Chapter 89

"Guooo!"

Zephyros, with Goo-chan's beak piercing his torso, let out a cry of shock and was blown away. Zephyros, who had completely forgotten about Goo-chan, received a critical hit from Goo-chan's martial arts.

Moreover, Goo-chan's 'Triangle Charge' is treated as a 'Pierce' attribute. It's Zephyros' weakness, 'Pierce.'

Letting go of me, Zephyros was sent flying by Goo-chan's attack, crashing into the trees and falling to the ground. A heavy thud echoed as he sank into the ground and collapsed.

I also fell, but I did a somersault just above the ground to absorb the impact. It's a good thing I practiced somersaults. My small body rolled like a ball.

"Ita-ta."

Still, my HP is below 40. One more hit and it's game over. My body might be a bit shaky.

"You, this guy... Did you aim for it? Damn, Anemoi won't move."

Goo-chan's attack must have been quite powerful. Anemoi, which was sparking, creaked and couldn't move. It's probably because we, with our game-level attack power, hit his weakness. He can't move for one turn.

Did you aim from the start? Of course. There's no way a wine bottle could destroy Anemoi. Pretending to be a fragile resistance, I distracted him from Goo-chan. Hahaha, did you see that, Martian? We protect Earth.

"That guy... Using himself as a decoy... A kid... Hmm?"

'Earth Bind'

From the ground where Zephyros fell, earth tentacles emerged and entangled him.

"Leader, got him!"

From between the trees, the spirit user lady was casting her hands. She had summoned the earth spirit again.

"Tch, that's all!"

Trying to break free from the earth tentacles, Zephyros sent mana into Anemoi. Wind immediately began to swirl from Anemoi, but from between the trees, the Vajra lady suddenly appeared, axe in hand.

"Ha! This time it's going to hit!"

'Burst Axe'

The Vajra lady's axe, glowing red, was brought down on the immobile Anemoi. The axe, which pierced Anemoi's armor, caused a massive explosion.

The blast wind raged, and dust flew up. Trees were shattered and fell to the ground, blocking the view.

"We did it!"

I rolled around from the blast wind but quickly stood up, and Mii-chan jumped around, celebrating the victory. Did we win? We won, right? The battle is over, right? For now, I'll cast 'Minor Healing III' on myself repeatedly.

The Vajra party members appeared from between the trees, their faces tense.

"Mii-chan, are you okay? You pushed yourself."

Before I knew it, Tsubame-san was standing next to me, looking worried as she saw me covered in the light of a healing spell.

"Um... D, did I... fail?"

Trying to answer, but as the dust settled, I saw Zephyros standing and sighed. I knew it wouldn't be that easy.

Anemoi's wings were cut off halfway, and the shoulder part was torn. There was a hole where Goo-chan's beak had pierced. It seems he managed to penetrate the magic barrier.

"Damn... You really went all out, didn't you?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Zephyros said with a relaxed tone. Even though he was in tatters, he still had that composure. I know why he's so relaxed, so I'm half-eyebrowed.

"With that state, you can't fight anymore! Surrender quietly!"

The Vajra lady nervously called for Zephyros to surrender. He doesn't seem like the type to surrender. Martians don't surrender. They fight to the end, that's the template.

"Hahaha. This Anemoi is still a prototype. It seems to have some flaws."

I know. It's the prototype Anemoi. It was in the game too. An old machine left in the hangar. When the story started, it had a slightly different form. It also had other weapons.

"Since you found the flaws, I can praise you for that."

Yeah, in the game, it would upgrade every time it appeared at key points in the story. It was a frustrating enemy that got stronger each time.

"It seems he has no intention of surrendering."

"Of course, I won't surrender. Ah, you finally made it."

The Vajra lady's question was met with a snort from Zephyros. He looked up at the sky as if he had noticed something, and Floria's Anemoi Replica was flying in at high speed.

"Darling, are you okay!"

Floria flew in and hugged Zephyros.

"Honey, you're late."

Darling and Honey... They're such a close couple. It's a classic novel, after all. In the past, such nicknames were popular in comics. In reality, it's quite cringeworthy.

"Sorry. Those old men were sticky. They kept running and restraining me, so it took longer to join up."

Floria, in a coquettish tone, leaned on Zephyros. It looks like a good opportunity to attack, but it would be futile.

I can also predict the next line.

"Darling, you got pretty beat up, didn't you? It's about time. It seems the signal was noticed."

"Surprisingly, this kid put up a fight. It's a shame I couldn't kill him."

Turning to me, Zephyros laughed with interest.

I get it, I get it. The next line is "We'll fight again."

"Kid, we'll fight again. Even if I don't kill you now, we'll fight someday. Keep improving until then."

