Chapter 202
Its physical attack types are slashing and piercing, and it resists the Water, Wind, and Lightning elements! It can also use evolved close-combat Skills as well as evolved magic! It's a versatile type, so be very careful!
"You got it!"
As soon as I finished briefly conveying the enemy's information, Jigoro charged straight at it. That was typical of him, but I did not stop him because his specialty, blunt attacks, would work against this opponent. Not that it would have done any good, since he would not stop even if I tried.
"Then it looks like there's a role for me too."
"And me!"
The ones who stepped forward were Eiji and Sei. Eiji drew the shield and axe Iris had made. As a blade, this axe was extremely dull, making it a blunt weapon with the Blunt attack attribute. However, its weapon category was still Axe, allowing him to use Axe Arts. This time, he would probably serve as both the tank and an attacker.
Needless to say, Sei wielded a kanabō. It was an unmistakably blunt weapon. Apparently, he had honed his skills even further during our recent expedition, so I hoped he would make full use of his strength in this fight.
"I'll move to the front line too. Nenashi-san, please take care of me."
"Ha-ha! Leave it to me!"
Mikero and Nenashi joined the front line as well. Since Mikero carried two shields, he could serve as a tank just like Eiji. He could not match Eiji in strength or defense, but he had plenty of ways to recover. He could heal himself with his Evil Eye, Healing Arts, and Soul Arts, allowing him to keep fighting for a long time.
Nenashi had dispelled his mimicry while fishing and revealed his true form: a thorn-covered plant. His role was to restrain the enemy by extending his vines. Naturally, limiting the enemy's movements would make the fight much easier.
Until now, I had often dealt with situations like this using my magic or Iris's tentacles, but both were inferior in power to his vines. From now on, we would probably be relying on him more often.
"Then I shall keep it occupied."
"We'll stick to hit-and-run as usual."
"It has resistance to all the magic I can use? I don't think I'll be much help."
Genjuro took out a spear and readied himself, while Kanna and Raga moved away to build up speed. Genjuro was primarily skilled with bladed weapons, making him ill-suited to this fight, so I had him handle keeping the enemy in check, as he had suggested. In the case of those two, their destructive power depended on Raga's leg strength, so they had to put some distance between themselves and the enemy before they could show their true abilities. They could not simply charge straight in.
The other members were also acting to find the best way to fight based on their individual strengths. I could not afford to lose out, either!
"Karu, support Jigoro and the others. I'll chip away at it with magic."
"Grrr."
Karu probably wanted to rampage with all his strength, but for now, I would have him prioritize Jigoro. Well, I would give him a chance to go all out later.
I jumped onto his back and stroked the back of his neck. He narrowed his eyes, then took flight with a rumbling purr. First, I would start by strengthening everyone with Enhancement Arts.
"What is this!? I can't cut these whiskers at all!"
"They're all wobbly and feel weird! Gross!"
"Could it be because of its Slashing Resistance? What an awful sensation."
Below me, my companions were engaged in a fierce battle. The Elder Wisefish deftly manipulated its distinctive whiskers, throwing everyone into disarray. It wrapped them around weapons and tried to strip them away, or simply attempted to strangle its opponents.
The ones carrying slashing weapons tried to cut the whiskers themselves. However, Ruby's dagger, Shio's bladed legs, and Toji's twin swords were all unable to sever them. The whiskers with Slashing Resistance were astonishingly elastic, bouncing the blades away like rubber.
"Hard! Did you hear that? It went clang! They're like metal!"
"You're awfully carefree."
"Ugh, I hit it right in the eye, but it bounced off!"
"I can't see any reaction at all... Is my magic even working...?"
The rear-line members attacked as well, but their efforts seemed to have little effect. The hard scales prevented them from landing any effective blows. Would it really make much difference if I joined in? There had to be some way...
"Oh? It seems they reconnect even after being cut."
"This is endless... isn't it!"
While I was thinking, Genjuro alone managed to cut through one of the whiskers. However, the severed ends immediately joined back together. They were difficult enough to cut already, and now they appeared to possess powerful regenerative abilities as well. It was almost as if they were saying that trying to cut them was pointless.
The ones handling the whiskers soon gave up on cutting them off and switched to knocking them aside. This did not solve the underlying problem, but it was enough to prevent the whiskers from moving freely. Because...
"Hahahaha! Magic that slow ain't ever gonna hit me!"
Because Jigoro was there. While everyone else struggled to attack the whiskers, he was pummeling the Elder Wisefish. If it brought its whiskers back to attack Jigoro, it would obviously be beaten down by everyone, so it could not afford to withdraw them.
Instead, the Elder Wisefish used magic to fight back against Jigoro. It wielded three types of magic, but none of them hit him. He dodged them with acrobatic movements that made full use of his extraordinary reflexes and his avatar's capabilities.
"Take this!"
"Gyu-babo!?"
Jigoro did not stop at merely dodging. He slipped inside its guard and kicked the Elder Wisefish in the abdomen. Compared with its back, which was protected by hard scales, the soft abdomen seemed to be highly vulnerable to his kick.
