Dual Cultivation

A minute passed since the slime was surrounded. Just as people were starting to wonder when the fighting would start, Matthew’s river crab casted a Water Ball. At the same time, the two river raptors that were right in between Ryouma and his slime, lifted their forelegs and thrusted with their claws.

The emperor scavenger slime did not dodge the Water Ball. It used its body and received the attack head on, causing it to move back a bit. Then it stretched out its tentacles and grabbed at the limbs of the incoming river raptors.

The moment the river raptors were about to thrust their claws, the part of the tentacles that would touch the claws depressed, and the tentacles grabbed at the claws and the heads of the river raptors. The river raptors were made to slide to the tentacles, upon which the volume of the tentacles suddenly increased. When it did, the tentacles swelled, and coupled with their elasticity, the tentacles lifted up the river raptors. The whole thing looked as if the slime went under the river raptors.

With the slimes nimble movements, the two river raptors had their limbs caught before they could dodge, and immediately after, they were thrown high up above the slime’s giant body.

<<The preemptive attack from the river crab’s magic was not effective! Moreover, the two raptors have been thrown! T-This is–––>>

What comes up must come down, that’s an unchangeable truth. As the river raptors fell, the slime pulled the legs of the two falling river raptors, and it threw them against the river raptors running around it.

“Ge!?” [River Raptor 1]

“Gya Gya!?” [River Raptor 2]

“!!?” [River Raptor 3]

“!!?” [River Raptor 4]

<<It threw them!? The raptors where the other raptors were thrown to managed to run away, but the river raptors that were thrown crashed into the ground!>>

<<Fortunately, they were able to immediately stand back up, but there’s no doubt they took some damage. The river raptors are plenty durable, so they won’t retire just yet. But that’s definitely not an attack they can take a second time.>>

As the crowd grew loud, Matthew’s face turned ugly. Immediately, Matthew ordered the river raptors, and five of them came jumping while the other six thrusted at the slime.

(Did you think that if you increase the number we won’t be able to defend?)

Just as the slime did a while ago, it grabbed one of the river raptors by the leg.

Now, if the surface of the slime that was facing Matthew was the front, and the surface of the slime facing Ryouma was the back, then it could be said that it was from the front that that river raptor attacked. At the same time, three other raptors jumped from the back.

Just like the slime did before, it threw the river raptor coming in from in front. And because at that moment the other river raptors were jumping, they weren’t able to escape like they did a while ago. The river raptor that was thrown fiercely crashed into one of the river raptors that jumped, and then fell to the ground. No matter how agile river raptors were on land, they couldn’t change their direction while in midair.

But the river raptors’ attack wasn’t about to end with just this.

<<The river raptors all attacked at the same time! But their attack had no effect! In fact, one of the river raptors was thrown, and it fell to the ground!>>

The slime tripped the river raptors coming in to thrust at it with their claws, while it positioned its tentacles to where the jumping river raptors would land. After the river raptors that jumped landed, the slime scooped them up and threw them. But this was different from when the slime threw the raptors from a high place. With this method, the damage was much lower, and the river raptors were able to immediately pick themselves back up and attack.

But the river raptors were still being led around by the slime, and that very scene was reflected on the eyes of all spectators. That pissed Matthew off.

As Matthew’s face went red, he ordered his slave demons to stop attacking and distance themselves. The river crab that was waiting at the back summoned up a huge amount of water enough to be thought of, a river. It manipulated that large volume of water in the air.

(What is that magic? It doesn’t have the same vigor as the advanced magic ‘Water Fall’. There’s a lot of water, but it only seems like it’s generating lots of water and manipulating it… It doesn’t really look like it’s about to attack. The flow of magic power is also too quiet for an attack. Is this the special water magic of a river crab? Magical beasts sometimes have strange ways of using magic that have strange effects compared to people, so I can’t look down on it, but… Mn? Ah! I get it!)

As Ryouma inferred what the river crab’s aim was from its movement, the river crab covered the giant body of the slime with the water it summoned, creating a room about 2m thick. After which, the river raptors started jumping in.

