I'm surrounded by countless tentacles wrapped in mucus, each one looking like a giant worm.
　The dangerous thing is the pink mist it's spewing out.
　Not only the corpses in its basement, but even the stones are dissolving into sludge.
　Moreover, the specific gravity is heavier than the air, or perhaps it fills this hole, and the place of escape was crushed.
　No matter how much he had ingested poison from his childhood in training as an assassin and built up a resistance to it, it's hard to believe that he can get away with inhaling the kind of thing that the demon race produces, and that he can get away with it safely.
　He begins to chant.
　It creates a wind and blows away the pink mist.

'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'll be watching you.

At the same time as the words were spoken, the tentacles attacked.
　Fast.
　Each one is like a whip wielded by a master. The tip of the whip wielded by a master surpasses the speed of sound, and these tentacles move intricately and organically with greater speed than that.
　Above all, it is an overwhelming mass.
　It is difficult to see through the curved movement of a whip.
　However..........

I'll figure it out.

While pouring magic power into Touahade's eyes, he used wind as well as bodywork to evade.
　It's not just a matter of time before he or she ducks.
　And while dodging, he throws a knife.
　The knife pierces one of the tentacles.
　It's a tentacle that's thicker than my body. It doesn't hurt at all if the knife sticks out.
　But this is no ordinary knife.
　The thrusting knife explodes and blows the tentacles off from the root.

This is a weapon that I modified the "WASP" knife in my own way and created.
　When the knife is thrust into the target, gas is blown out from the tip, causing an explosion from inside the target.
　It is extremely effective against living creatures.
　It's a toy I've been developing in my spare time, but it's perfect for this kind of opponent.
　I hope it makes them feel a little itchy........

''It will, right?''

The remaining tentacles attack one after another without screaming or fear.
　And then, of course, the tentacles that were blown off from the root regenerate.
　With a click of my tongue, I manipulate the wind to gain altitude.

Quite simply, there's nothing to be done.

We won't get any useful information from playing with those tentacles. We should retreat.
　We should jump high, and then rise with the force of the wind.
　This demon tribe is our pretext. They are a lot more dangerous than that lion demon tribe.
　After a while, their tentacles are out of reach.
　But we won't let our guard down.
　There's no way they're going to let us off the hook so easily.

"Guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt.

The ground shakes as characteristic laughter echoes. The earthquake was so great that it broke the crumbling buildings.
　And then it appeared.
　A brownish-brown caterpillar, a vague and creepy giant body that could only be described as such. Its total length was well over a hundred meters.
　From its mouth, the pink tentacles that had hunted me down were swarming.
　Despite its huge body, it leaps. It's also tremendous momentum.
　At this rate, it will catch up with me.
　A foul stone to intercept it?　No, we're too close. At this distance, I'm gonna be caught in the blast and I'm not gonna make it out alive.
　It's a bit of a waste, but we'll use that thing.

"Artillery fire.

From the [crane skin bag], take out the gun at once, and fire at once.
　A substitute that would be blown up by the recoil if not originally fixed by spikes on the ground.
　Naturally, it will be blown away if you try to use the magic of magnetic fixation.
　If the barrel of the gun bounces this much when firing, there's no accuracy or shit.
　Even so, I set my sights directly below and the opponent's figure hits me because it's this big.
　A rain of gunfire pierces the flesh.

'Ke-la-ke-la-ke-la!'

The flesh is pierced, but it plunges straight in.
　The flesh of the wound growled, and the sight of the tentacles that seemed to be in his mouth growing out of it was simply horrifying.

It didn't do any damage, but the overwhelming kinetic energy of the bombardment slowed the opponent down. With this, they could escape.
　However, the longest tentacle, an even thinner tentacle grew from that tentacle and wrapped itself around my leg.
　Mucus from the tentacles dripped, and even the battle clothes made of the demon's membrane began to melt.
　If it had been normal clothes, they would have melted in an instant and my leg would have been melted to the bone.

He untied the wind armor he was wearing and turned all of that wind into propulsion for an explosive acceleration. He forcefully tore off the thin tentacles.
　He managed to crawl out of the hole and landed on the ground.
　Staring at the hole from the ground, the brown caterpillar also leaped out of the hole and had just made its body dance in the air.
　It moved like a whale's somersault, reaching the highest point and falling straight down.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, let's play again. I'm going home.'

