It pierced straight through his shoulder!
Red Archer cried out in pain and stared ahead with wide eyes, utterly shocked. This scene completely shattered everything he knew.
Impossible!!!
The original Gáe Bolg could never have had such power!
"Something's... wrong with your condition."
Cú Chulainn appeared before him, bent his knees, drew back, and threw a punch that unleashed blue-gold ripples and a sonic boom.
"Of course... I'm doing great. I've never felt better."
"Urgh—"
Red Archer took the blow to the chest and was sent flying, suspended in midair.
"What Master said... was to beat you to death."
Cú Chulainn said,
"Then I'll use my fists."
"You?! Don't get too full of yourself!"
Red Archer caught his next punch with his left hand. Though it destroyed his arm, he used the force to launch himself straight toward Fuyuki Bridge, preparing to dive into the water.
Once he got underwater, his chances of escape would be much higher.
As long as... as long as he could reach that place!
"Trying to run?"
Before Red Archer could arrive, Cú Chulainn was already behind him, grabbing his arm.
"I told you... I'm in terrifyingly good shape right now."
"Running away right in front of me—are you trying to race the Light of the Celts? Are you trying to insult me?!"
"?!"
Red Archer was flung into the air. Even in his terrible condition, he did his best to adjust his balance and landed on one foot atop Fuyuki Bridge's red arched support.
"Bang!"
A punch came flying at him.
Red Archer lost his balance from the blow, took a step back, then steadied himself again on one foot.
"Bang bang bang bang bang!"
Punch after punch rained down, and Red Archer kept letting out muffled groans.
"Mmgh, mmgh, mmgh, mmgh, mmgh."
Every punch drove him farther back.
He was forcibly beaten all the way from the bottom of the arch to its very peak!
"Nice one!!!"
Suddenly, someone shouted from across the bridge.
Both Cú Chulainn, who was doing the beating, and Red Archer, who was being beaten, glanced over.
Kazuma Satou, who had just been revived, had taken off his green cloak and was swinging it in circles as he cheered Cú Chulainn on.
"Yahoo! This is awesome! Hit him harder!"
The others helped each other over as well, shouting toward them.
"Hahaha, good riddance, bridge-blocking dog!"
"Beat him! Beat him! Beat him flat for me!"
"Damn Red P! Serves you right!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Cú Chulainn froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. He controlled his strength and punched Red Archer another four or five times, making him groan in pain again and again.
He had originally intended to beat him a while longer and enjoy it a little more.
"Hmph!"
Red Archer swept his gaze over everyone present, snorted, and turned directly into motes of light.
But this was not Spirit Form.
Instead, he had voluntarily destroyed his own Spirit Core.
—He had committed suicide.
On the other side of the bridge,
Kazuma Satou and the others were dumbfounded, then immediately started cursing.
"Holy shit, what a scumbag!"
Hachiman Hikigaya was stunned.
"Ah, did he just kill himself?"
Mahiro Oyama was instantly frustrated.
"What the hell, he didn't even let us enjoy it...?"
Kurisu Makise puffed up her cheeks. "I was thinking about whether I could go over and kick him a couple of times later!"
Kazuma Satou scratched his head.
"You kicking him... wouldn't that be a reward?"
"Pfft."
Kurisu Makise froze for a moment, and everyone burst out laughing.
Cú Chulainn leaped down from the very top of the arch and landed in front of them. He raised a hand in greeting.
"Yo, hello."
Hachiman Hikigaya stepped forward.
"Um... thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?"
Cú Chulainn slapped a hand onto his shoulder, right on his wound, making Hachiman Hikigaya grimace in pain.
"Oh... you're all pretty badly hurt."
He swept his gaze over them. Aside from Kurisu Makise, Mahiro Oyama, and Kazuma Satou,
everyone else was basically crippled.
Especially the two lying on the ground. They had already lost half their lives. Honestly, they were barely breathing.
Cú Chulainn held out his hand and traced green runes through the air with his finger.
A faint green glow swept over everyone, healing their injuries somewhat.
He picked at his ear with his pinky.
"Well, my skills aren't all that refined. This is about as much healing as I can manage."
After saying that,
Cú Chulainn's body began dispersing again, pale blue spirit particles drifting off him.
Kurisu Makise walked up while holding her staff.
"What's happening to you?"
Cú Chulainn tilted his head helplessly and smiled.
"Master, the Spirit Core you gave me was way too small and crappy. If it hadn't been reinforced a little with some very rare material, I almost wouldn't have been able to squeeze in even when trying to answer your summons."
"Even after squeezing in, it was basically falling apart. Thanks to that reinforcement material, I was in the best condition I've been in since being summoned for this battle, but after this fight, I'm already at my limit. Get a better one next time."
Uh... it's not that I didn't want to buy a better one. I just don't have the money. Kazuma gave me the Golden Fleece too.
Kurisu Makise awkwardly scratched her cheek. But as she watched him gradually fade away, she looked at him earnestly and thanked him.
"Thank you... for answering my summons."
Cú Chulainn bent down and pointed at his face.
"Then... give me a kiss."
"Huh?"
Kurisu Makise's little face reddened, and she waved her hands.
"Um, sorry... you're not my type..."
After saying that, she stepped forward and reached out to touch Cú Chulainn's hair, tidying up his hairstyle.
"This is... all I can give you as thanks. Thank you, Cú Chulainn."
Cú Chulainn looked up at his hair, which had somehow become even messier, then clutched his stomach and laughed so hard he doubled over.
"This is really... not bad. Hahahahaha."
He wiped away the tears he had laughed out, straightened up, and stepped forward to pat Hachiman Hikigaya on the shoulder.
"Kid, let's go fishing together again if we get the chance."
Then Cú Chulainn turned to look at Kazuma Satou.
Kazuma Satou looked up as well and saw him clench his outstretched hand into a fist, then gently bump it against his shoulder.
"You are... more than worthy of becoming a hero. You're absolutely not some insignificant nobody!"
"Even in my era, you could still become a true hero!"
The blue lancer looked around at everyone and declared in a booming voice, speaking from the bottom of his heart.
"Every one of you can be called a qualified warrior! Anyway, may we meet again if fate allows!"
He turned into spirit particles.
A single "item" remained behind, along with his final words.
"That was the most exhilarating fight!"
"If there's another chance, let me fight alongside all of you from start to finish again, in my best condition!"
"Hahahahaha!"
The spirit particles brushed over everyone's faces, lingering a little longer before Kurisu Makise before finally vanishing completely.
"..."
Mahiro Oyama looked at one person's face, then at another's.
"It's over?"
Hachiman Hikigaya nodded. His serious expression gradually crumbled, returning to his dead fish eyes.
"Yeah, it's over."
"We finally finished fighting."
Shido Itsuka dropped onto the ground, mouth open as he panted.
"Whew... that was way more exhausting than fighting AST."
Hachiman Hikigaya turned his head. "Kazuma, what are you doing?"
Everyone turned to look at Kazuma Satou, who was hugging a rail on Fuyuki Bridge and trembling as he slowly climbed onto the arched steel framework.
"Isn't it obvious?!"
Kazuma Satou shouted,
"Of course I'm picking up Red Archer's loot box! We need to gather the spoils and get ready to withdraw!"
"I don't know what time it is, but after midnight it'll be the next day. The normal extraction points will close, and I don't know how they'll close, so we need to get out of here fast!"
Before you continue