Side: Meena
We arrived in Mistol thanks to Prim’s traveling, but the battle had already begun.
All I could see were hordes of monsters, and hunters and beastars skillfully using Mistol’s barrier to hold them back.
It’s a tactic that would normally strain the barrier, but while the combined number of hunters and beastars was about a hundred, the monsters were about half that number. However, their Monster Rank was high, and Catastrophe Species and An were also spotted, so it was unavoidable.
“Is this… a success, or did we arrive just in time?”
“It’s a bit of both, but let’s think about that later.”
“Right. We need to defeat as many as we can now!”
The monsters overflowing from the Gagun Labyrinth are estimated to be at least 1,000.
The monsters in front of us are all fast-moving species, so the ones trailing behind will surely catch up eventually.
If that happens, we won’t be able to protect Mistol.
“They seem to be mostly G-rank, but there are also some P-rank and M-rank mixed in.”
“There are A-rank ones too. Look.”
I followed where Ludia pointed, and indeed, there was an A-rank monster.
Moreover, that’s an Abyss Panther. An A-C rank, a Catastrophe Species.
“That’s bad. I’m going.”
The effect of the anti-monster invasion barrier covering the town is weak against Catastrophe Species, so they can sometimes enter the town.
Therefore, they must be dealt with as a top priority. However, the hunters and beastars are overwhelmed by the monsters in front of them, and the Abyss Panther is running wild across the battlefield.
Being an A-C rank, no one is fighting it head-on, so it’s only a matter of time before the front line collapses.
If the front line collapses, the Abyss Panther will enter Mistol, followed by the other monsters, so we must defeat it as our top priority.
“Yes. And let them know we came to help.”
“I know.”
Even with all the hunters and beastars here, there seem to be fewer than thirty High Class individuals.
We’ve come to help, but there are only ten of us, so we might not seem very helpful in terms of numbers.
However, we are all Ancient Class, so we are more than enough in terms of combat power.
Furthermore, Yamato and Mako can defeat only monsters by using Engraving Magic, which can greatly reduce casualties.
“Wh-what are you doing, you idiot! Don’t get too close!”
Yamato was generating Multi Edge and Mirror Ring, drawing Usugre, and approaching the Abyss Panther. However, to the hunters and beastars, it looked like reckless advancement.
They were shouting similar things at him, but since it was essentially true, Yamato didn’t mind.
As he walked, Yamato created an Ice Edge Javelin and threw it at the Abyss Panther.
The Abyss Panther is about 5 meters long, but as a panther species, it is a nimble monster.
It exploits its nimbleness to easily dodge projectiles and approaches with incredible speed, making it a natural enemy for archers and mages.
Of course, the Ice Edge Javelin was easily dodged, but Yamato had anticipated that.
“What!!”
The hunter was surprised, and rightly so.
The Ice Edge Javelin Yamato threw changed its trajectory right after the Abyss Panther dodged it and pierced it from behind.
As expected of an A-C rank monster, it didn’t die instantly, but Yamato quickly closed the distance with Accelerating Magic and severed its head.
“No way…”
“The Abyss Panther… just like that…”
The surprised hunters and beastars were frozen, their hands stopped by the shock.
Normally, they would become prey for the monsters, but the monsters didn’t attack them either.
“I understand your surprise, but getting distracted during battle means you can’t afford to have more than one life?”
That’s right, Mako was sweeping away the monsters with a light Engraving Magic called Vanaheim.
So even if the hunters and beastars were frozen in shock, they weren’t attacked by monsters.
“Th-they’re here too…”
“Wh-who are you guys…”
“We are Wing Crest. We happened to be in Ovest and heard about the situation, so we came to help.”
“W-Wing Crest!?”
To the surprised hunter, Yamato showed his license.
Beastars nearby also rushed over to look, and all their faces were filled with astonishment.
“It’s… it’s real…!”
“Then it’s true… Ancient Humans have come to help!?”
“Yes. We received a request from Vald Beast Duke, Emperor Neige.”
“There are only ten of us here, but all of us are Ancient Class.”
The continued lines from Mana and Prim made everyone in the area cheer.
It’s a little painful to my ears, but I guess this is unavoidable.
“We’ll take the front lines. However, there are too many monsters, so some might slip through. I’m sorry, but hunters and beastars, please take care of them.”
“We will prioritize taking down An and Catastrophe Species.”
“Un-understood. Be careful.”
Although all the monsters in front of Mistol were annihilated, there were less than fifty of them, so we couldn’t explain things slowly.
We intend to defeat them without leaving any stragglers, but given their numbers, it will be difficult.
Still, if we handle the An and Catastrophe Species, we might be able to suppress them without much damage by effectively using Mistol’s barrier.
“Alright, we’ll leave them to you! Let’s go!”
“Yes!”
After Mako healed the injuries of the hunters and beastars with Area Healing, we summoned our familiars and headed towards the Gagun Great Forest.
Side: Ludia
It’s been about 20 minutes since we sent our familiars from Mistol. I wonder if this is far enough.
My sister and I haven’t contracted with familiars yet, and Athena and Eos can’t be contracted at all, so we rode with Jade, Fluorite, and Flo.
I wouldn’t mind contracting with a Battle Horse or a Grantpus, but seeing Flam contract with a Ridoseros, maybe I should think about it a bit more?
