For generations, the Kingdom of Lindan has been under siege by an otherworldly threat. One that with naught but a wave of the hand can level entire cities. Demons from Earth plague the land and wreak havoc wherever they go. They hail from a barbarous and most unusual land and possess skills that defy all magic, science, and logic. Known as Cheat Skills, these abilities let the Strangers from Earth gain extraordinary power without any effort. As such, every one of these Strangers can bring on the end of all times should they desire. Yet, despite the insurmountable threat the Strangers possess, the Goddess’ Inquisition has sent these beasts back each time. A thankless job that has seen these heroes who exist above the law become more reviled than praised, but a job that is nonetheless required for the future existence of Lindan.

You are one of these Inquisitors. Well, kind of. You are Lorina de Lindan, third to the throne of Lindan and the Imperial Princess. Though someone would be forgiven for forgetting that fact if they were to look at you now. If it wasn’t for your oh so expensive attire, you might even be mistaken for a common forest bandit! It isn’t as though what you’re doing now, waiting to attack a carriage filled with nobility, in the middle of the night, is much different than their usual habits.

Archive: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=The%20Isekai%20Inquisition

>>6275643 (OP)
People are about to die. You do not know why that is the thought you rid from your mind, but it is. Hells, it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve seen others die, far from it now, and yet you can’t get that sickening thought out of your head. People are about to die, and you’re going to be responsible. Who are those people? You can’t say. Not yet anyway. Perhaps it will be one of your friends, either Marie or Alyssa, who stands next to you now. You do not have the safety of a time traveler on your side this time. Maybe Clarice or one of the five other adventurers behind you will bite the fire bolt and be sent to the next world. You hope it doesn’t come to that. You hope instead that it is the Bloodgraves that are about to die. They are, after all, treasonous scum that would rather make deals with otherworldly creatures instead of enjoying the high life that the upper echelons of the nobility have access to. Power corrupts, or so the storybooks go. But is that even a good thing to hope for?

Once upon a time, you thought Percy was your friend. Sure, he might have been a bit off-putting during your last years in the Academy, but despite yourself, you still remember what the white-haired man was like as a boy. He was sweet then, you suppose. Many children tend to be. He would even gift you flowers from his family's lands. Lavenders, you now remember. The flowers had a meaning; he told you that (or was it his mother that did?), but you can’t for the life of you remember what it was. Perhaps that is why he hates you so? It’s not as if you can think of any less silly reasons why your face would adorn the dartboard in his room. Perhaps he is just psychotic. You could live with yourself if he died then. It’d make things easier if he were just a random freak. Then the world would be better without him.

“Hey, you alright?” A gentle voice enters your ear as an even gentler hand touches your shoulder. “You seem out of it,” Marie says.

You shake her hand off. “I’m fine,” you dismiss. “Bored, is all.”

Marie doesn’t look the least bit offended by your dismissal, but her gaze does drift from you towards the path, “Think they ran into one of the other groups?”

“It is possible,” Alyssa says in a hushed whisper. A rarity for her. “Or maybe they have yet to leave their estate.”

“They will come,” you say.

“You sure?” Marie questions, which receives a glare from Alyssa.

“Yes.”

Marie lets out a small hum of acceptance, “Guess they will then.”

“You believe me just like that?” You ask.

“Of course, should I not?”

“N-no, I mean, of course you should. It will be a twin moon when I am wrong,” She looks confused, “I mean, I’m usually right, but I thought it would be necessary to elaborate on this feeling that I have.”

Marie’s eyes light up like stars. You mean this, literally. “You have feelings for me?! Well, this is a bit sudden, but I do! Let’s get married!”

>>6275644
You feel your face get hot out of frustration for her confusion and no other reason, “No! I mean- That is not- Not what I meant!”

“Snrk,” You hear a laugh from behind you, and quickly turn to see Clarice struggling to hold it in. Then this process repeats, and you spin around to see Marie almost doubled over from giggling. You should shove Sturmfahrein inside her. Not in a pleasurable way.

“Silence!” You harshly demand before pivoting away from the fools and facing the path again.

