Volume 3 Chapter 4.6
Ripples of Impending Danger Part 6
Translator : PolterGlast
[Is it about time?]
"............"
In the darkness. Mefi,
who has been digging beneath the ground with her huge body, maneuvering
underground without the light of the sun or the moon, was quietly observing the
situation above ground. Above her head, the battle was reaching its climax.
[Even so, this child
is quite a comfortable place to live in. Shall I borrow it for a little
longer?]
"Gi,
gigigi......"
[A~a. Please don't
resist.]
Mefi exerted her power
on the huge body, which wriggled as if rejecting her. She strangled its
consciousness and deprived it of its power of resistance.
The demonic beast she
has assimilated is a being whose power alone is out of the norm, but because it
is a demonic beast, its intelligence is low, and Mefi, who is originally good
at manipulating minds, can easily bring this demonic beast under her control.
In fact, with just a
little bit of spirit power, the mind of the demonic beast was sealed up again,
and it returned to being a mere puppet.
[A~a ...... ufufufu
......!]
The resistance of the
demonic beast completely fell under her control. This made Mefi let out a voice
of ecstasy.
She is an extremely
young spirit, only a few decades old since she became conscious as a spirit.
Too young, you could say.
For her, enjoyment is
the very act of exercising her power as a spirit, following the impulses within
her.
And she is unable to
resist the pleasure that is right in front of her more than fear. She is
incapable of holding back because of her youth.
Therefore, even though
she was aware of the foreign existence lurking within Nozomu Bountis, she was
unable to see through it to its true nature.
[Well then, shall we
get started? Indeed, that guy seems to be assimilating with something
terrifying...... However, with this body and its power, it should be no
problem.]
Mefi gave orders to
the demonic beast she was controlling.
The beast, whose
consciousness was completely controlled by the spirit, began to charge toward
the ground above its head as the spirit commanded.
◆
Five parties were
highlighted particularly in this exercise. All of them were gathered in the
same place, and as a result, a fierce battle was unfolding.
"Haa!"
"Kuh~!"
"Camilla! Cover
me!"
"Okay ...... whoa,
fall back!"
Lisa tried to use
[Enchantment of Nivea] to attack Tima, and Camilla was trying to support her.
However, this
coordination was intercepted by Irisdina, who fully demonstrated the speed of
[Instant Deployment] and her swordsmanship.
"Tima!"
"U-un!"
There, a massive
fireball was unleashed, infused with Tima's enormous magic power. The huge
fireball, several times taller than she is, burns through the leaves and
branches of the trees around her as it approaches Lisa.
"Lisa, get behind
me!"
An ice barrier created
by Ken blocked the huge fireball.
However, the ice
barrier quickly evaporated due to the extraordinary power of the flames.
"Guh~......!"
"Ken!"
Just before the ice
barrier was about to be breached, Lisa activated her ability, [Enchantment of
Nivea].
Thanks to her ability
to multiply the effectiveness of magic, the ice barrier was restored just
before it was breached, and both sides were able to cancel each other out. Lisa
moved to intercept Irisdina, who stepped forward again.
Meanwhile, Mars and
his team, who were fighting Karanti and her team earlier, were now under the
onslaught of Shina, Mimuru, and Tom.
Mimuru fully utilized
her agility to distract Mars and his team.
Then Shina and Tom
unleashed a barrage of arrows and magic.
"Mars, we can't
go on like this......"
"Yeah, I know!
Damn, you cat, don't get in my way!"
"Don't be
ridiculous! If you get free in this situation, we might get crushed at
once!"
The arrows that were
released did not hit Mimuru, but instead accurately aimed at Mars and the
others, weaving through the gaps between her movements.
Shina's team were also
showing excellent coordination, comparable to that of Irisdina and the others.
"Oh Come on, just
let yourself be defeated already!"
"I refuse!"
Near Mars and the
others, Jin and Cami are engaged in a battle against Karanti.
Perhaps Karanti was
caught in the aftermath of Tima's magic and was injured, her movements were
slower compared to before.
