LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 252.1
Chapter 252.1. Hakata Defense
A deadly tongue closed in, and Tachibana’s vision went black. He was sure that he had died, overwhelmed by the darkness before him. The cold, dark world—it must be hell, he thought. He felt tears well up, believing he had died without even experiencing pain, and somehow, he was tossed onto the ground.
“Guh—”
The impact of slamming into the concrete floor knocked the wind out of him, and he groaned. The automatic rifle he had held clattered to the ground, and pain shot through his body. He opened his eyes, realizing he wasn’t dead after all.
Around him, everything was ablaze, flames raging everywhere. Many soldiers lay charred and lifeless. Yet somehow, Tachibana was fine. He patted his body in relief.
What just happened? He scrambled to his feet, picked up his rifle, and surveyed his surroundings. He had been standing just a short distance away from where he was now, and the chameleon monster, confused by his sudden disappearance, retracted its tongue and tilted its head curiously.
“Help…”
“Ahh…”
“It burns… aaah…”
The faint groans of his comrades, still alive but severely burned, reached his ears, and he turned pale. Their clothes were on fire, and embers still smoldered on their bodies, yet they clung to life.
Humans don’t die that easily, Tachibana thought, looking at his fallen comrades. He felt a sense of urgency—he had to help them. But first, he needed to take down the chameleon monster.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I have to kill that monster!”
He readjusted his grip on the rifle and pulled the trigger, aiming at the chameleon monster. But despite the barrage of bullets, they passed through the creature as if it weren’t there.
The massive chameleon noticed him, turning its body toward him.
“Why won’t the bullets work on this monster!?”
Tachibana screamed as he kept pulling the trigger, tears welling in his eyes. He had to save his comrades, but the bullets were useless. Even the surviving soldiers were firing at the other chameleons, but the bullets kept passing through them, just like before.
As the magazine emptied, Tachibana, in a state of confusion, kept pulling the trigger, making empty clicks.
The chameleon, having realized that human weapons were ineffective, slowly approached with a calm demeanor. Just as fear started to grip Tachibana again—
“That thing can only be defeated with martial arts or magic! Stay back!”
A girl’s voice echoed from above, and something landed with a thud in front of him.
“Huh… a tiger and a clown?”
Tachibana voiced his confusion as he saw what had landed before him—a jet-black tiger, with a girl dressed as a clown riding on its back. Her face was painted with stark white makeup, with a teardrop drawn under one eye and red lipstick messily smeared across her lips.
“Call me the Jester Clown. It sounds cooler than ‘clown,’ don’t you think?”
The girl, with a slightly high-pitched voice, smiled brightly at Tachibana. As he wondered why a clown was here, the girl, unfazed by his confusion, spread her hands and pulled out a long, slender knife as if performing a magic trick.
[Juggling Knife]
The girl juggled a single knife in her hands. As the knife moved back and forth, it multiplied, and soon she was juggling dozens of them. Then, with a swift motion, she hurled them at the chameleon monsters.
The slender, needle-like knives flew toward the chameleons along the castle corridor. As the creatures tried to dodge, kicking off the ground, the knives mysteriously adjusted their trajectory and pierced the monsters.
“Giiiii!”
Even though the bullets had passed right through them, the knives from the girl’s throw struck the chameleons, causing them to bleed green and writhe in pain.
“Take that!”
The Jester girl continued throwing an endless supply of knives, hitting the chameleons and attacking the soldiers with unerring precision.
“Amazing!”
Tachibana marveled at the girl’s strength, impressed that she could damage enemies impervious to bullets.
“My [Jester] level is 4. All my stats are maxed out at level 4. There’s no way I’d lose to a C-rank Rainbow Lizard.”
With a smug smile, the girl exuded confidence.
“Thanks to Rei and the maid forcing me to drink over ten potions in one go, I felt sick for a while!”
The girl, dressed as a Jester, pouted in annoyance. Yet she continued fighting the chameleon—no, the Rainbow Lizard—on equal footing, showcasing her unexpected strength.
“Amazing! Truly amazing!”
Tachibana clenched his fists in admiration, his eyes shining with excitement.
“That tiger is incredible!”
Indeed, the jet-black tiger was immensely powerful. In the blink of an eye, it closed the distance between itself and the Rainbow Lizard, slashing through the monster with razor-sharp claws. Tachibana was awestruck by the tiger’s strength.
“You’re a rude child, being so impressed after I saved you. But I won’t deny it.”
“Oh, sorry!”
As the girl juggled her knives with a playful pout, Tachibana hurriedly bowed his head. He realized that the tiger was likely the girl’s familiar. It was rude of him to act so casually after she had saved his life.
“It’s fine. That person is the commander of the Jester Knights, Konoha Taira. She’s a hero among heroes, leading other heroes.”
Another figure descended from the sky atop the jet-black tiger—a woman in a maid outfit, her expression unreadable as she spoke in a flat tone.
Taira Konoha… Tachibana looked toward the Jester girl, who sighed and regained her composure.
“That’s right. It seems we arrived just in time.”
Konoha narrowed her eyes, looking out beyond the city. Tachibana followed her gaze, and the sight before him made him panic.
“S-so many monsters! Why!?”
At some point, countless lizards had appeared among the rubble of the ruined city, and Tachibana recoiled in fear. The rubble was teeming with lizard monsters—more than just one type.
There was the Volcano Lizard, a five-meter-long creature with red-black skin that inflated its body like a toad and launched molten projectiles from its mouth, attacking from beyond the walls.
Then there was the Salamander, a flaming lizard that left scorch marks wherever it walked and was resistant to physical attacks—soldiers dreaded its presence.
The Poison Compy, a one-meter-tall lizard that darted on two legs. Its bite delivered a paralyzing toxin, leaving victims unable to move as they were devoured alive.
And the Armored Triceratops, a ten-meter-long beast with steel-like armor. Its three horns were powerful enough to smash through concrete walls with ease, making it look like a living tank.
Dozens of other types of lizard monsters poured into the city. Witnessing this terrifying stampede for the first time, Tachibana forced his trembling legs to move and managed to speak.
“We have to fight… We need to help the injured… Call for the medics…”
His squad had been wiped out, their bodies charred and lying motionless. Desperately thinking about what he could do, Tachibana resolved to save anyone still alive, even if it was already too late. They had been speaking just moments ago, after all.
[Area High Heal]