"Once again, on behalf of Nuzloft, I thank you for aiding our village during our time of need."
Ryozo said and bowed his head respectfully, an action that was followed by Aomidori and Joe who were standing next to him.
They were all standing at the edge of the village. The sun had just risen, and dozens of tamers could be seen testing out their Scroll Balls in heated battles throughout the open space at the top of the hill.
"Of course! I'll be back next year to claim the title of Conqueror, so get ready Joe."
Naruto claimed and pointed towards the young Beast Tamer in challenge.
"Zard and I will be ready!"
Joe responded to the challenge with his Scroll Ball in hand.
"We also thank you for donating such a wonderful artifact to our tamers as well. I apologize for our lack of finances to pay for them. But in return, we can offer you and your party free lodging during your future visits."
Aomidori added, prompting the chief to stiffen as he felt her gaze fall on him for a brief moment.
"Th-thanks…"
Kazuma chuckled nervously. With how things played out, their journey having back to back events, his beast taming dreams being crushed by the reality of monster battles, having to donate all of his merchandise to save the town, AND the events at the Forbidden Cave?
Yeah… He was definitely never coming to this place again.
"Wh-what is that!?"
Ryozo suddenly shouted and ran over to Aqua, who seemed to be fiddling with something in her hands by the group's collective luggage.
"This is…!?"
The chief of Nuzloft gaped upon seeing the familiar looking handheld device in the goddess's hands.
"Hm? What, you want a turn? No way! I just taught my Giant Toad a new move!"
Aqua said and turned away from the middle-aged man without even looking.
"P-please, Aqua-sama! It's been so long since I've been able to play! In return, I'll teach you one of the cheat codes!"
Ryozo bargained, and this drew the girl's attention.
"Cheat codes? Tell me! Ah, but don't tell Kazuma. We made a bet to see who could get the highest score. If I win, he'll give me the other treasures like this one!"
Aqua said and handed the device over to Ryozo.
"Hey! That's cheating, Aqua! No outside help!"
Kazuma barked and tried to grab the treasure, but Aqua quickly intercepted and blocked his path.
"Hah! A gamer-NEET like you probably knows the cheat codes too! You just want to use them yourself, don't you?"
"Geh…! W-why is your intuition always this sharp in situations like this!? Also, does that mean you remember who Ryozo is!?"
Kazuma remarked as he tried to get past the goddess, which caused the girl to look at the chief with narrowed eyes.
Ryozo, in the midst of his blast in the past, felt the eyes of the goddess on his back.
"Hmmm…"
Aqua hummed as she rubbed her chin in thought, causing the chief of Nuzloft to sweat bullets.
"Nope! Doesn't ring a bell. Ah! You're probably trying to distract me so you can steal the treasure!"
"N-no I'm not! Damn it… Curse your low intelligence stat!"
As Kazuma and Aqua struggled against one another, Ryozo let out a breath of relief.
"So what's next? Are you all heading back to Axel?"
Joe asked as he watched the two squabble in amusement.
"I think so… Darkness and I tried to look for Kiki this morning while everyone was recovering from the party last night, but she's avoiding us for some reason."
Naruto replied with a frown, with Darkness drooping her head dejectedly.
Every time they would get close to the fox's location, she would disappear and Naruto would feel her presence in one of the other forests.
Against Darkness's insistence to keep on chasing, Naruto decided they'd leave Kiki alone for now. Their Beast Bond was still intact, and he felt no malice towards them from the kitsune's side. So she would probably come find him when she was ready.
"Kiki…"
Darkness moped, earning a supportive pat from the shinobi.
"I'm not looking forward to going back through that forest…"
Megumin commented while shuddering at the thought of their initial trek through the Grubby Grove. She was banned from using her Explosion magic inside the forest and was nearly snatched up by one of those disgusting creatures three times.
"Mom, don't you have Teleportation magic? Can't you just teleport them back to Axel?"
Joe asked, earning the attention of everyone in the group. Their hopeful eyes shot to the woman.
