27


　However, unlike the memories of KR switching back to Yamato as he did so, Leonardo was still a man, and his battle was muddy and clumsy to no end.

'Ka-wa-ba-ngh!'
　Leaping out of the red dragon with a yell, Leonardo fell like a stone into the black dragon and swung his tentacles around to tease the robed man and the slender girl as he fell into the black dragon. The two of them were probably just straddling the black dragon without any special riding gear. The momentum of Leonardo's momentum carried them away and they were thrown into the air without a second thought.
　Of course, of course, Leonardo has no ability to fly.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world, and I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world.
''Hey, this is scary!
I'll go to the bathroom.
'Hmmm. Like a dahlia in hot arms, scattering its petals.
　Leonardo, wielding a fear of the two men who were swaggering selfishly, stabbed his ninja sword in a moment of crisis. The figure of the robe flowed sluggishly with a physiologically unacceptable sensation, as if it were thrusting into wet mud.
　The girl who held it in her left hand laughed, perhaps amused by the sight of Leonardo stifling a scream deep in her throat.
'My goodness, you ningen. Are you crazy?　Brave?　From that height it's like a red fruit that has been thrown away. It's delightful. It's delightful.
Shut up!
　For some reason, Leonardo felt a chill run down his spine and he yelled at her. He wasn't surprised that the girl spoke. In fact, it's not unusual for NPCs to have dialogue set up at the end of quests and other quests. Even if it's a monster type.
　Also, the existence of beautiful monsters with female forms, such as the Lamia species and Nymph species, is also in Leonardo's knowledge.
　However, such 'monsters' and the girl in front of him were different. The same kind of fear can be felt in the swarm of worms in the robe, but this girl's unusualness is more pronounced because of her pretty and beautiful appearance.
The earthling is much more human-like than this one.
Oh, I don't know what's going on.　Perhaps you're finally repenting of your folly?　It's hilarious. It's hilarious.
"I'm the same way," he said in Episode 104, "Jump! If I hadn't seen 'Froggers', I wouldn't have made such a big deal out of it!
　The heroic images of our heroes jumping out to defeat the giant pumpkin monster come to my eyelids. Come to think of it, that pumpkin monster looked like a tentacle with its wandering vines. It looked just like this robed monster. No, as long as it has a filthy smell and a grating sticky sound, this one is much worse.
"A hot heartbeat. The smell of blood. Is it a resonance of echoing factors?
'Don't talk in your sleep until you're asleep!
'Aha. A dull muttering. It's cold-hearted. It's a tragedy.
　The robe slipped out of Leonardo's grasp while he was distracted by the girl who laughed pitifully but cruelly. The gray tentacles that had tormented him so much stretched out in all directions and released several of them into the treetops of the rapidly approaching trees.
　Green branches coming up to his eyes. Leonardo let out a groan as he was slipped into the shadow of the robe he had been thinking of slamming into the earth instead of a cushion.
'My Gah!'
'Two people at once is a luxury. It's immoral.
　The blonde girl fished her lips into a smile and let her bloodless white fingertips brush against Leonardo's cheek as if she were making him love her.
'Oh,'
Oh, come on!
　At that moment, as if bursting by a body temperature that had dropped nearly ten degrees in physical experience, Leonardo cut up with Ninja Twin Flame.
　The white appearance is expected to feel like ceramic, but the girl's fingertips were dry and conveyed a feeling like a dead branch or a mummy. She forcefully inserted her sword into the arthropod-like growling fingers that indicated her intention to gouge out Leonardo's eyeballs. This caused him to take his hand away from the girl, but he was now in sight of the ground and Leonardo could no longer afford to worry about it.
　The twin swords that have been pulled out cut both branches of a tree as thick as a child's torso. Slightly loose speed. I'm not going to be able to get the best out of it.
　It takes four seconds from the treetops of a large cedar-like tree to the earth.
'The end of the encounter is the embrace of the earth.
Why don't you go out and hug him yourself, you f*cking creep?
"Mmm-hmm, until death fills the world.
'Whoa!
　The girl finally decided to take the corresponding motion, too, and a horrible chill leaked from her lips, numbing Leonardo, and she grabbed onto the trunk of a large tree with a bizarre, spider-like movement.
　With a cruel sound that made her want to cover her ears, the girl's nails peeled off and her fingers snapped, and blood floated on her white skin as if it had been hung on a grater.
　But neither the spirit of sympathy for it, nor the time to do so, Leonardo had no time for it. Leonardo also bets on the speed with which he cut off some branches and killed them, and he hits the trunk of the tree with his curled up body and changes direction as fast as he can.
(Death!　Die!　(How can this thing die?
　However, the Adventurer's body was stronger than Leonardo himself thought. Or perhaps one of the assassin's specialties, the Featherfall, was effective. Leonardo survived. Moreover, the damage was much less than he had been prepared for.
　And it seems that it was the same for Leonardo's enemies.
　The girl Rathfia, who confronted him on a branch five meters above the ground, shook off the translucent phantom that seemed to envelop his body with a swing of her arm. The illusion fades and disappears as it dissolves into the air. From within that veil, Rasfia revealed a dainty, yes, unharmed figure.
Myg....
　The girl smiled mischievously as she opened her arms to Leonardo's glaring gaze. In the tops of the dense coniferous forest of windy Aorsoy, Leonardo and the séance's rasphere confronted each other.



