Chapter 280 - Whirlpool (6)

It raised its spear high into the air.

The first thought that came to mind was:

'What, already?'

Sure, we'd punched holes all over it on the way here, then nearly severed its arm and put an arrow through its gut in less than three seconds.

But it was already down to forty percent HP?

'Oh...'

I looked up at it and understood. I had no idea when she'd gotten there, but Amelia was clinging to its back with her dagger buried in its neck.

'If you're going to stab it, why not the back of its head instead of its neck?'

For a moment, I regretted the missed opportunity, but a woman of Amelia's caliber probably hadn't aimed for its neck on purpose. Most likely, it had dodged and the blade had ended up there instead.

I focused on something else.

'I've never seen that skill before.'

Black Aura jutted out of the hole in its neck.

Huh, could that be...?

「Amelia Reinweils has cast [Power of the Abyss].」

A doppelgänger Essence and Aura weren't enough; she had something like that too? It was a miracle I'd mouthed off to her so often without getting fucking killed.

Anyway, I could think about that later.

"Don't stop!"

I issued the order and closed in again. But perhaps that was too much to ask of my companions, who didn't know what came next. They all froze, unable to focus on fighting.

Not that I couldn't understand how they felt.

「Stormgush has cast [Stormcall].」

[Stormcall].

All it normally did was draw in the surrounding wind to recover MP. But if the area was filled with rainwater from [Rain Ritual], the combination could restore a massive amount of HP as well.

Yes, normally that would be all... but when you fought it on this godforsaken island, it had an additional effect.

"Th-the water's risen into a wall!"

"It's a tidal wave...!!!"

The water that had risen around us was pulled in by the wind, surging toward us like a tidal wave.

ROOOOOSH!

Like a rolling snowball growing larger and larger, the waves rushed in from far away, building into a wall.

"N-no!"

Nature's violence was so overwhelming that someone instinctively squeezed their eyes shut.

Sheesh. There was no reason to be scared of that.

ROOOOOSH!

At last, the raging waves engulfed us from every direction.

But...

「A sanctuary has been created somewhere on the island.」

There was no damage whatsoever.

"H-huh?"

"Wh-what in the world just...?"

I didn't know exactly how it worked either. When I'd played the game, I'd simply thought they'd put some effort into the visuals.

"Raven, light up the area!"

The seawater overhead had plunged us into darkness, so I secured a light source first. Once it was lit, our surroundings came into clearer view.

It was an incredibly strange feeling, as though we were trapped in a fish tank.

But this was urgent. Enough sightseeing.

"Everyone, move! This is our only chance!"

At my renewed orders, my dazed companions quickly snapped out of it and moved.

The battle entered a new phase, growing incomparably more frantic than before.

「Stormgush has cast [Ley Line].」

First, Mister Bear failed to dodge the blast of air erupting from the ground. Fortunately, he'd apparently reacted enough to take only a glancing hit, avoiding being knocked outside the sanctuary...

"Mr. Urigfried...!"

"P-priestess. I-I can hold on... Just keep helping... Jandel..."

Mister Bear was out of the fight. With [Hungry Claws], his wounds would heal over time, but that would take far longer than a few minutes.

[Wooo?!]

With Mister Bear injured, Irathun the Iron Bear, who had somehow been holding the front line through sheer regeneration, was soon unsummoned as well.

And the bad news didn't end there. The [Whirlpool] rising from the hole left by [Ley Line] began roaming our limited space, tormenting us.

"Do not let that hit you!"

From now on, it was best to treat [Whirlpool] as an instant-kill move. In this situation, getting caught meant being hurled straight into the sea.

SHICK!

Amelia severed its dangling arm with an Aura-filled dagger.

THUD.

The massive arm hit the ground, still clutching its bone trident.

But it was dangerous even without a weapon.

[GROOOOOAR!!]

It swung its left arm in retaliation, tearing open Patzran's belly and sending him flying. The [Whirlpool] restricting his movement had prevented him from dodging as nimbly as usual.

'That's not a fatal wound.'

