Operation Begins
It was dusk, several hours had passed since they had set up their base.
"Well, as we told you beforehand, the enemy is the Five God Dragon Sect―― it seems that they are the ones releasing monsters into the royal capital, and there is a high possibility that there are monsters in their stronghold as well."
Tebel, the commander of the entire unit, is talking about the strategy in front of the assembled troops.
In the midst of all this, Aifie, who was standing in line, caught a glimpse of a man's face.
The man was Tigaro, who had been interacting with Aifie a while ago.
Aifie, who was swept away by the pleasant pleasure and momentum and almost touched his lips, secretly stared at Tigaro's face while her heart beat faster as she remembered that.
However, even though he was wearing his usual suspicious smile, he seemed to be listening intently to the details of Tebel's strategy.
He doesn't notice Aifie's gaze, and doesn't even try to look at her.
Aifie was secretly looking at Tigaro, and even though she was looking at him without being found out, somewhere in her heart she was expecting to meet his eyes.
――It's like I'm the only one who's aware of it...!!
Feeling her cheeks turn a little red, Aifie felt a little resentful towards Tigaro.
---
The only few troops at the base were holding their breath as they surrounded the base of the tree mentioned in the report from both the air and the ground.
The cave at the base of the tree―― the distinct monster odor wafting from there irritated the noses of the members.
"Then, everyone, are you ready? Rogienor-dono, please give the signal."
Upon receiving an order from Tebel, who was in command of the unit, Rogienor nodded and raised a stick-shaped magic tool.
"Encircle it!!"
Along with Rogienor's voice, Rogienor, the members of the Holy Water Knights, and members of the Asur family who were surrounding it all shouted a chant in unison.
"[Water barrier]!!"
Through magic, a huge wall of water rose from various places on the ground.
A thick, transparent wall of water expands to wrap around the tree, and together they form one large barrier.
As Tigaro watched this happen, he saw something writhing in the depths of the cave.
"――"
In the blink of an eye, a barrier was created, and at the same time, strange creatures appeared from the cave one after another, perhaps noticing the attack outside the cave.
As the troops had been told, there were so many monsters that they filled the cave.
Monsters come in a wide variety of shapes, and not only the ant monsters that appeared in the royal capital, but also monsters that resemble flying locusts, caterpillars, and ball bugs crawl out of the cave.
However, Tebel was unfazed by this and waved his arms wildly, as if to show all the troops surrounding the cave.
"Extermination team, please start firing."
Prompted by Tebel's signal, the members of the unit inside the barrier started chanting one after another.
"[Rough Wind Ball]"
"[Heavy Water Ball]!!"
"[Wind Spear Bullet]!!"
Numerous balls and spears formed by water and wind are fired at the monsters that crawls out.
Dozens of magic attacks the monsters, and there is no way the monsters can avoid the sudden attack, and the lives of the monsters are taken one by one.
Even the monsters that newly crawled out of the hole became targets of magic the moment they emerged, and were slaughtered in an instant.
Most of the personnel participating in this operation are the elite members of the knight order that protects the kingdom.
They can store a large amount of mana in their body, and their magic manipulation techniques are extremely accurate, so they never lag behind the monsters that lack the ability to think.
"[Water ball]! [Wind ball]!! [Water spear bullet]!!"
Among these elites, Aifie, who possessed an enormous amount of mana in her body and was able to use wind and water attribute magic at the same time, slaughtered monsters with incredible force.
"...That's amazing."
Any monsters that sneak through the gaps in the magic encirclement and try to get close to Aifie are the first to be slaughtered, so Tigaro, who was assigned to protect Aifie, has nothing to do but let the monsters get overrun.
While the monsters were being expelled by magic, Tebel, who was flying above, let out a lazy sigh.
"Haa, I've heard that the Five Dragon Gods Sect caused incidents using monsters before, but I've never heard that there are this many of them. ...The leader also assigned me such an important role. I really don't really want him to force it on me."
Tebel grumbled as he lazily stared at the monsters crawling out of the cave one after another.