◆28



What?
　At the end of Elias's gaping mouth, the two dragons crossed like leaves dancing in the wind.
　A chirping sound that made the canyon quiver and chatter.
　From the two tangled spirals, a blackened mass ran across the sky like a meteor. As soon as it approached Elias and the others as if it were crossing over a canyon, it fell, shaking the treetops of the trees.
''High probability, it seems to be the enemy ringleader.
　Elias didn't need to be prompted by Coppelia's words, but he felt the same way. His eyesight could clearly see Leonardo falling together with the robed man and the girl as they bodily slammed into the black dragon-driving man and the girl.
''Kanami!''
I know. Ouch. f*cking hell, this guy is so stubborn!　You were going to take the best part of the game with you. So that's it!　Well, in that case, you should have at least said something!　It would have been nice!
　Even as she said this, Kanami struck a fist against the side of the Ash-Spotted Demon (Nole), which had struck her rusty sword. You can't be sure that you're going to be able to find a way to get the best out of the situation.
　Elias runs after the monster, which is blown up as if it had been hit by a large dump truck.
　There was no way to miss the void that opened up on the battlefield. Elias wielded a great crystal sword that seemed to be as big as a surfboard.
　Elias is unable to defeat them due to the restrictions (curses). 'I can't stop them. But Elias' attack power is so powerful that the Ash-Spotted Inu Demons have lost most of their HP.
　Although the sword looks like it's being wielded carelessly while running, its blade is covered in countless streams of water, and it has a sickle-neck like a snake that's hunting its prey. This is one of the unique skills Elias uses: the Tributary Blade. Even if you avoided the big sword, you wouldn't be able to duck the water blade that attacked you from your blind spot.
　Even if they didn't lose their lives, the torn or struck out beasts seemed to slow down as if they were being shot at.
''Let's go!''
Let me go!
　Kanami was also running after Elias.
　She moved like a cat, taking quick steps and destroying the enemies on either side of her with her cat-like movements. The Ash Spotted Dog Demon has habits similar to those of hyenas and jackals, as its head reveals. In other words, they act in groups and hunt their prey using cooperation as a weapon. Their swarm, torn apart by Elias, is in turmoil. In this case, Kanami would be able to destroy each of them to maximum effect.
　However, Kanami is a martial artist. His profession (class) is different from that of Elias, who is a swordsmith (Braidmancer). Unlike Elias, who was designed to be a brave man, capable of using both sword and magic, the martial artist lacks the ability to use ranged attacks.
　In order to make up for this shortcoming, Kanami ran around the battlefield at high speed. If Elias was a blue and silver sword that tore through a horde of Ash-Spotted Demons, Kanami was a flash of green lightning.
''I have cast a reaction-activated recovery and slashing procs at the master.
Yes, sir!　Cope-chan. Now we've won!
　Coppellia is also advancing to follow Kanami as the tension rises. The spell has a range. If Elias and Kanami separate them, there is a possibility that the recovery spell will not be able to reach them.
　Even more so, Coppelia is a "treatment priest" (cleric). She is a healer, so her ability to destroy is not high. If you are isolated on the battlefield, you will be in a pinch. The three of us advanced as one, advancing deeper and deeper into the enemy.
　Mekki and unpleasant sounds could be heard from the thick green grove where Leonardo had fallen. I'm not sure what will jump out at me, but I wanted to take out as many of the Ash-Spotted Demons as I could before the decisive moment arrived.