Nevertheless, she is a
first-class student. Even if she is not in her best condition, she is still a
much higher level of ability than Jin and Cami.
At the moment, Cami
somehow managed to survive the offensive by applying a layer of reinforcement
magic to Jin.
Alongside Mars and the
others who were engaged in a heated battle, Nozomu, Feo, and Kevin were
exchanging blows against each other.
"Ku~u! Feo, I
don't have time to deal with you!"
Feo seems to be not
only a master of talisman technique, but also an exceptional Bō (staff weapon) wielder, and he firmly
deflects Nozomu's slashes with his Bō
reinforced by talisman technique.
"Don't say such a
boring thing, Nozomu! It's a great opportunity for us to have a great match
...... -wha, Kevin, don't get in our way!"
"Sorry to say
this, fox, but I had a prior appointment with that guy. So, could you please
step aside!?"
Feo tried to
counterattack with his Bō, but was intercepted by Kevin, who came at him from
the side.
Feo reacted by turning
his Bō that was held in both hands, but Kevin took the opportunity to shift his
body and kicked Nozomu instead.
(Damn! This situation
is not good ...... If it goes on too long, I'll run out of Qi and won't be able
to fight anymore.)
Nozomu expressed his
frustration as he dodged the roundhouse kick that was aimed at his flank.
Many members of
Nozomu's party originally had low physical strength, which was an overwhelming
disadvantage in a chaotic battle situation like this where friend and foe were
jumbled up amongst each other. This is because the strength of a person's own
body directly affects his or her survival rate.
Nozomu looked around
to see if he could find a way to make the most of the situation, but the battle
was still raging everywhere, and everyone had their hands full. In other words,
if one part of the battlefield collapses, the other parts of the battlefield
will be collapsed in a chain reaction.
(The most effective
way to break through is to concentrate the power of the entire party and make a
single decisive attack ......)
However, it is
difficult for him to do so in the current situation where Feo and Kevin are
surrounding him. First of all, we need to draw them away, but Nozomu doesn't
have the means to do so.
"You even have
time to think, huh!?"
"Kuh~!"
As his attention
wandered slightly, Kevin came at him from a blind spot.
Nozomu immediately
twisted his body to dodge it, but his body wobbled and his cheek was grazed by
the wind pressure of the chi-infused fist.
(My mind and body
movements began to misalign. At this rate......)
Finally, it’s
over. Just as Nozomu was preparing to be disqualified, a sudden gust of wind
began to blow around the area.
◆
The antagonism
maintained in a perfect balance. However, this situation fueled Mars' impatience.
Although they had
regained their numerical advantage and were almost able to drive Kevin and his
team into a corner, the sudden turbulence had taken away all the advantage they
had just gained.
On the contrary, they
were being forced into the most disadvantageous situation.
(Damn it, we were so
close to defeating that pesky dog bastard!)
Mars gritted his teeth
while shaking off Mimuru, who was clinging to him, and repelling the rain of
arrows and magic that was coming at him.
(What do we do? Neither
Nozomu nor I can keep our hands off them! And neither are those Jin and his
men!)
If Mars were to go
help Nozomu, Mimuru would take the opportunity to attack Jin and the others. If
that were to happen, they would be instantly kicked to the curb and
disqualified. After that, the remaining ones, Mars and Nozomu, would be
attacked intensively and would be defeated shortly afterward.
Impatience slowly ate
away at his mind.
(Then, what about that
elf? ...... No. She is not the kind of person who would easily allow such a
thing to happen.)
Mars had seen Shina's
archery skills before.
On top of that, there
was also Razward, the spirit, by her side.
(Damn it, what am I
supposed to do then ...... -ah right. What about that one?......)
What came to Mars' mind
was the technique he had been practicing.
However, that
technique is imperfect and unstable, and Tima, who had been helping with his
practice, had told him repeatedly not to use it, but he had no choice but to
place his hope on it.
(She said I shouldn't
use it, but in this current situation, I should use any possible hand I can
use. I'll figure out a way to make it work!)
