“Lynne...?”

  “That being the case, don’t worry about imposing on us. Let us fight with you. We aren’t the kind of people who would abandon their friends and run. Isn’t that right, Instructor Noor?”

  “Staying to help was pretty much what I planned to do from the start,” I agreed.

  “Sorry to have dragged you into my personal circumstances again...”

  “Oh, don’t worry about it. More importantly—it’s coming.”

  There was a booming crack as the stone floor beneath us shattered and something massive shot up from below. This was the final straw for the Cathedral, which began to collapse around and under us. Amid the falling rubble, we stared up at the monstrosity that had risen up from underground.

  The skeleton was a size or two larger than when I’d seen it a moment ago. In fact, I wasn’t sure I could even call it a skeleton anymore; its bones were fully encased in bulging, swelling flesh, making it look more like... Well, no comparison came to mind. Countless massive wings unfurled atop the weirdly shaped monstrosity’s back, and—

  “KKKRRROOOOOOAAAAAARRR!”

  Gaping maws opened up all over its body, releasing a guttural screech that was equal parts ominous and seemingly not of this world. The monster hung above us, blanketing out the sky.

  Chapter 93: Empathy

  With the Cathedral now completely destroyed, floor and all, we found ourselves falling through the air with its shattered remains. But before we could collide with any of the debris or experience a nasty landing, Astirra conjured a platform of air that slowed our descent, allowing us to touch down safely.

  “Hey, isn’t this...?”

  I recognized where we had landed: it was near the entrance to the Dungeon of Lamentation, where Sigir and his compatriots had taken me not too long ago. There was an enormous hole in the ground—probably made by that monstrosity during its climb to the surface—but no further damage anywhere else that I could see. The floor must have been pretty sturdy.

  It’s a good thing we didn’t fall too far.

  Unfortunately, I was allowed only a short moment of relief; our foe flexed its massive wings and descended on us at blinding speed. A mass of hands extended from all over its fleshy, distended body, stretching across the sky...

  [BLACK BOLT]

  And then fired an immense black lightning bolt.

  [Parry]

  I swung my black sword just in time to catch the crackling projectile. It was beyond heavy. I’d expected as much, having recognized at a glance that the attack was far more potent than any of the monstrosity’s previous lightning bolts, but not even my full strength would allow me to support it for much longer. My limbs—no, all the muscles in my body—screamed out in pain as they were torn apart; then my arms were blasted out of the way.

  “[Divine Shield].”

  Ines had at some point readied herself behind me, and the black lightning bolt connected with the massive bulwark of light she had created at the very last moment. The projectile rebounded and shot up into the air before finally detonating. Our view of the dark sky above vanished behind a burst of pitch black, and after a pause, we were all subjected to a deafening crack. Despite how high the bolt had climbed, the shock wave it produced was still strong enough to blast away all the rubble on the surface.

  “That was insanely strong...” I grunted. “It was nothing like the attacks we faced earlier.”

  “Instructor Noor.” Lynne was staring after the bolt in blank amazement. “Did...Did that monstrosity fire that lightning...?”

  “Yeah. It was only one move, but look how beat-up I am.”

  I showed her my palms. They were charred black and smoking, even though my sword had only made contact with the lightning bolt for a fraction of a second. It was nothing I wouldn’t be able to fix with my [Low Heal]...but I wouldn’t be able to survive a volley of attacks like that one.

  Still supporting the weight of my sword with my arms, which were now partially numb, I stared up at the monstrosity above us. Its body wasn’t the only thing that had grown tremendously—its power had too. How were we supposed to win against such a formidable opponent...?

  “Prepare yourself, my lady. A swarm of monsters is closing in from below.”

  I turned in the direction of Ines’s warning to Lynne and saw that she was right: a teeming wave of shapes was spilling out of the dungeon’s entrance and rising from the massive hole in the floor. Were those all monsters?

