This is unexpected.
I thought it'd be long dead by now.
Looks like you screwed up the "delivery"
you were supposed to make.
Are you the one
who asked him to deliver this?
Nah, I'm just a hired hand.
Don't tell me you're the one who did that.
Yeah, that was me.
I didn't know it was so important.
I'm sorry.
Why are you apologizing to me?
I couldn't care less
who messes up whatever shipment.
My business is with that one only.
I'm here to bring it back with me.
You mean you came to pick up Rolo?
Yeah, that's right.
It's worth quite a lot.
Parry!
Where'd that come from?
You are in my way.
So, you mind handing that one over to me?
Are you talking about Rolo?
I don't know its name.
The one behind you,
it's worth some real money.
Its carcass, I mean.
You said his carcass...
What do you mean by that?
I could bring it back alive
and let my client murder it.
But why go to the trouble?
I'm doing them a favor, you know.
I really don't understand
what you're talking about.
You don't have to understand.
Parry!
What is happening?
Both Instructor and that mysterious man
are moving so fast I can't see a thing!
Lady Lynneburg,
make sure you don't leave my side.
You're... a weird one, aren't you?
Parry!
You are in my way.
I'll start by just lopping your head
right off, I suppose.
Parry!
This is unbelievable.
Just one strike with that tiny blade...
It's ridiculously strong.
Like that cow I fought before.
No, it's even stronger than that.
How weird...
Parry!
This is bad.
All I can do is avoid
his attacks on intuition alone.
Fighting him while protecting Rolo
is going to run me down eventually.
Why... won't you die?
That intensity is unreal...
I can't get any closer.
Ines!
This situation is dangerous,
so please stand a little further back.
If we carelessly get too close
we'll be swept up in this skirmish.
There's no mistaking
that bizarre appearance.
That is the Deadman.
The Deadman?
The former S-rank adventurer,
Deadman Zadu.
Deadman Zadu...
Ah, yes, I agree!
That would be fine.
Pardon me.
Ines?
I thought you were
helping out the guards.
I found this while I was doing so.
They're documents from an unsolved case.
"Intended target is dead."
That's what it says,
so why do we still act as if it's ongoing?
Oh, that one is done and over with.
Officially, the target is already dead.
Officially?
Deadman Zadu.
He became an S-rank adventurer
at a young age,
and then became a target for S-ranks.
An S-rank target that's human?
Sounds like fun.
I'll go put a guy like him down for you.
No.
I would recommend not fighting him.
Yeah, that's a smart move.
What?
He's so bad he scares
the instructors, huh?
Let me see those.
Absolutely not.
It's more like Zadu
is too strong for anyone.
We don't want to send
more people just to get killed.
Precisely.
I fail to see any benefit in us
going to battle with him right now.
Are you curious?
Yeah.
As a kid, he mastered the ancient art
of Dwarven Alchemy,
and at the tender age of 13
he earned the name "Dragon Slayer."
At 13?!
He was more of a prodigy than me?!
His abilities continued
to be recognized after that,
his reputation spread to foreign lands,
and he became the apex
of all adventurers.
Jeez, he sounds like
the perfect fairy tale hero.
Why is such a person a target?
He did not always use his abundance
of talents and techniques
for the right things.
It's just as written there.
"36 members of a merchant family
of Sarenza, all murdered."
He really killed ordinary people?!
Some in the guild association
even suggested that he should be
stripped of his adventurer's license.
However, the contributions he made
to the guild were significant.
He's also taken down a disaster-level
threat of a monster on his own.
Ultimately, because the opinion
on how to deal with Zadu was split,
that matter was put on hold.
That man accepts every single commission,
without discrimination.
As long as it makes him money, that is.
To him, morals, social etiquette,
history of a nation...
they're all meaningless.
The best example of this...
He wiped out an entire country?
Just as his client requested,
he destroyed the army
of a country on his own,
and murdered the entire royal family.
It was as if he had crushed
a goblin den.