"Yes, as a mage who wields Advanced Magic, I indeed hold the power of Teleportation magic... But I do not have a waypoint set in Axel. There is simply no need to visit a place with such weak monsters in the area."
Aomidori disclosed with a shrug, and the group visibly deflated.
Which made sense. If you could summon a powerful demon and reshape the very land itself with a flick of your hand, why bother going to the Town of Beginners?
"Oh well, I guess we're gonna have to fight our way through again! We'll take the same formation as last time, and don't worry Megumin. Now that I know there's Tomato Bugs in that forest, we can just wrap you up in a blanket so they don't target you and your red clothes!"
Naruto said and offered the young mage a towel, and she was about to reluctantly accept it when a thought occurred to her.
"Wait! Teleportation magic lets you set three waypoints! What if we went to the Home of the Crimson Magic!?"
Megumin suggested, and this time Naruto's face scrunched up.
Seeing the shinobi's reaction, Kazuma grew hesitant. The last time Naruto made a face like that, they were heading for Alcanretia.
"Do you have a third waypoint, Aomidori-san?"
Kazuma asked, to which the older mage nodded.
"Indeed. I could send you all to our closest trading post, Alcanretia-"
"Please send us to the Crimson Demon Village."
Kazuma, Megumin, and even Naruto interjected.
–The group gathered their gear and huddled together as Aomidori prepared to cast her Teleportation spell, with Aqua retrieving her treasure from a very unwilling Ryozo.
"Alright everyone, please keep your hands and feet inside the magic circle… One wrong move and your limbs might get teleported to another dimension. Small and underdeveloped items should especially beware."
Aomidori instructed with a sinister tone, her crimson eyes flashing ominously as she looked at Megumin with a slightly smug expression.
"I can't wait to tell my parents about Nuzloft's great financial success. I'm sure my mother will especially be happy to hear about your business strategies."
Megumin responded with a sneer of her own, causing their older woman's smile to crack.
"T-thanks for everything! It was nice meeting you, Joe!"
Kazuma quickly said and waved to the Beast Tamer that had saved him and his party from falling into debt yet again.
"Come visit Axel sometime! Our door is always open!"
Darkness said with a smile, and Joe smiled back.
"Will do! I think Zard and I are going to try traveling the kingdom this year to prepare for the next Nuzloft Challenge!"
"The Town of Beginners would be a great start! Jerry and I will be waiting!"
Naruto chimed with a fox-like grin on his face.
"Bye!"
With new promises made, the Teleport spell activated!
Crimson Demon Village…
When they opened their eyes, the group found themselves standing inside of a small wooden structure. It was quiet, with the only source of sound being the faint breeze hitting the hut outside.
'The Crimson Demon Village… I heard this place is avoided by a lot of people, and even the Demon King's army due to how powerful its inhabitants are.'
Kazuma thought as a ball of excitement welded up inside of him. If what Yunyun told him was true about this place, then Megumin really was an oddball in this place. Which meant he was about to meet a town full of powerful wizards! Ones that knew actual magic instead of the impractical rubbish that was Explosion!
This was as fantasy as it got!
"This is my home's Teleport Station… But there should be someone running it at this hour. Did they take the day off?"
Megumin wondered aloud as she looked around the empty room. It was kind of unnerving with how quiet it was too. Normally they would at least be able to hear the conversations of her clansman outside, as a normal conversation between Crimson Demons was never casual.
Something was off.
"Hey, Megumin. You're sure your clansmen will have a waypoint in Axel?"
Kazuma asked, and the mage averted her gaze.
"...Hey. Why'd you look away? Answer my question."
"None…"
Megumin muttered, and the excitement in Kazuma's stomach turned into a lump of stone.
"None? What do you mean none? Isn't this place even farther away from Axel than Nuzloft? Then why did you make that suggestion to Aomidori!?"
Kazuma demanded, and this time Megumin got all up in his face.
"None of them do! Why would an Arch Wizard from the most powerful clan in the world set one of their limited waypoints in the Town of Beginners!? Of course I didn't want to go through all of those creepy crawlers again!"
Megumin shouted with teary eyes, shuttering in remembrance from the horrible experience.
