Chapter 833 - Chapter 5: Infiltration
The entrance to the cave where the Demon Lord resurrects...
Now that she mentions it, that might be the case. I don't know of any underground facility with an entrance of the scale Fiona and the Priestess described other than the Demon Lord's Cave.
(But this is a dead end. Were there doors or walls at the passage from the entrance in the Demon Lord's Cave?)
It's just as the Wetlands Priestess says. There weren't any. We could pass through to the dirt part without any obstacles. There weren't even traps.
(Maybe it's the Medioland cave where the Demon Lord resurrected this time.)
In the Henry Party's investigation, it was apparently blocked by a wall that wouldn't take a single scratch from a silver sword strike or magic.
(Is that so.)
(Yeah. Even in the oracle, it said it would be no good without a wielder of Light magic.)
(Hahaha. In other words, that's what it is. Without Jeanne, you can't go inside.)
(Seems so.)
What on earth does he intend? Even if we are acquainted, it's extremely troublesome. Moreover, it's unfair to shut out heroes and former heroes. He should fight fair and square against the strongest humans.
(In that case, if we erase the wall ahead, won't we be able to go outside?)
That might be the case. It's an idea typical of the Priestess.
(I wonder if the alarm will ring again?)
It might be as Fiona says. Besides, the one who entered from the back door? using Light... in other words, me... should still be inside. Despite that, they are unguarded. I can only think it's a trap. There's a Troll right there too. It would be terrible if we were blocked until an upper-level Demon Race came.
(What should we do? I understand what Fiona is saying, but we can't stay here forever, right?)
Hmm. Certainly, we have to do something.
Wait? Wait a minute.
If the wall ahead was a wall that couldn't be erased unless it was with Light, the Demon Race wouldn't be able to erase it, right? I don't know about the Demon Lord, but he wouldn't go all the way to the first floor to open it after specifically closing it.
(Hey, I have an idea...)
I don't want to fall into a trap. But we should definitely do something. We can't just stay here. It might be a bit reckless. If the two of them agree, shall we try it?
Fortunately, the two of them agreed, so we began our action.
(Then, I'm doing it.)
(Okay!)
(Yes!)
Attack start. We descend into the middle of the noisy Orcs and release Over Flow. They fall one after another. The same goes for the Troll.
Sorry, but E-rank and D-rank are no match. As you can see, it's over-ultra-high-level.
When released in a group, there are times when it doesn't pass through those in the shadow of another. Especially for those who were behind a huge brute like a Troll, the effect would be halved.
The Troll fell over as if fainting with a bang, but those other than the ones crushed by its body began to flee while screaming.
(Chase them!)
(Roger!)
The bowl accelerates all at once. It's in the direction we came from, but I don't mind. We chased the fleeing Orcs.
We should be positioned at the very back of the fleeing ones, above and behind. We chased them without overtaking.
We turned right on the way. That means if we go straight, we'll reach the room that was covered in flames.
(We passed the hangout! Not a single one fled into it.)
It's as I thought. They must have fled toward the boss. Since we struck in the middle of the four-way fork, the surviving Orcs fled in four directions like baby spiders, but for now, the boss is this way. It's faster to track down his whereabouts.
(It's just as Jeanne predicted. Those guys fled into the place where they trapped us earlier.)
The moment the Priestess said that, a 'muwa' of air hit my face. Since I'm lying on my stomach on the plate, it's a direct hit. Just as I thought that, we changed direction to the right.
(There he is! The armor and helmet!)
It's the boss. He had come out into the passage. I can hear voices that sound like they're shouting at each other.
(Fiona! Please.)
(Yes!)
Flames rise in the place where the Orcs set the fire trap for us. And in front of it, three human figures floated up.
When I released three rounds of log-sized Holy at random, it seems I was able to defeat several. Not the boss. Like that, I let the Fireflies drift and illuminate the direction where the Orcs are. I could see more than twenty Orcs. It must be blinding; they are all averting their eyes at once.
(Ah, they ran! The boss too.)
(Chase them!)
(Okay!)
In accordance with the bowl's advance, the three human figures also start running toward the Orcs. I cancel the Fireflies and move to pursuit in the darkness. Since the boss is apparently running at the front, I released several rounds of Holy while praying they would hit those following behind.
