The moment Aetlise's [Starburst] struck, the descending giant cried out in silence; only after the area was scorched could its screech pierce the air. The sharp cries ruptured firm barriers one after the other until it stopped and began to resonate with the softer barriers.
""…""
At the same time, everyone was unable to take their eyes off the giant beast. Now that its body was fully visible, it left them in awe.
Its legs glowed a scorching orange, oozing off steam as blood dripped like magma. Its mana pulsed a dull gold throughout the exoskeleton, slowly regenerating.
"Well, shit, it's regenerating…" Soliette frowned, eyes deadpan.
"A-And… you have to go up against 'that'?" a researcher added, quivering; their legs eventually gave out as they fell to their knees.
"…"
Alum continued to observe for a while longer while Aetlise held on to his hand, looking happy. To her, the thing wasn't much of a threat, but whether she took them down with it was another question altogether.
Looking at the devastation of one spell, the surroundings had turned into a burning hellscape, and as things began to cool down, glass of different colors emerged. Not to mention the surrounding jungle was still ablaze.
Monochrome.
—Analysis: Surface temperature, 754.32 K.
Thanks.
"So, Captain… what do we do about that?" Ottah asked, nudging his head towards the centipede, his breathing slightly elevated and shoulders tensed.
At his words, Viona glanced towards Alum while Soliette began nodding frantically. The other soldiers did too, though their eyes seemed to ask, "Are we really leaving the decisions to an emotionally stunted teenager?"
"For now, observe it for a little longer. We've got 6 minutes until it reaches the ground. Until now, it hasn't used a ranged attack, except for the screech. Be wary of that."
"Understood!"
Alum already knew, based on memories left by Monochrome, that the traps they'd prepared around the area had likely been triggered or obliterated by Aetlise's [Starburst].
But upon seeing the beast, the traps weren't going to be able to restrain it either way, which was why Aetlise fired the [Starburst]. However, it was questionable whether the person herself took that into consideration.
As for the party leaders of Night Ouen and Phantom Dusk… they already had their own ideas, as did their employers.
"We had a lil' talk with Mr. Rosswal, and decided to relocate the beast," Sarah said, shrugging. "We don't know whether the barriers would hold if we fought here."
Turen crossed his arms and nodded at her words. "Right. It's a shame to say this, but that beast is beyond what Night Ouen can handle. However, we'll act as a distraction for you to find openings."
"Understood," Alum affirmed coolly. "Where?"
"We'll be at 11 straight ahead, and Night Ouen at 2."
"Understood. Then, Citrine will cover 13 and Aurora 7.30."
"Got it." Turen and Sarah nodded.
"You heard that?" Alum called out to the soldiers temporarily under him.
"Affirmative!" they replied.
"…" Alum turned to the researchers.
Sentries aren't going to do much unless they're manually operated. I'm certain Mr. Ethym and Mrs. Emerine could manage. However, they're all shaken like the others.
Unlike last time, Alum won't drench these people in cold water. It might snap them back for a moment, but unlike last time, this being was a creature of myth, and the despair might be too deep.
Besides… relying on civilians to manually operate sentries might not be the best idea, considering how Aetlise, a specialist, almost wiped them all out with a single spell.
"Don't do anything, just defend yourselves when you have to."
"…U-Understood," they replied.
Then, Alum's eyes met Ethym's; Ethym nodded, holding onto Emerine, who was cradled in his arms.
"…"
Seeing the in-laws like that, a faint smile couldn't help but form on his lips.
"Get into position!" he called out calmly.
He raised his arm, mana surged to the tip of his fingers—with Monochrome's help, Alum was able to instantly cool down the outside temperature, resulting in thermal shock causing the ground to split and crack as hot steam rapidly rose.
Seizing that opportunity, Sarah jumped into the air and pushed the heated steam away with surging winds.
And when the coast was clear, the others followed. Alum and Aetlise, alongside Citrine, got into position.
—Krr-kAboOm!
Jua had shot an arrow; then, one after another, the rangers and mages began to unleash their attacks to draw its attention.