Seconds later, the earth screamed and shook as that mass slammed into the ground.
　Then, as if it was a lie, the silence returned.
　........It seems to kill all the creatures that entered that hole, but it doesn't interfere with the ones that came out of the hole.
　When I looked into the hole, that huge body disappeared into the ground.
　'That's an understatement.

'It sucks. Too bad it's too incompatible.''

I can't think of a hand that can beat that one at present.
　I carefully unraveled the thin tentacles wrapped around my legs and bottled them up.
　There's a good chance I'll get some kind of information.

◇

After that, I joined Tart and Dia without re-entering the hole.
　Because if we entered the hole, we would be found immediately, and besides, if we fought that thing again, we wouldn't be able to defeat it, and I didn't think we'd get any more information from it.

'I'm home.'
That was amazing. I can see the big one from here.
Welcome back. Uh, here. Lemonade.
Thank you.

I accept a water bottle from the tart and quench my thirst.
　The sourness and sweetness is pleasant.

'So, how's it going?　Did you find out anything about how to beat it?
But as it stands, we're almost out of ideas.

I've been able to come up with a good strategy for any demon race I've ever seen, but I can't think of a way to defeat that one.

''That's right........because that thing. It's too big, I can't apply [Demon Slayer] to it.
''That's right. Against an opponent that is over a hundred meters long, this one's [Demon Clan Killer] is only a few meters in radius at most. It needs to locate the red heart, and even if it does, if it's in the center of its body, it won't be able to reach that far.

The tricky thing about the demon race is that if they don't use [Demon Race Killing] and other methods to immobilize and crush the power of existence, its core red heart, they will regenerate infinitely.
　However, if it's that big, there's a good chance it won't be able to reach the red heart.

Those caterpillars are a pain in the ass, hiding in their holes.
'Yeah, it's hard to escape into the ground at any time. At that size, you can't even stop them from moving.

Being able to move through the ground is a tremendous advantage.
　No matter how hard you corner them, they will re-partition you in an instant.
　It's also tricky in terms of defense.
　For example, I thought about smothering it out with a bombardment with a foul stone like I did to the Kabushi Demon race in the past, but if it dives deep into the ground, its power decreases drastically.
Even [Gungnir] is the same.

Furthermore, that guy has no intention of coming out of the hole.
　The purpose is not to kill us, but to complete the [Fruit of Life], and there's no need to force it.

''Come to think of it, I wonder what kind of demon race that is?
There's only one type of demon race that corresponds to the remaining four. That one looks like a caterpillar and seems to be a dragon.
I thought dragons were much cooler.
Well, yeah. But the scale of that thing is truly a dragon.

A ground dragon. So the lore goes.
　It is said that it once swallowed the city itself from the bottom of the earth.

You know, do you have any records of how the brave men defeated it?　Because even a brave man would have a hard time. We can't afford to let you run into a hole.
The legend says that he ate a hero and returned to the dirt, but the hero raged in his belly and killed him.
''Maybe we can imitate that. After entering the body, I don't mind if they escape into the dirt, and the [Demon Race Killer] will reach the red heart.
Well it's just that he's spreading a poisonous mist that can dissolve a stone. It's gruesome to be inside a man like that.
Ugh, I'm going to melt down in a second.

Nevertheless, if we don't do this, we're really in limbo.
　The direction of taking a hint from the lore itself was correct, and I was able to take the confirmation that that was the underground dragon.
　Speaking of which, it was said that the brave man was struggling and was prepared to lose, but as soon as the storm blew up, the underground dragon's movements slowed down.
　What is it about the storm?

Let's try it.
What's the matter with you, Lug?
I figured I'd harass you a little before I gave up.

This stuff is just an idea, but it's worth a try.
　We just have the body of the guy we bottled, so we can test it out.

Then, although you're almost certainly not going to be able to make it, you'll ask Epona for reinforcements. In the unlikely event that Epona can get there in time, she might be able to win.

But I don't want to bet on that eventuality.
　If we don't stop him here, not only will the [Fruit of Life] be completed and the resurrection of the Demon King will come closer, but other cities will be attacked by the same trick again next time.
　This time it could be Touahade, Murteau, or the city where your loved ones are.
　That's why I'm going to do everything in my power to finish him off here.
　Not for the sake of justice, but for the sake of protecting what I want to protect.

