Chapter 245: Munch Munch Time
The fallen Wyvern, despite its crash, was not gravely injured. It struggled to regain its footing, rolling as it attempted to rise.
“This is a deadly trap!”
“That’s not quite the right meaning.”
As Asahi joyfully exclaimed about the mysterious technique known as “distant strike,” the Wyvern was once again slammed into the ground by the force of its forelimb. If we consider that the strength exerted by that forelimb was directly applied to the Wyvern…
“The Wyvern seems to have lost its Defense Membrane.”
Pinned to the ground, the Wyvern shook its head in agony. However, with the mysterious force and the ground trapping it, there was no escape.
With a creaking sound that seemed to echo, the Wyvern sank deeper into the earth. The surrounding soil compressed under the weight, unable to withstand the pressure.
“That distant strike seems capable of continuously generating pressure!”
The indentation in the ground was roughly the same size as the forelimbs of The Reflector. The Wyvern struggled at the center of this depression, but given its lightweight body structure specialized for aerial combat, it seemed unlikely it could break free.
“While the Wyvern’s physical strength is comparable to that of Rain Croin, its skin is thin, it has less muscle, and its bones are riddled with holes. Structurally, it is quite fragile. It likely cannot withstand such pressure!”
Even as Asahi explained, the Wyvern appeared to be suffering. Bubbles foamed from its mouth, and its resistance had turned into convulsions.
Then, with a particularly loud thud, the ground sank even deeper. The Wyvern fell completely silent.
“From the visual analysis, it is assumed that the Wyvern has sustained severe internal injuries. Its ribs and spine must be broken.”
“Ugh.”
“Wow! Suddenly, an incredible monster appeared! What should we do about this?!”
Meanwhile, the other Wyvern, blasted away by the spatial explosion, was in a dire state. Having taken the full brunt of the explosion, its neck and wings were twisted at unnatural angles as it tumbled through the trees of the forest.
“Based on the calculated explosive force, I doubt it could penetrate the Wyvern’s Defense Membrane.”
As RINGO’s analysis results came through, Asahi shook her head with an exasperated expression.
“This is an attack by magic. It would be no surprise if it easily pierced the Defense Membrane! It seems we need to counter magic with magic!”
“Does that mean that distant strike stamping does not carry any magical power?”
“Who knows? We haven’t made any progress in analyzing magic, so I can’t say for sure. It might just be transmitting force. While spatial explosions have a property of breaking barriers, distant strikes might purely convey force.”
That made sense. The stomp from the distant strike had allowed the Wyvern’s Defense Membrane to function. However, no light patterns were observed during the spatial explosion.
“The Reflector has resumed its movement.”
Having confirmed the defeat of the two opposing Wyverns, The Reflector began to move slowly. It walked toward the Wyvern that had been crushed from a distance.
Though its movements appeared slow, its size was immense. With each step, it advanced several dozen meters. While its current pace was leisurely, turtles are surprisingly quick. This Spirit Turtle species could very well have the potential for rapid movement.
“Confirming life or death, or perhaps feeding! But I doubt it will bother with confirming life or death; it’s probably just feeding!”
Asahi continued her excited commentary as they reached the Wyvern’s side. The Reflector stretched its long neck and bit into the Wyvern’s carcass.
“It’s just eating it normally.”
“Wow. Even at that size, it still needs to feed. I still don’t quite understand how it maintains its life activities, but it definitely requires some form of nutrients. Unless it can create something from nothing or control nuclear fusion or fission reactions, it must absorb elements from outside to build its body.”
From its size and activity level, one could estimate the amount of food needed to sustain its life. Considering that The Reflector had likely not been active for decades, it seemed plausible that it only hunted occasionally and remained still otherwise, which would be an efficient ecological strategy for conserving calories. However, could it really survive on such minimal intake in the relatively harsh environment of land?
“That said, it has two Wyverns to consume! In terms of size ratio, that should provide a sufficient amount of food, right?!”
“I hope it doesn’t become active after eating enough…”
“Who knows! But considering it was lively right after waking up, it seems like it might be the type that waits for its prey to come to it!”
Based on the surrounding vegetation, Akane estimated that The Reflector had not moved from that spot for at least 40 years. If it had, it would have toppled the surrounding trees.
“The area around where The Reflector was resting has well-established trees. This means that enough time has passed for sturdy trees to grow.”
“Sister, it’s just tearing into that Wyvern. When we investigated, we needed a high-concentration laser cutter to deal with its toughness…”
As Ichigo pointed out, The Reflector was indeed gnawing at the Wyvern’s body from the edges. The Wyvern’s body, influenced by the mysterious ore provisionally named Magic Stone, had a high resistance to structural destruction.
If it was devouring it so easily, it must possess an incredibly strong jaw.
“It might have the ability to negate the structural enhancement from the Magic Stone.”
Indeed, it had been observed that simply separating the Wyvern from the influence of the Magic Stone would allow for easier dismemberment. If some magical (fantasy) effect could nullify the structural enhancement, it would be easy to tear it apart.
As they continued to observe, The Reflector completely consumed one Wyvern. Then, it began to move again, this time lumbering toward the individual taken down by the spatial explosion.
Naturally, its massive body flattened the forest as it moved. The path of The Reflector left all the trees toppled.
“It’s going to eat the other one whole too.”
“That’s a lot of food!”
The estimated weight of a Wyvern was around 2,000 tons. However, given that The Reflector’s estimated weight was 470,000 tons, it could certainly accommodate that much in its belly. Even considering two Wyverns, around 4,000 tons, that would be less than 1% of its body weight. It would be like saying a 180 kg tortoise ate 1 kg of food—seems reasonable enough. In fact, it might even be on the lighter side.
However, the target it was consuming was a Wyvern, a creature that was high in calories compared to a herbivorous tortoise.
“Wait, is this turtle carnivorous?”
The roar emitted by The Reflector was observed in towns and villages over 100 kilometers away. It was that powerful.
The residents, especially the monks stationed for governance, were on high alert at the mysterious sound echoing from deep within the Demon Forest. News of the Reidia Kingdom’s devastation by monsters had been well communicated to the villages and towns surrounding the forest.
The monk soldiers established a state of heightened vigilance, and the atmosphere made the residents more inclined to stay indoors.
This change was not limited to the monks and residents alone.
The male Fenrir, Froze, and the female, Yalun, who claimed the territory around the capital of the Reidia Kingdom, began to move restlessly. They were likely sensing the presence of a formidable enemy and heightening their caution.
Given that The Reflector was carnivorous, if one were to carelessly step into the detection range of that threat creature, even this Fenrir pair could easily become prey.