“Let’s goooo!”
Jigoro, who had transformed into a golden meteor, charged at a super high speed in the direction of the Tarrasque. Even with my dynamic vision, I could barely follow his movements.
“Get crusheeeed!!!”
Jigoro, who was approaching the monster at a terrifying speed, slammed his right fist into Tarrasque’s shell. He aimed for the space between its right front leg and right middle leg. While I was curious why he didn’t target the face, he must have had his reasons.
The battle gauntlets, fueled by the incredible speed that almost created afterimages and the destructive energy generated by the formidable physique of the Ogre’s divine beast transformation, effortlessly shattered the Tarrasque’s shell as if it were a mere cookie. The sound of something tough breaking reached our ears!
“Guwaaaaaah!?”
So, this was Jigoro going all out. His goal was to bypass Tarrasque’s defenses by delivering a devastating strike. However, using such powerful skills simultaneously was a rare occurrence, and now, with both of the skills amped up to the max, it was becoming hard to tell who the real boss was!
The shattered shell and the flames and lightning emanating from the place where the fist had struck danced across the sky. It was a surreal spectacle, far from what one would expect at the climax of a battle. For the Tarrasque, whose prideful shell had been shattered and whose inner body was now being consumed by flames and lightning, it must have been a nightmarish ordeal.
“One more hit!”
“Gigagaaaaaaah!?”
Jigoro shaped his left hand into a knife and thrust it into Tarrasque’s abdomen with an uppercut motion. The abdominal shell was pierced, leaving a small hole, and the monster, writhing in agony, attempted to thrash about. However, it was helpless due to multiple status ailments and the quicksand that had affected its hind legs. Yes, I must say I did a good job.
“Burn and numb!”
From the perspective of Tarrasque’s massive body, Jigoro’s fist did not deliver a mere flesh wound but failed to deliver a critical blow. However, Jigoro decided to add a little extra to the wound, as if he were rubbing salt in it.
But that “extra” wasn’t just any salt. This brother unleashed his full-powered flames on the point of contact and conducted lightning through it. O-Ouch, that looked painful…!
“Gyababababababa!?”
The flames might not have been a significant concern, but since lightning, which was the Tarrasque’s weakness, had been channeled directly into its body, the suffering was bound to be incredible.
“Take your turn, old man!”
“Got it! Let’s do this!”
Since he had used most of his magic power, Jigoro called out to Genjuro briefly. With a synchronized rhythm, Genjuro, ready to go, leaped to the spot where Jigoro had been. He then swung his jet-black, large sword down onto the part of Tarrasque’s shell that Jigoro had shattered.
“Seiyaaaaaa!”
“Gigaaaah!?”
Genjuro’s large sword struck the Tarrasque with incredible force, slicing through its shell and flesh. His cutting power had increased significantly, but who would have thought it would be this much?
Genjuro’s skills were no doubt impressive; he showcased a tremendous slashing ability. The wound Jigoro had created had expanded nearly twice its size.
“Kaaaaa!”
With another swift motion, he turned his blade towards the right front leg that he had been targeting all along. N-no way…
Bang!
“Gigyaaaaaaaah!?”
Could such a terrifying image even be real? Genjuro’s large sword had indeed severed the right front leg, much like the tail. Who could have imagined that he would turn out to be this strong?
“Hmm, is it over already? Well then…”
Genjuro’s jet-black sword blade, which seemed to condense darkness, didn’t turn back to its original steel shine…. instead, its luster faded into a dull hue. Swiftly, he returned the large sword into his inventory and now brandished the striking sword and the short sword, which oozed with the aura of grudges.
“Shaah!”
Genjuro then aimed his sights at the right middle leg, which was trapped in the quicksand; this one was still unharmed. Could he possibly intend to slice it off as well? No, no, no, that would be impossible!
“Nuuuuh!”
“Gagaaaaa!?”
With each strike of Genjuro’s blade, his stamina was rapidly drained. However, simultaneously, Genjuro’s swords were gradually cutting deeper. This might just work!
“Haaa!”
Crack!