—IiiIIiiiiEEEeeeeEEehhh!
Even though the creature let out a hideous cry, the supports were already ahead and used a frequency barrier to protect them, almost completely negating the attack.
"Liss, you're unable to properly control your output, right?"
"Hmm." Her lips pouted as she fell into contemplation. "Kinda. If I use higher-tier magic, it's manageable, but fine control on lower-tier magic just isn't my thing."
"…What about the entropic fire?"
"Ah… that." Aetlise averted her eyes subtly. "It's not mine; it was something I had in store inside Starsteel—sorry, I can't use it again," she said, apologetic.
"I see." Alum wasn't surprised; based on the residue, it wasn't Aetlise's mana. "Ottah, you'll go on the offense with me. Soliette, cover us. Viona—"
—KRRRRIIIK!
Just as Alum cried out commands, black dots began falling from the sky rapidly—they were on fire, covered in water, or crystallized.
"Eek… It had minions!" Soliette grimaced.
Smaller centipedes began to rain down. Even though they were smaller, they were still as large as the main boss's legs, which were as tall as a house and as sharp as blades.
"Shoot down as many as you can!"
"Affirmative!"
—Notice: Heavy mana burst will damage the nervous system. Cooldown period: 22 seconds left.
"…"
Seeing Alum make a strange face, Aetlise let go of his hand, materializing Starsteel—however, as she was about to jump into the air, Alum grabbed her hand again.
"Viona."
"Yes!"
In the next moment, a protective dome emerged, then a tornado began to descend from the clouds. Cutting winds howled, picking up the glass shards and creating a deadly dance of wind and blades. Most of the smaller centipedes were scooped up and sent toward the horizon with the storm in a matter of seconds.
"She really is a passing storm."
"…"
At Alum's poor joke, nobody laughed. Instead, everyone had been left momentarily confused. And when they saw a red-haired elf who annoyingly winked at them up in the sky with her tongue stuck out to the side, they were left utterly exasperated.
Even so. Sarah began to wobble in the air and fell toward the ground, having likely fainted from the massive output, only to regain herself a split second later and let out a 'phew'.
"That joke of an elf was stronger than I thought, huh?" Aetlise let a careless remark escape.
Alum didn't reprimand her. However, the sword Sarah materialized must've been her divine weapon.
Is that really the difference between having a divine weapon and not?
—Note: From all gathered data in the archives, that was most likely a divine weapon. A key required to ascend into a 'demigod' for a brief moment. The individual Sarah has a 40% smaller and less dense mana source compared to you, Al. Their burst output seems higher than yours, and from what's extrapolated, they have a 30% higher recovery.
Did she ascend? Alum asked.
—Negative. The individual did not trigger a dominion to manifest their rules.
"…"
—Hypothesis: You process something akin to a key. The Imaginary Core. This was realized back when you fell through the spatial quake. 'Something' tried to replace the Imaginary Core and failed, leaving the core fatally damaged. Since there was no comparable data back then, the conclusion was incomplete.
"…"
—Affirmation: Yes, in the terms of this world, you were demoted from a demigod. Unknown cosmic forces conflict with core recovery. Estimated recovery time: Incalculable.
"…"
Although Monochrome confirmed something Alum already knew, he was more surprised by Monochrome.
Did you always talk this much?
—…?
I think you might've gotten confused by all the fiction I've been reading with Luna from that 'dream'…
—Negative… Reassessing… Corruption search complete: It appears a shard is misaligned when it snapped back. A part of Sinister's shard currently occupies my compartment.
"…"
—Apologies. Reassessing. The 10-second outcome simulations might not be as accurate as before. Estimated drop: From 68.42% to 43.21%.
That's enough. 43% certainty is better than acting blind and better than my 23%—
But before Alum could finish his line of thought, the centipede, as if fed up by the constant magical and physical barrage, curled into itself like an armadillo.
It detached itself from the tower and began to spin and ignite itself in ferocious crimson flames.
—"Shit! Shit! Shit!" the others exclaimed over comms.