Many people noticed.
It was like he had no concept
of good and evil.
Zadu has been challenged
by multitudes of adventurers
whose goal was the
vast bounty on his head...
but it only ended in a mountain of
corpses as the amount for the reward
went higher and higher.
In order to prevent any more
meaningless casualties,
the guild announced publicly
that he was successfully killed.
That's why he's "Deadman" Zadu...
Ah, damn.
Now my collection is basically gone.
I'm sorry that I broke them all,
but it's your fault for suddenly
attacking us out of nowhere, you know?
Oh, I'm not expecting an apology.
But even so,
I can understand mythril,
but orichalcum and dragon tusk
don't break that easily.
Oh, really?
Do you want me to reimburse you?
Yeah, you're pretty weird, huh?
But what's weirder is that sword.
A weird guy using a weird sword.
Well, that's fine.
I'll play it safe today...
and use this instead.
That can't be...
His one sword breaks apart
into scores of others.
And in the blink of an eye,
it takes several hundred lives.
A deadly weapon he transmuted
by his own hand...
The Silver Cross.
Destroy as many of them as you like,
I don't care.
I can easily make more, you know?
Destroy as many of them as you like,
I don't care.
I can easily make more, you know?
Parry!
Instructor Noor!
I knew I couldn't handle all of these!
Parry!
This is bad!
There are far too many Silver Crosses.
At this rate, the both of them will die!
They need my help!
I must compose myself.
My mission is to make sure Lady Lynneburg
makes it safely into exile.
I have to calmly determine my priorities.
The first thing I should do is...
Lady Lynneburg.
May I have your permission
to leave you and assist in the battle?
Let's do that again!
Parry!
Countering that is the best I can manage.
I'm too late for those!
Divine Shield!
All right!
Parry!
My duty is to protect Lady Lynneburg
at all costs.
That is precisely why...
I will not let this man die.
My apologies, but I'm finally here.
Ines... You're a lifesaver.
Divine Shield!
That shield of light is just like a sword.
But it doesn't seem like any will hit him.
Even his silver blades
are slipping through her attacks.
Sir Noor.
This situation won't change
if we continue fighting like this.
I'll focus on defense for now.
Sorry, but can you take him out?
A swarm of blades flying around
like a living creature...
Though in the past, I did hit a bird
that was faster than this.
The fang of that frog...
Maybe this will work.
Ines.
Can you do it?
Yeah.
On my signal, will you remove
just the shield that's in front of me?
Are you sure you can do this?
Maybe... I can manage, I think.
Physical Enhancement.
Now!
Stone Throw!
The Silver Crosses are shattering.
Did he throw the Black Death Dragon's
nails and fangs?!
I've got plenty of ammo,
so I'll just keep throwing them!
Okay.
Stone Throw!
Instructor Noor...
I've taken out quite a few.
Just a little more...
Parry!
That was a close one.
You almost startled me.
Right back at you.
How did you block that one?
Also, this one's adamantite,
so how did you break it?
Sorry about that,
but you were coming in for an attack.
Like I said, I don't need an apology.
But I have to make up for
what I've lost, you know?
Parry!
Could you please stop
with the surprise attacks?
That sword sure is weird.
I mean, so are you.
How have you been able to see
my attacks and then use it to counter?
Uhh... I just kinda do it?
I feel like there must be
more to it than that...
Are you gonna do it again?
Nah.
It's a pain in the ass to recover mythril
after it gets shattered
all over the place.
I'm closing up shop for the day.
Then you're leaving now, right?
Yeah.
I heard there's about to be a flashy
"celebration" in the royal capital.
But it seems like I should probably
give up going to that too.
What do you mean,
there's a celebration in the capital?
I don't know the details either,
but seems like it'll be real extravagant.
Now then, I've had enough fun,
so I guess I'll just pack it up.
See ya, weirdo.
Okay, bye.
You're... really pretty strange,
aren't you?
Am I? I don't think so.
