Volume 1 Chapter 26 (1/2)

Tenko who interrupted my usage of my trump card smiled and then spoke.

“Then, I’m off. El-chan, please do some repairs for me afterwards. And Oto-san, praise me lots later, okay?”

Tenko assumed a hip firing stance with her shotgun. She then set ablaze her surroundings.

It was a barrier made of flames. It was most probably deployed to counter the blades of wind.

She then ran with all her might towards the Emerald dragon within the tornado, her fox tail trailing after her.

And when she passed us, I saw there were traces of blood on her. Her bleeding still hasn’t stopped.

“I’ll back you up, no matter how little.”

Elder Dwarf placed her hands on the ground.

Upon doing so, thick walls that ran along with Tenko on both of her sides appeared.

A protection against the wind.

However, the walls were being scraped off as each second passed. The scraped off pieces of the wall were sucked into the tornado and assaulted Tenko.

Despite that though, the moment those pieces of the wall touched her barrier, they immediately burned.

I guess by some kind of trick, the walls were made to be flammable.

Elder Dwarf was quite a considerate fellow.

“Elder Dwarf, what’s Tenko planning to do?”

“My modified shotgun, the ED-01S, is also capable of firing fully automatically. She intends to make use of that. She has switched the lever from S to F so there is no doubt in my mind about that.”

“It’s built with a full-automatic feature? First time I’ve heard of it.”

“It’s still on the experimental stage so I haven’t said anything to Master yet. All it can do at the moment is break when fired like that. I’m embarrassed of such an incomplete creation.”

If that much firepower was fired in quick succession, it might just be able to penetrate through that dragon’s tough defenses.

“Will it be safe? Will there be no accidental discharge?”

“If it’s just going to be on fully automatic mode once, for just one magazine, it’ll be able withstand it to the end. The magazine that Tenko has attached, it’s been reverse engineered with ED-01S’s power in mind. If it was going to break anyway, I have modified the shells to have the maximum amount of powder a magazine could have and still be able to endure one round of fully automatic firing.”

“Thanks for telling me. But still, pushing through that wind and then firing fully automatically at point-blank range is no ordinary feat.”

What was troublesome about the Emerald Dragon was that the power of the bullets were being reduced by the tornado around its body. In addition, its scales would then deflect and change the direction the bullets were on.

But a shotgun with that much firepower and firing fully automatically should be able to rectify that.

The first shell would clear away the wind and then the path made by it would be followed right away by the second and third shells.

If it was a normal rapid-fire, the path made by the first shell would already be blocked before the second shell was even fired.

A fully automatic rapid-fire would not have that problem though getting as close as point-blank range was necessary.

“It’s something I can’t do. But if anyone can do it, it’s gotta be Tenko.”

“It certainly seems so.”

“I’m vexed by my inability to do anything.”

Elder Dwarf tightened her fists.

Tenko advanced straight ahead, keeping her body close to the ground.

Her small body that looked like it’ll be blown away at any moment desperately endured as the blades of wind, unaffected by her flame barrier, cut her body little by little. Ever onward.

Hang in there, I cheered within my mind.

Just a little more, just a little bit more and you’re there.

And then, the Emerald Dragon slammed its tail to the ground.

From its jade green tail, countless sharp scales scattered.

Those scales then flew and swirled around with the tornado.

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

Tenko screamed.

The wind blades looked like nothing compared to the scales that turned into superfast sharp knives that flew within the tornado.

Tenko’s barrier made of flames was easily penetrated.

Unable to hold on anymore, Tenko was blown away. The distance she had shortened until her body was cut all over had once again widened.

“Tenko!”

I shouted so and saw Tenko bloodied all over as she tried to stand.

“It’s alright, I can still, I can still go on. I’ll win. I’m Oto-san’s number one monster so I won’t ever lose to another Demon Lord’s monster.”

No matter how I looked at it, she was battered.

And yet, Tenko still thought of diving in.

“Stop it, Tenko. It’s enough already.”

“No! Tenko won’t betray Oto-san’s trust on her.”

Tenko, injured and all, once again plunged in.

If I used my Demon Lord’s [Command], then maybe I would be able to stop her but that would only trample her resolve.

As I hesitated, Elder Dwarf shouted something.

“Master. Please give a name to Tenko. We grow stronger by just having a name. As she is right now, Tenko will die.”

“El-chan, stop it!”

“Why!?”

“It’s alright, a name is, still…”

Tenko, as she was glaring at the Emerald Dragon in front of her, spoke without turning her head away.

“But Tenko, I thought you’ve always wanted a name.”

“I do, just not like this. I want to get it properly. I want Oto-son to love Tenko from the bottom of his heart. Tenko wants a name full of that love…. So a name just because of necessity, I don’t want it.”

That must have been Tenko’s true heart’s desire being voiced out.

I remembered the first day I met her. Back then, she tried to trick me to give her a name just so she could get stronger.

But now, that same girl was saying such things.

She must have grown up during our time together.

And for that, I was eternally happy.

I loved Tenko even under normal circumstances but this made me love her even more.

My overflowing emotions could no longer be suppressed.

Tenko was facing a dilemma so I…

“Don’t lose, Quina!”

I called out her name and yelled.

The moment I said her name, some thumping sound echoed in my head and we were connected.

Tenko’s, no, Quina’s power flowed into me and my power flowed into her.

It felt good. And warm.

“Oto-san”

Tenko turned around, surprise in her face.

“Quina. That is your name. You’re my first [Monster of the Covenant].”

“But a name, I didn’t want it like this.”

But Tenko swelled her face and pouted instead.

“That’s not how you should feel. The name that I have given you was something I had thought of ever since we met. A name I’ve thought and thought about. A name I’ve decided to pour my heart and soul in just to make my most beloved daughter happy.”

“…that’s not true.”

“It is. I know of your strengths, of your kindness, and of how much you love me. Therefore, I’ve decided that we should be together for the rest of our lives. It’s not because we are being driven into a corner but simply it’s because it’s Quina. I love you, Quina! I am giving you this name, Quina. So, let us prove to them that my [Monsters of the Covenant] are the strongest in the whole world.”