<<What is that?>>

<<The river crab created a room made out of water to allow the river raptors to be able to fight at their peak. River crabs can drown their preys with their water magic. They specialize at controlling large volumes of water.>>

For humans and magical beasts that need to breathe, not being able to escape that would prove to be fatal. Fortunately, slimes didn’t need to worry about suffocating though their movement would still be hindered. Compared to that, the river raptor was now in their home court. Aside from having barely any differences in speed when on land here, the river raptors would also be able to attack in ways that they couldn’t on land.

As Mathew continued to give orders, the river raptors swam as they pleased within the water room as they aimed for the slime’s nucleus. Water splashed out as the river raptors and the slime inside moved, flooding the surrounding area. Ryouma in particular was given quite a shower, and he looked like someone who had been running in the rain.

But Ryouma wasn’t concerned with that; he kept his focus at the match on hand.

(As expected, the slime is moving slower underwater. It doesn’t look like they’ll let us get out either. And even if we could, I’d rather do something about that crab first. The slime won’t suffocate and they won’t be able to reach the nucleus, so…)

What the river raptors had were not gills, but air sacs. So Ryouma wondered, wouldn’t they drown if those run out of air? As Ryouma ordered the slime, the slime tried to catch the river raptors, but they managed to barely slip away every time.

(…Let’s go with brute force then.)

As Ryouma gave out the next order, the emperor scavenger slime’s giant body suddenly shook. In the next moment, all the tentacles returned to the slime’s body, and the slime stopped attacking. The water room gradually thinned, but as the river crab added more water, the room grew thick again. However, if the river crab were to stop adding water, the volume would once again decrease.

<<It would appear that the slime is drinking the water.>>

Just as the analyst said, the emperor scavenger slime was allowing the water to pass through its defenses to allow it to drink up the surrounding water and get rid of the water room. But the speed of the emperor scavenger slime drinking and the river crab adding water looked to be equal. The emperor scavenger slime continued to drink like that while protecting its nucleus for some time.

Five minutes later.

The water the river crab was generating finally slowed, and the water room was growing thinner and thinner. Matthew ordered the river crab to release more water. But no matter how much he ordered the river crab, the volume of water added couldn’t increase.

<<I wonder why?>>

<<It’s most likely running out of magic power. Even magical beasts can’t use magic without magic power.>>

Ten seconds later, the analyst’s conjecture was proven right, and the river crab had no choice but to stop generating water. The water membrane still covered the slime, but there were already holes in it, causing the water to overflow to the ground. The river crab has clearly reached its limit. Seeing that, Matthew spat out loud as he raised his hands.

“Damn it! So annoying!”

<<Participant Matthew has raised his hand! That’s the sign for bringing in another magical beast! Can this new contender change the flow of the match!?>>

(It’s the finals, so I thought he’d laid down all his cards already… Does he still have a card to play? I wonder what’s going to come… I don’t have any info about this at all.)

Matthew raised his right arm up to his shoulder and chanted. Matthew was a conjurer, so he used conjuration to summon his beasts. After a flash of light, a giant appeared. Though tt resembled a human in shape, it was obviously not a human.

(Huge! It’s even bigger than the emperor scavenger slime!?)

<<C-Could this be…>>

When the giant appeared on stage, everyone including Ryouma was shocked. But that wasn’t surprising. After all, a giant just appeared. It stood almost 5m tall. Its limbs were thick like the pillars of a building. On its right hand was a handle that was almost like a tree. It was a bundle of rocks fastened by the vines wrapped around it; it was bigger than even an adult’s height.

At the end of the bundle of rocks was an axe on one side and something that looked like a pickaxe on the other side. The weapon looked crudely made, too crude for a human to have made it. Perhaps that giant might have enough knowledge to make a weapon out of stone, but those four blood-lusted eyes of it said otherwise; for not even a sliver of reason could be seen in them.

<<It’s huge! Analyst, please.>>

<<A-Ahh…>>

The host and the spectators were all focused on the magical beast, but as the analyst was about to explain, the color of his face and his voice went stiff.

