Chapter 51
[Boss Battle] Arachne, Mother of Spiders
"Well done everyone. I already expected you guys to get out."
I warmly welcomed the children who had woken up.
Honestly, I was anxious.
Pierrot bastard.
If you had anticipated this in advance and handed over the badges to the kids, you should have at least told me...!
I looked at Ha-rim
It's truly amazing.
If she had imagined an ordinary mirror, I would not have been able to connect to it because it was unmarked.
However, I was able to connect to it because she imagined a "mirror containing me" at the last moment.
Huh.
In Ha-rim's arms, there was a piece of paper with a drawing on it.
I was about to ask what it was when Ha-rim hugged me tightly.
"At the end, Ella came to mind. After all, Ella has to be with us."
It's not Eun-jeong, but Ha-rim who is doing that.
I asked in surprised.
"Uh, huh? Ha-rim, were you that scared?"
Ha-rim raised her head and made eye contact with me.
There was joy in her eyes.
"Yeah. I was scared. But it's okay now. Because when I needed it most and didn't give up, Ella appeared."
"Even if you say that, I haven't done much."
"No. Ella taught me that no matter how scary it is, there can be a wonderful outcome at the end."
"I feel embarrassed."
"So now I think I can do my best no matter what the situation is."
Ha-rim smiled brightly after saying that.
Oh, what a wonderful kid she is.
In the original route, Ha-rim lost all of her friends and ended up giving up.
But now it will be different. This child will never give up.
I confidently felt it.
That Ha-rim is no longer the protagonist of a tragedy.
A smile comes naturally.
"...You say such adorable things."
"Honey is dripping from my eyes."
Pierrot said as he came in through the window.
It's a touching reunion after all.
I let go of Ha-rim and stood in front of Pierrot.
"Why don't we start working soon? It looks like the nun and the soldiers you brought with you are very tired, so it will be difficult to stop the chasing spider monsters. And..."
"Besides, the concealment barrier you put up is nearing its end, so Miss Spider will notice. Right?"
I interrupted Pierrot, saying we should go quickly.
Pierrot reacted cheerfully to my action.
"Ho. I guess you're very motivated?"
"Well, I'm just a little angry."
How dare you touch the kids.
I pushed through the soldiers and left the building.
We saw Ms. Spider looking for us on the other side.
"As expected, it's really huge."
She's bigger than most buildings. She's huger than the Radio Head demon.
"As the spider monsters erode other monsters, the total amount of power seems to have increased."
"Why did she try to consume other monsters? You said she was like that even before she was attacked by the Devil?"
Pierrot answered my question by shaking his head.
"That's obvious. The stronger you are, the faster you become aware of your frame."
She probably thought that if she gained more power, she would be able to know something about herself.
"It ended up like that because she offended the Devil."
"I guess she wanted to find her own wish."
What is my wish?
As I was chatting with Pierrot like this, Ms. Spider, who was destroying the innocent buildings from afar, looked toward us.
"..."
"She noticed."
As soon as she recognized us, she came running down the streets.
The momentum was so great that normally I would have been scared.
But I was pretty angry.
I thought the world was falling apart when the kids collapsed.
Besides, I have become stronger. I'm not the mirror monster I used to be.
Overflowing confidence! Nothing can stop me.
...It's definitely not because the strongest boss, Pierrot, is standing next to me.
As soon as Ms. Spider got close to us, she tried to throw a huge punch.
However, when Pierrot released his aura, she was surprised by it and stopped her movements.
"..."
He spoke to her, not caring about the dust scattered.
"Oh! There would be no point in saying hello to you if you are not in your right mind. But I will. Because that's fun."
"..."
"Now, let's begin the show."
When Pierrot gestured, joker cards came flying out of his hand.
The sides of the cards were sharp like knives and left scars on Ms. Spider.
The wounded Arachne became furious and threw her arm at us.
I avoided it by going into a mirror I created. Pierrot jumped and dodged the attack.
Even though I dodged it, the shock wave almost broke the mirror.
Ms. Spider didn't stop there, she radiated her aura.
Then spider webs began to cover the area.
...Boss stage.
This entire area is about to turn into Ms. Spider's stage.
If that happens, it becomes annoying because you have to be careful not only of the boss but also traps.
Even if I wanted to block it, the difference in strength is so great that it is impossible to.
It's frustrating, but I have to approach it using the strategies I know.
"It's incredible. This is Miss Spider's power that has not been weakened by the artifact."
It's a walking disaster.
Instead of making her fight main character who are kids, make her fight the protagonist with special equipment in a game like Dead Space.1
"It's annoying."
Pierrot also seemed to be annoyed by the spider web and began to emit his aura.
At a glance, the aura was thicker and more powerful than Ms. Spider.
Even I, an ally, got goosebumps.
"I'm not at the stage where I'm going to collapse right away, so I'll deal with you sincerely."
