When I came to, everything had somehow gone completely insane.
The 【Pied Piper of Hamelin】 had sprouted a ridiculous number of tentacles and was thrashing around like crazy.
Hikari was glowing with some ethereal aura, bombarding it with what looked like outrageously powerful magic.
Touka was landing precise, high-powered attacks to whittle it down.
And yet, despite all that, the monster was regenerating faster than the damage it took.
Haruka was guarding me, slashing down every tentacle flying our way with speed I couldn’t even follow.
Then Hikari’s attacks started getting even more intense, and the monster went fully on the defensive.
Also, is her magic… warping through space now?
What even is that? I don’t know. I’m scared.
While I was still watching Hikari in awe, Haruka noticed I was awake.
「Ah! Yuuki-san!」
She leapt onto me, and I tried to grasp what the hell was going on.
「Okay so, inhale, exhale, Haruka, what exactly is, inhale, exhale, happening right now?」
I asked, and Haruka replied with her face buried in my chest.
「Sniff sniff, snort snort snort snort snort, sniffle… snort snort (Hikari-san suddenly transformed and started flying through the sky and firing off crazy attacks!)」
「Uh-huh. Haruka-san, let’s maybe take a step back? I can’t understand a word you’re saying, ow ow ow ow!!」
She crushed me in a bear hug with her face still buried. With physical enhancement in play, my bones were creaking!
「Okay seriously, stop! I’m gonna die!」
I desperately tapped out until she finally loosened her grip.
When Haruka raised her head, her eyes were red and shimmering with tears.
「You must’ve been worried… Sorry.」
「You owe me a reward later, okay?」
She looked up at me with those watery eyes.
「Ugh… Yes ma’am…」
「Anyway, what I was trying to say earlier is, Hikari-san suddenly transformed, flew up into the sky, and started unleashing insane attacks.」
「Right. I thought that’s what you were saying, but it was literally impossible to decipher.」
「Use the power of love to figure it out next time!」
「Haruka-san, you’re acting kinda different from usual, you know?」
「And you almost made me worry myself to death, you know?」
(Yeah, there’s definitely an aura of wrath behind her… I can see it.)
「Anyway, can I at least offer my explanation firs… I mean, I’ll take the scolding later! Should we go meet up with Touka now?」
「A scolding? That’s not what it is. We’re just gonna talk, right?」
「…Yes ma’am.」
Today’s New Discovery＼Te-tte-reー♪／: Never make Haruka angry.
After that, I followed Haruka to where Touka was.
「Touka! And Onii-chan too!!」
Then Touka tackled me with a hug. Déjà vu?
「Seriously! Inhale,exhale I was! Inhale,exhale Haruka was! Inhale,exhale We were both so worried! Suuuuuuuu,haaaaaaaa!」
The Takanashi sisters (Haruka and Touka) were way too into sniffing me. And Touka’s technique was something else entirely.
Well, it’s not like it costs me anything, and if it calms their anger, I’ll take the hit.
「Anyway, just stay like that and listen up, both of you.」
「「Okay!」」
I stroked both their heads with my hands as I continued.
「It looks like Hikari’s got the upper hand for now, but I doubt it’s going to stay that way. There’s bound to be an opening somewhere… I want you two to back her up.」
「「Got it!」」
Still ruffling their hair, I gave out instructions.
「Haruka, I want you to counter any attacks aimed at Hikari.」
「Leave it to me!」
「Touka, break through the outer shell protecting its core.」
「Heh… I suppose it wouldn’t be a problem if I took that thing down myself, right?」
Okay, Archer….
Well, Touka is a high archer, I guess.
「This whole scene… kinda feels like the final showdown in a superhero movie, doesn’t it?」
「Ah, I thought the same thing!」
「Now that you mention it, it really does. Alright then! Time to rescue the princess!」
「「Yeah!」」
Just a few minutes later, just as I predicted, Hikari unleashed her most powerful attack, then dropped to her knees, gasping for breath.