—"It's casting a spell! Fall back! Now!" Alum yelled.
He looked at the giant thing, his brows subtly creased. He'd seen something similar during those years that flashed by inside that dream, and this was certainly—
[Draconic Meteorite]
Instantly, the sky was dyed in bright orange light.
Alum's subordinates were stunned—at this point, it would be too late to take shelter inside the barriers they left behind. Viona clenched her catalyst, activating the most powerful shield she could muster. Ottah had already scooped the mage up in his arms, ready to bolt the moment command was given. Meanwhile, a distressed Soliette cast a glance toward Alum and the hellish thing about to crash down.
"Strengthen yourselves, now!" Alum commanded.
Without much thought, the others activated powerful enhancement magic and body reinforcement as well as [Mana Armor].
In an instant, they felt their bodies being crushed as though they were being squeezed. And to say so might not be wrong.
It didn't take a full second for them to realize the vast scenery below them—Alum had blown them up into the sky with the help of Aetlise.
Thanks to the help of the earlier protective spells, they made it out for the most part. The only one coughing blood was Alum.
"Viona!" he shouted.
"Yes!"
Hearing the cue, she activated the barrier. But since Alum took precautions, he stabbed Depth Cutter into the ice platform they were currently on, activating [Sanctuary of Depth].
Just like that. The world was once again engulfed in a bright light and sounds so extreme that their hearing would rupture and their bones crack had it not been for the layered barriers.
"…"
Aetlise was the first to react. She released Alum's hand and jumped down toward the beast. Alum, having just recovered, followed her with his eyes. Below was a massive crater filled with molten rock and a rising mushroom cloud.
But as Aetlise blew away the debris, the massive centipede in the center had mostly been fine.
"Well. Shit," Alum calmly remarked.
Everyone turned to their captain with bewildered expressions. He, who'd been composed even after all the shit they'd gone through, now cursed at the ridiculous sight before them.
Alum then glanced toward the main barrier, and when he saw it was fine, he took out a syringe filled with blood and injected it into his arm. He seemed indifferent to the pain as he clasped a healing core, slowly regaining his vitality.
And while he took care of his injuries, the others watched as Aetlise unleashed a hellish storm of slashes that seemed almost ineffective.
Then, 4 seconds later, comms came back online.
—"It's Alum. How is everything on your end?"
—"Aurora's captain reporting in. We managed to retreat but suffered casualties."
—"Good work. Are you able to fall back to the main barrier?"
—"Yes…"
—"Night Ouen, Phantom Dusk, how's it on your end?"
—"It's fine," Sarah replied. "We got to safety thanks to Dalen."
However, Alum didn't miss the faint, muffled cough. He could even tell it was moist and that Sarah had taken quite some damage.
—"We're alright here too," Turen replied. "It's just that… Nuli might be out of commission. It took all her mana, and she's unconscious right now."
—"Good. While Aetlise holds it in place, fall back for now and get treated. Especially you, Sarah. You've already blasted away its minions. Regroup once you regain energy."
—"Ha… *caugh-caugh-caugh* Haha… got it, bossman!"
After the conversation with the team leaders, Alum turned to his own companions.
"Viona, sustain this island and give me ground support. Soliette, ignore inefficiencies; unleash artillery-grade magic. Ottah… protect the girls."
"…"
"…"
"""Affirmative!"""
..
While the others took time to reorganize, Aetlise gripped her trusted Star Steel and continued to chip away at the centipede's armor.
Its rough outer shell repelled her strikes despite the tremendous force. Its mana armor rippled in waves as she continued to strike, unable to land a clean hit.
"Tch! You insolent thing! Just die!"
In disregard of her own body, Star Steel glowed with a white-blue light, and the moment she stabbed the blade between the centipedes armor plates, nothing but a thunderous rupture happened. Again, she only managed to keep the thing in place and bash it to the ground.
However, despite the seemingly fruitless effort, Aetlise's eyes gleamed; a smug, victorious grin never left her face. The creature beneath it could only writhe and cry.
—IiiIeeEk! Eeeiiik!
