Chapter 211

“Light Ball”

It’s a magic tool that, as its name suggests, emits light when it’s filled with magic energy .

It’s as big as a pebble you can easily grip .

Fwooshh!

The light ball is thrown through a gap in the noise wall .

The direction where they were thrown was towards the four cardinal directions .

The throwing distances were also divided from near to far .

The area where these balls of light fall increases in brightness .

There’s no problem even if the monsters in the vicinity would become attracted to the light source .

After all, there’s no way that any monster in this area can beat me .

Rather than those monsters——- It’s to detect the movements of that unidentified “being” .

This was our first priority .

I, Ruin, had already made my vow .

That I would completely abandon any half-heartedness towards this adversary .

Everyone was currently filled with anxiousness .

“Let’s have fun . ”

Yes, I wanted to say that .

However, now isn’t the time to say such things .

We’re facing our first ever critical situation that our group, Heroic Sword, had faced......

I looked at Satsuki’s corpse which was still stuck in the middle of the opening of the noise wall .

Constantly looking at it, I quickly turned my gaze away and returned my awareness back to the enemy .

In the short amount of time, we’ve already lost two people .

Strife .

Satsuki .

There’s also four people who I don’t know whether they’re dead or alive .

Toad .

Bardwitcher .

Caro .

Nana Tout .

Before I knew it, I’m only certain about the safety of 4 people .

That’s already less than half of the number of my group .

[Isn’t it dangerous to launch ourselves here, Ruin?]

Yuugungu asked while he was leaning his body against the wall and peeking through a gap .

[My intuition tells me that it’s a bad idea to let the enemy perceive our “whole body” . ]

In fact, it seems like the enemy couldn’t make their attack .

I can’t imagine the reason why though .

However, it’s probably necessary for us to go on the offensive .

My guess is that it has something to do with perceiving our “whole body”——- or something close to it in the enemy’s field of vision .

(Is the enemy one of those people said in legends? The users of mystic eyes?)

There’s no way that’s the case .

I’ve never even heard of the mystic eyes in my adventures .

After all, legends would just be legends .

Everyone was feeling a bit suffocated .

Our nerves are always strained, trying to detect even the slightest movement .

[......I guess being unable to attack would also go for our group as well huh . ]

We would need a long-range weapon that can be fired from the inside .

Fortunately, we have bows and arrows .

Right now, Yuugungu and Arene have switched their weapons to bows and arrows .

The other way that we could use to attack from the inside was with a magic tool for attack magic .

Myana is exactly holding such a magic tool that has a form of a staff .

As for me—— I have Satsuki’s katana in hand .

I could use it as a throwing weapon .

I tightly gripped the hilt of the katana .

Grip!

(I’ll be using this, Satsuki...... Also, I’ll definitely scrape Nyaki’s ears off with this katana...... I promise you!)

Turning my gaze towards the outside, I saw insects swarming around the light ball .

[It seems like the enemy can’t go on the offensive unless they can perceive our entire body . ]

[Does that mean...... that Satsuki attacked us like that because he doesn’t have the strength to fight it himself?]

[That’s what I think but...... ———!]

I placed a hand over my stomach .

Desperately stifling out a nausea that was about to burst out of my mouth .

[Hey!? Are you okay, Ruin?]

[......I don’t feel good . ]

[I- Is something the matter?]

[The presence I felt was strange . ]

All the time, I’ve always been feeling this .

The sensation of my temples being tightly gripped .

It was as if my brain was being racked up and stirred .

[It was mismatched . ]

[Mismatched......?]

It’s probably my intuition at work .

[The being we’re facing isn’t strong...... Yes, the being we’re facing isn’t strong at all . However, it’s so sinister...... By the strength of this being I’m feeling, we should be able to win against him . If I were to fight “this being”, I would definitely win——– And yet, I’m feeling “terribly afraid”......!]

It’s too mismatching .

It’s as if I’m being confronted by a problem that doesn’t hold any solution .

However......

[The true identity of this mismatching aspect——- I feel like this is the key to our victory . If we were able to grasp this mysterious mismatch...... If we were able to know our enemy’s true nature, I feel like it would bring us to victory......!]

As if to cheer himself up, Yuugungu raises his voice .

[That means——- The one telling this!? That instinct of yours that has always saved us!?]

[Yeah, then it can’t be mistaken! Unraveling the identity of this feeling is our “solution” to victory......! Ahh! It’s telling me...... My intuition!]

I felt my breathing get rougher .

[It’s telling me to live!]

“Know the true identity of the enemy”

(That’s the first step for our survival......)

Human?

Human-Faced?

Demi-human?

An assassin sent from the Faraway Country?

Or perhaps, a second group of assassins sent by Mira?

Neither of those answers felt right .

It doesn’t feel like those answers fit right into the missing puzzle .

[Haahhh——– Haahhh...... Haahhh——-]

Our bodies are drenched in sweat .

The temperature isn’t so high .

However, everyone was sweating .

At that moment......

[......Footsteps . ]

I can certainly hear footsteps .

I tried listening to it even more carefully .

What I was hearing was......

