Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Demon King's Assault (3)
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I needed to buy at least some time to escape.
A chill wind brushed past both cheeks. The fir forest, blanketed in deep snow, had fallen into perfect silence—no insect chirps or bird calls could be heard anymore.
The surrounding lifeforms were all cowed by this monster's overwhelming presence.
As I drew in ambient mana to replenish what I'd expended, I engaged the beast in conversation purely to stall for time.
With only half my mana reserves, survival—let alone driving it off—was far from guaranteed.
"If it's the grimoire you want, I'll return it."
"Hmm~?" The monster replied, twisting its neck at an unnatural angle.
It shuddered briefly, emitting a guttural croaking sound, before conveying its master's will in a calm voice.
Its skin writhed as an unpleasant low rumble emanated from it.
"The grimoire itself isn't that important. What matters is... I'm just curious who the punk was that ruined a bit of my plan."
"He wasn't supposed to vanish that early, after all."
"...Lian, even now, you should run..." Bella whispered from my arms.
Not yet. Not yet. Feeling my mana slowly replenishing, I addressed it.
"If that black mage was your subordinate, I'm willing to apologize or make reparations..."
"Apo-lo-gy? Re-pa-ra-tions?!" Its voice echoed with amusement, the body wriggling.
"I never had high hopes for that megalomaniac trash to begin with. I just expected him to die a bit more spectacularly... Not get taken out by some greenhorn like this..."
"Besides, do you think a worm like you could offer the compensation I want?"
"What is it you want?" I asked, inching backward bit by bit. The carriage was roughly 100 meters away. If I used telekinesis to propel myself... could I make it?
"You were using some interesting technique... [Word Command], was it?" She chuckled mockingly as she made her offer.
"Leave your head here, and I'll let the girl with you live." The monster bared its jagged fangs, opening its filthy maw wide—as if inviting me to lay my head right there.
Its controller, who apparently found it easier to extract info from the dead than the living, urged me to suicide via that voice.
"It's a promise in the Demon King's name. I'll keep it, so you'd better accept."
Harboring no pretense of goodwill, the monster began growling. As its body trembled, the ground itself shook.
The beast exuded crushing intimidation, and every sense in my body sent chilling warnings.
Never fight that thing.
But it was an offer I couldn't accept. After exchanging a glance with Bella, I gave my answer to the Demon King.
"Thanks for the offer, but..."
Bella shook the trees hard with telekinesis. She vaporized the falling snow into massive steam clouds, blocking the monster's vision, and in that moment, I launched myself toward the carriage.
"Fuck off!"
"Hmm, I thought it was a merciful deal... Well, taking the mage's corpse too isn't bad." Even as we fled and put distance between us, the repulsive voice rang out clearly, ignoring the range.
"Fetch it in your jaws." At its master's command, the monster summoned more of its body from underground and closed in.
Even with our vision obscured, it tracked our mana and pursued in exactly the right direction.
The snow-covered earth cracked open wildly, revealing its colossal hidden bulk.
"Lian, that thing... what...!"
The monster, towering like a three-story building, chased us to fulfill its master's order.
We barely boarded the carriage before we could finally get a good look at the beast hunting us.
Now fully unearthed, every step it took sent tremors through the forest.
Covered head to toe in black scales—like a cross between a dragon and a gorilla—the monster lumbered toward us with earth-shaking thuds.
Its single orange eye swirled with murky mana, and viscous drool dangled from its jaws.
It snapped a thick tree like a toothpick with its scale-clad arm, gripped it in its tail, and hurled it in a wide swing.
The tree arced through the air, smashing the road to pieces.
"Lian, I'll drive the carriage! So you..."
"Got it!"
Bella handled the incoming obstacles while demanding I keep the monster in check.
She warped the trajectory of trees aimed at the carriage with telekinesis and reinforced the vehicle's frame for durability.
She'd done her part. Now it was my turn. To draw the beast's aggro, I fired fireballs at it.
It took them all head-on, as if they were mere tickles. Its overwhelming mass didn't even slow its approach.
