Chapter 69

"Uoooooooh!"

"Deeryaaaaa ta!"

"Ko-nu-soooooo!"

The battlefield was filled with the roars of the men, or rather, their spirited shouts. Some cleaved monsters in two with great swords as tall as they were, others swiftly moved behind to strike vital points, and still others ran about to support their comrades.

"Aah, this is such a hassle!"

"Da-a-a-a! ? It's dangerous, you idiot!"

One of them, tired of the piecemeal fighting, unleashed a martial skill. Another, nearly caught in the blast, hurriedly dodged and protested. Though the battle was well-organized, some were getting carried away.

"Hey, over there, take this seriously. If you get careless just because they're lower level, you'll end up in a bad situation."

Sahana, one of the few rear guards, called out a warning. Though the response was "I know!" the frivolous atmosphere didn't change. One wrong move could mean life or death, but everyone understood why they were so excited.

"How nostalgic."

"Well, I won't deny it..."

Sahana nodded with a wry smile at Spiraal's nostalgic words. It was clear that all the players gathered here found the current group battle reminiscent of the past.

The vanguard team, which had defeated a large group of chimeras in the residential area, advanced straight to the castle. Once it was known that there were ambushers, a sudden attack by the players would be meaningless. There might be other ambushers hiding in the capital, and searching for them would take time. Further scattered actions would increase the risk of being picked off one by one, so they decided to leave that to the rear guard and focus on securing the entrance to the dungeon.

The garden of the royal castle, which used to be lush with vibrant flowers and birds, was now a wasteland. The cobblestones were cracked, and the soil was reddish-brown, with only withered grass visible. The most striking feature was the spot where the fountain, which once occupied the center of the garden, had been. The fountain was gone, leaving a circular hole that led to a set of old stone stairs descending into the earth.

As soon as they arrived, lizard-like monsters called lizardmen and water spirits formed from mud and shaped like fish appeared from the hole. Both were water-elemental monsters, so the players used fire-elemental martial skills and magic to easily defeat them. More monsters of two or three types continued to appear, but they were clustered by element, making them easy to eliminate.

"Still, even though the monsters aren't following a set program anymore, why are they doing this foolish thing?"

"Maybe there's some other plan?"

Spiraal muttered, thoroughly confused. Sahana, agreeing with him, also considered the possibility of a trap.

Currently, the vanguard team, excluding Sahana and Spiraal, was divided into two squads, with about ten people each taking turns fighting the monsters. The players ranged from level 800 Yeager and the Oni Hider to level 400 Koilrog. The monsters, so far, were at most level 500. As long as the level 400 players didn't overextend themselves, they could easily defeat the monsters. Sahana and Spiraal, on the lookout for any abnormalities, provided support.

"Hey, you!"

"Guh!"

Sahana captured a player who had secretly separated from the group, which was rotating to recover HP and MP with potions and to maintain their weapons.

"Why do you always want to be in front?"

"Ugh..."

"Hey, you're choking him. He can't talk if you do that."

Sahana had dragged the armored demon Koilrog by the collar. He had been ignoring the rotation and trying to stay in front, earning reprimands from Spiraal and Sahana whenever they noticed.

Exis, who had been with the squad that was supposed to fall back, couldn't bear to see this and released Koilrog from Sahana's grip. Sahana, who sent a glare at Koilrog, was simply concerned about losing one of the few remaining comrades.

Exis, who used Helsper as a base of operations, had the opportunity to learn about the series of events. She had also heard a summary of the situation from Kena. If Koilrog were to start acting out again, Exis, who was nearby, intended to be the first to subdue him. However, the current situation was a different matter.

"Well, well, cut him some slack. He has a lot of baggage and probably wants to make up for it here."

"Aaah! ? It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"

Exis, speaking in a light-hearted manner, but her hand transformed into an Iron Claw and struck Koilrog's head. The pain was so intense that even the onlookers winced. More voices joined in, finding the situation amusing.

"What, what, exposing Koilrog? Are you going to put him on trial here? Bullying is not good, you know."

"Onee-sama! ?"

From the direction of the city gate, Kena appeared among the players who were resting. Behind her, a giant chess piece was visible, slowly moving and changing the terrain. Around the chess piece, fragments of the city were floating. Further back, multiple colorful, undulating objects could be seen. Since half of the capital had already been cleared, the dragons that were outside were called in to explore the area, a task that had been delegated to Kena and her team.