The 【Pied Piper of Hamelin】 didn’t miss the opening and launched a deadly strike.
「Hikarriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!」
I shouted from the gut as I dashed forward.
Haruka, who moved ahead of me, cleared the dust cloud between me and Hikari.
I caught her just before she could collapse.
「Ahh… Yuuki… thank goodness…」
Then Hikari passed out from mana depletion. I gently laid her down and got into position.
I closed my eyes and pictured the blow Shuuji-san drilled into me over and over.
I amplified my body enhancement as much as possible, pushing closer to the ideal form.
Focusing my mind, I raised my magic and cloaked myself in wind magic.
All that remained was Touka’s finishing strike.
(About 30 meters… at this distance, she won’t miss.)
Then, with a slicing gust, a tremendous shockwave ripped through the air.
With a deafening roar, the 【Pied Piper of Hamelin】’s core was exposed.
「Takanashi-style Blade Drawing Technique, Modified , Wind Cutter」
Fwhoosh, a faint sound of wind, and a gentle breeze swept the area.
With that sound, the monster’s core was cleanly sliced in two.
And without a sound, it crumbled into dust.
Thus, the deadliest monster that had claimed so many lives, the 【Pied Piper of Hamelin】,was defeated.
This incident, resulting in the worst casualties in dungeon outbreak history, shook not only Japan but made headlines in international news, forums, and social media worldwide.
The world’s first mage and the jet-black Celestial Princess , 『Mizushiro Hikari』
The unshakable shield of offense and defense , Cradle『Takanashi Haruka』
The one who shatters all, Firmament『Takanashi Touka』
And the invisible blade wielder who also used healing magic , Divine Flash『Kaminagi Yuuki』
These nicknames, coined by an ecstatic internet community, spread across the globe within just a few days.
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Afterword
Author desu.
Well then, it looks like our protagonists have gotten pretty overpowered by Volume 2!
In the upcoming Volume 3, their existence becomes known to the world.
Will more harem members join the party?! Can the author even manage all the characters?!
Currently, I’ve got nine planned! I’ve added too many!
Volume 3 is slated to be a school arc, where I’ll start laying the groundwork for some satisfying comeuppance down the line.
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Setting Tidbit
All of Yuuki’s Takanashi-ryuu techniques are copied from his sparring matches with Shuuji-san.
Just like he did in the other world, copying the fighting style of a Holy Knight.
His footwork and lunges aren’t quite accurate, but he brute-forces the gap with physical enhancement.
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About the Boss: The Pied Piper of Hamelin
The visual motif was inspired by the masked man from Sound Horizon.
Its core concept, however, is based on the Boggart, a house fairy from Celtic mythology and the Harry Potter universe.
After crossing into this world and fusing with a dungeon, it was transformed into its current form.
Drawing from various stories to shape its identity, it ended up combining the fairy trickster elements of a Boggart with the image of the Pied Piper.
Due to its appearance and habit of abducting children, people gave it the name “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”, and that’s when it turned violent.
(According to Wikipedia, once a Boggart is given a name, it becomes irrational and uncontrollable.)
Originally, it only abducted children, but after it was named, it escalated into full-blown slaughter.
Thirteen children were sacrificed in a funeral-like procession, further amplifying its brutality.
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Hikari’s Awakening State – Settings
Hikari <Awakened State>
– Perfect magic power control, with zero leakage
– Chantless casting that exceeds even Yuuki’s full chant firepower
– Hair turns black-silver with rainbow hues reflecting inside when hit by light
– Eyes become heterochromatic (odd-colored)
– Original spell: 「Celestial Sphere of the Rainbow」
– Launches elemental orbs of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Ice, Light, and Darkness
– Uses space magic to make the attack unavoidable
– The area hit takes damage corresponding to the orb’s element
– A cheat-tier spell usable only in her berserk state
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