  The swarm surged up the piles of rubble and debris, and in the blink of an eye, we were surrounded. I considered it lucky that each of the monsters comprising the mass was smaller than a common goblin, but still—there were an awful lot of them. The flying monstrosity had seemed like a big enough handful on its own, so our current situation was no joke.

  “I’ll thin their numbers a little,” Lynne said. “Ines, cover me.”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  The two got straight to work laying into the monsters, cutting swathes into their formation, but the gaps were filled so quickly that it was hard to say they were making any headway. If anything, the swarm seemed to be growing thicker. Wave after wave, our enemies just kept coming.

  “Well, this isn’t good,” I mused aloud. “We need to figure out a way to deal with both of our problems at the same time.”

  “You’re right...” Lynne turned a critical eye to our surroundings. “We need to form up and work together; otherwise, we’re going to be wiped out.”

  That was an ominous proclamation if ever I’d heard one, but she wasn’t wrong about the severity of our situation. As much as Lynne and Ines were barely breaking a sweat as they tried to stem the tide of monsters, a short distance away, Sigir and his knights were on the back foot. They were covering for their compatriots who had sustained injuries during the earlier impact, but it looked like they could be overwhelmed at any moment.

  The soldiers fighting alongside Tirrence and Astirra seemed to be doing fine. The problem was those scattered among the swarm.

  “It might be a good idea to hurry over there and help them...” I remarked.

  “You’re right, Instructor...but the next attack from above is coming.”

  The airborne monstrosity’s many eyeballs swiveled in our direction, and I looked up just in time to meet their uncanny gaze.

  [INFERNO]

  All of the monster’s hands extended downward, and from them erupted a torrent of destructive fire magic. This was very bad news. I suspected these were the same flames we had seen it use before, which meant they would cling to our bodies and stubbornly keep burning. But much like the lightning bolt it had just released, their size and potency were of a much greater scale.

  The fiery maelstrom covered the sky, and the rubble on the surface began to char and melt. If the flames reached us, there wouldn’t be anything we could do to survive them.

  “[Windstorm]!”

  “[Storm Wall]!”

  Astirra and Lynne immediately cast wind magic to force the whirling flames back up into the air, but—

  [BLACK BOLT]

  Another massive jet-black bolt shot forth, piercing the flames on its way down. This monstrosity really wasn’t giving us any breathing room, was it? Still...

  [Parry]

  “[Divine Shield].”

  I’d dashed up a mound of rubble and slammed my black sword into the lightning bolt, killing its momentum. Ines, who was standing behind me, had then seized the opportunity to deflect it.

  I was no match for the monstrosity on my own, which was why I was so glad to have Ines fighting with me. Lynne and Astirra too—their spells had forced the inferno high up into the air, where it was now incinerating its creator. For a while there, I’d feared for our lives, but now I was starting to believe we’d somehow pull through.

  Still, the end was nowhere in sight; the monstrosity up above could cast spells whenever it pleased, and the waves of monsters coming out of the dungeon were endless. For all my optimism, I was also a little anxious.

  My only option was to do what I could, while I was still capable.

  [Parry]

  Given our current standoff against the flying monstrosity, I couldn’t help everyone struggling with the swarm. Instead, I settled for assisting those I could reach, parrying the fangs and claws of the monsters around them. It wasn’t much respite when the creatures were returning in such great numbers, but it was better than nothing. The soldiers would have a much safer time fighting monsters that had been defanged and declawed.

  Was I just delaying the inevitable? At the rate things were going, the soldiers would still be overwhelmed before long. Those thoughts came to mind unbidden—and then a bright light swallowed our surroundings.

  Not good.

  I looked up, having sensed that something was coming, and saw the monstrosity diving straight toward us, still wreathed in flame. It was going to crush us with its immense weight and then char what remained.

  Or so I’d assumed.

  In what seemed like no time at all, the monster was right above our heads. But rather than continuing its charge, it stopped some ways above us, raised its massive, flaming fists, and then started slamming them down on us.

  “[Divine Shield].”

