Chapter 270: A Date (Primula’s Arc) ④
“Flame Cannon!”
Rest immediately unleashed his attack magic. A blazing inferno erupted, striking the monster squarely in the face.
“GYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
“It’s not effective…!”
The monster flinched from the impact of the intermediate-level spell, but its injuries seemed shallow. Rest quickly pulled Primula close and leaped back instinctively.
“GYAAAH!”
The monster swung its massive arm down. Its large, webbed hand slammed into the ground where they had just been, leaving a deep imprint in the earth.
“Ugh…!”
“What is that thing!? What is that monster…!?”
“Calm down, Primula!”
Cradling the panicking Primula, Rest soared into the air. As he floated above, scanning the surroundings, he noticed something unsettling—there was an unnatural emptiness all around. A vast swamp lay beneath them, surrounded by a thick, inky darkness that spread like mud.
“It’s night… There’s no moon or stars in the sky. Yet my vision is clear. But aside from the swamp and the monster, I can’t see anything else…?”
This place felt too abnormal. He had assumed they had been transported somewhere, but even that thought felt off.
“Could it be…?”
“GYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
“Whoa!”
The monster stretched its neck upward, trying to bite them. Rest hastily dodged and ascended higher, but suddenly, the darkness enveloped them.
“Whoa…!?”
In the next moment, Rest and Primula found themselves bursting out of the swamp below. They had been flying just moments ago, yet somehow, they had ended up submerged in the murky water.
“No way!?”
“GYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
“Ahhh!”
And just like that, the monster attacked. Its massive arm swung horizontally. Rest instinctively conjured a wind barrier to deflect the powerful blow.
“Guh… Primula, are you okay!?”
“This can’t be real… This can’t be happening. Why is this happening…?”
In Rest’s arms, Primula trembled, hugging herself tightly. She seemed uninjured, but her eyes were unfocused, lost in a haze of disbelief. She muttered incoherently, repeating her fears.
“Primula… Damn it, this date is ruined!”
Why did it have to come to this? Rest shouted in frustration, glaring at the monster. It appeared to revel in the successful hit, clapping its hands together gleefully.
“GYAA! GYAA!”
“Getting cocky, huh…? I won’t let this slide!”
Fueled by anger at having their date interrupted, Rest unleashed his magic. At the same time, the monster lunged forward again, but its massive arm suddenly vanished.
“GYAAAH!?”
“Star Eater!”
A pitch-black sphere materialized before Rest, capable of devouring anything in its path—the Dark Star.
“GYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
“Alright, this should do…!”
It was working. Feeling a solid response, Rest launched a barrage of follow-up spells.
“Flame Cannon! Thunder Bolt! Icebolt! Wind Bolt! Earth Bolt!”
“GYUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!?”
Flames, lightning, ice, wind, and earth struck the monster in rapid succession, tearing away at its form. Rest intended to keep the onslaught going, hoping to overwhelm it in one fell swoop. He was determined to press the attack, but the monster glared back at him with its bulging compound eyes.
“SYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
“What…!?”
The monster let out a blood-curdling scream. At the same time, the wounds Rest had inflicted began to heal. Though the regeneration was slow, the areas that had been damaged by his magic started to mend, and soon enough, the arm that Rest had thought he had severed began to regrow.