Introverted Archer 41

Test

41. Reasonable Baton Touch!

"Who is it? Could it be reinforcements!? Seems weak for that, though."

Wow, instantaneous teleportation, it really happened. Both that person and this one are individuals observed by my <Observer>.

"But really, thanks for coming all the way here. I thought maybe you'd shoot arrows from afar, knowing it's Eimu."

"That would have been fine, but I'd feel uneasy if something happened to Mirei."

Probably, the vision of Mirei covered in blood that I saw before was about this moment. Mirei was supposed to die in the battle against the Golem. So, I wanted to prevent a scenario where rocks fall on me from attacking the Golem. That's why I came this far.

"If something happened to me... It's because you're worried about me and care for me!?"

"Yeah, that's right. But isn't it a strange way to put it?"

And her face is really red, and she seems different.

"But still, aren't you trusting me too much? There was a possibility that I wouldn't come to help, you know?"

"There wasn't. I knew Eimu would come to help. Besides, even Eimu trusts too much. The fact you didn't intervene midway is evidence of that, right?"

Well, if I had gone on a business trip when Mirei hadn't given up, it might have ended up unsatisfactory.

"So, how was it when you tried?"

"...I think I was panicking, after all, wanting to defeat the Golem quickly. But as a result, things turned out like this, and I put my fans in danger."

Well, it's undoubtedly Mashita's fault that she put her fans in danger.

"From now on, I won't be fixated on defeating Golems. I want to have truly valuable adventures with reliable comrades and fans. Wouldn't Eimu laugh at that?"

"No, not really."

Well, now is not the time to be talking about that.

"Vanguard members. You can step back now. Please deactivate the <Lightning Rod> too."

"Are you sane!? If you do that..."

"It's okay. I'll stop it."

"No, it's no good! It can't be prevented anymore!"

At that moment, the <Lightning Rod> got deactivated, and the Golem swung its fist down on my head.

"Oops!"

I raised my right hand, catching the Golem's fist with my hand.

"Ouch... It's really tough with just one hand."

"Is this a joke!? Why can you single-handedly stop the Golem's attack!?"

Perhaps sensing danger, the Golem moved away from me and glared in this direction.

"Now, Golem. It's the first time I've fought you directly. Usually, I apologize for attacking without showing myself."

"Grrrrrrr!"

"But today is the long-awaited direct confrontation. My rationality against your physical strength. Let's see who comes out on top."

The Golem became violently enraged, running while shaking the ground. With each step, the vibration spread throughout the floor.

"<Rational Straight>!"

The moment my fist and the Golem's collided. With a loud explosion, both of our bodies got sent flying.

Damn, as expected, a test of strength favors the opponent!

"Hey... Is this a dream? Like a flashback? Like an illusion seen right before death?"

"It's probably not... I can feel the vibrations, and I can feel the dust from the Golem hitting my face. Above all, my heart is beating insanely fast, saying it's real."

"Either way... it's amazing! Why can you alone withstand the Golem's attack!?"

Whether I should have shown up on the front lines like this is another matter. I could have just shot arrows from a distance and won as usual.

But now, fighting like this while being praised unexpectedly doesn't feel so bad.

"Grrrrrrr!"

"<Rapid Arrow>!"

The Golem unleashed a straight punch. This time, I shot an arrow that materialized and countered it.

Then, the thick arm of the Golem, as thick as a tree trunk, easily tore apart like a folded piece of paper.

The Golem's arm fell due to the impact. Losing one arm seemed to greatly disturb the Golem.

"What are you doing? He's unilaterally fighting the Golem!?"

"It's not just that...! Why? In a battle like this with a monster, why aren't any rubble flying towards us!?"

Of course. To prevent any possibility, no matter how small, of harm to Mirei, I have been smashing all the flying rock fragments with arrows.

"Of course. In front of us is the world's strongest high school student – no, the world's best Rationalist."

It's nice of her to say that.

Well, as a Rationalist, I'll end this battle with one arrow.

"<Chain Arrow>!"

A released arrow, like a streak of light, pierced through the Golem's head and destroyed it.

But it's not over yet. The arrow, like a fish swimming underwater, turned in the direction and destroyed the remaining arm of the Golem.

<Chain Arrow> is a new technique that applies [Sure Hit]. As long as the target has a form, it hits repeatedly, changing directions and penetrating, continuing to destroy.

And the manifested arrow never breaks. It's a cruel, persistent, yet rational blow.

"Grrrrrrr!"

In the end, the Golem turned into a tiny mountain of sand and died.

"Amazingggggg! He defeated the Golem!!"

The adventurers cheered. Well, the mission is completed safely now.

"I've made another debt. Eimu."

Mirei smiled. I also smiled back but immediately prepared <Anchor Arrow>.

"What's wrong? You defeated the Golem. So you can take it easy for a bit longer."

"Mirei and the others, please return to the surface with escape items. I'll go ahead."

That's right. There's something I need to take care of.

"Hey, Kyo! It's bad! The video has evidence, and there's no way to escape this time!"

"Hey, I'm not the bad guy here! It was part of the plan! And we had to run, or we would have been in danger too!"

As soon as I returned to the surface, I spotted the person I was looking for.

"Hey, what a coincidence. What are the three of you doing?"

I smiled and spoke to the Mashita and the others.