Volume 8 Chapter 4 Part 3 (2/2)
When s.h.i.+n said that Schnee would come with them instead, Karin was not exactly convinced, but after hearing that there was something unusual going on at Mt. Fuji, she did not inquire further.
”Well then, as we discussed, I will take the first move.”
”Please do.”
After this exchange with Karin, Schnee raised a hand in the direction of the large monster army.
They were about 1 kemel from the monsters. Tsuguho and Tsugumasa furrowed their brows, wondering what Schnee was planning on doing, but the next instant the twins' expressions were filled with surprise.
”Woooh!! W-what's that!?”
Tsugumasa let out an exclamation, startled by the cold wind that had suddenly started to blow.
His eyes were fixed on the plains before his eyes, now covered in platinum white ice.
”Lady Karin, just who is she?”
”-an ally. You do not need to think any deeper than that for now.”
Karin gave a matter-of-fact answer to Tsuguho's question, p.r.o.nounced with a mixture of fear and awe.
She was not as surprised because, during the battle on the s.h.i.+p leading to Hinomoto, she had been witness of Schnee's crus.h.i.+ng victory over the Gale Serpents.
The skill Schnee used was the Water-type magic skill Cocytus, a spell with a wide area of effect.
It was not magic exclusive to battles against guilds like Blue Judgement.
However, its caster was Schnee, who had undergone a power-up during Filma's rescue. The spell's power was something beyond the imaginations of Karin and the others, who were running beside Schnee.
Naturally, she had adjusted the spell's effect in order not to cause damage to the Futaba forces.
”With this, the enemy army's rear has been taken care of. Let us go a.s.sist those fighting on the frontlines. I will take that White Tail.”
”Regarding that one, we could”
”No, I believe it is best if it is you who informs the Futaba soldiers that we came to help, lady Karin. I do not wish to cause confusion in their ranks. My apologies, but now let us prioritize a speedy extermination of the monsters.”
Karin realized that it would be faster and more people could be saved if Schnee used her magic, rather than if Karin's group of three went around slaying monsters.
However, due to the abrupt use of Cocytus, a considerable amount of confusion was produced on the frontlines.
Just like what Schnee said, if the messenger announcing that reinforcements arrived was between Karin, one of the Brave Ten, or a nameless adventurer, there would surely be different reactions.
The present problem was that the frontlines were already engaged in a chaotic battle. It would be difficult even for Schnee to eliminate only the enemy monsters.
”.Understood. I leave that to you then. Please be careful.”
The Futaba soldiers were not weak troops that would be trampled without resisting, but they were in severe numerical disadvantage.
Karin, who had heard the approximate numbers of the monster units, feared that they would bypa.s.s the Futaba troops and directly invade the towns.
Because of this, she swallowed her pride and agreed to Schnee's proposal.
”You too.”
Schnee replied to Karin with a small nod and headed in a different direction. Using the frozen monsters as footholds, she closed in on the White Tail, which was heading for the frontlines.
”Too slow.”
Schnee unsheathed Blue Moon and released a skill.
It was the Water/Katana combination skill Frozen White Arc.
A platinum white slash sprang forward from Blue Moon.
The crescent moon-shaped blade of ice, which had frozen even the arm of raid rank 3 demon Scoruas, cut off 2 of the White Tail's tails: the monster had reacted at the last moment at Schnee's slight killing intent.
The tails froze in midair before landing, while the freezing affecting the other tails was expanding towards the monster's legs.
”!?!”
A scream, which failed to become words, made the surrounding air tremble.
The White Tail wildly swung its remaining tails, attacking humans and monsters without distinction.
”.just what is this supposed to be?”
Schnee whispered while looking at the White Tail, which had lost all reason because of the pain and anger.
Based on level and monster rank, the White Tail before her was supposed to be the peak of its kind. But in actuality it didn't match such a description at all.
The monster was simply flailing wildly and did not show any trace of intellect, which should increase as the monster's level did.
Not all monsters were like that, but as far as Schnee knew, the intelligence of Demon Fox monsters tended to increase along with their level.
”I suppose Yuzuha's ”hunch” is right on the money, huh?”
Schnee stood on the monster, now with neck and tails cut off, and looked towards Fuji.
However, that lasted no longer than a few seconds, she immediately glanced at the battlefield once more and pointed her blade towards the monsters.
Filma and Tiera, riding on Kagerou's back, arrived in s.h.i.+jou territory at the time Schnee's group had started fighting, when s.h.i.+baid and Kankurou had finished exterminating the Ichinose troops and monster army.
Akara, Akitaka, and s.h.i.+den, who were also headed towards the s.h.i.+jou territory, had not arrived yet.
Even if they were guests in the Saegusa house, Filma and Tiera had not even met the Saegusa heiress, let alone knowing anyone from the Futaba or Yaejima.
Because of this, even if they knew that there were others coming that way, they did not go talk to them.
For Filma they would have only been in the way, and Tiera was not certain that they were heading to their same destination.
”We're almost there.”
”There's smoke coming from behind the defensive walls”
The soldiers seemed to be fighting back the invaders, but part of the frontlines appeared to have been breached. A 6-tailed Demon Fox monster was sweeping through the soldiers.
”I'm going to take down the one with 6 tails, so please take care of the small fry, Tiera.”
”Understood. I'll draw them away as much as I can.”
