Chapter 701 - Engrio Demon Lord's Cave (Fourth Layer) ③
"What is that?"
The Vice-Captain has never seen a Behemoth. It's no wonder he's surprised. However, I, who have fought Behemoths twice, had the same impression.
The Behemoth I know was like something that became incredibly huge by adding a cow and a wild boar and then applying flashy makeup, but this one is different. First of all, it has two heads. It has two horns like a cow, and two tusks about the length of an adult's arm on its lower jaw, and it's covered in fur that seems to be clad in bluish-black flames. However, the fur looks short. And its ears are dog-like. It feels like an Orthrus or Cerberus mixed in. Its physique is also different. It's a bit smaller. Because it's dog-like, it's thin. Has its personality changed too? Despite clearly seeing us, there's no roar of intimidation common among magic beasts. However, its tail is a cow's. And it's swinging that tail around excessively. The expressionless types of the fourth layer are Wyverns or Worms. They might have mixed.
"That is not a Behemoth. However, there is an atmosphere of one drifting about in places."
Eleanor-sama says that as a result of eating many different magic beasts, it might have mutated into a new form. Come to think of it, for the original Behemoth, there was a story that it was born as a result of a cow monster eating many wild boars.
"Whether we should call it a New Model Behemoth or a Behemoth Kai, I do not know, but there is a possibility that a monstrous thing was born as a result of the demon in charge of feeding dying. Let's defeat it no matter what."
Eleanor-sama's gaze is not ordinary. Her battle-crazed side has completely caught fire.
"Here we go! Fire!"
"Yes! Prominence!"
He fired! The orange dragon's neck flies toward the strange Behemoth that is silently looking this way.
"Holy Over Flow!"
It's an eight-shot volley with reflectors. The two supporting priests are also firing with reflectors. This time it's a simultaneous firing by three ultra-high-level ones. And I fired an Over-Ultra-High-Level. When the three of them fired two shots each, it changed to white all at once.
Now, what will you do? Strange Behemoth. For me, the first battle ended up being a character who was taken out early because of Megiddo Fire.
I wondered if we would fire another shot after it hit, and that was when. The light of Megiddo Fire, which illuminates the surroundings like daytime, disappeared!
"What!"
The invincible Megiddo Fire was blocked?
"I-It was canceled. That beast uses Prominence!"
The person who fired it is aghast. He couldn't even imagine it.
"Beatrix! The defense wall of Wind Barrier!"
"Yes!"
By Eleanor-sama's instruction, the Wind Barrier overhead moves to the front.
"We're withdrawing into the tower. Jeanne, put up a Light wall, and you, put up a defense wall with Wind Barrier behind it."
"Yes!"
The bowl retreated, we made a triple defense wall, and withdrew into the tower.
The strange Behemoth, having confirmed that we retreated, slowly approached the dead wild boars, and after sniffing them, began to eat.
"Our magic was canceled. That magic beast uses Prominence."
Eleanor-sama bites her lip on this side of the defense wall. Magic for use against the Demon Lord was easily neutralized. Even though it's composite magic, the base is Prominence. If the opponent uses the same magic, they can cancel it. Behemoths originally use ultra-high-level earth magic. Did it learn fire magic as well while eating Cerberus or Orthrus that spit fireballs?
"Can we defeat it?"
"I do not know."
Even when Beatrix asks, Eleanor-sama only gives a passive answer. It's not an answer you hear often.
"It's a matter of whether other elemental magic will be effective."
She's nodding together with the ultra-high-level mage. She intends to try.
"With that size, it should not be able to enter here. It would be good if it approached in response to the wild boars' screams."
When we came, there were probably Chat-Palu that had survived, but that Behemoth didn't show itself. It might give up and go away.
"That time is that time. It's a pity, but we'll just have to kill wild boars again to use as decoys."
Looking at the New Model Behemoth, it tore off a part of the wild boar's torso with its two mouths, raised its face, and is slowly chewing as if savoring it. Even though its appearance has changed, it still seems to like wild boar meat.
"Can't we just tame it with food?"
I said it just in case. We fought together with the wild boars. Gwyn-sama was able to communicate his intent without an interpreter. Though, Gwyn-sama might be a special case.
"Is it possible to tame something like that with food?"
