Chapter 225
Even if I psyched myself up to do this, what I had to do hadn't changed. I would proceed methodically, making sure to finish off each one of the Ash Vanguards. Just then, the Ash Vanguards changed.
"Whoa?!"
Their arms had transformed into something resembling blades. If they were as hard as metal, this would be a problem. Would I be all right?
However, giving up was not an option. The Ash Vanguards raised their blade-like arms, but they still relied on the same strategy of overwhelming me with numbers, without any coordination whatsoever. In a normal party battle, I would consider them easy prey, but fighting them alone made that tactic painfully difficult.
"Hmph! What?!"
I flew low, intercepting them in front with my scythe and behind with my tail. However, I noticed something strange when an Ash Vanguard's arm collided with my tail. It was only a little, but the ash seemed to have become more densely compressed.
Fortunately, they had not become dramatically harder. Their torsos were still manageable, but their arms apparently could no longer be shattered as easily as before. I never expected them to get stronger!
Their determination to protect their master even at the cost of their own bodies was admirable, but as the one fighting them, I found it utterly irritating. And this was a problem. Sweeping them all away with physical attacks alone had just become difficult.
"I wanted to conserve my mana, but I have no choice. Wind Wave."
I could no longer conserve my mana. From here on, I would have to use magic even when there wasn't an absolutely critical opportunity. For now, even simple spells were effective, so I would fight while conserving my reserves. It was entirely possible they had a second or third form.
"Ora, ora, ora!"
"Hmm, these are some hard bones."
"Haa, haa... Those two have way too much energy..."
"Could it be the difference in raw ability...?"
Our fight with Claude had gone from a completely defensive state to an even match. Just Claude's weakening had made such a huge difference. Seeing that made it clear we urgently needed to reduce the number of Ash Vanguards while damaging Catherine.
Since I had decided to use magic, I would also bring out magic capable of reversing our disadvantage in numbers. However, if I wanted to create as many of them as possible while consuming little mana... there was only one choice.
"It isn't exactly popular, but... Summon the Dead."
"Oooooo..."
I used Summon the Dead, the most basic spell of 【Spirit Summoning】. A hole opened in the floor, like the one that had appeared when I summoned Gokuri, and the dead from Hell poured out of it. The dead grabbed at the nearest Ash Vanguard.
We had the advantage in numbers, so at first glance it might have seemed favorable. However, the Ash Vanguards' arms had transformed into blades, and they sliced through the dead like butter, reducing their numbers in an instant.
They were merely monsters summoned by a basic spell; even against the Ash Vanguards, who were weak compared to us, they were completely outmatched. This was the natural result, and exactly what I had expected. All I wanted was to halt the movement of every Ash Vanguard, even if only for a very short time.
"Short Teleport! Decapitation!"
Just because the enemy had grown tougher did not mean I had to fight them head-on. I used Short Teleport to circle behind Catherine, then used Dexterity Boost to enhance my accuracy and targeted her neck with a martial skill from 【Scythe Arts】.
Catherine could not react at all. The blade caught her neck and sent her head flying, just as Ruby had done. She could not even let out a death scream. Normally, that alone would have killed her instantly, but... things would not go that way this time either.
"Ooooooooooh!"
"His level's dropping again!"
Claude used up levels to resurrect Catherine once more. Shiitake reported the drop in his level. As expected, dealing a fatal wound to Catherine seemed to be more effective than chipping away at the Ash Vanguards.
The Ash Vanguards that had dealt with the dead immediately stepped between Catherine and me. They seemed to be saying they wouldn't let me touch her again. It was almost as if we were the villains. Fine by me!
Saaaa...
Along with the sound of flowing ash, the Ash Vanguards began changing once more. I thought they might grow new arms like I had, but instead, the Ash Vanguards fused into a single mass.
From the towering mountain of ash, with helmets mixed into it here and there, writhing ash tentacles extended like Iris's or Nenashi's. Their tips had become blade-like, just as before.
"It only got bigger... No, it can't be that simple. Great Flying Slash!"
I used a martial skill that sent a slash flying from my scythe. It shaved away a large amount of ash, but I could not cut the mass in two. The scattered ash immediately regrouped, and the damaged portion was repaired in an instant.
Its defensive power did not seem to have changed, but was it planning to block attacks with the sheer mass of its ash? It would consume a fair amount of mana, but if I blasted it away in one shot with high-power magic...
"Doooooaaah?!"
That was close! The fused mass of Ash Vanguards fired ash bullets like a shotgun! One grazed the hem of my robe!
So it had finally unlocked ranged attacks. Apparently, I could not simply pummel it from afar anymore. Fine. Sadly, I was accustomed to fighting one stronger opponent rather than a multitude of weaker ones. Even if this was my first time seeing it, I would not let that stop me!
"Tomoe Magic Circle, Remote Activation, Magic Bomb!"
I hurled the Magic Bomb from 【Explosive Magic】 at the mass of ash. The blast blew part of the mass away, but I could not scatter it completely. The blown-off portion rapidly recovered.
That didn't matter. That wasn't my target this time.
"Thorn Whip. Whip Tail, then Bite Tail."
The blast sent more than ash flying. Several helmets mixed into it had also been separated from the main body. I captured one of them with Thorn Whip, then slammed my tail into it after using a martial skill. As usual, one blow was not enough to shatter it, so I bit down on it with the jaws of my dragon head. Thanks to my enhanced strength and the martial skill's bonus, the helmet, already dented by the impact, was crushed along with its contents.
