Death Mage Side Chapter 34 – Everyone"s battles – shape-shifting, transformation, and great transformation

There were two soldiers left behind on one of the watchtowers built along Morksi"s outer wall just in case, and their attention was on the battle between Vandalieu"s side and Hajime Fitun"s side.

“It"s so far away that I can"t see properly, but isn"t that some really crazy battle?” one of them said.

The soldiers had relatively good eyesight but ordinary in every other way, so they were unable to keep up with weapon swings that were too fast. On top of that, they didn"t have any deep knowledge when it came to magic.

As Vandalieu"s "Hollow Bullets" were small and his extended tongue simply looked like a whip-shaped object, they couldn"t confirm much at all. And as Vandalieu"s back was towards the tower, they couldn"t see the Demon King"s eyeball on his forehead.

Thus, they were unable to notice the strangeness of the way Vandalieu and Hajime Fitun were fighting each other, and could only vaguely tell that it was an incredible battle.

“Yeah. The bandits didn"t run away even when a Thunder Dragon charged in… Those bandits might be as strong as B-cla.s.s adventurers or even better,” said the other soldier.

“What the h.e.l.l do you mean, bandits that are as strong as B-cla.s.s adventurers?! Why the h.e.l.l are they bandits if they"re so strong?!” the first soldier shouted.

It was commonly considered that no bandit would be as powerful as a B-cla.s.s adventurer. Someone with that level of strength would be able to live a luxurious life by hunting monsters that were just weak enough for them to hunt with ease.

But it wasn"t that people with the strength of a B-cla.s.s adventurer would never do bandit-like things.

“Aren"t those guys from another Duchy… No, maybe even from Duke Alcrem"s special forces?”

“Y-you fool! You can"t just speculate about things like that!”

“No, I mean, according to the rumors –”

“Shut up!”

Vandalieu had a familiar that looked exactly like the duke"s missing younger sister, and he and Darcia were spreading Vida"s teachings, taking a negative stance against the Church of Alda. There were rumors among some that the current Duke Alcrem did not think well of them.

One of the soldiers seemed to suspect that those rumors might be true, but his companion was quick to stop him.

“They could be Alda extremists who refuse to accept the peaceful faction or a.s.sa.s.sins sent by Vampires who worship an evil G.o.d, couldn"t they! And there"s no point in us trying to use our brains here! Our job is to keep a lookout! Now that I"ve made that clear, shut your mouth and –”

“Hey, look over there!”

“I said, shut your… What the h.e.l.l is that?!”

The soldiers" eyes opened wide in shock as they saw mysterious flashes of light appearing in a part of the Devil"s Nest forest on the other side of the field where Vandalieu and Fitun were fighting. Trees were falling and a large amount of dirt and smoke was rising into the sky.

On top of that, the Mountain Giant that had been thrown in Kanako and Melissa"s direction got onto its feet, as if new life had been breathed into it.

“M-monsters fighting each other? But we"d be able to see them from here if they were Dragons or Giants… I-in any case, we need to report that there"s something fighting inside the forest!”

“What about the Giant that got back up?!”

“We"re reporting that too!”

And so, the soldiers" attention was drawn away from Vandalieu"s battle with Fitun and divided.

Meanwhile, Miles and the "Rapid Wind Demon Cutter" Kizelbyne were battling in the forest, the shockwaves from their attacks causing flashes of light to shine towards the sky and numerous trees to be felled.

“"Stardust Blow!"” Kizelbyne shouted, his martial skill unleashing a series of rapid stabs with his dagger that had been enchanted with light-attribute magic.

It had been said that his movements were so fast that his arm was impossible to see, and he looked like nothing more than stardust falling from the night sky.

The battle had already dragged out too long, so Miles" "Familiar Spirit Demonfall" had expired. With a grunt, he tried to defend himself with his extended claws, but he could not block all of Kizelbyne"s dagger attacks. Blood sprayed out from across his entire body.

He staggered backwards a few steps and fell onto his knees.

Miles gave a deep sigh that expelled as much blood as air. “… Impressive. To be honest, I didn"t expect that you"d be this powerful. It seems that I have underestimated you.”

He had transformed partially into a beast with "Beast Transformation." And yet, even after being forced into a state where anyone would immediately notice he wasn"t a human with one glance, he had been cornered by this foe.

