Side: Prim
As Yamato and the others moved towards the monsters, I remained on my Fluorite, not moving from my spot.
The sole reason was to protect Mako, who was using Wide-Area EngravingMagic to trap the monsters within the barrier.
I really wanted to join the front lines too, but I couldn’t leave Mako alone, so even though it was regrettable, I understood.
Mako was astride Kaede, a Battle Horse, and Shirayuki, a Snow Mirage Tiger, was nearby, so Mako wasn’t likely to be attacked by the monsters.
“I’m sorry, Prim. It’ll be finished in a little while, so let’s move forward a bit then,” Mako said inwardly.
“Don’t worry about it. Thanks to you, we’re not letting any monsters escape into Mistol,” I replied.
“I can’t possibly catch them all though,” Mako added.
Even so, when Mako deployed the barrier, she also used exploration-type EngravingMagic to confirm the presence of Anomaly Species and Catastrophe Species.
All of them were trapped within the barrier, but the same couldn’t be said for the other monsters.
Still, I’d say there were about thirty of them.
Among the monsters Mako intentionally let go were a few P-rank ones, but most were G-rank, and there were quite a few S-rank ones too. High Hunters and High Beastars should be able to handle them.
“Were there quite a lot of Anomaly Species and Catastrophe Species?” I asked.
“Yes. We confirmed three Abyss Panthers, the same kind Yamato-kun defeated in front of Mistol,” Mako replied.
There were also several Avalanche Howls that we’d confirmed earlier, some Dinosaur-type Catastrophe Species, and Dragoon as well.
There were monsters we’d never fought before, and apparently, there were about 50 Anomaly Species and 20 Catastrophe Species in total.
While there had been a few Anomaly Species in the past, this many was unprecedented, which really shows how long the Gagun Labyrinth had been neglected.
“The Gagun Labyrinth was neglected, but I heard there were still Hunters going in. For things to have gotten this bad, the Laofen Labyrinth must be in trouble too,” I said.
“It probably is,” Mako replied.
The Laofen Labyrinth in the Solemne region had been confirmed, but only local town soldiers entered it, and only on the shallower floors.
Furthermore, its existence hadn’t been publicized, so many people in Solemne didn’t even know about it.
It was unclear when it was born, but it was likely within the last few years. They had expelled the labyrinth several times, so there were quite a few Anomaly Species near Laofen, but that Laofen Labyrinth had finally caused a Labyrinth Flood.
It was just my guess, but there was a good chance it was worse than the Gagun Labyrinth’s flood.
“Also, the barriers in Laofen probably haven’t been repaired, so there will likely be many casualties,” I said.
“Since we’re here, it’s likely that the Order’s Guild will head to Laofen,” Mako replied.
The Ancient Classes currently heading to Laofen were Grand Soldier’s Master Delfina, Gracious Lynx’s Slay, and Black Army’s Caesar—three people.
If it were on the same scale as the Gagun Labyrinth Flood, even those three would be at a disadvantage.
However, if the Order’s Guild were to be dispatched to Laofen, several more Ancient Classes might be sent.
Grand Order’s Master Rex was married to Rosemary, Muse, and Saya, so it was likely those four who would head there. Associate Order’s Master Miranda might remain in Float or be dispatched to Mistol.
It was highly unlikely that Brother Rai would be involved.
“Still, it’s all speculation, so we should finish here as quickly as possible and head to Laofen ourselves,” I said.
“I agree. Alright, I’m done. Let’s go,” Mako replied.
“You’re already done? Amazing,” I exclaimed.
It was best to be quick, but that really was fast.
The barrier currently surrounding us was a Unique Magic developed by Mako, named Field Cosmos.
It combined Mako’s wind-attribute magic, Shirayuki’s ice-attribute and light-attribute magic, and Kaede’s earth-attribute magic, all centered around Alfheim, which Mako excelled at. She also used some EngravingMagic. Thanks to the mana of the summoned beasts, the barrier’s maximum range was a radius of one kilometer, which was incredibly vast. It was so strong that even A- to C-rank monsters couldn’t break through it, making it stronger than the Protect Field barrier covering the town. On top of that, other EngravingMagic could be added later, making it highly versatile.
At Mako’s signal, the Field Cosmos was deployed, and I finally moved to the front lines.
“Shirayuki, don’t mind the monsters unless they come directly at you. Kaede, focus on evading attacks,” Mako instructed.
“Gau!” Shirayuki barked.
“Heeeh!” Kaede whinnied.
Mako instructed Shirayuki and Kaede not to overexert themselves. While Shirayuki could probably handle herself, Kaede might have trouble.
“Here they come,” I muttered.
“What is that? A Lightning Moth, a G- to R-rank monster.”
“Why do I have to fight moths right after I finally get to the front lines…” Mako grumbled, making a displeased face.
Lightning Moths, as Mako said, are moth-like monsters. They were originally B-rank Paralysis Moths, common monsters in the Valentia region. They scattered a paralyzing scale powder from their wings, but its effect weakened with higher mana levels, making them not much of a threat. Their scales were the main material, but their wings had hardness close to iron, making them valuable among B-rank monsters. I had hunted them many times, so they didn’t bother me.
Lightning Moths were rare species, but fundamentally similar. However, they could use lightning-attribute magic, and they’d charge at you, cloaked in it, so you could easily lose your life if you let your guard down.
“Shirayuki, take care of it!” Mako commanded.
“Gau! Gaaaaaah!” Shirayuki roared.
At Mako’s command, Shirayuki fired numerous ice shards at the Lightning Moths. Some were hit directly, but more dodged.