  Ines put up her shield without missing a beat. It weathered the storm of blows, but the sheer force of the impacts broke the earth beneath her, and she began to sink into the ground.

  “Ines, are you all right?” I called out.

  “Yes, an attack of this caliber won’t break my defense. That said...I don’t expect us to survive much longer.”

  I’d never heard such uncertainty in her voice before. And in truth, she was right to be worried. Now that she was having to focus on the monster above us, the swarm was gaining momentum.

  But as Ines alone weathered the flying monstrosity’s assault, sinking deeper into the ground all the while, Rolo spoke up from behind us. “Ines. Can I ask you to do something for me?”

  “Rolo?”

  “Could you stop using your shield? Just for a moment.”

  “Do you...have a plan?” Ines’s reluctance was clear on her face.

  “Mm-hmm,” Rolo said calmly. “It won’t solve our problem, but I can stop its movements for a little while and buy us some time. Then we can regroup and give ourselves a better chance of defeating it. You can manage that, right, Lynne?”

  “I can,” Lynne confirmed. “And we do need the breathing room if we want to form up. But...how are you going to stall it?”

  “Don’t worry—I won’t do anything too rash.” Rolo retrieved a small leather pouch from his jacket pocket and held it out for us all to see. Whatever it was, it was enough to convince Lynne and Ines of his plan.

  “Very well,” Lynne said at length. “Ines, can we ask that of you?”

  “Understood,” she replied. “I’ll keep an eye out for the right moment. Rolo, be ready.”

  “Okay.”

  Ines studied the monstrosity’s movements carefully. Then, when there was a brief lull in its assault, she launched her huge shield of light upward, thrusting our greatest threat higher into the air.

  “Rolo, I’m withdrawing my shield,” she said.

  “Mm-hmm. Thank you.”

  The radiant barrier disappeared, giving us a better view of the battlefield. It was surreal—the small figure of a boy stood facing the gigantic monstrosity above him. Even as the swarm of monsters surged toward him, Rolo didn’t hesitate in the slightest; his eyes locked on his airborne opponent, he said in a calm, quiet voice, “Hey. You. You can hear me, can’t you?”

  The monstrosity froze in midair, and every massive eyeball on the squirming flesh that was its body swiveled to focus on Rolo.

  “I knew it. You can hear me. That’s good, because I can’t hear you anymore.”

  We all watched in stunned silence as Rolo spoke to the monstrosity. It even ceased its assault for some reason, simply listening to what it was being told.

  “I still understand you, though—you’re thinking things shouldn’t have turned out like this. You’ve desperately closed off your heart to stop me from peeking into it and taking control of you again, right? It must have been so very scary what happened earlier. That’s why you can’t bring yourself to get any closer to us, even though you consider that the best way to finish this. You’re afraid. Am I wrong?”

  “AGH... AHHH... AGHHH. AUGHHH-AAAAAAGHHH! AAAUUUGGGHHH-GHHH-GHHH!”

  The monster started to writhe, and the wails it released caused deep fissures to spread through the ground. Great chunks of earth came apart and started to sink, but not even that bothered Rolo, who simply continued.

  “I get it. You’re strong enough that you could wipe out the entire city in an instant if you so wished. But you haven’t. How strange. It’s almost like you don’t want to.”

  “AAAGH. AAAUUUGHHH. AAH— AAAUGGGHHHHHHHHH!”

  A barrage of black lightning bolts shot from the monstrosity’s arms, smashing apart buildings throughout the city—an obvious outburst of anger. Both its form and power swelled to new heights.

  “You can’t make up your mind,” Rolo continued. “You don’t want to lose all the food you spent so long cultivating. That’s why you’re resorting to half-hearted attacks. Isn’t that right? How deeply unfortunate that you can’t eat what you want to.”

  “GUAHHH... AGHHH... AAAUUUGGGHHH!”

  Black lightning struck the spot right in front of Rolo, sending up a small shower of debris that struck him in the head. The projectile’s potency had clearly been weaker than before.