For a while, monsters came out of the cave but by the time a mountain of monster corpses had formed inside the magic barrier, almost no monsters had come out of the cave.
"...Then, as planned, we'll split into two units from here on out."
One is the troops that continue the siege outside the cave. The other is a raiding force that rushes into the cave to wipe out the Five Dragon Gods Sect and rescue the hostage.
Tigaro and Aifie were part of the assault force.
The first priority of the assault force is rescuing the hostage.
The person to be rescued is Eul Stimung, whose mana was confirmed by Machen.
The kingdom's opinion is that the Five Dragon Gods Sect kidnapped her, who had been missing for several days, and the task for this operation is to secure Eul's custody.
The second priority is to secure or subjugate Kuma, a man who belongs to the Five Dragon Gods Sect.
Even if this goal cannot be achieved by the raiding force, at least once the hostage has been rescued, a large amount of water will be drop into the hole and the entire hole will be submerged, allowing for a later operation to subjugate the target person.
"Then let's go."
The person who said that to the assault force was Aifie's older brother―― Rogienor Asur.
It seems that the outside encirclement force will be commanded by Tebel, who can fly around in a wide space, and the assault force will be commanded by Rogienor, who can use [Water Eye].
"[Water Eye]"
As Rogienor closed one eye and muttered into the stick-shaped magic tool, water rose up in front of his eyes.
The floating water formed a sphere, and an eyeball-like pattern was reflected on its surface.
As the name suggests, [Water Eye] is a magic that takes over the caster's vision.
Originally, a large-scale magic tool was required because it had to be controlled remotely for a long time and advanced technology was required to share the vision of the caster, but he is just one person. It seems that he become an excellent captain as he can use that magic even on the spot.
While watching the [Water Eye] created by Rogienor quietly enter the cave, the assault force slowly entered the cave as if following behind.
Led by Rogienor's [Water Eye], the troops quietly step inside the cave.
The inside of the cave was made wide enough for monsters to pass through, so it was wide enough for about five people to fit through.
"The enemy is capable of setting up an insidious and cunning trap. Considering the possibility of the cave collapsing, the Holy Water Knights have prepared a defensive barrier magic, and everyone else who is not a member of the Holy Water Knights should stay close.''
Hearing Rogienor's words, the troops looked nervous and changed their formation slightly in order to gather and move.
Recently, Tigaro had only witnessed Rogienor prodding about Aifie, but even though he was leading the way with his [Water Eyes], he checked his surroundings with one open eye. Tigaro was reminded of the reason why he was the captain of the second division of the Holy Water Knights, as he was able to pay close attention to the ranks of his troops.
Indeed, if he continues to demonstrate this level of ability to those around him, it makes sense that he would be appointed as the captain of the Holy Water Knights.
Probably because he's concentrating on his mission and magic right now, he doesn't seem to attack Tigaro.
After walking for a while, admiring Rogienor as he gave precise instructions, the troops arrived at a place where the road split into two.
"Do you know which path is correct?"
"Please wait for a moment... I hear something moving from the left.''
"Now, I'll check the right side with my [Water Eye]."
If there is a fork in the road, use the magic of the Holy Wind Knights to obtain information.
As a result, the right side seemed to be a dead end.
As they progressed through the cave, the group eventually arrived at a clearing.
Several monsters were writhing there, and one man seemed to be placating them.
"Why, why is this place..."
That deep voice echoed through the cave and reached the troops.
The man in the back was trembling for some reason as he held down the monster that was getting excited by clicking its fangs together.
The man's face was the same as the one on the poster that Colares held up at the meeting.
This man is the man named Kuma who belongs to the Five Dragon Gods Sect.
The moment they realized this, everyone in the unit took their stance.
After the man who was placating the monsters, he turned around and glared at Tigaro and the other assault troops.
"Kill, eat, eat and kill them!!"
When Kuma shouted that, the monsters that had been quiet began to move.
They move their short legs busily, crawling around, and attack the troops all at once.
"Intercept!!"
"[Rough Wind Ball]!"
"[Heavy Water Ball]!"
However, the monsters died in an instant due to the magic released by the troops under the command of Rogienor.