"You…!"
Kazuma understood where she was coming from. He really did.
But now they had an extra day's worth of walking just to get back to Nuzloft, to which they would need to walk to Alcanretia, and then hopefully get another two day wagon trip back to Axel.
'I wanna go home…'
Kazuma moped when Naruto suddenly walked up to the door.
"There's people outside…"
"Maybe they weren't expecting visitors? Megumin, go tell your clansman that they have honored guests."
Aqua said without looking up from her game, prompting Kazuma's face to go pale.
"True… I heard that not a lot of people come to the Crimson Demon Village. I'm sure Megumin can explain that we mean no harm."
Darkness added, and now Kazuma looked like he wanted to cry.
"What are you two doing raising two major red flags like that!? Are you trying to get us killed!? Also, Aqua! Give me back the treasure! You had your time with it!"
Kazuma hissed and lunged for the game, but Aqua readily kept it out of his reach.
"No way! You said I could have first dibs and-Ah! Naruto!"
Aqua complained when Naruto suddenly snatched the device from her outstretched hand and sealed it within a Storage Scroll.
"Guys, this could be serious. I can feel the emotions outside, and they're intense. One in particular is radiating a lot of hatred… It's nothing like the last time I was here, something probably happened."
Naruto said as he tucked the tiny scroll into his vest.
"The Demon King's Army must have finally made their move! The last time they laid siege on our village, they attacked with over five-hundred troops. Maybe this time they brought a thousand and finally took over the village! Ah… How could I not feel it before!? The signatures of my clansman… My family…! All dropping like flies!"
Megumin added while grasping at her heart in desperation.
"...Anyways, I'll go out there first and see what's up. They know I'm Ero-Senin's pupil, and that guy's pretty popular around here for some reason."
Naruto said while sending the little mage an odd look.
"As you know, the Crimson Demons wield a wide arsenal of spells. Perhaps my most gracious master should leave all flammable possessions with your humble maid?"
"In the event of an attack, I should go with you. I recently upgraded my magical defenses, so don't be afraid to hide behind me when they open fire."
Aqua and Darkness said with hopeful expressions on their faces, but Kazuma intervened before they could get near the shinobi by chopping them both on the head.
"Good luck."
Kazuma said and gave his friend a thumbs up. If they really did attack, there was a small crack in the back of the shop that he could have Darkness use her brute strength to allow them a quick escape.
"T-thanks…"
Naruto said while scratching at his whisker marks awkwardly. Even after all of this time, it was still hard to digest this group's antics sometimes.
Cracking the door open a smidge and glancing outside, the ninja found the Crimson Demon Village completely void of any signs of life. But he didn't need to reach out very far with his senses to know that there was a large group of people standing a good twenty or thirty feet in front of him.
'The Invisibility spell?'
Naruto thought and decided to just get it over with and walk outside.
The moment he stepped into the clearing, he heard a series of footsteps shuffling.
He took another step forward.
More scuffling.
A mischievous grin formed on the shinobi's face.
These guys must be trying to do some kind of cool introduction or something.
Poof!
Naruto's form suddenly exploded into a plume of smoke, leaving nothing behind as the wind blew the vapor away.
Now crouching on top of a nearby building with his mana/chakra signature completely concealed, Naruto smirked as he began to hear troubled whispers coming from the clearing.
Time to remind these Crimson Demons who they were messing with.
"So, you all thought you could get the drop on a master ninja? Hah! Did the tales of my recent exploits not reach this secluded village?"
Naruto stood up and shouted out into the open space, earning a few hushed gasps.
"Did you forget that my name is none other than Naruto Uzumaki, pupil of the great Ero-Senin, slayer of the Mobile Fortress Destroyer, and potential Hero Candidate of the Kingdom of Belzerg!?"
The shinobi continued and hopped down from the roof and onto the ground without so much as making a sound. He heard some more shuffling, and then two people revealed themselves in the center of the clearing.
"Well met... Tell me, Naruto Uzumaki. Do you know who I am?"
