City Hall Defense Battle (6)

"By the way, Nissy, are you sure it was okay to let Big Bro go on ahead?"

"It's fine. If Titan showed up, I was planning to have Kudo-san prioritize dealing with it from the start."

Nishino raised his insecticide and pulled the trigger.

The more than ten ants in front of him groaned in pain.

"Yeah, but couldn't we have dealt with these guys first?"

"I mean, look," Rikka continued, swinging her hatchet around.

"By sheer coincidence, the ceiling in the center collapsed and crushed nearly half the ants. The Queen Ant's movements have gotten sluggish, too. We could finish these guys off first and then..."

"...You're right. Maybe we could."

"...?"

Nishino's hesitant reply struck Rikka as odd.

It was true that, just before their charge, the ceiling had 'coincidentally' collapsed—and only the central section, at that—killing most of the ants caught beneath it.

On top of that, Queen Ant Arpa, who had been in the center, had been doused in some 'mysterious liquid' leaking through the ceiling and left gravely wounded.

They'd been blessed with more 'good luck' than they could have hoped for.

"But only if it really was a coincidence."

"Huh?"

Nishino stabbed an ant rushing toward him with his spear.

An announcement that he'd leveled up rang out.

"...Man, what an awkward guy."

The ceiling had 'coincidentally' collapsed and taken out the ants, and 'coincidentally,' 'undiluted insecticide' had poured down on the Queen Ant and wounded her?

(There's no way that was a coincidence.)

He'd tried to cover it up, but Nishino had seen it.

Just before the ceiling collapsed, Kazuto had been staring intently at it.

All that insecticide he'd supposedly won from the gacha, and everything else he'd done up until now...

From all that, Nishino could guess what kind of Skill he was hiding. And... why he wanted to keep it hidden.

"...The guy who takes everything, huh?"

Nishino gave a faint smile.

"Huh? Did you say something, Nissy?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking that nobody knows what might happen, or where, or how."

Nishino's briefly relaxed expression tightened as he looked ahead.

"Anyway, let's finish this quickly. You want to get to her—Ichinose—as soon as possible, don't you?"

"Ghk... O-Of course I do!"

Rikka's eyes turned red, and the air around her changed.

It was her Skill, 'Berserk.'

"Here I coooooooooome!"

Without a trace of fear, she plunged into the swarm of ants.

At the same time, near City Hall—

(Yes! The surprise attack worked!)

I watched Titan, grinning to myself.

A huge 'hole' had opened in its forehead.

I'd just made it with my Pile Bunker.

Cracks spread out from there, covering its entire face.

(But... this thing is insanely powerful.)

Without thinking, I ran my hand over the Pile Bunker mounted on my right arm.

Its rugged, blocky design, and the enormous 'nail'—nearly a meter in diameter—protruding from its tip.

―――'Ichinose Special ver. 00 Kai: Manly Romance'

The name was atrocious, but its power was the real deal.

Two days ago, Ichinose-san had won the 'Weapon Craftsman' Job from the gacha, and the first thing she made was this Pile Bunker.

It was the most powerful weapon she could make, and one that could be crafted with the materials I had in my Item Box.

Each shot consumed ten tiny magic stones and twenty MP. It was an absurdly inefficient weapon, but its power spoke for itself.

So why hadn't we used such a powerful weapon until now?

The reason was simple.

――The recoil was unbelievably violent.

The full force of the recoil hit your entire body with every shot.

It was enough to make it feel like your whole body was being torn apart.

I'd tested it with a clone, but the clone burst apart the instant it fired.

In other words, that would happen to me if I used it.

On top of that, a clone couldn't aim properly, since it couldn't benefit from 'Shadow' or my other Skills. It would hit somewhere completely off target, so I couldn't even use it for a suicide attack.

After all that work, it ended up gathering dust in my Item Box, and Ichinose-san had looked pretty dejected.

Kiki's 'Reflection' was what solved the problem.

If Kiki used Reflection on my body beforehand, it would reflect the Pile Bunker's recoil, too.

More precisely, I could add that recoil to the weapon's power when I fired it.

No risk, tremendous power.

Kiki joining us had truly been a light in the darkness.

"I won't hold back... Kiki, please!"

"Kyu."

Kiki moved over to me through Momo's 'shadow' and immediately cast 'Reflection' and 'Buff' on me.

As a faint light enveloped me, I stowed the weapon in my Item Box and started running.

It was faster to run without it, after all.

I dashed under the Golem's legs and around behind it.

"—Wall-Walking Technique."

I ran up the Golem's body toward the back of its head.

I immediately equipped the Pile Bunker again.

"Fire!"

A giant nail drove into the back of Titan's head.

The film of Reflection glowed, and the Pile Bunker's recoil was added to its force as it fired with tremendous power.

"Ruuuu... OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNN!!"

Titan writhed in agony.

"Momo! Now!"

"Woof!"

Momo appeared through the 'shadow.'

Then she took a deep breath—and 'howled.'

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF!!"