“Giiigaaah!”
He, he did it! He had actually sliced off the previously undamaged right middle leg! Genjuro’s precision in striking the same spot must have been proof of his extraordinary skill.
The two vanguards of our party had vividly demonstrated their strength. Well then, it was time for me to show them my full power too!
“Let me try my luck first! Summon Abyssal Beast!”
I used the spell I had recently learned through [Spirit Channeling], “Abyssal Beast Summoning”. Now, let’s see what kind of hellish creature will answer my call.
The moment I cast the spell, a seemingly bottomless hole appeared in the ground. It seemed this was where the hellish creature would emerge. I couldn’t help but feel nervous, given that it was my first time using this spell!
“Kichikichikichi…”
Whoa! What crawled out of the hole was a gigantic insect that was roughly the same height as Jigoro. However, it was far from an ordinary insect. Its appearance resembled that of a chubby beetle, but its head looked exactly like that of a praying mantis. Its exoskeleton gleamed like metal, and at the tips of its legs, there were sharp and large claws.
I have to admit, it truly was a creature from hell, and it had a menacing appearance. But it was quite peculiar that an “Abyssal Beast” spell, despite the name, summoned an arthropod instead of a beast. Well, sometimes things just work that way!
Setting that aside, the real question was whether this creature would be able to properly engage in combat with the Tarrasque.
“Kishaaaaaa!”
Oh! Without waiting for my command, it charged straight at the Tarrasque! Then, it jammed its claws into the gap in the shell that Genjuro had created and stuck its head into the hole that Jigoro made… was it trying to devour it by any chance?
“Gagyaaaaaaa!”
The Tarrasque wasn’t about to let itself be a meal, and it thrashed about with all its might. However, it couldn’t shake off the arthropod since its legs were immobilized, so it continued to be devoured. Moreover, the creature seemed to be using two of its six arthropod limbs to skillfully gouge at the wound.
The sight of a giant turtle being devoured alive by a big insect was quite gruesome, especially for women, I suppose. Well, at this moment, there were no women around, and if this creature could fight on our side, I had no qualms about it. In fact, I welcomed it with open arms.
“Alright, next! Summon Thunder Ghost, Health Boost, Health Boost, Health Boost, Health Boost, Health Boost, Undead Boost!”
Next, I summoned the Thunder Ghosts, higher-level ghosts with lightning elements, using my [Summoning Magic]. Even though it was daytime and their health was decreasing rapidly, it didn’t matter. They had only one task to perform.
“Charge while casting spells, then self-destruct inside.”
“””””Ooooooh…”””””
The Thunder Ghosts, who faithfully followed my command, approached the Tarrasque directly, and they entered its body before their health ran out. Phasing through matter was a specialty of these spectral ghosts.
However, simply entering the Tarrasque’s body wouldn’t serve any purpose. Following my orders, the Thunder Ghosts that had infiltrated the Tarrasque’s insides self-destructed.
The Thunder Ghost, an evolved form two stages beyond the Will-o’-Wisp, had the ability to cause damage through self-explosion, much like its predecessor. However, there was a significant difference: the amount of damage inflicted was not based on the ghost’s health at the time of the explosion but rather referred to its maximum health.
In terms of the effectiveness of the self-destruct tactic, the Will-o’-Wisps had the upper hand due to sheer numbers. However, it was daytime now. The Will-o’-Wisps would likely vanish before even coming into contact with the Tarrasque, due to their [Light Weakness] skill. That’s why I had chosen to employ the evolved variant, the Thunder Ghost. Speaking of which, how effective would their self-destruct attacks be?
“Gyaaaaaa!?”
“Kishiiii!?”
Oh, the damage was quite substantial, but I had completely forgotten about the Abyssal Beast insect that was clinging to the Tarrasque. Perhaps they got electrocuted together? My apologies! But please endure it once more!
“Mana Stone Absorption, Star Magic Circle Remote Activation…”
I fed the precious magic stone, a stone with attributes and quality raised to ‘good’ through repeated [Alchemy] compositions, into my staff. Quite the extravagant gesture, I must say! And, of course, the chosen element was none other than lightning.
