Chapter 62: Baal Wild Hunt

To put it simply, the guy looked like a giant knight.

Wind whistled through the gaps of his full-face helm while flames flickered from within. He held a spear in each hand, standing atop a chariot drawn by two horses as black as his own armor. Compared to the beast forms of my other Summoned Beasts, his appearance was profoundly alien.

“—This is a monster if I’ve ever seen one, I daresay,” Tsubaki remarked.

“You can still pull things like this out of your hat? I’d expect nothing less from my best friend,” Goro said.

“Incredible… we’re actually floating above the clouds,” Shiki added.

“Seriously… just… so… incredibly… cool,” Kaiser stammered.

Everyone except Laura had their own distinct reaction. Kaiser, in particular, seemed to have suffered a total loss of vocabulary. I performed a standard summon, and yet this idiot took thirty percent of my mana just because he was overexcited. I let out a heavy sigh as I looked at him.

Laura leaned in and whispered in my ear. “...Are you alright, Reima?”

“Yeah. I’ll lecture him later.”

“It is him, after all. Judging by the state of things, you didn’t actually expect him to act like this when you called, did you?”

“...Spot on.”

Laura knew his personality well enough to pity me. Baal had common sense and he’d been a huge help in the other world, but he had a pathological need to show off and act cool. I was already starting to regret the choice. Then again, if I hadn’t summoned him now, he probably would have insisted on a full orchestra for his next appearance. This was likely the lesser of two evils.

“So—is it just Tsubaki-san fighting?” I asked.

“I’m in too—or rather, let me fight him, friend! Seriously, he’s so cool!” Kaiser shouted.

“You’re ending every sentence with ‘cool,’ you Bakaiser… Well, I get it. This form is a bit much for a guy’s sense of romance. Though I didn’t realize your Summoned Beasts weren't all women, best friend.”

“...Of course they aren’t.”

“Haha. Well, for now, it’s Tsubaki-san, Goro, and me. I just hope we can actually make a fight of it…”

I turned back to the summon. “Baal… use only one spear. Magic is prohibited. Also, no horses. If your spear is knocked away, you lose.”

“Hmph. I understand, my Lord. I am merely to temper them, yes? In that case—I have certainly accepted their lives into my keeping!”

“Listen to me—absolutely, absolutely—no magic. I don’t care how much fun you’re having!”

I’ll say it again: this guy is usually the voice of reason among my summons. He has common sense, he can handle housework, and above all, he possesses a genuine knightly spirit. I wanted to believe he’d be fine, but the fact that I hadn't summoned him in so long was a massive bottleneck.

“Challengers!” Baal bellowed. “Since my Lord has requested it—come at me with the resolve of certain death! I shall answer you! Challenge me—and show me that resolve!”

Ah, he’s hopeless. He isn't listening to a word I say.

Resigned to the inevitable, I focused on recovering my mana so I could summon a stopper at a moment’s notice. I decided Algol would be the best fit for the job, then turned my attention back to the battle.

Tsubaki made the first move.

Gripping her katana, she lunged at him, but Baal moved with a speed that defied his massive frame. He dodged her strike and swung the shaft of his spear toward her.

“...Kagura!”

Kaiser jumped in to intercept the blow. It was a good save, but against a master like Baal, it was a rookie mistake. Intervening like that only served to create a new opening.

Sure enough, as Kaiser parried the spear, Baal delivered a heavy, armored kick straight to his chest.

“He’s too heavy!”

“Well done, young man—you blocked it. Next—a thrust!”

“Ngh… [Weapon Summon]: Chevalier Lance!”

The Great King leveled his spear, and Kaiser summoned his signature weapon out of pure instinct. The two spears collided. The sheer impact shook the surrounding space, sending a dull, heavy thud echoing through the air.

The struggle lasted for several seconds. In the next moment, Tsubaki leaped out from Baal’s blind spot, sliding her blade toward his neck—only for him to catch the edge with his bare left hand.

“Young lady, you would do well to hide that bloodlust. Your aim is good, but you are far too straightforward.”

“I wasn’t intending to let any out, I daresay…”

“Did I not tell you? I am Death. I can recognize the scent of mortality whether I wish to or not.”

“That’s cheating, seriously—[Inferno]!”

Shiki, who had been hanging back and applying buffs, saw his chance while Baal’s hands were full. He dove into Baal’s personal space and unleashed his magic. However, Baal’s armor possessed absurdly high magic defense; the flames didn't leave so much as a scratch.

“Fuhaha! Splendid firepower! Now, challengers, allow me to shift gears!”

Baal backed off and leveled his spear once more, swinging the three-meter weapon in a wide, destructive arc. He was swinging it like a propeller, threatening to demolish everything in the vicinity. I understood he was trying to train them under his current restrictions, but I could feel him getting carried away. This was getting dangerous.

“...Avoiding is all well and good, but you lack the resolve to attack!”

“Are you kidding me?! How am I supposed to charge into a wild barrage like that?!” Goro yelled.

“He’s on another level—I’ll have to attack with the resolve to be swept away, I daresay!” Tsubaki shouted.

“Should I go in too?” Goro asked.

“...If you’re confident you’ll survive, go for it,” I muttered.

I watched, half-horrified, as Tsubaki charged into that storm of steel. She clearly understood he was holding back, yet she was still gambling her life on every parry.

“—Good, girl! Then I shall give you my answer!”

Behind that idiot Baal, more than ten black magic circles manifested.

It was a vicious spell imbued with the concept of a storm—the kind of technique that would reap a person's soul in a single hit. Just as I expected, I thought. I let out a sigh and channeled my mana.

“That’s an extra lecture for you, Baal. [Summon]: Algol Gorgon.”

“You really are an idiot,” Algol said as she appeared. “For now, just turn to stone. Take your magic with you.”

“Wait, Master?! I can still fight—!”

Baal didn't get to finish. Pitilessly, Algol petrified him where he stood. Perhaps because he had been transformed into a remarkably well-crafted stone statue, the barrier dissipated. The duel ended on an anticlimactic note, leaving the Mountain Training Ground with a new permanent exhibit: the Statue of Baal Wild Hunt.