“Everyone! Take up your Magic Enchanted Armaments!!”
Ishikawa’s subordinates hurriedly grabbed their weapons. Ishikawa also seized his own weapon, which had been leaning against the wall of the room. It was a large axe.
Magic Enchanted Armament [Aqua Vein Battle Axe – Mark II] —
Ishikawa held the handle of the battle axe with both hands, glaring at the Bulkhead Door in a combat stance.
There was a thudding sound as something slammed into the door.
“I, Ishikawa-san!”
“Don’t panic! This door can’t be easily destroyed!! We’ll buy time here and wait for backup!”
“Y, yes sir!”
Ishikawa’s four subordinates also readied their weapons, their eyes fixed on the door. The Self-Defense Forces personnel also readied their guns, but Ishikawa warned, “Stay back!”
The Monsters beyond this door weren’t the kind that guns would work on. In fact, there was even a possibility that stray bullets would hit them and get in the way.
He gripped his weapon tightly.
–There’s almost no way this door will be broken. Even if it is, it should take a considerable amount of time.
It wasn’t optimism, but a realistic expectation. However, Ishikawa would soon realize that his thinking was naive.
A change occurred to the Bulkhead Door. A part of it turned red, heating up and emitting light. It expanded rapidly, and steam began to rise. Ishikawa couldn’t believe his eyes.
“No, way!? It’s a fire-resistant door!!”
The Bulkhead Door melted like candy. A large hole, about two meters in diameter, opened up, and something slowly emerged from within.
Dark skin, eyes that gleamed eerily, sharp claws on its feet, and from its drooling mouth, flames and white smoke leaked out.
A large quadrupedal beast —
“That guy is…”
Ishikawa couldn’t hide his surprise. He recognized that Monster.
“Hell Garm!!”
It was a Monster first confirmed in the ‘Red Dungeon’ in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It should have been found in a place over 150 floors deep.
“Why… is an [Abyssal Monster] in a place like this?”
The Monster crouched low and charged at Ishikawa.
Ishikawa channeled Magical Power into his weapon. Countless blue lines ran across the surface of the battle axe, spreading throughout the entire axe like blood vessels.
Against the Hell Garm that pounced at him, Ishikawa put his strength into it and swung the axe horizontally.
At the moment the axe was about to hit, Hell Garm jumped high into the air, dodging the attack.
“Damn!”
Ishikawa turned to see two soldiers attacking Hell Garm. One wielded a club, and the other swung a Longsword.
But the Monster didn’t seem flustered.
It took a deep breath and glared at the approaching humans.
“This is bad! You guys, run –!”
At the same time Ishikawa shouted, Hell Garm spewed out vicious flames from its mouth.
The two soldiers deployed a “Water Barrier” to defend, but the flames instantly evaporated the water, turning them into human torches.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”
Ishikawa ordered the remaining two subordinates to “Extinguish the fire with Water Magic!” and ran towards Hell Garm.
Just as he was about to slash at the Monster, he noticed the Self-Defense Forces personnel aiming their rifles.
“No! That won’t work on it!!”
Even as Ishikawa shouted at the Self-Defense Forces personnel, the bullets were fired. Dozens of rounds hit the Monster’s body, but each one sparked and was deflected the moment it made contact.
It was being defended by the [Flame Barrier] that Hell Garm was clad in.
Even if there were bullets that weren’t burned away and managed to lodge in its body, the Monster healed the wounds immediately.
–Super Regeneration! It can use it even outside the Dungeon.
“Kakitani-san! Stop attacking. Bullets don’t work on it, and you’ll only attract unnecessary attention!”
“B, but…”
Hell Garm, excited, lunged at Kakitani, whose face was filled with terror.
Ishikawa ran at the same time, stepping between Kakitani and Hell Garm, and readied his weapon. The demonic beast inhaled, flames crackling from its mouth.
“Don’t underestimate me, you mutt!!”
Around Ishikawa, who glared at the enemy, “Water” overflowed. The water moved sinuously, as if it had a will of its own, wrapping around Ishikawa’s body and axe.
As the intense hellfire spewed out by Hell Garm approached, the water gushed out and, upon contact with the flames, a steam explosion occurred.
Ishikawa’s battle axe sliced through the scattering flames and white steam, and the blade was swung down towards Hell Garm’s neck.
Just as the axe, clad in Water Magical Power, was about to catch the Monster, Hell Garm, sensing danger, leaped back. Ishikawa clicked his tongue as he saw the slight wound on the Monster’s neck.
Ishikawa, one of the leading “Water Magic” users in the country with a Mana Index of over 2500.
And with the compatibility of “Fire” and “Water,” he was confident that he could defeat Hell Garm —
“I couldn’t cut off its head. Is it because I don’t have enough Mana…?”
The Monster’s wound bubbled and healed.
If it were injured by a weapon imbued with magical power, it shouldn’t be able to [Regenerate] so easily.
However, because it was outside the Dungeon, even though Mana had overflowed, it couldn’t exert its full power.
Ishikawa glared at the Monster sharply.
–But that should be the same for it! It shouldn’t be able to exert its full power either.
Ishikawa, axe in hand, charged towards Hell Garm. The moment he raised his battle axe, the Monster turned and ran without trying to fight.
It slammed into a door in the room, broke through it, and went outside.
“Damn! Don’t let it get away!!”
The Monster ran through the facility and escaped by breaking a window. Ishikawa and the others desperately chased after it, but they couldn’t keep up with Hell Garm’s speed.
“Ishikawa-san! It’s gone outside the facility. W, what should we do!?”
A subordinate looked out the broken window and shouted with a pale face. Kakitani and the Self-Defense Forces personnel came from behind.
“That monster got outside!?”
Kakitani was also pale. Ishikawa tried to speak calmly.
“Kakitani-san, mobilize the Self-Defense Forces and seal off the area. It probably won’t go far.”
“Really!?”
“The Mana that overflowed from the Dungeon is only around this area. Without Mana, it shouldn’t be able to function.”
“O, okay. I’ll contact each ministry and agency immediately and have them make arrangements!”
As Kakitani and the others turned on their heels and left, Ishikawa gave instructions to his two subordinates.
“Contact headquarters! Get them to send backup immediately. We can’t wait until tomorrow morning.”
“Y, yes sir!”
The two hurriedly ran off.
Ishikawa looked out the window. The jet-black darkness stretched endlessly, and an eerie silence enveloped the area.
Ishikawa’s thinking was mostly correct.
The Monster went outside the facility and ran up a nearby building. When it reached the rooftop, it looked around at the scenery spreading out below.
Mana only existed in this vicinity. The Monster instinctively recognized that it shouldn’t leave this place.
But it noticed. Far away, there was a powerful “Mana.”
It didn’t know what it was. Even so, Hell Garm was driven by a strong interest and impulse.
It ran lightly across the rooftop of the building and leaped into the air.
It fell more than fifty meters and landed on the ground without a sound, then ran towards the place where the strong Mana was, disappearing into the darkness of the night.