To block out the malicious and cruel and unusual and dumb and pointless and evil and stupid and dumb mockery of your peers, you retreat to your mind fortress. Specifically, to the war room and rehearse the strategy you devised earlier when you split the adventurers up. With a couple dozen adventurers at your disposal and two main paths leading away from the Bloodgrave’s Capital Estate, you split the warband into three teams to secure each, with the one you’re leading covering a more hidden route in the forest. Hopefully, apart, far enough away from their land so that the undead will not be a problem, but you’ve warned everyone to be cautious. Once each group was in position, you ordered them to

>Create a roadblock to intercept any carriage traffic to and from the estate

>Set an ambush for anyone unlucky enough to travel this way

>[Write-in]

>>6275646
>Create a roadblock to intercept any carriage traffic to and from the estate

>>6275646
>Create a roadblock to intercept any carriage traffic to and from the estate
WE’RE SO BACK

>>6275646
>Create a roadblock to intercept any carriage traffic to and from the estate

>>6275646
So here you are in the middle of an almost forgotten road. You say it’s almost forgotten because, in truth, the only people who ever use such a pathway are those who wish to travel without even the possibility of fanfare, such as, say, the Royal Family when conducting business with a vassal. Naturally, these are the kinds of things you remember even after years, while others would forget. That is because you are better than other people—Tis’ only science.

A few paces ahead of you, in the direction of the manor, is a felled tree that you had the adventurers cut down. Perhaps if the Bloodgraves were to travel on individual horses, they’d be able to leap over it, but you know they won’t. Why deal with the pains of riding a horse when you can sit in a lovely carriage with plush seats when another drives the horses? That is not rhetorical, you quite literally have no idea why one would choose the former.

Your walkie-talkie blasts to life at your side, almost startling you, “Bloodgraves en route,” comes the crisp voice of the iron-ranked adventurer you had hidden further down the path as a scout. You only have a pair of the things, so you can’t expect reinforcements from the other groups unless you send a magical flare into the air. You don’t do that yet, would only give away your position.

“Ready yourselves!” You shout to your cohort, “Expect our guests within minutes!”

You don’t turn around to see the reactions of your friends and the adventurers, but you are pleased to hear the sounds of weapons unsheathing and to feel the presence of readied magic fill the air. The next moments are familiar, the anxiety before battle. No matter how grave the situation, the flutter in your head and weight in your chest is the same. You feel like a little girl waiting for her first bout with your weapon master at the tender age of six after a year of practicing your fundamentals. You lost handily, but you remember a smile never leaving your face for the rest of that day. You’re not smiling now.

The fallen tree is at a bend so that neither the carriage driver nor the horses will have sufficient time to react to its presence if they’re racing at the speeds you’re expecting them to. And of course, you’re proven correct. As two silver horses round the corner, only to rear with panicked neighs as the driver tries not to topple over. Perfect, everything is going exactly as planned. You allow yourself a moment of reprieve as a breeze blows through your hair and you step up the fallen tree. You’re certain that in the moonlight, you cut an intimidating figure.

“Cease-!” You begin to exclaim before the hairs on your body rise all at once, and your trained reflexes demand you drop to the ground at once. You do so, and the man behind you, a catfolk with ginger hair and a cute face, explodes. The cause of death being from the burst of three rounds that tore through both the carriage and his body in an upward line before the rounds themselves detonated.

>>6276120
Well, you both got the drop on each other. Which isn’t exactly a bad scenario, but it’s not good either, but the next moments are going to be crucial in deciding who the victor of this skirmish will be, so you:

>Charge the carriage. You’ve always been a fan of shock and awe tactics

>Retreat into the foliage. It’s much harder to hit adventurers when you can’t see them

>[Write-in]

>>6276120
>Cast Shield in front of the carriage, very close to the doors, and see if you can get the other mages to cast it as well. If the bullets explode, they'll be damaging their own carriage shooting the shield, and the force field will prevent them from getting out to escape or finding a better position.

>>6276134
Supporting

Nice this is back.

>>6276125
+1

Looks good.

>>6276134
+1

>>6276125
Glad to see you back
>>6276134
+1

>>6276125
>>6276134
+1
Magic stronk

>>6276125
“Shields!” You shout, hoping that the folk behind you are as quick-witted as you, for you can spare them not even a glance. You raise both hands as you rise to connect the disorderly particles of magic in the air in a solid wall to encircle the carriage. You grit your teeth as you force as much power into your spell as you can. Whatever gun is being used inside that carriage is of otherworldly origin and far more powerful than the weapons of your world. If this spell fails, you’re dead.