“Kaede, follow up!”
“Heeehhh!” Kaede whinnied.
Without missing a beat, Kaede summoned spears of earth from beneath the Lightning Moths for a follow-up attack. Most of these hit their targets, but since Kaede was only a C-rank Battle Horse, they weren’t fatal.
“Disappear from my sight!” Mako commanded, sending her magic fan, Ruriou, imbued with her Unique Magic, Blaze Edge Blast, to cleave through the Lightning Moths one after another.
Mako couldn’t use Telekinetic Magic, one of the Divine Magics, but by using wind-attribute EngravingMagic and magic, she could freely float Ruriou. Ruriou, a pair of fans, could also be combined to act as a shield. Mako often used them by floating them like this, which was likely why she came up with this Unique Magic. Oh, and she also connected it to her created Engraving Tool, Spirit Dipper, and used it like an axe. She said it was easy to use against certain opponents due to her Physicarin and Manaring, even though she wasn’t good at close combat, and she really liked it.
“Controlling this is troublesome! Once this is over, I have to attach the Mind-Attribute Tenma Stone!” Mako exclaimed.
In chaotic battles, even a moment’s lapse in concentration could be fatal. Yet Mako had never used a Mind-Attribute Tenma Stone until now. But with this many monsters, many of them G-rank and above, it was proving too difficult.
Telekinetic Magic was common among Humans, Dwarves, and Ogres. Those who evolved into High Class could use a second Divine Magic, and those who evolved into Ancient Class could use a third. Yet Mako, even after evolving into an Ancient Human, had never been granted Telekinetic Magic. While some people didn’t receive it, it was certainly a rare case.
“I can’t possibly learn a fourth, so I have no choice but to do that,” I said.
“I don’t expect to use all types of Divine Magic, but I’d like to use at least half of them,” Mako said, stating a luxurious wish.
I agreed with a bitter smile, but I understood her feelings. Race-exclusive Divine Magics existed, and more importantly, Divine Magic was a gift from the gods. It was indeed luxurious and disrespectful.
“I know, it’s just a complaint. Seeing Yamato-kun and Meena just makes me want it, they’re so convenient,” Mako said.
I completely understood that feeling. Those who learned Telekinetic Magic with Wing Crest were Yamato, Meena, Athena, Sister Hilde, and Raus—five people. They were the ones who collected monster corpses. They easily stored them in their Inventory using Telekinetic Magic, so I too had wanted to use it many times. There was the option of using a Mind-Attribute Tenma Stone, but low-rank magic stones quickly ran out of mana, rendering the point of imbuing them with Ancient Class Telekinetic Magic moot. If I were to do it, it would require at least a P-rank magic stone, or preferably higher.
“Let’s think about that after this is over. M-rank monsters aren’t the only ones here; there are A-rank ones too, so we should be able to secure enough magic stones for our needs,” I said.
“Right. Oh, here comes another wave?” Mako asked.
Mako had just wiped out the Lightning Moths, but in her line of sight was another swarm of Lightning Moths. Two of them were rather large, and there were even some Flare Ring Moths mixed in.
“Flare Ring Moths? They’re P- to I-rank, and they use fire-attribute magic in addition to lightning-attribute magic, right?” I asked.
“Yes. Also, their wings have higher hardness than magic silver, so even a High Class could easily lose an arm,” Mako replied.
Mako studied monster ecology well, but she disliked insect-type monsters and didn’t handle them much. Still, she at least skimmed through them. I thought she should investigate them more thoroughly.
“I’ll handle the next wave. Is that alright?” I asked.
“Yes, please,” Mako said.
Mako so easily gave up her prey, but was she really that averse to insect-type monsters? I, for one, was grateful.
“Fluorite, please!”
“Kwaaaaah!”
I dismounted Fluorite and donned my Extreme Flame Wing. Then I asked Fluorite to provide support. After a roar, Fluorite created numerous fiery wings around it and shot them out. Upon confirming this, I accelerated rapidly with Flare Penetrator. While Flare Ring Moths used fire-attribute magic, it was another matter whether they had resistance to it. Furthermore, many insect-type monsters were extremely weak to fire-attribute and ice-attribute magic, making them easy prey for Fluorite and me. There were exceptions sometimes, but Flare Ring Moths weren’t among them.
As I pierced through them with Flare Penetrator, both the Flare Ring Moths and the Lightning Moths fell to the ground, engulfed in flames. Some were impaled by Fluorite’s fiery wings and perished. Monsters of P- to I-rank seemed manageable even without my Blazing Flame Wing.
My Extreme Flame Wing, a combination of the Heavenly Attribute Magic Wing Coating Magic, Scorching Flame Wing, and Blast Wing, and then layered with the Swift Lightning Wing to create the Blazing Flame Wing, was powerful but consumed a considerable amount of mana. Recently, I had become accustomed to it and reduced mana consumption, but it was still difficult to use Blazing Flame Wing for extended periods. Extreme Flame Wing’s mana consumption was now comparable to Scorching Flame Wing, which I used to use as my main attack, so it was important to use them appropriately depending on the situation. I really wanted to master Blazing Flame Wing further, but while facing such an absurd number of monsters, running out of mana would simply mean death. Moreover, proper differentiation was important, so I had to be able to switch between them skillfully.
“They’re still coming. Seriously, stop it already!” Mako snapped.
The monsters heading towards us were exclusively insect-type. It was quite difficult for Mako, who disliked insects. However, no matter how much she disliked them, as long as she was here, there was no choice but to defeat them. I could only tell her to do her best, though it was tough. Of course, I would do my best too.