Mars, affected by his
impatience and the atmosphere of the battlefield, began to pour Qi-jutsu and
magic, two opposing forces, into his greatsword. The generated winds mixed
together as if they were merging, creating an ear-splitting dissonance.
"W-what?"
While Mimuru, who was
closest to Mars, let out a bewildered cry, the merged winds, assisted by Mars'
ability, turned into a vortex of vacuum blades and gathered around his
greatsword as it scraped the ground.
"Guuu~!"
"T-this is
......."
Everyone's eyes turned
toward Mars.
Obviously, it was
uncontrollable power. Everyone's face was tense with a sense of danger because
of the enormous amount of power it contained.
"M-Mars-kun,
don't!"
Tima reflexively
raised her voice to stop him, but Mars pointed the tip of his greatsword toward
the front regardless.
"Nozomu, you
better dodge!"
"Wha!"
Rushed by the chill
running down his spine, Nozomu immediately left the place with [Flash Step],
and at the same time, the wind that had been compressed into Mars' greatsword
was released.
With a roaring sound
reminiscent of a scream, a torrent of powerful winds began to overrun the area.
The combination of
Qi-jutsu [Qi-jutsu・Rift Wind Hammer] and
intermediate magic [Wind Tunnel of the Hungry Beast] spiraled straight ahead as
if intertwined with each other. The ground was swept up, trees were chopped
down, and everything in its path was obliterated.
"What the
heck!?"
"What the hell is
this!?"
Seeing the huge wind
spiral approaching before their eyes, Feo and Kevin quickly tried to get out of
the way. However, they were one step too late and both were swallowed by the
torrent of wind.
"Uwaa......!"
"Tom, step back!
Raz!"
[Okay ...... whoa,
oioioi, this is not something a human being is supposed to be able to use!]
The vortex of the
stormy wind also swallowed Shina and Tom without mercy. Although Razward managed
to put up a barrier right in front of them, Mars' powerful wind vortex
exhibited a force that surprised even the spirit and swept away everything but
the area enveloped by the barrier.
"Kuh, damn you,
Mars!"
As expected with such
a powerful technique, even Nozomu was worried about his party members who were
caught up in it, but then he saw Jin and the others fighting against Karanti in
his field of vision. Although they are being pushed quite severely, no one has
been disqualified yet.
While inwardly
respecting their struggle, Nozomu stepped toward Karanti.
"What
the......."
Suddenly becoming
Nozomu's target, she let out a panicked voice and punched in a flustered
manner. However, Nozomu ducked and then grabbed her outstretched hand and
blocked her movement by locking her joints.
Thereupon, Jin and
Tommy unleashed their blows.
"Teyaaaaa!"
"Ugh!"
Their weapons landed
on Karanti's body, and her pendant glowed red, signaling her disqualification.
"All right!"
"Nozomu-kun, what
are we going to do, next!?"
"We're
retreating! Our destination is- ......."
After defeating
Karanti and regrouping with his team, Nozomu and his team tried to retreat from
that place.
However, as they tried
to run away, a Serpentine Sword made of ice blocked their path.
"I won't let you
escape, Nozomu."
"Ken
......!"
Nozomu and his team
stopped in their tracks, and a rain of ice rained down on them.
"Gaaaah!"
"Kyaaa!"
Jin and Hamuria
screamed and their pendants glowed red. Ken, however, paid no attention to
them, but instead reverted his Serpentine Sword back to a long sword and
slashed at Nozomu.
"Guuuu!"
Ken's sword and
Nozomu's [Mumei] were locked in a fierce battle, and the two men glared at each
other at close range.
Nozomu's anger flared
deep in his chest.
On the other hand, Ken
also glared at Nozomu, not with the provocative and contemptuous expression he
had on his face the other day, but with a tense expression on his face.
"You're
dangerous, you monster......"
"What?"
"I will never,
ever let you anywhere near Lisa......!"
Just as Nozomu's
eyebrows furrowed at Ken's somewhat erratic and insane behavior, the ground
began to shake violently.
