sent sprawling across the ground.

He quickly grabbed the princess as she soared into the air.

Fortunately, they did not collide with anything.

“What’s the Hunter thinking…”

Even the princess seemed stunned by the Hunter’s actions, covering her mouth with both hands and looking horrified.

The smoke billowing from the explosion created a foreboding atmosphere.

Just as he was starting to grasp the situation, something shot up high into the sky from within the smoke.

Following it with his eyes revealed…

“Hunter!!!”

The Hunter was perfectly perched atop a building’s roof.

“Sometimes cooperation can be very inefficient. It’s also a strategic move to be able to leave the back to a strong ally and push forward.”

The Hunter said this, giving him a thumbs-up.

“Finish it till the end. And survive, as I have things to tell you.”

With that, the Hunter leaped toward the Divine Beings.

Holding a heavy double-barreled shotgun.

While he was a bit bothered by the statement of having something to tell him later,

“Tanton! The Hunter….”

“Let’s go.”

“What?!”

The princess said that in a voice filled with shock, but he brushed it aside.

He had just remembered that he had been forgetting the most crucial detail.

“The fact that stopping those on his own is…!”

“He’ll manage just fine.”

He smiled warmly at the princess.

“She is strong, after all.”

He had momentarily forgotten an important fact.

Originally, the protagonist of the Snow Castle was the Hunter.

No matter how harsh the world may be,

There really was no game world that killed off its protagonist.

 

---