The effects of both his "Familiar Spirit Demonfall" and "Transcend Limits" had expired. His entire body had sustained deep wounds, and his "Rapid Regeneration" was no longer keeping up.

Up until now, that is.

“So, shall we begin round 3?” Miles said, his tone of speech somehow full of life as he returned an empty porcelain bottle to his pocket.

“… Are you immortal?” Kizelbyne muttered, his expression stiffening.

The wounds inflicted by his Orichalc.u.m-coated dagger were deep, but they were healing before his very eyes.

He emptied his 3rd-grade Potion and threw away the empty bottle.

His hair, soaked in sweat, was stuck onto his forehead, and he had several not-so-shallow wounds on his body as well. Though Miles had put some distance between the two, fatigue had acc.u.mulated in Kizelbyne"s entire body to the point where he couldn"t give chase and deal a finishing blow.

Like Miles, he needed time to recover as well.

Kizelbyne was far more powerful than Mortor, the confidant of the Pure-breed Vampire Birkyne whom Miles had defeated previously. On top of that, he was a user of light-attribute magic, with experience from his mortal life in hunting not only Kijin and Majin, but Vampires as well.

Using this strength, he had already driven Miles into a corner twice, but… each time, Miles had consumed something that healed his wounds and restored his lost stamina, putting Kizelbyne back at square one.

Kizelbyne was the only one who had acc.u.mulated damage and fatigue.

“How many of those advanced Potions has the Demon King given you? I"ve slain countless Vampires before you, and yet you survive my deadly attacks, recover and continue fighting. You"re like an Undead!” he exclaimed.

“Potions? What Boss gave me is something far better than that,” said Miles.

The substance that he had been consuming repeatedly… was Vandalieu"s blood, the main const.i.tuent of Blood Potion.

It was no ordinary blood; it was the blood of a Demon King who had become a demi-G.o.d. Such blood had even greater restorative properties than if it were turned into Blood Potion, especially for an Abyssal Vampire.

With the "Bloodwork" Skill, it boosted the Attribute Values and stimulated the "Rapid Regeneration" Skill. On top of that, it made the body"s fatigue vanish as if it had never existed at all.

“"Familiar Spirit Demonfall!" Third time"s the charm! Die, Vampire hunter!” Miles shouted.

“I don"t recommend that you do this repeatedly within a short period of time though,” chimed in the clone of Vandalieu that had descended upon Miles.

Kizelbyne could no longer conceal his fatigued state.

Fully recovered and with a black light enveloping him for the third time, Miles threw himself at Kizelbyne once more.

The city"s back gate, on the opposite side of the gate that the monsters were advancing upon. The evacuating citizens gathered on the inside were waiting for the evacuation order. This was because if they were to leave too early, it was possible that the monsters would detect the presence of this large number of humans and make a detour to attack them directly rather than go through the city"s front gate.

Considering that the presence of large numbers of Thunder Dragons and other flying monsters had been confirmed, the plan was for the evacuation to begin once the battle at the front gate was well underway.

It was easy to imagine that this would be the plan, a.s.suming that Earl Morksi and his va.s.sals were not incredibly incompetent.

That was why Hajime Fitun had ordered the "Tempest Strike Mage" Matilda, Shestun and the other heroic spirits to attack the evacuating citizens. He had thought that they would be able to create large numbers of casualties and shake Vandalieu mentally.

But Legion"s members had been stationed here and there, like the strangely loud-voiced old woman who had saved those who had been late to escape. Thanks to them, most of the heroic spirits had been dragged into the Dungeon.

But several of them had slipped past Legion"s traps and reached the city. However, they were unable to successfully execute Hajime Fitun"s plan.

“JYUOOOH!” Bone Man roared, swinging his magic sword that was made of fragments of the Demon King.

Having been fooled into thinking that Bone Man was a mere Skeleton, the heroic spirit that Bone Man swung his weapon upon screamed as he was butchered before he could even activate "Heroic Spirit Transformation." He would later be put in the records as one of the people who were late to escape and killed by a Skeleton.

One of the heroic spirits tried to cut across the forest, but by the time he realized that he was in a feeding ground created by the branches growing from Eisen"s back, he was already in a situation that he could not escape from.

“Take this until you die…” muttered Eisen, who had become a Skogsrå High Empress after her last Rank increase.