(Ah, he turned this way. He's brandishing a sword. But the guys in the back are trying to open the door, so he's buying time.)
(Fiona, use the pattern of retreating. We'll chase the boss!)
(Yes!)
(Roger!)
I had prepared three patterns: fleeing, being defeated, and overwhelming, but this time, fleeing seems fine.
I can hear the Orcs' cheers and the sound of footsteps chasing.
Beyond the door, there is another door. It's a double door. Strict.
(Is the illusion art okay now?)
Since I can no longer see them, I can't manipulate the three illusions from earlier. They'll probably be attacked by the Orcs who caught up while they were drifting and vanish into mist. We've bought enough time.
(It was wonderful. Thank you. It's okay now.)
(Yes! I'm ready for the next one, so just say the word.)
She's a fast worker. How excellent.
The Orcs, after closing the first door, opened the second door.
(Whoops, suddenly a Troll. He's blocking the way.)
(He'll probably step back to let the Orcs through, so that's the moment.)
(Leave it to me!)
After waiting just a bit, the plate proceeds with a 'fui'. The Troll must have made way. It's easy when the opponent is sluggish.
The door closed with a bang, and I heard the sound of the latch being set.
(Strict, isn't it.)
They're different from the guys who fled while leaving it wide open.
(It's from here.)
(Yeah. It's about how it is.)
The boss Orc, after walking straight at a fast pace, opened the door on the right side of the wall and went inside.
(It's a hangout. There are many Orcs inside.)
(This is where the real work begins.)
(I wonder if there's a Demon Race?)
(I wonder. If there were, I think they would have come out.)
If there are, it would be an executive. Since it's the first floor, it's the Four Heavenly Kings' Number Four.
In the previous Demon Lord resurrection, I sent the first to third members. In other words, because they were weakened, there was no resurrection this time. If so, the upper-level Demon Race from the fourth member onward last time must have become executives. In fact, since the former sixth member who was in the Northeastern Forest was apparently summoned, they must have moved up. The former fourth member was on the first floor last time. That one should be on the fourth floor as the current number one. The fifth and sixth were in the Northeastern Forest. That means the first one we'll encounter will be the seventh member or later. I think it's the one who was struck down in the skirmishes at Medioland or Engrio. Probably, that one is the boss here.
Fiona, who had gone out for reconnaissance, returned.
(I found out. That hangout there has two entrances, and the passage from the far exit can lead to the descent to the underground passage. If you go through that underground passage, you can reach the entrance to the tower connecting the first floor to the second floor.)
The door to the back exit is apparently closed.
Important information. As expected of the strongest scout.
(Hey, Jeanne. Regarding the tower, an upper-level Demon Race is there, right?)
(That's right. This is the first floor, so it's the fourth executive.)
(Th-they're strong, right?)
Come to think of it, the Wetlands Priestess hasn't had a confrontation with an executive.
(Fiona, what do you think?)
Fiona experienced the fourth-floor conquest with us.
(Hmm. I don't think they felt that strong. Their horns were short too.)
(You saw them?)
(Yeah. They were talking with the Orc boss at the bottom of the tower. They were coming up, so they should be here soon.)
(They're coming? Isn't that bad? What shall we do, Jeanne?)
(Let's see...)
The first-floor boss, huh. If it comes to fighting, we can't attack with weapons, so it's only magic. It might be difficult to fight in our current state.
◆◆◆◆
(They're here.)
Fiona told me.
It was just as I thought.
The one stationed at the lowest level of the tower on the first floor was an upper-level Demon Race. However, just as Fiona said, their horns are short. Their height isn't that tall either. About the same as the sixth member who was in the Northeastern Forest. They have a sword at their waist.
They are clearly looking displeased. They must have been furious at the boss Orc's false report. Just as I thought they walked while stomping their feet on the floor, they headed toward a chair by the wall.
Next to the chair, a leather bag is placed. Thrusting their hand into that leather bag, they took something out and sat heavily in the chair. Putting what they took in their hand into their mouth, they are chewing it just like that, with a 'gari-gari'.
Since I can't see anything, I had Fiona explain everything, but I can tell from her tone that it's a quite strong one. It seems quite different from the first member of the fourth floor last time, but still, the strength itself must be conveyed. Tension is mixed in her voice.
(Hey, isn't that one chewing on a Magic Stone?)
The Wetlands Priestess could apparently see it.