We'd lost another fighter, but I gave him one cool glance and looked away. As long as they were still alive, healing or potions could bring them back into action. Wasn't that one of this world's few advan—

I darted back, forced to put some distance between us as a [Whirlpool] cut across our formation toward me.

That was when Nevarche, the archer from Amelia's team, got caught. He'd used a skill to dodge the [Whirlpool] sweeping through the rear, only to land right in front of the monster's jaws.

'Oh, right. That was a random blink...'

In the end, Nevarche was devoured before he could even let out a dying scream.

CRUNCH. CRACK.

The battle's first casualty.

I felt sorry for him, but no guilt. Who told him to use a shitty skill like [Emergency Escape] here?

Anyway, as long as my people were all ri—

"... Ugh!"

That was when Misha got hit.

SHICK!

She dodged a downward strike to the side, but lost an arm in exchange.

"Misha!"

"D-don't worry! I can fight with one arm, nyah!"

She could fight with one arm?

Following me around had really toughened her up.

I couldn't tell her to fall back. We didn't have that luxury.

All I could do was put a little more emotion into paying it back.

「The character has cast [Swing].」

I swung my mace, pouring in the MP I'd been saving.

My target was that jutting snout.

THWACK!

Apparently, it believed in settling scores too. It twisted around and lashed its tail at me.

BOOM!

Even with my shield blocking it, the impact pierced through my bones. Was that because [Rain Ritual] had massively increased its Physical stats?

The earlier blows had been manageable...

'Motherfucker.'

My shield arm hadn't merely dislocated; it had bent out of shape. I'd braced it tight against my body to put my weight behind it, and now even my ribs were throbbing.

But healing came almost immediately.

「Lairin Ersina has cast [Healing].」

A warm, mysterious power reconnected severed tendons and fitted shattered bones together like puzzle pieces.

That power seemed to be telling me:

Now that you're healed, stop resting. Fight and protect your companions.

"VEHELLLAAAAAA!"

A grueling battle.

Those few words couldn't begin to describe the fight that followed.

As befitted a rank-three monster, it was powerful and tenacious.

SHUNK.

Aura tore its flesh to shreds. Dozens of arrows embedded in its shell drained its HP. Countless stacked curses left it dripping dark green fluid instead of regenerating, while the sword Misha had driven into its eye swayed.

[...]

And still it fought, and fought.

As if we were evil incarnate and it was justice itself.

It moved without tiring, and every time it moved, someone got hurt.

Usually me.

SKRITCH.

Sharp claws ripped through my shield and armor.

SHUNK!

Sometimes they sank into flesh.

Perhaps the priestess was running out of Divine Power now; the healing no longer arrived in time.

But so what?

You think I'll fall before you do?

I held on.

I swung my mace without rest, sometimes taking a [Whirlpool] head-on rather than dodging it to save a companion.

I held on, and kept holding on.

Had about a minute passed?

[GROOOOOAR!!]

It let out a monstrous roar and stared at me, as though asking why I wouldn't fall.

So you felt the same way I did.

High praise, coming from a monster.

'Please, just move on to the next pattern already, you bastard!'

Pouring all those feelings into my mace, I smashed it across the neck.

THWACK!

It flinched briefly, but the blow did no real damage.

However...

SHUNK.

Amelia seized that opening to plunge her dagger into its temple.

[SKREEEEEE!!!]

It screamed in agony.

And at the same time...

WHOOOOOSH...!

A thick curtain of wind wrapped around its body protectively.

「Stormgush has cast [Priest of the Storm].」

Its final survival skill, used at ten percent HP.

I'd waited so long for this moment.

"Raven!!!"

I called the name of the mage who'd been waiting until now, casting little more than curses.

But the spell was already underway.

WHOOOOOSH!

A vivid magic circle appeared across the ground, scattering light.

I darted away, not merely stepping aside but putting plenty of distance between us. So did Misha and Amelia, the other remaining frontline fighters.

After all, we knew what was coming.

"Pelz Askar Bier."

Of all the military spells Raven had worked so hard to learn, this was the only one designed to kill a single powerful foe rather than a mass of enemies.

