Episode 164: Unforeseen Danger Level
After confirming that all the German Seeker Clan members had entered, Albert manipulated the flames to close the entrance. His Third Tier Fire Magic allowed him to freely change the shape of the fire.
He exhaled, using his concentration.
“Mia, using this magic leaves me defenseless, so I’m counting on you for protection. Also, tell the members of “Prometheus” to guard the Dagger from outside attacks. I’ll defend against attacks from within, but I can’t focus on what’s happening outside.”
“Understood. But, can’t the Black Armor inside attack?”
Mia asked with a serious expression. Even she didn’t know the details of the “Third Tier Fire Magic.”
“I’m spreading the flames too much. The power of the explosion is greatly reduced. Honestly, I’m just barely managing to keep it from escaping. Also, it won’t last very long.”
Seeing Albert laugh with a “Haha,” Mia frowned.
That meant if they couldn’t defeat the Black Armor in time, it might escape. Mia looked down at the ground from the edge of the rooftop.
Even more Seekers were gathering there.
◇◇◇
“What, what’s that!? What’s with that huge Fire Magic!?”
Tennoji Akito’s Fameel Seeker Clan arrived at the Birdcage. At that moment, Seekers were approaching from another street as well.
“That is…”
Akito grimaced. It was someone he didn’t really want to meet.
“Akito… Akito, is that you!?”
Tennoji, leading the “Roar of the Raijuu,” raised his voice. He walked up to Akito and looked at his younger brother with a bewildered expression.
“I heard from Ishikawa that you were with Fameel. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Huh? Is this really the time for that!? This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to defeat the Black Armor, look!”
Urged by Akito, he looked inside the Birdcage. There stood the Black Armor and the foreign Seekers. “Indeed,” Tennoji said, looking around.
Then, he spotted Albert standing on top of the building.
“As I thought, it’s his magic…”
Tennoji wanted to join the fight, but touching the “Fire Birdcage” felt dangerous. As he wondered what to do, several Self-Defense Forces vehicles arrived.
They stopped the cars, unloaded equipment, and prepared cameras.
–A unit to send images to headquarters.
Furthermore, Seekers rushed in from another direction. It seemed to be a Seeker Clan from England.
“All forces are gathering. This is where it ends!”
Hearing Tennoji’s words, Rui, Taizen, and the other members of “Roar of the Raijuu” tensed up.
Inside the Birdcage, the Black Armor and the German Seekers glared at each other.
◇◇◇
Matteo moved cautiously.
He knew from the preliminary reports that England’s “Ophanims” and America’s “Prometheus” had failed to defeat the Black Armor.
If even those strong Seeker Clans couldn’t take it down, the Black Armor’s strength must be the real deal.
He had to strike without any openings… Matteo moved silently. Responding to his movements, the German Seekers followed.
Their strength was their seamless coordinated attacks. In team battles, they were confident they could beat anyone in the world.
They surrounded the Black Armor in the blink of an eye.
“Let’s go!”
“Yes!”
Everyone moved with coordinated, efficient movements and launched their attacks.
Eight people rushed forward, and four jumped up to attack from above. And almost simultaneously, they “released” their Magic Gems.
As the Daggers held by all the Seeker Clan members approached the Black Armor, red lines ran across the monster’s entire body.
The next moment–the Daggers held by the Seekers shattered into pieces.
The impact blew all the “Schwert” members backward. Matteo, who landed on his rear, widened his eyes in surprise.
“What… what happened!?”
The Seekers watching outside the Birdcage were also horrified. The moment the red lines appeared on the Black Armor’s body, it became so fast that they couldn’t see its movements.
“It’s… much faster than when we fought it!”
Hearing Rui’s words from outside the Birdcage, Tennoji replied with an “Ah” and grimaced.
All the members of “Roar of the Raijuu” had watched the combat footage of the Black Armor and the Red Ogre.
They had confirmed the presence of the red lines, but they didn’t know it increased its physical abilities so explosively.
They were only focused on how it was overwhelmingly crushing the Ogre.
“Is that also one of the Black Armor’s abilities?”
Tennoji muttered bitterly. The other Seekers felt the same way, and each of them wore a bewildered expression.
◇◇◇
“No way… that’s…”
Honda of Elceed, who was at the Ministry of Defense’s command headquarters, stood up abruptly from her chair. She stared blankly at the video, lost for words.
“What’s wrong? Honda-san.”
Defense Minister Takakura called out to Honda, who had suddenly stood up.
“That’s… “Bloody Oar”!”
“Bloody Oar?”
Takakura frowned. It was the first time he had heard that word. However, Serizawa, who was sitting next to him, turned pale as if he knew something about it.
“Is that… a Varlin’s ability!?”
Honda nodded at Serizawa’s question. Honda wiped the sweat from her forehead and explained to Takakura, who was confused about what they were talking about.
“Varlin are Monsters in the Black Dungeon that can drastically increase their physical abilities for a short period of time. The Demon Ore that the Varlin drops also has the same effect…”
“Demon Ore that drastically increases physical abilities… Could it be!”
Takakura realized something.
“Yes. It’s the Demon Ore that triggered the closure of the Black Dungeon. It was the first time its harmfulness was recognized, and it shocked the experts.”
Takakura bit his lip. He remembered that it had been a hot topic for a while.
The information was kept secret by the government and some research institutions, and they agreed to internationally regulate the Black Dungeon.
However, since the Black Dungeon was originally of low importance, it didn’t affect many people, and the memory had faded.
“Why can the Black Armor use the abilities of that Monster!? Is it the same type of Monster?”
“N-no… it doesn’t look like the same type of Monster. However, there are very rare Monsters that eat the Magic Gems of other Monsters to enhance their abilities.”
“You’re saying the Black Armor is one of them?”
“Probably… and there have also been reports that it transformed into Hell Garm. Perhaps the Black Armor can use the abilities of other Monsters.”
The conference room buzzed with Honda’s story. It was an enemy power that exceeded expectations. They had thought it was simply a Monster with terrifyingly strong hand-to-hand combat skills, but that foundation was being overturned.
Takakura, who had been glaring at the monitor, opened his mouth heavily.
“…Raise the danger level. From Double A to Triple A. Report to the Prime Minister immediately.”
The conference room fell silent, and everyone held their breath.
It was assumed that if a Triple A Monster appeared in an urban area, it would cause damage to hundreds of thousands to millions of people.
It was a Monster for which the use of tactical nuclear weapons would be considered if the Seekers couldn’t stop it.