The stone golem shook its head.
Index's Spell Intercept had failed.
The stone golem raised its fist.
The terrifying sound of the flesh being smashed echoed throughout the wasteland.
But it wasn't Index's flesh being splattered, and the calico cat was unharmed. Of course, it was not the stone golem breaking either; a monster made from stone wouldn't make such a sound.
It was Kazakiri Hyouka.
This girl had jumped over Index's head from behind, sending a flying kick at the abdomen of the stone golem. The power and speed were abnormal, like a meteor strike.
BOOM!! An explosion could be heard.
Like an iron ball sent flying, the stone golem was lifted up into the air and made 3 flips before falling face first down on the ground. This strike alone caused the stone golem to fly back 7 meters. In contrast, after Kazakiri used all her strength to hit the stone golem, she silently stopped in the air.
Like a light feather, she slowly descended to the ground.
PAM!! The heavy vibrations could be felt.
The moment Kazakiri Hyouka let her leg that hadn't been used to kick land, with the leg at center, there were cracks extending out to 2 meters radius. It was as if a large hammer had been used to slam the ground. This gave anyone a wrong impression that Kazakiri was now 10 times heavier.
"Hyou…ka…?"
Index wanted to shout at Kazakiri, whose back was facing her, but on seeing what was going on, she gasped.
The right leg that Kazakiri had used to kick had completely disappeared from the knee and below. That one hit had been able to send a several ton giant stone golem flying far away, and the recoil far exceeded what a normal human could withstand.
At first, that was what Index assumed.
But on seeing the cut side of the right leg, she saw that it was actually a hole there. The wound was like a transparent pillar, with the paint peeled off, it was very unnatural.
(…That…what's going on?)
Index hugged the calico cat and pondered.
The Jumping Zombie Spell (Chiyoushijiyutsu), Necronomicon, The Hand of Glory (Hasodoobugerrowari), Vetala Sorcery (Weetarajiyujiyutsu), the Elixir (Erikushirunado)…in Index's mind, there were numerous spells and knowledge regarding the manipulation of the dead. Some spells only required a bit of touch-up on the corpse, and after that, it would be easy to manipulate them freely.
But, even Index couldn't explain what was in front of her.
Could humans really change into something like this?
PAM! She could hear the sound of a large bed sheet being flapped in mid-air. After that, Kazakiri's broken leg was now as good as ever. It was like a spring was attached onto her leg, and her new leg seemed to bounce back up from the ground, at a shocking speed.
"Hurry, run."
Kazakiri Hyouka didn't turn her head back.
Her back faced Index as she said,
"Hurry up and run…it's…still dangerous here."
This voice truly came from the Kazakiri Hyouka that Index was familiar with. Thus, Index was puzzled and didn't dare to say anything. She couldn't tell whether she could let her guard down, because she couldn't tell whether this girl was the real 'Kazakiri Hyouka', this one may be a fake that really resembled the real one.
At this moment, the stone golem on the floor made a creaking sound.
The stone golem seemed like it wanted to stand up, but Kazakiri's hit had caused a lot of damage to its structure. In terms of human anatomy, it was like the waist was immobilized. The stone golem let out a mysterious sound, it was the sound of the joints shaking…
PAM! A sound similar to bones breaking could be heard.
The result of trying to stand up—it caused even more damage to the insides of the body.
CRA CLARCK CRACK CRACK CRACK! The stone golem moaned. Strictly speaking, the golem didn't have any vocal chords, thus, it was a dissonance of sounds caused by the joints trying to move. The stone statue couldn't stand up properly, and could only use its limbs to support itself. It looked up, looking like it was about to shout out at the sky.
Suddenly, there was a huge gust of wind.
With the stone golem that was continuing to let out this sudden voice, a tornado-like storm whipped up, and the large chunks of wind seemed to swallow all the rubble. However, this wasn't one that carried everything up into the air and forced them all over the place. In terms of its nature, it was like a whirlpool that was trying to pull in any nearby ships into the abyss of the sea.
The wind wasn't blowing outwards, but inwards.
Pebbles, empty cans, abandoned bicycles, windows without panes…all of them were absorbed onto the stone golem. After that, they got crushed by an invisible force, becoming a part of the stone golem's body.
(Oh no…that hit just now made the stone golem lose control of its regeneration ability…?)
Index tightly hugged onto the calico cat that was about to fly out of her hands, her entire body trembling. The one hit by 'Kazakiri Hyouka' seemed to cause fatal damage to the stone golem, even damaging the 'core' hidden inside the stone golem's body.
But the wound could no longer be repaired.
Thus, the command to 'continue fixing it until the wound heals' would continue to be executed. The parts that were unable to be repaired would just suck up excess stuff. In the end, the stone golem would continue to snowball and get bigger. The body which had originally been close to 4m tall was now 2 times as wide in less than 30 seconds. The posture it took by lifting itself off the ground looked no different from a roof covering Index and Kazakiri.
The neighboring structures started to make noises.