"W-what
happened!?"
"It's
coming......"
Following the earth
tremor, a roaring sound echoed through the Spasim Forest.
Soaring earth and sand
poured down like a torrential downpour, followed by the appearance of a
gigantic trunk, thrusting toward the sky.
The trunk, undulating
like a serpent, is thicker than a large tree. The carapace, although cracked in
various places, is reminiscent of steel. The multiple pairing legs sprouting
from its trunk reminded one of an animal that is poking its head out of the sky
in anger.
On its head is a jaw
with huge fangs, and a pair of gigantic scythe-like arms.
It is a giant centipede
called [Death Centipede].
It is a demonic beast
that preys on all living creatures below ground, with a rank of "A"
indicating its threat level.
The largest is 10 mels
in length. It could be equivalent to several adults ...... but, the one that showed
up was clearly bigger than a normal Death Centipede.
"What the heck is
this? ......"
"It's way too
big...... it's no ordinary Death Centipede!"
Even though its head
had already reached twelve meters, its body was still in the ground, and it was
hard to estimate how long it might be.
Most distinctive is
the shape of its head. The cracked and distorted exoskeleton, reminiscent of a
crown, was attached to its head.
"No way, the
Cracked-Crown Giant Centipede ......."
Irisdina's words made
everyone present tense up.
The [Cracked-Crown
Giant Centipede] is the unique name for this Death Centipede. It is a
non-standard demonic beast that boasts a much larger physique than a normal
Death Centipede, but what makes everyone shudder is its battle history.
During the
counter-offensive [Operation Fructus] against the great invasion of 20 years
ago, humankind literally put everything they had into defeating these monsters,
but there are still some of them that escaped being defeated.
They still remain
lurking in the midst of human territory and pose a threat, but six of the most
powerful of these monsters were given unique names and designated as
top-priority targets for elimination.
"It has a unique
name among the undefeated ones. Moreover, it is one of the [The Six Bad Omens]?
You've got to be kidding me, why the hell is it here?"
Mars' exasperated
voice echoed.
[The Six Bad Omens]
The [The Six Bad
Omens] is a name given to six particularly powerful monsters that have not yet
been subjugated, and which the public has named in awe and fear. One of them is
the [Cracked-Crown Giant Centipede].
It is classified as an
S+ in the ranks of demonic beasts, which represents its danger level.
It is such a threat
that even the best fighters of mankind are considered to be unable to defeat it
in a one-on-one fight.
Why did such a monster
appear in the forest near Arcazam?
However, the demonic
beast in front of them did not even give them time to panic.
*Gichigichigichi
......*
The [Cracked-Crown]’s multiple-set
of eyes, which had been twitching under the glare of the dazzling sunlight,
caught sight of Nozomu and the others, and its huge sickle arm was raised up.
"~! Everyone,
dodge!"
In response to
Nozomu's loud voice, everyone there reflexively moved to evade.
Just in the nick of
time. The giant sickle arm, cut through empty space and pierced the ground,
sending a shockwave and scattered sand and dust.
"Whoa! Even I
never expected something like this to happen!"
"Hey, Jin! What
are we gonna do!?"
"What are you
asking me that for? ...... Of course, we have to survive!"
The sudden appearance
of an unexpected and powerful existence in front of their eyes caused them to
panic. It is understandable. They have been training bloody hard at Solminati
Academy until now, but they have never encountered a demonic beast of this
caliber before.
Rather, they should be
praised for their ability to figure out what to do and move accordingly despite
their sudden encounter with a threat of this magnitude. An ordinary soldier
would have stood there stunned or panicked in fear, and been killed by the
previous first blow.
"Karanti, are you
all right!?"
"Y-Yes, leader.
The others are also unharmed"!
While carrying one of
his companions who had collapsed, Kevin rushed to Karanti's side and moved away
from the demonic beast. Their companion was fortunately unharmed, but in his
exhausted state from the Special Comprehensive Exercise, he didn't have the
strength to engage in a battle against this threat.