It was a middle aged man with short dark brown hair and a mustache. He wore a black buttoned shirt and a matching pair of black pants. His arms were wrapped in bandages and he wore black open finger gloves on his hands that were currently balled into fists.
Standing next to this strange older man was-
"Oh, Yunyun! So you were still here in the village! Did you get to say hi to your family?"
Naruto said, his expression brightening upon seeing his party member.
"H-hello, Naruto-san… Umm… This is actually my-"
Yunyun began to say when a thought occurred to her.
Wait, she couldn't let Naruto know her father was the chief of the Crimson Demons! If he found out that she was the one that forced her father to make the law against that thing, then Naruto would surely kick her out of his party for shaming his master!
"Fufufu…"
The older man let out a few dark chuckles, his bangs shadowing his crimson colored eyes.
"Hahahaha! You've got guts to come into MY village, take MY daughter into your party, and then ignore ME! The chief of the Crimson Demons! Hiropon!"
The now named Hiropon declared and shot a bolt of purple lightning into the sky for added effect.
'Oh, this guy's the chief? But what does he mean by "his daughter"? Did he mistake me for Kazuma or something?'
Naruto thought while tapping his chin. After all, Megumin was the daughter of the chief. Yunyun told him herself.
Yunyun's face turned beet red. She didn't know what her father was going on about, or why he suddenly called for a town meeting and ordered the entire village to turn invisible when people showed up at the Teleportation shop, but there was absolutely no way out of this one. The cat was out of the bag now…
"Hah! That's just like the chief of the Crimson Demons, who sees everyone in the village as his children! But you'll have to excuse our sudden appearance. We were just in a neighboring village when we sensed a disturbance. Is the Demon King Army attacking?"
Megumin, who must have gotten past Kazuma, kicked the door of the shop open and made her grand entrance. The rest of her party followed after her.
"M-Megumin!"
Yunyun looked at her rival with teary, yet very grateful eyes.
"Ah, Megumin. As expected of the prodigy of our clan. Your foresight is correct… The Demon King Army is planning something big. Not even the full might of our great clan can stand up to what is to come. But the prophecy has been foretold… and it seems the fate of the world rests in the hands of the 'Player of Axel' and my daughter."
Hiropon revealed, his gaze narrowing back on Naruto. He then snapped his fingers, and the remaining Crimson Demons canceled their Invisibility spells and revealed themselves. It wasn't the entire village, but a large group was present.
"With that said… Naruto Uzumaki! I, Hiropon, challenge you for the hand of my daughter!"
. . .
"EH!?"
Yunyun's eyes bulged out of their sockets. What nonsense was her father spouting? Was it alright to smack him? It was alright to smack her father upside the head, right!?
"I don't really get it, but you want to make sure I'm worthy of having Yunyun in my party, right? Well I made her a promise, so I accept your challenge!"
Naruto declared, which brought a roar of applause from the crowd.
'Kill me…'
Yunyun thought while burying her flushed face behind her hands, knowing full well her party member misunderstood something.
'What just happened…?'
Kazuma thought as he looked between Naruto and the supposed chief of the Crimson Demons. He then turned to his party's Crimson Demon to see her smirking at the trembling Yunyun.
Suspicious…
"So, chief? What's this challenge going to be?"
Naruto asked as he walked up to his to-be opponent, failing to notice Yunyun's absolute determination to avoid his gaze.
"There's an ancient Crimson Demon tradition that must be followed during such events… The suitor must pass three trials! You have already passed the first trial, which was declaring your unwavering passion in the face of death itself!"
Hirpon explained and put up three fingers, prompting Yunyun to tremble even more.
What ancient trial? Suitor? Unwavering passion!? Gods… Make it stop!
"Oh, cool! What's the second trial?"
Naruto asked, and the chief of the Crimson Demons smirked.
"Trial by combat."
"O-one thousand!?"
Kazuma balked as he looked out into the distance. Just outside of the village, across a vast open field, a large Demon King Army platoon had apparently set up camp which consisted of various species of demons and other monsters.
If there were so many minions just outside of their village, then why were the Crimson Demons acting so calm!? In fact, the people that decided to show up brought snacks and chairs as if they were showing up for a drive-in movie!