After their conversation, Kagerou charged headfirst towards the monsters' pack. Casting a wall of thunderbolts in its path while charging through with his huge body, Kagerou reduced the monsters to ashes in an instant.
”Okay then, my turn!”
Using the recoil from Kagerou's braking motion, Filma jumped high in the air. Bathed in the sunlight, the unique armor covering only her chest and waist area named Magic Armor of Hollow Lacquer- gave a dull gleam.
On the surface of Magic Armor of Hollow Lacquera geometrical pattern emerged. The pattern was painted with two pigments of purple. Purple that was almost black, and purple that had a brilliant reddish tint.
The part in green was describing the type of purple, and I separated them into two different sentences. Too much info for a single sentence.
These patterns, which made it seem as if wings had grown from Filma's back, were proof of one of the armor's abilities, magic power release.
This allowed the user to consume MP and use magic power as a booster or thruster, thus achieving higher speed.
After using it, it was no longer possible to perform quick changes in direction and its MP consumption was high, so it was a function no one used. According to s.h.i.+n however, it was simply an ability that ”chose its users”: the right person would surely be able to tame it.
As she ran freely through the air, almost like she was really flying, Filma readied her Red Moon .
The soldiers around the fox were just surrounding it while limiting its movements. As no one was especially close to the monster, the timing was just right.
”I'm sorry to say this all of a sudden, but you're out.”
Occupied with the human soldiers, Filma attacked the demon fox from the sky, which became its blind spot. She came down with the momentum of a falling star.
No one managed to react in time. Both the soldiers and the demon fox stood still before the raging flame falling from the sky.
The soldiers increased their distance because of the heat levels, while the fox wailed loudly because of the strike that had pierced its body.
”W-what!? What the he!?”
The soldiers who regained their bearings after the sudden fireball attack raised their voices. But they couldn't finish their sentences.
Inside the flame that had slain the fox, a shadow was moving.
”Something's coming out”
The more the shadow came closer, the more it looked human. In the end, the flames split as of their own will, and from the fire whirlpool appeared Filma.
Despite being in the middle of searing hot flames, neither her skin nor her armor showed any burn marks.
Emerging from the flames in that manner, the soldiers both feared Filma and were charmed with her beautiful appearance.
The armor she was wearing could hardly be said to be battle-oriented. No one, however, felt like pointing it out.
It looked good on her, and from the patterns rising from it, anyone would understand that it was no ordinary armor.
”You'll forgive me for s.n.a.t.c.hing your little prey, yes? hm? Can you hear me?”
”EH!?! No, well, we were struggling in fact, you saved us. May I ask who you are though?”
”Let's just say I'm reinforcements. My buddies are rampaging over there, but don't attack them by mistake, okay?”
Filma pointed towards the large monster army.
What the soldiers saw when they turned was a large wolf-like monster routing the other packs of monsters. In addition, the person riding it was releasing attacks like flashes of light.
”Are you, allies?”
”Of course, didn't I say that I'm reinforcements? Okay then, I'm going that way so I leave this to you. It's the place you live in, you better protect it well.”
After saying all that, Filma gracefully leapt towards the ma.s.ses of monsters.
The monsters turned to black ashes as her waves of flames spread at unbelievable speed.
Looking at this, the soldiers even started thinking that the demon fox they had been fighting until then maybe wasn't that strong.
”Filma is really amazingin a totally different way than master.”
Tiera felt somewhat at a loss for words, looking at Filma's performance of leaping over the monster hordes and attacking the demon fox.
Tiera's head was filled with questions, like what were those wing-like things that sprouted on Filma's back, what was up with her armor, which barely covered anythingbut for now she put them away and shot her bow.
Her enemies were monsters: there was no need to hesitate.
”I'm stronger than before, after all.”
Maybe because of the fragments absorbed within her body when Filma was freed, Tiera felt that her bow had become very light. If she infused just a bit of magic power in it, her arrows pierced through monsters with much more speed and power than before.
In the Barmel battle, she only managed to shoot arrows with Kagerou and Yuzuha's help, but now she could could fly with just her strength, and with more power than before.
Combined with her original abilities, Tiera's fighting power had increased exponentially.
”GRUAAAAAAAAA!!!”
As if encouraging her sniping, Kagerou roared. A mad dance of thunderbolts erupted in their surroundings, turning monsters into ashes.
Because of this overwhelmingly superior presence, even the monsters heading towards the s.h.i.+jou city now proceeded more slowly.
In addition, the demon fox commanding them was now gone. The monster army was on the verge of collapse.
”I was worried that they would think we were enemies, but it doesn't look like they're going to attack us.”
Tiera looked in the direction of the fighting soldiers and felt a little relieved.
She was a bit apprehensive when Filma had charged into the demon fox like that.
Just after this brief relief, Tiera prepared another arrow to shoot, but something other than monster corpses entered her line of sight.
That mostly torn and eaten thing she saw was a human corpse.
It was not the first time for Tiera to see a dead body. But the sight of that body, ravaged and destroyed to the point that it barely retained its original shape, was horrifying enough to make her swallow her breath.
”-I-I won't allow any more of this!!!”
Tiera inhaled briefly, then looked straight at the scenery before her eyes.
Maybe because the soldiers' numbers were too few, she understood that some monsters had entered the town. But that would end now. Filma had crushed the monster's commander, and Kagerou was lowering their morale with its intimidating aura.
To lower casualties as much as possible, Tiera aimed at the units with higher levels.