Chapter 16: Prince Kurobuta goes to work on the executive

"-Now! Release!!! "

　At Mina's command, the archers shoot their arrows all at once.

　Immediately after, the magic corps finished chanting their spells and released all the attack magic that they were good at, such as fireballs and lightning strikes.

　Dozens of arrows, dozens of fireballs and lightning strikes.

　They run through the air at a tremendous speed and attacks the cyclops. With the outstanding skills of the elite cait sith, all these arrows were precisely aimed at the eye of the monocular giant.

(If only we could crush the eye. ......)

　--Cyclops' eye.

　It's not just for "seeing", it's an evil eye with enormous magical power.

　The cyclops depends on it for much of its power, in fact, once it’s crushed, the power of the cyclops will greatly weaken.

　With this information in mind, it was decided in advance that the first move of the battle would be to focus on the eye.

　And in the next moment, the rearguard of the raiding party's all-out attack rained down on the giant like a torrential downpour--

"――――"

　Immediately after---Zudoooon! !! !! and the countless attack spells of the magic squad mixed together to create a huge explosion on the Cyclops' face.

(Regret looking down on us nya!)

　Mina smiled fearlessly as she squinted at the awesomeness of the explosion.

　No matter how cunning the cyclops was, It wouldn't have expected them to be so enthusiastic right at the start of the battle.

　It seems that neither his defense nor evasion was satisfactory, and he received the attack fully with his face.

"... Eye, my eye ah ah !!!"

　He staggered while covering his eye with both hands, screaming painfully.

"--All corps, total attack !!!"

　Mina didn’t miss the chance that was born here.

　Mina commanded and charged.

　　The rearguards did their job well, blinding the giant’s eye. It's up to Mina and her team, the vanguard, to decide the outcome.

"..."

　Mina runs across the arena with her twin swords in her hands.

　The other warriors followed her with a rallying cry and sprinted at a speed that seemed as if they were gliding across the ground.

　And then, like an avalanche, they swarmed towards the terrifying giant in front of them, slashing its huge right leg with their swords and piercing it with their spears one after another.

　As if the feelings of all the cait sith had been put in, they attacked in fury.

"... Ahhhhh"

　The mountain-like giant cyclops finally stiffened.

　Seeing that, Mina hurriedly instructed the warriors to retreat. She was afraid that the giant would collapse and they would be crushed by accident.

　Immediately after. As expected, the cyclops slowly collapsed, but stopped by kneeling on one knee and using his club as a staff.

"Ku, no way ... to think I'd bend my knees against these small fry."

  Mina was convinced that the giant was considerably weakened when she heard his frustrated and astonished voice.

　The time to decide this is now.

"Father and mother ... the resentment of all the people in the village, it will be avenged here!"

“Attack!” She issues a command again.

　The members of the subjugation team responded with a loud roar like they were waiting for it, and they rushed to the stab the cyclops again.

"Please, wait ... only my life!"

　With the rearguard's all-out attack crushing his eye and the vangard’s all-out attack crushing his right leg, the cyclops could no longer take this all-out attack.

"As if"

　--Or at least It was supposed to be.

"hm……!?"

　Immediately after. The corners of the mouth of the cyclops, which should have been in pain, turned up and spread eerily like a god of death.

　Immediately after--Bang! !! !! The cyclops's arm moved at a speed that could not be imagined from that giant body, and the members of the subjugation corps that had rushed towards the cyclops were wiped out with a club.

　A few people, including Mina, barely evaded backward, but the rest of the warriors received the attack. They flew as if on a gust of wind from a dragon, and slammed hard against the hard walls of the labyrinth..

"Are you okay!?"

　I called out in panic, but there was no reply.

　Many of the warriors seemed to have lost consciousness and were no longer moving. The cat people are strong, so there’s no danger to their lives, but with that kind of force, they must have suffered a concussion. It was an unbelievable strength to stun the veterans with a single blow.