Index heard these huge structures making terrible noises like trees in a storm, her pale skin inadvertently turning paler. If this kept up the surrounding buildings around the duo would be blown apart. Once they were engulfed by this catastrophe, they would have no chances of surviving. Besides, the tornado was at the capacity such that it was able to destroy any buildings. No matter how Index tried to hold on, her feet would still leave the ground and she would be swallowed by the body of the stone golem.
Index knew that they had to get away, and fast.
Right now, that stone golem was in the condition that it didn't need a controller, thus the Spell Intercept wouldn't work. Since the stone golem's regeneration system was malfunctioning, and it would continue to run without being able to repair itself, safety pins alone weren't going to seal its movements. Index didn't like it, but since she was unable to perform any magic, she was unable to do anything despite the vast amount of knowledge that she had.
Index was unable to restrain the stone golem any more. As far as she knew, the only one who could settle this situation was the boy with the strongest right hand.
"HYOUKA, RUN!!"
Even though Index was unable to confirm that the girl in front of her was the 'Kazakiri Hyouka' who had played with her after school, she still shouted at her.
At this moment, the outer wall of destroyed buildings was approaching.
Right now, the giant hammer-like mass of dirt was being affected by the tornado as well, flying about in mid-air. Index hurriedly hugged the calico cat and squatted down. The pile of dirt passed above Index's head , colliding on the asphalt road. The fragments pulled from the road were also being absorbed into the stone golem.
Anyone carelessly lifting their head up would be caught by the flying blocks of stones in the air, let alone escaping.
In such a moment of despair, Kazakiri Hyouka still stood around as if it was nothing.
The giant slab of rock that was even larger than Kazakiri's body brushed her cheeks, but she didn't even recoil her neck. Like an old man staring at the waves of a sea, she was unmoved by it.
Kazakiri Hyouka didn't turn her head back, just saying silently.
"You…better run."
"Then what about you?"
Index held the calico cat down to prevent it being blown away as she asked.
"I…"
The girl pondered for a while, before saying,
"I have to…stop that monster."
As if it got angered by Kazakiri Hyouka's voice, the stone golem that was supporting itself on its limbs raised its right arm. Due to the increase in mass, its movements were slower, but like an avalanche that was about to collapse, the stored energy was waiting to be released in an instant.
Once the punch was sent, it would definitely crush the duo and the surrounding buildings to dust. There was no way to defend against that strength that far exceeded a human's.
"No way, Hyouka! Run! That isn't an enemy that a human can take on! You have to think of some other way even if you want to fight it."
The stone block didn't move its fist, seemingly aiming at its target silently.
"Hyouka, that thing isn't human! Facing that thing head-on isn't a smart thing to do! You will definitely die! Hyouka!"
Index shouted, and at that moment, Kazakiri slowly turned her head around.
She was supposed to be locked on by this cannon-like fist, yet Kazakiri didn't look concerned as she turned around.
"…Don't worry."
Kazakiri said.
She looked like she was going to cry anytime, yet she revealed a smile.
"Because I'm not human as well."
Index couldn't help but gasp.
Kazakiri Hyouka stared at Index's expression, barely able to force a smile out, and said a last sentence.
"I'm sorry, for tricking you for so long."
The stone golem behind Kazakiri sent its fist over.
BOOM! The air got compressed, and it was not much different from a meteorite falling. Index couldn't help but cringe, still shouting Hyouka's name.
Kazakiri Hyouka didn't reply.
She turned around to face the stone golem, raising her slender arms to each side, using herself as a shield to protect Index.
The fist of the stone golem was right in front of her.
This huge hit wasn't like a bullet or a cannon, but an entire wall slamming over. The difference in strength between Kazakiri and the stone golem was astounding.
It was like using a twig to block a mudslide.
KABOOM!
Kazakiri Hyouka's slender arms blocked the fist of that stone golem called Ellis front straight up front.
Her hands, legs, chest, abdomen, back, head…all of the body parts were injured severely, her entire body was in pain as she looked like her limbs were going to break apart. Her arms were shorter by at least 5cm, and the compression of the arms caused Kazakiri's originally slender arms to wrinkle. It was like there were protrusions under her skin.
"Ah…ah…"
Kazakiri Hyouka could hear the sound of the girl behind her, who was unable to say anything.
Kazakiri wanted to tell her not to worry, but she couldn't even turn back and smile.
She couldn't say anything, nor do anything.
Her body let out some cracking sounds, and a sharp pain spread from inside her hands to her arms, as if a nail file was used to rub against teeth.
Like a landslide, the power that could make anyone despair exerted itself on Kazakiri's body. The power of the stone golem's fist was absorbed by Kazakiri, breaking her fingers. She supported herself off the ground as she was pushed backwards on the asphalt road. The calves that were holding up against an unfathomable amount of pressure let out a terrifying sound, like branches of a tree about to be broken from the weight of snow on them. The sudden sensation of pain echoed through Kazakiri's body, her calves felt like someone had been using a hammer to hit them.
The stone golem seemed like it wanted to thoroughly destroy this little resistance in front of it, as it increased the force.
