Vampire Hunter D Volume 18- Fortress of the Elder God by Hideyuki Kikuchi

do the same to the remaining four. However, they evaded a swipe of his sword and sank into the floor, while the timing of the third attack was staggered, scattering the arrows like the seeds of an impatiens.
    A cry of pain rang out. Although the enemy had cut down two of the arrows, one of the remaining ones pierced him from the right shoulder to the lung, while the other stuck horizontally into the right side of his neck. When four arrows had come at him at the same time, the enemy had easily taken them out with his swordplay, but when they simultaneously came from different angles, he was powerless to stop them. With two arrows sticking out of him, the foe in yellow simply stood there for a moment, and then fell flat on his back.
    On seeing this, Bierce finally exhaled. There was laughter in his heart. Taking a deep breath, he let it fill him, then let it out again. He repeated this once more, and then his breathing was back to normal.
    “Well done.”
    When he looked up, D was beside him. He alone knew the power of the foe Bierce had slain. And for that reason, his praise carried great weight.
    “You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t say thank you,” Bierce responded. “I knew I’d gotten rusty, but I had no idea it was this bad. I was so afraid of knowing for sure, I even skipped training. And now it’s coming back to haunt me.”
    With a disheartening promptness D went over to the window and peered out. The wistful glory days of others didn’t interest this young man in the least. The blood-chilling beauty of his frozen profile no doubt captivated Bierce.
    Looking out the window from beside D, he said, “They’re not Nobility, eh?”
    Countless colorful forms filled the valley—they reminded the warrior of insects stuffed into a little box. Naturally, there were humanoid soldiers, but there were also spiderlike figures clinging to the cliffs. Perhaps the reason there weren’t any in the water had something to do with their being an army of the Nobility.
    “They’re the Sacred Ancestor’s army,” the Hunter said.
    “What?”
    “Part of the destroying forces were sealed away somewhere to guard against this fortress going back into operation. They were probably in a pocket dimension, though there seem to be a bit too many for that.”
    “Roughly thirty thousand—and there’s no telling if that’s all of ’em or not.” The warrior looked at D and asked, “Why’d the fortress start up again?”
    “Because I came along.”
    “And you brought us all here knowing that would happen?”
    “If nothing had been done, those three would’ve died. Besides, it was all of you who decided to follow me.”
    Bierce was at a loss for words.
    “I came here to put down a god. However, it’s probably protecting you now. It’s ironic.”
    “But we—”
    Before Bierce could finish speaking, he was assailed by a tremendous impact. The fortress carved from the rock of the mountain trembled—for the mountain itself was shaking. However, it wasn’t for the expected reason.
    “They’re not doing anything out there!” Bierce shouted, one hand planted against the wall to support his body. “Not firing any missiles or atomic cannons at us. Yet the place is shaking like mad—I don’t get it.”
    Although he stared at D in expectation of some sort of answer, the owner of that heavenly countenance made no reply, but simply gazed in silence at the land. His face was unexpectedly thrown into shadow.
    As he crinkled his brow, Bierce too was assimilated by the darkness.
    “What’s that shadow from?” Bierce asked, fright having taken residence in his voice. Reckless outlaw or warrior, so long as a person remained human, he couldn’t eliminate fear from his consciousness. Perhaps that was what made humans such odd and hopeless beasts. And now, that fear had ridden out on his words to show itself.
    An enormous shadow covered the world outside. Sliding over the ground, the walls, the remains of the defenses, it closed