Chapter 183: Footsteps to the Limit
Chapter 183: Footsteps to the Limit
— Zenodora —
No matter what kind of monster we were dealing with, they weren’t a match for us, the Dragon-kin, in the battle of the sky. However… this was the first time we had dealt with such a large swarm, and it was annoying because all of them weren’t afraid of us at all. They were clinging to us like winged insects.
[Insolent!] (Zenodora)
Rotating the body at high speed while sweeping the front with a breath, I knocked down the monsters that gathered around my body in one fell swoop. Nearby, there was Mejia who was blowing monsters around as much as I was. So, we talked a bit while covering each other’s backs.
[Can you still go on?] (Zenodora)
[Hmmph, of course. However, it seems the youngsters are having a hard time.] (Mejia)
Those three dragons, who were still inexperienced in battle, were always made to fight in a solid formation, but from the looks of it, their movements seemed to be slowing down due to fatigue. Mejia and I could still fight well enough to keep the front from collapsing, but the situation was clearly difficult.
[That’s unfortunate.] (Zenodora)
If we could afford it, we would consider covering the ground, but at the moment, we were busy thinning out the monsters in the sky. There was also a method of directing the monsters in front of me to the ground while blowing them away with breath, but this was difficult because it might involve our allies on the ground. We continued to defeat the surrounding monsters while complaining about this itchy situation, but suddenly, a bad sensation ran through my body. Mejia and I were turning in a certain direction at the same time.
[That is…] (Zenodra)
[Ugh!? What kind of existence is that!?] (Mejia)
It was a dragon just like us. It flew toward us from where Mejia and I were facing. No, I didn’t want to think of that one as a dragon and… a companion. It had three heads, six wings, arms and legs. It was made by forcibly attaching the corpses of three dragons together, and its appearance could truly be called deformed.
‘I see. That’s what I heard from Sirius…’
[A dragon monster made by the hands of a man…?] (Zenodora)
[Disgusting! I’ll never forgive him for making it look like that!] (Mejia)
I was angry at the fact that he was treating the corpses like toys, but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for my companions who continued to display such an appalling appearance, even though they had already lost their lives.
[Mejia, let’s finish it!] (Zenodora)
[Got it!] (Mejia)
Mejia and I unleashed breath attacks at the same time, trying to finish it with our hands at least. The distance was still wide enough, but the breath, which converged as much mana as possible, ripped through the sky, engulfing many monsters and piercing two large holes in its flesh. It was hit with two fatal blows. I thought it would fall to the ground, and it would be a real wreck this time, but…
[What!? It won’t fall!] (Mejia)
[It’s not going to be easy.] (Zenodora)
Instead of falling, the wound began to close quickly and it continued to fly without problem. Two more dragons of the exact same shape appeared from behind it, so it seemed that we would have to deal with three of them at the same time.
[Zenodra-sama!] (??)
[Us too!] (??)
[We will help!] (??)
[No! You must concentrate on reducing the number of monsters!] (Zenodora)
Some of the youngsters were overburdened, but if I let them deal with the dragons, the efficiency of thinning out the monsters would be reduced. I loudly stopped them, who were about to join us, and while looking at the odd-shaped dragons approaching us, I organized the situation and planned countermeasures.
[There should be a medium to manipulate the body… Sirius called it the nucleus. There is no other choice but to approach it, look for it, and hit it directly.] (Zenodora)
[Close combat, is it? Let’s do it! I want to release our companions from suffering!] (Mejia)
[Hey Mejia… aren’t you getting a little over enthusiastic? We’re not in a situation where we could afford it either. Be a bit calmer.] (Zenodora)
[Don’t worry. I won’t misjudge. I… I’ll make sure to come back alive.] (Mejia)
There was a girl named Hina who had the same blood as us. She was a girl with many reasons and many problems, but she was also a ray of hope for Mejia. Mejia, who couldn’t fully hate his brother who betrayed his family and could only live a clumsy life just to rinse the stigma, sincerely wanted to protect her.
[If we leave those alone, they may harm Hina and others who are behind us. Let’s make sure we stop them here.] (Zenodora)
{Huh… that was unnecessary worry. Alright then. Let’s finish it quickly from the front. To be honest, it’s not safe even for us to deal with three of them at the same time.] (Mejia)
[Yes!] (Zenodora)
They weren’t only superior in size, but they literally had more limbs and since they didn’t have a will, they were beings that wouldn’t stop moving out of fear. Even though Mejia and I were warriors of the Dragonkin, this might not be a simple battle… or perhaps, it was a battle that we would have to be prepared for. But… we could never retreat from here. For the sake of my friends, for the sake of my people, and to protect our pride as a Dragonkin, I greeted the deformed dragons with Mejia.
