kscans

Chapter 142 - The Stalactite Cave Tea Party Incident, and the Spinning Summer Bird (Part 3)

Famu had sliced off three of the Earth Dragon King's claws. Two claws remained, but it created enough of a gap for Mizuki to escape. Mizuki went on the offensive, thrusting at the Earth Dragon King again and again. Red blood flowed from the monster's body. However, the damage didn't seem to be fatal. The monster was simply too large. Famu and Mizuki's attacks were shallow, not enough to bring it down. Not only its fur, but its skin must have been thick too. They couldn't cut through the flesh. Still, Cecily had burned its nose, and Mizuki had destroyed its ears. They had succeeded in robbing the monster of two of its senses. The monster could no longer pinpoint our locations. It could only attack blindly. This was our chance. The Earth Dragons who had been making noise stopped. Now, they were quietly watching the battle's outcome. It felt like we were fighting in an arena. Yanan's squad of Earth Dragon warriors had nearly finished mopping up the other Earth Dragons. Some had even joined the attack on the Earth Dragon King. Famu and Mizuki's attacks ceased as they took a moment to catch their breath. The Earth Dragon King's movements had also stopped. The claws Famu had cut off were regenerating. I watched, praying that the sensory organs we destroyed wouldn't recover as well. Aira's healing magic had erased the pain in my back, so I stood up too. I had wanted to savor the feel of Aira's chest and continue admiring Mizuki's panties from a low angle, but I had a feeling someone would get angry at me soon. Myra rushed over to us.

"Are the injured okay?"

She had been healing the wounded Earth Dragon folk.

"I've applied first-aid healing magic to everyone. But, one of them…"

"I see."

She trailed off, so I gave a short reply.

"Should I join the attack as well?"

"No, from the looks of it, I don't think physical strikes will get through."

"You're right. If only we had a better way to attack…"

She sent a melancholic gaze toward the Earth Dragon King. It seemed she too was worried about our lack of offensive power. We had learned to read the king's attacks, but constantly dodging them was difficult. A single hit could be fatal for us. Mizuki's special skill, Super Kill, which we had been counting on the most, showed no signs of activating. I couldn't tell if it was just bad luck, or if it wouldn't activate unless certain conditions for inflicting a fatal blow were met.

"I'll slam another fireball into its face!"

Cecily said. She seemed to have regained her spirit after drinking a mana recovery potion.

"It can still sense heat. It'll attack you again."

"But if we use that opening, this time we can all attack together and…"

As she was speaking, the Earth Dragon King began to move. It started to retreat backward, to the north. Over there was the tunnel leading to the great plains and the large hole the king had emerged from. Come to think of it, it still had the ability to sense magnetic north.

"Looks like it plans to run…"

Cecily relaxed her shoulders. Myra and Aira must have thought the same thing. They let out a breath, easing their tension.

"…No. If it escapes, nothing will have changed."

The great plains would remain in the clutches of the Earth Dragon King. Once the monster recovered, it would attack the Earth Dragons again.

"But, we don't have…"

Cecily murmured.

"Famu, block its escape!"

I had shouted without thinking. She nodded, then ran to stand in front of the hole the Earth Dragon King had dug.

"Special Skill, Yata no Kagami!"

As she yelled, a massive circular plate materialized in front of her. The brilliance it emitted was similar to the light from Laciel. When the Earth Dragon King hit the Yata no Kagami, it tried to push the wall aside, clawing at it, but it didn't budge an inch. Then, it tried to destroy it, swinging its claws. Even against that attack, the Yata no Kagami remained unscathed. The Yata no Kagami had completely sealed off the Earth Dragon King's retreat.

"Mizuki, don't let it get away, no matter what!"

Mizuki nodded to me and began slashing at the Earth Dragon King's back. In truth, she was probably the most anxious one here. The members of Levante knew about her special skill. Though they didn't say it out loud, they were waiting for her Super Kill to activate. She must have known that too. But no matter how many times she slashed, that moment never came. That anxiety made her use unnecessary strength, leading to fatigue, which in turn dulled her sword—a vicious cycle. My words were only adding to the pressure on her. I searched for words to calm her down but couldn't find any. Giving up on talking, I ran to pick up the katana Famu had left behind. And to lend her my strength, I thrust the blade into the monster's back. Yanan and the others joined the attack, thrusting their claws in unison. The Earth Dragon King didn't stop trying to escape. Realizing it would be difficult to destroy the Yata no Kagami, it started to dig into the ground in front of it. It seemed to know that our attacks couldn't deal a fatal blow.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!"

I stabbed with my katana over and over. As I did, a claw swung toward its back, as if swatting away a swarm of flies. I leaned back to dodge it, but one of the Earth Dragons took the blow.

"Hey, hang in there!"

