Chapter 358: Chapter 208: Reaching the Heavens Part 14 Part 2

「Ahh…… Hey, everyone? Are you still alive by any chance?」

「That sounded awfully like something that a teacher at school would say. You know, that famous line: Who is absent, raise your hand in the air!」

Akitsu Akane, was that comment just now really necessary……? Or you know what? Doesn’t matter. It doesn’t really matter, it’s not important right now.

The Atlantic Reamerorca, otherwise known as the Sea Emperor, did not receive such a name just for show. That laser attack and electric discharge were both so powerful that the whole of Coliseum was reduced to rubble, and I would not be surprised if the whole structure right now was on the verge of collapsing. Obviously, if we were hit by those attacks, it would have been the end for us all.

Whether they all could hear me or not, we were not in the clear just yet. We still had to run away and avoid the incoming attacks…… Until the Reaperorca was sucked into Kutanid black hole, that is. That last discharge must have been its parting gift for us all.

「Alright, whoever is not dead, speak up…… How about you, Emul? You dead there, buddy?」

「I feel like I’m dead……」

「Nah, you look fine to me.」

I feel like I’m about to kick the bucket myself, but as long as I have HP left I will be fine. But I also noticed that my eyelids felt really heavy right now for some reason, and my movements were really sluggish, as if they were in slow motion. I could also feel a slight pulsating sensation in my head.

「Looks like my caffeine supply is running out……」

「Caffe……?」

「Never mind that. No need to worry about it.」

It said on the can of Riot Blood Revolving Lantern that it was meant for “short-term decisive battles” only. And since it took me way too long to get here and figure out what the gimmicks were all about, its effects were already starting to wear off. I know that I won’t fall asleep in the middle of the fight, but I sure hope that this chronic dullness in my legs won’t affect my battle performance.

「…… Mold and I are safe!」

「Yeah, somehow.」

「Nereis and I are in one piece as well!」

「Alva, are you alright?」

I think that Rei is going to be fine as well, but what about the stupid sh*thead? I hope that he didn’t drop dead on the spot and died on us.

I was looking for Straude all over the place, and when I was about sixty percent ready to give up and lose hope, I saw it. Some of the stone rubble started to be pushed to the sides, and Rei emerged from under it, holding Straude under one arm. She must have jumped towards him, knowing that he’s the key NPC here and protect him…… So we are still in the clear, it seems. And since Akitsu Akane and Sickle were right beside us, it was easy to confirm that they were alive and kicking for now. Anyways, it seems that somehow the whole gang managed to avoid being killed.

「Now I want some fricking soy sauce…… Alright, everyone, listen up! I know it may sound cruel, but if we are not dead and we can stand up, that’s what we must do. No dilly-dallying.」

And imagine that, the colors are now all back to normal, too. Emul, who slipped from my head on my nape, climbed back on top of my head, and I could feel his shaking all over my head. But it was a warm and fluffy feeling.

「…… Listen up, you stupid sh*thead. From now on you’re just a dead weight. So haul ass the fuck away from here as fast as possible, got it?」

「I, I……」

「As unfortunate as that may sound, no one here can sail a boat except for you. In the meantime while we are fighting here, find us a boat, no matter how small, and secure an escape route from here once this is all over.」

Both Rust and I engage in some small role-play, all so that Straude would leave this place and go somewhere else, where he would not die because of some stupid reason. It’s only a common sense for gamers to get rid of any nuisance that might act in an unpredictable way and focus aggro on themselves for whatever reason. I don’t know how well he received those words, but for now we all run from the corner of the Coliseum while the stupid sh*thead was just sitting there with tears welling up in his eyes.

「Now then, Rei…… How about you do the same thing you did before?」

「Umm, yes…… The same procedure needs to be done here, but…… It can be done no problem.」

「Right, let’s all keep doing our best and try not to get ourselves killed. Keep your cool and everything should be fine……」

「Affirmative.」

The void in which the monsters were being sucked into changes into a jet-black hole right in front of our eyes. It’s depth…… Unfortunately, there is no way for us to confirm how deep it is. However, just then, from the edge of that hole…… there was a hand that was suddenly emerging.

「Kutanid of the Abyss……」

The figure that emerged from the deep pool seemed to be the literal incarnation of that very name.

Broadly speaking, it looked almost like a human being would. But its whole body was covered in red and black magical signs and patterns, which seemed to resemble its muscles, veins and skin. Its body was also gigantic in size, and there was still a fishy odor to it, probably because it was not all that long since it managed to create this shell for itself using the flesh of sea monsters. But there was also one more scent lingering on its body: that of blood and death.

Also, there was a giant octopus sitting on the place where human head and torso should be, which was giving it the striking resemblance to the creature known as “Cthulhu”, an enemy design that was fairly common in video games nowadays. But that was clearly not Cthulhu. And one more thing.

「HUMANS, THE FIRST OF MANY MIRACLES THAT WAS SPREAD AROUND AND GREW UP. HUMANS, CREATE THE MIRACLE AND MOVE FORWARD, ILLUMINATING THE DARKNESS WITH YOUR LIGHT.」

「WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHAT WILL YOU BE ABLE TO DO? SHOW US, SHOW US, SHOW US, SHOW US.」

「SEEDS SAWN FROM THE HEAVENS, HAVE THEY FINALLY GROWN ROOTS?」

「I AM THE ONE WHO REACHES THE HEAVENS. I AM THE ONE WHO SEES THE WORLD FROM THE DEPTHS. I AM The ONE WHO KNOWS THE WARM AFTERGLOW OF THE GREAT TRAJECTORY.」

「SHOW ME, THE VALUE OF LIFE. SHOW ME IF HER WISH WAS FINALLY GRANTED?」

We all hear a voice echo throughout the arena, a voice that clearly did not belong to any living creature. This voice should have belonged to Kutanid, but it sounded as if multiple people were talking all at once.

Generally speaking, what should have emerged from Kutanid’s back should have been a pair of black, demon-like wings. But in Kutanid’s case, the thing that was erected from its back was a huge circle, like an angelic halo. And on that circle, eight jewels were shining brightly, like fruits hanging down from a tree.

「Shut your mouth! I don’t know anything about the lore here, so just shut the fuck up and give me the World Truth Tome already! Preferably without resisting too much! You Octopus bastard…… Alright, everyone! This is likely going to be the final battle, so show me some fighting spirit here!」

「STRUGGLE IS THE ESSENCE OF LIFE. AND IF THAT’S SO…… THEN SHOW ME HOW YOU STRUGGLE!!! PROVE YOURSELVES!!!」

The final form of Kutanid, the one in shape of a giant octopus. Our team of brave warriors, “Mortals”. The curtain has finally risen on the final battle!