“Spell Adjustment, Thundercloud!”
Now, among the countless spells at my disposal, there was the Thundercloud, a top-tier offensive spell of the [Lightning Magic] skill with immense power. When I unleashed it at its maximum potential, a black cloud formed above the Tarrasque.
Its size was nearly the same as the one I used during the battle with the Forest Beast Turtle just moments ago. However, the darkness of the clouds it contained and the thunderous rumbling that emanated from it before the lightning struck were on a whole different scale.
“It ends here!”
“Gagagagagaga!?”
“Kishiiiiii!?”
Both the Tarrasque and the abyssal beast were caught in the torrential rain of lightning pouring down from the black cloud. Would this finally bring it down?
No, not just down. Would it fall to its demise? In fact, at the first strike from Jigoro, the Tarrasque’s health had dropped below ten percent, and the [Dragon Force] had been activated. If it managed to survive this relentless assault, the ensuing battle would be a one-sided slaughter.
Unfortunately, the timing couldn’t have been worse; the effect of the Wind Pillar I had been using had just expired. As a result, the purple gas enveloped the area around the Tarrasque, obstructing my vision completely. The effects of the Thundercloud were still ongoing, and the screams of the monster persisted, but I couldn’t truly rest until I witnessed its downfall with my own eyes.
“Giiii!? Gijyaaaaaah!!!”
Just before the Thundercloud’s effect wore off, I heard an exceptionally loud scream that seemed to belong to the abyssal beast. Had I inadvertently killed it with my magic? Despite its significant contributions to the battle, such treatment… I couldn’t help but feel like I had committed a grave crime.
“Gaoaooooo!!!”
“What?!”
Could it be that I didn’t manage to finish it off? After all that effort? It couldn’t be true, could it?
“Kuh! Star Magic Circle Remote activation, Wind Pillar!”
I hurriedly used Wind Pillar once more to dispel the purple gas. And then, it dawned on me. The reason the Tarrasque was still alive was because of my blunder.
“Could it be… [Regenerative Feeding]?”
On the other side of the purple gas, I could see that the abyssal beast had been devoured by the Tarrasque. It was likely that, at the last moment, the Tarrasque had been healed by one of its skills, [Regenerative Feeding].
I had essentially offered a meal to my opponent. How foolish of me!
“Gaaaaah…”
The Tarrasque monster yanked its legs free from the ground. This was because the effects of the quicksand spell, just like the Wind Pillar, had worn off. However, there was no time to cast it again. That was because, as it pulled its legs free, it opened its mouth wide.
No one here was foolish enough not to understand what this signified. It was evident even from the purple flames visible deep within its mouth. It was going to launch a Dragon Breath, no doubt.
Avoiding the eruption of Dragon Breath from its mouth was extremely hard. Even Jigoro and Genjuro would find it difficult. So, there was no way I could dodge it.
However, I had no confidence in fully defending against it either. I still had enough magic power to use Holy Shield, a spell that claimed to block any attack at least once, but the promise that it could thwart any attack just once, no matter what, seemed utterly futile in the face of the continuous Dragon Breath.
Someone was going to die here. The two of them beside me must have thought the same. Yes, the both of them.
“Kyugaaaaaaah!!!”
“Ka-Karl?!”
It was at the moment when I had resigned myself to death, just before the Tarrasque unleashed its Dragon Breath. Before I noticed it, Karl had moved to the monster’s right side, having descended from the Black Wolf, and he roared as he released his Dragon Breath a moment ahead of the Tarrasque!
Just before the Tarrasque could unleash its Dragon Breath, Karl’s Dragon Breath hit its mark first. The spot it struck was where Jigoro had shattered the shell, where Genjuro had cleaved through, and where the wounds my summoned abyssal beast had gouged.
“Gaaaaaaah…”
With a final, anguished cry, the Tarrasque released its Dragon Breath into the sky as it collapsed to the ground. We stood there in awe, looking at Karl, the MVP of this battle who had stolen the most delicious part at the very end.
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