I couldn't carry him. I grabbed the scruff of the limp warrior's neck and dragged him backward, to a place where the Earth Dragon King's attacks wouldn't reach. It seemed he was conscious. But he must have been seriously injured; he was groaning in pain.

"Mash, I'll take him,"

Aira said as she rushed over. I left him to her and returned to the attack on the Earth Dragon King.

The king started digging a hole again. The ground wasn't soil, but bedrock. It should take some time for it to burrow underground. We couldn't let it escape. We had to finish it off, no matter what. As I was thinking that, the Earth Dragons who had been watching the battle started making noise again. I looked in that direction and saw Cyril, the one who had guided the Earth Dragons' evacuation. He hadn't run either; he had come back. He gave me a thumbs-up and a grin. Beside him was a large ballista. He must have brought it from the farm's defenses. I had seen one installed on a sailing ship when we went down the river, but this one was a size larger. In the battle on the water, the archer had been taken out before the ballista could demonstrate its power, so I hadn't been able to see what it could do, but it looked powerful enough to pierce the Earth Dragon King. The preparations for firing were already complete.

"An arrow's coming! Everyone, fall back!"

I roared. The ones who had been attacking the Earth Dragon King moved away. Seeing that, a ballista bolt was fired with the sound of a taut string being released. An arrow as thick as a spear ripped through the air and struck the Earth Dragon King. The monster let out a scream-like roar, but it wasn't a finishing blow. The monster, now desperate, continued to dig at the ground, its head about to disappear into the earth. Though it was a monster, seeing it so desperate made me feel a little pity. But I couldn't let it go.

"Myra, smash the end of that arrow!"

"Yes!"

She responded to my call, readied her mace, and ran toward the Earth Dragon King. Then, using the flex of her entire body and centrifugal force, she swung her mace and smashed it into the nock of the bolt. The arrow plunged deep into the Earth Dragon King's body. The Earth Dragon King's movements stopped.

"One more blow!"

Myra yelled, raising her mace. But she never brought it down. The Earth Dragon King vanished.

Silence fell upon the cavern. I slowly looked around. Mizuki was breathing heavily, her shoulders rising and falling. I had relied on her ability and pushed her too hard again. Aira was treating the fallen warrior. Beside her, Cecily stood as if to protect her. Famu's special skill, Yata no Kagami, which had been brilliantly illuminating the cavern, converged and disappeared. I could see Famu standing in front of the tunnel. I confirmed that everyone was safe.

"A third one is…"

"Not coming… right?"

Myra answered from beside me. She too was carefully scanning the area, just like me. The silence was maintained. There was no sign of any monsters. We had eliminated all the enemies in this cavern.

"Alright, we beat the Earth Dragon King!"

I thrust my arm into the air. That became a victory cry, and the Earth Dragons in the cavern erupted in cheers all at once. Myra looked at me, her expression as if she were looking at something dazzling.

"As expected of my hero."

"You were the one who landed the final blow."

"Mash… I…"

I tried to lean in to hear her voice, which was being lost in the cheers, and reached out to touch her cheek. Just then, Yanan came rushing over to me.

"Mash-sama, this is our long-awaited victory!"

Her excited voice rang out. Had she been calling me with '-sama' before? It felt strange. In any case, I extended my hand for a handshake, but she ignored it and threw her arms around me. Seeing this, the other Earth Dragon warriors also started hugging me one after another, and I was mobbed. It was like being the ace pitcher of a high school baseball team that just won the championship. In fact, for them, this was an even bigger event, and they were understandably excited. I was worried someone might take advantage of the chaos to grope Myra's boobs.

Finally, Yanan and the others' excitement subsided, and I was released. In their place, my Levante companions gathered around.

"Alright, everyone, let's hug Mizuki."

"Why?!"

My proposal was immediately rejected by Mizuki. But I hugged her anyway.

"Hooray, we won!"

"Master, we're invincible!"

Famu and Myra also hugged her. I thought Mizuki would resist, but she readily wrapped her arms around me.

"I'm so glad we really won…"

Mizuki murmured. Cecily and Aira were watching us from a distance. Cecily had a clear look of disgust on her face.

"Hey, Cecily and Aira, come celebrate with us!"

"It's embarrassing, so no!"

"We won because you burned its nose! Just be happy, will you!"

Still, she wouldn't come closer. Myra detached from our group. Then, grinning, she approached the two of them and hugged them.

"Famu, Mizuki, let's follow her lead!"

We followed Myra and hugged the two of them as well.

"Gah! Anyone else is fine, but not you, Mash!"

Cecily screamed.

"That's a horrible thing to say!"

I hugged them even tighter.

"Get off, you reek of tea!"

"So do you!"

I decided I wouldn't let go until I had thoroughly mobbed her.