Thunder cracks from the carriage’s interior, though even louder than the fire of the musket is the crack of glass that flows through the air as your shield shatters. Yet, your pained cry as the spell you put all your focus into is obliterated is hidden by the louder explosion. A blinding light fills the void past your squeezed eyelids as you feel splinters inject themselves into your flesh. Then you feel the rain fall. It is hot, sticky, and a disconcerted shade of red. But past the rain and the smoke, you see the front half of the carriage has been blown away, driver, horses, and all.

Inside the carriage, you see Lord Bloodgrave try to help his catatonic Lady as Percival looks on, a mix of rage and horror contorting his face into an ugly grimace. You do not get a good look at him for long, as another figure steps out of the smoke and in front of his Lord. A figure covered head-to-toe in strange clothes and metals, his head covered by a black mask with two beady red goggles that look past your eyes and into your soul. The tip of the rifle in his hand releases a wispy cloud of smoke into the air that collides with the fumes from the burning carriage. Next to the Strangetech-covered man are two more normal knightly figures, most likely handpicked guards by the Bloodgraves themselves. Unfortunately, the supplier of the Strangers' arms was not strapped for resources, for they wield rifles, though of a different (hopefully less explosive) make.

As you look upon the masked face of the intimidating figure, no words, taunts, or demands are exchanged. They are not needed for the both of you know the stance of a fellow warrior. You get but a moment of reprieve as the two of you stare into the other's eyes before “Charge!” breaks the smoldering silence. Clarice’s voice, you can feel the presence of the adventurers moving through the mana-saturated air, even if your head does not move to see them. While your quick thinking drained you of much strength due to how intensive your shield needed to be, it saved the lives of these adventurers. For now, at least.

Yet, as you feel Marie and Alyssa move up to flank you, a mirror to the Stranger’s own knights, you see the rifles in their hands rise. You need to act, NOW!

>Join the charge, it’s much harder to shoot someone within inches of you

>Fall back and use your own Strangetech rifle, you’ll be more useful dividing their attention

>[Write-in]

>>6277761
>Join the charge, it’s much harder to shoot someone within inches of you
Yeah I’m feeling pretty outclassed in the firepower department after that
Let’s take the guns out of play

>>6277761
So, about the horses and driver... is there enough of them left over for the guards to walk into a pool of blood? Because a well placed lightning bolt on sopping wet people wearing armor would be a great idea now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMUM6aD4ABw
Alternatively...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYlSlalgD7o

>>6277796
Oh, right. Low mana... Still, hopefully we can recharge enough while fighting to electrocute them later.

>>6277761
>Join the charge, it’s much harder to shoot someone within inches of you

>>6277761
>Fall back and use your own Strangetech rifle, you’ll be more useful dividing their attention
If it's a real /k/-fag, he should instinctively start seeking cover

>>6277761

>Join the charge, it’s much harder to shoot someone within inches of you

close the distance and force them to meet us on our speciality.

Oh, I remember who the Stranger's pic is now! Got a Gianni clip just for situations like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky8rYfdke44
Imagine Percival shrieking this aloud during a boss fight with him...

>>6277761
>Fall back and use your own Strangetech rifle, you’ll be more useful dividing their attention

>>6277761
>>Join the charge, it’s much harder to shoot someone within inches of you

>>6278015
It's such a fun game

>>6277761
You don’t have time to think twice or to think at all. It's a good thing then that with Sturmfahrein’s hilt in your hand, thinking is the last thing you need to do. In a fluid motion, you throw yourself up and past the fallen tree, feet first. While you can’t spare mana for body enhancements, having already been too drained, you do use a bit from your reserve to create a gust behind you before anyone can react your boots' impact with the Stranger’s mask!

“Shit!” You hear him exclaim as he flies back, crashing into Percival. Which was, of course, totally planned. Totally.

However, for the next moments, you’re helpless, prone on the ground in between two highly trained guards. Both level their rifles at your body, causing you to flinch as you look down their barrels to a black void unlit by the fires around you. Then the gun’s fire, yet you feel no pain as both shots go wide. Perhaps that’s due to your two lackeys following in your footsteps and crashing into the knights. Their methods are not quite as sophisticated as your Grand Dropkick, but they get the job done. Marie has completely gained the attention of one, no doubt due to her flashy swordplay, while Alyssa sends the other knight through the flames and out of the carriage after dealing a large blow with her mace.