Ops remained to control the earth spirits and give instructions to the dragons, while Kena came to the vanguard team to observe the situation.

"Since there's not much area left underground, I think the remnants are done for."

Kena took out a small harp from her item box and used the music skill "Calm Night." In the game, this skill surrounded players within its range with musical notes and staff lines, restoring 30% of their MP over five minutes. The user couldn't move during this time, but it was one of the few recovery methods that didn't rely on magic. Now, in the real world, the harp played itself, and a soothing, almost music box-like melody filled the air. The players, who had grown tired of the endless waves of monsters, felt their MP recover and their energy return.

Unable to move, Kena tried to speak but suddenly felt the ground beneath her shake violently. Everyone else felt it too, and those who had been resting immediately stood up and took a combat stance.

"Is this the weasel's last fart?"

"Don't be so relaxed, fall back! They're coming from below!"

Following Yeager's command, the players who were in the front quickly retreated. After a moment, cracks ran through the cobblestones, and with a loud rumble, a strange object emerged, sending debris flying.

"Geek!"

"What, what, what is that? !"

"Ugh, it's disgusting!"

A black pudding, about three meters tall. That was the simplest way to describe it. What made it strange were the numerous heads, arms, and legs of various monsters protruding from its gelatinous surface. There was a goblin's arm holding a small club, an ogre's arm gripping a rusted great axe, a mantis's forelimbs capable of slicing two people, and an ape's arm with twisted fingers and sharp claws. There were also the legs of a hairy venomous spider and the ridges of a slug that left a trail of acid. Most shocking were the heads of goblins, ogres, lizardmen, and other monster races, which protruded in all directions with twisted, hateful expressions, their eye sockets empty and their gaze hollow.

"A fusion slime... I've never seen one this creepy before."

"What is that?"

Yeager nodded in understanding, while Kena, full of disgust, asked. Sahana provided the answer.

"A monster that was introduced in the later stages of the game when the methods to defeat monsters were mostly established. It fuses monsters on the spot. It was unpopular during the trial phase because it killed beginners, so it was placed with some event monsters. I didn't expect to face one here..."

Kena's mind immediately turned to Ops, who was involved in the game. In reality, the later Ops was mainly a GM in the game and did not participate in version updates, but Kena was unaware of this.

"So, if we defeat this thing, the event ends?"

"Probably."

Yeager's fierce smile was mirrored by the players, who readied their weapons. The moment red and blue light ran across the surface of the black pudding slime, Kena and Sahana launched explosive and water spear spells, which collided with the same types of spells from the slime, signaling the start of the battle.

"Ooooooooh!!!"

The first to charge were the great sword users Coral, Shining Saber, and Yeager. Ignoring the slime's reach, they closed in one after another, hacking off the monster parts growing from the black pudding slime with powerful swings.

"It's like a beard trimmer."

"Ha!"

Kena's straightforward comment made Spiraal laugh. Despite the light-hearted appearance, none of the three, including Sahana, were letting their guard down. In Riedale, slimes were not the weak, beginner-friendly monsters typical of RPGs. They could use different types of magic with colored organs inside their bodies, had physical attack resistance, and could split, making them the bane of warrior-focused players.

This fusion slime didn't have physical attack resistance but could split. A part of its body, cut off by a broad swing, fell to the ground and grew to the size of a person's waist. From there, a lizardman's head, an ogre's arm, and a dinosaur's tail sprouted, forming an impromptu chimera that attacked the players.

"Hey, what's going on with the mass and density here?"

"Don't ask for realism in a fantasy world."

"You shouldn't say that..."

"Who cut it, anyway?!"

The great sword users had moved to the other side of the black pudding slime, leaving the rest behind, who were making a commotion. Realizing that cutting attacks were problematic, Quorke and another whip user used the combat skill "Throw and Tangle," which was supposed to throw the target into the air, causing fall damage and a knockdown effect. They wrapped their whips around the head and tail and threw it into the air. Spiraal used a "Burning Spell" on the falling split, which burned to ashes before it could scream.

"It seems to be vulnerable to fire, but it doesn't have fire resistance."

"I thought it was supposed to appear in a quest where a demon is summoned, but no one has seen the demon, right?"

Spiraal analyzed calmly, while the Oni Hider, recalling a memory, asked the others, who all shook their heads, having never seen the demon.