*Gigigigi……*
After pulling its
sickle arm out of the ground, the [Cracked-Crown] once again moved its eyes and
turned its attention toward Nozomu, who had retreated. The next moment, the
giant centipede roared and began to charge toward Nozomu.
"~ !"
Nozomu reflexively
jumped back with [Flash Step] in the face of the charging giant centipede. Its
tail, which had been buried deep inside the hole, pulled out, and its gigantic
body and countless legs passed right in front of him.
However, the giant
centipede, knowing that its assault has been evaded, immediately makes a
U-turn, pushing down the trees in its path, and surrounds Nozomu with its long
physique. Then, while peering at its prey, which had his escape route blocked,
it clattered its fangs and raised its huge sickle arm once again.
"I won't let
you!"
*Gyi~!*
Right before the
sickle arm swung down, a black magic bullet was released from the side and
struck one of [Cracked Crown]'s eyes.
The impact on its eyes
made the giant centipede cry out and shook its head, and the powerful wind
blast that was released as a follow-up attack made the giant centipede's head
toss upwards.
"Iris, and even
Tima-san!"
"Nozomu, hurry
up!"
"Get out of there
while you still can!"
When Nozomu looked in
the direction the wind blast was coming from, there he saw the figure of
Irisdina and Tima.
In response to their
voices, Nozomu quickly slipped through the gap between the legs of the giant
centipede with his [Flash Step・Curved Movement] and broke away from the enclosure. He then joined them.
"Are you
okay?"
"Yeah. You saved
me ......."
"Thank goodness.
Kevin, what about your side?"
"No problem. But
I don't think they can handle another battle. Karanti, take the ones who can't
fight and get out of here."
"...... ~, roger
that. Come guys, let's go."
After a moment's
hesitation, Karanti nodded to Kevin's order and urged Jin and the others to
leave the area.
Jin and the others
turned their gazes to Nozomu.
"Nozomu-kun, you
should also-,......."
"No need. He's
even stronger than me. Right, Shina?"
"Yes, he's the
most reliable person here."
Before they knew it,
Shina had also come to Nozomu's side. Behind her, Tom and the others are also
there.
The blue-haired girl
was looking at Nozomu with eyes filled with clear, unclouded trust, despite the
situation.
Following Shina, the
red-haired girl came next to Irisdina and the others and silently readied her
twin blades.
"Lisa-kun
......."
"Anyway, we need
to do something about this demonic beast. There's no telling how bad the damage
will be if it heads for Arcazam."
Lisa spoke so in a
blunt tone of voice.
*Giiiii~!*
While Nozomu and the
others were preparing themselves, the [Cracked-Crown] turned its attention back
to Irisdina and the others and raised its huge sickle arm while making a
ratling sound with its fangs.
"O bell of four
tones, provide me with your sacred walls!"
"Raz, let's do
it!"
[Aiyo!]
Tima's magic barrier
and Shina's spirit magic were invoked to block the descending sickle arm.
Magic power, source
elements, and air exploded, and a shockwave violently shook the trees in the
forest.
"Kuuuh!"
"Uuuuuh!"
Tima and Shina let out
cries of anguish at the sheer pressure. The powerful sickle-arm strike pierced
through Tima's magic barrier and Shina's spirit magic, and stopped right in
front of them.
The two girls' faces
involuntarily crumpled at the sheer strength of their opponent's attack, which
nearly destroyed two defensive spells of the highest level with a single blow.
However, they were
able to temporarily stop the movement of the [Cracked-Crown]. In that instant,
Irisdina, Kevin, Feo, Lisa, Mars, and Nozomu all stepped forward at once and
swung their weapons.
"Kuh~!"
"What a hard
carapace it has!"
However, the [Cracked-Crown],
which boasts an extraordinary physique, ignored their simultaneous attacks.
The giant centipede
showed no sign of pain, glaring at Nozomu and the others and clattering its
fangs.
Then, purple light
began to gather on its outer carapace, which was reminiscent of a crown.
