Gilbert raised his battle axe high and brought it down with a mighty swing, cleaving through the serpent-like head of the Undead Beast. He took a moment to catch his breath and then reached out to touch the base of the colossal, pillar-like Undead that loomed before him like a wall. As he cautiously parted the vines that enveloped it, he pondered his next move.
Initially, he had planned to chop down this massive pillar from its roots, but upon closer inspection, its girth was far beyond what could be described as a great tree. While he was busy dealing with the relentless assault of the infinitely branching, fire-breathing heads, it would take far too long to make any significant progress. He feared that if the dragon-like transformation continued in the meantime, or if any unforeseen changes occurred, they would only waste time and fall behind.
“…I’ve got it!”
He exclaimed, a brilliant idea flashing in his mind, causing everyone to turn their attention to him.
“What if I let myself be swallowed by it and attack from the inside?”
“Wha… what did you just say?”
“Hey, Gilbert’s saying something crazy again!”
Lionel’s face twisted in confusion and anger, while the mercenary shot him a dubious glance. The Black Knight and the knights of Beresford looked at him as if he were mad. Flora’s eyes widened in shock, frozen in place. Only Dolf and Barbara seemed to understand, nodding as if they were on the same wavelength.
“Just hear me out. If I attack from inside, I can strike at the main body’s neck without being interrupted by those fire-breathing heads… Is that a bad idea?”
As he swung his axe to fend off the fiery heads, Lionel wore a face mixed with despair and fury.
“That’s dangerous. First of all, the largest head of the main body is positioned quite high. How do you even plan to get swallowed?”
“Not from above. I’ll be swallowed from below, from the part that’s like an Undead Slime…”
Gilbert said, parting the vines to reveal a section of dark, viscous liquid.
“Wait, are you saying you want to dig into the Undead Slime and go inside the dragon’s belly?”
“Glad you catch on quickly. That’s exactly it. The knights who were swallowed once before were rescued safely. If I can get in before it seals up, I think I can make it without getting caught.”
Lionel buried his face in his hands, clearly exasperated.
“Isn’t it possible to just use lightning like we did in Jiemeld territory and wipe it out in one go?”
The mercenary asked, concern evident in his voice as he looked at Gilbert and Lionel.
“That wasn’t something I did on purpose. It was more of a miracle. Even if I could somehow replicate it, this beast is at least ten times larger than what we faced in Jiemeld. We might not be able to wipe it out completely. I’d rather choose a method that has a higher chance of success, even if it’s uncertain.”
Gilbert gazed up at the towering pillar, its immense size casting a shadow over them. Thanks to the effect of the ivy, the transformation into a dragon was still limited to the upper part of the pillar, where only the head remained. If he could reach that position from the inside, attacking would seem feasible.
“Are you really, really sure this is going to be okay? If something happens to you, Mr. Gilbert…”
Flora’s voice trembled with worry, her eyes shimmering with concern.
“I eat Flora’s cooking every day, wear the leather armor made by you and Barbara, and wield weapons blessed by everyone. With all these blessings, I won’t let anything sad happen. If I feel it’s impossible, I’ll retreat without hesitation. I promise.”
He spoke clearly, and Flora took a deep breath, meeting his gaze and nodding softly in agreement.
While they spoke, they continued to fend off the onslaught of the fire-breathing heads. The scales on the upper part of the beast were gradually spreading. Though they were holding their ground for now, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down, as the transformation into the dragon-like Undead could progress at any moment.
“…It’s true that we’re not making any progress like this. The same goes for defeating the main body. I can’t deny that I can’t think of any other means…”
Lionel exhaled deeply. He recounted how even during the northern expedition, they had never faced an Undead Beast of this magnitude.
“It’s like we’re dealing with something unprecedented. If that main body continues to transform, it could unleash attacks far worse than mere flames, like poisonous breath area attacks… If that happens, we’ll be in serious trouble. Perhaps we should take a gamble on Gilbert’s unconventional strategy…”
With a bitter expression, Lionel fixed his gaze on Gilbert.
“Hm, it’s a good idea, but if you’re going to do it, you should attach a safety line. Just in case Gilbert gets stuck inside, we’ll need a way to pull him out. And even if you manage to defeat it, there will still be problems afterward.”
Dolf, who had been silently listening, finally spoke up. At the mention of a safety line, Flora visibly relaxed, nodding repeatedly.
“So, here’s Flora-chan’s braided cord. We’ll use this. I brought it just in case. I’m glad it won’t go to waste.”
With a cheerful tone, Dolf pulled out a bundle of braided cord from beneath his tunic. Flora blessed the cord with anti-corrosion magic right there, tying it to Gilbert’s battle axe and threading it through his waist armor.
With their plan set, they wasted no time in taking action. Gilbert promised Lionel that if he thought it was too reckless, he would turn back, all while wearing a troubled smile.
As the knights formed a defensive formation to deal with the surrounding attacks, Gilbert and the others began to bore a hole into the massive pillar made of slime.
“It’s more solid than I expected.”
“Slime is mostly water, after all. The vines might have absorbed water, increasing the air pockets.”
Gilbert and the mercenary peered into the hole they had created. A sense of optimism washed over them as they realized things were going better than anticipated. Perhaps due to the reduced moisture or the effects of the transformation, the slime was beginning to solidify, creating large cavities throughout.
Thanks to this, the risk of being trapped was lessened, and if they utilized the cavities well, they could climb inside.
Flora watched intently as Gilbert dove into the hole with his battle axe. Once he disappeared from view, the braided cord was the only clue she had to his safety. She clutched the end of it tightly, along with the ring at her chest.
“Hey. Gilbert said that lightning was like a miracle, but is there any way we could summon it?”
The mercenary asked Barbara, looking up at the clear sky devoid of clouds, realizing there was no sign of lightning like there had been in Jiemeld.
“I wonder. I think it’s the power of the goddess, so if we pray, it might reach her. With so many of us praying now… perhaps we could call it forth.”
Though everyone understood Gilbert’s reasoning for choosing a more certain method over relying on uncertain factors, their emotions still yearned for his safety. As the fire-breathing heads and Undead Beasts continued to emerge, everyone present prayed for his safe return.
Meanwhile, those left behind at the carriage within the barrier watched the unfolding battle with bated breath.