Kelebos Subjugation Battle (2)
Rumble──!
The massive carapace vibrated. The ground beneath our feet shook. It was stark proof that this vast expanse we'd called a forest was nothing more than the creature's back.
"Damn it, can't you just stay still?!"
I raised my sword high, bellowing my frustration. Kelebos had thrown its head back fully now, roaring as if it meant to swallow the sky itself.
Kuoooooo──!
"Aren!"
Tiabel's voice rang out from behind me. Selpin and Lirua floated at her sides, giggling as always. It was a sign her stamina still had plenty in reserve. The battle with those symbiotic monsters right up until moments ago hadn't drained her too badly, thank goodness.
"I hear you fine, so don't worry. Though I'm more concerned about the other students."
"Yeah, tell me about it. Neriel too."
"Neriel, huh..."
True enough. She was one of them. Hard to imagine someone as tough as her getting taken down, but hearing Tiabel say it stirred up worries I hadn't even felt before.
I hope she's okay.
Boom──!
Right then, as if to say I had no time for fretting over others, the ground surged upward. The entire massive island lurched.
With every step Kelebos took, the forests and rocks atop its shell shook like grains of sand.
"At this point, it's like a fortress on the move."
I scanned the absurd landscape and let out a wry chuckle.
Neriel watched the spectacle from a distance.
She tried to catch her breath and regroup her mana, but there wasn't even time for that.
Damn, this monster. It's no ordinary turtle.
What entered her vision wasn't just Kelebos's exterior. Mysterious energy flowed along its carapace. The mana veins pulsed wildly, as if the entire land shared a heartbeat.
And it was all plain as day in her eyes.
That energy was growing thicker by the second.
"This must be... one of that guy's targets too."
She ground her teeth inwardly.
The masked figure she'd just faced off against. The mud golems popping up everywhere. All mere diversions to keep the beast's shell intact.
Made sense for an ancient monster—it would've slumbered for eons. It needed time after waking to fully rouse its mind.
She must've fixated too much on the enemy's cryptic words, overlooking the rest.
Sure, there was intent to sway her, but the real aim might've been buying time to temper this beast's awakening.
In other words, Kelebos's violent thrashing was the enemy's true goal.
"Tch. Hope there aren't any idiots who charge in clueless and get themselves killed."
Even as bone-deep fatigue set in, her eyes flashed anew. She straightened her staff, and violet mana like a galactic river began filling the air around her.
I gripped my sword and charged forward.
Kelebos's neck was too high to even reach.
"Selpin, do me a favor. Get us up there."
- Kyauu!
As I pondered how, Tiabel spoke up. Selpin bounced into the air playfully as usual, summoning a gentle breeze beneath our feet that lifted us skyward.
Our view rose in an instant. Borne by the wind, Kelebos's enormous carapace unfolded like a continent's terrain.
Forests, cliffs, boulders... All of nature's grandeur, mere decorations on a turtle's back. The scale of this fantasy world never ceased to amaze.
- Kuoooooo──!
"Kyaaah?!"
"Tiabel!"
The beast spotted us and bellowed. A massive gust battered us; we nearly crashed back down despite our lift.
Freshly awakened, and already this strong. I steadied Tiabel just in time. She pointed somewhere and shouted.
"Aren, look there!"
Where her finger aimed: deep fissures in the carapace—like split earth—where something throbbed violently, like a leaping heart.
Like veins. Or roots leading to a colossal heart.
The shockwaves toppled forests; from the cracks, mud soldiers erupted one after another.
"Damn, still more?"
I gnashed my teeth.
- Krrrarrr...!
The earthen soldiers floated up this time, blocking our path again.
Then—
Piiiuuuu──!
A shrill whine pierced the air, followed by slender beams like shooting stars that sliced through them.
I blinked in shock. Explosions bloomed along the lines, swallowing the golems. They oxidized back to dirt without a scream, crumbling to the ground.
"...Seriously. What were you planning to do, getting held up by trash like that?"
A familiar voice followed, laced with irritation. It was Neriel, floating in the sky.
In that short time, something must've happened—her signature witch hat was gone, and her robes hung in tatters.
"Hey, Neriel. What happened to you?"
"A little something."
"'A little'? That doesn't look 'little' at all...?!"
"Shut it and focus on the turtle."
Tiabel and I sensed something off and pressed, but she shrugged it off lightly. With a casual wave, she pointed to the black veins pulsing across Kelebos's shell—the mysterious energy leaking from the earlier fissures.
"More importantly, check that out. Those flowing tendrils."
"What about 'em?"
"Probably veins connected to its heart. Think of it like a volcano about to blow. I've been watching—the wider those cracks get, the stronger it's getting."
Indeed. So we had to take it down before the fissures spread further.
I tightened my grip on my sword. Tiabel, though, frowned.
"But how do we stop them? With a beast this huge..."
"Simple. Monsters this size always have a core."
"A core?"
We asked in unison. Neriel nodded.
"But finding it? We can't do it alone. We need more people."
"Borrow strength from the others, right?"
"Exactly. No guarantee there's just one core, but even the freshmen could help pinpoint locations..."
Even now, with barbs. Classic.
But how to rally the students? No time to hunt them down one by one...
Silence fell briefly. Then, the wind rippled oddly past my ear.
- ...Ah, Aren. Can you hear... me...?!
I first thought it was just the wind. No. A familiar voice seeped into my ear—straight into my mind. My eyes widened.
Professor Azela.
"Did you just hear a voice? Or was it just me?"
"Nope."
"Me neither."
The other two hadn't caught it. I explained, and Neriel narrowed her eyes at the empty air.
"Barrier around the island's exterior, probably. But the beast's thrashing made it unstable for a moment—the mana resonated through the gap. Lucky break."
She extended a hand. Violet mana enveloped me, sharpening the voice like tuning a radio.
- Situation's clear from here. Heard Maritt too. Can't shatter the barrier fully, but we can gather students for detection support.
"That'll do."
Neriel nodded, seemingly hearing through me, satisfied.
- Good. Issuing orders now. Ask if they can handle core destruction too. You lot stand by.
Azela's voice rang clear.
"So students give coordinates, we smash the cores?"
I confirmed. Neriel's sharp gaze affirmed it.
"Not sure yet. An ancient beast's core won't shatter easily. Expect defenses."
- Spot on. Briefing students now. Some are ready. Might find them quicker than thought.
Azela chimed in. Locating cores had seemed impossible, but apparently solid advice had come through. Otherwise, no way they'd pinpoint so fast.
- Confirmed cores at three coordinates. Students deploying to eliminate now.
"Got it."
Relief at the smooth progress; I quietly surveyed the ground.
Kaboom──!
Suddenly, massive flames and blasts erupted everywhere. Five spots total. Those must've been the core locations.
Rumble──!
The explosions rocked the island anew. Dirt, rocks, and forest debris flew.
- Kuooooaaa──!
Kelebos bellowed from below.
"It's over?"
I caught my breath, scanning around. But then, red light bloomed from all five blast sites.
It converged in the air as one.
"What's that?"
Tiabel asked. As our eyes locked on it—
Fwoosh──
"...!"
The red light vanished. In its place emerged a figure just over two meters tall—relatively small.
Tiny compared to Kelebos's bulk. But facing it, I sensed danger instinctively.
The aura pouring from it rivaled the beast we'd fought moments ago.
No way...
"Looks like the final safeguard activated."
Neriel muttered lowly. Her voice betrayed uncharacteristic anxiety.