Pierrot's aura began to push away Ms Spider's and take control of the area.
A happy BGM sounds in my ears.
Pierrot's stage unique BGM.
I specially liked it in the game... Of course, I started hating it after dying dozens of times.
"Oh, be careful there."
"Kyaa?!"
Something that looked like an amusement park ticket booth popped out from under my feet.
The sign at the ticket booth says it's free, so don't fight and have fun.
This bastard. You surprised me!
"...!"
Ms. Spider, who was losing her aura, began to run wild even more.
She randomly destroyed buildings with her gigantic body.
It was then.
Debris from the buildings flew towards where the children were.
"Hey!"
"Don't worry."
Suddenly, a monkey appeared and kicked the debris.
It's one if Pierrot's minions.
I didn't know I'd feel so happy to see that guy!
However, because of that act just now, the importance of the building was revealed.
Even though Ms. Spider was being controlled, she cleverly tried to target the building where the children were.
She holds the fragments of buildings in her hands and launches them like cannonballs at the building.
"That woman is really...!"
"Don't worry. You're still hot-tempered."
"Why are you so calm!"
"Because I wasn't just playing around."
Pierrot radiated even more powerful energy as if a bomb exploded.
He suppressed Ms. Spider's energy and completely took control of the surroundings.
It seemed like he had been gathering power this entire time.
I looked at him in astonishment.
Amusement rides rose up around him, showing off their presence.
"Now this battlefield has turned into a fun stage. It is impossible for the audience to get hurt during the performance!"
When debris touches the building, the building bounces off the debris with a rubber-like elasticity.
It's like.
"A trampoline?"
"Hohoho! It's a fight with a giant monster. Are you just going to watch? It's only when the audience participates in the show that it becomes exciting!"
He snapped his fingers and a road appeared in the building.
The road connected where the children where and where Ms. Spider was.
I looked at him, not knowing what he was thinking.
Instead of answering, he snapped his fingers.
Then an elephant carrying the kids and a cart carrying James and Maria jumped out and raced down the created road.
"Aaah! What are you bastard doing in putting the children in danger!"
"Why are you strangling me?! It's fun to do this! And swearing is bad for your emotions!"
"You crazy guy!"
"I thought you were getting better, but you still have a nasty personality! I knew it from the moment you didn't take the jokes!"
"Is that what you had in mind?! Are you taking revenge now?!"
"If you're that worried, wouldn't it be okay to protect them from the side? The best show is when they are safe. It would be the worst show if they got hurt. Give the children a show, Ella."
Pierrot suddenly lifted me up.
Then he kicked me in the direction of the kids!
I don't know if there was some kind of trick, the kicked butt didn't hurt, but I felt dirty.
I screamed, flying like a missile.
"Just you wait!"
I got closer and closer to the elephant the children were riding.
I tried to create a mirror portal and land safely but when Ha-rim saw me, she opened her arms to catch me, so I stopped an also opened my arms.
"Tsk! As expected, Ella is light!"
"I'm back... Eun-jeong, what are you doing?"
"Wow Ella is here! I'm really happy, but I feel motion sick..."
"I'll only accepts your feelings, so please don't come closer."
I kept my distance from Eun-jeong, who complained of motion sickness.
And I saw Suho fighting off the spider monsters that were attacking the elephant.
I was so surprised that his movements were cleaner than last time and there was no fear or tension in his eyes.
"Aren't you scared?"
"Well, I'm no sure. For some reason, I'm not afraid at all. It's not arrogance... It's just that kind of mood."
"What about Kyeong-min and Eun-jeong?"
"Wow... Urgh..."
Eun-jeong seemed to be more concerned about motion sickness than fear.
"I was a bit confused until just now, but when Ella arrived, even that feeling disappeared. Somehow, it feels like my heart is racing."
Your heart is racing?
"Kyeong-min, confessing in this situation is a bit... Let's talk about it just the two of us after everything is over. It's not that I... don't like it."
As I shyly finished speaking, Kyeong-min had a fit.
"That isn't what I meant?! You make jokes like that whenever you see me!"
"What can I do? Your reaction is funny."
Phew. I let go of the stress cause by Pierrot by cutting down the spiders that were slowly increasing in numbers.
Even though the number increased, the children were not afraid.
They looked rather happy, as if affected by the mood.
This kind of attitude os prohibited on the battlefield, but there is a difference between being happy and being careless.
While enjoying the thrill, they don't let down their guard.
Rather, this is closer to being engrossed in doing something they like.
These kids are going on an adventure now.
I really liked that.
I smiled.
POV Switch - 3rd person
James, who was looking at them, spoke to Maria.
"Those kids are showing ridiculously outstanding skills."
There was no need for any help when the spiders attacked.
All attacks were completely countered with the strange items taken out of Shin Ha-rim's bag, and with Ella joining in, there was a perfect connection with no gaps.
"I know, right? They are really great kids. Even with such a huge monster running rampant, they aren't intimidated."