Beatrix asked a very natural question. Normally thinking, it would be impossible. However, even the dragon, who is known for hating humans, can now have banquets together. If we give it the wild boars it likes, wouldn't it work?
"At least, I think the intent that we have no hostility will be conveyed."
"But we're firing Megiddo Fire, aren't we?"
Certainly, we were full of intent to kill.
"T-That's, you know, partly as an apology too."
It's tough even for me. If it were between humans, it probably wouldn't be trusted at all. Taming because you can't kill is nothing but a conspiracy.
"Besides, assuming we could tame it with food, if we end up killing it in the end, that would be painful for the heart, or rather..."
One of the monster extermination unit members said something very priest-like. Come to think of it, this wasn't Sertoria. If it were within Sertoria, and if the ones deciding were Henry-sama or Eleanor-sama, they would probably let it live in the wild, or rather, make the New Model Behemoth's habitat a no-hunting zone, but this is the cave where the Demon Lord of Engrio is resurrected. It won't go that way.
"Then, let's attract it with wild boars, and in the meantime, let's advance the exploration of the labyrinth. Let's decide what to do with that Behemoth after considering it including King Seldic and making sufficient preparations."
Eleanor-sama brought up a temporary truce plan. They can obtain wild boar meat, and we can obtain information on the fourth layer. It's not a bad deal.
"I see. That is good. Vice-Captain, let's try it."
The priest also agreed, and the policy was decided.
The New Model Behemoth, having finished eating two wild boars' worth, is wandering around near the tower's exit. The tower itself is apparently reinforced with magic, so it can't be destroyed with Crevasse. It probably knows that. It's just looking at the wild boars that are going 'kee-kee' inside. It must be hungry.
The fact that the Behemoth is not aggressive is a relief. It would be terrible if it fired Prominence.
Just in case, we ascended once, and Beatrix blocked the entrance completely with an iceberg she made with Glaciate. The ultra-high-level mages fire Thunder one after another to paralyze the wild boars. When they are all paralyzed and twitching, we finish them off with Sleep starting from the edge. We tied their four limbs with normal ropes and carried them to the shadow of the wall near the entrance.
"Then, I'm canceling it."
Beatrix cancels Glaciate. Since the ultra-high-level mage made another row of ice mountains on the inside, the ice mountain Beatrix made turned into a mass of water and overflowed outside the tower.
As for the Behemoth, surprisingly, its two heads are together putting their mouths to the water flowing toward them and drinking. Is it the composure of the strong?
The real thing starts after all the water has flowed outside. Hanging a wild boar from a medium-sized bowl and retreating, we increase speed all at once and go near the entrance.
"Now!"
"Oh!"
With Eleanor-sama's signal, Henry-sama and Will cut the rope hanging the wild boar, and at the same time, the bowl came to a sudden stop. It's tough for those riding, but thanks to that, the wild boar flew quite far. With a thud, the wild boar fell to the ground. Whether the paralysis is continuing, it didn't wake up, and it rolled over the puddle with a splash.
"It flew to a quite good place, didn't it?"
"Will it eat?"
Despite it suddenly flying, the Behemoth didn't seem particularly surprised. How was that character built?
However, it seems to have identified it as a wild boar, and is sniffing it.
"If it does not eat that, it will become difficult."
"Ah! It ate!"
It bit into the neck. It finished it off just like that by tearing it off, and is chewing the torn part. Somehow it's like a cow.
"The second one!"
Pulling back behind the ice wall, we hang the second one. Carrying it outside the tower as is, this time we cut the rope and dropped it right nearby. The Behemoth was looking this way while munching on the first one, but it didn't particularly attack. When the second wild boar fell, it just gave a glance and is eating.
"We weren't attacked, were we?"
"I wonder if it understood that we have no intention of fighting now?"
"I wonder? It might just be weak from hunger."
At any rate, it's good that we aren't attacked. The talk became that we should carry several together and then enter the labyrinth.
Adding four more, we were able to provide eight bait in total. The New Model Behemoth is no longer eating with any hesitation. It seems we have been trusted as harmless food. We might just be being ignored, though.
"Let's go further in while we can. Just in case something happens, please be prepared."