I've seen a lot of strange people
up 'til now,
but even among all of them,
you're exceptionally screwy.
Consider yourself lucky, demonfolk.
I'd have made good money
bringing you back with me.
What a waste.
However...
Parry!
Can you please give it a rest?
Can't do anything with this guy here.
An extravagant celebration
in the royal capital?
Is that what that man said?
Yes.
Are you two interested?
Sounds like quite the party.
I am curious.
I wonder what's happening.
Oh yeah?
In that case, how about
we go back for a little while?
Huh?
We're really not that far from the city,
you know?
Besides, we can't take Rolo to Mithra,
but there's not much of a problem
if we go to the capital, right?
But, Sir Noor, I'm not sure-
We can't.
What's wrong? Are you cold, Rolo?
You don't look too good.
Y-you're all... from the royal capital?
Yeah.
It seems that we can't all go
on our journey together,
so I thought it'd be
a good idea to go back temporarily.
You don't want to?
No... that isn't it.
You can't go back... You just can't.
What do you mean?
I heard something.
The biggest one
is going to the royal capital.
And it's strong enough
to wipe out the entire city.
That's what I heard them say.
They said the Black Death Dragon
will pale in comparison to this show!
What does that mean?
Ines, let's go back to the capital
right now.
The situation appears to be
more urgent than I thought.
Instructor, are you all right with that?
Yes, of course.
Please, wait.
I cannot agree to this.
Lord Rein told me-
I know.
He told you that if
anything happens in the capital,
to escape with me to Mithra.
That's what he told you to do, correct?
How do you know that?
Because I'm his little sister.
I know that's how my brother thinks.
But what do you think will happen
if I'm the only one who runs away?
We should head there
immediately and tell them!
They must know of the
impending danger the capital is in.
But...
You know the story of the demonfolk and
how they've lost their homeland, right?
Even if we try to escape now,
we will surely suffer
the same fate as them.
As you wish.
Let's return to the royal capital.
But, Lady Lynneburg...
Do not under any circumstances
leave my side.
Thank you, Ines.
Rolo, what will you do?
If you don't want to come with us,
it's probably best if we split up here.
I'll go too.
I may not be able to do anything,
but whoever is bringing that monster
must be one of us demonfolk.
Oh, really?
Being demonfolk sure is a lot of work.
I'm sure this boy's upbringing
has pained Instructor.
He's such a big-hearted person.
At least, compared to me...
I wish...
I could've had a bite...
of that poison frog.
Honestly, it'd be a lie
to say I'm not worried.
But if Instructor Noor,
who fought off both
that Black Death Dragon
and that legendary
Deadman Zadu, is with us,
then maybe we'll be okay.
Rolo, look!
There are some
wild horses over there!
Uh... yeah.
Right, as the princess of Clays Kingdom,
my duty is not to run away.
I have to bring him.
This man who jumped
straight out of an epic hero's tale.
He must go back to the royal capital.
Even if it costs my life.
Ines, let's go as quickly as possible.
Okay!
Reporting in!
Just about all citizens in the
old city district have been evacuated.
All right.
The efforts of the
Sovereign Six have paid off,
and we believe they have
fended off the enemy's ambush.
Right.
But there should still be
another wave coming.
The Secret Corp are conducting
a desperate search for the enemy,
but they've found no sign of them.
No, if they're coming for us,
they'll do it now.
Our forces are scattered,
they're waiting for us
to exhaust ourselves,
and they should be setting up
for the next big wave.
Lord Rein...
The problem is we can't at all see
what that next wave will be.
Where is it?
To the north?
The south?
Or perhaps...
According to the Hunter Corp,
there have been no confirmed sightings
of flying beasts...
What is that?
It can't be...
Is that above the clouds?
Uncover!
No...
This can't be happening!
Could it be a Black Dragon?!
No, it isn't.
It's far too big.
That's a...
Dragon of Calamity!
#7 I Parry the Deadman