Chapter 9: Reunion and the Footsteps of the Demon – 07
After confirming that the earlier monster was not nearby, we stepped out from the side tunnel. The four of us headed toward the monster, while Kaim and the others made their way toward Tolson. They were supposed to request reinforcements upon arriving in Tolson, but it was likely that such a request would not be necessary.
As if sensing our movements, the monster began to stir. It approached us with a rustling sound, growing louder with each step.
“Frei, use ‘Divine Light.’ Sfenia, please start with magic as well. Larni, aim to sever as many limbs as you can. I’ll block any spells targeting Frei and Sfenia, so keep an eye on the timing and take cover behind the rocks to provide support.”
“Yes, Soushi-sama.”
“Understood!”
“I’ll use the White Heron Bow when the opportunity arises.”
The presence drew closer, the footsteps growing louder. Then, the grotesque monster emerged from behind a rock.
“What is that? It’s disgusting!” Larni shouted. At the same time, I heard Freinir mutter softly, “It really is a demon…”
“No matter who the opponent is, a punch should hurt. Let’s go!”
We approached without changing our formation. The monster, too, seemed to be sizing us up, slowly closing the distance. The gap between us was about fifty meters.
Gu-gi-ga!
The monster emitted a metallic sound. As three expressionless faces turned toward us, they opened their mouths in unison.
“Frei!”
“Yes! I’ll cast ‘Divine Light’ now!”
The area was enveloped in light. For a moment, the monster appeared to flinch from the brightness, but the next instant, it let out a shriek, “Gyaaa!” and stretched its body taut.
“It didn’t work!? No, it feels like the effect of ‘Divine Light’ has been negated!”
Frei shouted, unusually panicked. It was indeed the first time we encountered a monster resistant to ‘Divine Light.’
“Is it resistant? Sfenia!”
“Yes, ‘Flame Bolt!’”
A fire arrow shot forth from Sfenia’s short staff, striking the monster’s body. It let out a groan, and its stance faltered, indicating that it had taken damage.
Just as I was about to direct the two rear guards to take cover behind the rocks, the monster opened its mouth again. Stone spears were shot out from its three mouths.
I intercepted the stone spears with my mace. Thanks to my skills specialized in counterattacks, I was able to handle the rapid-fire magic attacks with ease.
“‘Double Holy Light!’”
“‘Wind Cutter!’”
Two beams of light pierced one of the monster’s heads, while an invisible blade struck its face. On the surface, it seemed to leave only slight wounds, but it must have had an effect since the monster’s magic momentarily halted.
Sfenia switched to wind magic, likely because the monster had launched an earth-element attack.
“I’m going in!”
Seeing the magic attacks cease, Larni rushed forward, slashing at the nearest arm. A metallic clang echoed, sounding almost unbelievable for a monster being cut, and Larni quickly retreated from the arm.
“The skin and bones are so tough!”
It appeared she had managed to slice through about half of the arm, but it wasn’t enough to sever it completely. The arm was roughly the thickness of a utility pole, yet even with her ‘Slash’ skill, Larni couldn’t cut it off in one blow, indicating the monster’s formidable defense.
“Both of you, hide behind the rocks. It seems I need to strike directly.”
“Be careful!”
“I’ll provide support when the opportunity arises.”
Once I confirmed that Freinir and Sfenia had taken cover behind a nearby rock, I dashed toward the monster.
Larni dodged the descending arm while launching several attacks against it. However, she still couldn’t sever it.
The monster, noticing my approach, began to fire stone spears in rapid succession.
I deflected them with my mace and shield as I advanced, but the distance was still hard to close. However, for a brief moment, the barrage of magic ceased. I noticed an arrow embedded in the monster’s head. It must have been the ‘Action Stop’ effect of the White Heron Arrow. That seemed to work.
I dashed forward and swung my mace horizontally at the nearest arm. The sensation was akin to striking a hard metal rod, but the monster’s arm crumpled and tore off at the elbow.
Gu-gya!
Was that a scream of anguish? Two beams of light struck its face again, and multiple arrows pierced it.
Taking advantage of the opening, I blasted off the second arm. The monster’s main body, towering five meters above, swayed unsteadily. I saw Larni leap onto its back, stabbing her sword into it. However, she struggled to penetrate deeply and kept swinging her sword down.
One of the monster’s heads turned toward Larni. Close-range magic would be dangerous.
“Larni!”
Hearing my shout, Larni jumped back, leaping into the air. A stone spear shot through the spot where she had just been. She then used ‘Space Kick’ to create more distance and landed safely.
The monster, now with six arms, regained its stance and swung one arm down toward me. I deflected it with my shield and countered with a strike from my mace. Another arm was severed and sent flying, causing the monster to lose its balance once more.
If I’m going to finish this, now’s the time. I unleashed a ‘Shockwave’ at maximum power aimed at the monster’s head above me. The invisible force released from my mace shattered its jaw, severing its consciousness.
The monster’s main body collapsed to the ground, losing its strength. Up close, its head was the size of a large watermelon. I raised my mace high above its face.
The monster opened its eyes. Its statue-like face twisted in fear. Without any hesitation, I brought my mace crashing down onto its skull.
With a single blow, I obliterated all three heads, and the monster ceased its movements. Strangely, immediately afterward, its corpse began to transform into black particles from the extremities, dissipating into the air. All that remained was a single ominous Magic Stone, about the size of a large watermelon.
“Are you alright, Soushi-sama?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
As Freinir rushed over, I patted her head, and she hugged me tightly, seemingly relieved. The slight tremor in her body likely stemmed from her feeling that the recent monster was a ‘demon.’
“That was an incredible monster. Its bones were so hard that I couldn’t sever even one arm with my sword.”
“I think you did well, Larni. It was just that the monster was unusual.”
“To be resistant to ‘Slash’ is indicative of a high-tier monster. It seems Frei’s ‘Divine Light’ didn’t work either.”
As she spoke, Larni gazed intently at the remaining Magic Stone.
Sfenia was also observing the stone but shook her head lightly before looking at me.
“It appeared that my magic and arrows were not very effective either. I’ve never seen a monster of that caliber, even at C-Rank.”
“So, does that mean it’s at least B-Rank? I didn’t think it was that strong…”
I based my judgment on the B-Rank ‘Headless Adept’ I had encountered previously in the Undead Castle. I didn’t think I could handle that kind of movement. In contrast, the monster we just faced seemed tough but didn’t feel like a significant threat.
However, Sfenia seemed to show a hint of exasperation at my words.
“No, the rapid-fire of those ‘Stone Javelins’ alone is a threat. Moreover, with the low effectiveness of ‘Slash’ and ‘Penetration,’ if magic doesn’t deal effective damage, we could easily find ourselves on the receiving end of a one-sided attack. Without your mace, Soushi, the adventurers around here wouldn’t have been able to handle it.”
“Exactly. Even a tough monster like that went down in one hit, so you should realize how unusual you are, Soushi.”
“Yeah, well… that might be true.”
But I felt that someone like ‘Anatoria the Crimson’ would easily slice off its arms without a second thought. So, I thought the monster’s rank was probably somewhere between upper C and lower B.
“Soushi-sama, shall we return and rest? I don’t want to stay here any longer.”
“Yeah, let’s head back.”
In any case, our mission was complete. We collected the Magic Stone and returned to the town of Tolson, following Freinir’s suggestion.