<<This magical beast is known as the Portrait Giant, a humanoid-type magical beast. It’s not a magical beast that lives in the country, so I’m not familiar with the detail… But the tamer guild does have people that specialize in trading magical beasts, so for their guildmaster to have a beast like this is not so strange, but…>>

<<Is there something the matter?>>

<<No. It’s just that bringing out this beast was a risky call.>>

The portrait giant is a B Rank magical beast when young and anywhere from A to S when fully grown. It’s a magical beast that grows in rank as it grows older. And the way to discern its rank is from its height.

<<Participant Matthew’s portrait giant is still a child, so it’s only a B Rank… but it shouldn’t take much longer for it to be classified as an A Rank.>>

<<So that’s what you meant by risky. An A Rank is illegal after all.>>

<<Yes, but it’s definitely strong. An older portrait giant could even go over castle walls and trample people and buildings underfoot. It’s a fearsome magical beast that’s strong enough to destroy a town by itself. It’s often said that it’s the strongest amongst the humanoid-type magical beasts.>>

<<To think Participant Matthew has actually managed to acquire a beast like that! As expected of the Gimuru Tamer Guild Branch’s leader!>>

As if agreeing to the words of the host, the whole arena voiced out words of praise toward Matthew. Hearing that, Matthew seemed to regain his cool. For a moment, he even boastfully glanced at Ryouma, but when he moved his gaze toward the portrait giant, his expression went grim.

As the slimes and the river raptor were continuing to battle and the river crab was approaching its limit, the portrait giant moved out.

(It’s fast! Dodge!)

The portrait giant ran. Due to its height, every single one of its steps was wide. It instantly shortened the distance between it and the slime. As it neared, tt swung the axe in its right hand down. The slime managed to dodge, but when the axe landed, it hollowed the ground, whirling up grit and stones.

Moreover, as the portrait giant pulled back the axe on its right, it slammed its left fist against the slime. Although the slime’s body contorted more than any attack yet, it was definitely able to handle that fist. However, the attack that came next was different.

After the portrait giant pulled back its axe, it swung it from the right down to the left. The slime also tried to dodge this, but because of the previous attack, it couldn’t dodge in time. The axe grazed the surface of the slime’s body, tearing open a slight wound on the slime.

When Ryouma saw that, he unconsciously wrinkled his brows.

(A direct hit’s no good even with the physical attack resistance. He sure brought out a crazy one at the very last moment… But there’s definitely still an opening. I was wondering why he hadn’t brought this one out until now, but it seems he does have a proper reason.)

Ryouma’s eyes were not on his slime. He was looking at the river raptors and Matthew as he thought to himself. The portrait giant was attacking proactively, but because it wasn’t paying attention to its surrounding, there were many cases where the river raptors would get caught up in its attack.

The ones who were actually fighting were only the slime and the portrait giant. Even when the river raptors tried to join the fight they couldn’t. Every time, they would just end up distancing themselves, looking for an opening to go in. Meanwhile, Matthew was once again glaring at the portrait giant’s back with a stern look. He tried to order the giant.

“Tch… So I can’t connect with it after all…”

Seeing Matthew’s expression go sour after giving out orders, Ryouma finally confirmed it. Matthew couldn’t control the portrait giant. Although Ryouma wasn’t sure about this, Ryouma hypothesized that Matthew could only give three kinds of orders to the portrait giant.

1. He could order it not to attack him.

2. He could order it who to attack.

3. He could order it to stop attacking and other standby commands.

Because there were a lot of parts that would be left to the portrait giant, he could not let it fight alongside other magical beasts. They also couldn’t see this giant as their ally. Which is why Matthew has not brought out this beast until now. More precisely, he couldn’t bring it out. After all, there was a possibility that his relationship with his slave demons would get crushed underfoot by its appearance.

It could also be said that Matthew bringing out a magical beast that he couldn’t control, just goes to show how much he’s been driven to a corner. And it was because of that fact that Matthew’s face went grim, and the wrinkles on his brows grew even deeper.