“Whoa! That’s quite flashy!”
Jigoro exclaimed excitedly from the back of the war chariot. I totally understood his excitement. The moment King Salman swung his sword, a fiery boar appeared and hurled itself into the sandstorm, causing it to explode dramatically. The sandstorm cleared, revealing the enemy, the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord, who then let out a scream. The smoke rising from its charred exoskeleton signaled the start of the battle as the Bigdareio army charged, much like a scene from a high-budget war movie.
But what surprised me the most was the fearsome appearance of the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord. The mere fact that it was a gigantic scorpion whose size rivaled that of Lord Agnasrelim was impactful enough, but there were several more distinctive features.
The first thing that caught my eye was its massive pincers, which were nearly half its body length. These pincers were densely covered with needle-like thorns, resembling a mountain of swords. It seemed these thorns were the same ones it had been firing at the investigation team. Even now, it was shooting them like rain towards the Bigdareio army.
Next was the rest of its exoskeleton, adorned with giant thorns that reminded me of the Tarrasque monster. The “Thornshell” moniker was indeed suitable for this monster. Its overall appearance was bristling and intimidating.
And the last notable feature was its tail, or rather, tails, as it had three of them. From the tips of these tails, it emitted a beam-like stream of venom. This aspect was particularly terrifying. The venom was not only poisonous but also corrosive. Soldiers struck directly by this liquid writhed in pain as their armor slowly dissolved and this sight was nothing short of horrific.
Fortunately, prior scouting had revealed the enemy to be a scorpion, so the use of poison was anticipated here. Hence, during the preparation period, a large quantity of potent antidotes had been prepared, and soldiers were currently using antidote potions every time they were exposed to the venom. However, supplies would eventually run out. A decisive resolution had to be reached before that happened, or the army risked total annihilation.
“Then, let’s start our own operation,” I said.
“Roger that!”
“Understood!”
We too began to move according to the plan. After Iris had tied her tentacles to Karl, securing herself, we flew into the sky to provide support attacks from above. The remaining members, Jigoro and the other two, immediately started firing spear-like arrows from the ballista mounted on the war chariot.
In this place, there were three war chariots, including the one Jigoro and the other two had been ridden in. The other chariots were transporting the mage unit and food supplies. This allowed Eiji, Usaji, and Jigoro to use the ballista. Nobody was allowed to slack off!
The arrows shot by the three of them flew at high speed. They overtook us in flight and headed towards the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord, but none of the three had shooting skills useful for this task. Although the ballista was designed to be user-friendly even for non-archers, the distance was too great, and not a single arrow hit its target.
However, it seemed they were able to catch the enemy’s attention. Seeing the arrows deeply embedded in the sand at its feet, it must have realized the power they wielded was not to be ignored. It turned its head, which had been facing the Bigdareio army until now, towards us. Uh oh, it’s definitely targeting us now, isn’t it?!
“Karl! Evasive flight!”
“Guooh!”
Perhaps mistaking me and Karl as the attackers, the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord launched thorns at us. Karl flew and dodged them with acrobatic movements.
Since I was unable to perform acrobatic flying myself, I panicked and clambered onto Karl’s back, but it might have been a mistake! Oh no! I feel sick! I’m getting dizzy!
“M-my head is spinning~~~!”
“Nuooooh, Star Magic Circle, spell adjustment, paralysis!”
Still! I must do my job to the fullest! My role is to use [Curse] and [Witchcraft] and apply debuffs to the enemy relentlessly. In FSW, it’s difficult to completely prevent debuffs. Unless one has a [Status Resistance] like me, it seems there are no items, even of high quality, that can completely nullify them.
However, resistance was normal and if the opponent was superior or the skill level was low, the duration of the effect would be shortened. Due to the level difference, my skills would likely only cause a momentary disruption, but even that brief moment would allow the Bigdareio army to launch a fierce attack.
My role was simply to support them and ensure they could move freely and effectively. They were undoubtedly the main actors on this battlefield.
“Buoooooooooo!”
“Gigiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!”
While this was happening, King Salman was charging in alone and he collided fiercely with the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord. His great sword clashed with the creature’s pincers, emitting a metalic sound. Oh, your Majesty! Why are you rushing in alone?!
But it seemed his skills were sufficient even for such a bold move. King Salman was single-handedly holding his own against the enemy and he was possibly even gaining the upper hand. While deflecting the pincers, he even managed to slash at the protruding thorns with ease.
Yet it was far from an easy battle. While his special-made great sword was swiftly cutting through the creature’s thorny pincers, the enemy was relentless, swinging its pincers and firing thorns. Despite his remarkable reflexes and evasive actions, these movements prevented King Salman from making a decisive advance.
But thanks to this, Karl and I could fly freely, making it easier to continuously use the [Curse] and [Witchcraft] spells. Iris too seemed to have calmed down and was now tossing items that induced various status ailments. Thus, the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord was repeatedly afflicted before recovering from various ailments. Perhaps the other party was also annoyed by this, as its movements became somewhat sloppy.
Gagong!
“Geee!”
Ah, an arrow fired by Usaji made a direct hit! But it was unable to penetrate the creature’s exoskeleton, which seemed harder than metal. It ended up being deflected in vain.
However, even a few seconds of distraction seemed to be enough. In those brief moments, a top-class warrior could achieve great results.
“Boogaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
King Salman seized the momentary opening created by Usaji and swung his great sword. The well-crafted blade left a significant gash on the pincers of the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord.
The cut wasn’t severely damaging and hadn’t disabled the enemy’s attack method. Still, it could be said that his skills have been proven to be effective against the enemy.
“Giiaa!”