  “Mm-hmm. I get it,” Rolo said, unfazed. “Compared to us, you have a very, very long life span. Starting over is always an option, so part of you wants to wipe us all out and be done with it. But...would that really be okay? Would that really satisfy you?”

  Surrounded by a swarming horde of monsters, we all held our breaths as we watched the boy say his piece.

  “It wouldn’t, would it? There’s a feast like me right in front of you, and the very idea of giving it up is unthinkable. Didn’t you want my blood? It’s supposed to be the greatest delicacy in the world for you, right? For all those years, you’ve put up with your hunger, and now you’re even stronger than before. So are you really okay with giving up so easily?”

  “AGH. GUAAAGHHH— AGH!”

  With each bellowing moan, the monstrosity exuded an even greater presence. More arms sprouted from its body, and potent black lightning coiled and danced around its fleshy limbs...but Rolo’s calm was unaffected.

  “Still, you ‘don’t have a choice,’ do you? I’m surrounded by nuisances who won’t let you have me. And you’re so scared that you won’t even try to fight them. You’re thinking that if you don’t do everything in your power to wipe us out here and now, there’s no knowing what we’ll do to you. So you’ve given up on having me. You’ve been using such limited spells because you’re not sure you can beat us otherwise. Because you’re scared. Because as much as you hate to admit it, you’ve realized you’re weak. I know exactly how that feels. I’m weak too, after all.”

  The airborne monstrosity went completely still.

  “But it’s okay. You don’t need to keep away from us anymore. Because...”

  The next moment, Rolo leaped up into the air, heading straight for our foe.

  “I’ll come to you.”

  Chapter 94: Rolo’s Friend

  I leaped straight toward the monster I’d just taunted. In response, it splayed the fingers of its innumerable hands, launching more black lightning in my direction.

  [BLACK BOLT]

  The attack grazed me and nothing more; it had swerved at the very last moment, instead slamming into and reshaping a distant mountain ridge. The accompanying windstorm buffeted me, but apart from a minor burn on my skin, I was unharmed.

  It looks like I won this gamble.

  Despite viewing me as prey, the monster hadn’t known whether to kill me or capture me alive. However, once I’d separated from Noor and the others, it had finally made up its mind. As I continued straight toward it, using flying debris as footholds, it stared me down with its many writhing eyeballs.

  “AAAHHH... AHAAAHAHAHAAA!”

  As soon as I was within the reach of its tentacle-like appendages, the monster cackled in delight. It thought of me as nothing more than a tiny, powerless morsel that had served itself up to be eaten. I couldn’t do anything to resist it now that the annoying obstacles in its path were gone, so it ridiculed my stupidity.

  The monstrosity was right to laugh; I was just as weak and powerless as it thought. I couldn’t even hold a sword properly, much less hold my own against such overwhelming strength. I’d managed to control my opponent before, but that was because I’d taken it by surprise; without that advantage, it would easily snatch me up and toss me into its gaping maw.

  I wasn’t under any delusions about my situation. In the eyes of my foe, I was nothing more than food—but that also made me perfect bait.

  “AAAHHH!”

  The monster opened its many mouths wide and shot its thick arms out, trying to grab me. I didn’t try to dodge them; I wasn’t able to while I was in midair. But despite my weakness, there was one thing I could do: keep it laughing.

  “AAAHHHAAAAAA! HAAAAAA! AAAAAAHHH! AAAHAAAAAA! HHHAAAAAA!”

  I couldn’t hear the monster’s thoughts anymore, but I knew it was laughing from the bottom of its heart. It was so eager to consume my flesh and blood that, at this moment, it had completely forgotten about everything else.

  As roars of delight that shook the earth spilled from the monster’s mouths, I couldn’t help but laugh as well.

  “Ha ha...”

  I was done. I’d drawn the monster’s attention, causing it to waste precious moments focusing on me. Though it didn’t seem like much, in this situation, it was priceless. It would give Noor, Lynne, and the others enough time to regroup and get into a more advantageous position for the upcoming battle.

 

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