Chapter 497: Leave your cute younger sister to me

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: Kurisu

After experiencing many battles, Seiji and his companions were still completely unscathed.

Apart from their combat tactics, careful way of fighting, and luck, there was one other factor: Miyabi Ishihara had indeed become much stronger.

Her skill with the magic crossbow… her aiming had become incredibly accurate at an unbelievable rate. By the fourth battle, she managed to accurately shoot down a zombie girl that was moving at high speed. By the seventh battle, she was able to make a headshot with every single bolt fired. By the ninth battle, she even became capable of wielding a magic crossbow in each hand, scoring two headshots at once!

Nomura did his best and created some magical bolt quivers so that Miyabi could have a continuous supply of bolts for her magical crossbows. This helped to improve Miyabi's overall sustained damage and suppression, helping to make this speedily improving magic archer even more powerful than before.

Miyabi even successfully headshot many zombie girls that were charging at high speed!

With such a powerful archer supporting them from the rear, Seiji who was fighting as the vanguard on the front lines felt that the battles had gotten noticeably easier. To use a game comparison, it was as if the DPS in the back had gotten a wonderful boost! He could now focus more on tanking and protecting everyone.

As for why Miyabi suddenly became this powerful? She herself didn't know. She could only tell everyone that when she was firing the bolts that she was able to keep up an excellent state of concentration that somehow managed to help her accomplish such a feat.

Everyone could only interpret it as part of the authors' power of creation in this realm.

However, Seiji personally believed that this was Miyabi Ishihara's true potential. This seemingly ordinary student librarian had been able to summon Ya-chan unknowingly even before this incident that reunited them. He considered Miyabi Ishihara to be an Awakened, one of the "Neo Humans"!

Seiji's team entered deep into the castle.

When they reached a place that was filled with blooming cluster amaryllis flowers, they managed to scout out a huge number of enemies waiting for them.

"I detected more than ten zombie girls, including three that are wearing helmets." Matsutani had a very serious expression as he informed everyone.

The helmet-wearing zombie girls were the main characters. They only met one other zombie girl with a helmet on their way here. With everyone's help, Seiji sprung an ambush and managed to surprise and slay it before it had been able to fight at its full power.

However, just Matsutani's scouting alone revealed three main character-level zombie girls waiting for them! It was also possible that there were more that Matsutani was unable to detect… and even if there were only three, that would still be a tough enemy to deal with.

Everyone fell silent and glanced in Seiji's direction.

With so many strong enemies waiting for them, Seiji decided upon using a common game tactic: to attract the attention and aggro of only one or a few enemies at a time. Of course, Seiji himself would undertake the most dangerous job here: the person designated as the one who would attract the enemies' attention.

Seiji smiled to reassure everyone who faced him with worried expressions.

"I think that we'll probably be able to find Maishi-san after winning this battle that seems like a final battle. Well, since I feel that anything I say might accidentally raise a flag of some sort, I'll avoid saying anything at all… Everyone, let's do this!"

"Not saying anything at all might be even worse than raising flags. Why don't you just say something?" Matsutani acted all serious. "For example, that you're leaving your cute younger sister to me. I'll make sure to take good care of her."

Seiji's smile instantly became much darker.

His expression didn't noticeably change. However, everyone felt a sudden chill!

"Matsutani-senpai, I realize that you intentionally said this for me to retort to. However…"

*Pound!* Seiji delivered his iron fist of justice to the top of the pudgy middle-aged man's head.

"I won't respond only with a verbal retort for anything that goes too overboard! Please understand."

"I apologize, ribbit…"

Matsutani collapsed on the ground and stuck out all his limbs in midair, seeming like an upside-down frog.

Miyabi and everyone else were all rendered speechless by the scene.

But right as everyone was still in a speechless state, Matsutani suddenly jumped back up to his feet and looked to the side.

"Be careful!"

A sharp arrow had already arrived before Matsutani even finished speaking!

[Bullet Time], activate!

Thanks to [Bullet Time], Seiji saw an arrow approaching his face. He hurried ducked and dodged this arrow.

*Schtick!* The arrow landed in the wall and lodged deeply with an incredible amount of force.

Everyone looked in the direction the arrow came from to see a zombie girl who was wearing a black-feathered helmet and holding a longbow. This zombie girl retreated into the shadows in a black mist, and completely disappeared.

'This zombie girl must be a main character type… she's a powerful archer that has the ability to go invisible!'

Seiji sensed danger.

"We've already been discovered. Hurry and retreat!" He instantly commanded his small team.

Seiji's team immediately assembled into their retreating formation. Seiji was the last to retreat and acted as the rearguard to cover everyone else's retreat.

Before long, more sharp arrows arrived for them!

