Chapter 153
Though they had only just made it to the surface, more than a dozen of their comrades—including those who had gone ahead—had been taken out by just three Cannibals.
Apparently, Cannibals don’t appear in places where there are few creatures to prey on. They hadn’t expected them to show up in that place, where no one lived except for a few monsters hiding there. Balmung figured they must have been chasing the Beastfangs who had fled, wandered far off course, and stumbled upon the place by chance—then, through sheer bad luck, been attacked.
“We managed to escape, but it’d be a real problem if the Cannibals settled in that place. I think we killed the ones who knew we were coming and going from there, but they’re getting smarter, too... If they see us going in and out again and follow us back to the underground facility, we’ll be in trouble. We can’t go back until they’ve left to look for food somewhere else.”
The brief encounter had left them badly exhausted, but they had no time to rest for long. “We’ll take a three-minute break, then head out,” Balmung said, driving the greatsword on his back deep into the ground. He muttered wearily, looking troubled.
“...You’re not going to lay them to rest?”
“...We came to the surface to defeat the Beastfangs. Accomplishing that mission is how we honor the comrades who fell. We can’t face them if we fail.”
Balmung’s expression was tinged with sadness. Takako said nothing more and turned her gaze toward the distant city.
“Still, you lot are something else. I knew you were an attack-focused party, but it looks like you’ve got some incredibly powerful Skills, too. You saved our hides.”
“If you want to thank someone, thank Tina-chan over there, who’s about to die.”
Where Takako pointed, Tina was sprawled on the ground among the exhausted Resistance members, gasping for breath and twitching faintly, utterly spent.
Perhaps because they had asked her to activate her Skill as a precaution while they fled, the backlash had left her unable to move. Kururu and Alice, along with the others, were gathered around her, tending to her.
“We owe Tina. Thanks to her, no one died, and we avoided a panic.”
Balmung smiled, impressed. But beside him, Takako crossed her arms, her expression clouded as she thought about what lay ahead.
“The Cannibals... No, if they have a name, there must be all sorts of other enemy races, too, right? Are the other races dangerous, too? Like those Cannibals?”
“Yeah, enough to make you lose heart. There are even beings more dangerous than the Cannibals. The Beastfangs we’re about to fight are every bit as dangerous.”
“If they’re just as dangerous, shouldn’t the Beastfangs have no reason to run away?”
“The Beastfangs rely on their five senses to fight. They’re a poor match for Cannibals, who have no sound, presence, or scent.”
Takako had hoped the fight against the Beastfangs would be easier than the one against the Cannibals. Hearing that, she put a hand to her head, her spirits sinking.
“There are things like that... all over the world, aren’t there? Do we humans even stand a chance?”
“...If we give up, that’s the end of it. We’re still fighting, aren’t we? The Cannibals attacked us this time, but that place was originally occupied by monsters and other intelligent lifeforms. The previous generation drove them out and passed the place on to us. We’re making progress, little by little... Even if we can’t do it in our generation, someday, we’ll take this world back.”
Balmung spoke with a bashful smile full of hope. Takako, meanwhile, still looked uneasy. For her and the others, “someday” wouldn’t do. Saving Kagami was their second objective; their first was to save this world and free Earthclear from its reset system.
But in a world where they struggled against just three enemies, saving it seemed all but impossible in the short time they had left. There were only two years remaining—and with time passing three times faster in Earthclear, they had less than a year.
There was no way the king, the Dark Dragon, and Estella didn’t know how dire the world’s situation was. So why had they set such an impossibly short time limit while claiming to have hope? Takako couldn’t help wondering. Perhaps their talk of hope had been an act, and they had merely created a strangely convincing pretext to send troublesome resisters outside. That was what it seemed like to her.
“I understand how you feel, but stay focused. No matter how strong you are, one moment of carelessness can cost you your life. And there’s a chance the Ace will show up during this Beastfang attack.”
“The Ace...? What’s that?”
“The Beastfangs’ ace, just like the name says. What we know is that the Ace acts alone a lot—whether they’re an outcast or just hated by the other Beastfangs—and doesn’t always stay with them.”
“Are they strong? I mean, are there really differences in ability between Beastfangs?”
“Of course there’s a pecking order among the Beastfangs. It’s just like the difference in levels. But the Ace... No, they’re a monster so powerful you can hardly believe they’re one of them. Usually, we can’t lay a finger on them... but this time, we have you. Even if they show up... we’ll take them down!”
As if remembering something, Balmung clenched his teeth. From his expression, Takako could tell that even he, at Level 273, couldn’t handle this opponent.
The thought that they would have to face someone like that made Takako’s spirits sink again.
“I wonder... what Kagami-chan thought when he saw this world.”
The thought of Kagami, who must have seen this same world, suddenly came to mind. Takako remembered what Merry and Yuki had told her: Kagami had fought at first, but then suddenly ignored their orders and stopped fighting.
Had he fallen into despair? Had he given up? Or had he ignored orders because he had a plan? As all sorts of possibilities swirled through her mind, she was reminded once again of just how dependable Kagami was.
“All right, let’s get going. Our chance to finally strike back has come around at last... We can’t waste it.”
He pulled his greatsword from the ground and said, “Didn’t exactly make a great showing, huh?” With a calm expression, as if he had come to terms with something, Balmung set off toward their destination.
Takako, too, pulled herself together, determined to make even a little progress for now, and headed over to Tina, who was still collapsed on the ground.