And his special skill was horse-drawn carriage chasing.

Udanosuke and the others ran through the city.

The number of screams had decreased considerably.

It was not because the enemy's forces had subsided, but because the number of living people who screamed was decreasing. At least around Udanosuke.

But on the contrary, it was also working well.

The undead seemed to be concentrating on attacking where their prey was, and they did not linger in areas where they were no longer needed.

Thanks to this eerie, but very controlled movement, Udanosuke was able to avoid encountering any enemies on his return trip.

Udanosuke cut down all the undead he encountered along the way.

The citizens who followed bravely held up weapons like iron bars and shovels, but they were not up to the task. It was dangerous to let them deal with undead ex-soldiers, except if they were undead citizens.

The naturally occurring undead were not very strong, but the undead created by a skilled magician brought out the best of their materials. In some cases, they are given special powers on top of that.

The elite Undead had at least as much power as a living soldier. It was dangerous to let non-combatants fight against such things.

"That's great, mister!"

"You really are strong!"

Udanosuke found himself beginning to think that this kind of thing was not so bad while receiving praise from behind.

He had long since forgotten how to protect anyone. What Udanosuke was protecting was the all-out evil, the Night Pythons, and the reward handed to him.

But didn't his master say some time ago. If you are only strong, you wouldn't follow the Bushido Code (Samurai Code). To protect the weak. To view the cherry blossoms. To eat. That was Bushido!

The almost forgotten spirit of Bushido burned in Udanosuke's heart!

Udanosuke was almost to the inn on the outskirts of town where he was holed up. From there, the survivors accompanying him would be able to escape out of the city.

Fortunately, it was still daytime. From now on, he could escape to the inn town before nightfall.

"Adventurer! Behind you!"

Udanosuke turned around at the sound of a shrill cry.

A squad of undead had appeared far behind him on the main street and was running toward them.

"Keep running! If they catch up with us, I'll take them!"

"And the other one!"

"What!?"

Another squad of undead appeared from the intersection in front of them.

It was clearly a pincer attack targeting Udanosuke and the others. They may have been noticed since so many people were moving together.

The group stopped in their tracks.

"What should we do...?"

"Wait, that you should. Conversation with a disheveled mage deserves Harakiri, that it does."

Udanosuke rearranged his dull blond hair, which was tied high on the back of his head.

In the meantime, Udanosuke checked the surrounding terrain.

There were several places where they could have gone through the building and slipped out the back door. But to begin with, they could not win in terms of foot speed. The undead could keep running tirelessly, especially considering that they included the elderly in their group. If they slowed down or took too long to escape, reinforcements might come in one after another.

--We should not run away!

"Skeletons are fast and strong, that they are, but they have no intelligence! The zombies are stupid, that they are! The undead are probably fighting in small units led by ghouls! If we cut down the ghouls, it will disrupt the coordination, that it should! We should be able to run through the gap, that we should be able to!"

When he pointed forward with "Douchou Atsuryoku", the citizens who had been listening to him started to buzz.

“Are you going through there!?"

"It is dangerous to delay, that it is. I will secure your safety, that I will, and we will go through in a single rush, that we will!"

After a while, the boy who was saved first shouted.

"Let's go! The adventurer says so, so it's all right!"

And those around him followed suit.

"Yes! I'll do something!"

"I'll take care of the old man. I'll carry him."

"I'll show you what I can do with this iron bar and this wooden board!"

"Hey, get out of here first!"

"I owe you my life! Sir!"

Udanosuke was pushed back by these voices and began to run like Onbashira sliding down the slope.

After all, the ghouls seemed to be commanding the entire group from their position at the back.

Considering the time, it would take for the followers to catch up, Udanosuke first cut down the spearhead of the enemy, and then planned to break through by dodging the attacks all at once.

Spears and swords were closing in on Udanosuke. They wanted to chop him to death and make him a fellow undead.

He jumped over. Half a body. He slashed away. He crouched. He pushed away.

The inevitable blade ripped into his side. It didn't matter.

The ghoul commander pointed his sword at Udanosuke in a panic, but ... it was too late.

"Hara! Kiri! SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!!"

Udanosuke ran through, stopped on the spot, and slammed his sword into the ground!

"Cut down and spare!"

The ghoul's upper body was blown away.

At the same time, the movements of the surrounding undead slowed. They moved slowly toward Udanosuke, seemingly by sheer inertia.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, his companions ran past them.

" It worked! Adventurer-san you're awesome!"