A familiar line. Even though it's from decades ago, I remember it well. In the game, Zephyros said the exact same thing.

So, I'll respond with the same line from the game. Puffing out my chest proudly, I declared:

"Dot dot dot dot"

Mihane gave a cute response like a bird's hum. The Vajra lady and the others looked at her, wondering why she responded like that, but this is the answer of a mob protagonist. "..." I expressed this silence in words. Maybe Mii-chan could become a genius artist.

"Tch, what a joke, kid."

"Dot dot dot dot"

Zephyros looked at me with a disappointed voice, but I'm not joking. The player character is always silent. They hardly speak in the game. It's a common thing in games.

"Alright, that's fine. Next time, come with proper equipment."

In the game, the player would say the same thing even with full equipment. Mii-chan is a little moved and her eyes sparkle. It feels like she's inside the game.

"Are you planning to let him escape!"

The Vajra lady and the others protected me from behind, weapons at the ready, and spoke with a threatening voice, but Zephyros laughed it off like a breeze.

"Don't misunderstand. I'm letting you go. If I stay any longer, it'll get complicated."

"With that broken equipment, you can't escape."

Tsubame-san drew her bow, her face stern, but I know how troublesome Zephyros is.

"Hahaha. Show me where it's broken."

'Anemoi's Blessing Removal'

Zephyros muttered. Particles of light scattered as if in response to his words. When the light faded, the Vajra lady and the others were shocked, their mouths agape. They were right to be shocked.

"How about it? Where are the injuries?"

Because Zephyros was completely healed. Anemoi's beautiful crimson wings were restored, and the heavy green armor was flawless.

"Sorry, but what you did was meaningless."

Zephyros laughed loudly. The Vajra lady and the others were pale, but of course, they would be pale if the enemy fully recovered.

"Vajra lady, it's probably a lie. It's an illusion or something, right?"

"A, ah, that's right. It must be!"

Accepting Mihane's words as if convincing herself, the Vajra lady and the others regained their fighting spirit, but I knew it wasn't an illusion.

I remembered. The magic armor Anemoi is equipped with the divine artifact 'Wings of Anemoi.' The 'Wings of Anemoi' has a terrifying effect. It's a different divine artifact from the one that seals the demon god.

It can fly at high speed, perform advanced aerial maneuvers, nullify wind attributes, and use a teleportation spell for escape. And finally, 'Anemoi's Blessing.'

'Anemoi's Blessing' can create a clone with the same abilities and equipment as the user. It can only be used once a day, but the effect is immense. Moreover, it's a 'Divine Blessing,' so 'Magic Destruction,' 'Magic Dispel,' and 'Erasure' don't work. It's truly 'magic.'

The original author thought that if everything could be destroyed with 'Magic Destruction,' it would become monotonous. Indeed, considering the protagonist's power in the original, that would be the case. If not, the story might become boring.

It's different from some transformation girl. Moreover, Zephyros can use the 'Wind Concealment Technique,' so he always fights using the clone as a shield. His real body exists overlapping with the clone but is treated as if in a different dimension. You can't even scratch him unless you defeat the clone.

This is why the original author was pleased with Zephyros as a useful character...

In the game, he was the only enemy character among the original story characters who recognized and interacted with the player. He's like a character who comes back to life after being killed. The developers were delighted to use Zephyros extensively.

And that's why he recognized the air-like player.

When we first met in the game, I was beaten up because my level was low, but when I dealt a certain amount of damage, he would stop the battle like now.

I was betting on that. It was a bad bet, but it was the only way to survive. It would have been great if Grandpa Odin and the others had come, but it seems impossible.

"See you. Your eyes are fitting for Takanoya. They seek the same battle as mine. I look forward to our next meeting."

'Wind Transfer'

Zephyros hugged Floria and used the last ability of the 'Wings of Anemoi,' the teleportation spell. A gale erupted from Zephyros, and we shielded our eyes. When the wind subsided, Zephyros and Floria were gone.

"Zephyros... I will live in peace."

Gripping her hand tightly, Mihane declared. I don't want to fight Zephyros. He's really troublesome. Mii-chan, who loves peace, doesn't want to get involved again.

'Zephyros and the others have been repelled!'

...By the way, even if Zephyros and the others aren't killed, experience points and drop items can be obtained. Well, there won't be a next time. I can't escape from Grandpa Odin's eyes. I'll secretly recover the divine artifact. Mii-chan won't get involved, but Grandpa and the others will. I plan to teach them what a real attack is.

Noticing the smoke from the mansion in the distance and seeing the samurai group rushing over, Mihane let out a sigh of relief. Still, I'm so tired. Ah, I'm level 50 now. Soloing gives a lot of experience points.