Chapter 138: Fierce Battle

“Is that a laser? No, the color was lightning attribute, so maybe it’s a charged particle cannon…? Either way, something dangerous has appeared.”

As Yū muttered to himself while glancing at the gouged ground, a desperate cry came from Annemarie, who had retreated further back from the rear guard.

“Isamu-san, are you okay!?”

“Yes, thanks to Hime, I’m fine. Annemarie, provide support with magic from behind.”

Glancing briefly behind him, Isamu replied with a smile.

“Me too! …I mean, understood. I’ll provide support from the rear! Take care!!”

Annemarie managed to swallow the words she was about to say, expressing her determination to fight.

The fact that Isamu, who had never kept himself away from the front lines in countless battles before, now ordered her to retreat immediately indicated how dire the situation was. This could also be inferred from Orihime sticking close to Isamu and not leaving his side.

Without turning around in response to Annemarie’s voice, Isamu raised one hand slightly.

“Mii”

In response, Orihime turned around and let out a small sound. Perhaps she was saying, “Leave it to us.”

“Are you okay!”

“Glad you’re safe.”

“Well done.”

The leaders called out to Isamu.

“Yeah, somehow. However, with my skill level, it’s difficult to dodge that thing, so I’ll step back a bit…”

Isamu responded with a wry smile.

“Yeah. Aren’t you supposed to be in the rear guard? Leave the front to us.”

Gascoigne grinned and patted his biceps.

“Isamu-sama, you mentioned earlier that magic was coming… Was that magic?”

Parfum inquired.

“Yes. As I mentioned earlier, I can see the magic power when it’s activated. That was magic. Although there’s no sign of it continuously firing for now, I don’t know for sure.”

As Isamu answered Parfum’s question, he added his own information.

“Also, we’ve fought a similar creature before. Well, it was much smaller… If it’s the same type, its body surface is quite hard. Normal swords won’t do much.”

“What?”

Parfum raised an eyebrow at Isamu’s response.

“We won’t know how similar they are until we try… So, Gascoigne-san, Parfum-san, and Felix-san, could you spread out and make a single attack? Framboise-san, please use magic for suppression. I’ll step back and provide suppression as well.”

“Got it.”

“Understood.”

“Got it!”

“Roger that.”

“Since there’s a risk of being wiped out by that magic from earlier with a large group, let’s start with a small group. Let’s decide on the next move based on the feeling of our first attack.”

It was a calculation to gauge the difference in strength between them and the enemy with leaders who had the ability to protect themselves even when charging alone.

“While keeping an eye on the big one… Let’s call it long legged spider crab for now, please defeat the approaching Rugged Spiders one by one! However, don’t chase them too far. We don’t know what kind of attack the big ones have, but if their mouths light up, move away from their line of fire. If you get hit directly, I won’t be able to guarantee your safety.”

He also gave instructions to the other selected members. Since more than twenty Rugged Spiders were surrounding them, they couldn’t afford to be distracted only by the Giant one.

“Got it!”

“Understood!”

“Got it!”

“Roger that!”

Although Isamu was giving instructions on the fly, the knights responded enthusiastically.

It was truly reassuring that there were no petty objections from those whose pride might get in the way.

For their sake as well, Isamu resolved to do his best once again.

“Framboise-san, what element are you good at?”

“I don’t particularly have any weaknesses. Do you have any requests?”

“Haha, that’s reassuring. If it’s the same as before, fire and wind won’t be very effective. Try firing a light flame magic first, and if it doesn’t work, scatter some Rock Fist.”

“Understood. What about you, magic advisor?”

“I specialize in earth magic. I’ll scoop up the ground.”

“Specializing in earth magic is unusual… Understood. Should we have our guys put up a wall? It might be better to use a stone wall if we want to ensure defense, but… it’s not good if it obstructs the view, so I’ll ask for a Wind Wall to be made thicker.”

“Understood. Did you hear that, guys? If we perform well here, Samuel-sama will surely be delighted! Let’s show them that such crab magic is no match for us!”

“””Yes!!”””