"No need to thank me. Protecting the weak and especially caring for the young ones is the code of Bushido, the all-powerful Bushido!"

Udanosuke responded with a thumbs-up to the boy who jumped up and down with delight.

Meanwhile, Udanosuke was cutting through the rest of the undead. The troops that tried to attack the rear were also closing in.

"Gentlemen, I suggest you run ahead! I accept the situation!"

"Oh, no! We'll help you, too!"

"Then, when the enemy reinforcements come, we will have to fight again to drive them away, that we will! If I am alone, it will be easy for me to escape, that it will be!"

Udanosuke said, and there was a bitter, frustrated silence.

"......Understood."

"I can't be a liability to you. I'm sorry, but I'm going ahead."

“Hey, adventurer, can you at least tell us your name at the end? You must be a great fighter!"

The first boy shouted regretfully as he left.

Udanosuke chuckled a little.

"I am not a man worthy of recognition. I am only a samurai. But I am moved by the soul of the samurai, and I have saved you all! Remember that, that you should. I am a servant of Daihon-ei, the God of Victory! The noblest and strongest warrior in the world! This is the Samurai!"

Udanosuke felt that he now understood the meaning of these words, even though he had inherited them entirely from his master.

"Samurai-san! Thank you!"

"Thank you!"

"Stay safe!"

The others ran away, thanking Udanosuke verbally.

Without looking over his shoulder, Udanosuke continued to fight.

Even the elite undead were no match for Udanosuke.

It was easy to annihilate a unit that lacked leadership.

But the forces that followed were numerous. About 50 undead civilians came with whatever weapons they could find.

--Skills seem to be low, but ... is it possible to get a lucky shot with so many of them? I will finish them off while retreating!

Udanosuke began to fight while retreating to avoid being surrounded.

One on one, he could not lose; if he repeated one on one fifty times, he could defeat even fifty undead.

It reminded him of a story he had heard from his master about the torture by overworking.

--Calm yourself, Udanosuke...! Remember your training in the Holy Kingdom! Those training days when you woke up every morning in the dark to prepare the dohyo ring! Those training days when you were not allowed to sleep until you had transferred a thousand beans from vase to vase with chopsticks!

If he lost concentration, he would be crushed by the overwhelming volume of work.

Even so, he could not run away. Behind Udanosuke, there are those who are supposed to be protected...!

"Oh, my. There's some good, fresh material here."

A calm girl's voice, so unlike the battlefield, was heard.

The undead stopped fighting, retreated, and dropped to their knees.

Udanosuke looked up overhead and saw a girl standing on top of a building.

No, could she be called a girl if she seemed to be holding onto her hair and hanging her own head in one hand?

Beautiful silver hair and eyes. Her face was innocent, but she had the air of a ruler. Her pure white dress decorated with ruffles was stained with a rose emblem that seemed to have been drawn with fresh blood.

In one hand, she held her own head, and in the other, a bright red sword that looked like it had been carved out of a jewel.

In the space created by the retreat of the undead, she jumped down with a stomp (dexterously holding her skirt with the hand that held the sword).

--This little girl is...!!

Terror caused goosebumps to appear all over his body.

The unusual pressure and evil presence alone told him that this was no ordinary person.

Udanosuke had heard about the commotion that had occurred in the capital.

Udanosuke bowed at a perfect 30° angle, holding his katana with both hands like a shield. There was a certain courtesy that a samurai should show to a nobleman. Even if it is against an undead monster!

"I am Udanosuke, Samurai and Master Swordsman of Kengo!"

"Oh, the last one... I should return the courtesy of being addressed. I am René "Rosey" Ruvia Ciel-Terra. I am of the rightful descendant from the rightful king of this land."

"Of course!"

In many ways, he didn't want it to be so.

In addition to the emotional difficulty of the fight, and the fact that he didn't feel like he could win...

But even so, she must be stopped here. Now that the Order seemed to have been destroyed, if anyone in this city could stop the "Rose Princess of Hellrage", it would be none other than Udanosuke!

“It might be bad manners for a samurai to lay a hand on a girl and a child, but this kind of rampage will be a trouble for other people! You are now to be put to death by Bushido!"

"You seem confident with the sword. I'll give you a little practice."

René thrust the red sword in her hand into the ground, and then put her hand out behind her.

One of the skeletons knelt respectfully and handed the sword he was using to René.

With a single flick, René stepped forward straight into Udanosuke's grasp.

She swung her sword like a dance, as befitting her appearance.