The Thornshell Scorpion Highlord, sensing a threat from King Salman who had wounded it, launched into a deadly assault. It had been responding with only two of its pincers, but now, it also turned one of its three tails towards him. The remaining two tails were spraying venom to keep the army at bay.
“Nuuuuuuu!”
The addition of just one tail significantly intensified the threat. It seemed that the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord was more adept at tail attacks than pincer ones, cornering its prey with its pincers before delivering deadly poison stings. Its movements were incredibly skilled and its fighting style was as advanced as its level.
But there was no time for admiration! If things continued like this, King Salman would be defeated and this was an outcome I absolutely had to prevent. I was the only one who could prevent it.
“I’ll provide support! Magic circle, remote activation, Holy Shield! Iris!”
“Yes!”
The Holy Shield that appeared between the tail and King Salman shattered with a single strike. As expected, my skill level wasn’t enough to fully withstand even a single hit. However, due to the Holy Shield’s nature, it could defend against any attack at least once. I used it as a disposable absolute defense barrier, as usual!
To deliver the finishing touch, Iris hurled a certain item at the creature. It was akin to a firecracker, used in Bigdareio to ward off monsters, and it exploded with a deafening bang. Seemingly startled by the noise, the creature’s movements came to a halt. Fortunately, it seemed we had managed to escape the crisis!
“I owe you one, guest!”
“Gigigigigiiii!”
“Karl!”
“Guouu!”
Cries of gratitude and hatred reached me at the same time. By protecting King Salman, it seemed that we had also become a perceived threat. One of the tails that had been used to keep the Bigdareio army at bay was now directed towards Karl.
Despite fleeing out of range of the whip-like tail, there was no choice but to dodge the venomous liquid that sprayed out like a beam. This situation made us realize the danger to our lives… but it was, in a way, convenient. This was because, while we were being targeted, the Bigdareio army had successfully advanced to a position very close to the enemy.
“Shield-bearers, forward!”
“Mages, fire! Be sure not to obstruct the king!”
“””Ooooooh!”””
The heavily armored infantry formed an unbroken line of shields, with mages right behind them unleashing their magic in unison. The target of the magic was one of the creature’s jointed limbs. Almost simultaneously with the tail striking the infantry unit, the magic hit its mark.
“Guuuuuuh?!”
“Gigaaaaaah?!”
Though the infantry were mowed down, the concentrated magic had an effect—the exoskeleton of the targeted joint was damaged. The fallen soldiers quickly stood up and immediately reformed their formation. As expected of an elite unit.
“Now!”
Then, charging toward the shattered exoskeleton with terrifying speed, was Prince Zahar. The reason he, the second fastest after King Salman, had been absent until this moment was because he had been waiting for this opportunity.
“Spiral Thrust!”
The jointed limbs of the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord were slender like those of a normal scorpion when looking at their overall balance. However, that was only because the creature’s total length was enormous; in reality, each limb was as thick as a utility pole. One of the limbs was sliced apart by Prince Zahar’s spear, moving with lightning speed.
“Giaaaaah?!”
By the way, this scorpion had twelve limbs in total, including two pairs with pincers and six pairs for walking on the ground. Of these, one pair with large pincers was fully engaged with King Salman, while the pair with smaller pincers seemed unsuited for battle and had not been moved since the beginning. The creature stood on its remaining eight legs.
What I’m trying to say is that losing one limb wouldn’t easily bring the creature down. Nevertheless, having taken a blow powerful enough to shatter its hard exoskeleton, it wasn’t completely unshaken. Seizing this opportunity, King Salman slashed at the pincers again, and Prince Zahar… had mounted the enemy! Such action was actually more reckless than daring!
“Uooooooh! Take this…”
“Gik?! GishaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
Just as Prince Zahar attempted to thrust downward from his mounting position, the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord became frenzied and started thrashing wildly. It swung its pincers and three tails frenetically, stamping around chaotically with its seven limbs in an attempt to throw Prince Zahar off.
“Uwaaaah?! “
“Muuh?! Zahar?!”
Prince Zahar held on like a cowboy riding a bucking horse. He clung on with the tenacity of a rodeo rider, but eventually he was thrown off. Hey, hey, hey, hey! It would be no laughing matter if the prince died here?!
“Karl! Go help!”
“Grrrr!”
Navigating through the still-rampaging attacks of the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord, Karl hurriedly approached Prince Zahar, who was in the midst of a perilous fall. Damn it! At this rate, he wouldn’t catch up in time!
“Leave it to me!”
At that moment, Iris performed a fine play. She extended her tentacles, wrapped them around the prince’s arm, and caught him just before he hit the ground. The ground was sandy, so a fall might not have been fatal, but in this situation, falling to the ground could have meant being trampled to death by the rampaging scorpion.
“Nice one, Iris! Karl, retreat!”
“Gruaaaah!!!”
Karl gathered his strength and swiftly ascended, making his way to a safer area. No doubt Prince Zahar was heavy, but Karl, being a power-type dragon, managed it somehow. He did remarkably well, even with me and Iris on board. Truly, he was too good a partner for me.
“Prince Zahar! Are you alright?”
But now, rather than praising and petting Karl, it was more important to check on the well-being of our client’s son.
“Th… thi… this…”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’ll get a potion now…”
“This is the beeeeeest!!! Hahahahahaha!!!”
I thought he might have sustained serious damage since he was bowing down, but it seemed I was mistaken. Far from being hurt, he was overjoyed by the dangerous experience, this kid. I knew he loved speed, but maybe he’s the type who’d want to go on thrill rides one after another?
“I’ve decided! Isam! I’m going to make that creature my mount!”
“”…Huh?””
What? What is this “young master” saying?
“You’ll help me, right?”
“Ah, uh, well, that’s…”
“Then it’s settled! First, we’ll stop it and then tame it!”
…You’ve got to be kidding me, right?
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