406 – Chase Drama
Thermal has taken Miria and run, and I chase him. I stoop down and push forwards, breaking through the ceiling. Huge footprints are left in my wake. The floor drops away in places, but I continue to push my way forwards regardless.
If we fight in this narrow space, it will be Thermal’s advantage. But my stats are far greater than his. The gap between ranks is large. I also have Aro and the nightmare with me.
It seemed that Thermal’s objective was to split up our forces, but if we clash now, our side will win for sure. He also understands that. He must have some other, distinct aim.
I don’t think Thermal will try ordering me to kill myself under threat of killing his hostage. If he overdoes it, I’d be forced to give up on saving Miria, and at that point, Thermal will lose his precious countermeasure against me and would die soon after. In truth, I don’t know what I’ll do if Thermal uses her as a shield, but for him, that narrow a tightrope of a plan should be too risky for him to consider.
Thermal’s objective must be to use Miria to somehow force me into a situation where he has a more than fifty-fifty chance of winning. Like that slime, he’s cunning. Had he unthinkingly flown into a rage, Miria could have already been killed, so I’m not sure whether his shrewdness is a bad thing or not.
In front of me, Thermal runs into five knight slimes that squirm in from a side passage.
“Thermal-sama, what is the situation…!?”
“One minute… No, stall for twenty seconds! Shit, stop resisting, girl! I don’t mind carrying you more roughly!”
Having ordered the knight slimes, Thermal runs on. The knight slimes are bewildered, but stand in front of me.
“Our task is to slow it down!”
“In that case… [Ooze Bomb]! Aim for the feet! Aim for the heads!”
The knight slimes spit globs of their body at me. Multiple mucus bullets fly towards me. It’s the same skill that had stopped Volk from moving.
I kick off the floor with my hind feet and spin through the narrow passage while swinging my claws.
“GuuOOOOOh!”
I destroy their [Ooze Bombs] with my claws. They burst on contact in a spray of droplets. My skin burns with pain and goes numb as it dissolves, but this much does not matter. The walls, floor, and ceiling are torn to shreds by my claws, causing the passage behind me to crumble away.
“Wha…! Wh-what can we do against an opponent like this…!?”
I easily break through the knight slimes’ formation, clawing three of them as I pass. Their shredded armour and splattered body scatter through the air. The nightmare manages to use her sticky thread, and Aro, her enlarged arms, to hang on to me.
【1360 experience points have been acquired.】
【Due to the Title Skill [Walking Egg: Lv -], an additional 1360 experience points have been acquired.】
God’s Voice informs me of the experience from the death of the three. The two that had fled from my claws cower down in shock, but then scream as they are flattened by the falling rubble.
【940 experience points have been acquired.】
【Due to the Title Skill [Walking Egg: Lv -], an additional 940 experience points have been acquired.】
Sorry, but I don’t plan on spending any time with you guys. Thermal, if you’re going to set up a trap for me, then hurry up and do it. I’ll use the chance to send you flying and rescue Miria.
“Sh-shit…! Even if their level is high, can C+ ranks not do anything!? But, even so, up ahead, Rogueheil should be able to…”
Thermal turns away from me and looks at the end of the passage ahead. Miria, whose arm is being pulled by Thermal, glares at him and thins her eyes as though resolving herself.
M-Miria, if you’re planning on doing something, then… Certainly, now that his sense of impending crisis from me has increased, Thermal’s awareness of Miria has faded. It’s true that now is a good opportunity for anything Miria has planned, but the difference their ability is just too big.
“…What’s effective will be a wide-area attack! Fire magic, [Fire Ball]!”
Miria’s hand touches Thermal’s right shoulder. The next instant, a sphere of flames swells from the point of contact, and explodes upon reaching twice the size of an apple. The sound of bursting flames resounds. Amidst the thick smoke, I see Thermal’s face twitch in rage.
“This is why I told you not to get carried away. I don’t know what that was meant to do, but it doesn’t matter. Don’t you think you would be better off not angering me?”
Thermal’s right hand is still grasping Miria without the budging at all. There are no changes at all on his arm. Strangely, his clothes that I can see through gaps in the smoke are completely unscathed. The clothes are created as part of his slime body, so rather than garments, they’re more akin to his main body, and so superficial attacks won’t be enough to leave a mark.
If anything, Miria is the one who has suffered more from her attack, as she’s coughing violently. The arm she used is burnt, with her thumb, palm and wrist burnt hideously raw.
But it wasn’t pointless. Startled by her attack, Thermal jumped to the side of the passage while still holding on to her. At the same time as Miria’s [Fire Ball] exploded, I shot two [Wind Slashes]. One of the vacuum blades misses, while the other skims past the top of his head. His severed hair returns to mucus and splatters to the floor.
Thermal follows the blade of wind with his eyes, twisting his face into a smile.
“Dangerous, dangerous… Did you aim for the moment my vision would be be blocked by the smoke and my hearing by the explosion? My reaction was a little late. That wasn’t a bad surprise attack. I almost lost my head there. But your judgement was still too naive.”
Thermal looks back at me.
“Are you trying to end it fast? Or is this woman surprisingly irrelevant to you? Did you judge that, since I don’t have any countermeasures, I can’t kill this girl? If so, that’s too short-sighted. I’m not stuck between the choices of killing her or not. As a bargaining chip, there are more steps I can take. I could use poison to ruin her pretty face, or I could dissolve her legs and force her into a life of being forever unable to walk? Understand, this is a penalty for you two. Making her a bit more compact makes it easier for me to walk, too.”
Thermal’s left hand touches the base of Miria’s left leg. At almost the exact same time, the two [Wind Slashes] that passed beyond him crash into the ceiling and the wall at the end of the passage. Taken aback, Thermal looks back at the building pile of rubble in his path.
“Ugh… I-Irushia! You, you planned this from the start…!”
Thermal is a slime. By himself, he could squeeze through gaps in the rubble and escape. But he can’t take Miria with him. He has no choice but to leave her and run.
After this, I’ll take Miria with me and meet back up with Volk, and we’ll thoroughly beat Mephisto together. In the worst case, the Demon Lord might escape, but… Driving them out of Ardesia will still be a big blow to their strength. Rather than rushing to settle everything, I’ll choose the path of a certain improvement to the situation.
To be honest, Lilixira’s behaviour is too unreadable, and she still has yet to make her appearance. She might be thinking that if she gets caught, it’s game over for the human side, but she’s still being way too cautious. She might have her own ideas of what’s correct, but having her allies stake their lives while not getting involved herself isn’t a very pleasant way of doing things.
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