"AH..AAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Kazakiri shouted as she exerted more strength, her limbs expanding rapidly. This wasn't a phenomenon caused by exerting the strength in the muscles, but more like a balloon, as the limbs that were being pressed down expanded, again reverting back to their original shape.
Kazakiri's vision was becoming blurry, as if a wound that was almost healed was being ripped open again.
The stone monster again exerted more strength with its fist.
The external force that was trying to crush the flesh and the internal force that was trying to let the flesh regain its shape collided with each other, and the girl's body was stuck between these two forces, making creaking sounds like they were dragging on an old wooden floor.
Kazakiri gritted her teeth, not willing to let her hands separate from the stone golem's fist.
She definitely couldn't let go.
She had to protect the girl behind her. That white girl wasn't a monster like her, she didn't have the strength to block the giant fist.
A monster, had to be stopped by another monster.
(But…)
However, no matter how much she tried, Kazakiri Hyouka wouldn't get any redemption.
Even if she saved Index, the price would be that Kazakiri Hyouka would be defeated by the stone golem. She didn't have enough experience to know whether her severely damaged body could recover. Besides, if her body was like the pillars or bicycles, Kazakiri's body would become a part of the stone golem. It was hard to imagine what Kazakiri Hyouka would become. And even if a miracle occurred, and both of them survived, Index already knew that Kazakiri wasn't a human.
(But…)
During that time when they had first met in the cafeteria,
During that time when they had spent together in the underground street,
It would never come back again.
(But, I can't just do nothing…!!)
Kazakiri exerted all her strength and stood firm. Her hands, legs, waist, back…every single part was being squashed and expanding over and over again. Her body that was being abused let out a scary sound that was like fingernails scratching a blackboard, echoing again and again.
"Uuu…AHHHHHH…!!"
The white nun behind her let out a voice of shock.
"MEOW! MEEOOWW!!"
And even the calico cat was letting out a terrified voice.
To Index and the calico cat, what did Kazakiri Hyouka look like? Kazakiri inadvertently bit her teeth tight. The Kazakiri Hyouka that had walked beside them so naturally, what was she like now?
But, it seemed that Kazakiri didn't mind some wounds ripping apart as she exerted even more strength.
Because they were friends.
Even though the white nun may not treat Kazakiri as a friend after this, to Kazakiri Hyouka, she still hoped that the white girl would continue to be her friend, until the very end.
A sound echoed throughout.
The stone golem again let out another sound.
Under the strong sensation of the pain of the body being ripped, Kazakiri Hyouka saw it. The impatient stone golem raised its other arm.
But Kazakiri's hands were both blocking the stone golem's right fist.
(Ugh…!)
Kazakiri gritted her teeth. At this point, even if she had to sacrifice her body, she had to buy time for that girl to escape. Kazakiri made her final determination.
The stone golem's other fist was raised in mid-air, as if it was aiming at its target.
One more second before she would be destroyed. Kazakiri inadvertently closed her eyes.
"Kaza…KAZAKIRI…!"
The familiar voice of a teenager called out.
The voice came from behind. And with this roar, she could hear the sound of footsteps dashing at full speed. With the current situation, Kazakiri couldn't look back. But even if she didn't look back, she could understand what expression the boy would show, what he was thinking, and how fast he was running in her direction.
Even though that boy had seen her like this, he still preferred to call her 'Kazakiri'.
Not a monster, but Kazakiri.
While Kazakiri Hyouka was still stunned, the boy's black shadow immediately dashed past her with a javelin-like speed.
At the same time, the stone golem swung its other fist over.
The boy had no doubts, no hesitation, no fear. He only had one trump card. He gripped his right fist as hard as a rock.
BAM! The two fists collided with each other.
Blood flowed out of the boy's fist.
But that wasn't because of the strength of the stone golem, but because the boy had used all his strength to hit the hard and rough surface of the rock. The cannon-like hit of the stone golem had lost all its power the moment it had touched the boy's fist. No, more accurately, it was the moment when the boy's fist had touched the transparent membrane which surrounded the stone golem's fist like a magnetic field.
The mountain-like force pressing down on Kazakiri instantly vanished.
At the same time, the large and fat stone golem started to crumble. After that, the golem broke up into pieces, completely falling apart. Right now, due to the gray dust that was even thicker than it had been in the underground street, everyone's vision was blocked.
(It's over…)
In the world where the visibility was blocked by the gray screen, Kazakiri Hyouka smiled to herself, alone.
(The harmonious…illusion at present is over…)
With a sound like a rubber bullet bouncing off, Kazakiri's limbs rapidly expanded, regaining their original shape.
With a lonely smile, she decided to disappear before the dust settled.
The danger was over.
Thus, nobody needed Kazakiri Hyouka. She was like a nuclear weapon after a war ended. With such great power, in a peaceful world, even if she didn't do anything, she would terrify others. And that white girl that Kazakiri had wanted to protect shouldn't reveal a fearful look.
Good thing their vision was blocked, Kazakiri thought.
And right now, Kazakiri didn't have the courage to look back at Index's expression.