I must not forget that destroying an Ash Vanguard's head also weakened Claude. Destroying what was inside a helmet—something that could be considered part of Claude himself—also caused his level to drop. It was inefficient, but if there was value in pounding on the wall protecting her, that was fine by me!
He kept firing ash at me to stop me from attacking, so I had to keep moving, but that was no problem. Thanks to my flight-capable equipment, I could evade along three-dimensional trajectories. If I had been unable to use it, I would have lost long ago.
However, the enemy was no slouch either. It began wildly swinging its bladed tentacles while firing ash bullets in a barrage, trying to prevent me from attacking at all. Its tentacles struck one another and tore apart halfway along, but since they were made of fragile ash, they quickly returned to normal.
If anything, the tentacles that tore apart scattered in midair, creating a smokescreen that even blocked my vision. How was I supposed to fight in this state?!
"Tch! You're adapting already?!"
Because the main body was unaffected, even movements that injured it left astonishingly few openings. Was this its attitude of throwing caution to the wind as long as it could prevent me from attacking?
I admired its stubborn refusal to give up and its willingness to use any means necessary to win, but right now it was nothing but irritating. Stop stalling! You'll wear Jigoro and the others down!
"I'll make you regret merging! Magic Circle, Spell Adjustment, Lava Shot!"
I fired countless lava pellets, trying to burn Catherine along with the mass of ash. However, the mass transformed into a dome and covered her, shielding her from the attack. I could not damage Catherine like this.
However, the exposed helmet portions seemed to be affected by the lava. The helmets might still have retained their resistance to magic, but many of them were severely damaged. The more severe the damage, the lower their magic damage reduction seemed to be, and the insides of those helmets were seared by the viscous lava with a sizzling sound.
Claude replenished the helmets whenever their numbers fell, but when I glanced at him, I saw that far fewer helmets remained packed inside his ribs. There couldn't be more than ten left, could there? The goal was in sight! Just one more push!
"Right. If all it takes to tear them apart is for ash to collide with ash... Magic Circle, Remote Activation, Rockfall."
I dropped a rock created by magic from above the dome of ash. As expected, it broke through the dome, and I heard the sound of it smashing into the floor.
I had adjusted its fall so that it would catch several helmets along the way. Only two were caught, but those must have been crushed into a mangled mess.
"Eeeeeeeek! It hurts, it hurts!"
Apparently, Catherine had been caught in the Rockfall too, not just the helmets. From my perspective, it was lucky; for her, it was unfortunate.
However, Claude would have to consume some of his stock of helmeted heads to heal those wounds. At that moment, I spotted the helmeted heads inside the mass of ash. In other words...
"I'll finish her off in one go! Star Magic Circle, Remote Activation, Magic Bomb!"
"Aaaaaah?!"
I mercilessly followed up against Catherine, who was crouched on the floor in pain. Five explosions erupted at point-blank range, sending Catherine's slender body flying through the air. Claude immediately consumed a head to heal her, but her wounds had not fully recovered. His stock had finally run out!
Perhaps they were necessary for controlling the ash, because the moment all the helmeted heads vanished, the mass of ash became nothing more than a heap of ash. The Knight protecting the Princess was gone.
"It's over. Decapitation."
"Help me! Clau..."
The Princess, who had remained protected by Claude without ever resisting on her own until the very end, had her neck severed by my scythe, which I swung high. Her head, parted from its body, did not return to normal, and her health gauge simply dwindled away. Thus, Catherine fell.
"O... Ooooooooooh!"
"Waaaaaaah?!"
"Tch!"
"It startled me, but I didn't take any damage, right?"
At that moment, Claude let out a howl incomparable to anything before. Ash poured from the eye sockets of his huge skull like tears, and he collapsed to his knees. In that position, his joints came apart one after another, and he fell to pieces. In about ten seconds, Claude had become a heap of ash and bones.
Was that the end? That would be nice, but... I could not hear an announcement signaling the end of the battle. It was unfolding just like the trap I had set for the hero boys.
My companions knew about the vicious traps I had set. That was why not a single person here was letting their guard down. And their caution was justified.
'...You've done it now, you minions of that greedy man.'
A mannequin-like monster made entirely of ash emerged as the heap of ash and bones crumbled with a clatter. Its voice was intelligent, but carried a hatred that made me shudder.
Judging by the situation, this had to be Claude. Until just moments ago, I had not sensed even a scrap of intelligence from him, so what had happened?
'I will protect the Princess, no matter what. I will not let you have your way! ...Now, Princess.'
"!?"
Catherine, now translucent, emerged from empty space as if bleeding into existence. Was she the ghost of the enemy I had defeated?!
Catherine's spirit wrapped her arms around Claude from behind, clinging to him as if riding piggyback. Her face looked utterly satisfied.
'Princess, your body will surely be restored. Please wait just a little longer until then.'
When Claude said that, the sword and halberd he had used back when he was gigantic burst apart, and something flew out from inside them. They were a sword and halberd just the right size for Claude. Though filthy, even an amateur could tell they were finely crafted. Those must have been his true weapons.
The bones lying around gathered as well, forming armor around him. Just like that, Claude transformed into an ominous knight clad in bone armor in the blink of an eye. What the heck, that's actually cool!
'First...'
"Run, brother!"
"Geh?! W-wait?!"
Because I had been fighting alone, my isolation proved to be my undoing: Claude closed the distance in an instant, and his blade bore down on me. I hurriedly tried to deflect it with my scythe, but I was far too late. With shocking ease, my head went flying through the air, just like Catherine's.