Also-
"Why are you upset!?"
Kazuma barked at Aqua, who was pouting off to the side with her arms crossed.
"Because! Not only did Naruto confiscate my treasure, but now he's going to fight for that awkward Crimson Demon! He spoke about promises… What about his promise to Mitsugiri to make me happy, huh!?"
Aqua responded before looking away with a "hmph!".
Kazuma started grinding his teeth in frustration. What was up with this goddess and her stupid tsundere act? First she acts like a helpless maiden around the ninja, then she acts like the snobby goddess she always is! Make up your goddamn mind!
Also, Mitsurugi would probably cry if he heard you say his name wrong.
Leaving Aqua aside for now, Kazuma walked over to Megumin who was talking with Darkness about the village.
"Hey, Megumin. Why is your clan acting like this? There's a thousand Demon King Army minions out there, right? Shouldn't they be acting a little less carefree?"
Kazuma inquired, and the little girl shrugged.
"The Demon King's Army attacks our village all the time. Besides, it looks like the chief is going to be using this batch for the second trial. Just watch, you'll understand in a second."
Megumin said, opting to say the last bit when Kazuma's face became even more confused.
"Look at this land, Yunyun… Everything you see is under constant threat of the Demon King and his army. As chief of the Crimson Demon Clan, it is my duty to lead the defense against his tyranny. For the sake of these lands, and more importantly, for the sake of our clan."
Hiropon said as he gazed into the distance next to his daughter, who had recently regained enough composure to speak.
"Father… Can you please explain why you're doing all of this? What did the prophecy say to make you put on this trial?"
Yunyun asked, making sure Naruto wasn't within earshot. The shinobi was currently making some final preparations for the battle.
The chief remained silent for a moment before taking in a breath.
"Dear Yunyun… One day you will understand the burdens of being both the chief, and the parent of a beautiful child. Until then, let this old man fulfill his duty to both."
Hiropon responded with a warm smile, a gust of wind picking up at the last second which really added to the impact of his words.
"W-what you said was really cool just now, but I somehow get the feeling this is all just one big misunderstanding!"
Yunyun blurted out after hesitating for a moment, earning a chuckle from the man.
"What's to misunderstand, Yunyun? The chief just wants to make sure you're in good company. But don't worry, I'll prove to him that I'm the right man for the job!"
Naruto said as he walked up to them, his preparations seemingly complete.
'That's exactly what I'm worried about!'
Yunyun thought, her cheeks flaring up again.
"I'm finding that you're not as bad as the rumors say… Are you ready for the fight of your life, Naruto Uzumaki?"
Hiropon asked without taking his eyes off of the Demon King Army platoon that seemed to be preparing to attack.
"I'll make sure to clear any of those stupid rumors later, but yup!"
Naruto replied and cracked his knuckles. This was going to be his first encounter with the Demon King's army since coming to this world(Wiz and Vanir don't count), so he was really going to let loose.
The rules had been explained while they were making their way up the hill.
Whoever defeated the most Demon King minions would be declared the winner. Whoever defeated the Demon King Army General scored extra points.
Apparently, this Demon King Army General was extremely resistant to magic.
They would see about that…
"Yunyun, if you would?"
Hiropon asked as he readied his staff.
"O-on your mark…"
Yunyun stuttered, a loud horn indicating the advancement of the Demon King's Army.
"Get set…"
Naruto lowered himself into a four-point sprint start.
"Go!"
At the girl's signal, Naruto disappeared with a swirl of leaves.
"Cursed Lightning!
Hirpon shouted, and a bolt of purple lightning that was easily twice the size of his earlier display shot out of the tip of his staff.
In an instant, a few dozen minions were burnt to a crisp and collapsed onto the grass.
But they didn't have time to mourn for their fallen comrades as a green and yellow blur smashed into their frontlines from the other side.
Naruto slid to a stop, kunai in hand as five Imps fell to the floor.
Hiropon bellowed with laughter.
