It was a vast canyon with purple crystals scattered all over its exposed rock walls. It was a breathtaking and profoundly beautiful place in times of peace, but it was now connected to the Void, and had turned into an Abyss.
In front of us, Wild Tempest, stood an army of skeleton knights that was so huge that it completely blanketed the canyon.
The skeleton knights held swords, axes, spears and war hammers, and wore pitch-black armor. Their form and strength differed individually. The smallest one was the size of an adult male, while the largest one was about 6 meters tall. The weakest one was rated as depth five, and the strongest was rated as depth seven.
However, they were all small fry. The one that we really needed to subjugate, was the giant dog that was behind the army of skeleton knights.
Pitch-black fur that embodied the darkness of night, three pairs of glittering red eyes, and a mouth that leaked green flame. The Beast that possessed these characteristics was called Garm, and its depth was nine. It was an extremely dangerous, high-level Beast that even large clans couldn’t win against without thorough preparations.
「Owoooooooo!!!」
Garm howled at the heavens. Ordering them through that howl, the skeleton knights under its command started to move all at once. Garm’s trait was its ability to summon and control skeleton knights.
「Beings who have departed from the natural order, you have no life, and likewise, also no sin!」
Talk Skill: Exorcism
It was limited to undead types, but it was a Skill that could instantly destroy opponents of the same or lower Rank. Even against opponents of a higher Rank, it wasn’t the end if it was resisted as it was also capable of greatly weakening their abilities.
One third of the army was annihilated by my Exorcism. The remaining two-thirds slowed down after having their abilities lowered. Without a moment’s delay, I issued instructions, which had buffs attached, to my allies.
「Kouga, scatter the small fry using Rain of Cherry Petals! Leon, use Divine Impact on the big ones that remain! Alma, pursue and completely destroy them!」
「Alright!」「Understood!」「Got it!」
When Kouga drew his blade, countless slashes shot out. Their number was incomparable to before, and their power had also increased significantly.
Samurai Skill: Rain of Cherry Petals
As a result of Kouga ranking up and becoming a Samurai, some of his Bladesman Skills had changed into Samurai Skills. Just like how it was impossible to avoid the dancing cherry blossom petals scattered about by a storm, the keen slashes released by Kouga thoroughly severed the skeleton knights.
However, the slashes weren't able to completely destroy the large skeleton knights, and they ended up only slicing off fingers or the ends of their armor. Five large skeleton knights, which were thought to be depth seven, had remained. Just before they swung their giant weapons down at us, their movements were stopped by a dazzling sphere of light that had been released by Leon.
Knight Skill: Divine Impact
A debuff Skill that lowered abilities for a short duration while doubling as a ranged attack. The moment the sphere of light hit, Alma freely bounced left and right off the surrounding rock walls, and crushed the joints of the large skeleton knights. The large skeleton knights could no longer support their giant size, and gave way under their own weight, kicking up clouds of dust.
The army of skeleton knights had been successfully wiped out. The only thing left to do was to finish off Garm, the core of this Abyss.
However--
「Owoooooooo!!!」
When Garm howled once again, a dense shadow extended from its feet, and a new army of skeleton knights emerged from it. Their numbers were more than double the previous army’s.
「Tch, I knew that it could summon them again, but it could do it this quickly?」
Garm’s trait was summoning and controlling skeleton knights and as long as its magic power was not exhausted, it could summon them endlessly. Past battle records indicated that there was no choice but to overwhelm Garm with attacks that were faster than its summoning speed.
When I clicked my tongue, Garm twisted the corners of its mouth up, as if it had heard me.
「This mutt, how dare it laugh at me……」
Beasts that were highly intelligent were generally cruel. Garm was no exception. Just like people did, it took pleasure in cornering its prey.
「Master, Exorcism and our next instructions!」
「I know! Beings who have departed from the natural order, you have no life, and likewise, also no sin!」
Hurried by Leon, I activated Exorcism again. The number of skeleton knights that were destroyed was much fewer than before. That meant that their overall strength was higher than the previous army's as well.
「Kouga, throw the small fry into disorder! Leon, support Kouga! Alma, charge Garm! You’re the only one who can get close to it!」
The three of them moved according to my instructions. Kouga threw the army into disarray by firing Rain of Cherry Petals continuously. Leon protected Kouga from the skeleton knights using barriers and ranged attacks.
「Accel--Duodecuple!」
As the battle on the ground descended into chaos, Alma approached Garm along the rock walls of the canyon. Then, staying at top speed, she threw herself into a charge. Garm effortlessly dodged her onslaught.