— Lifell —
“That’s enough! You will fall first instead, you know!” (Lifell)
“…I’m fine. I can still go on…” (Reese)
In front of the last wall protecting Sandor. Kneeling with her hands crossed in prayer in front of a small watering hole there, Reese continued to produce a widespread mist that healed wounds just by being there. There was no doubt that Reese was a major support to the entire unit, as the wounded, who were brought in, were healed and they could immediately return to the front lines. However, this girl had been using magic ever since the battle began.
Even with the help of the spirits, the burden of using magic for such a long period of time must be considerable. Moreover, just a moment ago, she had even created a water golem to support Emilia, who was fighting in the depth of the battlefield. At this rate, not only would she faint from lack of mana, but even her life might be in danger. So, I had Reese turn toward me. While holding her face between my hands, I had to force her to stop using magic.
“I told you. You’re not looking well at all. Stop using magic right now!” (Lifell)
“But the wounded are still being brought in…” (Reese)
“Don’t do everything on your own! Look how cold you are.” (Lifell)
She was resistant to the cold, partly because the water spirit was always by her side, but even so, it wasn’t good to keep her body cold all the time. Trying to warm her up as much as possible, I went behind Reese and hugged her, wrapping her from behind while calling out to Karen and Hina who were nearby.
“Karen-chan, Hina-chan, come here. Let’s warm Reese up!” (Lifell)
“Yes!” (Karen)
“…Alright.” (Hina)
To top it off, I wrapped four of us in the blankets that Senia had prepared for us, and Reese was breathing out comfortably.
“Aah… I see… my body is…” (Reese)
“That’s how focused you were. But now, you need to rest, even if it’s just for a little while. We’ll wake you up if anything happens.” (Lifell)
“Al-…alright. Just… a little bit then…” (Reese)
Before she could finish the sentence, Reese fell asleep as if she had fainted. In the meantime, injured people were being brought in one after another, but I was sure that there were others who could use healing magic to handle the situation for a little while. Then, I sent instructions to Senia and Melt, who were keeping a watchful eye nearby, to do what we should do for the time being.
“Senia, Melt. Eliminate those who are approaching us from now on at your own discretion. Even if they are on our side.” (Lifell)
““Understood!”” (Senia/Melt)
The enemy was cunning, and there was a good chance that they would target Reese in an attempt to destroy our means of recovery. Therefore, it was natural for us to be on high alert, but we weren’t only concerned about the monsters, but also about our allies. This was because it wasn’t surprising that someone would try to get to Reese under the cover of this situation. To be clear, this girl who had saved so many soldiers was quite remarkable.
There were many people who wanted to have a powerful person on hand, and if they were wise, they might see that the could borrow the power of spirit and try to take advantage of the current situation to secure the person. It might be that I was overthinking it a bit, but as someone who would eventually rule Elysion, I felt compelled to assume the worst. More importantly, this much was only normal if I had to protect my lovely non-blood-related younger sister. If it were true, it wouldn’t be enough to protect her even with my entire imperial guards.
As I was feeling the weight of Reese’s body against mine, I was watching the surroundings, and Karen, who was trying to raise her body temperature even a little, asked me a question.
“Hmm… Lif-oneechan. When will this hard stuff is going to end?” (Karen)
“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you that. I hope it will be over soon.” (Lifell)
According to the occasional reports coming in from the front lines, some of the units had been somewhat crushed, but they had managed to maintain overall strength and continue to advance. Furthermore, it seemed that they succeeded in destroying Luca and Hilgan, which was their priority objective, and those children who were deployed on the right and left flanks were now moving deeper into the center to target Lambda, who was the commander of the enemy. However, deep in the center of the enemy camp, there was something extraordinary that had never been seen in books.
“That’s a really huge tree. I wonder if that’s one of their trump cards.” (Lifell)
“Lifell-sama. I heard from the battlefield that Sirius-sama is currently fighting that tree alone.” (Melt)
“Alone!? How about backup… no, how about Hokuto?” (Lifell)
“Hokuto-sama is still running around in the enemy camp and continuing to disrupt the situation. My guess is that Sirius-sama has decided that he must fight alone.” (Melt)
A huge mountain-like tree suddenly appeared on the battlefield. It was definitely made by Lambda, who used plants, and it was so large that even those of us at the far end of the battlefield could clearly see it. With such a huge body, it wouldn’t be surprising if the attackers could reach us at the rear, let alone the front line. Therefore, Sirius must have attacked shortly after preparing his strength in order to draw its attention to himself. While I was wondering whether to evacuate not only Reese but other children, Senia, who was listening carefully, brought further information.
