Episode 238: The Limit
The giant scorpion didn’t stop moving, dashing about the Dungeon with abandon.
A sweep of its pincers would easily crush a human, and a downward strike of its sharp legs would tear flesh. When pierced by the venomous stinger on its tail, Seekers died screaming.
“Damn it!!”
Kaira brandished her longsword, trying to stand before the giant scorpion, “Serket.”
But Serket was faster than she expected, and she couldn’t quite catch it. While Kaira hesitated, more and more of her fellow Seekers were dying.
“Fight me! You monster!!”
Kaira shouted with bloodshot eyes. Even so, Serket avoided Kaira, attacking the Indian Seekers first.
Kaira grew impatient at its behavior, as if it knew who the stronger opponent was.
“Then…”
Kaira shifted her gaze to the bracelet on her left hand. As she poured Magical Power into it, two Magic Gems shattered.
Vast “Wind Magical Power” raged, enveloping Kaira.
She kicked off the ground, sending up a cloud of dust, and headed towards Serket at tremendous speed.
The instant Kaira’s longsword and the scorpion’s pincers crossed, the impact spread around them, and a gust of wind arose.
Serket stopped moving, and Kaira desperately endured being blown backward.
She brandished her longsword, gritting her teeth.
“UOOOOOOOOOO!!”
Again, she created a blast of wind beneath her feet and moved at high speed. She repeated her slashes many times, but couldn’t damage Serket.
Even using Vacuum Magic, she couldn’t break through the Wind Barrier.
Seeing Kaira fighting desperately, her fellow Seekers rushed to help. But—
“Idiots! Don’t come!!”
Kaira’s shout was in vain. Serket changed its body’s direction and swept the Seekers away with its tail.
One died instantly, and two were seriously injured.
Serket aimed its tail stinger at the fallen Seekers, trying to finish them off.
“Stop ittttt!!”
Kaira intervened, taking Serket’s venomous needle attack with her sword. She managed to withstand it, but created a slight opening.
She was blown away to the wall of the floor by the mercilessly slammed pincers.
“Gah…”
Kaira spat out blood and rolled, gazing up at the dim ceiling above.
Is this where I die…? Thinking so didn’t feel so bad. If I do everything I can and die, I have no complaints.
But can I really say I’ve done everything I could?
Kaira repeated the question to herself, slowly planting her feet on the ground and glaring at Serket with her face raised.
–I’ll defeat this guy! No matter what.
Kaira, who had stood up, put strength into her wobbly legs. She held her sword in a basic stance, carefully watching her opponent’s movements.
Serket rushed towards Kaira at full speed.
◇◇◇
“Damn it!”
Akito swung Gae Bolg and retreated. Before him stood an Abyssal Monster, the Sol Mantis, with its sharp scythes raised.
Akito felt frustrated that his attacks weren’t hitting.
And Rui was also facing a Sol Mantis.
Rui’s flaming sword could inflict a fatal wound with a single hit. But it was dodged by the Sol Mantis, and he was also struggling.
Furthermore, a Sol Mantis stood before Yuma.
There were multiple Sol Mantises on this floor, and the Peacock King (Mahamayuri) led by Anik, and the Indian Seekers were being attacked in the same way.
Everyone seemed to be struggling.
As Yuma hesitated, the Sol Mantis facing him leaped forward.
Terrifying speed. The monster swung its scythes, unleashing powerful “Wind Magic.” Yuma tried to create a Wind Barrier to offset it, but the power of the attack was too strong and he was blown away.
He somehow managed to endure, but the Sol Mantis was already in front of him.
“Damn!”
He tried to counterattack with his Pickel imbued with Wind Magical Power, but he couldn’t completely defend against the opponent’s attack and was blown backward.
The Sol Mantis also retreated cautiously.
Yuma stood up, his face distorted. He had been slashed on the shoulder, and blood was flowing out.
“That hurt, damn it!”
He put his hand on his shoulder and used Recovery Magic. Warm light spread, and the wound healed rapidly. The Sol Mantis lowered its stance and raised its scythes again.
–Akito and Rui aside, I can’t beat this guy. What should I do…?
At that moment, Yuma saw Kaira fighting in a slightly distant place. She was fighting a giant scorpion and seemed to be cornered.
The Indian Seekers were also trying to help, but they were being caught and killed by the scorpion.
Yuma, wary of the Sol Mantis in front of him, shouted loudly to Akito and Rui.
“This is bad! Kaira and the others are about to lose, we have to go help them!”
Akito swung his spear and turned his gaze.
“I’ll go! Wait a minute!!”
Akito unleashed even more intense Lightning from his body and launched a fierce attack on the Sol Mantis. But he couldn’t catch his opponent and couldn’t defeat it after all.
Rui was also at a loss for what to do.
At this rate, Kaira and the Indian Seekers would be killed. If that happened, it might become difficult to reach the lowest floor.
“I’ll use ‘Metallization’ and go help! Akito and Rui, please help Anik-san.”
Akito reached out to Yuma as he started running.
“Wait! It’s too early!!”
Akito’s warning didn’t reach Yuma’s ears. He put strength into his body with a grunt, turning his body into black metal.
The Sol Mantis kicked off the ground and came at him.
His body wasn’t completely “Metallized” yet, but most of it seemed to have turned into metal. Yuma activated Bloodstained Ore (Bloody Ore).
His body became lighter, and his feet began to spin at high speed. The Sol Mantis swung its scythes with terrifying speed, but it felt slow to Yuma.
He swung his Pickel imbued with Wind Magical Power.
The moment Yuma and the Sol Mantis crossed, the Sol Mantis’s body was torn apart and returned to sand without regenerating.
Yuma didn’t stop and ran through the Dungeon.
◇◇◇
The pincers wrapped in Wind Armor came with a roar.
She somehow dodged it, but this time the tail was swung down from above. She barely avoided it, and green Venom flowed from the needle that pierced the ground, melting the ground.
Kaira, who had retreated, glared at the scorpion with her sword raised, panting.
–Strong! This is an [Abyssal Monster] near the lowest floor. The compatibility is bad, and even if an attack gets through, it regenerates.
Kaira considered running away, but glanced behind her.
There, she saw the figures of Seekers fighting other Monsters. If she retreated, this monster would try to kill the other Seekers.
She had to avoid that at all costs.
She was the one leading this strategy group. Thinking so, Kaira put strength into the hand holding the longsword [Kanda].
Serket, emitting an eerie aura, came straight at her.
If she dodged here, it would charge into her companions. She had no choice but to stop it.
She broke the remaining Magic Gems in her bracelet. Explosive wind swirled around, and Wind Magical Power gathered in Kaira’s sword.
She deflected the right pincer that Serket swung with her sword, and then brushed away the left pincer that was swung at her.
But she slightly lost her balance and couldn’t respond to the tail swung down from above.
“Damn!”
The venomous needle approached overhead. Kaira closed her eyes, resigned to death.
However, nothing happened even as she waited. There was no impact on her head, and instead, she heard a high-pitched metallic sound. A sound like metal colliding with metal.
Kaira slowly opened her eyelids.
There was a back in front of her. Someone was standing in front of Kaira, stopping Serket’s tail with just their left hand.
They were stopping the venomous needle with their bare hand. Kaira was surprised and widened her eyes.
There stood the dropout Seeker… Mitaka Yuma.