“D-d.a.m.n it, there"s no end to this! How do I kill this woman?! Even if I stab her chest or put a hole in her head, she regenerates right away… She has no vital spots?!” he screamed in frustration.

He could not defeat Eisen, who appeared to be a demi-human but was actually a plant-type monster with "Super Rapid Regeneration," the superior version of the "Rapid Regeneration" Skill. Thus, he ended up fighting a fruitless battle until his body collapsed.

But there were other heroic spirits who had managed to overcome the obstructions and reach the city"s walls.

“Are we the only ones who made it here?!” one of them shouted in shock, looking around to see that there were only four of them, including himself.

“Impossible… There were more than twenty of us,” another murmured. “But less than half of us were able to make it here…”

The majority of Fitun"s heroic spirits had belonged to the mercenary band led by Fitun himself when they were mortals. It was an unusually large number of individuals to become heroic spirits of the same G.o.d all around the same time.

This meant that less of his believers had become heroic spirits later on, but even so, Fitun commanded more heroic spirits than most G.o.ds.

The majority of those heroic spirits were taking part in this plan, having been incarnated in physical bodies by the "Marionette" ability. However, their numbers had dropped harshly.

“Hey, if things keep going at this rate, is there even any point for us to continue with the plan? Isn"t it better to go and join the commander…?” one of the heroic spirits muttered.

“Don"t be stupid!” another said. “There"s no way we"d reach him in one piece from here. Are you trying to get even more of us killed?!”

“B-but there"s no sign of Shestun, Matilda and the others returning to their Divine Realms. They should still be fighting. If we can join up with them…”

“Just because they haven"t returned to their Divine Realms doesn"t mean they"re unharmed! They"ve either been teleported somewhere far away… or they might have already been defeated and sealed away or eaten. We"re up against the Demon King, you know?!”

“Y-yeah.”

The bear-type Beast-kin shield-bearer, the human mage, the Dwarf axe-wielder and half-Elf archer were finally at the city"s walls, but they were unsure what to do.

The initial plan had been to use martial skills and spells to destroy the walls in a spectacular fashion, then enter the city and kill everyone save a decent number to use as hostages. And once Vandalieu"s companions arrived, they were supposed to use "Heroic Spirit Transformation."

But this was clearly not the situation that they had envisioned when the plan was created.

“s.h.i.t! We"re doing this. If we run away here, we"re just going to end up in the same way as the others!”

“Everyone, each of you make your own holes in the wall and go in! We"ll be less likely to be caught in traps if we don"t all enter from the same place!”

“If you don"t like it, then kill yourself right now, return to your Divine Realms and receive the punishment of the ones we left behind!”

“Mmm… We have no other choice!”

The four heroic spirits, who had undergone "Heroic Spirit Transformation," dispersed and went to each make their own hole in the wall to enter the city through. The soldiers on the watchtower closest to them realized what was happening and warned their comrades on the ground, but it was too late.

A shockwave produced by a shield, an axe swing, an arrow that was enchanted to explode on impact – these crashed into the wall, creating holes with a thunderous noise.

The guards on the other side of the holes in the wall screamed in panic. Behind them, a plump man who appeared to be a merchant and a well-dressed man with a beard were frozen in fear; they had been too late to escape. The female adventurer who looked like their bodyguard had been injured by the broken fragments of the wall, or perhaps she was simply terrified – she made no move to draw her weapon.

Several female screams came from somewhere in the distance.

“I"ll kill you to begin with! "Lightning Barrage!"” shouted the mage, unleashing lightning projectiles that swept the guards away.

“You people will die first!” shouted the Dwarf axe-user.

He and the female archer leapt into the city through their own holes. The bear-type Beast-kin shield-bearer began following them… but suddenly had the feeling that something was wrong.

Something"s strange… Yeah, those guards, didn"t their faces look a bit too similar? he thought to himself, thinking of the five guards who had been defeated by the mage before they even had the time to scream.

Alarm bells began ringing in his head. His intuition was screaming at him that this was a trap.

But the Dwarf and the female archer had already entered the city.

“W-we"re going to be fine, right?!” the well-dressed man said, trembling.

“Get behind me!” the female swordsman told him, raising her sword courageously. “Come,” she said to the enemy in front of her.

The Dwarf gave a delighted laugh. “As you wish! I will keep you company!” he said as he approached her.

“W-wait! I"ll give you money, please don"t kill me!” the merchant-like man screamed in tears.

