Reincarnated as a dragon’s egg ～Lets aim to be the strongest～ - Chapter 641

641 – The Best Possible Timing
I fly upwards to try to gain some distance. Watching the hecatoncheir’s sword closely for any sign of [Dimension Rend], I attack with [Dimension Claw].

Even if I hit, the damage won’t be enough to justify the cost. But, rather than falling back without doing anything, it’s better to keep up the pressure. This should also make it harder for it to pursue me.

But my claw carves through empty ground. The hecatoncheir has used [Shadow Dance].

The MP cost of that skill is fairly high. Why would it use it just to dodge a simple [Dimension Claw]…?

The hecatoncheir’s shadow rapidly climbs the side of the tower, coming closer to us.

『It can do that!?』

I fly higher up. But, this is bad. With Miia it’s essentially a two-vs-one, but while in the air I’m back to fighting one-vs-one. It’s probably pursuing me so hard because it wants to force me out of the fight quickly.

Once we start fighting in the air, separating will be difficult. If it goes badly, I could end up being dragged down to the ground.

The rematerialised hecatoncheir kicks off the tower to leap towards me. It’s using [High Jump]! I hadn’t realised it was this mobile. It was entirely focused on defence last time, so I didn’t notice.

『Fall!』

I swing with [Dimension Claw]. At the same time, the hecatoncheir uses [Dimension Rend]. Our two attacks collide halfway between us.

“It’s okay, I’ve prepared for this! This should…!”

Aro swings her arm down. A whirlwind appears and plunges towards the hecatoncheir. She’s aiming to throw it off balance with a midair [Gale].

This should work…! However, the hecatoncheir coats its sword with magical power, and swings it through the whirlwind, breaking it up. It’s the same skill Volk used, [Exorcising Blade]!

I need to do something to force it down! Thanks to Aro’s magic, its sword is currently lowered from the swing, so I should be able to hit it with [Oneiros Mallet]… No, I need more reach!

“GaaAAAh!”

I raise my [Oneiros Mallet] overhead, and then throw it at point blank range at the hecatoncheir. The MP cost of losing my [Ideal Weapon] is unfortunate, but it’s far more preferable to getting tangled up in a midair fistfight. This should also have caught it by surprise.

But, the hecatoncheir flicks up its sword to repel my [Oneiros Mallet]. The hammer still hits its chest, but the impact is severely dampened, and it’s not enough to knock it back.

I’ve no choice but to rely on hand-to-hand combat now…! This has thrown it off balance, at least. I have a disadvantage in reach, but I’ll have to make do and endure.

『Master-dono! Leave this to me! This is the best possible timing!』

Treant jumps out between me and the hecatoncheir.

『H-hey, treant!?』

He cancels his [Tree Spirisation], rapidly swelling up to become a giant tree over three times my size, and falls towards the hecatoncheir.

The hecatoncheir’s sword stabs into him. Then, together, they fall towards the ground.

“Treant-san…!?”

Aro seems confused. But, it’s true that this was probably the best possible timing.

I’m sure the hecatoncheir wasn’t expecting to suddenly be set upon by a giant falling tree. Well, even if it was expecting it, there probably was nothing it could have done. In the first place, our plan was for treant to act as a tank, while Miia and I deal damage. The only question was when to make the switch, but with this timing his weight should deal some bonus damage.

『[Statue]! [Fire Sphere]! And then [Gravity]!』

His entire body turns into metal and erupts in flames. Then, with the black light of [Gravity] surrounding him, he plummets down.

『Here I go! [Meteor Stamp]!』

Unable to do anything, the hecatoncheir is pushed down beneath him. Then, they slam into the ground together. Tremors run through the surroundings, and a cloud of dirt raises from the impact.

Well done, treant…! His attack stat is low, but the power of [Meteor Stamp] is immense. This should have done quite a lot of damage. This one hit has should have turned things in our favour quite a bit.

I see my [Oneiros Mallet] hit the ground and disintegrate back into mana.

『Master-dono! I did it…!』

Then, treant’s face twists into a frown.

『Hmm? I can’t feel it?』

The hecatoncheir’s body emerges from a nearby shadow… To be honest, I expected this might be the case.

Suddenly, Miia’s blade strikes at high speed, crushing the hecatoncheir’s shoulder. Before it can turn around, she swings again, breaking several of its arms.

“That was a good attack, treant-kun. It wasn’t a failure. In this battle, the priority is to maintain the MP of Irushia-kun and me, while maintaining control of the fight. You protected Irushia-kun from a dangerous attack, and forced it to use its last resort of [Shadow Dance].”

Miia smiles at him.

『…I-is that so, Miia-dono?』

Right, the hecatoncheir wouldn’t choose to use [Shadow Dance] lightly. If the choice is between a shallow hit and using it to dodge, then it will gladly take the hit. Treant was able to stop the attack the attack that it tried to force through with [Shadow Dance], and then made it use [Shadow Dance] again to dodge. This was an incredible achievement. Though his words make it seem a little less impressive.

『Well done treant! Let’s keep up the pressure now!』

『Y-yes! Leave it to me, master-dono! I’ll take all its attacks now…! Well, as much as I can…』

He seems awfully noncommittal… Well, in truth, it’d be hard for us to defeat the hecatoncheir while he tanks all its attacks.

Fortunately, its attack stat isn’t too high, so his recovery should be able to keep up. I can also use [High Rest] whenever needed. If it looks like he’s about to run out of MP, we’ll have him return to spirit form.

His commitment to only take as much as he can was correct… It was correct, but for the sake of morale, he probably didn’t need to point it out.

“Aro-kun aside, I was a little worried about treant-kun. But it seems he can do it when it counts.”

Miia says, clearly impressed. A-as I thought, that was how she thought of him.