The creature had shown no reaction when its whiskers were cut or its scales were attacked, but this time it groaned in pain. Could that mean its abdomen was a weak point? It was worth testing.
"Karu, can you grab it and fly with it?"
"Grrr!"
Karu nodded as if to say, Of course. I was counting on him!
"Iris, Nenashi! Release your vines for just a moment!"
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
In response to my shout, Iris and Nenashi released the restraints formed by their tentacles and vines. The Elder Wisefish suddenly regained its freedom and immediately began writhing away, perhaps realizing that it was at a disadvantage. If it jumped into the river, pursuing it would be nearly impossible. There was no way I would let it escape!
"Karu!"
"Gwooooooo!"
Karu dove sharply, closing the distance to the Elder Wisefish in an instant. It was a surprise attack from above, but the Elder Wisefish fired magic at us even while fleeing. It seemed to be acting more calmly than I had expected.
But it was pointless. Since I, a magician, was riding on Karu, it was obvious that I would defend against the magic with magic of my own. I used defensive magic to protect Karu. I was the leader of this clan full of eccentrics. I could handle this much!
"Gyubba!"
"Grrr!"
Like a cornered rat biting a cat, the Elder Wisefish extended its whiskers to intercept us just as we were about to catch it. But this was where we would force the issue!
"Karu! Go!"
"GROOOOOOOOAAAH!!!"
Karu ignored the whiskers constricting and pounding him, forcibly digging his claws into the Elder Wisefish's body. He bit down as well, then lifted it using the strength of his entire body.
"Flip it over!"
"Gwoaar!"
Having the whiskers wrap around Karu was actually exactly what we wanted. That meant there was no chance of it escaping. Karu arched backward and slammed the Elder Wisefish's head into the stone-strewn ground in a motion resembling a shoulder throw.
The Elder Wisefish had been thrown as if its head were being driven into the ground, yet it continued thrashing violently while Karu held it down. That was because the throw had exposed its weak point, its abdomen.
"Both of you, restrain it again! Star Magic Array, activate! Black Thread!"
"Leave it to me!"
"Of course!"
Iris, Nenashi, and I used our magic to tightly bind the Elder Wisefish while keeping its weak point exposed. From here on, we could boil it, grill it, or do whatever we pleased.
"Like a carp on a cutting board, huh?"
"Except this one's a catfish."
"Gyububub!"
The Elder Wisefish desperately resisted with its whiskers and magic, but the difference in numbers was simply too great. It could not possibly deal with everyone, and its vitality rapidly dwindled.
Blunt attacks in particular were steadily draining its vitality. Its abdomen appeared to be a weak point, but its resistance was still functioning properly. If it had been a vulnerability rather than a resistance, the damage might have been enough to kill it instantly in some situations. We would have to be even more careful when using blunt attacks.
"I'll take the choicest part, then."
Kanna's halberd, driven by Raga's speed, delivered the final blow as it deeply slashed open the abdomen. Our first battle on the Tinbrika Continent ended in victory.
"Hmm, kind of underwhelming."
"Hmm. Tough, but not much of an opponent."
The two battle-lovers seemed somewhat dissatisfied. It was true that the opponent had not exactly seemed skilled at fighting. Was that simply because it was a fish's AI?
In any case, Iris and Shiitake, the crafting team, hurried over and quickly began harvesting the materials. They seemed happy as they examined the items they had obtained, so the materials were probably useful for various things. My armor was also about due for an upgrade, so perhaps I should consult them.
"Hey, Izamu. Got a minute?"
As I was thinking about that, Ruby leaped onto my shoulder. She whispered in my ear in a serious tone. Was there something that had caught her attention?
"What is it?"
"Behind us... There's something in the grass on the embankment. It's staring right at us."
"Oh...?"
Ruby, who had an Assassin-type Job, possessed the Visual Detection Skill. It allowed her to detect the sightlines of enemies she had recognized and sense gazes directed at her. According to Ruby, it let her do something like the protagonist of a stealth game. I was not familiar enough with games to understand, but several of our members seemed to get the idea immediately.
Anyway, according to that Skill, something appeared to be watching us. Since Ruby had noticed it, it probably did not possess stealth abilities superior to hers. Even so, we could not afford to let our guard down.
"It's getting late, and I'd like to log out... but I suppose it can't be helped. Ruby, if possible, lure it out. Do you need backup?"
"I already let Shi-chan know, so I'm fine. Okay, I'm off!"
Ruby bounced once before landing and began moving toward the thicket without making a sound. She was probably making full use of her stealth abilities, aided by her small, nearly transparent body. I say probably because I could not risk looking in that direction and getting noticed by chance.
I waited behind her, ready for something to happen at any moment, but even after about a minute, nothing happened. Knowing that something was there and waiting for it to make a move was surprisingly frustrating.
"Uh, Izamu. Could you turn around?"
"Ruby? What... ha...ppened...?"
When I turned around after hearing a voice behind me, I found a little girl standing there with Ruby in her arms. Huh? What? Who in the world are you?