The female archer pulled back the string of her bow, taking aim at him. “Money? I don"t need that. I just need your life!”

With that, she released her arrow.

At that moment, the Beast-kin shield-bearer tried to warn his companions. “Wait, this is a trap! Get outside, right now –”

But before he could finish his sentence, a thin thread wrapped around his body and dug into the gaps in his armor.

The slaughtered soldiers made a bubbling noise, turning into a viscous, blood-crimson-colored liquid… Kühl, who had split into multiple parts and changed his appearance, returned to his original form.

The mage, taking notice of his companion"s warning, hastily recited an incantation. “"Wind G.o.d Beast a.s.sault!"”

Enormous, wolf-like beasts of the wind attribute let out howls as they materialized.

By the time the Dwarf realized that his companions were in trouble and came back to his senses, he was already within the female swordsman"s range.

“S-"Single Flash!"” he shouted hastily as he swung his axe.

This was a basic martial skill, but now he had undergone "Heroic Spirit Transformation." Even this attack would be enough to dispose of most foes.

But the Dwarf"s axe did not cut straight through the female swordsman"s weapon and into her body.

“It seems like you"ve fallen for the "Temptation" that I learned from Great Grandmother!” the female swordsman said.

Though she had appeared to be a beautiful human woman, she rapidly transformed into a blue-skinned Obscene Majin with two horns on her head and membranous wings protruding from her back.

The sword that stopped the Dwarf"s axe also transformed, turning into a magical holy sword radiating a sinister aura.

“Splendid… You have succeeded. Ah, Iris, the time of you tempting a man has arrived…” murmured the sword… Nemesis George.

“George-dono, I understand how you must feel, but I am feeling relieved,” said the well-dressed man… Luciliano.

He had cast a spell on Nemesis George to make him appear to be an ordinary sword.

“"Life Terror Beast a.s.sault!"” Luciliano recited, conjuring a beast that resembled a carnivorous dinosaur.

“You don"t need money? That is most convenient!” said the man who appeared to be a merchant, producing a sword from somewhere and striking down the arrow that was traveling towards him. “I didn"t have any on me, you see.”

The man transformed into a beautiful Vampire Zombie who appeared to be in her thirties, with cloudy crimson eyes, fangs and a ferocious smile… Isla.

“"Ternecia"s Hound?!" d.a.m.n it! So, you were disguised with "Transformation!"” the female archer muttered.

“A magical sword that resembles the holy sword Nemesis Bell… and although your appearance has changed completely, that face is the "Liberating Princess Knight!" To think that you still lived, as a Succubus!” said the Dwarf.

“The guards are a Slime! A Mimic Slime was disguised as the guards!” the mage shouted in warning.

Meanwhile, the Beast-kin shield-bearer who had been caught by a thread screamed as he was pulled deeper into the city.

“Welcome, dear guests. I apologize for being abrupt, but do you have any final words?” Bellmond said to the heroic spirits as she appeared at the scene.

Standing beside her was Eleanora, with her sword drawn. On the corner of the building was the source of the female screams… Yamata, the remodeled Hydra Zombie whose nine heads had been replaced by the upper body halves of beautiful women of different races. And next to her were Pauvina and Rapiéçage.

“… Why have I even been brought here? Though they are heroic spirits that are in quite the pitiful state, I would not be able to face them!” said Luvesfol, who was hiding in the shadow of a building.

“I do agree. Though they certainly are fascinating specimens… I will be quite satisfied with their corpses being brought back,” said Luciliano with a stiff expression, still hiding behind Iris.

“Luves, that kind of att.i.tude is exactly why your Rank won"t increase,” said Pauvina.

“You are His Majesty the Emperor"s top disciple, and capable of clearing B-cla.s.s Dungeons, are you not?” Iris said to Luciliano.

Watching this scene unfold, the heroic spirits understood that they were completely defeated.

They immediately looked behind them towards the holes that they had made in the wall, but… they had already been repaired and sealed.

Vandalieu had previously turned the protective walls around the city of Morksi into Golems and placed disguised Demon King Familiars all over it. These would notify Gufadgarn of the heroic spirits" presence, and in response, she would create teleportation gates so that the heroic spirits would be sent into her Dungeon if they leapt over the walls or pa.s.sed through any holes created in them.

