And then…
The monster attacked first!
With absolutely no motion, it unleashed its signature unseeable speed tentacles!
Without even a hint of a warning, their speed was incomparable to that of common Slimes!
Truly, a Mach-speed finishing blow!!
However, they were all entangled by the blue flames extending from Manager and turned to ash in an instant.
Furthermore, it seemed to have unleashed all its tentacles, as twenty of them attacked Manager like a downpour.
Yet, before they could touch Manager, they all burned up and turned to ash in an instant!
Flames emitting super high temperatures, so hot that anything close enough would turn to charcoal…
I wonder if even bullets can’t reach them with this…
Conversely, the enemy turns to charcoal just by getting close to Manager.
…Offense and defense united, no blind spots… the name of the invincible armor is no lie!
There’s no way we can win against this!
Manager has finally transformed into an Invincible Hero!!
White Flame Armament… what an incredible gift that is…
Seeing this, the enemy, perhaps judging that they were no longer a match, immediately backstepped in an attempt to escape!
However, Manager had anticipated this and leaped forward a moment before.
A jump that covered more than 10 meters in an instant!
It was like… a ball of flame with a will of its own descending!
Even the formidable monster, having been launched into the air by the backstep, had no way to avoid Manager leaping at it.
Simply by being approached, it instantly became engulfed in flames, and Manager then pinned it down with their front paws on its shoulders, crushing down on it.
And even Manager, without a moment’s hesitation, bit into the monster’s neck, accompanied by a cracking sound.
Furthermore, the pale blue flames covering its entire body intensified.
The battle was over in an instant… the monster that had demonstrated such cheat-like invincibility suddenly started spewing flames from various parts of its body and then simply stopped moving.
The heat-resistant outer shell seemed to have stubbornly survived the burning… but its core seemed to have been easily reduced to ash.
No matter how powerful its regenerative abilities or how skilled it was in martial arts, if it was pinned down in mid-air like that, it had no means to resist.
And those pale blue flames… they were likely super high-temperature flames, perhaps several thousand degrees, enough to melt iron.
Being burned directly from within at such close range… no, while being bitten… their situation must have been dire…
An immortal monster with super regenerative power.
This was Manager’s optimal solution to ensure its certain demise…
This battle was as good as decided the moment Manager transformed into that giant cat engulfed in flames.
It was an instant kill! A complete shutout!
“H-hahaha…”
I let out a dry, hollow laugh, my mouth agape like an idiot, for what felt like the hundredth time today.
To think that the boss of the formidable enemy, who had shown such outrageous power, would be defeated so easily…
Manager, after confirming that the enemy was entirely reduced to its outer shell, stood up straight on all fours, shook their body as if to shed water, and then gave the remaining wreckage a quick swipe with a paw, flicking dirt over it.
Eventually, the pale blue flames that enveloped Manager’s body disappeared, and the grotesque cat-like armor also vanished with a *swoosh*.
At the same time, Manager returned to their usual cat-eared form and collapsed onto the ground, still on all fours.
Just as I was about to rush over, Manager looked up and then sprang up with tremendous force, charging towards me like a predator with arms outstretched!
I certainly wasn’t expecting that, and I was promptly knocked over!
“I’m so glad you’re okay, Master! Manager’s been told to just chase the strange flying thing in the dark forest, so I’ve been running all this time! But! I properly beat up the bad guy! Praise me, praise me! Praise me!”
I was subjected to a storm of headbutts.
To an outsider, it would look like I was being attacked, but this is Manager’s way of showing affection.
If Manager were cat-sized, I could have easily brushed it off, but being on the receiving end as a human is like being mounted and subjected to a flurry of headbutts…
“Whoa! Stop it! Manager! I get it! You did great! Thank you! So, please stop! Calm down first! Gnnngh!”
…Manager’s forehead repeatedly collided with my nose, and I let out a squashed toad-like scream.