　Mina clicks her tongue, but turns to the Cyclops to assess the situation.

"What ... what does this mean nya!?"

　She opened her eyes wide in astonishment.

　　The Cyclops, who had been in so much pain earlier, smiled fearlessly and stood up as if nothing had happened.

"Why are you okay ... and your eye!?"

　And above all, that eye.

　The cyclops eyeball, which should have been completely crushed in the first move, was glaring at me, completely unscathed.

"... Think with that stupid head of yours. Do you think I'll leave my eye as an obvious weakness? Of course I’ve taken measures."

　The cyclops raised its club while cracking his neck in a laughing tone, and then glanced at a corner of the labyrinth.

　There were several goblin mages casting a spell.

　A goblin Mage is a variant of goblins that specializes in curse and sabotage magic.

　The grant magic "Clear Shield" which deploys a strong magic wall that blocks attacks for ally monsters is extremely troublesome, and if deployed, attacks are almost nullified until the effect expires. Therefore, it’s the first monster to be defeated if found in a pack.

　Apparently, they deployed a magic wall and protected the cyclops.

"... Cowardly! Didn’t you say that you would fight alone, but you were protected by magic!"

　Mina complains, but cyclops snorts and laughs.

“Hmm, is there any cowardice in fighting for your life? It's a fact that I'm the only one who actually fights, and it's only my eye that I had them protect with magic in the first place."

　The eye only? Mina frowns.

　Only the eyes were protected by magic.

　If his word is true, the cyclops has been subjected to the total attack of Mina and the vangard. And the right leg which they attacked looked almost unscathed, albeit with a few scratches. In other words, we attacked him with full force but he didn’t receive any damage.

"No way..."

　She gulped and inhaled sharply.

　Looking at the magic power of the cyclops, it’s true that there is unnatural movement of magic power only at the cyclops eye. From that, his words are probably true. It seems that only the eye was protected by magic.

"We all attacked, but it wasn't hurt!??”

"No way, it didn't work at all?"

"It’s hopeless ... we can't win against that!”

　　My friends began to understand this, and their faces gradually turned desperate.

　Undoubtedly, the vanguard’s attack was at its best.

　If it received them without the magic protection of the Goblin Mages and there was still no damage, we can’t win as my friends say. It simply means our attacks can do no damage.

　The warriors, who are elites of the cat race, launched the best attacks they could to bring down the cyclops.

"Yeah, that’s the face ... I like to watch the faces of humans change from hope to despair. It didn't hurt, it didn’t even itch, but I did my best to play the monkey. It was worth it. "

　The “Gahahahahaha” laughter of the cyclops echoed through emptiness of the labyrinth.

　It's just that our first move was blocked.

　It’s not like we didn't fight properly.

　Nevertheless, the overwhelming difference in ability was shown, and the members of the subjugation team were clearly losing their fighting spirit.

"We haven't lost yet ...!"

　Mina knew this wasn’t good, and as the head of the subjugation team, she tried to raise her voice to inspire the warriors at that moment.

"No, it's over"

　The cyclops' hand stretched out from the side and grabbed Mina. And easily lifted her into the air.

"Let go of me, damn it ... let go!"

　Mina struggles to escape, but the cyclops's hand stays firm. There was no way to escape from that overwhelming grip strength. He gazes at Mina’s squirming with a relaxed expression, and cyclops licks its mouth with his long snake-like tongue.

　The predator and the prey.

　Recognizing the meaning of this gesture, Mina couldn’t help but shudder.

"-No, help the young cheif! "

　The warriors of the subjugation corps raise their voices, pick up their weapons, and launch an all-out attack on the cyclops.

　However, despite the numerous slashing and piercing attacks, the cyclops didn’t pretend to be damaged like the first time.

　On the contrary, It didn't even move a step from the spot.

"Annoying, get blown away ."

　The cyclops just swung his arm lightly, and the warriors of the subjugation corps were blown away like insects.