'... Though its area is way too big for that description.'

I swallowed and looked ahead.

「Allua Raven has cast the Grade 4 attack spell [Heaven's Wrath].」

From the ceiling of seawater came thunder like the sky collapsing.

One second later, light flashed, washing everything around us white.

It wasn't all that blinding. The white light, which must have refracted countless times before reaching us, glowed faintly as it enveloped us.

And then...

KRA-BOOM!

The long-awaited Heaven's Wrath struck the crown of its head.

* * *

High Physical Resistance and Mana resistance. Strength rivaling an Ogre's and nimble movements.

Those traits had earned Stormgush the nickname "Ogre of the Sea," but its actual HP was far lower than an Ogre's.

Its skills also made a short battle the sensible choice. Because of how those skills worked, the longer the fight dragged on, the worse things became for the attackers.

So I'd aimed for a quick battle too.

Conserve resources and use only basic attacks until seventy percent HP. Once [Rain Ritual] began, rapidly pick up the pace and pile on damage, then go all out from forty percent, when it used [Stormcall]. At ten percent, focus fire to skip the phase.

A fairly textbook strategy.

Except that we lacked the counter skills to neutralize several attack patterns, making the fight much riskier.

And except that getting it down to ten percent HP had consumed most of our resources, leaving our mage to deliver the finishing blow alone.

Yes, it was a plan worth trying.

So how did it turn out?

KRA-BOOM!

Heaven's Wrath tore through the seawater in the form of a lightning bolt and struck its head. I saw the result with my own eyes.

'It failed.'

Such an abject failure that I couldn't even pretend otherwise.

HISSSSS.

Its shell was steaming like a well-cooked lobster's, but it was still alive and moving. The cyclone protecting it remained intact too.

The reason was clear. We hadn't been too late and wasted the spell on its invulnerable state.

'Not enough damage.'

Raven's finishing blow simply hadn't dealt enough damage.

Not even close.

'I thought that spell might just barely do it.'

Perhaps it was my fault for failing to account for the terrain. In normal surroundings, things might have been different, but that lightning bolt must have lost some of its power passing through the seawater.

"I-it's alive! What do we do?"

What else?

Time for Plan B.

"Patzran! Get the boat out!"

At my shout, Patzran asked, his belly still torn open,

"... The boat?"

Hmm. Hadn't I told him about Plan B?

No, I definitely had.

Had he forgotten amid all this chaos?

I didn't like repeating myself, but I restated the essence of the Plan B I'd explained earlier.

"Let's run!"

If we stayed here, we'd all die.

* * *

「The power of the storm begins to inhabit Stormgush's body.」

「Stormgush temporarily becomes immune to all damage.」

「10%.」

「20%.」

「3...」

「...」

* * *

We'd ended up resorting to Plan B, but there were plenty of positives.

No one had died.

Well, one archer from Noark had met his end today. And Misha had lost an arm, Aynar was unconscious, and Mister Bear was seriously wounded.

But everyone had survived.

Yes, that was enough.

"Oh, the boat...!"

Apparently remembering Plan B, Patzran hurriedly fumbled with his boat-storage subspace ring.

But then a question seemed to occur to him.

"B-but even if I take it out here... Gah!"

He coughed up blood halfway through his question. Raven, however, continued it for him.

"Mr. Patzran is right. There's water all around us. How are we supposed to float the boat?"

How else?

"Don't you remember? His boat is made of Artenne wood."

Artenne wood was a top-grade shipbuilding material. It was tough as hell, and so buoyant it put life jackets to shame. Even if you submerged the entire boat, it would float straight to the surface on its own.

"What are you waiting for, Mr. Patzran? Get the boat out!"

At Raven's urging, Patzran summoned the boat while clutching his torn belly.

It was large enough to seat ten with plenty of room to spare.

I put the unconscious Aynar and the injured Mister Bear aboard and tied them to a post with rope.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and tie yourselves down too. You could fall off otherwise."

"Oh, right!"

Those capable of looking after themselves secured their own bodies with rope.