To ensure that the heroic spirits entered the Dungeon, Kühl had disguised himself as five city guards with the "Long-distance Control" Skill. Iris Bearheart had disguised herself as a human swordsman with a spell, and Isla had disguised herself as a fat merchant with "Transformation."

Iris, who had become an Obscene Succubus, had learned a Succubus technique from the grandmother of the Majin king G.o.dwin who had awakened in Vida"s Resting Grounds. With this technique, she had charmed and drawn the Dwarf inside.

Charming the enemy and drawing them closer to defeat them was known as "Temptation." It was said that according to Zakkart, it had originated from Hillwillow"s knowledge of Kunoichis.

“We have been thoroughly trapped,” muttered the mage. “But… "Short-range Teleportation!"”

While his own divine beast fought against Luciliano"s terror beast, he teleported the bear-type Beast-kin shield-bearer a tiny distance, freeing him from the metal thread that was binding him.

“You saved me! Let"s restore our formation! Now that things have come to this, we won"t be able to attack the city, but we"ve succeeded in our original objective of drawing the Demon King"s subordinates to us! All that"s left to do now is fight until we die!” the shield-bearer told his companions.

The Dwarf and the archer gave a spirited shout in response as they prepared themselves for battle. They had been capable mercenaries as mortals. They had overcome a disadvantage in numbers with sheer strength numerous times.

Knowing what they were thinking, Eleanora smiled. “It is true that you are strong… but there is less of a difference than you may think.”

There was a tiny amount of blood on the blade of her magic sword.

The battle at the city"s front gate had intensified greatly. The earl had placed his soldiers outside the gate rather than inside, prepared to die in order to buy the time that the citizens needed to evacuate the city. Thus, Gufadgarn was unable to teleport the monsters, and they were able to charge straight towards the city.

“Th-this is my first time in a battle like this! E-everything is so strange!” shouted the former B-cla.s.s adventurer Rodriguez as he shuddered.

The battle was very one-sided.

“"Thundering Ogre Slash!"” shouted Basdia, who was wearing what appeared to be a combination of a suit of armor and a swimsuit with a skirt-like decoration.

She swung her axe down upon the Troll Tyrant that was leading the Trolls, splitting its skull in two.

“"Chaotic Light Circle Blade Dance!"” cried Zadiris, who was wearing something resembling a miniskirt with frills and ribbons.

Her spell released seven shining, disc-shaped blades that danced into the sky, slicing through the necks of the Venom Wyverns.

The monsters let out dying screams as they were slaughtered, unable to put up even the smallest amount of resistance.

Troll Tyrants were powerful Rank 8 monsters; defeating one would require multiple B-cla.s.s adventurers. Venom Wyverns were Rank 6, but they were troublesome foes that were difficult to defeat due to the fact that they were airborne, with fangs, claws and deadly venom in the spear-like tips of their tails.

Such monsters were being disposed of with ease.

I knew that Darcidono was more powerful than me. I knew that, but… I didn"t expect for these two Ghouls to be far more powerful than me as well! Rodriguez thought to himself.

When the battle with the monsters started, Darcia had used "Familiar Spirit Descent," and Basdia and Zadiris had shouted "Transform!" while holding their weapons in the air.

Bewildered, Rodriguez had watched as a portion of the decorations on Basdia"s axe and Zadiris"s staff split away from the weapons and wrapped around their bodies to form defensive equipment.

It seemed that this boosted their strength tremendously; the two of them were now defeating powerful monsters one after another.

But Rodriguez had noticed that the transformation had not simply made them powerful. The two of them had already been powerful before the transformation.

There was no doubt that the transformation had boosted their power by increasing their Attribute Values, improving their spells and raising their defensive power. But there was also no doubt that both of them were already more powerful than Rodriguez even without it.

The merchant who employed Rodriguez had once thought of using the Ghoul women as sacred prost.i.tutes at a brothel disguised as a church; Rodriguez was really glad that he had been able to put a stop to that.

The plan may have worked for ordinary Ghouls, but there was no way that Ghouls as powerful as this could have been made to do such work. If their strength had been discovered, the merchant may have been arrested upon suspicion of crime – not for operating an illegal brothel, but for smuggling a great amount of military forces into the city and plotting a coup d"état.

Guild Master Berard of the Adventurers" Guild, the Guild Master of the Mages" Guild and Earl Morksi were surely on the verge of fainting in shock right about now.