“…Emilia and Reus are on their way to support Sirius-sama, but they seem to be very exhausted. However, Strongest Sword Lior-sama still seems to be alive and well.” (Senia)
“I see. If they could get there in time, we still have a good chance of winning.” (Lifell)
It wasn’t that I doubted Sirius’ ability, but he alone seemed reckless when it came to the enemy this time. However, I knew that he wasn’t the kind of guy who would continue to fight without a plan even though we have known each other less than those girls. Perhaps, there was some kind of strategy, or he was fighting to hold the enemy back while waiting for an opportunity to join with the allies and to counterattack after that. Either way, we had no choice but to wait and trust him, but we also couldn’t let our guard down.
“Hime-sama! Careful!” (Melt)
It looked like the monsters that got through the gap in the front line troops were now attacking us. There weren’t many of them, and it might be possible to deal with them with the surrounding guards, but it wasn’t good to have this place attacked through the front line.
It seemed that the Dragonkin who were still fighting in the sky were having a hard time with the huge dragon monsters, and we were definitely being pushed into a corner. If the war situation continued to go from bad to worse, I intended to flee the country at all costs to protect my sister and the children. I wouldn’t hesitate even if I had to leave Sirius and the others fighting on the front lines. I knew that they would want that, and more than anything else, I had to protect my life as much.
“There’s not much time to spare. Hurry up… everyone.” (Lifell)
— Sirius —
While my disciples were seriously clashing with Luka and Hilgan, who were the main forces of the enemy, I was delving deep into the enemy lines alone after giving new instructions to Hokuto. The ability to control monsters must be getting stronger the closer I got to him. The enemy’s coordination became sharper each time I moved forward, but after some progress, the monsters suddenly stopped attacking. However, it wasn’t surprising that the attacks stopped. That was because deep in the center of the enemy camp… there was a space without monsters. Lambda was in the center of the space, and furthermore, the surrounding monsters were strangely quiet and showed no sign of attacking me as I approached. And when he was within a few dozen steps away… that guy slowly spoke up.
“…You’re a truly frightening person. I never thought you would go so far to do what you will.” (Lambda)
The surrounding monsters were kept away from him, so the only one in front of me was Lambda. Although his face and eyes had somewhat changed, his appearance was almost the same as when we first met soon after our visit to Sandor. Even though he had an air of sagacity around him, his body was thin and fair overall, and he was somewhat fragile. But the Lambda now was so full of life that I didn’t even need to look him up in [Search] to see him, and I felt as if I were facing a thousand… no, ten thousand enemies.
“However, if you ignore my advice and appear in front of me, you give me no choice. It’s going to be a suitable time soon. So, this time, I’m going to deal with you.” (Lambda)
“Speaking of suitable time… it seems that you’re leaving the monsters unattended with intention. Is it because of the despair you have said many times?” (Sirius)
“Hehehe, I knew you had noticed.” (Lambda)
When people stood up to resist fear, he showed overwhelming power, knocking them down into even deeper despair. To achieve this, Lambda’s instructions to the monsters were monotonous and to the bare minimum, intentionally leaving no room for us to attack. Many monsters were being pushed around for the self-satisfaction of such a person. I didn’t mean to sympathize with the monsters because they were enemies of the people, but… it was really unpleasant.
“I’m not impressed with the needless sacrifice whether it’s a strategy or not. Especially my disciples and his wife candidates are upset.” (Sirius)
“Please don’t get me wrong. I have no intention of wasting my monsters.” (Lambda)
As soon as Lambda uttered those words, the monsters’ death screams echoed in unison from all directions. I immediately checked my surroundings and found that the monsters that had apparently surrounded us had been penetrated by roots that had sprung up from the ground and were sucking their blood or were wrapped in roots as if the roots were preying on them. When I looked closely, I could see that the monsters that I defeated before I got here were also killed, and the roots continued to eat monsters whether they were dead or alive.
At the same time, countless vines began to grow from under Lambda’s feet, which gathered together to form a giant tree that continued to grow and extend at a rate that pierced the sky. After a while, it finally stopped growing. I saw a huge tree rising in front of me, similar to the Holy Tree that was the main source of Shishou’s knife. As I prepared myself, what looked like the upper half of a human body began to grow out of a part of the tree, and it looked down at me with a wry smile on its face as it took the form of Lambda, who had just been there.