　With just the action of waving his arms, the subjugation corps composed of elite cats of the cat race were almost destroyed.

　The cyclops turned his gaze back to Mina in his hand and gleefully laughed.

"Little girl ... It seems you’re the daughter of that cheeky young cheif, but it seems you didn't learn anything by seeing the folly of your father who turned against me. See with your eyes what kind of result your folly will bring. "

"What ... what do you want to do nya!?"

　The cyclops, with a different hand from the one that held Mina, picked up a dying cait sith warrior.

"Guahh ah ah ah! !! !!”

　The warrior, squeezed with overwhelming strength, screams in pain and coughed blood.

　If the cyclops put in a little more effort, he would be crushed, as easy as a human crushing an insect.

"No ... stop! I don't care if it's me nya! Just my friends...!"

"I can't do that. You challenged me like this, yet you weren’t prepared? Yes, I'll kill all of them one by one from now on. Watch your freinds die, and despair at your helplessness.”

　Mina's plea wasn’t heard, and the cyclops put more strength into the hand holding the warrior with a cruel smile.

　The warrior's screams echoed through the labyrinth and hit Mina's eardrums violently.

(Why... stop ...)

　I thought I was prepared.

　It should have been ruthless and made up my mind that it was inevitable to lose friends in this battle.

(Stop it... no more ...)

　But it didn't work.

　I wasn't prepared. I was naive. My attitude and the perception of this overwhelming monster were too naive.

　I should have thought more calmly.

　I should have faced the reason why my father, the strongest warrior of the cat race, lost unable to do anything. 

Mina instigated everyone, saying that her father had lost only because he was unlucky and that she could win if she prepared with all the warriors.

　As the cyclops says, everyone will die because of my stupidity. The overwhelming monster in front of us can kill us like bugs.

　I couldn't win from the beginning.

(help……)

　Such words spill out of my heart.

　When I became a young chief after my father and mother lost their lives, and when I saw the people of the village weeping over the death of their friends, I thought I had decided to never be weak.

　However, when I saw my companion struggling in front of me, my emotions finally overflowed.

　I’m bad. It's all my fault that this happened. But my friends are different. My companions were just involved in my folly. They just wanted to help me.

　It can be an angel or a devil.

　I’ll pay anything, no matter the cost.

　So, so--

"somebody please ...... help!!”

　The overflowing emotions rushed out of her heart like a flood, and eventually became tears spilling down Mina's cheeks.

It was at that moment.

　--Shoom!

　Something like lightning flashed across her vision.

　And the companion who was supposed to be suffering in front of me along with the hand of the cyclops strangling him disappeared for some reason.

　Immediately after, I felt as if I was floating in the air. As I was about to hit the ground, I realized I had been freed from the Cyclops' hands and hurriedly caught myself.

"--Ahhhhhhhhh !!!"

　The next moment. The screams of the cyclops roared.

　Unlike his previous performance, it was a scream I could tell was serious just by listening.

　The Cyclops was bleeding profusely from both arms, and the cut surface looked as if something had sliced off his wrists and beyond.

　When I moved my eyes further, I found that the giant's hands, which had been squeezing me and my companion, were lying on the ground, and my companion had fallen beside the other hand.

 He seems to be in pain, but he’s breathing. He seemed to be okay.

(But who on earth ...!?)

　There was no warrior in the subjugation team who could slash both arms of the cyclops with a single blow, and Mina had no idea who it was.

　When I looked up curiously--

"... I'm sorry I was late."

  I noticed, a figure appeared in front of me, reaching out to me.

　The man who had a noble smile on his face is a beautiful boy with fascinating brown skin and shimmering silver thread-like hair.

"You, eh.....?"

　Mina was familiar with the boy.

　He had lost weight and looked different from a month ago, but there was no mistaking his dignified face.

　It's the guy I met a month ago at Sky Mountain. He was a young aristocrat named Brad who claimed to be a Viscount of the Kingdom of Pishtel.

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