An arrow shot through the smoke pierced the monster's eye.
As if mocking, Is that all? the beast grinned wickedly, drool dripping, as the arrow struck its crimson-orange eye.
"Damn it..."
That accursed scaled freak had eyes tough as the rest of it—the arrow failed to penetrate, leaving only a shallow scratch.
With enough mana, I could've ignored physics and shattered that eyeball, but I lacked the power now.
If only I had enough mana... Damn it all!
"Grraaah!" It felt pain at least, reacting more fiercely than before.
"Well done, Lian!"
She accelerated the carriage with telekinesis, widening the gap.
"Giving up already?" Unhappy with the growing distance, the monster began morphing.
Its flesh squirmed as its body twisted into yet another aberrant form.
The muscular, humanoid shape warped into something serpentine, slithering across the ground.
Using elongated tentacles like arrows, it propelled itself toward us at blinding speed.
It had tucked its damaged eye into the mutated body and now pursued at a whole new level of velocity.
Now this damned monster's using magic too.
It couldn't project it outward, but it seemed to employ basic telekinesis limited to its own body.
Each mana surge granted explosive acceleration via telekinesis.
Feeling its mana field closing in, I judged fleeing was no longer viable.
"Lian, any further is impossible...!" Sensing its approach through her mana on her skin, she trembled as she maneuvered the carriage.
"...I'll hold it off."
Toward the monster bounding wildly on six—sometimes seven—legs, I invoked Word Command.
The legs sank deeply into the swamp-like ground.
Using telekinesis to summon underground water, I turned the ground beneath it into soft mud, trapping it deep.
The earth, meant to bear its weight steadfastly, betrayed it.
The ground gave way like a puddle, locking all its legs in place.
"Grahuh?" The monster let out a bewildered cry.
Even securing plausibility with telekinesis demanded massive mana to halt that giant bulk.
But it was worth it. A serious blow to the beast.
Its enormous body, an advantage until now, became its weakness.
Unable to handle the sudden stop due to its mass, it began to tumble.
The malformed body couldn't decelerate, and the legs—bearing tons of impact—snapped off, embedded in the earth.
The joints, absorbing the full shock, tore raggedly, inflicting severe damage.
Seeing the bloodied, mangled monster filled my chest with savage satisfaction.
So it bleeds too. It's a monster I can take down. A profound sense of accomplishment.
"Rraaaaooooh!" It glared at us in agony. Damn it, even minus one leg cluster, its ferocity hadn't dimmed.
To make matters worse, the carriage's durability hit its limit.
The overworked wheels twisted out of alignment. Pushing it further in these rough conditions would end badly.
We had no choice but to fight. Even hobbled, it could still chase us.
Now, while it was hurt, was our chance.
Abandoning the carriage, Bella and I readied for battle.
"Lian...!"
To let Bella focus on support, I drew the monster's attention.
A rock struck with the sword's flat grazed its wound.
This fight was far more intense than any training. Neither magic nor swordsmanship easily pierced that thick hide and scales.
The sheer size difference made it grueling. It could tank hits repeatedly; one mistake from me meant death.
No time to celebrate petty notifications of combat skill proficiencies rising. All focus went to evasion.
Bella's overwhelming firepower? The flesh absorbed it nonchalantly, angling scales like sloped armor to deflect projectiles.
Anchored by sturdy legs, it whipped its remaining tentacles like lashes.
Failing to dodge those scale-spiked tendrils meant death.
The incoming whips targeting me—I barely evaded using the platforms Bella prepared.
Exploiting the brief opening after its big swing, I slipped between its weight-bearing legs.
Into the joint unprotected by scales, I drove my greatsword deep with all my strength and twisted.
"Graaaah!"
It bellowed deafeningly, tilting sideways—even though the leg wasn't fully crippled.
A tactical move to crush me under its bulk like an annoying insect.
"Lian!" Bella hurled tree debris at it with telekinesis, letting me grab hold and evade.
With her aid, I narrowly escaped the roll.
Through repeated observation in the fight, I gleaned one crucial fact about the monster.
A clue that just might end this battle.