René's sword drew complicated trajectories and attacked in volleys.

Sparks flew. The sword was heavy, unbecoming of a child's body.

But Udanosuke saw through it, and accurately blocked it with his katana.

“Fast, strong and beautiful! But so much waste! Uooooooooo, Sssshhhh!

Udanosuke's blow, which struck down.

René lightly avoided it. Aiming for an opening in the attack, she cut back.

Udanosuke rolled to the side with his katana in his arms, evading the attack and keeping his distance.

Then, stepping forward, he delivered a big swing that carried momentum. Another blow!

It looked as if Udanosuke was swinging the katana around at random, but in fact, it was a series of attacks that left no room for counterattacks, as Udanosuke saw through his opponent's timing and openings.

A loud and clear sound echoed through the streets of Wesala, which was becoming a dead city. It was like striking a rock with the katana. René, who appeared to be holding his sword lightly in one hand, did not lose her stance even after being hit with the full force of the blow.

The Undead were kneeling and watching their master fight.

"Let it be done! Nam nam nam nam namu!"

"... It sounds so random Japanese, I wonder what this call is ..."

In between attacks, Udanosuke showed an inviting opening.

René reacted. Her sword was launched to pierce Udanosuke's abdomen as he raised her katana.

But... Udanosuke was hit by the sword. Udanosuke swung his katana down at the sword. The strike to the weapon in this position caused René's upper body to sway a little, as one would expect.

Udanosuke would not miss this.

Udanosuke returned the blow with a slash to the side of René's torso.

"Hara!"

Rene reacted quickly, and while in an incomplete stance, she let the attack go.

Udanosuke followed up with a vertical slash.

"Kiri!"

This was probably all due to the fact that René was small. The fact that her head was not on top of her torso reduced her height even further. The time it took for the katana to reach its target was ... a moment longer than usual!

Despite having a lock of her silver hair cut off, Rene managed to duck this strike with just her body movement. And.

“SMAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!"

A slash with all his might.

René received it head-on.

The impact was so great that René slid backward, scraping the cobblestones with both feet.

But René took it in stride.

"... Kuh, you stopped it!"

Udanosuke sheathed his katana. Bakin! René's sword snapped with a sound. The follow-up blow from the "Harakiri Smash" occurred where the strike had hit.

The weapon was destroyed, but that was all. She had not yet used her original weapon, the red sword, and the undead army behind her immediately threw her a replacement sword, which she caught.

"I've decided!"

She clapped her hands together with a snap, holding her own head and sword.

She smiled innocently and happily, but arrogantly, as if she had come up with something mischievous.

" You will be my swordsmanship instructor for a while. You will serve me as a ghoul! You, servant of the palace, you should be honored!"

Udanosuke felt a cold sweat break out as he was confronted with a sword.'　

He didn't know what it was, but he was favored.

He had a ... very bad feeling about this.

"I'm afraid I can't do that..."

"≪Calamity Flash≫”

A reddish-black light converged at the tip of the sword that René was holding.

--Magic...!

It was in the information about the "Rose Princess of Hellrage", wasn't it? She slaughtered people with magic.

She was really fighting Udanosuke with the intention of having him practice with her and was taking things easy on him.

And now that she had taken a liking to Udanosuke, she was now ready to make him her own.

The light at the tip of the sword expanded...!

--Not yet! I have a charm!

He had five protective charms that he was given to carry with him when he was working. He had planned to sell them for money in case of emergency, but they came in handy here. No matter how much magic she had, this was enough. It would be enough to cut her down in a head-on attack.

Udanosuke rushed forward. A horrifying sensation caressed his entire body. The reddish-black light was interrupted...!

“Gayshaaaaaaah!!!"

His katana cut through the empty air.

"What!?"

She wasn't there. René was not there. She was supposed to be there just a moment ago.

"That's too bad."

With a chilling echo, he heard a girl's voice.

He turned around and saw a ... skeleton in a white dress on the roof, where Udanosuke's katana could not reach.

In her hand she held a red staff that looked like it had been carved out of a jewel.

--Teleportation...!? And that look! Lich!?

A reddish-black light illuminated the tip of the staff.

It has a horrifying glow that was several times larger than the previous one.

The charm was still in place, but he had a ... certain premonition. He couldn't withstand it!

--I wonder if the boy, the other survivors, have escaped.

The light swelled.

--Ah, ... I wish I could have seen the Far East with my own eyes once before I die...!

Udanosuke + Hilbert Designs

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