Kuma's eyes widened and bloodshot, probably out of anger, and his clenched fists trembled.
"Not yet, not yet!!"
Kuma exclaimed, his pupils widening as he spat.
What Kuma took out from his pocket was a test tube.
Something like particles was writhing inside the test tube that Kuma was holding up.
"If I take in this factor of Fonir-sama…!!"
With that said, Kuma removed the cork with a light sound and disturbed the liquid inside the test tube.
The liquid was then taken into Kuma's body.
Seeing this, Rogienor, with a sharp gaze, waved his arm at the members behind him.
"All members, keep your distance from him and prepare your defensive magic!!"
The members with tense expressions put their strength into the magic tools they were holding.
While Rogienor was alarmed and gave instructions, Kuma took off his jacket and began to laugh out loud, even though he was breathing painfully.
Spreading his hands, he flaunts his body to the invading troops, as if to show off his body.
Below Kuma's navel―― where there was nothing, a distorted pattern suddenly appeared, and Tigaro, who was on guard at the rear of the unit, opened his eyes in surprise.
"Haha, look at the crest of the Five Dragon Gods that has appeared on me!!"
It had a shape very similar to the pattern engraved on Eul's magic core, which Tigaro had seen many times.
Although there are slight differences in the details, there is no way that Tigaro, who had been carving away at the pattern engraved on Eul's magic core for days, could mistake it.
The pattern that appeared below Kuma's navel was the same as the one engraved on Eul's magic core.
When Tigaro was surprised by this, Kuma, who was laughing as if he was proud of the pattern, suddenly clutched his stomach and distorted his face.
"Kuh, I guess it's a side effect of rapidly taking in the factor...!! It can't be helped...!!"
Under the watchful eyes of the troops, Kuma gnashes his teeth as if he has given up on something.
Then Kuma cried out to the invisible heavens.
"I leave the rest to you, priest-sama―― and my comrade!!”
Kuma said this to someone far away and took out something again.
The people who had been keeping their magic tools at Kuma and being wary of their opponent's movements finally began chanting and preparing to unleash their magic.
However, in the split second while the magic was forming, Kuma pulled it out and pressed it against his chest.
"Eat it―― [Dragon Transformation]!!"
Something pressed against Kuma's chest was sucked into his body.
Then, Kuma's body made a sound and swelled irregularly.
As the body swells, its muscles enlarge and its shape rapidly changes.
A pair of horns with many jagged protrusions grow from its head, and new thin legs grow from its abdomen on both sides.
The skin's color changed to black with a hint of brown, and it began to show a luster that indicated its hardness.
While changing into the shape of an insect like a stag beetle, bird-like wings grew out of its back, which was incongruous to the cramped cave.
"What!!?"
All of the troops, including Rogienor, Aifie, and Tigaro, were surprised by Kuma's transformation.
"Gruaaaaa!!"
Behind the pair of horns―― a large mouth with sharp fangs screamed out a roar that echoed throughout the cave.
A figure that doesn't seem human―― Kuma's eyes, which have become a monster, no longer hold the light of will.
The vibrations in the air that made their skin tremble slowed down the movements of the members, who were perplexed by the sight of a person turning into a monster.
However, the one who quickly recovered from this turmoil and started moving the fastest was Tigaro, who knew from the incident with Eul that humans could turn into monsters.
"[Spirit Tail]!!"
Magic tentacles come out from behind his waist and he runs towards Kuma, who has transformed into a monster.
The Odo he received from Aifie is included in the magic, and the two tentacles become Tigaro's hands and feet, making Tigaro's movements even easier.
He dodges the attacks of Kuma, which uses its horns like jaws, by wrapping himself around his tentacles.
Tigaro moved around like a monkey moving along the vines, and landed on Kuma's back, where his shell was growing.
Before Kuma tries to shake off Tigaro who is on his back, Tigaro gets down next to his body.
Then, as he landed on the ground and turned around, he gave a roundhouse kick to the articulated limb that had transformed from a human limb.