Then, as you rise, another adventurer blows up. The shot came not from the Stranger’s rifle but from a smaller handheld firearm. Then he uses the second, in which your head turned back to see a poor girl detonate to grab Percy and leap out the carriage's far window. This, of course, leaves Lord and Lady Bloodgrave undefended, but upon seeing their tear-stricken faces filled with horror and despair, you find yourself unable to use this to your advantage. Turning around, you see a catatonic adventurer holding onto the parts of what was once likely their friend. Or parts that look close enough like them. He will be useless, but otherwise, Clarice has followed Alyssa to deal with one knight, and the last standing adventurer of her tavern uses his spear to keep the other locked in close quarters with Marie. That leaves only you to chase the Stranger.

“Unhand me!” You hear Percival shout, and without even a thought, you follow, taking the same exit the Stranger did. The glass cuts your hand as you hurdle out the window, landing on your feet this time, but you pay the pain no mind. It’s nowhere near as bad as the headache the explosion gave you. As your feet touch the blood-soaked ground, your eyes scan the dark forest ahead, but fail to spy anything despite the flames. Then a burst of bullets barely misses your temple, and you fall prone. Thankfully, they do not explode, perhaps due to the proximity to the Bloodgraves? Wait- There’s no time!

>>6279044
You find yourself needing to use magic to strengthen the might of your leap else the torrent of gunfire would tear you apart. You only find solace once you’re completely behind a tree, despite not truly knowing where the Stranger is. But as you gasp and desperately look for the man, a strange metal object lands at your feet. You don’t even think before you kick it away, though the move lacks your full strength. You’re proven right to do so when it explodes. The bomb illuminates the sky a brilliant red before obscuring it with smoke, but that brief second is more than enough time.

About ten yards away, on the other side of the path, the Stranger has your position locked down with a raised rifle. About five yards to his left stands Percival in a rather messy spot. The majority of the remains of one of the horses, to put it lightly. This means that-

“Lorina!” Your mental plan is cut short through Percy’s screaming into the night, “You damn beast!” Even if you didn’t see, he’s completely giving away his position right now- “What have you done?!” Excuse you? He’s the one acting crazy here; this is entirely HIS fault! “You animal! I’ll tear you apart!” How much of an ego does this guy have? This is hardly the time for words!

Dammit, whatever! If he’s not even going to try, this only makes it easier for you!

>There’s a much bigger threat right now than a rambling academy student. Rush the Stranger

>This is a great chance to gain the advantage, rush Percy, and take him hostage. The Stranger can’t very well attack his employer(?), ally(?), friend(?)

But you also notice something else. Mainly, that Percival is absolutely covered in guts and is standing in an ankle-deep puddle of blood. You could always

>Fry Percy, taking him out completely. permanently. Even if it puts you into a state of mana exhaustion.

>>6279045
>Ignore the prat, talk to the mercenary
>”So tell me stranger, do the wealthy make dartboards out of portraits of people they hate in your world too?”

>>6279045
>There’s a much bigger threat right now than a rambling academy student. Rush the Stranger.
Kinda hoping we get a rival out of this encounter.
I wonder if he's the Desert Storm veteran Ota called his Sensei...

>>6279045
>There’s a much bigger threat right now than a rambling academy student. Rush the Stranger
Sadly, we need Percy alive to interrogate
Do we still have our pistol on us? Give ourselves some fire cover

>>6279045
>There’s a much bigger threat right now than a rambling academy student. Rush the Stranger
This guy is so tacticool

>>6279045
>There’s a much bigger threat right now than a rambling academy student. Rush the Stranger

Nice update strange. And yeah the stranger is likely way more dangerous and with the strangers we have seen so far probably won't care if Percy gets killed in the fighting.

>>6279045
>There’s a much bigger threat right now than a rambling academy student. Rush the Stranger

The burst of gunfire that impacts the tree you’re hiding behind, for better or worse, makes you completely disregard Percy for the time being. He can rant and rave as much as he wants, but he was never as good as you, and with you’re experience now, he likely never will be. Or at least that’s what you tell yourself as you dive away from the exploding wood. As you scramble through the smoke-filled brush, you hold your messer with one hand as the other reaches to where you keep a rather nasty piece of Strangetech. A gun (almost) on caliber with your opponents. You hope so at least, seeing as you’ve never gotten the chance to study an otherworldly arsenal. You return fire as you leap to another tree. Another burst forces you to repeat these motions once, twice, then thrice as the two of you further separate yourselves from the carriage.

“Are you even listening to me?!” Percival's shrill voice resounds into the night, but you pay it no mind as you focus on the more pressing matter.