Her roar shook the air and filled the entire area.

It wasn't only the power of 'Shadow' that had grown after leveling up.

Momo's 'Howl' had grown stronger, too.

And that 'Howl' was the final touch.

Cracks spread across Titan's entire body with a series of sharp, grinding sounds.

Ichinose-san hadn't just been firing randomly.

First, I'd used 'Weak Point Strike' to find the spots where shock would travel most easily, then carefully 'predicted' the best places to aim. I'd had her shoot those.

Each individual hit wasn't especially lethal.

But the damage from the Pile Bunker attacks from the front and behind, combined with the damage Momo's Howl had built up, increased at an accelerating rate.

The scattered cracks joined together, creating a huge ripple—and that would eventually bring down an enormous mass of rock.

"Ruuuo... o... ooooo..."

Badly battered, Titan summoned its last strength and raised a fist.

But at that moment, its arm broke.

Then its right leg.

Unable to keep its balance, Titan toppled forward.

Its face crumbled away, revealing the 'thing' deep inside its mouth.

It was a huge, round stone, about the size of a watermelon.

That was probably Titan's 'core.'

"...Ruuuuoo..."

Titan glared at us resentfully.

The intimidation was tremendous, but it couldn't have much strength left by now.

The moment it fell, I felt its power plummet.

But better safe than sorry. I raised one hand.

At that instant, Titan's 'core' shattered.

Ichinose-san had sniped it.

At that moment, Titan's entire body collapsed completely.

A purple magic stone the size of a fist remained at the center of the pile of rocks.

"Phew..."

I slumped down where I stood.

It was over... Finally.

"Woof!"

"Haha, good work, Momo."

I gently petted Momo as she licked my face.

Ah, nothing beats this feeling.

"Good work, too, Kiki. I'm so glad you joined us."

"Kyu, kyukyu~♪"

As if trying to outdo Momo, Kiki rubbed her body against me, too.

Haha, what a cutie.

"Oh, right. Momo."

"Woof!"

Maybe she'd guessed what I wanted to say, because Momo slipped into the 'shadow.'

A few seconds later, she emerged from the shadow with Ichinose-san.

"Good work, Ichinose-san."

"You too, Kudo-san."

Ichinose-san sat down beside me.

Our shoulders touched.

"...After we rest a little, let's head over to Nishino-kun and the others. They should still be fighting over there."

I'd had one of Aka's clones attach itself to Rikka-chan.

Using it as a coordinate, Momo should be able to take us there quickly with 'Shadow Travel.'

"Yes..."

"...If you'd like, Ichinose-san, you could rest here."

Kiki's 'Reflection' had a limited number of uses.

I'd had Ichinose-san do without Kiki's 'Reflection' so it could be used for my Pile Bunker.

Honestly, Ichinose-san's body had to be at its limit by now.

"No, I'm going. Please let me go..."

But her eyes were still full of life.

It was probably for Rikka-chan's sake.

She wanted to be there for her.

"All right. Oh, but first, let's collect the magic stone. And the pieces of Titan, too."

Kiki was the MVP this time, so maybe I should give her the magic stone.

Come to think of it, how many levels had Ichinose-san gained?

I hadn't gotten an announcement that I'd gained experience, so it must have gone to her...

Ah, damn. The level gap between us has widened again...

"Oh, speaking of which, Kudo-san, how many levels did you gain? I didn't get any announcements, but you must have gained quite a few, right?"

"――Huh?"

Ichinose-san suddenly asked me that.

Meanwhile, in the underground mall—

"All right! Keep pushing! We're going to win if we keep this up!"

"Ooooooooooh!"

Nishino and the others were fighting hard against the Queen Ant and her minions.

The Soldier Ants had already been reduced to about a fifth of their original number, and Queen Ant Arpa had lost an arm and looked badly battered.

"It's going well."

"Yes, but we can't let our guard down. How much do you have left, Shimizu-san?"

"Two Magnum Blasters and four smoke bombs. It's a little worrying, but we'll make up for the rest with our Skills."

"Then, Shimizu-san, take the right side. We'll attack from the left."

"Got it. Everyone, this is our final push! Give it everything you've got!"

Encouraging and covering for one another, Nishino and the others steadily gained the upper hand.

It was a battle between two creatures that both fought in swarms.

Once one side gained momentum, the tide of battle kept turning further in its favor.

"Gii... Gigiigii..."

"K-Kiii..."

Overwhelmed by that momentum, the ants' movements grew noticeably sluggish.

"Gii..."

Amid the chaos, the Queen Ant watched the scene, then suddenly let out a shriek.

"GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

"W-What's going on? They suddenly changed how they're moving!"

"Watch out! We don't know what they're planning!"

As if answering her cry, the Soldier Ants began gathering around the Queen Ant all at once.

At their center, Queen Ant Arpa slowly raised the scythe that was now its only arm.

"Gigiya!"

The scythe pierced a black ant, killing it.

It raised its scythe again and killed another ant.

Then it sank its fangs into a different one and crushed it.