[A horse......? Isn’t that the sound of a horse’s footsteps......?]

Normally, horses are afraid to step into the Demon Zone .

They can’t mentally endure being inside the vicinity .

And yet, I can hear the sound of horses .

(Moreover, there are two of them......)

Two horses were running in a row .

Running round and round .

They are galloping around our group, though they are also trying to keep a safe distance away from us .

That means......

[There are at least two enemies......]

The first thing I needed to grasp was the number of people .

I focus my hearing on the sound of footsteps .

Although my awareness is somewhat taken up by detecting these footsteps, I don’t stop being alert with my surroundings .

[Nngghh———]

I graps on my chest again, feeling an increasing amount of pain on it .

[Ruin!?]

[......They’re different . ]

[Different?]

[Our enemies aren’t riding on these horses . ]

The being with mismatched aspects .

They were......

[There is someone other than them here......]

However, the horses seem to be unusual too .

Whether it’s their speed......

Or the strength of their steps as they tread through the ground .

It feels like their tenaciousness is unusual .

That means that they aren’t just normal horses .

There’s a high probability that they’re monsters .

“Are you having fun now?”

(That voice...... I can’t hear it anymore...... Have I just been hallucinating when I heard it? However......)

[—————–!]

The pressure I felt in my body rapidly grew stronger .

And then——– It suddenly appeared .

[! Arene, light balls!]

[Y- Yeah!]

As if I was snatching it off her hand, I took the ball of light from her hand .

[Show me the solution!]

With an underhand throw, I threw it as hard as I could towards the “pressure” I felt .

Thereupon...

Beyond the dense sea of trees———

There was that gigantic “being” .

Seeing that being, my eyes opened wide .

[A slime......?]

A gigantic monster——– that should be a slime .

Yes .

The light shone on a gigantic slime .

It was only for a moment that I could see it .

The figure of that slime immediately disappeared from the range of the light ball .

How could I describe this......

It was as if it had shrunk in the blink of an eye .

However, I certainly saw it with my own eyes .

A majestic appearance, just like a king standing at the pinnacle of all slimes .

I’ve certainly never seen a slime of that size in my whole life .

[Fufufu...... I see...... So that’s why——–!]

With his eyes shining, Yuugungu, who also saw that giant slime, looked over his shoulder .

[Ruin! That’s...... That’s the real identity of that “mismatching aspects” you’re talking about!?]

[——-Yeah, I guess so . ]

Slimes are recognized as insubstantial monsters .

They’re just monsters that are usually crushed and played around by humans .

Probably because they were crushed and killed for fun, you don’t see them much these days......

[It’s just a weak slime, but for it to have this much pressure...... That’s why you feel that something’s “mismatching” . They’re originally just weak monsters, but because of some mutation or something like that...... The true identity of the enemy is a mutant slime with a special ability to drive people crazy! Arene, give me more light balls!]

I began lighting up that area with a ball of light at once .

[..................... . . ]

I focused my attention on the area where that slime had been .

It’s faint——– but I can certainly detect its presence .

The target is surprisingly small .

It also had lots of things shielding its body .

(However———-)

[I won’t let it escape . ]

I can do this .

I can definitely bring it down .

With just one swift strike .

(Lend me your strength, Satsuki . )

Tightly gripping the hilt of Satsuki’s katana, I held it over my shoulders .

All my nerves......

All my senses......

Gathering all of it, I set my aim towards the presence of that slime .

Line of fire, secured .

——–Creakkk———

Bending my arm, all the muscles in it bellowed .

Then......

[PIIGGGGGGGGGGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII——————-!!!!!!]

An unusually loud squeal echoed around the area .

[What the heck is that!? Shut up, will you!?]

[What the heck is with that slime!?]

[Kyaaahhh!?]

I heard the voices of my three companions as they covered their ears from that uproar .

Their voices were drowned by the volume of the squeal though .

It’s as if its loud cries were amplified to be even louder .

[Is this an attempt to intimidate us...... Or perhaps, is it frightened? Either way——–]

I’m ready to throw .

I’m completely prepared .

[It’s too late...... After what you’ve done to us, it’s already too late to regret it now———–]

—————— Shudder ——————–

Thereupon, I noticed .

A presence . Yes—— It was just in a moment .

However, it was a very strange feeling .

I suppose you could call it a sudden acceleration of thoughts .

I can’t think of a better way to describe it .

[You———-] n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

As I was in my throwing stance, I looked behind me, over my shoulder .

Since when was that being there?

It was as if he appeared from beyond my recognition .

That being was peeking through the gap of the noise wall behind me .

Before I knew it——–

I could see “that being”, as if he came right out of legends .

Bearing the face of the Fly King......

A skin dyed in red and black——–

(When the heck did he——–)

[Since when have you been theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeee—————————!?]

In a position where he can see everyone’s “whole body” .

That being in red and black who was peering into the room, pointed his finger towards my direction .

Speaking of which......

When I was just turning around——— I felt like I heard something .

If I remember correctly, yes——-

I think I heard something like......

” “

————————- Crickle, crackle ————————

Thinking about it now......

For some reason————- My body can’t move .