Guild Master Bachem of the Tamers" Guild was currently engaged in airborne combat on his Huge Wyvern, so he seemed to be fine.

Incidentally, Darcia was leading the battle, in front of the knights and adventurers. After activating "Familiar Spirit Descent," she had cast basic enchantments on everyone on the battlefield and engaged in battle on the frontline.

She had swept away a Minotaur that charged excitedly towards her, Basdia and Zadiris, blocked the concentrated magical attacks of the Ogre Mages who had deemed her a dangerous foe and was now engaged in one-on-one direct combat with a Mountain Giant Chief.

Indeed, a Rank 9 Mountain Giant Chief that was over ten meters tall.

The Mountain Giant Chief let out a noise that was half-battle-cry and half-scream as it charged with its stone axe raised towards Darcia, who was floating in the air with a spell.

“Muscular Strength Super Enhancement!” Darcia shouted.

She held her staff with both hands and used it to block the Mountain Giant Chief"s attack. Considering the difference in their sizes, one might worry that her staff would break… but it was the stone axe in which a crack appeared.

Incidentally, Darcia had shouted "Muscular Strength Super Enhancement," but she had not actually cast a spell. She was simply pretending to have strengthened her physical strength with magic to block the Giant"s attack, putting on a show for those around her.

But the Mountain Giant Chief seemed to have instinctively sensed this. It was clearly fighting a battle against fear itself.

However, Darcia did not attempt any counter-attack and instead turned towards Rodriguez. “Now, Rodriguez-san! Strike, while I am holding the Mountain Giant back!”

“Huh? O-of course!” Rodriguez said hastily, swinging his weapon at the Giant"s legs.

“Now! Follow after Rodriguez-san!” one of Earl Morksi"s knights shouted.

“We can"t allow the holy lady to push herself!” said another.

The knights and adventurers charged in after Rodriguez, while the guards fired their arrows.

Meanwhile, Kest was firing arrows at the monsters rapidly, and each of his arrows had power behind them.

“Kest, your pace is pretty fast. Are you going to be alright?!” asked the senior guard, seemingly worried that Kest might exhaust himself.

“It"s not a problem, Senpai!” Kest shouted back.

“We"re the ones in control of the battle. You don"t have to be thinking that you need to fire all your arrows before you die!”

“I"m fine! I don"t know why, but I feel strength just rising up in me and I"m not feeling tired at all!”

“Maybe you were particularly compatible with the holy lady"s enchantment? No, maybe the enchantment"s effect changes depending on the compatibility to begin with? … Whatever!” the senior guard muttered. “You lot, Kest is going to take all of the guards" glory at this rate! If you want a pay rise, don"t slack off and aim your arrows well!” he shouted at the others.

Though everyone had been prepared to die at this place, they were now fighting hard towards victory after seeing Darcia and the others in action.

But naturally, they were sustaining injuries. Adventurers were suffering burns after being hit directly by spells, and knights who were swept away by Ogres" clubs had their arms broken along with their shields.

However, healing spells immediately flew towards them from Darcia, Zadiris and even Priestess Paula at the others at the backlines, ensuring that these injuries were not fatal.

“Don"t let your guard down! Seal those holes and don"t let the monsters inside!” Basdia ordered the soldiers.

“Make sure to engage with a number advantage of at least three to one! While those at the front hold the line, those at the back must support them and create openings to attack,” Zadiris added. “Like this!” she said, showing the soldiers an example.

As for why they were commanding the soldiers rather than simply facing the monsters on their own… That was because they would defeat the monsters far too easily if they did that.

The three of them were not skilled enough to fight while putting on an act to conceal their true abilities. They couldn"t afford to put on any poor acts, especially with people like Rodriguez around who would be able to see through them.

“What are you afraid of?! Are you really the knights of Morksi who are renowned for your strength?! Have you not spent every day of your life training for this very day?!” Basdia shouted fiercely at the knights.

“No, there isn"t anyone who thinks that our men are strong. In fact, as a city of commerce, we are very far from any battlefields, so most would actually think that our men are weak…” Earl Morksi muttered to himself under his breath.

“Now is the time to earn your keep, adventurers! Thunder Dragons, Mountain Giants and superior forms of Ogres and Trolls! Their materials and Magic Stones will be yours for the taking! Show me your strength!” Zadiris shouted at the adventurers, pointing her staff towards the horde of monsters with a movement that looked like a part of a dance.

