As Esther made her way through Rishnal Lake, she continued on, and came to a place that seemed to be the center of the map app.

It looks like this area is the center. Estelle, take a break for a while.

''Huh, I'll let you do that. Even though my magic power never runs out, using it all the time gets tiring.

I'll give you a massage. I recommend a priest to help you recover from fatigue.

'I'll take care of it then. Sis-ha's massage is very effective.

　It's been quite a distance to this point. Even if you don't run out of magic, you must be mentally exhausted.
　If they find something here, there's a chance that it will lead to a battle.
　I'll have them rest for a while and prepare for it.
　Leaving Sisha in charge of Esther, me and Noor went over to Marth and the others, and they looked around and buzzed.

'I can't believe we've made our way to this place.

'Oh, it's so different from the exploration we know. I never knew there was such a party of adventurers...

Let's do this next time, Mr. Weil. It'll be a lot easier to explore.

"Fool, you can't do this!　Everything about that girl is off the charts!

　Azery-san is acting recklessly with Mr. Weil.
　It's going to be difficult to imitate Estelle, even if you bring more than one mage with you.
　It's really Esther's reliable person, and she's always helpful.

The only thing that's good about coming here is that I don't see anything of particular interest.

I wish there was something here, but it's hard to see it from above. Shall we go down?

I suppose I should, but I'm afraid of the crocodile.

What are you saying, sir? With a crocodile like that, even Okura-dono could take it down in a heartbeat.

　I think I can beat it from a status standpoint, but I don't want to deal with a big, stupid crocodile like that.
　I got a chill in my gut when I saw a bunch of crocodiles wandering around on both sides of the path Estelle had made.
　There are about 10 of them still at our feet, waiting for us.
　On the way here, we also saw a few crocodiles, including a larger one that was a rare species.

------
Crocodilus Gigas Species:Crocodilus
　Level: 60
　HP: 13,000
　MP:0
　Attack Power:2200
　Defensive Power:1300
　Agility: 120
　Magic Resistance:20
　Inherent Ability: None
　Skills Death Roll
------

　Even a normal Crocodilus is big, but this one is even bigger, and now it looks like a dinosaur.
　It's scary to see these things wandering around here and there. I don't want to be in the water at all.

　With these thoughts in mind, I observed my surroundings for a while from the safety of my foothold.
　I continued to look at the map app to see if there was anything unusual, but I didn't find anything in particular.
　It doesn't look like there's anything I'll be able to find even if I keep looking for it.
　........Okay, let's ask Gretto-san and the others who have been here before for their opinions.

''Mr. Gret, was there anything that made you feel uncomfortable before you came here?''

'Well I can't say for sure as I've never progressed like this, but I have a feeling there are more crocodiles than ever before.

That's what I felt. If we'd walked down there and explored, this would have been hard to get going. And there seems to be more Gigas than usual.

　There are a lot of crocodiles. I wonder what's going on here.

"What do you think, Nole?

If it was a usual pattern, there is a possibility that it was an aberration, but this time it was through the middle. It's difficult to judge, because it's possible that the vibrations of the ground are bringing them closer to you.

　It's certainly difficult to determine that it's an anomaly because it's only to the extent that Grette and the others say they feel like it.
　If the terrain changes so dramatically, it's safe to assume that the crocodiles in the lake have been stimulated to come close to them.
　It would be easy to understand if there was just one strong demon like usual, but that's not the case this time....
　After all, did Diabolus just pass through here and did not do anything?

　It's hard to tell just by looking at it from above, and we may have no choice but to go down and explore.
　As I was thinking this, Esther, who was taking a break, called out to me.

It's hard to confirm under these conditions, so shall we raise the water table for the entire area?

Esther, you're getting some pretty wild ideas, aren't you?

It's better than vaporizing them like they did in the swamp before.

Yeah, that's true.

　Come to think of it, when we fought in the pond the Frogman was in, he shot a fireball into it and vaporized half the swamp........
　We can't cause another disaster like that, and it's better to have the ground raised to the bottom.
　After agreeing to Estelle's suggestion, she picked up her wand again with the yellow Grimoire.

''Then let's get right to it--''

　The moment Estelle was about to use her magic, a part of the lake began to glow.
　Particles of light erupted from it and poured down into the lake.

''What?!''

More and more demons are coming out of the woodwork!

　One by one, light gathers in the places where the light has fallen, and crocodilus gushes out.
　Even Mars and the others are shouting with impatience at the scene.

''What the hell is this thing doing here!　I've seen demons spring up before, but they don't spring up all at once like this!

'Is this what you call an aberration...?　Isn't it a disaster now that demons have sprung up so suddenly?

'Wow....oh!　Even Rex is here!　And multiple bodies!

Oh my God I've never seen anything like this before.

　When Azélie pointed at the destination, a black crocodile even bigger than Crocodilus gigas had appeared.
　It's big enough to lightly exceed 10 meters in length. Looking around, I could see about five such things.
　You're a full-blown monster!　And, for now, status!

------
Crocodilus Rex Race:Crocodilus
　Level: 60
　HP: 65,000
　MP:2000
　Attack Power: 3000
　Defensive Power:1600
　Agility: 160
　Magic Resistance:30
　Inherent Ability: None
　Skill Waterbreath Wild Press Death Roll
------

　It's not as strong as it looks. But the problem is the numbers.
　The number of Crocodilus that still hasn't stopped springing up is more than 100 just by taking a quick look.
　There are so many of them that the map app is useless.
　If we were to fight this guy among them it would be pretty bad.

'In the blink of an eye, the lake has been filled with crocodiles. And it seems like they're all after us.

I shudder to think of them down there. Shouldn't we just kill these guys?

''If we leave it like this, it's going to be a big defeat, so we'd better take it out sooner rather than later.