「Dammit! I can’t hit it!」
Alma pursued Garm desperately, but her attacks weren't even close. Even the iron needles that she threw using Assassin Skill: Perfect Throw ended up stuck in the rock walls after they were evaded at the very last instant before they hit.
Garm's movements couldn’t be explained solely by the difference in physical abilities. In all likelihood, Garm was probably using its highly-developed brain--its advanced processing speed to perfectly predict every attack. In other words, it was doing the same thing as I was. No, on the contrary, its predictions were completely superior to mine.
But Garm didn't perform any counterattacks against Alma. Even for Garm, there would be an opening the instant it switched from defense to offense. In that case, it was probably thinking that it should focus on dodging like this, and aim for the moment Alma got exhausted.
It was the thinking of a pure hunter. Despite such an overwhelming difference in fighting abilities, it was utterly devoid of conceit. It planned on killing us only using no-risk and reliable methods.
「This is bad…… We’ll be annihilated at this rate……」
The battle situation was getting worse by the minute. Alma was starting to tire from maintaining her top speed, and the speed in which Kouga and Leon were dispatching the skeleton knights was also dropping.
「We’ve got no choice…… Change of plans! Kouga and Alma, protect Leon! Leon, after deploying barriers on everyone, prepare to fire Seraphim Blade!」
Knight Skill: Seraphim Blade
In exchange for consuming all of the user’s magic power, it was an area-of-effect attack Skill that shot an extremely powerful ray of light and heat. It didn’t matter how fast Garm was, this attack was unavoidable.
「Master, using Seraphim Blade is a bad idea!」
With an alarmed expression, Leon raised an objection.
「If we don’t win after using Seraphim Blade, there will be no one to deploy barriers and heal wounds! Please reconsider!」
「Shut up! If things stay as they are, it’s only going to get gradually worse for us!! In that case, we have no choice but to aim for a reversal using an all or nothing gamble!!!」
「I understand that! But--」
「Just do it! Master’s orders!!!」
Leon nodded reluctantly when I forcibly dismissed his objection.
「……Understood. Everyone, cover me!」
Leon held his sword above his head and deployed the barriers. Then, he started the preparations for firing Seraphim Blade.
The skeleton knights crowded around Leon, who had stopped moving, but Alma and Kouga rushed in and fought them back. I also used Silver-chan's magic bullets to help protect the defenseless Leon.
Leon concentrated all of his magic power into the sword he held aloft, and it shone a brilliant red from the heat it emitted. Despite the fact that the Skill was only in its preparation phase, the waves of heat emitted by the sword evaporated the flowing river, and was beginning to melt the surrounding rocks. We were protected by the barriers deployed by Leon, but we were just barely able to endure the heat.
「Preparations have been completed! Master, give me the signal!」
The moment Leon asked for instructions, Garm jumped and tried to escape from the canyon.
「As if I’ll let you escape!」
The magic bullet that I shot—Thunder Bullet, exploded above Garm’s head. The lightning strikes spread out like a spiderweb, cutting off Garm’s escape.
「Now, fire!!!」
「Seraphim Blade!!!」
Tactical Skill: Deploy Tactics
Tactical Skill: Assault Command
Knight Skill: Seraphim Blade
Leon's Seraphim Blade, which had been strengthened by my buffs, fired a ray of light and heat that looked like it would blanket the entirety of the vast canyon. Everything in its line of fire was vaporized instantly, and while it certainly annihilated the army of skeleton knights, it even transformed the terrain of the canyon.
「......Did that do it?」
Smoke had enveloped the area, so visibility was poor. It happened at the same time I squinted my eyes and muttered.
「Owoooooooo!!!」
Garm’s third howl, and the shadows of skeleton knights wavered from the other side of the smoke.
「Dammit……」
Garm was alive and well, even after a direct hit from Leon's Seraphim Blade. It had defended against the attack by deploying a barrier using its enormous magic power.
However, Garm shouldn't be completely unhurt after that attack. Also, the number of skeleton knights it had summoned this time was small. We had successfully dealt damage and reduced its magic power. However, what we had lost in exchange was incomparable.
Due to the rebound from Seraphim Blade and Assault Command, Leon was unable to stay on his feet, and had collapsed onto the ground. Even if he drank a potion to recover his stamina, it was probably impossible for him to jump back into the fray.