"W-What's with that thing? It's eating its own kind!"

"No, that's not all! It's killing them left and right!"

"What the hell is it thinking...?"

"How should I know what a monster's thinking? Anyway, if they're killing each other, that's great for us. Let's finish this while we can!"

"Yeah!"

Nishino had seen it, too.

(They're killing each other? What's the point of that?)

What could it possibly be thinking in this situation?

Was it just a monster, a mere beast?

(...No, wait. It's killing its own kind—its 'kin'?)

Could it be...?

Nishino immediately arrived at 'that conclusion.'

"Ghk... Don't let it kill anyone else! Hurry and take it down!"

"Huh?"

While everyone wore puzzled expressions, Rikka was the first to react, as expected.

She'd probably reached the same conclusion as Nishino.

Moving like a gale, Rikka rushed toward the Queen Ant.

Naturally, the ants tried to stop her.

"You ants! Don't move from where you are!"

Nishino's 'Command' activated.

The Soldier Ants froze for an instant.

Rikka stepped over the frozen ants' heads and leaped forward.

(Hurry... Hurry!)

When you defeated a monster, you gained experience.

But that rule didn't apply only to humans.

It applied to animals, insects, and—monsters, too.

"Yaaaaaaaah!"

Rikka's blade sank into the Queen Ant.

A gush of viscous fluid poured from its grotesquely swollen abdomen.

"Did we... get it?"

"Gi... shh."

And almost at the same time, the Queen Ant's jaws tore a Soldier Ant's body apart.

At that instant, light poured from the Queen Ant's body.

"!?"

"Get back, Rikka!"

Using a nearby ant as a stepping stone, Rikka leaped backward.

A dazzling light enveloped the area.

Only a few seconds passed—and then the darkness returned with the silence.

"What was that...?"

Only a huge abdomen remained where the Queen Ant had been.

It throbbed and pulsed as if something inside it were stirring.

"I don't know what the hell that was, but we can finish it off before it does anything else!"

One of the City Hall staff members rushed forward and thrust his spear into it.

At that very moment, his head was cleanly severed.

"—Huh?"

He probably didn't understand what had happened until the moment his head hit the ground.

The head rolled along the ground, and 'something' crushed it underfoot.

The remaining abdomen burst like a popped balloon.

Viscous fluid sprayed everywhere, and a monster emerged from within it.

It looked like an arachne, the spider monster from stories with the upper body of a woman.

Its upper body was reminiscent of a beautiful woman.

Her inhuman beauty was captivating, and her curvaceous figure was covered in the hard, lifeless carapace distinctive to ants. Her lower body was that of an ant, made all the more grotesque.

She stood well over two meters tall, and the sense of intimidation she gave off was on a whole different level from before.

As everyone stared, she slowly opened her mouth.

"―――Iiiia... aaah, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"

And Queen Ant Arpa let out a loud newborn's cry, as if celebrating her own rebirth.

"―――Didn't Ichinose-san get the experience?"

"? No. Didn't you get it, Kudo-san?"

"Huh...?"

I couldn't understand what Ichinose-san was saying.

But she didn't look like she was joking.

In any case, I should collect the magic stone and rubble first.

I picked up Titan's magic stone from the rubble.

As expected of a Named Monster, it was quite large.

The purple magic stone was heavy in my hand, making its presence known.

"Huh?"

But the next moment, a tiny crack appeared in it.

No, that wasn't all. The cracks spread across the entire stone, and in no time it crumbled to pieces.

W-What is this?

"The magic stone broke, didn't it?"

"Y-Yes..."

What was going on?

I hadn't even been holding it that tightly... Huh?

Then I remembered.

Hadn't something like this happened yesterday, when I was traveling with Fujita-san?

I'd tried to pick up a magic stone just like this from the rubble, and it had crumbled so easily...

"............"

Neither Ichinose-san nor I had received an announcement that we'd gained experience.

The magic stone had crumbled the moment I picked it up.

"............No way."

At that moment, a terrible premonition came over me.

The next instant, the ground shook violently with a deep rumble!

"Ghk... Th-This is...?"

Ichinose-san's expression changed, too.

No, but... Surely that couldn't be...

The 'ominous presence' grew stronger and stronger.

My heart pounded, and my breathing grew ragged and uneven.

Then the ground bulged and heaved, eventually casting a huge shadow.

"You have got to be kidding me..."

And then we saw it.

A giant made of rock, large enough to be mistaken for a building, appeared once more.

And there wasn't just one.

One shadow became two, then more.

We stared blankly at the sight.

The shaking stopped.

Five rock giants stood before us.

The giants opened their mouths all at once.

Their roars shook the air and stung our skin.

"Ah..."

You've got to be kidding me... You've got to be kidding me.

We'd made every possible preparation.

We'd talked it over with Nishino-kun and Ichinose-san time and time again.

Everything had been for this one battle.

And now—everything had been overturned at its very foundation.

The roar proclaiming our despair continued to ring in our ears, never ending.