734 – Hellish Escape Drama (side: Treant)

Behind us, Aro-dono’s two [Darkness Kaleidoscope] clones are flying. They’re protecting our rear.

Even if one of them is destroyed, it won’t be the end.

The copies produced by [Darkness Kaleidoscope] are essentially made of solidified mana. Our only chance at winning against the Magic Beast King is through a battle of attrition, so losing them would be bad. But it’s still far better than Aro-dono being attacked directly.

This battle… No matter what, it won’t be easy for us. I can’t imagine we’ll be able to run away for the entire duration while also keeping the clones alive.

“[Gale]!”

The clones shoot tornadoes at chimaeras.

“AA…”
“Aoo…”

The chimaeras seem to be at a loss as to how to proceed, as they’re piling up behind the tornado.

『Double [Gale] makes for quite a good wall…!』

[Gale] is a wide-area attack, so it’s perfect for keeping the swarming chimaeras in check. Some of them are taking a roundabout route, but most have been stopped in their tracks.

『But, Aro-dono… Can you keep using [Gale] until the [Death God Seeds] activate…?』

“I think we’ll have no choice but to adjust the power and scale to make it last. We haven’t got any better way of slowing the chimaeras down.”

『Th-that’s true…』

There isn’t much I can do right now. I could use [Antipower] to reduce their attack power, but it only works against individual targets, so it’s pointless against such a large group. The only skill I have that could work to keep them in check at this range would be [Heat Ray], but it’d be hard to aim it at multiple of them, so it’d be no more than a drop in the bucket. The MP cost wouldn’t be cheap either.

The best I could do would be to buy some time as a decoy with [Immortal Regeneration]. But even then, I don’t think I’d last long against so many…

The two Aro-dono clones use [Gale] to produce a wall of wind, then move away before producing another wall. They’re effectively slowing down the chimaeras.

Aro-dono’s maximum speed is a little faster than the Magic Beast King’s, so as long as we can keep this up, we should be able to gain distance. It’s just a matter of whether Aro-dono’s mana will last.

『Is there really nothing more I can do but use [Death God Seed] and then be carried away…?』

I just wish I was a little more capable at long range combat.

“I’d like to take some of your mana with [Mana Drain].”

『I don’t mind, of course…』

…After planting the [Death God Seeds], my role is simply to serve as her mana tank. It’s frustrating that this is all I can contribute. No, if we can win like this, then there’s nothing wrong with it.

『[Inhaala].』

I hear a [Telepathy] from behind. With an ominous premonition, I look back. A huge magic circle has appeared in front of the Magic Beast King’s mouth.

『I-is that some sort magic skill…?』

“It’s what Beelzebub used! But in this situation…”

Aro-dono seems to recall it. I feel like master-dono might have mentioned this skill, but I don’t remember it well. Aro-dono might have seen it in the battle in Alban. I was on standby in the mine at the time, so I don’t know the precise details of that battle.

A huge vortex forms from the magic circle, creating strong winds which pull us backwards towards it. Apparently [Inhaala] is a skill that sucks the target in.

『N-no way… Even though we have so much distance…!』

Aro-dono flaps her wings with all her strength, but it’s clear she’s no match.

Behind us, trees and soil, as well as many of the chimaeras are pulled into the Magic Beast King’s gaping mouth.

“AA…AAAAAAAAh!”

Dozens of chimaeras are being sucked in. They’re doing their best to resist, but at such a close range the winds they face must be far stronger than what we’re contending with.

“At this rate we’ll be sucked in too…!”

『Leave it to me, Aro-dono!』

I stretch out and use [Woven Armour] from the tips of my wings. As we begin to move backwards, I catch hold of a tree. I reach out further, wrapping my branches tightly around it.

“Thank you… You saved us, treant-san.”

『More importantly, your clones…』

I look behind and search for them.

“[Gale]!”

They’re using magic to forcefully stop the wind and gripping onto trees with transformed arms. It seems they’ve managed to survive too. The Magic Beast King soon closes its mouth.

『Th-that was dangerous, but we’ve managed to survive… If anything, our opponent wasted a lot of MP by eating so many of the chimaeras it made!』

The more MP it uses, the sooner the [Death God Seeds] will activate. No matter how tough the Magic Beast King is, it won’t be able to survive being torn apart from the inside.

“Treant-san, undo your [Woven Armour]! We need to move quickly! If it’s the same as the Fly King, then it won’t end with just this!”

『Eh…? U-understood!』

I uncoil my branches from around the tree and retract them. Aro-dono quickly accelerates, taking us away from the Magic Beast King.

『[Flare Ray]!』

Behind us, the Magic Beast King opens its mouth. This time, a bright red magic circle is floating around its mouth. From its centre, a huge pillar shoots towards us.

Although the scale of it is much bigger, it looks similar to my [Heat Ray].

“Nooo!”

Both of the clones are engulfed by the blaze and erased. Several of the chimaeras are mercilessly incinerated too.

『How terrible…』

The clones that I wanted to preserve as much as possible were erased in an instant. 

In order to avoid the [Flare Ray], Aro-dono dives down.

“Those flames… It’s way too fast for how big it is…!”

The next instant, the space directly above us is consumed by flames. Unable to fully dodge, part of Aro-dono’s right wing is touched by the flames and incinerated.

“Ahh!”

Her body is tossed chaotically by the momentum of the [Flare Ray]. I cling onto her with [Woven Armour].

I extend my [Woven Armour] to cover her body, protecting her as we crash into the ground. We tumble across the ground, coming to a stop as we collide with a tree.

I release my [Woven Armour] to retract my branches. Flames are still rising from Aro-dono’s back.

『[Aqua Sphere]!』

I quickly produce water to extinguish the fire. The clothes of her back have been burnt away, revealing a brutal burn wound. Both of her wings have also burnt down to her shoulders.

『A-Aro-dono! Stay strong!』

She pushes against the ground, sitting up.

“…Thank you. I’m okay. As long as I have mana, injuries don’t matter…”

Her outline blurs for a moment, then she returns to normal. Her wings and clothes have been restored in an instant.

『I’m so glad…』

“AAaAAh!”

Five chimaeras are looking down on us from directly above. They’ve caught up.

『…Though our situation doesn’t look good.』