　And Elias was right to be concerned.
''What the hell is that?
　No wonder Kanami was astonished. What appeared was a strange presence. If I had to put it that way, it would be a human being in a wooden frame. Perhaps it had snapped a grove of trees. It was a dice made of trees as thick as a human body, with only a framework. A robed man sits inside it, about two meters on each side.
"Master, Lord Elias. The subject in front of you is--
I know.
　--He's not human.
　It couldn't be human.
　Loeb's figure looked hunchbacked and shriveled, as if he was tired.
　Countless horrific tentacles, neither indigo nor brown, undulated from the vacant figure and connected to the wooden frame of the body's four enclosures. No, the wooden frame itself was held by the tentacles.
''Eighty-nine levels, normal rank. Name Papus.
　Coppelia muttered in confirmation.
　It seems out of place, but the sound of a mountain stream flowing through my body.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time in the future.
I'm not going to be able to get my hands on it. "Yaharina no tokushunoryoku no dana.
"--
　With that word, Elias guessed.
　The mass of tentacles in front of him is their family.
This guy.....
Genius!
Son of a b*tc*. Seizonshah.
　The calm voice was a feint as it was. No, they may not be aware that it was a feint. That's what they are. Contact, conversation and hostility are almost seamlessly connected. There is no distinction. A madness with a life that seems to erode at the mere touch.
　A tentacle as sharp as a spear is thrust out to Elias with a gentle question of confirmation. It was easy to play, but Elias hated it.
''Aqua soliton!
　A thin stream ran over the earth from the great sword that was thrust up. It was a wave-like water spear sticking out of that clear stream in multiple layers. A group of spears rising from the earth intercepted the tentacles flying through the air.
　The filthy fluid spewed out like a thundercloud spewed white smoke all around. It is a strong acid that is leaking from the severed tentacles. The smoke rises, accompanied by an eye-stinginging irritation.
　What Elias, who squinted at the smoke, saw was Kanami rushing into the white smoke, winding the wind into it.
'Ichiban!　Thank you!
　When did she move to such a place, Kanami took advantage of the evergreen treetops for a triangle jump, and slammed the tentacle monster with a twisting kick.
''Hiyah!''
What happened?
Son of a b*tc*!　Oh, boy, am I in trouble!　It's disgusting.
　It was unclear if Kanami's blow had any effect, but the monster spun the timber frame around his body. Kanami jumped back with a movement like a fish leaping in the air to avoid being caught in its sharp rotation.
'Okashinakumiawasedana, 'koraishuyo. I'm not going to let you get away with this. That's rank II. Rank II.
　As soon as the tentacle monster Paps declared that, an overflowing amount of tentacles poured down on Elias and Kanami.
　Elias chewed out the soul-shaking emotion of avenging his fellow man.
　This being is an external enemy that has come to take the world. There's still a long way to go before he can unleash his wrath. Elias will face the Pups with the entire reason for the existence of the Ancient Species.



