The Oni King’s eyes clearly witnessed the moment his disciple was swallowed whole.
He tried to shout his name in a panic, but it was already too late. Still, he couldn’t help but cry out.
This was a strategy that perfectly exploited the Oni King’s overconfidence, as he had underestimated the cocoon’s combat power and never anticipated it would devour his allies along with the enemy.
Furthermore, it was thwarted by a single human, minimizing the damage.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this was a great victory that crushed the enemy’s scheme.
However, some losses are irreplaceable.
Though his mind threatened to boil for a moment, he was a seasoned general.
He didn’t let his blood rush to his head, lose his sanity, or make the wrong decision.
Without squandering Jiro Tanaka’s achievement in preventing the surprise attack, he faced the enemy before him.
“GET BLOWN AWAY!!”
His strength, capable of sending such a colossal being, ten times his size or more, flying, was no joke. He watched as the giant body fell as if it had fallen on its rear, unable to move immediately. Without pursuing, he leaped towards the newly appeared enemy.
“Hiding and sneaking around, if you want to fight, do it openly!!”
His fists, imbued with anger, punched another giant being, a monstrous creature with only a mouth and no face, out of its cocoon.
The cocoon, which had served as an eggshell, shattered from the shockwave. The momentum of its escape, combined with the strike, allowed him to gauge its power from the impact sound.
The sound generated a shockwave that peeled away the ground and rock face.
“COME HERE!!!”
With its undeniable power, combat ability, and decision-making skills, the Oni King, the best general in terms of leading the front lines, judged that he had to face these two himself.
Comparing the feel of the blows and the magical concentration to their estimated abilities, the combined combat power of these two was somewhere between one and two Demon Lord Army Generals.
While his subordinates could defeat them, the damage would be extensive.
Understanding this, he weighed it against the possibility of his own defeat, and his battle-crazed nature tipped the scales.
His answer was to shout and draw their attention to himself.
“All troops, fall back! The General’s battlefield is not for you!”
Sensing this, his副官 (Viceroy), a Giant Oni, drew the attention of the other Evol Eaters and ordered the front line to retreat.
This was to allow the Oni King to fight at his full potential.
The monsters, seeing the prey retreating as an opportunity and acting on instinct, were successfully lured.
As a result, a space opened up in the center of the vast, innermost area.
Standing there were two behemoths and one Oni.
For an ordinary person, this encounter would be reckless, insane, and suicidal. But for that Oni, such words held no meaning.
He would fight them on equal or even superior footing with his bare hands.
With that conviction, the Oni King took a step forward.
His face, usually etched with a smile of anticipation, was absent.
There was only a cold Oni walking with the intent to beat his opponents to death.
Responding to his killing intent, the faceless monster with a huge mouth and the tentacles of the mother beast readied themselves for battle.
Neither offense nor defense mattered.
The Oni, who shifted his gait into a full sprint, leaped at the faceless monster directly in front of him with all his might.
Where the Oni had stood moments before, several tentacles had pierced the ground.
From there, it was a brutal clash between beings for whom defense was irrelevant.
The Oni, crushing all attacks with his own attacks, and the two predators, who cared not for taking damage as they sought nothing but the ultimate prey.
It was a climax from the very beginning, a battle where they chipped away at each other’s lives.
Side END
Side Tanaka Jiro
I messed up.
That was my first thought.
It took less than a second from being engulfed into being swallowed.
The only thing I could do in that time was stab the Ore Tree into this massive flesh wall to slow its momentum, but it was pushing me further and further as if the writhing insides didn’t care.
With the apparently dangerous mucus, I couldn’t open my eyes.
Even if I covered my body with magic, the absorption rate was higher, so I didn’t know how long I could protect myself.
At the very least, I wouldn’t last long.
Even now, I’m desperately bracing myself in the darkness of the insides, trying not to be crushed, but that’s all I could do. I couldn’t swing the Ore Tree because there was no range to swing it.
I thought I could have done better…
As I sighed, reflecting on the consequences of charging in without thinking, I realized that exhaling would make me lose strength.
If that happened, the outcome would be all too clear.
I pondered what to do, but no solution came to mind. I just kept regaining strength whenever my upper arms started to weaken.
As I heard the sound of dissolving nearby, mingling with the sound of the flesh writhing, I knew time was running out.