You’re unlikely to be able to win any battle at range, seeing as whatever equipment your opponent has is far more suited to this type of combat. You’ve noticed that multiple Strangers now seem to have an unusual affinity for firearms, a relatively new and emerging technology. Is this how all battles on Earth are fought? If so, it’s unlikely you’re going to beat a more experienced combatant in this form of war. So naturally, you need to drastically change your approach.

You fire in the rough direction of the Stranger as you run to more cover. Suddenly, instead of firing more, all the trigger does is make a noticeable *click* when pressed down. This shocks you so much that you stop just before the next tree to examine the broken gun. Then the Stranger peaks from his cover, rifle raised, emboldened by your rookie mistake. But as he looks down the sight to secure a killing blow, his vision is overwhelmed by a rapidly approaching pistol, one moving far faster than a normal human should realistically be capable of throw-

*Crack*

You see the Stranger recoil as he’s hit directly in his eye. Yes, you mean his eye, not his goggles, seeing as the force of the impact broke a hole straight through them. Broken glass and a delicate human eye are certainly not a combination you’d like to experience in your life. But it certainly makes for a nice distraction as you cross the path in the time it takes him to recover. Too late though, you’re already bringing Sturmfahrein down. In a desperate move, the Stranger brings his rifle up to defend himself, only for your blade to cut the device in twain.

>>6279845
What follows is a melee in your favor as the Stranger is forced to give ground while repeatedly parrying blows with half a weapon not suited to such a purpose. Through his movements, you see a passing familiarity with this style of combat as his form resembles one who is used to knife play. So, after one last failed block, you do the only sensible thing you can do. You unsheath a dagger from your thigh and toss it to the man.

He catches it without comment, twirls it through his fingers, and tosses aside his ruined gun, then attacks. No words are exchanged, no gasps of surprise or comments on your intentions. Perhaps he just sees the manic smile on your face. It’s not that you can help it, even surrounded by blood and death, your heart still beats at a million miles a minute from the exhilaration of combat. You’re having fun. You want to have more.

Parry, guard, chamber, strike. The two of you dance a lethal waltz through mud and blood. Sometimes your longer sword slashes through the man's armor and flesh while you’re nicked at others. For a seemingly endless moment, nothing exists except you and your opponent. Unlike a simple spar, both of you are trying your hardest to kill the other. Every mistake you make is punished, every success is rewarded. Not with gold or prestige as is normal in your courtly life, but with the sound of metal cutting through flesh, gasps of pain, and just a little bit more adrenaline. You are alive!

The status quo of the duel is only stopped when the Stranger leaps back from you and twirls the dagger through his fingers once more before throwing it in your direction. You say that because it wasn’t at you, not truly, seeing as how bad the Stranger misses, instead hitting the wooden carriage behind you. You raise an eyebrow at this tactic before the dagger explodes, showing the area in a hundred thousand splinters. Besides the newfound pain, your mind processes something. The fact that he just gave you a clue as to his Cheat Skill. It’s not the equipment he possesses; his Skill must be linked to his explosions!

As the dust settles, you don’t see the remains of Lord and Lady Bloodgrave, but instead see them in the process of limping a distance away from the carriage. The Stranger must have seen them from the broken window before he attacked. They’re not too hurt, but they seem to have frozen, stunned by the events around them. But you don’t have the time to think of them further as pistol-fire whirls past you, a bullet even taking a small chunk from your left arm. Dammit, if only you had enough mana to spend on the luxury of controlling your pain receptors instead of only the basics needed to keep you standing. Dammit, you’ve had your fun, but you need to end this fast if you are to survive this.

>It’s do or die. Charge the Stranger with Sturmfahrein held high!

>No matter how hurt you are, the Stranger has it worse! Retreat to cover and use the last magic you saved to deal with him.

>[write-in]

>>6279849
>It’s do or die.
Die well, whoever you are…

Also, DON’T STAND ON TOP OF THE BODY IN CASE HE HAS THE MARTYRDOM PERK!

>>6279849
>Can't win with a sword against half a rifle
>Can't win with a sword against dagger
>Puts fun over duty
Wtf Lorina, I'm disappointed

>No matter how hurt you are, the Stranger has it worse! Retreat to cover and use the last magic you saved to deal with him.

>>6279849
>It’s do or die. Charge the Stranger with Sturmfahrein held high!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8ByAzPe38Y
I thought about Seven Samurai, but this feels closer to what is happening.

>>6279878
Oh, almost forgot, gotta pick up the pistol we threw, otherwise Asher's gonna give us shit.