「Is this as far as we can go? ……Everyone, we’re retreating! Alma, carry Leon and go on ahead! Kouga and me will be the rear guard!」
†
†
The defensive battle we fought as we retreated went on for about three kilometers before it was stalled when Kouga was overpowered by an onslaught from a large skeleton knight. He received a powerful blow from a giant sword with his blade, but was unable to fully divert the power of the blow, and was blown back into a rock wall.
「Kouga!!!」
When I screamed, Kouga fell to his knees and vomited a large amount of blood.
「I, I’m sorry, Noel…… This is as far as I go……」
His bones had undoubtedly been broken, and had punctured his lung. Kouga’s body had given out too.
「Noel, watch out!」
Alma pushed me out the way, and a large skeleton’s sword swept through the spot that I had been in. In exchange for helping me, Alma was blown away into a rock wall just like Kouga had been.
「No way……」
With this, I had become the only one who was still able to move. Kouga and Alma were wounded and incapacitated, and while Leon seemed conscious, he was still collapsed on the ground.
As I stood stock still and speechless, the ranks of the skeleton knights unexpectedly split apart. From behind them, Garm leisurely strolled forward.
――120, 119, 118, 117……
「i have won」
The giant dog that stopped in front of me spoke the human language without any intonation.
「it was a pretty enjoyable battle. but you are not at my level」
――100, 99, 98, 97……
「Why aren’t you finishing us off using the skeleton knights? What’s your goal?」
「my goal is you. your brain is very outstanding. if i eat it while you are still alive, i will probably become stronger. human child, become my nourishment」
Garm opened its big mouth, revealing its uneven teeth.
「Wait, I admit defeat. If you want to eat me, you can do as you like. But before that, there’s something that I want to ask you」
「what is it? try me」
Convinced of its victory, Garm lent me an ear.
「Do you know anything about the Lord that has a man-made battle axe? It has two horns on its forehead. If you know its traits and how it fights, please tell me」
「……why do you want to know something like that?」
「It killed my grandfather. It fled back to the Void to heal from the wounds that it had received from my grandfather, but it’s still alive. If I could have a wish, I would wish to kill it with my own two hands」
「in short, it is for revenge. how foolish」
Garm twisted its mouth, as if it was mocking me.
――75, 74, 73, 72……
「at any rate, you are going to die here. there is no reason for me to answer you」
Garm avoided answering my question, but rather than saying that it had no intention of answering, I got the impression that it couldn’t answer. Just like how it was with Dantalion, it was probably afraid of the higher ranked Lord after all.
In order to get the information, I would need to either ask other Lords, or become strong enough that my Talk Skill: Confess couldn’t be resisted. Either option seemed a long ways off for me.
――62, 61, 60, 59……
「is that all you wanted to ask?」
「There’s still one more thing. Would you like to make a deal with me?」
「a deal?」
Garm tilted its head at the word “deal”.
「If you let us go, I'll tell you something good. It’s information that’s very meaningful to you. It'll definitely come in handy」
「are you planning on selling out other seekers? ludicrous! you fail as a warrior! Repent your foul deeds in the realm of the dead!!!」
The moment Garm barked furiously, I removed a silver tube from my coat.
「Take it easy. I'm not going to sell out other Seekers. This tube is what I wanted to tell you about」
「……what is that tube?」
Intrigued, Garm smelled the cylinder. It had completely let its guard down, hadn't it? Well, the reason for that was probably because it understood that I had no killing intent. The instant I showed even a speck of hostility, my head would surely be bitten off.
「This is an atomizer. When water is put inside, it can be sprayed around as a fine mist. What’s more, it’s possible to operate it remotely. Just like this」
When I took out and pressed a palm-sized switch, the atomizer opened and a fine mist was released.
――35, 34, 33, 32……
「hmm, what is so useful about that thing?」
「You don’t get it? ……If that’s the case, then that's where your limit is」
When I snorted derisively, Garm noticed that something was wrong, and took a step back warily. I had shown no hostility, but the fact that I had not showed any hostility was the very reason that was making Garm waver over what to do instead of retreating.
「……what did you do?」
「I guess it’s natural that you don’t get it. In the first place, you approached me because you determined that I had lost my will to fight. If you had felt even the slightest intention to fight back from me, you would probably have never approached me」
「what are you talking about!? what are you saying!?」
――13, 12, 11, 10……
Garm took another step back. Even though I was right in front of its eyes, its high intelligence was the very thing trapping it inside a maze of its own thoughts, making it unable to harm me carelessly.