"Hah! Only five!? Is that all the great pupil of Ero-Senin can-"
Boom! x5
Each of the bodies exploded, turning Naruto's body into a silhouette as he started walking towards the next group of demons. He'd attached an Explosive Tag on each of the Imps as he cut them down, with each resulting explosion taking out a dozen each.
"M-monster!"
An armored Imp squealed, earning the shinobi's attention.
Naruto sprung forward.
The Imp lashed out with his sword, but the blade hit nothing but air as a sandaled foot smashed into the demon's helmet which caused it to cave into itself from the impact.
Naruto propelled himself into the air, his arm outstretched.
"Explosion!"
Boom!
Another explosion went off, but this time it was much larger and easily turned another few dozen minions into ash.
Naruto landed on the ground and smirked at his handiwork. But he heard something approaching fast from behind and was forced to move out of the way when he turned around and saw a massive fireball heading his way.
"Hey! Watch where you're aiming those spells!"
"As Ero-Senin always says: 'A ninja must always be ready for the unexpected'! Feel the wrath of hell's kitchen itself! Inferno! But don't think that's all! For the moment I hand over my daughter to another man, hell will freeze over! Freeze Gust! My cute little Yunyun is my pride and joy! Prove to me that you're worthy of her, or meet the gods trying! Light of Saber!"
Hiropon shot out Advanced Magic after Advanced Magic, all while spouting nonsense that caused Yunyun to collapse onto her knees out of pure embarrassment.
Naruto cursed as he avoided both the Demon King Army and Hiropon's magic.
'That damn old man… I can't really hear him over all of these spells, but I swear I'm gonna make him weep when he sees my kill count!'
Naruto thought as leapt into the air to avoid getting his feet frozen by a sudden flash freeze. He then slid down a frozen slope and formed a Rasengan in his palm.
Actually, this was kind of fun. There was a nearly endless amount of enemies in front of him, AND he had to avoid spontaneous elemental attacks.
Naruto thrust the Rasengan into an armored Imp, launching the creature into a group of skeletons and knocking them all down like pins. He then threw a kunai into a nearby tree where an archer had taken aim before landing a flying kick on the creature before it even hit the ground.
Thud!
It seemed the army was pulling out their big guns as the crowd split, and five massive Trolls wielding tree trunks strutted through the opening.
Naruto smirked and stuck his hand out into a nearby bush.
"Paralyze."
"Hngh!?"
An Imp wearing a black cloak stiffened and fell out of the brush and onto the ground, to which the shinobi grabbed the terrified creature's leg.
"H-HHHHHNNNGHHGHH!?"
The Imp assassin screeched as Naruto threw its frozen body towards the lead Troll like a frisbee.
The massive beast simply raised its tree stump, killing the Imp instantly and launching its corpse into the air.
But what the Troll failed to notice was the small orange object that Naruto had attached to the Imp's cloak.
The Trolls became shrouded in an increasingly large shadow, and they looked up to see a sight that was so bizarre it caused their jaws to drop.
The surrounding Imps dropped their weapons as they watched the incoming mass descend from the sky.
"What in oblivion is that!?"
An Imp called out as Jerry, in all of his orange glory, completely crushed the Trolls along with some minions.
The earth erupted from the impact, flinging the Imps that had been smart enough to run high up into the air to which the toad readily snatched them up with his tongue like flies in quick bursts.
"Hah! So this is the legendary power of the Toad Sage that Ero-Senin had foretold! What a spectacle to see!"
Hiropon shouted as he let loose a massive Tornado, the spiraling mass of wind tearing through the already damaged plain and creating a rocky dust storm.
If the minions weren't swallowed up by the storm, they were pelted by countless stones that were picked up by the winds.
"T-this… and with just two people… and a Giant Toad."
Kazuma muttered as he watched the Demon King Army, which once stood at one-thousand strong, was cut in half in numbers within a few short minutes.
"That looks fun…"
Darkness mumbled as she watched Naruto manhandle yet another minion with his brute strength, earning a pointed look from her party leader.
"See? This happens every time the Demon King Army attacks. With this number, we would have probably only needed thirty or so clansmen to wipe them out."