Franboise stirred up her knights, and Isamu decided to go along with it.

“When you succeed, I promise to put in a good word for you with Felker-sama!”

“””Oooooooooo!!!””””

Isamu’s words excited the knights of the Felker family.

“Haha, you played that well.”

Framboise muttered quietly.

“You too, Framboise-san.”

Isamu murmured back quietly.

They exchanged a quick glance, smirked at each other, and immediately returned their gaze to the Giant Spider Crab.

“Well then, we’ll go when Framboise-san signals with her magic!”

“””Ooooo!!”””

A cheer rose in response to Isamu’s command.

And with Framboise’s clear incantation, the battle began.

“From the void, fierce fire, become arrows and burn down the enemy!”

As the incantation began, Isamu’s eyes caught the swirling orange light erupting.

Just like the fireball blast earlier, it contained considerable magic power. It was ridiculous that he called this modest; for Isamu, firing three shots would reduce his magic power by half.

“Blaze Arrow!”

Ten flame arrows, each about fifty centimeters long, floated above Framboise’s head.

As she swung her hand down, five flew off first, followed by the remaining five a few seconds later.

After watching that, she immediately began preparing for the next magic, without waiting for the results.

The first volley of flame arrows flew in a row towards what seemed to be the mouth of the Giant Spider Crab.

In response, the Giant Spider Crab, without showing any signs of panic, slightly bent its forelegs and intercepted the flame arrows with its upper surface.

The flames erupted  upon impact, but as Isamu had anticipated, they only left slight scorch marks on the surface, causing minimal damage.

The second volley, which landed on the right foreleg, ended with similar results.

Upon seeing this, Framboise, who was preparing the next magic, raised her eyebrows in frustration.

Even though it was said beforehand that it wouldn’t work, it was still irritating. Framboise added a little more magic to the next spell.

Meanwhile, the three appointed to charge in had already begun moving as soon as the Blaze Arrow was activated.

Gascoigne, who excelled in individual techniques, headed straight from the front, Felix to the left, and Parfum to the right.

Confirming with a sidelong glance that neither the first nor second wave of the Blaze Arrow had any effect and seeing Framboise start preparing for the next magic, they charged towards the Giant Spider Crab.

The first to make contact was Parfum, who was closest in distance. Circling around to the back of the opponent’s left foreleg, he thrust his sword into the joint of the Giant Spider Crab at shoulder height.

*Gigiiin!!*

Despite Parfum’s lightning-fast triple thrust, which was unleashed in the blink of an eye, it only made a dull sound different from metal hitting metal, shaving off the surface without causing much damage.

“Hmm. Indeed, this is tough…”

Parfum murmured softly, stopping his feet on the left side of the Giant Spider Crab while still thrusting.

Next was Gascoigne, who charged straight from the front. While paying close attention to the part that seemed to be the mouth where the magic had been unleashed at lightning speed earlier, he boldly charged straight from the front. Just as the opponent lowered its head to receive Franmboise’s Blaze Arrow, Gascoigne aimed at the Giant Spider Crab’s face at shoulder height.

Despite exposing his body fully to the line of fire, Gascoigne, taking advantage of the fact that he didn’t hear the precursor sound from earlier, ran with momentum and thrust his sword into the opponent’s glowing red eye.

*Bagiiin!!!*

A high-pitched, hard sound resounded, and shards like glass scattered around as Gascoigne’s longsword and the glass-like fragments flew around.

*Roaaaar!!*

For the first time, the Giant Spider Crab emitted something akin to a voice.

“Darn, even its eyeballs are tough!”

Gascoigne spat out as he jumped back diagonally.

Successfully stabbing the opponent’s glowing red eyes as intended and shattering the hard, transparent membrane covering them, Gascoigne managed to achieve it. However, the cost was significant, as his sword was also halfway broken.

Finally, Felix charged towards the opponent’s right foreleg. Activating Felis 1 Reinforcement, he aimed for the joint behind it like Parfum and slashed.

“As expected, if it’s a reinforced type, it can be damaged! However, its armor is quite thick.”