Fortunately, we're upstairs, so you can fight in peace now...?

　Noll suddenly turned around and I followed his gaze and saw a single red demon flying in the air.
　It looked like a diabolus, but instead of a spear, it had a black scythe and a large body.
　I tried to check its status to see what the hell it was, but before I could, the guy moved.
　He swung one big hand and threw something at us.
　I immediately moved and tried to block it with the lid of the pot, but the thing thrown at us fell in front of us and shattered with a clatter on the path Esther had made.
　Seeing this, Sisha put her hand over her mouth and started laughing.

''Ufufu, where are you aiming at, that demon? You've completely missed your aim, haven't you?''

Oh, he's getting away!

You can't just let him go.

　Just as Esther was about to attack the demon that threw things at her and immediately turned around to leave, with her staff at the ready, there was a snapping sound under her feet.
　Immediately after that, the foothold we were on begins to collapse. I hurriedly picked up Estelle and we fell straight into the lake.
　I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about.

　If Estelle had fallen like this, she would have been drowned.
　That was an instant relief, and then Estelle, who was holding her, immediately screamed out.

Hey, man, watch out!

What?

　I turned around and saw a wide-open-mouthed Crocodilus Rex looming in front of me.
　My body stiffened, unable to react to the suddenness of the situation, but Mars-san's jumping kick exploded from the side and blasted the Rex away.

'What a bogeyman!

I'm sorry!

　I huffed as Marth-san reprimanded me and immediately activated the Goddess Sanctuary that I was wearing.
　I made the targets us and Grette-san and the others, and the Crocodilus who were close by were pushed away by the wall of light that developed around me.
　Asery-san and the others seem to have been protected by Nol, and no one seems to have been hit.

　Huh, we managed to save ourselves.
　I was so upset by the suddenness of the situation that I was late in using it, but now I'm safe for now.

"...What's this light?　Looks like Crocodilus and the others aren't allowed in.

Still got these powers? What the f*ck has happened to you people?

In case you're wondering, it's safe to stay inside, so please don't leave.

　He calmed down Gret and the others who were suddenly confused and decided to take a stance once.
　Estelle used her magic again to create a foothold inside the Goddess' sanctuary and check the situation around her.
　Just outside the Goddess Sanctuary, a terrifying number of Crocodilus are closing in and opening their mouths to attack us.
　Rex is attacking with a vigorous stream of water spewing from his mouth, perhaps to break through the wall of light, but he's not freaked out.
　It's a wild press of skills or maybe jumping high into the air and trying to crush it, but the moment it hits the wall, it's popped and splashed in the distance.
　As expected of a goddess' sanctuary, there seems to be no worry about being breached at all.

''What do we do?　Should we get out of this one?　There's a beacon, just in case you can get away with it.

''No, since we've activated the Goddess' sanctuary, I think it's better to just annihilate them. It would be tricky to deal with all of them again coming from outside.

　I've set up the beacon before we got here, so we can escape if we want to.
　However, there's no need to run away now that I've activated the Goddess' sanctuary.
　It seems that the mysterious monster that was above us earlier has already escaped, so it would be difficult to chase it from now on.
　Besides, we can't leave Rishnal Lake in this state.
　It would be better to defeat Crocodilus and the others while it is still safe to do so.

　That's why, having made preparations, we immediately launched our counterattack.
　First, Esther will make a gentle mountain to the outside of the Goddess' sanctuary to allow Crocodilus to come up.
　And then attack the ones that come close to us from all sides.
　Of course, we're inside the Goddess' sanctuary, so they won't counterattack us, they'll just attack us one way or another.
　Noll, Sisha and Mars-san occasionally attack out of the sanctum sanctorum, but the crocodilus that chased after them back inside soon collided with the wall of light and flipped over.

　The fight was no longer a work in progress, and the number of Crocodilus approaching gradually dwindled.
　Seeing their friends being beaten up without being able to do anything up to this point, it seems that no matter how many demons they are, they will start to be on guard.

''Huh, even though the situation is that we are surrounded by a large number of demons, I didn't know you could defeat them so unilaterally.

'It's so easy! Is this a miracle of the Priestess?

'Huh, yes. It's a warding that keeps evil out.

Oh, you're a real priest.

　Sis-Ha's so smug and lying!
　........Well, well, it's fine because the Priestess Sisha is more convincing than me using it.

''As expected, they won't come close to me after being beaten up to this point.

I'd like to go out and defeat them all, but the mysterious demon I mentioned earlier is also a factor, and it's dangerous to go out too far without good reason. Besides, we can't be too careful with that big crocodile.

Oh, well, you better let me take care of that, because I'm gonna take them all down.

　All five Crocodilus Rexes are still going strong.
　There's also Waterbreath, a long-range attack, and Wild Press, which is quite a threat.
　Esther said that such an opponent would be defeated by Esther.

　Taking out the white Grimoire and she raised her staff.
　Ah, isn't this........the light of destruction!

　As before, a huge magic circle appeared in the sky above and a sphere of light formed in the center.
　Five more small magic circles appeared, each facing towards Crocodilus.



　As Estelle swings her wand down with a call, the light that had formed in the center flows into five small magic circles.
　At the same time, rays of light shoot out from that magic circle and hit Rex.
　The normal crocodilus nearby are also involved, and they let out a tremendous roar.
　The rays of light continued until the five rexes were completely annihilated, and when it ended, a gaping hole was left and water flowed into it.
　After defeating them, Esther poked her staff into the ground and made a smug, satisfied face.
　Seeing that, Marth-san blurted out.

''........Looks like this little girl alone could defeat them all.

'Oh, haha...'

　Even though they're demons with low magic resistance, to erase five of them at the same time, that's just like Esther.