Our Poppy Is Invincible Against Those Below Her Weight Class

The city stood empty after everyone had fled. Splash. Splash. The sound of wet footsteps echoed through the once-silent streets.

Monsters risen from the ocean depths now packed the urban avenues shoulder to shoulder. An endless column of them stretched into the distance with no end in sight.

"Damn it, we're all going to die! The reinforcements aren't coming!"

"Henry! Shut your mouth!"

"Where the hell is the knight order?!"

The inner citadel sat on slightly elevated ground above the city proper. Wooden barricades and the final defensive line had been erected along the downslope in front of it.

Defending from high ground offered a clear tactical advantage, yet that same elevation laid bare the full horror of the monster army surging forward like a living tsunami.

"If we run now… yeah, before they get any closer…!"

A man kept repeating the same panicked words. The military inspector watching him drew his weapon and strode closer.

"Close that mouth this instant or I'll do it for you…"

"Zeke. That's enough."

"Count! What are you doing out here!"

The count emerged from the citadel and approached the trembling man.

"Henry, the shopkeeper on Octopus Street, yes?"

"Huk…"

Henry's face drained of all color the moment he recognized the count.

"This year makes seven years of marriage, doesn't it? Your daughter must be about that age too, if I remember correctly."

"C-Count… I-I'm sorry…"

"Still useful, I see. I heard your wife is expecting your second?"

At the mention of his family, color flooded back into the man's face.

"Y-yes, that's right. She conceived not long ago…"

"Exactly. You could flee beyond those gates. With luck you might even run into the royal knight order."

The count raised a hand and pointed toward the eastern gate—still free of monsters thanks to its proximity to the citadel.

"So? Do you think your pregnant wife and young daughter could make it out safely?"

"T-that's…"

"And what about your elderly mother? Her knees have been troubling her lately, haven't they?"

The exchange drew every eye in the vicinity.

"All of you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠standing here are healthy and strong enough to run. But are your families, your loved ones, your friends?"

The count straightened his back and swept his gaze across the crowd. In a closed medieval city like this, no one lacked an elderly relative or young child among their acquaintances. Even those without families had friends who did.

"A messenger just arrived. The royal knight order is nearby."

"R-really?!"

The inspector who had been berating the frightened man unconsciously raised his voice. He, of all people, could not afford to show fear. Realizing his mistake too late, he clapped both hands over his mouth—but the words had already spread.

The count placed a hand on the inspector's shoulder.

"Right now, every person here is afraid of those monsters. But if we break, the families behind us become their food."

Eyes turned toward the women and children standing atop the walls.

"Thirty minutes. Hold for just thirty minutes. I will stand here with you."

The first cheer came from a shill the count had planted earlier. Yet the cry spread like wildfire, sweeping across every soul on the line.

A butler in leather armor threaded through the excited crowd and whispered to the count.

"My lord, Henry has been married four years. His mother is still in good health."

"Is that so? Tsk, my memory really is getting foggy these days."

"And no messenger ever arrived."

"That kid said he'd be here in thirty minutes, so he'll be here in thirty minutes. Tell the civilians on the wall to get down—they're only getting in the way."

The count had ordered the women and children placed atop the wall beforehand to raise morale. After confirming that the regular archers now filled the battlements, he turned his gaze forward.

Countless monsters poured down the city streets toward them. At the city's heart, in the square with its great fountain, Haram sat atop Poppy with sword drawn. Behind him, hundreds of void hounds clustered together before scattering busily into the alleys.

"I've done about as much as I can for them, haven't I? I'm counting on you, kid."

The count positioned himself at the reserve staging area slightly behind the front line. Though he wasn't at the very forefront, the mere sight of him outside the citadel gave the defenders a sense of security. At the very least, the citadel gates would not close while he remained outside.

"Uwoooooah!!!"

I turned toward the distant cheer.

"Huh. That count really is something else."

When I had left the citadel earlier, the front line had carried the atmosphere of a funeral. Somehow he had completely reversed the mood. The conscripts had been written off as useless, yet at this rate they might actually buy us some time.

"Haa… There has to be a commander somewhere… but where?"

"Woof."

The reason the previously mindless charging enemies had suddenly begun moving with strategy. Priests or cultists might explain it, but for monsters to act this tactically meant someone was directing them.

Even now the enemy advanced while methodically clearing the void flowers cleverly hidden throughout the city.

They couldn't locate the perfectly camouflaged ones first, but the moment an ally was devoured they would rush in to finish the job, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠minimizing losses as they eliminated the flowers.

"Good thing I left the void flowers behind."

Before the final wave began, I had stationed most of the depleted void flowers along the last defensive line. If the archers on the citadel walls provided covering fire, we could make far better use of the time those flowers bought us.