The priests are already with reflectors. We'll earn time by restraining it with my Light wall, Beatrix's Wind Barrier, and the priests' Holy, and if necessary, fire Cumulonimbus. Since we've laid a simple Teleport magic circle for emergency escape on the bottom of the bowl, we'll just escape into the clouds. Since it's not an opponent we can fight properly, it's preparation for escape. This time we settled for only doing reconnaissance while completely postponing the extermination.
Even when we head for the labyrinth in the bowl, the New Model has no reaction. It's munching on wild boars. It doesn't roar like a carnivore. Its appearance aside, its behavior is somehow close to a cow for some reason. Taking advantage of this, we proceeded further in.
It was good that we entered the depths of the labyrinth, but there's nothing there. Did they really decrease by eating each other? Since we have the map from the previous conquest, we followed the path toward the Demon Lord's temple along it.
"This is the Behemoth's fixed position."
The Behemoth's location is before the tower connected to the fifth layer where the Demon Lord's temple is. That is already a place that could be called the exit of the labyrinth, and on top of walls or rather cliffs pressing in from the left and right, the ceiling is also low. At a glance, it's like an underground passage, and you can't go to the fifth layer without defeating the Behemoth.
Since the master, the New Model Behemoth, is eating wild boars, it's vacant.
"Since there is nothing, that magic beast earlier is likely the Behemoth."
Bonnie says that many large footprints are left on the ground. Since they are of a size not easily found, it's likely a Behemoth.
"Can I ask a question?"
It's Beatrix.
"Since when has the Behemoth that's here now been here?"
I was also curious about that.
"It seems it has been since the last time the Demon Lord was resurrected in this cave."
Eleanor-sama is asking while looking at the priest of the monster extermination unit. It doesn't seem to have been defeated in the Demon Lord's extermination battle. Moreover, since the priest is nodding, it must be correct.
"Actually, during the Demon Lord's extermination battle most recently in this cave, direct combat with the Behemoth here was avoided."
The priest explained for us.
"Is that so?"
"Yes, it was publicized in the streets that it was defeated, but that was a hoax considering the morale of the island's residents. At any rate, the damage is large. The fact that it was defeated in a state with no damage in Sertoria last time was close to a miracle."
Receiving the priest's words, Eleanor-sama is doing a guts pose. That should be worthy of praise. I heard that in the battle before the last one, the turn before the Henry Party challenged it and was on the verge of total destruction. That. In the previous battle, it was a character who was taken out early.
"How did they do it? If it's sitting here, even heroes can't pass, right?"
I don't think there was a way to hide their appearance.
"A decoy. Originally, while the main group of the turn lured it out and attracted it, the next turn's group slipped through and challenged the Demon Lord."
In other words, the turn that fought the Behemoth couldn't become heroes?
"It was not an opponent they could win against by fighting properly. In fact, according to the records, the turn that challenged it retreated after suffering devastating damage. Therefore, despite defeating the Demon Lord, they could not defeat the Behemoth."
Not only that, the heroes who defeated the Demon Lord apparently returned as they were after jumping to the tower between the third and fourth layers with Teleport. Of course, it was likely after a general discussion. It was a desperate measure as a result of the turns that challenged it suffering damage one after another.
"Does that mean that Behemoth is stronger than the Demon Lord?"
"I wonder about that. The turn that defeated the Demon Lord did not fight the Behemoth. In the stories passed down, it was said that the main party must not be exhausted in the Behemoth battle, and the main groups of other units, demonstrating a spirit of sacrifice, gathered to form a temporary party and changed the order of turns before the main group to become decoys."
"I see. What happened to the decoys?"
"Upon receiving the news of the Demon Lord's defeat, they apparently returned in triumph with those who had newly become heroes."
They successfully received medals, and although it was private, they were apparently praised as those who led the heroes to the Demon Lord's battle by joining hands across borders.
I see. Coexistence and co-prosperity, eh. But can't that be applied even now?
"Then, I don't think we have to defeat that Behemoth. Because we just have to defeat the Demon Lord even if we don't defeat the Behemoth, right? Since it was before the founding of Engrio, there were no pagans, and if the church at the time said it was okay, then I think it's fine."
Beatrix says what everyone finds hard to say. Honestly, I also think it's better to tame it with food. If we can't, we have no choice but to exterminate it.
"Let's suggest it to King Seldic. Let's do that."
Eleanor-sama forcibly summarized before the priest could say anything.