Chapter 9

"Is that... a turtle...?"

The silhouette was undoubtedly that of a giant turtle.

Its length far exceeded a hundred meters, and it must have been incredibly heavy.

The loud rumbling of the ground with each step could be felt from here.

"Or could it be a Tarsk...?"

A Tarsk is a monster resembling a turtle.

However, it is actually a subspecies of dragon, and its shell is said to be formed by a dense cluster of scales.

Still, this was the first time I had seen a Tarsk of such enormous size.

It would undoubtedly destroy any human-made structures in its path as it advanced.

Worst of all, the direction in which the Tarsk was moving.

It was heading straight towards the town.

If it continues like this, the town will suffer significant damage.

"Is the town aware...? Given its size, it should be visible even from the town..."

Despite this thought, there was always the possibility of an oversight.

I made up my mind and started running towards the town.

If the town hasn't yet noticed the Tarsk's approach, I need to go there immediately and call for evacuation.

Fortunately, the giant Tarsk's movement is quite slow, so there should still be time to escape.

"Huh?"

After running for a while, I saw multiple figures near the town.

They seemed to have noticed me as well.

"Perfect. I'll tell them."

With this thought, I approached them.

And then, at that moment—

Suddenly, something rope-like flew at me at high speed, and its tip struck my leg.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion echoed.

The impact made me stumble and fall headfirst to the ground.

"Ouch... but it doesn't hurt..."

I quickly got up.

Did I just get attacked?

Probably by that red-haired woman.

She was holding what looked like a whip... did she really attack me with a whip from that distance?

That's an incredible feat.

No, this isn't the time to be impressed.

It means I'm being seen as an enemy.

"Why...? I'm sure I'm suppressing my magic power..."

◇ ◇ ◇

At the North Gate, some of the best adventurers in the town had gathered.

Of course, my party, which I lead, was also present at the request of the guild.

"That's the Tarsk Road..."

"What an enormous size."

The massive body of the Tarsk Road was visible in the distance.

It was so large that it could almost be called a hill, and even though it was still far away, the ground was already rumbling from its approach.

"Hmph, just as I heard. This will be quite a challenge."

Even Estina, who is usually composed, seemed somewhat tense in the face of a disaster-level monster.

"..."

Staring at her with a growl, ready to pounce, was our own hot-headed Hannah.

She had enraged Estina by calling her an old woman and was still burning with competitiveness.

...After that, it took a lot of effort to calm down the enraged Estina.

I owe the guild master, who stepped in to help, a debt of gratitude.

In any case, the defense force was successfully formed and was about to set out.

It consisted of one Platinum-rank, twelve Gold-rank, one former Gold-rank, and six Silver-rank adventurers—a formidable force.

To be honest, I'm more concerned about that Undead, but for now, I'll focus on the Tarsk Road.

I was thinking this when—

"Hey, what's that?"

Estina was the first to notice it, frowning and staring in the northwest direction.

Following her gaze, I gasped.

"That, that's him...!"

The white-haired, red-eyed Undead we encountered in the ruins of the Demon Realm.

The monster that left us helpless was approaching.

"Is that the Undead you mentioned? Hmm..."

The guild master, Balda, grunted in surprise.

"From what I can see, it doesn't look particularly strong..."

"Don't be fooled by its appearance! It's a genuine monster that didn't even flinch after taking our full attacks!"

Estina snorted.

"Hmph, if you can't even scratch a monster like that, it seems you should have your Gold-rank revoked."

"What did you say?"

Her condescending tone made me bristle.

Why can't you understand?

Even from a distance, I should be able to sense its formidable presence—wait?

"A monster that isn't particularly strong can be easily detected with magic power from here. If you're basing your judgment on its appearance, you should quit being an adventurer, scum."

W-What's going on...?

When we encountered it in the Demon Realm, it wasn't like this.

Its overwhelming magic power, which made me feel like I would lose consciousness just by being near it, was now almost completely undetectable.

Dill, Hannah, and Guy also looked confused.

"Still, it's an interesting type of Undead. It would be a waste to destroy it immediately. I'll capture it alive. Well, it's not alive, but you get the idea."

With that, Estina swung her whip.

It flew out of her magic bag and attacked the white-haired Undead, who was still over a hundred meters away.

Despite the distance, the tip of the whip struck the Undead's right leg with pinpoint accuracy.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion echoed, demonstrating the immense power of her whip.

"What?"

Estina gasped in surprise.

A normal human's leg would have been blown off.

However, the white-haired Undead, though knocked to the ground by the impact, quickly got back up as if nothing had happened. Its leg was still intact.

"I hit it squarely just now. Why didn't it work...? Dammit, one more shot!"

Estina, clearly dissatisfied, tilted her head but quickly launched another attack.

"This time, I'll blow its head off!"

As she declared, the tip of her whip struck the Undead's face, which was over a hundred meters away—

But the result was the same.

The Undead only staggered slightly backward, and there wasn't a single scratch on its face. It even approached us with a smile.

"..."

Even Estina, who is Platinum-rank, seemed to feel a chill of fear at that terrifying smile and took a step back.

But she is still Platinum-rank.

Regaining her composure, she unleashed a powerful technique.

"Let's see how you handle this...! —Hundred Whip Frenzy!"

The long whip went wild.

It struck the Undead repeatedly at a speed that was impossible to follow with the naked eye. From my perspective, it looked like multiple whips, as if a flower of whips had bloomed.

This was a serious attack from a Platinum-rank adventurer.

I wanted to believe it would deal some damage.

Dust rose, obscuring the Undead's form—

"Is this... a joke...!?"

Estina's eyes widened in shock.

A moment later, the dust cleared, and everyone present was stunned by the sight of the Undead, who was standing unharmed on the indented ground.

Unbelievably, it was holding the tip of the whip in its right hand.

Could it have caught the whip, which moved at such incredible speed...?

"Damn it, let go!"

Estina, her voice tinged with frustration, pulled on the whip.

The Undead released it without resistance.

"You're underestimating me...!"

Estina's anger flared, and her aura of battle intent concentrated at the tip of her whip.

She leaped high into the air and brought the whip down on the Undead with a powerful strike.

"—Dragon Descending Thunder Strike!"

The whip, like a bolt of lightning, struck the Undead's head.

BOOM!!

A thunderous impact, as if a lightning bolt had struck.

Dust rose again, obscuring the Undead's form.

A gust of wind cleared the dust.

"Wh-What...?"

—Once again, it was unharmed.

The Undead stood on the indented ground, a sinister smile on its face. Everyone present felt a sense of despair.