The open space at the entrance to the cut-through was a little larger than a schoolyard.

　As if to make it easier to fight, there was a flat area with only grass growing on it.

　And there is only one tree that stands tall, blocking the path.

That's a ...... Trent, no matter how you look at it. It's a big one.

I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you. Elder Trent.

It's also visible in detection. And by the way, it doesn't have [Mimicry], does it?

　It's not insanely big like a dindle, but it's big enough to be a giant tree.

　Of course, it's nothing compared to the torrents we've seen in the past. ...... The diameter of the trunk is about three meters, and the height is about 50 meters.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to be doing and how you're going to do it.

It's probably going to start moving when you step into this square, right?
I'm sure it will.
It's too big. ....... Mee, there's nothing you can do.
Even with my weapon, it's too big. ......

　She looked up at the Elder Trent branch and compared her own bastard sword with Mitya's, whose mouth was bent into a crooked grimace.

　And so it should be.
　It's not a branch, but rather a log.

　In Trent's attack pattern, it would be like a log over 30 centimeters in diameter being swung down from high above your head.

　A club wielded by an orc is in no way comparable.

　Not to mention Mitya's main weapon, the small sword, even Mary's bastard sword would be tough to fight.

I'm not sure if there's anyone who can do that.

　I'm sure you'll be able to understand why I'm here.

　The toughest of our primary weapons is Mary's bastard sword.

　Toya's weapon is a little thinner than Mary's because it can be handled with one hand.

　Of course, because of the attribute steel, his weapon is much more powerful than weapons made of iron, but it is still impossible for him to cut a log with a single sword.

I'm not sure if I can find a sword that's stronger and sharper.　I'm not sure what to make of it.

It's a physical limit, right?



　A magic sword is a sword made of attribute steel through which magic power is passed.
　The sharpness is greatly increased, but it is not insane enough to win a fight with a lump of iron.

　I could cut through an untrained lump of iron, an Iron Golem, to some extent, but it was still half my arm.

　That's where I lost.
　It just fell apart.

　Of course, it was too risky to try such a thing on the spot, so I tried it against the remains of the Iron Golem.

　That was the last time I was back in LaFang.
　So, in fact, the steel sword Toya is using now is the second generation.

　Incidentally, the experiment was conducted by Toya without our permission, so he had to pay for the renewal.

　I don't know the exact details, but I'm sure the cold wind is blowing in his pocket right now.

　The attribute steel itself was melted down and reused, so it was probably cheaper than making a whole new one, but even so, it must have cost him a hundred gold coins.

We who can use magic - except for Natsuki - will attack, and the rest of us will support them, I suppose.

I'd like to think that we can handle Trent, but if we don't ......

What if it doesn't?

We run. The way we came.

　When Haruka asked me back, I simply answered and pointed along the rocky mountain.
　You can escape from the boss here.
　There's no option not to run when things get dangerous.

But make sure you don't run into the forest.
Right. There's no more dangerous place to run than this forest.

　It's almost impossible to detect a Trent while running, a Shadow Margay or a Shadow Viper might be able to notice it, but whether they can deal with it is another matter.

　Stubby Burrows, who suddenly attacked from under your feet, is not to be underestimated.

I'm not sure what to do. Mitya is likely to be overpowered, so keep your distance, just enough to draw his attention.

I understand.

　If I were you, I'd like to attack you with magic before you enter the square, but you're too far away.

　We approached cautiously as we worked out our magic.

　I was afraid that if we stepped into the square, we would be in an immediate battle, but Elder Trent didn't seem to make a move - and soon we were in magic range.

I'm not sure what to make of this.



　That's what you get against Trent.
　It's a very effective spell against immobile targets, and Yuki and I cast it at the same time.

"Hm?
"Huh?

　The moment I felt something strange about the response, Elder Trent began to move.

　Its movements were exactly the same as the Trent I had seen before, but its size was completely different, so it was much more powerful.

　And the part we attacked...

"It's not sharp!
"Razor!　--It's not a razor!　Resist?

　I observed Trent as Yuki said something that sounded like a commercial, but I didn't see any hindrance in his movements.

　Yuki and I targeted the left and right sides of the trunk, about a meter wide.

　That's about the extent of the space division we were able to target, but it doesn't look like it's been cut.

　No, there seemed to be a cut in the bark of the tree, but the cut probably ended there. It may not have reached the main part.

Not so easy.
"Didn't I use enough magic?

　You can reduce the effects of magic by countering it with your own internal magic power, just as the skill of [magic barrier] exists.

　It's difficult to prevent physical magic like stone missiles with this skill, but you can reduce most fire and wind magic to some extent, and if you can resist magic that is abnormal, it won't have an effect. I've never experienced this, though, since I can't use dark magic.

　And spacetime spells are, in a sense, similar to anomaly spells.

　For example, spells such as "Slow Time" can be countered by this, and spells such as "Transport" will only work if the opponent is almost unresisting.

　But if they can't resist, you can easily defeat them by transporting the troublesome enemy into the air, and this is only natural.

　As Yuki mentioned, the more magic power you put into it, the harder it will be to resist, but I'm not sure if it's worth it.

　It is usually more effective to shoot a lot of Fire Arrows with the same amount of magic power than to use Slow Time with a lot of magic power.

　Because of this, I rarely had a chance to use space-time magic in battle after I first tried it out for a while.

　Instead, I've been making use of the fact that there's no damage even if resistance fails, and I've been making effective use of it in order to raise the level of our [magic barrier].

"What do you think?　Do we try again?
"Speed-wise, I think I can handle it. ......



　Elder Trent approaches with his roots pulled out of the ground, slamming into the ground.

　The swaying of his upper body (?) is quite impressive. But at first glance, its speed seems to be the same as that of a normal Torrent.

　But in fact, with a body twice the size of Trent's, they move in what appears to be the same way. ...... Their terminal movements are certainly faster than Trent's.

I'm not sure if that will work.　I'm not sure what to make of it.
"Nao and Yuki's transitions are important for escape as well. If you can afford it, that is. ......

　In the case of space fragmentation, the all-or-nothing nature of it is troubling.
　Even if you use a lot of magic power, it is almost useless if you are resisted.
　Should I still give it a try? ......?
　I only had a few moments to think about it.
　It was Haruka who made the decision.