Chapter 13: To Oz – Part 11
After being jostled in the carriage for about three hours, the speed of our travel suddenly slowed. I leaned out to look outside and spotted five massive crocodile-like Golems walking about 300 meters away from the road, amidst the vast pasture. They had the same grotesque skin made from various corpses that I had encountered in the Elf Village, resembling the Fresh Golems. It seemed they were unaware of our presence, moving with their backs turned towards the border.
“Golems! Everyone, let’s go!”
I called out as I disembarked from the carriage.
From the carriage behind us, Karma and the other three members of the ‘Drunken Tiger’ party also stepped out. By the way, ‘Drunken Tiger’ is a party with an equal mix of men and women.
“Soushi, what are we going to do?” Karma asked, glaring at the distant Golems as she approached my side.
“First, let’s take down the closest one with magic. After that, I’ll use ‘Provoke’ to draw their attention and absorb their attacks from the front. Once they stop moving, take them down one by one. I’ll handle the left side; ‘Drunken Tiger’ can take the right.”
“Are you really going to draw all four of them to yourself after taking down one?”
“Yes, it won’t be a problem. For now, let’s get within magic range.”
Karma looked a bit exasperated, but after Larni confidently assured her, “Soushi will be fine!” she relented.
I explained the plan to the entire team and instructed the rear guard—Freinir, Sfenia, and Shizuna—to prepare their spells. With Karma giving the okay sign, I took the lead and confidently advanced towards the Golems lumbering through the pasture.
As we got within about 100 meters, the nearest Golem seemed to notice us. It turned its massive body to approach.
“Cast your spells!”
“I’m on it!” “Yes!” “Here we go!”
At my command, Freinir, Sfenia, and Shizuna unleashed their magic all at once. It seemed one of Karma’s party’s mages also cast a spell.
Two beams of light, accompanied by nearly fifty fiery spears, struck the colossal Golem, causing its massive form to tear apart and topple sideways. The combined magical assault from a B-Rank party was indeed formidable.
The remaining four Golems seemed to finally notice us, beginning to lumber towards us in unison. From a distance, their movements appeared sluggish, but in reality, they were closing in at a considerable speed.
“They’re coming, Soushi!”
“Leave it to me.”
I replied to Karma as I positioned myself behind the ‘Immovable Fortress Wall.’
Activating ‘Provoke,’ the four Golems let out low growls and all turned their attention towards me.
“Here we go! Aim for the sides from the right!”
Karma and the others sprang into action. At the same time, Larni and Mariane dashed to the left, while Freinir and Shizuna began their Mental Concentration. Sfenia started firing arrows in rapid succession. The two Spirits were guarding the rear group.
The leading Golem opened its massive jaws to bite down on me. I blocked it with my shield and crushed its jaw with my mace, causing it to jerk back in surprise.
Before I could catch my breath, another Golem charged at me. I thrust my shield forward to absorb the impact, and its snout crumpled under the force.
“Whoa!”
I shouted as I pushed back with all my might, sending the massive creature staggering backward. I was astonished by the sheer power of my skill that reversed the overwhelming mass difference.
Just as the Golem on the right was about to charge, Karma’s great sword cleanly severed its front leg. Following that, the front-line axe of ‘Drunken Tiger’ came crashing down on its back, likely severing its spine. Without hesitation, Karma then decapitated it, putting an end to its life. As expected of a B-Rank, her attack power was overwhelming.
Meanwhile, the Golem on the left was met with Larni’s mithril sword, which sliced through its hind leg, while Mariane fired a series of spears that seemed to paralyze it. With two beams of light and fiery spears piercing its head, Larni slashed halfway through its neck, causing the Golem to topple over and cease its movements.
Only two Golems remained. As they charged again, I swung my mace horizontally. Infusing it with maximum output of ‘Shockwave,’ both Golem heads exploded in a single strike.
With that, all the Golems were defeated, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that these Golems were not truly B-Rank. They were at best C-Rank.
“Larni, Sfenia, do you sense anything around us?”
I asked, but both shook their heads. It seemed that ‘Mazero, the Necromancer,’ was not nearby.
As I pondered for a moment, Karma approached, panting slightly.
“Wow, Soushi! That was amazing! Those big guys didn’t stand a chance against you!”
“Against opponents that rely solely on brute strength, I’m quite effective. But don’t you think something feels off, Karma?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Golems we just fought were likely summoned by that Mazero hired by Mecalinan. But they seemed to be wandering aimlessly without any clear purpose.”
“Mazero… I’ve heard that name before. But the Golems were heading towards the border, right? So, wouldn’t their target be the fortress?”
“If he could summon them anywhere, there would be no need to summon them from such a distance. It felt like those Golems were deliberately moving slowly to be spotted.”
“What do you mean by that? I’m not great at thinking things through.”
“I suspect it was to draw military forces from the capital towards us.”
“Are you saying it was a diversion? But if that’s the case, wouldn’t that mean their plan backfired? After all, it was just us B-Rank parties that showed up.”
Karma shrugged and smirked.
“That’s true. In the end, only two B-Rank parties moved, so it shouldn’t have a significant impact.”
“Indeed. I might be overthinking it, and if anything does happen, the others can handle it. Let’s collect the Magic Stones and head back.”
Even as I said that, an uneasy feeling lingered. If this was a diversion, and something were to happen in the Oz Country, it would likely be aimed at the capital, Gal-Oz.
If Mecalinan was aiming for a significant upheaval in Oz, it would mean they were preparing for something substantial. Previously, that had involved Shizuna… I couldn’t shake the feeling of impending unrest.