“Whoa, what an amazing sight.”
“This is my first time seeing so many monsters.”
“Normally, you wouldn’t see this.”
Yamato, Prim, and my sister are saying lighthearted things, but I understand how they feel.
A horde of monsters, numbering probably over a thousand, is approaching us. Rank-wise, S-rank and G-rank seem to be the most common.
There are occasional Rare Species, An, and Catastrophe Species, but not many of them.
However, the monsters are approaching us directly, despite the presence of monsters that could be considered their natural enemies.
This is the terrifying part of a Labyrinth Flood; the overflowing monsters don’t prey on each other but act as a unified group.
Furthermore, there’s no single monster leading the pack, so the horde won’t stop unless they are all wiped out.
I’ve heard that some monsters flee when their numbers dwindle, but many monsters will attack until they die, making them a real pain to deal with.
“It’s a real struggle to thin them out when there are so many.”
“It really is. In this case, wide-area interference magic seems better than wide-area target magic.”
“Let’s do that, then.”
Saying that, Yamato used Neptune, and Mako used Venus, Engraving Magics, layering them.
A giant spherical barrier was deployed around us, trapping many monsters, who then perished by ice and wind.
“Ah, this won’t do. Yamato, let’s cancel it.”
“Understood.”
However, Mako immediately instructed Yamato to cancel the barrier.
Did something happen?
“What’s wrong?”
“Yes. I’ve confirmed an Avalanche Howl and a White Dragoon.”
Ah, I see.
Avalanche Howl is an A-C rank Tiger species, and it appeared during the Slume Lord subjugation battle.
Prim, Mana, and Faris defeated it back then, but I think I could handle it now.
White Dragoon is a rare species of the Ice Dragoon type, an A-R rank monster.
Both Avalanche Howl and White Dragoon use ice attribute magic, and due to their habitat in cold regions, their resistance to ice attribute is high, so even Yamato’s Neptune, while powerful, will have its effectiveness reduced.
The presence of those two also indicates that there are such layers in the deeper parts of the Gagun Labyrinth.
“As expected, the layered barrier alone can’t defeat A-C rank monsters.”
“Indeed. Besides, the remaining ones are mostly M-rank, and there are more A-rank monsters than I expected, so we can’t just focus on them.”
Engraving Magic is powerful, but it always uses one of the attributes: fire, earth, wind, water, light, or darkness. So, if you don’t carefully consider which Engraving Magic to use, it might be ineffective against some monsters due to bad compatibility.
Yamato and Mako can handle a little incompatibility, but it’s difficult against An or Catastrophe Species.
Also, many Engraving Magics are difficult to control, and if you focus too much on them, you’ll quickly be surrounded and beaten to a pulp by monsters.
“Still, half of them are gone, so that helps.”
“It’s not just the numbers, but the high ranks mixed in that make it troublesome.”
When you’re fighting a high-rank monster and someone interferes from the side, it creates a significant opening.
“If we annihilate them, the Gagun Labyrinth will calm down for a while, won’t it?”
“It will calm down. However, there are monsters that headed deeper into the Gagun Great Forest, so we can’t be too optimistic.”
“That’s right.”
A Labyrinth Flood is a phenomenon where a labyrinth overflows with monsters it can no longer contain. As Mana said, if we defeat the monsters in front of us, things will calm down for a while.
However, the problem lies with the monsters that headed deeper into the Gagun Great Forest.
We don’t know their quality or quantity, but there’s a possibility that the ecosystem of the Gagun Great Forest will change, and we can’t rule out the possibility that monsters might attack the Demise Species Hanuman.
I don’t think Hanuman would be defeated, but if a few A-C rank monsters attacked, it would be difficult to emerge unscathed.
In the worst-case scenario, they might even be driven out of the Gagun Great Forest, so once things calm down here, we’ll have to enter the Gagun Great Forest.
“Let’s think about that later. For now, we need to resolve this situation.”
“Right. Mako, excuse me, but can I leave the grunt work to you?”
“That’s the plan. I won’t let a single one pass behind me.”
Mako’s Engraving Magic precision is superior to Yamato’s, so we can fight without worrying about what’s behind us.
Furthermore, it’s a barrier, so it not only prevents the monsters from escaping but also ensures that unsuspecting passersby are not caught in the crossfire, which is truly a godsend.
“Mina and Flam, and Lydia and Ludia, form teams and take care of the An. Prim, you will guard Mako.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
“Okay.”
As usual, we’ll form pairs and take care of the An.
“Mana and Eos, try to move as a pair as much as possible. Athena will be with me. If necessary, I’ll ask you to dragonize.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
“Okay!”
I thought Yamato would team up with Prim, but he’s teaming up with Athena.
Come to think of it, Yamato and Athena have formed a Dragon Resonance Contract, so they have the best compatibility, don’t they?
He mentioned he’s considering Unique Magic with a dragonized Athena, so perhaps he intends to test it?
Mana also has a Dragon Resonance Contract with Eos, so she’s probably considering that as well.
“Alright. Then, let’s quickly annihilate them!”
At Yamato’s command, we began the battle.
There are about 1,000 monsters, and some M-rank and even A-rank monsters are scattered among them. If we don’t defeat them here, not only Mistol but also Valt and Steilhang, no, the entire Valentia region could be devastated.
We’ll go all out and hunt them down at once!