The players fighting the main body were still engaged in the endless task of trimming the slime. New arms, legs, and heads kept growing from its interior, and while it occasionally cast spells, the damage was minimal thanks to Kena's "Advanced Magic Defense" spell. However, it wasn't zero, so Sahana and Spiraal periodically cast "Healing Spells."

"Hey, this is never-ending!"

"How many monsters did it eat?"

"Back in the day, there was a toy where you'd trim hair growing from clay with plastic scissors."

"What era's toy is that..."

"Hey, you guys, stop talking and get to work."

"We are! ?"

The battle, which seemed to have no end, continued. Frustrated by the endless fight, Yeager decided to rely on the destructive power of magic.

"Kena!"

"Uh?"

"I'm leaving it to you. If we keep this up, we'll be exhausted. Use whatever you can!"

"Okay, I'll take care of it. Sahana and Spiraal, please hold it in place. And, old man!"

"What are you planning?"

The Oni Hider, who seemed to understand something from Kena's expression, nodded. Sahana and Spiraal, who were asked to hold the slime in place, used ice spells to freeze it. The players who were fighting it backed off, keeping their distance.

"I'll use a 'Combined Spell' to completely obliterate it and the surrounding area, 'Heaven's Illusory Flame.'"

"Be careful, using such a wide-area spell could destroy this entire area."

"But the slime hasn't moved from where it emerged. If it has roots like a bulb, it could be dangerous."

The Oni Hider nodded in agreement. The black pudding slime hadn't moved much from where it emerged. If the endless growth of parts was as Kena said, it was likely that the main body was still underground. The Oni Hider agreed, and Sahana raised her hand to join in.

"I can use that too, Onee-sama! Let's use double casting to boost the power!"

"That's a terrible suggestion, but let's do it. Spiraal, what about you?"

"I don't have that spell, unfortunately. But are you really going to use it at such close range? Everyone will be caught in it."

"Then you should use a 'Barrier Spell' for defense. Kena, you'll need to allocate some of your magic to protect the others."

"Then, Sahana, let's use triple casting. Two 'Rara Lona' spells and a 'Barrier Spell.'"

"Got it!"

While they were discussing, the ice mountain containing the black pudding slime was already cracking. Everyone took a step back, retreating to near the city gate. The distance to the target slime was about 120 meters. They couldn't retreat further because they needed to see the target to cast the spell. Since the effects of the 'Rara Lona' spell, which had never been used in the real world, were unknown, it was necessary to protect everyone. Kena ordered the Oni Hider's sisters to protect the dragons and informed Ops of the battle plan. With the response "Don't worry about the back," they began their action.

Kena, Sahana, and the Oni Hider activated 'Triple Casting.' Spiraal used 'Double Casting' to cover the remaining vanguard players with two 'Barrier Spells.' After confirming this, Kena cast the first spell, followed by the Oni Hider and Sahana.

[Spell: Heaven's Illusory Flame: Ready Set] x 6

"Fire!!!"

Since this spell had a delay before activation, Kena cast three 'Barrier Spells' to cover everyone, including the ones Spiraal had cast.

"......What was that......"

Someone's murmur echoed everyone's thoughts. The black pudding slime, now half-encased in ice, trembled, and a massive crimson magic circle appeared on the ground around it. Above it, the clear sky from a moment ago was now a swirling mass of clouds, surrounded by a red aurora. The crimson clouds thinned from the center, and the object within slowly descended. From the cloud nest, a massive fireball, resembling a pseudo-sun, was about to be born.

"Get down!"

The fireball, with a diameter of about 100 meters, fell from the cloud nest, and Spiraal shouted. The vanguard players, who had been staring at it in shock, quickly crouched. The next moment, the massive fireball, which had crushed its target, exploded on impact.

Even with their eyes closed, the world turned white, and a ringing in their ears accompanied the shockwave that made them lose their balance. It was a brief moment, or perhaps a long time, but no one could tell.

The first to regain their senses were stunned by the scene in front of them. The others, gradually waking up, had the same reaction. To put it bluntly, there was nothing left. The ancient castle, which was on the verge of collapse, and the ground supporting it were gouged out in a semicircle. The gouged area had filled with water from the sea, forming a bay. Two of the 'Barrier Spells' that had been cast around the area were gone, and the third was about to disappear.

Incidentally, the ground covered by the 'Barrier Spells' remained as a peninsula. The moment someone stepped on it, it quickly collapsed, and those who couldn't fly were forced to enjoy an involuntary swim.