“?!”
My gritted teeth saved me from screaming, otherwise, a slight sound would have escaped my lips.
Suddenly, a shockwave struck my body.
The impact itself was absorbed by the massive body, so I didn’t feel pain, but gravity and centrifugal force were another story.
Being suddenly inverted and shaken like I was in a cocktail shaker made it impossible to maintain my posture.
My body, slipping on the slimy mucus, tightened its grip on the Ore Tree before being flung left, right, up, and down.
At that moment, when I couldn’t even tell which way was up anymore.
I was dropped into a place with a pool of water, like a pond.
This is bad!?
My magic was being consumed at a rate far exceeding that of before.
My body, having been dropped into the digestive organs, was being dissolved by digestive fluids, and my magic was trying to resist, but the enemy’s quantity was greater. Even if I resisted desperately, it was like throwing a drop of water into a burning fire; the limit would come quickly. A clear dissolving sound. It was probably my armor. My magic was insufficient, and the exposed areas immediately dissolved.
“؟!؟!؟!؟!؟!؟”
Then, I felt a burning sensation run up my arm. I endured it by clenching my teeth, but when it spread throughout my entire body…
“AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”
I could no longer endure it. The moment my concentration broke, the pain rushed in like an avalanche, weakening my resistance.
Is this what it means to be dissolved alive? My throat felt like it was burning, but I couldn’t care less as my entire body screamed in pain. It was a miracle I could even think. My entire body was increasingly burning and aching. As my body was composed of magic, I dissolved slower than a living body. But that was far from a good thing. My flawed durability meant my soul was being slowly roasted, subjected to an agonizing environment. My body was in liquid, I had lost all sensation, and I couldn’t even tell if I was struggling. My thoughts were increasingly leaning towards escaping the pain.
Trapped in a situation I couldn’t resolve on my own, I was falling into panic bit by bit.
Is this how I die?
That thought didn’t take long to surface. If I was going to be tortured slowly like this, perhaps it was better to…
Thinking so, I clutched the handle of the Ore Tree, which I could still faintly feel was not yet dissolved. Though I couldn’t feel it due to the pain, I knew I still had my magic connection. If I plunged it into my heart, I could escape this pain.
Is this really okay?
For a moment, a brief but clear hesitation appealed to me.
Ah.
Just ending wasn’t like me.
The pain was gradually fading anyway. This must be the end. Thanks to that, I could think a little more calmly. My magic was also running low. There was probably very little I could do. But if I could have lived a life of noble self-sacrifice, I wouldn’t be here. I, who was despairing moments ago, can recover with a little bit of defiance. I guess I’m surprisingly simple. I don’t know if anyone could see it, but I smiled. That alone made me feel a little better.
*Vun*
My body’s composition flickered for a moment. But time wouldn’t wait. This truly was the end of the line, so I decided.
This would be the gamble of a lifetime. I would use the minimal remaining magic, all else to the Ore Tree. The technique I would use was a slash, I would tear a hole in this giant body. With that spirit, I would even use the magic that composed my body, and devote enough magic to defense to buy just enough time to unleash one strike, concentrating the rest on offense. With so little magic left, the preparation for the attack would be over in an instant.
“TAKE THIS!!”
Shouting as I exhaled the last of my air, the slash released with all my remaining stamina formed a solid blade and bit into the flesh wall, but it was only slightly cut before it regenerated.
“Haha.”
A weak laugh escaped me. Ah, of course. If that small creature had regenerative abilities, there was no way this giant body wouldn’t. I tried to inflict at least a little damage, but… well, this was the natural consequence. I had done what I could. I just drifted with my weakened body, ready to disappear. I didn’t need to close my eyelids; I couldn’t see anything anyway. I didn’t even know if my body was moving anymore. My magic, which composed my body, was almost gone. It was asking too much to feel anything. The magic I could barely sense moments ago had also ceased…
I’m sorry. To Kaido, Minami, Katsu, Kitamiya, Amelia, who I worked with, and to Suella and Memoria, who showed me affection even though I was like this. I’m pathetic for ending up like this despite the warnings from my supervisor. With such thoughts, my consciousness began to fade.