I'm surrounded by countless tentacles wrapped in mucus, each one looking like a giant worm.
　The dangerous thing is the pink mist it's spewing out.
　Not only the corpses in its basement, but even the stones are dissolving into sludge.
　Moreover, the specific gravity is heavier than the air, or perhaps it fills this hole, and the place of escape was crushed.
　No matter how much he had ingested poison from his childhood in training as an assassin and built up a resistance to it, it's hard to believe that he can get away with inhaling the kind of thing that the demon race produces, and that he can get away with it safely.
　He begins to chant.
　It creates a wind and blows away the pink mist.

'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'll be watching you.

At the same time as the words were spoken, the tentacles attacked.
　Fast.
　Each one is like a whip wielded by a master. The tip of the whip wielded by a master surpasses the speed of sound, and these tentacles move intricately and organically with greater speed than that.
　Above all, it is an overwhelming mass.
　It is difficult to see through the curved movement of a whip.
　However..........

I'll figure it out.

While pouring magic power into Touahade's eyes, he used wind as well as bodywork to evade.
　It's not just a matter of time before he or she ducks.
　And while dodging, he throws a knife.
　The knife pierces one of the tentacles.
　It's a tentacle that's thicker than my body. It doesn't hurt at all if the knife sticks out.
　But this is no ordinary knife.
　The thrusting knife explodes and blows the tentacles off from the root.

This is a weapon that I modified the "WASP" knife in my own way and created.
　When the knife is thrust into the target, gas is blown out from the tip, causing an explosion from inside the target.
　It is extremely effective against living creatures.
　It's a toy I've been developing in my spare time, but it's perfect for this kind of opponent.
　I hope it makes them feel a little itchy........

''It will, right?''

The remaining tentacles attack one after another without screaming or fear.
　And then, of course, the tentacles that were blown off from the root regenerate.
　With a click of my tongue, I manipulate the wind to gain altitude.

Quite simply, there's nothing to be done.

We won't get any useful information from playing with those tentacles. We should retreat.
　We should jump high, and then rise with the force of the wind.
　This demon tribe is our pretext. They are a lot more dangerous than that lion demon tribe.
　After a while, their tentacles are out of reach.
　But we won't let our guard down.
　There's no way they're going to let us off the hook so easily.

"Guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt.

The ground shakes as characteristic laughter echoes. The earthquake was so great that it broke the crumbling buildings.
　And then it appeared.
　A brownish-brown caterpillar, a vague and creepy giant body that could only be described as such. Its total length was well over a hundred meters.
　From its mouth, the pink tentacles that had hunted me down were swarming.
　Despite its huge body, it leaps. It's also tremendous momentum.
　At this rate, it will catch up with me.
　A foul stone to intercept it?　No, we're too close. At this distance, I'm gonna be caught in the blast and I'm not gonna make it out alive.
　It's a bit of a waste, but we'll use that thing.

"Artillery fire.

From the [crane skin bag], take out the gun at once, and fire at once.
　A substitute that would be blown up by the recoil if not originally fixed by spikes on the ground.
　Naturally, it will be blown away if you try to use the magic of magnetic fixation.
　If the barrel of the gun bounces this much when firing, there's no accuracy or shit.
　Even so, I set my sights directly below and the opponent's figure hits me because it's this big.
　A rain of gunfire pierces the flesh.

'Ke-la-ke-la-ke-la!'

The flesh is pierced, but it plunges straight in.
　The flesh of the wound growled, and the sight of the tentacles that seemed to be in his mouth growing out of it was simply horrifying.

It didn't do any damage, but the overwhelming kinetic energy of the bombardment slowed the opponent down. With this, they could escape.
　However, the longest tentacle, an even thinner tentacle grew from that tentacle and wrapped itself around my leg.
　Mucus from the tentacles dripped, and even the battle clothes made of the demon's membrane began to melt.
　If it had been normal clothes, they would have melted in an instant and my leg would have been melted to the bone.

He untied the wind armor he was wearing and turned all of that wind into propulsion for an explosive acceleration. He forcefully tore off the thin tentacles.
　He managed to crawl out of the hole and landed on the ground.
　Staring at the hole from the ground, the brown caterpillar also leaped out of the hole and had just made its body dance in the air.
　It moved like a whale's somersault, reaching the highest point and falling straight down.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, let's play again. I'm going home.'