Tigaro's attack from his unstable position did not harm Kuma's body, which had a hard shell, but Tigaro's aim was not to deal a clear blow to Kuma.
Feeling disgusted by the slight stimulation, Tigaro glanced at the troops while playing with the rampaging Kuma.
There were members who had already recovered from their shock, finished chanting, and were preparing their magic.
Confirming this, Tigaro pressed his two tentacles against Kuma's body, and the reaction pushed his own body back.
"Go!!"
As soon as Tigaro leaves Kuma, multiple magics are released into Kuma's body, which closely resembles an insect.
Wind and water magic shaped like balls and spears hit Kuma's transformed body directly.
Even if each one of them didn't cause much damage, the repeated magic attacks would definitely wear down Kuma's body.
"Guha!!"
Kuma screamed in pain, moved its six legs, and crawled towards the troops.
"Don't push yourself too hard!! Stay in range and move!!"
Having said that, Rogienor took a step back, held his magic tool, and began concentrating on something.
The members who received Rogienor's instructions stopped their attacks all at once and spoke defensive magic one after another.
"[Wind Barrier]!!"
"[Water barrier]!!"
A layered wall of wind and water magic stands between Kuma and the troops.
Kuma collided head-on with the magic that had become a wall.
Some of the walls were destroyed, the remnants turning back into mana and disappearing into the air, but most remained to stop Kuma's charge.
The members released a little of the magic on the wall that was suppressing Kuma, and began firing magic again at Kuma, who had stopped moving.
Kuma, who became a monster, was larger than a normal monster, and its vitality was also extraordinary.
The current Kuma is probably stronger than the small monsters from earlier, but he is dealing with a group of knights formed mainly to protect the royal capital.
The magic of the members who had recovered from the shock was first-class, and Kuma was gradually overwhelmed by the precision and power of their magic.
At first, Kuma caught them by surprise, and the two parties fought on even terms, but the battle turned into a one-sided battle, as he was outnumbered.
Tigaro thought that there was no need to intervene any further in the situation where it was being exposed to a barrage of magic attacks, so he watched with caution.
While the members with sweat on their foreheads continued to chant one after another, Aifie, who held a stick-shaped magic tool in front of her voluptuous chest, put all her strength into the magic tool.
"[Water Spear Bullet]!! [Wind Fang Arrow]!!"
The floating mass of water resembles a spear, and its tip begins to rotate due to the raging wind.
Aifie layered magic on magic and fired it toward Kuma.
The spinning spear had tremendous penetrating power, and it became a propulsion force that easily pierced the belly of Kuma, who had become a monster.
"Guuuh...!!?"
Kuma's mouth was distorted from the pain as his torso was pierced and his sharp fangs peeked out.
That became a big gap.
"As expected of my younger sister, Aifietouka."
Rogienor, who had been quiet until then, looked at Aifie's back and praised her.
He quietly readied his magic tool and continued to chant.
"――[Submerged Seal Water]"
As Rogienor muttered that, a wall of water instantly appeared on all sides, at the feet, and above the head of Kuma, who had taken on the form of a monster.
The water walls combined to form a rectangular barrier that captured Kuma's huge body.
"Gwaa!!?"
Kuma's huge body, which has completely changed, is reflected on the surface of the transparent water.
No matter how violent Kuma was, the wall of water only caused ripples in the area where it was hit, and the barrier never collapsed.
"You no longer have any options."
Rogienor slowly grasped the hand that was facing Kuma.
At the same time, the rectangular barrier began to move.
Due to the shrinking barrier, Kuma's body was being compressed making a cracking sound.
Eventually, the rectangular barrier compressed Kuma's body without any gaps, and Rogienor clapped his hands.
As if that was a signal, the barrier created by Rogienor burst, and without Kuma having a chance to raise his death howl, pieces of flesh were scattered around the barrier.
All that remained was a mass of flesh that no longer contained the original form of a living creature.
Then, perhaps as a reaction to the forced enlargement of his body, the mass of flesh that was once Kuma disappears as if melting into the air.
Tigaro was quietly observing the creature, which was originally a human.
No comments:
Post a Comment