Darkness. I couldn’t feel anything, couldn’t speak, couldn’t hear. Was my body even there? I didn’t know. My sense of time was also vague; I didn’t know if it was one second later, one hour later, or even a year later. Only my consciousness remained. I could think, albeit hazily. Why? Did I die? Ah, I must have died. Then, is this the afterlife? I knew it from knowledge, but it was such a bland place. I didn’t even know if it was dark or bright. Just a space I couldn’t perceive. All I can say is that there’s no demon guide like Instructor Kio leading me through hell. If it were hell, it was a surprisingly anticlimactic sight, and if it were heaven, I’d be full of questions.
“…”
A voice? No.
“…”
This is…
“….”
While vaguely indulging my thoughts, I felt something like a pulse. A steady, powerful pulsation that communicated only vibration. It was gradually trying to awaken my consciousness, urging me like the beat of a heart. It took me a little while to understand that it was a wave of magic. But that only raised more questions. In this space that seemed to absorb everything, who would send me magic? Driven by that sensation, my body’s senses, though faint, began to return. Who? Who is sending me magic to prevent me from disappearing…
As if tracing it, I searched with my blurred vision, and something was glowing. It was positioned as if floating right before me, and judging from the sensation of revival, it was where my right arm used to be. My eyes were protected by magic, and my vision returned more clearly than before.
“You.”
Though no sound came out, I was surprised. My eyes widened. What my eyes captured was the Ore Tree, rooted in my right hand, sending magic to me from its roots. As if unwilling to let go of my hand, the hilt transformed, enveloping my palm, and the roots spreading from the seed, the core of the Ore Tree, extended all the way to my shoulder. Seeing that sight, I briefly thought it intended to consume my remaining magic, but there was no unpleasant sensation.
“…”
There was only a warm sensation that continued to pulsate, sending magic to me, urging me not to give up even as my consciousness cleared.
“Kaha.”
A laugh escaped me at such clumsy encouragement. What a partner, so good at motivating people. This act, which sounded like cheering on a child, made me feel ashamed of myself for having given up. Ah, alright. Shall we do this together? It wasn’t too late to give up, and the magic entrusted to me by the Ore Tree felt very familiar. By circulating it between myself and the Ore Tree, we could achieve a cycle. Thanks to the spreading roots, this exchange could happen quite rapidly.
I knead magic. I circulate magic. I purify magic. And thus, I reconstruct my body. Step by step, I aim for a higher level than even my original body.
“Let’s go, partner!!”
I passed the critical point and circulated more magic. With the strength born of desperation, I suppressed a hot, heavy vortex of magic like magma deep within my abdomen, waiting to be released.
“…”
The Ore Tree also increased its pulsation speed, receiving and sending back the magic born within me. The more I accelerated the circulation of magic, the more it surged within me. The sensation, unlike anything I had experienced before, intensified, and finally. Ah, I can cut. That sensation was given to me.
“!”
Responding to my partner’s final, strong pulsation, I took my stance.
“SLICE THROUGH IT ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!”
Enduring the impact of my slash, which cut in a full circle, with a solid feel, I cut through something large.
“Kaha!!”
Feeling the sense of accomplishment flood my entire body, the world shifted, and I witnessed a scene of light breaking through. Kicking off the flesh, I shot straight into the light.
“Buha!!”
Catching the air for the first time in tens of minutes, I savored the sensation of the outside. And as I landed on the ground, I turned back and raised my middle finger.
“Eat it!!”
The timing coincided perfectly with the massive body collapsing. With the sound of the giant body’s collapse as BGM, I grinned. Then, my partner, having changed form, retracted its roots as if its role was complete. On my arm, a unique tattoo remained, marking where the roots had spread.
“Thanks, partner.”
Just as I finished thanking my partner, a giant hole appeared in the center of the other monster. The being capable of such a feat looked over at me and offered its usual menacing grin from atop its corpse. It was as if it was praising me, I thought. That’s why I silently answered its smile with pride.
Jiro Tanaka, 28 years old, has a girlfriend.
His girlfriend: Suella Handelberg
Memoria Tris
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time Employee)
Magic Aptitude: 8 (General Class)
Role: Warrior
Word of the day:
I managed to pull it off!!!!!!!!!
That’s all for this installment.
This chapter finally featured the awakening of my weapon and the protagonist’s strengthening.
How was it?
I hope you were satisfied even a little.
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