Megumin said with a bored expression on her face, causing both Kazuma and Darkness to gulp.
The Crimson Demons were strong. Terrifyingly so.
Back on the battlefield, Naruto hopped on top of Jerry who had just swallowed up his umpteenth minion. The tornado was getting close, and not that it had the strength to pick Jerry up, Naruto didn't want his toad to get caught up in what he was about to do next.
"Alright, buddy. Feeding time is over. I'll find you some tasty grubs later, okay?"
Naruto said and patted his monster on the head affectionately, earning a low croak from the Giant Toad. He then tapped its orange skin with the Scroll Ball he'd recovered, and the magic item sucked up the massive toad's form until Naruto was left suspended in the air for a brief second.
Landing on the ground with a thump, Naruto pulled out a kunai with an Explosive Tag attached to it and took aim at the incoming tornado.
"You!"
Before the shinobi let go, an angry feminine voice called out to him.
"Hm?"
Naruto turned to see a beautiful woman with dark skin and long dark brown hair that was tied in a bun glaring at him from behind a large boulder.
Who was that woman?
Deciding he could afford to take a moment to investigate, Naruto trotted over to the boulder and squatted in front of the woman who was cowering with a few minions. Upon getting closer, it was revealed that she was wearing a long red dress that revealed quite a bit of skin.
"Yo. Are you the Demon King Army General?"
"Y-yes! My name is Sylvia! General of the Demon King's Army and Director of the Monster Enhancement Division! W-what the hell is going on!?"
The now named Sylvia demanded, and she and the minions flinched when another lightning bolt struck the ground not too far from them.
"Ah, you know. Defending humanity from the Demon King's Army. Do you guys surrender? I think I still have more points than the chief, so it would really help out my conscience if you surrender now. Therefore, I can win my trial and spare lives."
Naruto said with a satisfied nod, causing the woman's eyes to turn into saucers.
"You're slaughtering my troops… Like it's some sort of game!?"
Sylvia hissed and stood up, easily towering over the shinobi with her tall frame. Even when a stone hit her on the side of the head, she continued gnashing her teeth.
"So… Is that a no to the surrender?"
Naruto asked while scratching his whisker marks awkwardly.
"Bind!"
Sylvia pulled out a rope that was attached to the back of her dress and threw it at the shinobi, pinning his arms to his sides.
"S-Sylvia-sama caught the monster!"
"That's one down!"
"Sylvia-sama!"
Upon seeing their leader make her first move, some of the surrounding minions started regaining their morale. This motivated the rest of the platoon to push forward.
By now, the Dust Tornado had passed through and traversed into the forest. The minions let out a series of battle cries as they regrouped and charged towards the hillside that led to the Crimson Demon Village.
Naruto sighed. He was going to turn that Tornado into a fiery blaze of glory and then claim the points it generated, but now it was too late. Oh well, at least he could say he tried to reason with the enemy.
Sylvia was barking out orders to her team as she strutted onto the battlefield, all while dragging the tied up shinobi from behind.
"Don't regroup! Spread out! It'll make it harder for the enemy to-"
Snap!
"Eh?"
Sylvia squeaked when she turned around to see Naruto dusting off his pants, the rope in taters at his feet.
Her face paled. That rope was enchanted to be strong enough to bind even a Dragon's jaws shut… Yet this man effortlessly broke free in an instant.
"Blonde hair and blue eyes… Are you the Hero Candidate Kyouya Mitsurugi?"
Sylvia asked as she lowered into a stance, bracing herself for battle.
"Do I look like I have a magic sword? No… I have something better than a flimsy blade. Or rather, someone."
Naruto replied, and his eyes flickered red.
'Go crazy, Kurama.'
'Don't mind if I do.'
It was then Sylvia realized who was standing before her. The rumored adventurer who had soloed the Mobile Fortress Destroyer, and the one responsible for Vanir's defeat.
The Hero Candidate who wielded the power of a demon fox, Naruto Uzumaki.
A/N: R.I.P. Sylvia.
Let's see what else Hiropon has in store for Naruto and poor Yunyun.