29



　Elias.
　Kanami.
　And Coppelia.
　The three of them fighting Pupus, however, could not devote themselves solely to the fight.
　I'm not sure if it's true that they are useful, but the Pups are just normal-ranked monsters.
　Normally, the adventurer and the ancient species, which are at about the same level, are armor-sleeved opponents for Elias and the three of them.
　Unlike Leonardo, Elias has Kanami and Coppelia at his side. I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more than a few of them, but I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more than a few of them, and I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more than a few of them. It's common sense that a party with a good balance of offense and defense has a combat ability that exceeds the combined abilities of the individuals in it. They should not be three people who could be outclassed by normal monsters of the same level.
''Kuh!　Yes!
Master, I'll take care of the right wing. I'll take care of the right wing.
　Coppelia swung the shield she held at the ready. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of it. The Ash-Spotted Inuoni, which attacked from the left wing, was hit by Kanami.
　That's right. The reason for the stalemate in the battlefield was because of the Ash-Spotted Demon's wave attack.
　The back of the beastman's head was covered in a strange-looking tail, like a strange bow. They writhe like a fish on land, digging into the brains of the Ash-Spotted Demon and transmitting the commands of the Pups.
　The parasites that have been infected by Pabs' tentacles all come at Elias and his friends, their eyes clouded with a dirty yellow color and spitting in profusion. The Ash-Spotted Demon has become increasingly ferocious. That's the reason why Elias and his friends are struggling.

　Coppelia and Kanami, who were split to the left and right, were covering each other and defending themselves well against the Ash-Spotted Demon. I'm sure it's not an easy battle, but each of the two of them were able to proceed with the fight without regard to each other.
　Coppelia is unhurried.
　Kanami was elated.
　Normally, a martial artist (monk) is supposed to have few ranged attacks, but Kanami seemed to have overcome this shortcoming. It's a good thing that she's good at using her continuous attack skill to distribute it to the monsters around her.
　The right fist of the first attack was on the sword-armed Ash Spotted Dog Demon. The second strike, the left palmar bottom, struck the Ash-Spotted Inuoni's surgeon, who was wielding his staff and about to launch a spell.
　The angle and timing of the attack is an important factor in fighting with fists and swords. Boxing, for example, is a martial art where the only way to strike is to thrust your right or left fist out. Yet they have established such an artistic system of techniques by devising angles, timing, and trajectories to such an extent. This is proof that in the art of combat techniques, minor variations in attacking techniques can lead to dazzling accuracy and power to hit an opponent.
　In Kanami's case, the already abundant array of continuous attacks by the martial artist has been made possible through the use of optional motions, which have led to an explosion in the composition and timing of attacks. Even if you can only imagine it, Kanami's dizzying array of combinations, which she can execute at will according to the number of enemies around her and the situation, looks like she's having fun dancing.
　Kanami launches a series of intricately constructed attacks, scattering them to the surrounding Ash-Spotted Demon. However, her appearance is far from the air of contemplation and silence. Probably, she is using the physical memory and instincts that she has acquired through training to carry out complex battles. Elias understood that.

　And speaking of Elias, he was confronting the Lord of Tentacles Papus, who was spinning in front of him.
'Kubebub!　Gobbledy gobbledygook.
　A pupus attacks Elias, pinching his laughter with an unpleasant sound like a boiling bubble.
　The pupus extends countless tentacles to Elias, but the tentacles are only as numerous and fast as Elias, who has earned even the strongest title, can see through them. But avoiding those tentacles would cost the nearby Ash-Spotted Demons. In other words, that would only add to the number of Paps' minions. It was a troublesome attack.
　In order to prevent this, Elias cut off the approaching tentacles with his two-handed sword. I'm not going to be the only one who can do this," he said.
"Echimonai!
'Huh!　You are the son of disaster!　I'm betting on the fairy sword to defeat you!
Yousseiken?　Bukpukh. Pukwa-baba-baba.
　A fast spinning, log structure bounces off Elias.
　Elias takes heavy damage to his abdomen, but he immediately closes the distance and moves to counterattack. His mid-range attack spell is blocked by that defense controlled by Papus and cannot reach it.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to get the most out of it.
　You know that, but Paps accepted the approach.
　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on it.
　Elias's two-handed sword, Crystal Stream, bites into the wooden fortress controlled by Pabs and stiffens in a battle of strength.

