731 – Attack on the Magic Beast King (side: Treant)

…The Magic Beast King deflected Aro-dono’s [Dark Sphere] with its eyelid. Attracting its attention seems impossible, but at the same time, if we do somehow manage to annoy it, we probably wouldn’t last more than a few seconds. As I thought, this plan is reckless.

Should I have stopped Aro-dono? No, perhaps persuading her will be easier now that she sees how little we can do. The difference between us and the Magic Beast King is too vast for us to be made up for through determination alone.

I might be able to persuade her to go with a different plan now…

“Treant-san, the birds are coming!”

Startled by Aro-dono’s voice, I look up. One of the birds is right in front of us. I hastily use [Woven Armour] to block. At the same time, Aro-dono takes a sharp turn to shake it off.

『Th-that was close… Sorry, Aro-dono. I was too focused on the Magic Beat King.』

The four-eyed birds are dangerous enough on their own. Each of them are upper B or lower A. There are many of them, and they’re specialised for speed, so they could easily catch us the moment we let our guard down.

“…Treant-san, from my attack just now, I realised something.”

『Aro-dono…?』

Her voice is subdued. She might have given up on attracting its attention. That should be what I want, but for some reason I feel a little lonely as a result.

“…The Magic Beast King is much stronger than I had expected. But, that’s even more the reason why I don’t want to let it do as it wants with this forest. Sorry, treant-san… I don’t want to give up on luring it away!”

It is a reckless declaration. But, for some reason, I feel a warm feeling in my chest.

『…Fufu, I thought you would say that!』

I glare at the Magic Beast King.

Aro-dono’s words have steeled my resolve. I didn’t want her to take part in such a dangerous plan. But even more so, I don’t want her to give up. So what I should do is obvious.

『I feel the same! Let’s pull it out of the forest, Aro-dono!』

Now that I’ve decided, there’s no point worrying about it. I’ll simply push forwards with all my strength.

We can’t give up, so there’s only one course of action for us. Aro-dono and I will lure the Magic Beast King away until master-dono arrives… and we’ll hope against hope that both of us survive. I know it’s reckless. But we won’t give up until the very end.

“Yeah!”

Aro-dono shouts.

We should try everything we can. For now we’ll look for a way to punch through its thick skin and deal damage.

『Aro-dono, bring us closer! I’ll hit it with my debuff magic! Then you can throw in a barrage of [Dark Spheres]! That’s probably the easiest way for us to deal damage!』

Of all the skills Aro-dono possess, [Dark Sphere] definitely has the most power. I’ll use [Guard Lost] to reduce its defence, and she can use [Darkness Kaleidoscope] to multiply her firepower.

Skills like [Guard Lost] tend not to work well against opponents that have a high magic stat. But, it should be much better than nothing.

“Your [Guard Lost] skill…”

Aro-dono mutters.

『Hm?』

“…It also raises the target’s attack power, doesn’t it?”

The effects of skills can always be understood intuitively by the user. In addition, master-dono once read the skill description to me.

【Normal skill [Guard Lost]】
【A support magic skill. Lowers the target’s defence, but drastically raises attack.】
【It can be used on enemies and allies alike, so it has many opportunities for use. However, it is difficult to master.】

…Right, [Guard Lost] both reduces defence and increases attack. Despite the description that it can be used in many circumstances, the possibility of it backfiring makes it very user-unfriendly.

『It’s okay! A single hit would shatter me into fragments, even in my full size! There’s no downside!』

I declare proudly. Aro-dono giggles, then quickly tightens her expression.

“I’ll get closer now.”

『Understood!』

She files nimbly, slipping between the birds.

The Magic Beast King’s huge body is getting closer. We’re in front of its forehead now.

I produce a magic circle.

『[Guard Lost]!』

A ball of mana hits its forehead. There’s no reaction again, so I can’t tell if it had an effect. Since a counterattack seems unlikely, I fire a second [Guard Lost].

『…Has its defence fallen?』

“Perhaps only its attack has gone up.”

『Please don’t jinx us.』

The four-eyed birds are getting closer. Aro-dono abruptly changes direction, moving away from both the birds and the Magic Beast King. Flying in an arc, she curves back towards the Magic Beast King.

“[Darkness Kaleidoscope]!”

Her outline distorts and splits. Two more Aro-donos appear on either side of us.

…All three will now launch a barrage of attacks against the Magic Beast King, whose defence should be reduced now. If this still isn’t enough to deal damage, and we still can’t draw its attention, then we’re defeated.

Moreover… If we do successfully draw its attention, then we need to escape. That is when we’ll truly be in hot water.