“Indeed, everyone would earn quite the sum even if all of the rewards were divided evenly… but you are the ones who have defeated the most enemies,” Berard murmured with a strained smile.

“Now is the time to show your pride as knights! Prove that there are no cowards who hide behind their wives" skirts in our Knights" Order!” one of the knights shouted.

“It"s just as that lady says! Let"s get rich and show off our strength!” one of the adventurers cheered.

The knights and adventurers" morale had reached a climax, having seen hope for victory despite having been prepared to die. Their voices were so spirited that the monsters, whose aggressive instincts had been stimulated by the Dungeon rampage, stepped back a little.

This left an opening, but it was Fang and the rats who charged onto the frontline before the soldiers and adventurers.

With the "Surpa.s.s Limits" Skill active and enveloped in the "Aura of Fear," Fang roared, leapt in and sank his teeth into the leg of a Hill Giant… a Giant that was about half the size of a Mountain Giant.

Maroru and Urumi, who were covered in flames and cold air, leapt onto the Hill Giant as it toppled over. Another Hill Giant threw its fist towards them to help its companion, but… Suruga leapt in front of its fist.

The Hill Giant let out a scream of pain as its punch collided with her steel-like fur, causing multiple strands of needle-like fur to become embedded in its hand.

And as Suruga"s tail came striking like a whip as the Hill Giant staggered, it wasn"t even given a chance to recover.

“"Flowing Cut!"”

“"Boulder Rend!"”

The Hill Giant"s abdomen was sliced from both sides by Simon"s sword and Natania"s claws.

“M-my sword really cut through! To think that my sword would work against a Giant! As expected of Master!” Simon said in awe.

“These things cut so well that it"s almost scary!” Natania murmured as she watched blood pour from the Hill Giant"s mouth and wounds.

Simon and Natania had equipped and transformed the artificial limbs that they had received from Vandalieu.

Simon"s artificial arm had produced a helmet that protected his head and other parts that reinforced his armor, and another part of his arm had transformed into the sword that he was using as his weapon now.

Natania"s four artificial limbs had produced an armor that protected her torso, as well as claws on her hands and feet.

However, both of their armor had less decorative parts than Zadiris and Basdia, and it was mainly black in color, so they looked completely different.

If Zadiris and Basdia were magical girls, Simon and Natania were like mysterious characters from old television shows or villainous bosses.

But their artificial limbs performed greatly; the liquid metal blades were sharper than even Mythril or Adamant.i.te, never mind iron. If their weapons were made of iron, it would have been difficult for them to inflict fatal wounds upon a Rank 6 Hill Giant even with Vandalieu"s divine protection and guidance.

Though Simon and Natania were likely not the cause, the monsters began letting out screams rather than intimidating roars.

Their instincts had made them more ferocious due to the Dungeon rampage, but having their numbers reduced so one-sidedly had forced them to remember the fear that they had forgotten.

The final Mountain Giant let out a scream and began to run away. As if this was a signal, the other monsters all turned their backs on the city and fled as well.

They looked utterly defeated as they ran for their lives towards the forest, abandoning their wounded brethren.

“They"re running away!” one of the knights murmured.

“We"ve won… We"ve won!” shouted an adventurer.

The knights and adventurers celebrated their victory, not giving chase to the monsters. They did fire some arrows and spells at the monsters" backs, but they feared sustaining unexpected injuries if they chased too far.

Earl Morksi breathed a sigh of relief. “We can rest easy for the time being.”

He had no intention of ordering the men to pursue the monsters. The Knights" Order and the adventurers were likely exhausted, and the monsters would have the advantage in a battle inside the forest, as tactical formations would be impossible to maintain.

Monsters that awakened from a rampage became just like any other monsters and almost never left their Devils" Nests, so the city"s existence was no longer under threat.

In this particular case, the monsters were high-Rank monsters that hadn"t existed in the Devils" Nests around the city so far, so the chaos would likely continue for some time as they stamped out the weaker monsters, but… that situation would be solved by the Adventurers" Guild posting commissions and hiring adventurers of B-cla.s.s or above to exterminate them.

The Devils" Nest would be closed off until the situation was resolved, so adventurers would have less hunting grounds to acquire monster materials and other resources found in Devils" Nests. This would indeed be quite a problem. But there was no need to recklessly attempt to solve that problem right now.

