Chapter 94
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: That's Fine
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In the underground passages of Labyrinth City, sprawling like a spider's web.
A single mercenary was sprinting through the labyrinthine underground sewer.
Right... here. Then left.
Thanks to memorizing the paths so thoroughly he could recall them even in his dreams, his body instinctively found the way even in this dire situation.
Ann, running frantically, soon arrived at the defensive point in the central sewer where several small passages converged.
Ann shouted to Tanya, who was stationed at the outpost there.
"They broke through!"
"Already?"
"Some weird slime suddenly exploded right in front of the barricade..."
"Fall back for now!"
No sooner had the words left her mouth than a horde of slimes appeared from the far end of the passage.
Tanya spotted them and hurriedly got to her feet.
It had been nearly a year since she'd last seen them like this.
Tanya glanced at the supplies stacked up behind her. There was still plenty.
Soldiers were continuously hauling more in from even further back.
Last time, Tanya had been the one handling those supplies, but this time it was the opposite. She stepped forward to block the oncoming slimes.
Keeping her eyes on the approaching horde from afar, Tanya recalled the formula Ian had taught her.
Medium-sized group. No purple slimes in the lead. Distance... wait until they're a bit closer.
Tanya selected her orbs and bided her time for the perfect moment to strike.
...Now!
As the slimes drew a little nearer, Tanya shouted to the fairies.
At her command, orbs of various kinds rained down from the air in unison.
An ice wall erupted, halting the slimes' advance, followed by roaring blue flames that swept through their ranks.
Fairies kept flying in more orbs amid the thick clouds of fire and smoke.
Tanya remembered the advice Ian had given her beforehand.
These supplies were allocated from the military's budget. She couldn't siphon them off like last time, but on the flip side, she could use every last one without holding back.
In fact, it was better to burn through them all without leaving any behind.
True to his words, Tanya was using the crate-stacked supplies without a shred of restraint.
...Feels just like being a real mage.
Tanya murmured to herself inwardly as she watched the brilliant flames blooming before her.
If these had been bought with the mercenary corps' funds, it'd be a massive loss. But since they weren't the corps' property, she didn't have to worry about it.
Being able to unleash such expensive orbs freely filled Tanya with a slight thrill.
Even the soldiers and workers calling her "Mage Lady" felt a bit embarrassing, but not in a bad way.
After a short while, Tanya confirmed the slimes were wiped out and turned around with a smug look on her face.
A brief lull followed the elimination of the slime horde.
As Tanya sat down to catch her breath, a soldier from the rear approached and offered her a bottle of drink.
He was a non-commissioned officer from the supply unit.
"Good work, Miss Tanya."
"Ah, thank you."
Tanya accepted the gift with a smile.
The NCO glanced at her sidelong as he stood nearby, then hesitantly spoke up.
"Um, by the way. I'm the admin supply officer for 2nd Company..."
"That's fine."
Tanya cut him off with a firm reply before he could finish.
This was the fifth enlistment offer she'd gotten today.
"Mika, how's it going?"
"Ugh, um... Just a bit more."
Atop the clock tower in the square.
Mika let out a small groan beside Ian as she peered into her spellbook.
Behind Mika, who had been muttering and staring at the spellbook for quite some time now.
On one side of the floor was an amplification magic circle to boost the spell's power and sustain it on her behalf, with assisting mages standing by to aid in the casting.
This was the kind of support usually reserved for high-ranking mages unleashing major spells.
With all that set up behind her, Mika looked quite nervous.
She talked a big game about wanting to play a key role, but when the stage was actually set, the pressure made her tense up.
Chris, watching from the side, tried to ease her nerves.
"No need to feel burdened. We've got Plan B locked and loaded."
Chris turned his head to gaze down at the stalkers swarming into the square.
Stalkers from all over the city were converging here as the final step.
Were there really this many lurking inside the city walls? It was a grotesque sight.
The final, most crucial phase of this plan was to wipe them all out in one go now that they'd been herded together.
If they let some slip away and hide after gathering them so carefully, it'd all be for nothing.
To that end, crates were stacked in various spots around the square.