(Magic Stone...)
Do they chew on such things?
(Yeah. It's about the size of a pebble. He's chewing one.)
What kind of teeth does he have? I've seen Marcelo-san processing Magic Stones, and he was using silver tools. The reason the Demon Race's teeth are sharp and jagged is probably because they're chipped from chewing Magic Stones.
(Could it be that those are food?)
Um. It's hard to understand. As expected, the upper-level Demon Race is fundamentally different. I've confronted upper-level Demon Race several times, and Magic Stones were rolling around everywhere. I wondered what they usually ate, but to think it was Magic Stones.
(Ah, as I thought, that's it. Hey, Fiona, do you know?)
(Yeah. It's just a little bit, but I feel like his magic power has increased.)
Does that mean that? The more they eat, the stronger they get?
(Ah, he's going to eat another one.)
(It's true. He put his hand in the leather bag.)
(This time it's a big one. It's about the size of a chicken egg.)
It might be better not to let him eat it. It would be troublesome if he got any stronger.
(Let's start the operation. Fiona, please!)
(Yes.)
◆◆◆◆
When the three human figures descended the stairs, the Demon Race put the Magic Stone he was about to chew back into the leather bag.
Standing up and drawing his sword.
He walked just like that and stopped in the center of the room.
This is the lowest level of the tower connecting the first and second floors. A staircase going up the tower is attached to the wall, and right now three human figures were descending it.
"They are not living humans. They must be ghosts."
When the human figures finished descending the stairs, the Demon Race spoke. However, there was no reply.
Directly in front of where they finished descending the stairs, the Demon Race is standing. The chair placed by the wall is exactly at the diagonal position.
"What business do ghosts have?"
He asks further. Perhaps unable to hide his irritation, he is shouting loudly.
However, the human figures called ghosts do not answer anything.
"Do you bastards intend to mock me!"
He barked while holding his sword in the high guard position. From the pitch-black blade, a wide double-edged sword, black mist-like things are wafting up.
Now!
(Fiona!)
(Yes!)
With the reply, the three human figures vanished.
The Demon Race seemed to have lost his momentum for a moment and almost lowered his sword, but perhaps regaining his composure, he gripped the hilt again and took his stance once more.
(Three, two, one, Holy Over Flow!)
I breathe out with a 'funn'.
From behind the Demon Race, a full-power Over Flow is released from my mouth. White light is released from behind the Demon Race as if diffusing, enveloping him.
"Heaven's Roar!"
"Heaven's Roar!"
From the palms of my hands, which I raised high while kneeling in response to the lightning spiritual arts released by the two to match my Over Flow, pillars of yellow light rose toward the ceiling.
The Demon Race, due to the Over Flow suddenly released from behind, leaned forward as if his back had been pushed, but he endured falling by stepping forward with his right foot.
"GA-GA-GA-GA-GA-GA-A-A-A-A-A-N-N!"
The bundled lightning strikes the Demon Race's body directly. A four-fold volley of over-ultra-high-level. And that's for two people. Moreover, it has been strengthened by passing through the light of Over Flow. It might be equivalent to the power of about five shots each.
The Demon Race might have been better off falling forward. Because he stood his ground, the aim didn't waver. All of them hit.
"GUA-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-H!"
The Demon Race, struck by the equivalent of two over-ultra-high-level lightning strikes, lets out what could be called a death cry.
Pale blue flames burst up from my body. The Priestess and Fiona released their spiritual power. The surroundings are illuminated in pale blue, and the Demon Race's figure becomes visible to my eyes too.
He has dropped his sword and is on one knee. He's not dead yet.
I picked up the staff I had placed at my feet.
"Magic Reflection!"
"Holy Over Flow!"
I cancel Almighty Guard. And I release the eight-fold volley with the reflection plate. The target is the head.
The Demon Race, whose back of the head was shot through by the over-ultra-high-level white light, this time fell forward, face down, and stopped moving.
(Priestess! The sword!)
(Leave it to me!)
The Priestess immediately leaves the body. At the same time, I rushed toward the Demon Race.
Utilizing the agility from the cat stone, I quickly jump onto the Demon Race's back. I press the staff near his heart and release the eight-fold volley with the reflection plate again; the Demon Race's body arches with a 'bikun'. By that time, the Priestess had thrown the Demon Race's sword far away.