Seconds later, the earth screamed and shook as that mass slammed into the ground.
　Then, as if it was a lie, the silence returned.
　........It seems to kill all the creatures that entered that hole, but it doesn't interfere with the ones that came out of the hole.
　When I looked into the hole, that huge body disappeared into the ground.
　'That's an understatement.

'It sucks. Too bad it's too incompatible.''

I can't think of a hand that can beat that one at present.
　I carefully unraveled the thin tentacles wrapped around my legs and bottled them up.
　There's a good chance I'll get some kind of information.

◇

After that, I joined Tart and Dia without re-entering the hole.
　Because if we entered the hole, we would be found immediately, and besides, if we fought that thing again, we wouldn't be able to defeat it, and I didn't think we'd get any more information from it.

'I'm home.'
That was amazing. I can see the big one from here.
Welcome back. Uh, here. Lemonade.
Thank you.

I accept a water bottle from the tart and quench my thirst.
　The sourness and sweetness is pleasant.

'So, how's it going?　Did you find out anything about how to beat it?
But as it stands, we're almost out of ideas.

I've been able to come up with a good strategy for any demon race I've ever seen, but I can't think of a way to defeat that one.

''That's right........because that thing. It's too big, I can't apply [Demon Slayer] to it.
''That's right. Against an opponent that is over a hundred meters long, this one's [Demon Clan Killer] is only a few meters in radius at most. It needs to locate the red heart, and even if it does, if it's in the center of its body, it won't be able to reach that far.

The tricky thing about the demon race is that if they don't use [Demon Race Killing] and other methods to immobilize and crush the power of existence, its core red heart, they will regenerate infinitely.
　However, if it's that big, there's a good chance it won't be able to reach the red heart.

Those caterpillars are a pain in the ass, hiding in their holes.
'Yeah, it's hard to escape into the ground at any time. At that size, you can't even stop them from moving.

Being able to move through the ground is a tremendous advantage.
　No matter how hard you corner them, they will re-partition you in an instant.
　It's also tricky in terms of defense.
　For example, I thought about smothering it out with a bombardment with a foul stone like I did to the Kabushi Demon race in the past, but if it dives deep into the ground, its power decreases drastically.
Even [Gungnir] is the same.

Furthermore, that guy has no intention of coming out of the hole.
　The purpose is not to kill us, but to complete the [Fruit of Life], and there's no need to force it.

''Come to think of it, I wonder what kind of demon race that is?
There's only one type of demon race that corresponds to the remaining four. That one looks like a caterpillar and seems to be a dragon.
I thought dragons were much cooler.
Well, yeah. But the scale of that thing is truly a dragon.

A ground dragon. So the lore goes.
　It is said that it once swallowed the city itself from the bottom of the earth.

You know, do you have any records of how the brave men defeated it?　Because even a brave man would have a hard time. We can't afford to let you run into a hole.
The legend says that he ate a hero and returned to the dirt, but the hero raged in his belly and killed him.
''Maybe we can imitate that. After entering the body, I don't mind if they escape into the dirt, and the [Demon Race Killer] will reach the red heart.
Well it's just that he's spreading a poisonous mist that can dissolve a stone. It's gruesome to be inside a man like that.
Ugh, I'm going to melt down in a second.

Nevertheless, if we don't do this, we're really in limbo.
　The direction of taking a hint from the lore itself was correct, and I was able to take the confirmation that that was the underground dragon.
　Speaking of which, it was said that the brave man was struggling and was prepared to lose, but as soon as the storm blew up, the underground dragon's movements slowed down.
　What is it about the storm?

Let's try it.
What's the matter with you, Lug?
I figured I'd harass you a little before I gave up.

This stuff is just an idea, but it's worth a try.
　We just have the body of the guy we bottled, so we can test it out.

Then, although you're almost certainly not going to be able to make it, you'll ask Epona for reinforcements. In the unlikely event that Epona can get there in time, she might be able to win.

But I don't want to bet on that eventuality.
　If we don't stop him here, not only will the [Fruit of Life] be completed and the resurrection of the Demon King will come closer, but other cities will be attacked by the same trick again next time.
　This time it could be Touahade, Murteau, or the city where your loved ones are.
　That's why I'm going to do everything in my power to finish him off here.
　Not for the sake of justice, but for the sake of protecting what I want to protect.