Mana Energy Cataclysm (7)
High up on the rocky mountain, a blazing red sun rose through the darkness.
Kuuuung······!
The sun plummeted, spewing thick smoke in its wake. The massive fireball, resembling a colossal meteor, crashed directly beneath the rocky mountain and detonated with a deafening roar.
The explosion engulfed the mountain, blasting chunks of rock skyward. The monsters climbing its slopes tumbled down, buried beneath an avalanche of rubble.
"Cough! Cough! Khaaaack······!"
Ainz and the students of Team 1 hacked and wheezed for a long while until the smoke and dust slowly began to clear. Once their vision returned, they saw a sheer cliff that hadn't existed moments before. The mountain's gentle slope had been obliterated in an instant by the blast.
"Everyone alright? With this, we don't have to worry about our backs anymore."
The handsome young man standing behind them, still holding a mana stone, smiled as he spoke. He was Professor Sergei's assistant. They had only ever seen him trailing after the professor in those thick glasses. None of the students in Team 1 had imagined he possessed this level of skill.
"Don't space out. They're starting to climb from the front too. We need to prepare."
"Yes!"
Heartened, the students clenched their fists and stepped forward. When the assistant had first led them here, they had all been skeptical. With the forest entrance right there, why on earth would they hole up on a rocky mountain instead? Their doubts had been answered soon enough. They hadn't even run far before a pack of Fenrirs came charging from the front.
They had reached the mountain at the last possible second, scrambling up its face. The assistant had then used fire magic to carve away one entire side of the mountain, bringing them to this point. Team 1 and the assistant had essentially seized a natural fortress.
The monsters struggling up the steep incline could be knocked back with a single strike, sending them tumbling down and taking out those behind them. It was the perfect way to conserve mana.
"What the hell is this······!"
When the slope was suddenly swarmed by pitch-black hounds, a groan escaped the assistant's lips. The creatures had changed tactics. They were now sending the smaller Black Dogs first, allowing far greater numbers to rush in at once.
To deal with them, they'd need to fire multiple single-target spells or use wide-area magic. But the larger monsters following behind—the orcs and Fenrirs—wouldn't be knocked down by the tumbling corpses of the hounds. It was a strategy that forced them to expend at least one spell per monster.
"Kids. Can I ask you to handle the wide-area spells? If you clear out the Black Dogs, I'll take care of the rest somehow."
"Huh? You, sir?"
"Yes. Hurry!"
The red-haired girl and the other students began unleashing wide-area magic. The pack of Black Dogs was swept up in gales and flames, tumbling down the slope. But the orcs and Fenrirs simply shoved the falling bodies aside and continued their relentless advance.
While orcs might be manageable, facing a Fenrir required high-output, high-penetration magic. Just as Ainz began preparing his spell formula to fire one off—
Shwaaaack······!
Kwaaang!
"Grrrrraaagh!"
A sound like tearing wind rang out, followed by the monsters' screams. When Ainz looked up, the assistant stood tall, a long whip gripped in his hand. Every crack of the whip left gouges in the rocky mountain and sent stone shards flying. Orcs collapsed helplessly, spraying blood everywhere.
The Fenrirs were the exception. Those massive gray wolves endured the lashes and kept climbing. Even the students' flash magic couldn't seem to pierce their thick hides.
"Just die already, you bastards!"
The assistant let out a high-pitched battle cry as a sword appeared in each of his hands. His internal circuit activated, making his entire body feel lighter. A Fenrir that had bared its fangs and lunged was met with a ferocious slash that tore open its cheek. A powerful kick sent it flying off the mountain.
The students watched in awe as the assistant single-handedly took on several Fenrirs at once.
Crack······
"Huh?"
Ainz turned at the sound of rocks being torn away from behind. What he saw nearly stopped his heart. A Fenrir had somehow scaled the side slope they had thought impossible to climb and now stood right there.
"Graaaawr!"
"Damn it!"
Ainz didn't hesitate. He deployed his spell formula—one powerful enough to pierce the creature's hide. There was no hesitation, no delay. It simply wasn't quite fast enough.
"Ah."
I'm dead. The moment he saw the fangs closing in, that was the thought that flashed through Ainz's mind.
Crunch!
"Ugh!"
Blood splattered across his face, but the fangs stopped. When he came to his senses, he saw the assistant had driven both swords into the beast's face, halting its charge. A swift kick sent it tumbling down the slope once more.
"Th-thank you!"
"It's nothing. I'm fi— ngh!"
"Assistant!"
The assistant staggered, then collapsed. Crimson blood was pouring from his abdomen. Ainz and the students rushed to his side in a panic. By then, his face had gone deathly pale and he was trembling violently. He was already babbling incoherently, barely conscious.
"It's bleeding! We need to use recovery magic to seal the wound right away······"
"No. It's internal bleeding. Sealing the external wound won't do anything."