Taking his time, Felix looked at the ten centimeter deep wound he had just made and screamed.

“Rock Fist!”

Immediately after, Framboise’s second magic struck.

Perhaps unable to tolerate the Blaze Arrow’s ineffectiveness, about twenty rocks, each larger than a softball, rained down on the Giant Spider’s Crab’s back.

*Dogaagaagaaa!!*

A loud noise resounded, and the three charging warriors taking this a cue, returned.

“If it’s not a magic sword, then it’s useless. Mizeroi-san, Ulysses-san, please lend Gascoigne-san and Parfum-san the reinforced type.”

“Mizeroi-san, you’ll be the main attacker with the usual hammer. Ulysses-san, please join the rear guard. Liddell-san, Marcela-san, Tiramisu-san, you’re all in the front line with the reinforced type!!”

“””Yes sir!”””

Isamu gave instructions in rapid succession.

“So this is the magic sword that cut through the armor of Innocenti family…”

“Yeah. We call it Felis 1 Reinforcement.”

Gascoigne, who received the sword from Mizeroi, lightly tested its balance with a swing.

“…Is it okay? It’s probably a secret magic tool of your family, right?”

“Hmm, if our advisor says it’s okay, then it should be fine. There’s no point in dying with a magic sword in hand.”

To the puzzled Parfum, Ulysses answered nonchalantly.

“As Ulysses-san said. It’s a judgment made after considering who would be best to use it. Oh, make sure to return it, okay? I trust you…”

Isamu also said with a smile.

“Even though it’s a magic sword, it will probably break if the angle is bad. Be careful.”

Felix gave some concrete advice.

“Yeah, I can’t afford to look bad after being told that.”

“Ah, let’s promise to do our best.”

As Gascoigne and Parfum’s expressions tightened at Isamu’s words, Framboise’s voice echoed.

“It’s coming!!”

The Giant Spider Crab, which had paused for a moment after being hit by the direct hit of Rock Fist, began moving again.

Although it would have dealt considerable damage if it had been a limited area confrontation, it seemed that it had not suffered significant damage despite its back being dented.

*Kiii…*

Magic power gathered once again in the mouth of the Giant Spider Crab.

“Disperse!!”

Isamu gave the order, but everyone had already started moving as soon as they heard the sound.

The front line scattered left and right to disperse the targets, while the rear guard took cover behind the multiple-deployed Wind Wall, and additional Wind Walls were erected.

*Pachuiin!*

And then, the second beam was unleashed. Perhaps seeing Rock Fist as a threat, the target seemed to be Framboise.

Even though it was daytime, the advancing beam, which made the surroundings even brighter, struck the inclined Wind Wall.

The first wall slightly refracted the angle of the beam upwards and collapsed without much resistance, but the second wall couldn’t stop its straight path. However, it succeeded in refracting the beam much more upward than the first wall did.

And the beam, which had been further refracted by the third wall that had been erected earlier, disappeared into the sky.

“Managing to deflect it with three layers… But conversely, it means that with three layers, we can deflect it. I’ll redeploy the wall right away!”

Encouraging the rear guard who was stunned by its power, Framboise spoke out.

“Mist Veil!”

Beside her, Isamu generated a thin mist around the area.

“Hmm?”

Momentarily surprised by the unexpected magic, Framboise frowned.

“Since that attack seems to be lightning attribute, I should be able to disperse it to some extent with fine water droplets. If I overdo it, it’ll become invisible, so this is the limit.”

“Oh, the Mist Veil has that effect… Our magic advisor has an interesting way of using magic.”

Seemingly understanding Isamu’s explanation, Framboise widened her eyes.

“I only have average magic power, you see. So I have to come up with something.”

“I see. You’re amazing. Instead of giving up because of your low magic power, you overcome it with ingenuity… Indeed, having a lot of magic power is advantageous, but it’s meaningless if you don’t use it well.”

“Hahaha, it’s not such a sophisticated story, you know. Oh, we shouldn’t be talking for too long. Framboise-san, I have a little favor to ask. Ulysses-san! Can you listen together?”