Because…
Ever since Aetlise's assault, its mana has dropped by 5% in a span of a minute; instinctual fear and panic began to set in.
The creature considered itself intelligent and had been guarding the tower for many millennia. But this was the first time something as fierce and unyielding as this human girl had appeared before it.
She disregarded its sundering flames, and she was likely the one who had lightly injured it that time through its almost impenetrable mana armor.
Even if it had been caught off guard, the beam this menace of a girl fired at it had managed to get through its defenses, only if it was for a split second. And now, the little thing was rapidly eroding its mana at a steady pace!
And while it was being pinned down to the lava pit of its own making, its spine was curved by the relentless little thing on top of it, forcing it to look up—only for it to see a massive blue serpent descending from the sky.
..
The moment Alum jumped down, his mana surged. A skeletal structure made out of ice and water began to emerge. The mana was so dense that the water was tinged dark yet radiant blue.
In just a few seconds, the skeletal structure and armor-like scales formed a giant serpent made out of water and ice.
—KABOOM!
The serpent crashed and bared its fangs at the centipede—at least tried to. Its massive body began to coil around the massive creature, restraining it.
The centipede was essentially on fire, yet the snake clung to it relentlessly, trying to squeeze it and hold it still. The heat rapidly evaporated the icy cold ice, while the ice rapidly cooled down the fire and magma.
Neither yielded as frost mana and heat mana surged from Alum and the centipede. The centipede obviously had a much larger mana pool, and if this kept up for another five minutes, Alum would be a goner.
But he wasn't alone.
Aetlise hovered above him; in her hand was a charged-up Star Steel—illuminating the sky like a white and blue beacon of destruction.
The moment she pointed the blade downwards, she shouted, "Al! Get out!"
"…" Alum almost chuckled at the absurdity, but luckily, he had a taxi. "Hi, Mr. Shadow Express," he said, flashing Dalen a somewhat troubled smile.
"Yo, here to bail you out," Dalen replied, sighing a little.
Just as Alum took his hand, the serpent became a husk, instantly evaporating from the centipede's sundering heat.
He and Dalen had retreated into the corridors of shadows, and when he surfaced, he was inside the main barrier.
From a distance, a shiny needle of light that was the sword Star Steel slipped from Aetlise's hand.
[Neutron Needle]
Yet again, the world was submerged in a white-blue light. This time, the ground beneath the tower had evaporated; the mountains in the distance toppled. The main barrier they'd managed to get underground just to avoid extra collateral damage was now exposed to the open air.
"Ha…" Sarah, who'd just recovered, began to laugh. "Hah-hahahaha! Oh man! Even though I'm close to S-rank myself, isn't this too much?"
—Bzzt…
And speaking of the devil, while everyone was left speechless as is, a fissure emerged, and what came through was a naked girl completely flushed from the scorching heat; her clothes had likely met an unfortunate end.
Her long and dark purple hair was messy, yet still glossy and pretty. And her golden eyes only locked onto one person.
"Al!"
The girl beamed, and just like an affectionate puppy, she jumped into Alum's arms.
A little surprised, Alum caught her, wrapped her in his cloak, and patted her head.
"Good job."
"Mmnnh~" Liss purred, nuzzling into his chest.
—Al… You need to let go. You are getting a 4th degree burn… Monochrome remarked.
That's fine, Alum replied, then he fainted… His mana was almost gone, and the mental fatigue finally caught up to him.
"A-Al?!"
Liss began to panic, and the others began to snap out of their daze, then began to treat Alum.
..
Meanwhile, on the frozen island in the sky. Viona shook like a leaf, her eyes was that of a dead fish, her mana was completely depleted. She glanced to the side, seeing an equally drained and pale Depth Cutter from overwork; its barrier was almost failed.
Ottah said nothing; he nodded and pretended this was a normal thing. As for the elf…
"G-Guys…"
Ottah, with a blissful, carefree expression, turned toward her, as did the dead fish that was Viona.
"Wh-What do I do with this overcharged arrow…?"
"…"
"…"