"Then we can stop the internal bleeding too······"
"Do you really think you can pry open the wound, manually check which organs are torn with your hands, and then cast the exact right recovery spell?"
"······."
Ainz's sharp rebuke silenced the students at once. Though they were all confident in their magic as Imperial Academy students, this had already crossed into the realm of a doctor.
"Then what do we do? It's not like you have a plan either!"
"······."
Ainz squeezed his eyes shut. He did have a plan. One with a decent chance of success. But it wasn't something he could say lightly. No one could utter such words easily. Although... Schluss probably wouldn't hesitate.
With great power comes great responsibility······.
Muttering Schluss's words to himself, Ainz opened his eyes. Before him were four terrified classmates and a delirious assistant. In this situation, he probably held the greatest power here. If so, the person who had to bear all the responsibility and make the sacrifice had been decided from the start.
Ainz let out a small, bitter laugh of acceptance and stood up abruptly.
"We just need a recovery potion."
"But the recovery potions are back in the village. How are we supposed to—"
"Carry the assistant back to the village. There are no monsters behind us now, so run as fast as you can."
Piiing······!
Ainz hurled a rope backward as he spoke. Carried by a gust of wind, the rope flew down the cliff and wrapped tightly around a tree below.
"Those things aren't stupid. If they realize we've run, they'll turn around and chase us right away."
"Then we just have to make sure they don't notice we've fled."
"······!"
Ainz turned around. The students' eyes widened in shock.
"I'll stay behind. If I pour out firepower for four people, they won't realize you've left."
"Hey! Even so, that's—"
"Extra credit."
"What?"
"The professor said extra credit would be given to the person who contributes the most. That's why I'm doing this. I want the extra points."
"You······"
"So hurry up and go! The assistant's going to die!"
At Ainz's shout, the students began moving frantically. The assistant was already dying. There was no time for apologies or mourning.
One by one, the students grabbed towels or ropes and rappelled down the cliff. By the time they had all descended, another massive wave of monsters was crawling up the front slope.
"You said no forest fires, right, Assistant······."
Ainz closed his eyes and began constructing his spell formula. A formula that could sweep away every last one of these monsters. Something bigger, hotter, and heavier. A formula that contained everything he had.
"I'm sorry! I'm about to cause an accident!"
Just as a Black Dog lunged forward, drooling, about to sink its teeth into Ainz's hand—
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
A brilliant light erupted from his fingertips. A torrent of yellow flames flooded his vision in an instant. The blaze swallowed the entire slope and kept surging downward, slamming into the forest below.
When the acrid smoke finally cleared, not a single monster remained. Only blackened lumps of charcoal were left. The rocks on the slope glowed a fierce red, on the verge of melting.
"Haa······!"
Confirming that the flames clinging to the trees were blocking the monsters' approach, Ainz's strength gave out and he collapsed to the ground. If the fire kept spreading like this, the monsters wouldn't be able to come near. Though the smoke might make it a little hard to breathe.
"Huh?"
But instead of spreading, the flames began to die down. Perhaps the dense mana energy was lowering the oxygen levels. At this rate, the monsters would swarm again soon.
Ainz swallowed hard and quickly looked behind him.
"Damn it······."
Orcs had already gathered at the base of the cliff. They must have noticed and cut off the escape route.
Plop······ Plop······
"Ha. You've got to be kidding me."
To make matters worse, rain began to fall. What started as a light drizzle quickly grew heavier until it became a downpour. The fire was extinguished in moments.
Soon, the monsters that had gathered in front of the rocky mountain began climbing the slope once again.
"Ugh······ I should've just run away with them······."
I'm going to die trying to get one measly extra credit point. Ainz forced his trembling legs to stand and picked up the sword the assistant had dropped. It was a one-handed blade, but in his mana-exhausted state, even lifting it with both hands felt difficult.
Finally, the monsters reached the summit. Honestly, in his current condition, he wasn't even confident he could handle a single Black Dog.
"Uwaaaah! Maybe I'll suddenly awaken a talent for the sword!"
Just as Ainz swung the blade with all his might—
Puff······!
The sound of fireworks exploding came from far away. Both Ainz and the monsters turned their heads at the same time. What rose into the darkness was a bright orb of light shooting straight up, leaving a white trail behind it.
Before he could even wonder what it was—
Rumble······
"Whoa?"
The monsters began scrambling down the mountain in a frenzy. Some leaped desperately and tumbled over one another. A dazed Ainz looked down the slope and saw thousands of monsters swarming across the ground. The very creatures that had been about to tear him apart were now all rushing toward wherever that light had risen.
In the blink of an eye, the area around the rocky mountain became eerily quiet, not a single monster left.
Staring at the deepest part of the Wist Forest, where the light still flickered in the sky, Ainz gritted his teeth.
"Schluss Heinkel!!!"
He had a pretty good idea who was behind this insane stunt.