Then Misha spoke to me, clutching her severed arm tightly in her remaining hand. I'd tied that down securely too, so she didn't really need to hold on so hard...

"Bjorn, there's something I need to tell you, nyah."

Huh? Tell me something?

"Let's talk later."

"But..."

"Why? Don't you trust me?"

Misha paused, then gave a small shake of her head.

"I do, nyah."

Okay. Ready to set sail.

"... But how do we get over there?"

Once everyone was aboard, Raven stared at me in considerable dismay.

'Oh, good point.'

How was a boat summoned onto dry land supposed to set sail?

A difficulty I hadn't considered while making the plan.

But...

'If I didn't think of it, maybe that's because I didn't need to?'

Hmm. That seemed right. Especially since my body was already moving naturally the moment I heard her question.

"Wh-what are you doing? Don't tell me you're going to lift the whole boat...?"

If you already know, just sit still. You're sapping my strength.

"Raaaaaaaagh!!!"

With a roar bordering on a scream, I lifted the boat in both arms and strode toward the water. Even I couldn't hold it for long, so I offered one final piece of advice as I pushed it into the sea.

"Everyone, hold your breath."

"Go."

True to its highly buoyant timber, the boat began rising rapidly the moment it entered the water.

Now that [Priest of the Storm] mode was active, there shouldn't be much trouble once they reached the surface. The sea wouldn't be swirling like it had before.

Even in the game, escaping by boat wasn't blocked at this stage.

'... They're gone.'

Only after the boat vanished from view did I turn around.

There stood the sole companion who'd agreed to stay behind today... Or should I say comrade-in-arms? Anyway, Amelia was watching me with curiosity.

"You really do care deeply for your companions."

"They're small and precious, you see."

"... I see."

Come to think of it, she had a habit of answering almost everything with "I see." The annoying part was that no matter how many times I heard it, I could never tell what she meant by it.

I decided to just say my piece.

"You surprised me too. Agreeing so readily to take on this role with me."

Our job now was to act as bait.

Once it finished charging, it would start launching indiscriminate area attacks, the kind you couldn't block with a shield. Fragile mages and priestesses, not to mention wounded warriors, clearly wouldn't last more than a few seconds.

That was why we'd agreed to switch to Plan B and retreat if we reached this stage.

Unfortunately, though, not everyone could leave. Unless someone bought time, it would paddle after us with that tail.

There was no way in hell we could beat it from a boat at sea.

"This role, you say..."

Amelia gave a faint laugh.

"It's certainly not the sort of thing I'd normally do."

Apparently, she recognized how out of character she looked too.

Then why had she decided to stay?

"But I can't stand owing anyone a debt."

Wow. So that really was why.

I was genuinely impressed. All this loyalty because we'd saved her from death once?

Wasn't that the perfect personality to exploit?

'I'll have to put her in my debt whenever I get the chance.'

"What was that look just now?"

"Oh, you caught me? I was admiring how seriously you take your promises."

"... Empty flattery."

Amelia frowned in displeasure.

"Enough. Stop looking at me like that. Your escape method seemed reliable too. I never would have stayed if I hadn't calculated that we had a chance."

"Hmm, I see."

"Barbarian, what do you mean by 'I see'?"

"Well... Oh, looks like it's almost finished."

As I shifted my gaze, Amelia stopped chatting and looked ahead too.

「90%.」

The cyclone surrounding it was gradually dying down.

The final phase was about to begin.

I tightened my grip on my mace.

Did she sense something ominous in that?

"Wait. Wasn't the original plan to just hold out and escape?"

Amelia questioned my aggressive stance, so I tilted my head too.

"... I am trying to hold out."

"... Then wouldn't it be more efficient to put away the mace and just hold your shield?"

Huh? What was she going on about?

What did one thing have to do with the other?

I spoke firmly.

"A mace is an excellent means of defense!"

As I always say, the best defense is offense.

Especially against something that's already half-dead.

"So get your weapon out too! Don't try to slack off by just dodging around until time's up!"

"..."

"Misha saved that life of yours, didn't she?"

"... I see."

Slacking would not be tolerated.