This time, there were three arrows that shot towards Miyabi, Yuuko, and Ya-chan!

"Nomura!"

Seiji blocked the arrow that shot towards Yuuko. Upon hearing Seiji's reminder, Nomura activated his magical shield's barrier and successfully blocked the arrow aimed at Miyabi.

Ya-chan summoned a demon to use as fodder to block the arrow. The demon which received the arrow was heavily injured and greatly weakened.

Miyabi counterattacked with her magical crossbow.

However, she missed as the longbow-wielding zombie girl once again went invisible.

They also saw numerous zombie girls arriving and chasing after them.

"Increase our speed!"

Everyone began running at top speed.

However, the zombie girls chasing after them were even faster than they were. The distance between them was gradually shortening.

More sharp arrows arrived.

This time, all three arrows were fired directly at Seiji!

Not only that, Seiji also saw a zombie girl who had ring accessories on her helmet rushing towards him while wielding dual swords!

Right after Seiji managed to dodge and block the three arrows, the rings helmet zombie girl arrived right in front of him.

"Heaven-sealing dual sword technique – the Tenth Seal!" the zombie girl muttered her attack's name in a low voice as two intersecting blades slashed towards Seiji!

Seiji was already prepared for this as he jumped backwards and cast a spell while dodging the attack – [Ice Prison]!

The zombie girl's body instantly froze in her movements.

Seiji then stepped forth again and counterattacked, easily slicing the frozen zombie girl in half at the waist!

"You have to be resolved to be sliced up yourself if you dare to come attack me by alone."

The dual sword wielding zombie girl collapsed on the ground and perished.

Seiji continued retreating.

The rainstorm of arrows continued, threatening every member of Seiji's team.

"Matsutani-senpai, support Ishihara-senpai and deal with that archer zombie girl!" Seiji gave his command in a low voice when they almost reached the location where they would counterattack.

Seiji had prepared beforehand for a situation in which they would be chased by enemies too numerous or powerful to handle. Matsutani had set a fixed-location magical trap at a certain location. Once they arrived there, they would be able to counterattack.

That invisible archer was far too large of a threat. They had to deal with her during this counterattacking opportunity!

Everyone soon reached the location where Matsutani's trap was placed.

The zombie girls chasing them entered the effective area of the trap.

The hidden magical trap activated! It cast a strong slowing spell on the zombie girls.

Seiji who was already in his golden form with [Evolved Mana Barrier] cast on himself took this chance to suddenly attack the zombie girls. He took out one zombie girl with each swing of his sword and began a slaughter!

Miyabi prepared both her magical crossbows and Matsutani prepared a spell. Both of them were waiting for the invisible archer zombie girl to show her face. They would immediately attack her once she popped up.

"Shadow archery technique – May Rain!" a low voice uttered the attack's name. A large wave of arrows followed right after!

It was incredibly difficult to comprehend how so many arrows were fired from a single bow. Not to mention, each arrow was still aimed so accurately at her targets!

Nomura defended against the arrow storm with his shield, Ya-chan summoned numerous demons as cannon fodder, and Seiji focused fully on defense.

Miyabi and Matsutani were simultaneously able to locate the archer zombie girl in the midst of the arrow storm.

"Over there!!"

Matsutani cast his spell as Miyabi shot her crossbow bolts!

*Boom boom boom boom…*

Matsutani's spell sealed the archer zombie girl's movements. Miyabi's crossbolts successfully landed as direct headshots, exploding the archer zombie girl's face and knocking away her helmet! The archer zombie girl finally collapsed.

Nomura successfully blocked all the arrows aimed at Miyabi and Matsutani. All three were uninjured.

However…

"Ahh!!!"

Yuuko screamed out in pain.

One arrow just happened to make it through in between Nomura's shielding barrier and Ya-chan's demons, piercing through Yuuko!

Yuuko was now bleeding bright-red blood that dripped on the ground.

"It hurts so much…" The author looked at her own blood as her consciousness became hazy due to the extreme pain. "Am I… going to die?"

She collapsed there on the spot.

"Hashimoto-san!!!"

Miyabi clutched Yuuko tightly.

Nomura was shocked by this scene and his face turned incredibly pale.

Matsutani went over to inspect her condition.

Ya-chan and Seiji were still in the midst of battling.

"Get her out of here!" Seiji shouted when he saw that Yuuko was injured. "Matsutani-senpai, hurry and take her somewhere safer in the back to give her medical treatment! Nomura-san and Ishihara-senpai, go together with them as well and try thinking of anything that you can create with your author powers in this world that will cure Hashimoto-san!

"Ya-chan and I will stop the remaining zombie girls here. We'll meet up with you later… hurry and get out of here!!!"