[Sorry to keep you waiting. It took some time and effort to get into this shape.] (Lambda)
I realized that we were surrounded not by monsters but only plant roots growing out of the ground, and on the other side, I could see new monsters being sacrificed to the roots.
“I see. In short, all these monsters are food… for your source of nutrition.” (Sirius)
It must take a lot of energy to maintain such a mass, but it made up for it by feeding on an infinite number of monsters. Not only did he have the power to take advantage of his immense size, but he also possessed superior intelligence and a never-ending supply-line. There might be more, but this was Lambda’s trump card. Even though we hadn’t fought yet and I didn’t know his strength, there was no way that such a great opponent could be considered a mere spectacle. This was an opponent that was already beyond the capability of a single country. It was no wonder that his leeway hadn’t collapsed.
[How is it? I’m not wasting monsters, right? The strong eat the weak. I’m simply doing what is perfectly natural.] (Lambda)
‘So, it’s the law of the jungle, huh. It’s true that I have lived a tough life in my previous life, so I could understand his point of view, but…’
“No matter how much you try to justify yourself, I don’t like what I don’t like, and those who go too far are naturally weeded out in the first place. Hey, we have enough talk already, yes? It’s time to get started.” (Sirius)
[You’re not afraid to challenge me even after seeing me like this. You’re a hero, aren’t you? To me, you’re just a fool.] (Lambda)
“No, I’m not a hero. I’m a warrior… or rather, a special agent.” (Sirius)
No matter what kind of monster he turned into, there was no reason not to be enemies if he reached to where other people were. I immediately threw the card made of manastone and connected it to Shishou’s knife with [String]. Then, I unleashed [Magnum] while avoiding the vine tentacles that were reaching out to pierce me. Thus… the battle between me and Lambda for our wills had begun.
—
The [Magnum] unleashed while avoiding the countless vine tentacles that were being stabbed like spears, hit Lambda, who smiled wryly in the form of a huge tree. Three simultaneous shots hit the forehead, throat and heart, which would have surely killed a human, didn’t seem to have worked as expected. Furthermore, the holes created by the magic bullet was quickly closed, and Lambda, with a wry smile on his face, released more tentacles in return.
[It’s still a mysterious magic. But it doesn’t make any sense to me.] (Lambda)
The size and depth of the holes made by the bullets seemed to say that the strength was halved. The speed of regeneration was also faster than any enemy I had seen so far, and I expected that it would close before the next bullet could be fired. Combined with its huge size, I supposed it was impossible for [Magnum] to reach the inside. While analyzing the enemy as much as possible, I leaped to the side to avoid the tentacle spears, which had increased in numbers, but of course, the tentacles tracked me. So, I shot [Magnum] to intercept them. The tentacles were soft, so I could blow them away with [Magnum], but there was no end to it because there were so many of them.
“Intercept!” (Sirius)
[Alright!] (Shishou)
I asked Shishou… or rather, the knife made of the Holy Tree that was connected to a [String] extending from me, to intercept it. Although it could move freely, the number of tentacles wasn’t something that could be managed with only one knife, but this was Shishou who was out of the ordinary in many ways. With tremendous movement, she slashed away most of the tentacles, leaving me only a small amount of time to unleash an attack.
[No matter how much you try to resist, it’s futile. My arms would increase infinitely… urghh!?] (Lambda)
The [Antimateriel] that was shot in that split second completely blew away the physical part of Lambda that had grown out of the giant tree. However, it was only a small hole in the entire tree. Moreover, when I looked closely, it seemed that even the bullet that could easily pierce a rock couldn’t penetrate him. I thought it barely reached the center, but the fact that it was this powerful even with [Antimateriel] specialized for penetration meant that…
“Is the mana of the bullet being sucked out?” (Sirius)
He must have a body that not only ate monsters, but also absorbed mana from the beings it touched. In other words, no matter how much momentum or penetrating power I gave, it would disappear halfway. It wasn’t that they didn’t work at all since it created hole in the tree, but to be honest, it didn’t work well with my magic. In such a case, the sword of Jii-san who could slay a mountain might be better, but it would take some time for him to come this far.