Now relegated to Plan B, these were originally prepared for Plan A: a cold explosion to obliterate the entire plaza.
It'd rack up some building repair costs, but it'd neatly solve the problem.
Compared to the expense of hunting them down one by one across the city, this was ultimately the cheapest option.
But this time, with Mika here, a new method was possible.
The large-scale barrier she was preparing right now.
A hemispherical barrier enveloping the whole square—one monsters couldn't pass through—to trap the stalkers inside and deal with them from within.
"If it doesn't work, we just blow it sky-high. The city hall's footing the repair bill anyway, so no worries. Might get called to a hearing a few times for show, but..."
"I-it'll be ready soon...!"
It was probably Chris's attempt at a joke, but Mika couldn't laugh; she grew even more flustered and hurried her preparations.
Moments later, Mika's staff began to glow.
"It's ready!"
The moment Mika shouted, a few more stalkers arrived in the square.
And from one of the watchtowers, a flag signal went up.
The signal that all monsters inside the city had been flushed out.
"Start as soon as you're set."
By Mika and the assisting mages, a massive barrier enveloped the square in one fell swoop.
A wall that blocked monsters and ranged attacks. Originally meant to create a safe zone enemies couldn't enter, it could just as easily be used in reverse.
The stalkers gathered in the square were trapped inside.
"Time for us to head in?"
The standby swordsmen deployed inside the barrier, along with the defense force's elite troops, marched into the square.
"Creepy as hell..."
The stalkers' gazes all turned toward them at once.
One mercenary shuddered at the sight.
"These things really don't wander outside, right?"
"They're only in the labyrinth, probably. No way something like this is out there."
Rin answered cautiously to the question.
"The captain said they were sealed inside the labyrinth, so... probably nowhere else has them."
"If these were roaming the woods, I'd quit being a mercenary on the spot."
"Then don't let any escape here. What if they get out and start breeding?"
They traded light banter as they drew their swords and advanced into the square.
The stalkers trapped in the square realized there was no way out, blocked by the barrier. And that their foes could see them.
Roars erupted from all around the plaza. With concealment useless, they no longer hid their aggression and bared it fully.
With nowhere to flee, the stalkers charged mindlessly at the enemy.
"Barrier up!"
Personal barriers were cast on everyone inside.
At the same time, they scattered in all directions, and the battle began.
──!
Dodging claws flying straight at them.
One mercenary's sword gleamed with pure white light as it slashed through a stalker.
The attack targeted a weak joint, cleaving the stalker in two and sending it crashing to the ground.
Behind it, another stalker crept silently toward the mercenary, only for a heavily armored defense force soldier to slam into it bodily.
The stalker bounced off and tumbled across the pavement, its head promptly severed by a sword flashing in from the side.
With their concealment exposed and no escape, the stalkers stopped hiding their aggression altogether. They swarmed forward indiscriminately, like moths to a flame.
The swordsmen methodically cut down each charging stalker one by one.
Stalkers were a type specialized in permanent concealment, ambushes, and stealth actions.
Their ambush attack power and speed were impressive, but their stamina and defenses were abysmal.
With such extreme stats, once their signature stealth was neutralized, they lost most of their advantages. Without ambushes, they were essentially featureless monsters.
In a head-on fight, they were just a bit faster than average, with combat prowess far inferior to same-level monsters.
The swordsmen, all ranked above stalker level, swiftly exterminated the swarming monsters inside.
As the last stalker fell, a quiet silence blanketed the square.
"...All done?"
A mercenary's mutter spread softly through the plaza.
No trace of the red glows that had flickered chaotically inside remained.
Chris, watching from atop the clock tower, gave the signal.
"Check."
A flag signal rose from the clock tower peak.
Soon, signals rose one by one from watchtowers, soldiers, and cavalry units across the city.
After confirming all units' signals, the adjutant reported to Chris.
"No remaining monsters confirmed within the city."
"Phew..."
The signal that the sweep operation had ended in perfect success.
A small sigh.
At the same time, the signal for the end of the invasion rose from the walls.
The end of a long, chaotic day.