My role was to assassinate the enemy commander. If that commander was hiding, where would they be?

I recalled the conversation I'd had with the Transcendents before the final wave.

I had used stealth while preparing for the final wave and examined every monster type in the legion, yet I saw no sign of what the Transcendents had described.

Not only was there no human-faced orca—there wasn't even a regular orca monster in sight. Had their information been wrong?

"You have to flip the card to know what's in your hand. Let's go."

"Woof!"

Poppy leapt high and raced across the rooftops. Winged and horned fish monsters dove at us to keep us in check, but they couldn't pierce her solid armor and simply fell away.

In the distance lay an empty stretch of sand where the army had already passed. A lighthouse stood on a spit of land jutting into the sea.

According to the Tower's system, the enemy forces had to emerge from the water once the wave began. The only place they could hide without being spotted was there.

I kicked off the final building, landed on the sand, and the ground around the lighthouse began to churn. Orca monsters with limbs rose from the beach and blocked our path, leveling their tridents in neat ranks.

"Poppy, this must really bruise your pride, huh?"

"Grrroar!"

At Poppy's howl the orca monsters trembled. Their spear blades glanced harmlessly off her chitin armor. One swing of her forepaw sent them flying like bowling pins.

"Anything below mini-kraken size can't last even a second against her."

"Woof!"

Poppy had been blocked by a mini-kraken after using gigantification back on the third floor, so it was easy to underestimate her.

But right now she was a moving heavy truck—over three tons of mass supported by muscles strong enough to let her move with surprising agility.

Unless something possessed a body as massive as hers or used magic to reinforce itself, nothing could stop her.

"Though she does get blocked more often than I'd like."

"Grrrrr…"

Having swept the orca monsters aside with ease, Poppy charged the lighthouse.

BOOM!

Beyond the shattered wall waited a grotesque creature—an orca body pumped full of steroids a thousand times over, sporting thick limbs. Where a face should have been sat the ugly visage of an old man. The standout feature was that the face alone measured over a meter long.

"Y-you! Monster!"

The human-faced orca shouted, wrinkling its hideous features.

"What are you babbling about? Our Poppy is adorable."

"Woof?"

"Poppy. Bite."

"Grrroar!"

At my command Poppy lunged. The human-faced orca swung its massive trident in defiance, but one swipe of her paw severed its right arm clean off. The trident never pierced her armor. After watching her sink her teeth into the creature's thick neck, I turned my gaze rearward.

A monstrous army so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠vast its end could not be seen came charging across the sand toward us from the city.

"Poppy, once you're done eating let's head up."

"Woof?"

I led Poppy—who was still tearing into the now-dead human-faced orca—up to the lighthouse roof. She had some trouble fitting through doors and along narrow passages, but by smashing obstacles out of the way we reached the very top.

From here I could see the citadel in the distance and the city completely overrun by monsters. Half the horde raced toward Poppy and me; the other half charged the citadel. Those heading for the citadel had already reached the final defensive line—the battle there had begun.

I opened my status window to check the remaining time.

Even after slowing their advance with void hounds and reducing their numbers as much as possible with void flowers, the situation remained bleak. Our forces were still dwindling at an alarming rate.

In the distance I could see the citadel's defensive line beginning to crumble. The count, who had been held in reserve, now stepped forward with spear in hand.

"Wow, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠old man's still got plenty of fight in him."

He rode atop a void hound as though it were an ordinary horse—somehow he'd managed to tame one.

"We can't throw away a perfect clear after coming this far. Let's move."

"Woof!"

Poppy leapt down from the lighthouse.

BOOM!

Monsters below were crushed beneath her, sending debris flying in every direction.

"Grrroooooar!!!"

Poppy's roar carried the full majesty of a mountain lord. The surrounding army froze for a brief moment, but their numbers were simply too great. Less than three seconds later they began moving again, slowly closing in.

"Run, Poppy!"

She charged forward, hurling swarms of monsters aside with her massive body. They flew through the air as if struck by a speeding truck. Weapons and blades thrown by the horde occasionally grazed us, but none could pierce her thick chitin armor.

"This is why gigantification is my trump card. Our Poppy is invincible against anyone below her weight class."

"Woof!"

"Of course, that also means she's weak against those above her—like the mini-kraken."

"Grrroar!"

Poppy shook her hips irritably, but I wasn't so weak that a little jostling would unbalance me.

"Our poor Poppy… we'll have to fight boss monsters on the fifth floor too…"

"Woof!"

"You think boss monsters are easy? You couldn't even handle the mini-kraken…"

"Woof woof woof!!!"

"All right, all right. Let's hurry. We still need to secure that bonus objective."

To protect my precious bonus goal I slapped Poppy's rear to urge her on. Unfortunately she was already running at full speed, so it didn't make her any faster.