[…Are you going to unleash such a big move so easily? The battle has only just begun, you know?] (Lambda)
[Are you worried that he couldn’t unleash his move, or does he have some other big moves?] (Lambda)
[Hehe, I wonder which on it is.] (Lambda)
After all, the body part of Lambda that I was seeing wasn’t a weak point, and the part that was blown back was restored as if nothing had happened. At the same time as making fun of me, his body began to grow from all over the tree, and his body became three. He was waiting for my response, but I have no obligation to answer. As if in response, I shot [Magnum] to each of his body parts.
[Are all the targets accurate?] (Lambda)
[You can’t get through.] (Lambda)
[If you don’t believe me, would you like to try more?] (Lambda)
[While you’re at it, let’s increase the number of targets.] (Lambda)
[Now… what should we do?] (Lambda)
Far from being effective, Lambda was growing more flesh and was multiplying into five. Lambda had been known to create beings exactly like himself… or clones, but the fact that they could speak separately like that meant that at least that tree had five clones of Lambda. In other words, it should be considered that this huge tree had multiple cores that were the vital points. Of course, keeping in mind that not all Lambdas were in that one, I summarized the information obtained.
“If that’s not the vital point…then again, where’s the core in the whole…” (Sirius)
There might be more than one vital point… or the core somewhere inside this giant tree. Naturally, it was unlikely to be clustered in one place, so I must start locating it. I would like to attack him a bit more and see how he reacted, but Shishou was at her limit, so I concentrate on avoiding the approaching tentacles. As I continued to evade with minimal movement without stopping my legs, suddenly the movement of the tentacles changed. I couldn’t avoid it and I got a small wound on my left arm.
“Have you changed!?” (Sirius)
[As I said before, I’m more than one, not one.] (Lambda)
[All of us are thinking separately, and aim for you alone.] (Lambda)
[If there’s an opening… look, over there.] (Lambda)
It wasn’t me but Shishou who was targeted with some meaningful words. Countless tentacles approached to capture the knife, which was a fragment of the Holy Tree, and it completely enveloped the knife by sheer force of numbers.
[Hmmph, greenhorn. You’re a few hundred years too young to be messing with me!] (Shishou)
But as soon as the tentacles touched the knife, it popped off one after another, and as if to say that it wouldn’t work, Shishou decapitated the remaining tentacles before returning to my vicinity. For the first time, Lambda showed upset emotions by this unprecedented move.
[Ugh!? As expected, it’s not easy.] (Lambda)
[Although it’s a fragment, it’s the Holy Tree.] (Lambda)
[But there’s no need to rush.] (Lambda)
[Yes, if they’re connected, then we can cut the source, and do the rest any way we want…] (Lambda)
However, soon they regained the composure and turned their aim back to me, who was able to move Shishou, and pointed the tips of numerous tentacles, which had grown out of the ground, further toward me. At least five people thought separately and countless tentacles that could move at will. Even though it was the size of a giant monster, I hadn’t found any weaknesses yet, and it didn’t go well with my magic.
Although I set this up for the reason of not disturbing my disciples who were fighting somewhere on the battlefield, this was a much more troublesome opponent than I had anticipated. Whether I could afford it or be wary of it, I took out a handmade card made of manastone while switching on the [Switch] in my brain. Then, I turned to Lambda, who looked at the situation with the tip of the tentacles facing me. This would probably be the last time we talked slowly until it was settled.
“Whether you may look like a monster or not, there’s no doubt that you’re truly an amazing existence.” (Sirius)
[Didn’t I say it to the princess of Sandor? I’m an evolved being.] (Lambda)
[And I’m going to make you take the blame for stirring up my plans so far.] (Lambda)
[You, along with all other monsters, will be my nourishment.] (Lambda)
It seemed as if he was about to declare that he was the ultimate existence, but I couldn’t laugh it off as a joke if he showed himself in this way. And it wasn’t just these myriad tentacles. It seemed that he had tricks and trump cares…
“It’s all well and good to be bossy, but don’t say that until you’ve completely put me down. Besides, you’re not the only one who doesn’t know your opponent’s capabilities.” (Sirius)
[Aah, surely you’re right.] (Lambda)
[Well then, show it to me.] (Lambda)
[Show me how far you can withstand in the face of overwhelming quantity and regeneration.] (Lambda)
At the end of those words, the tentacles that were all around them attacked at once. There wasn’t the slightest space for my body to pass through, and in this situation where I was completely surrounded, there was no reason to save my cards. A magic trigger produced by a manastone card. A self-reliant Shishou’s knife. And one more trump card…
“Activate… [PAS].” (Sirius)
I activated this decisive magic, which I had developed for strong enemies Like Lambda.