''---uh!
"Sitheirozo.
What--what?
"Kikunno shuzoku no shumatsuwo.
　Elias's view turns red.
'Kikunno nakamahamezametaka?　Sawdehaalmai. Nazequikun Hashizumanu. Nazekikun Hakogoe. Wazkana [Empassionum]. Kikunha, nazewgokel?
　I knew.
　I knew this tentacle's deformity from the moment I saw it.
　This is the Genius, after all. He was the end of that army that destroyed half of the Thirteen Knights of the Whole World. What flew into Elias's mind was his friends who had traveled to a different battlefield in the sky due to an unwanted transfer, as well as a strange army that was attacking them.
　His blood burned.
　Anger gathers in my throbbing temples.
　The monster in front of me is the one who destroyed Elias' people. Even if you try to suppress it, the rage boils the magic of the water.
''Stop!
"Nazekikun Hateyshisenu.
Shut your mouth!
　Elias roared.
　His arms, wrapped in an azure and silver surcoat, swelled up, and the cursed bloodstream rushed through the magical circuitry that had received the fairy's blessing. Elias leapt at the layers of tentacles scattered around him with his aura alone, but Paps told him dripping with malice in his inaudible voice.
'Sitteilzo. Coraish--Iya〈Daichijin〉nosvetemo. Kikinrahasbete --isinakikugutu, jinkaku software nisginite.
　burst into memory
　It was the "Word of Death" that had put half of Elias and the rest of the "Old Ones" to sleep. A dreamless sleep, never to awaken again. For the ancient species, which has no concept of death, that's what the word "separation" is called.
　It's a doll.
　That compulsory recognition devoured the Thirteenth Order like a plague.
　Some went mad at the word, some despaired, some lost interest in everything. Some were safe, but the safe ones were lost to this world.
　Even Elias, the most powerful man in the world, fell into a dreamless sleep at the mention of these words. The absurdity of his mission, the emptiness of it, the truth of it all, was too much for him to bear, so he closed himself off.
"Fake it," he said. "Fake things," he said. Mukara-umauma-taimono ni taisuru sono timeline.
　The language of death is the spirit of the wood.
　There are no heroes of the Old Ones who have learned the art of the fairy sword.
　There are no fairies.
　There are no old species.
　And there are no earthlings to protect.
　There is no world.
　If you listen carefully, you can remember the murmurs of fairyland, but they are a lie. The sword in his hand, the surcoat, the wind and the earth are all lies. Everything Elias knew was a lie; the world was an empty vessel.
　And even Elias himself.

'Nonsense!　Do you have one!
　The light was born out of the blue.
　Kanami barked without losing his leaping kicking stance as he punched through the trees and through the swarm of papus defenders and their tentacles like a meteor.
'Don't be silly!　Erierieri is here!　I'm here!　We're going to have a lot of fun in the future!　Don't go through with it. You're the tube man on a bicycle!
　In the golden light of Aorsoy's golden glow that shone through the pierced grove, she screamed like a proud queen.
　Just like that day when she revived Elias from the depths of sleep.
'Kanami--'
I'll take you down!　Erieli!
Yes!
　Elias nodded.
　The strength returned to his hands that held the sword.
　Magic power (from the earth) overflows. Kanami's trust was converted to physical temperature, and elation and mission danced back.
'Say!'
Ah!
　Elias ran like a white tiger as he poured his magic and fighting spirit into the crystal stream. The offensive water stream that was released was like countless spears that attacked the pupus. It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on it. However, the water spear of Elias falling from the heavens shines through the light and the mud spear of Pappus intercepting him from the earth is a pair of light and darkness.
　A single blow broke the deadlock between the two sides.
　The cage of the Giant Slayer growled. The Shadowless Kick thrusts away the body of Pups, who leapt up into the air with an Aerial Rave from Mantis Action. It was a good-looking target that floated in the air.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.
"Leave. To your abode!
　The body must have been fragile. With only a sticky sound, a hole so large that it spanned all of Papus' chest and upper body. Paps, whose body's freedom and tentacle defenses were deprived, was still only a normal-ranked monster.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future. It was the first blow that reanimated the "ancient species" Elias-Hackblade and started the war against the "liturgy".