That was what the earl thought. Berard and Bachem likely held similar views.

But the circ.u.mstances were different for Darcia… At this rate, the battle would be over before Vandalieu defeated the reincarnated individuals.

“W-what should we do? I thought we could make it last longer… Sh-should we be giving chase?!” she wondered. “Gufadgarn-san seems busy, and I"m not a knight or adventurer, so it"ll be fine for me to leave this place for a while, won"t it?!”

“Calm down, Darcia. I don"t think there"s much point in just us giving chase,” said Basdia. “Van and the others are fighting on a gra.s.sland that isn"t too far away from the city, aren"t they?”

“We have finished exterminating the monsters, so if the boy and the others are still fighting against mysterious bandits, someone will go to support him. They are fighting in a place that is visible from the city, after all,” said Zadiris. “The knights and adventurers are already equipped for battle right now… Those who have sustained less injuries and fatigue would be able to make it there very quickly on horses.”

And then they would become caught up in the battle between Vandalieu and Hajime Fitun. Those of ordinary strength would likely die upon being hit by a single shockwave from an attack; they would become burdens, not reinforcements, for Vandalieu.

The same was true even if they headed for Kanako and the others as well.

And the same was also true if Darcia asked them to head for the forest in which Miles was fighting. In fact, Miles was fighting a closer battle than Vandalieu was, so it was likely that the result would be even more terrible if she did that.

This needed to be prevented. Just as Darcia, Basdia and Zadiris were wondering what to do –

“Maybe you should just go and support him yourself, Darcisan?” Natania suggested. “You"re his mother, so n.o.body will stop you. If you head over quickly and fight the guy Vandalieu is fighting two-on-one, you"ll probably be finished before anyone else arrives.”

“She"s right,” Simon agreed. “There isn"t anyone who"s really severely wounded, so I don"t think there"ll be any problems… Maybe you should get over there before the earl and the others remember that Master is engaged in a battle against bandits?” he said, looking at the expression of relief on the earl"s face.

“That"s true!” said Darcia, her eyes lighting up. “Then I"ll quickly – huh?”

At that moment, the fleeing monsters had turned around once more and began heading back towards the city.

Their eyes were bloodshot; it was clear at a glance that they were even more aggressive than they had been during the rampage.

Behind the monsters were a woman holding a Tamer-like whip and a young man who appeared to be a mage.

“It"s just as Fitun-sama feared! Monsters, pin that Dark Elf and those Ghouls down at this city!” the woman shouted, commanding the horde.

“To think that we were forced to come out as well… What is Commander having such trouble with?” the mage murmured.

These two were heroic spirits that had been positioned here just in case, to ensure that the monster rampage was not suppressed before the battle between Vandalieu and Fitun reached its conclusion.

They had been positioned very far back, flying through the sky with magic, so they had not been caught in Legion"s traps.

Seeing the monster horde returning, the knights and adventurers hastily scrambled to rebuild their formations.

Darcia and the Ghouls raised their weapons once more, their gazes fixed upon the two heroic spirits behind the monsters.

“We"ll have to go more serious against those two, won"t we?” Darcia murmured, raising her staff. “Transform!”

The pioneer of princesses who weren"t born into the status (with parents of high n.o.bility). For the past year, she has been receiving instruction not only from G.o.dwin himself, but his grandmother, who awakened in Vida"s Resting Grounds along with the Pure-breed Vampires. Thanks to that, the Levels of her "Allure" and "Illusory Transformation" Skills have increased. G.o.dwin"s grandmother is also the one who taught her the "Cooking" Skill and the "temptation techniques" from the champions" knowledge.

However, she has not learned Skills such as "Bedroom Technique." G.o.dwin"s grandmother says: “There are experienced individuals all around, and it is better for you to use your inexperience as a weapon rather than learn some poor techniques.”

She deliberately declined to specify what kind of experienced individuals were around who.

George Bearheart, whose vessel is the holy sword Nemesis Bell. He could be categorized as a Cursed Weapon, a type of Undead that was a weapon haunted by an evil spirit.

He has already regained numerous Skills that he possessed in life, and he is also capable of using the "Spirit Form" and "Materialization" Skills to create a body and fight on his own.

However, he believes that being Iris"s sword is his reason for existence, so he does not do this often. He is also more powerful being wielded in Iris"s hands than fighting directly on his own.