Incidentally, Manager is currently wearing their usual shopkeeper attire.
The familiar black shirt and red apron.
When they first appeared, they were wearing a black poncho-like garment for nighttime operations, but it seemed to have been blown off or lost during the transformation.
It also looked like they were wearing a backpack.
It’s nowhere to be seen now… it probably turned to charcoal… I’m sorry, Ms. Kashima and the others.
…In any case, the contrast with the demonic cat enveloped in flames just moments ago is striking.
On top of that, they mercilessly lick my forehead and cheeks.
And stop with the playful nibbling!
“Hey! Manager! Stop! Stop biting!”
“Nya? It’s my favorite gnawing! You used to let me do this all the time, but you wouldn’t let me since we came here! I bet you’ll let me now!”
…There was no one here who could stop Manager in their overly affectionate mode.
The others seemed busy attending to Mr. Prado and the other injured individuals…
I can’t stay here playing forever…
Or rather, being licked and nibbled by a cat-eared girl isn’t as pleasant as I thought it would be…
But… it’s good.
Manager is back to normal… it feels like normalcy has finally returned.
“Second Lieutenant Takakura… I apologize for interrupting your enjoyment, but I have an urgent report. Reinforcement combat units have arrived. The remaining enemy forces have lost their command and control units, exhibiting disorganized movements, and have already begun engaging the reinforcement units. If you have any instructions, please provide them.”
Zero One’s inorganic voice echoed, whether it read the mood or not.
What enjoyment?
“So, the General died, which caused them to lose their coordination, and their movements are now chaotic. Are they okay? According to the plan, we were supposed to sandwich them with the reinforcement units, right?”
“Initially, that was judged to be the most efficient approach. However, due to encountering the enemy at an unexpectedly early location, Lieutenant Colonel Oddball, the local commander, made the decision to initiate combat. Supplementary explanation for the decision: It was judged on-site that if the enemy forces were allowed to scatter, it could lead to an unmanageable situation. Both myself and the home country’s control support Lieutenant Colonel Oddball’s decision. I will now display footage from the car-mounted drone above the scene.”
For now, it seems Manager’s affectionate assault has stopped, and Manager, perhaps having read the room, has released me from the mount position.
Well… I’ll have to show them some appreciation later.
On Bun’s monitor, Lieutenant Colonel Oddball’s unit was seen disseminating, with the small tanks leading the charge and crushing the Slimes.
Ms. Radcliff and the others, despite their unfamiliar equipment and combat style, appeared to be in a disorganized state without any formation…
Strangely, instead of overwhelming a single target with concentrated fire or overextending, they maintained their pace, with each person reliably taking down one enemy while advancing – a display of orderly combat.
Despite being their first engagement, it seemed to be going without many issues.
“For the time being, since it appears to be going well, I think it’s fine to continue the combat? Anyway, the enemy’s General is now charcoal, and facing a disorganized mob with sheer numbers, there’s no reason they should lose if they can fight with ranged weapons. Still, it’s strange how coordinated everyone is, I wonder what’s going on… They shouldn’t have had time to train for this kind of group combat.”
Ms. Radcliff and the others had only received basic training in firearm handling and combat, but not in forming ranks and firing in unison.
Their original fighting style also didn’t involve formations, but rather a frontal push with high individual combat prowess.
Indeed, while Ms. Radcliff and the others initially showed disjointed movements, they now moved with the same intervals, forming formations and executing organized combat as if their previous disarray were a lie.
“Currently, the situation is developing into a mop-up operation. With the cooperation of the BUN series and infantry units, the enemy is being systematically annihilated. We recommend that Second Lieutenant Takakura continue to secure the enemy’s retreat while awaiting the ambient temperature to rise to a survivable level. Furthermore, the reinforcement combat units are being controlled by the home country’s command system, which has been deployed. Although the soldiers’ training level is not yet sufficient, no problems have arisen.”
…It seems something formidable has appeared again.