Maria admires.
But James didn't seem to like it.
"It's strange that untrained children can achieve this level."
"You're being stubborn in a strange place."
Maria grumbled, feeling like those words were belittling the kid's abilities.
James thought to himself that she starting acting like a mother after playing with them for a while.
"Can you please stop thinking of me as an old man? Strange is strange. I bet no one can watch that monster as if they were watching a show."
"...But it's that kind of mood."
"The mood..."
Who created that mood?
Who taught the children not to lose hope among fearful beings?
No, it's different from teaching. This is almost like magic.
James rolled his eyes and then returned his focus to Ella, who was smiling and directing the children.
'Ella... I think it's you.'
Although he himself doesn't know.
From the time James came here, he felt that he was in a great flow.
And he chose the person who seemed most important in that flow, Ella.
It was Ella who protected the children.
It was Ella who brought them in.
It was Ella who created an atmosphere of hope for the children.
And the most suspicious one was Ella.
By taking away the demon's power from a girl named Mary, the devil's reaction increased from 1/4 to half.
And the clown and spider woman are each showing 1/4 of a demon reaction.
It was difficult to see this as a coincidence.
If all the pieces come together.
Maybe the huge flow he felt was...
"James?"
Maria, worried about James being uncharacteristically quiet while lost in thoughts, asked.
James waved his hand as if saying he was okay.
"It's nothing."
'...I hope the atmosphere you created is related to your power.'
Ella and the children eliminated the spiders.
They got closer and closer to Ms. Spider.
"How happy you look, Ella..."
Pierrot, who was observing them while fighting Ms. Spider, thought it was time to strike.
He shouted in a loud voice.
"Alright. It's quiz time!"
Quiz.
That was one of Pierrot's boss battle gimmicks.
If you guess right, you deal damage.
If you guess wrong, you will suffer damage.
[Why aren't you with the spider monsters?]
Miss Spider: Even though she commands a spider army, she doesn't keep them close by. If she had minions who could apply debuffs, it would have been much more easier for her.
A. Because she's strong enough even without being with the spiders.
B. Because spiders are a nuisance.
C. Because the spiders do not obey.
D. Because spiders are gross.
"..." [Answer: D]
"Timeout. You can't speak because the devil has blocked your mouth. Sorry!"
Ms. Spider didn't answer.
Then her body exploded, causing great damage.
She tried to counterattack with a mental attack, but it didn't work on Pierrot.
"These are interesting results. The answer is D... I remember you loved spiders."
Pierrot was so busy thinking about that answer that he forgot about the punch flying at him.
At this moment, a large mirror appeared next to him and the fist went into the mirror.
Bang!
Immediately after, a fist came out from a mirror created next to the spider woman and struck her torso.
Ms. Spider's body tilted.
"Hey! Be careful!"
"Hahaha! Sorry! I was lost in thoughts!"
'...I guess the Half-devil really stole that from her.'
"Here's the next question."
[What do you hate?]
A. villager
B. Ella
C. Pierrot
D. Half-devil
E. None.
"..."
[Answer: E]
Bang!
"...As expected. It was an interesting quiz."
POV Switch - Ella
A moment later, a series of explosion were heard.
"It's bloody."
Ms. Spider who endures that is even more scary.
I felt that the end was slowly coming.
This is because Ms. Spider movements, who was completed injured, slowed down.
Pierrot motioned to me.
I also prepared to attack with as much force as I could.
"Let's end it with one shot."
I and Pierrot jumped and landed in front of Ms. Spider's head.
I created a mirror.
As big as possible.
What appears in the mirror is a girl in red.
"Can you help me?"
A mirror monster that kill those it encounters.
As the mirror got bigger, Blood Mary also got bigger.
A huge ax, a knife, and Pierrot's hammer were swung at the spider woman's head.
An impact sound that sting your ears.
"..."
Ms. Spider seemed to hold on for a moment, then stretched out her four arms and lowered her head.
It seemed that she no longer had the strength to run amok.
Pierrot saw that and hinted at me.
"The time has come. Can you offer her rest?"
1. The literal translation is “Death Universe”. As I didn’t find anything with this name (in Korean, obviously.) I used Dead Space, as I think it’s this game the author is referring to.
Thanks again for Pat4laifu in finding grammar mistakes!
By the way, because of so many insects flying in my monitor because of it’s brightness during the night, I had to turn it as low as possible, so I made this chapter while squinting my eyes to properly read stuff. Here hoping it’s not so bad.
As always, any errors just say, and I hope you liked reading it.
—Chi
WARNING: THIS IS NOT A PROFESSIONAL TRANSLATION, I CHANGED SOME WORDS, PUNCTUATIONS AND THE FORMATTING TO WHAT I BELIEVE MAKES IT FLOW BETTER WHILE TRYING TO FAITHFULLY MAINTAIN THE AUTHOR’S MEANING.
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