With a wry smile, Isamu conveyed something to Framboise and Ulysses.

Though both of them showed a momentary surprised expression, they quickly nodded vigorously and refocused on the battle with the Giant Spider Crab.

Amidst the faint mist, the vanguard also began their battle with the Giant Spider Crab.

Forming a formation to surround the opponent and not allowing them to focus their attacks, they repeated hit-and-run tactics.

“Oh, this one cuts really well!”

Gascoigne exclaimed happily as he swung the Felis 1 Reinforcement, chipping away at the Giant Spider Crab’s left foreleg.

“Yes, it’s truly a splendid magic sword.”

On the right foreleg side, Parfum was adding precise attacks one by one.

On the hind leg side, Marcela and Liddell’s combination with Felix were also struggling.

Mizeroi was constantly on the move, watching for an opportunity to deliver the most effective blow with the Weight Variable Hammer against the Giant Spider Crab.

On the other hand, the monster skillfully handled all four legs to take on everyone alone.

It seemed to have a view in all directions at the same time, rarely changing direction and continually launching attacks. Moreover, while dealing with close combat, it occasionally emitted beams from its mouth, never easing its attacks on the rear guard.

With each hit, the walls became useless, and since constant preparation for redeployment was necessary, the rear guard couldn’t provide effective support through magic.

Gathering together the top knights in the kingdom to face off against them evenly, one could only marvel at their combat prowess.

The only relief was that the number of Rugged Spiders attacking sporadically was gradually increasing. The fact that they didn’t coordinate their attacks was at least some comfort.

As the situation continued with neither side having a decisive advantage, it was clear that Isamu and the others were at a disadvantage.

Not only did they lag behind the monsters in terms of physical stamina, but there were also limits to the amount of magic power available to people and magic stones.

While monsters likely had limits to their magic power as well, humans would probably reach their limit first.

Thinking this way, Isamu suddenly noticed that the Giant Spider Crab had abruptly changed its fighting style.

Instead of continuing to emit beams towards the rear guard as before, it suddenly aimed a beam towards the vanguard.

Unlike the beams it had emitted towards the rear guard, this one was released suddenly with no buildup, *Kyuiiin!* as the beam flew.

The target was Mizeroi, who was running to circle around to the side.

Although he didn’t make any careless moves despite moving, he couldn’t avoid the beam flying at ultra-high speed. The beam hit him directly on the side of his body.

While the charge time seemed short and the power weakened, it was originally only possible to deflect it with three layers of Wind Wall Window Walls. A direct hit was not something to be taken lightly.

…Or so it should have been, but Mizeloi, with a considerably surprised expression, remained unharmed.

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

“Mizeroi!!”

Surprised voices rose from various places at the sudden turn of events.

“I’m okay! It seems to have dispersed with this cloak!”

Mizeroi shouted without stopping his feet.

As Mizeroi said, the magic-resistant cloak worked because the attack hit his body’s side.

With it being a lightning attribute attack and Isamu’s Mist Veil causing dispersion and attenuation, the cloak managed to block it.

“I can only withstand one more hit! The magic stones behind the cloak are almost cloudy!” 

Glancing briefly at the magic stones embedded in the back of the cloak, Mizeloi reported as he ran to avoid the line of fire.

While they were in the midst of this, the second shot was fired. The target was Mizeroi, who hadn’t completely avoided the line of fire yet.

Although the beam managed to hit the surface of the cloak, the magic stones were now depleted.

Mizeroi somehow managed to slip past and joined Gascoigne near the Giant Spider Crab’s left foreleg. However, attacking only the legs was very inefficient.

“Heaven and Earth Grand Spike!”

Suddenly, Isamu’s voice echoed, and the area beneath the Giant Spider Crab’s left leg where Mizeroi had joined Gascoigne lit up.

“!!”

“!”

Mizeroi and Gascoigne, understanding in an instant what was about to happen, jumped back from the illuminated area.

Boom!

Several stone spikes, each about thirty centimeters in diameter, shot out from the ground and forcefully lifted the Giant Mud Crab’s left foreleg.