Then similar light
appeared on the numerous upper arms that sprouted from its body segments and
converged into a spherical shape. Gradually, the spheres of light began to be
clothed in purple electricity, connecting with neighboring spheres of light,
bouncing off each other and amplifying in scale.
Eventually, the
[Cracked-Crown], enveloped in a massive purple electric current, began to
stretch its body even further and move its huge arms violently.
"~, Everyone get
away!"
Upon hearing someone's
words, all of them simultaneously moved away from the giant centipede's body.
Then, along with the
high-pitched roar of the giant centipede, a massive purple lightning was
released.
*Giiiii~!*
[Thunder Rain]. A
torrential downpour of thunder rained down around the long, gigantic physique
of the [Cracked-Crown].
"Guuuuu!"
"Gaaah!"
Kevin and Mars were
blown away by a direct hit from the purple lightning.
"Mars-kun!"
"Hoi~ !"
Seeing Mars fall to
the ground, Tima shot a huge fireball, [Disaster of the Damned], toward the
giant centipede, and Feo also took out a talisman from his pocket and produced
three flame bullets, and fired them at it.
As soon as the massive
fireball landed on the giant centipede, it caused a huge explosion, and Feo's
flame bullets struck it directly. The explosion burned the surrounding trees,
and the burnt smell filled the air.
The two managed to
stand up while the blazing flames blocked the [Cracked-Crown]' vision, but
Kevin's arm was broken from the impact of the blast and hung limp and
powerless. Even Mars was only able to stand with his greatsword as a walking
cane, his steps were unsteady, and blood was dripping from his mouth, possibly
from internal injuries.
*Gigigi......*
The [Cracked-Crown]
emerged from the soaring flames, unscathed.
"This is
bad......"
The two men were
unable to move, so Nozomu and Feo ran up to them and grabbed them by their
collars.
"O-oi!"
"Mars, let's get
out of here."
"It's a little
rough, but please bear with it."
As it is, they
retreated while carrying Mars and Kevin along with them.
Behind them, the
[Cracked-Crown] lowered itself as if aiming at their backs, showing its
charging stance.
"I won't let
you!"
"Camilla, cover
me!"
"O thou raging
magic power! Grant me unrivaled power!"
Irisdina and Lisa
intercepted the giant centipede, which was showing an obvious posture to
attack.
Irisdina immediately
deployed [Javelin of the Abyss].
At the same time as
she threw her jet-black spear at the head of [Cracked-Crown], Lisa, who
combined the auxiliary magic she received from Camilla with her own
strengthening magic, leaped while activating [Enchantment of Nivea]. With her
ability to multiply any magic effects, she leaped like a gust of wind and swung
her twin blades in time with Irisdina's [Javelin of the Abyss].
"Haaaa!"
Their attack
combination carved a slight crack on the giant centipede's carapace. However,
[Cracked-Crown] paid no heed to the minor wound it sustained and instead shook
its head as if to push Lisa, who floated in the air due to the recoil, away
from it.
"Kyaaa!"
Such a powerful blow
shattered her saber, and she was blown away and slammed to the ground.
As she gasped for air,
her eyes caught sight of [Cracked-Crown]'s huge body, which was looking down at
her and baring its fangs.
"A......"
I'm going to die. The
fear that welled up inside her stopped her from thinking.
However, immediately
afterward, her arm was pulled by a strong force. Her vision rotated. There, she
saw the figure of her childhood friend, whom she loathed.
"Nozomu
......?"
The tense expression
on her face, which seemed trying to suppress her emotions, made Lisa's chest
tighten intensely.
However, before she
had time to confirm the pain in her chest, the loudest cry of the
[Cracked-Crown] ever sounded.
*Giiiiiiiii
―――――――――――――――!*
Shortly afterward, a
huge ball of lightning, which was large enough to engulf the body of the giant
centipede, manifested above the head of the demonic beast.
Facing such a
lightning bolt capable of burning his eyes, Nozomu hesitated for a moment, but
then placed his hand on his creaking chain.
◆
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