「It's not something that’s difficult to understand. Certainly, I lost my will to fight. Even now, I still have no will to fight. But you should have thought of it in this way. There's no need for me to have a will to fight when the battle has already been decided」
――5, 4, 3, 2, 1……
「Zero. It’s been exactly two minutes」
At that moment, Garm collapsed. Then, it vomited bloody foam, and began panting in pain. It was almost as if Garm was drowning in water.
「impossible!? this is……『poison』!? i should have dodged all your attacks!」
「No, you didn’t dodge everything. This place that we fled to has several of those atomizers that I told you about earlier set up in advance. The contents are, of course, a『deadly poison』. You've inhaled plenty of it through the air. In other words, the moment you entered this place, you had already lost. The reason why I have no will to fight, is because of that」
「t, there is no way…… then, you should be poisoned as well……」
「By the way, this poison only works against Beasts. It’s completely harmless to the human body. Isn’t that right, Alma?」
When I turned the conversation to her, Alma sat up and nodded.
「Refining it was very difficult. But it’s my best work. It’s colorless, odorless, and vaporizes quickly. Once it enters the body of a Beast, it makes the Beast’s blood harden into jelly after two minutes. The only drawback is that I can't mass produce it because it’s made from my blood. It was really hard to get the amount needed」
About one liter of the poison was refined during a three-day preparation period. Many times that amount of Alma's blood was consumed to produce it. Her blood was replenished through transfusions, but it was very draining on her physically, so it wasn't something she could repeat and still be able to take part in battle in perfect condition.
「That's what I was talking about. Do you get it now?」
「gugu...... skeleton knights!!! kill that human!!!」
Garm was gasping feebly as it commanded the skeleton knights to attack me.
「Beings who have departed from the natural order, you have no life, and likewise, also no sin」
The entire army of skeleton knights was destroyed by my Exorcism. Because Garm, their summoner, had been weakened, the supply of magic power to them became inadequate, which resulted in their strength dropping drastically.
There was no longer any need to fear the skeleton knights. The Demon dog king, which had lost its army, snarled regretfully.
「your loss and subsequent retreat...... so it was all an act to lure me to this place......」
「Wasn't the acting great? I'm the one who wrote the script, and directed the play. But not everything was an act. For the sake of making you use your full strength, we had to pull out all the stops. --It seems like you're trying your utmost to regenerate yourself, but it's impossible because of the lack of magic power, right?」
Taking into account the amount of magic power it had used to defend against Leon's Seraphim Blade, and the magic power that it had spent in three large-scale summonings, it no longer had enough magic power left to regenerate itself from its current state.
If we had tried to defeat it using poison from the start, it would have regenerated itself immediately, then the same method would probably never work again. Above all, once it realized our intent to kill it with poison, it would definitely never go near any suspicious places.
The fact that we were fighting seriously, and were really being cornered, was the very thing that made Garm, which had superior processing capabilities, lower its guard and fall into our trap.
「Although it's our strategy, we had such a bitter experience. It was really tough..... Oh, I'm not talking about the fighting, but Noel's directing...... But I guess it did pay off」
Kouga wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stood up. The weak-willed words from before were part of the act, but the damage he had received was real. Leon and Alma also tried to get up, but I forestalled them with my hand. Everyone had fought well. From here on out, I could handle it myself.
Garm stood up with trembling feet and confronted me. Then, using the last of its strength, it flung itself at me. However, before its claws and teeth could bridge the distance between us, I squeezed the trigger.
Garm Bullet, impact.
The magic bullet pierced Garm's neck, then exploded. As Garm's head was severed and sent flying through the air by the explosion, a clear voice rang out.
「brilliant job, warrior!!!」
Garm's head, which had fallen to the ground, had a contented smile.
「…...To think that it would give words of praise to the winner, rather than spewing bitter curses. It's surprising that even Beasts have pride」
I slid Silver-chan back into its holster and issued my last command.
「Battle, end」
Oh man, Noel’s Exorcism chant is so chunni…… But, the author is spoiling us by giving us another huge battle right after the Dantalion fight to kick off the second and also last arc of Part 2. Yes, it’s another 15 chapter arc.
Btw, anyone seriously thought that they were going to lose for a second? It's another of Alma's long revealed Skills to the rescue though.
Most readers would have noticed that the people in this novel tilt their head whenever they’re confused or have a question. At the start, I used to change it during editing, but I gave up very early on because it happened so often that I thought I’d just let this become a world where everyone tilts their head a lot. It’s gone a bit too far now though…… Even Beasts are doing it…… What's next? Everyone snorting in laughter? Wait......
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