Completely caught off guard, the Giant Mud Crab couldn’t defend itself and staggered significantly.

“Heaven and Earth Grand Spike!”

As if to add insult to injury, Ulysses’ Grand Spike was activated, lifting the Giant Mud Crab’s left hind leg and finally flipping it over.

Boom!

A fierce rumbling echoed around.

“!? Alright!!”

“Opportunity!”

“Now’s the time!”

No one was going to miss this opportunity. Each one attacked the legs and abdomen.

Among them, Mizeroi’s attack stood out.

“Take this!”

Boom!

Leveraging the property of increasing weight, Mizeroi swung the hammer with all his might at the part of the Giant Spider Crab’s chin where it had been flipped over. With each hit, the monster’s armor dented with a resounding boom.

However, the Giant Spider Crab wasn’t just going to take the beating.

Violently swinging its four legs sideways, it knocked away the swarming knights. Then, lifting its legs straight up, it slammed them down on the ground with all its might.

Bashin!

As it made a loud crashing noise, the Giant Spider Crab managed to perform a perfect half-turn and regained its posture.

“Rurururururunnn!”

It emitted a sound that resembled a growl, entering a state of filling up with magic power.

“Heaven and Earth Grand Spike!”

Again, Ulysses’ magic was activated.

However…

“Ruoohhh!”

At the same time as the ground lit up, the Giant Spider Crab let out a roar and jumped up.

“What!?”

“Eh!?”

“Huh?!”

“Full-body Enhancement!”

“Rockfall !”

Amidst the surprised exclamations, the chants of Isamu and Framboise echoed calmly.

Isamu, faintly glowing with light, dashed out.

“Nya!”

At the same time, a small golden light flew out alongside Isamu.

Then, a rock about the size of a bundle appeared directly above the Giant Mud Crab and fell freely.

Boom!

Mid-leap, the Giant Spider Crab took a counter from the large rock and fell straight down, slamming into the ground.

Quickly diving into the falling spot, Isamu began chanting the next spell.

“Mire that swallows large beasts, turn from rocks! Mudification!”

As his hands touched the ground, the earth around the Giant Mud Crab melted, swallowing its massive body.

“Nyanya nyaauu!”

On top of Isamu’s head, Orihime, still perched, exclaimed something, and the tips of her forelegs faintly glowed.

“Nyaaah!”

Jumping up vigorously, she dove toward the struggling Giant Spider Crab’s back.

Kiiin!

With a high-pitched sound, she carved a cross-shaped scar into the Giant Spider Crab’s back.

“Nnya!”

Landing on Mizeroi’s head while spinning around, Orihime let out a short cry.

“Alright! Leave it to me! Ooohhh!!!”

Raising a roar, Mizeloi jumped up and swung his hammer with all his might at the cross-shaped scar carved by Orihime.

Bagigg!

With the scar as the center, small cracks ran across the Giant Spider Crab’s back.

“Oooohhh!!!”

With another roar, Mizeroi swung the hammer down once more.

Bagibagibagibagig!!!

The hammer sank halfway in, and the armor on the Giant Spider Crab’s back cracked.

“Mizeroi-san, take this!”

Saying so, Isamu threw something at Mizeroi.

What Mizeroi caught in his sight was a lightning Sword.

“Got it!”

Mizeroi immediately activated it.

“This is the finishing blow!”

Then, he drove the Lightning Sword into the large crack made by Orihime and himself.

“Rororooohhh!!”

As cracks and sparks flew from the gaps in its joints, the Giant Spider Crab screamed.

Its limbs twitched spasmodically, then, gradually, its strength drained away, and it sank heavily into the ground, becoming like a swamp.

The light vanished from its eerily glowing red eyes.

“Nyaff.”

Orihime, still perched on Mizeroi’s head, sniffed and then, as if saying “Well done,” she patted Mizeroi’s head vigorously.

For a moment, there was silence.

And then…

“”””Uoooohhhh!!””””

“””Alrightttt!!!””””

The emotions of everyone involved in the battle exploded.

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