Youko had unleashed freezing air upon the enemy forces and masterfully encased only them in ice, but alas, even those coffins of ice just broke as the fifth wave appeared.
“Aw… And I thought it was a good idea too.”
“It was… Unfortunately, it appears that the next wave will just come if you stop them in their tracks.”
Shinichi said as though he would have done the same thing, then he slammed the ground with the palm of his hand.
Suddenly, the earth shook, and the fifth wave was crushed by the power of gravity.
It was as though the invisible hand of a god had descended upon them.
But while it might seem as though the entire land had been crushed, in truth, a smaller spell was prepared for every foe.
Not only was it easier that way, it also consumed less mana.
With how long this battle was likely to continue, Shinichi figured he should conserve as much mana as he could.
When the sixth wave began to appear, he sighed.
“How dare a mere alchemist obstruct the path of my master! To think that of all things, it would actually be a plan meant to stop me that would obstruct my master… Are you trying piss me off, hah!?”
Youko seemed to have finally had enough of trying to hide her anger, and countless pillars of flames gushed out to dominate the battlefield.
With literal pillars of flames covering the land, any creature that moved was immediately burned to cinders.
Youko knew full well that such an act would only push forward the seventh wave, but she just couldn’t help herself.
The fact that such a lowly being would dare hurt her master was just too unforgivable.
Above all, it just had to be a plan originally meant to stop her.
“Forgive me, Master! If I were just better suited to fighting defensively, I wouldn’t have to trouble you with such insignificant matters!”
As fire, ice, and lightning continued to rain down spells upon the dolls of the alchemist, Youko prostrated herself to Shinichi for being unable to be of use to him.
Her power was worthy of the title of ‘the Strongest Monster Beast’. In fact, she had even surpassed all expectations.
However, it was precisely because of that – and she might have owed it to the fact that she was still but a child – while she showed plenty control for how great her power was, it still wasn’t enough by human standards.
Though she was easily sweeping through the enemy forces, a closer look would show that there were still individual dolls that were able to slip past her.
She could focus on those, but then it would take her longer to take care of the enemy force as a whole.
Unfortunately, those individual dolls couldn’t be ignored either, for if they were to spread too much, they would eventually make it to the royal villa.
Even just one of those getting away was sure to result in a ghastly, tragic scene.
That was true even if the one that slipped away was the weakest of the enemy.
That’s why ‘someone’ had to fill that gap to ensure that the guests stayed safe.
“Don’t worry about it… I never expected something like that from you.”
“Eh!?”
Youko lifted up her head, seemingly shocked. Evidently, she hadn’t expected him to say that.
Without even glancing at her, he stepped forward, and with his claws of mana, his pebbles, and his fists accurately destroyed the enemy targets that managed to slip through.
“From the very start, you were supposed to take care of the enemy forces, while I took care of whatever slipped. Since you keep calling yourself as my servant, it’s only right to expect that much from you, right?”
His words seemed worried about friendly fire, yet from the way he wove through the enemy forces with his back almost completely exposed, it was clear that he wasn’t actually the slightest bit worried.
For a moment, Yoko was both shocked and bewildered by his actions, and she couldn’t help but loosen her cheeks.
“F-Fu fu… Father, Mother, I must be the luckiest tenkorius in the whole world. To think that I would actually experience being able to run through the battlefield alongside my master and even be able to entrust our backs to each other. Surely no tenkorius but me has ever tasted such a joyful thing!”
So abundant was her joy that it was audible even through her voice.
But even as her face melted from the euphoria it brought, fire, ice, and lightning continued to rain hell on the battlefield.
Already that was a cataclysm spoken of only in the myths, the reenactment of an impossible calamity summoned by the evil god.
Fire spewed out from the earth, lightning fell from the heavens, and chunks of ice danced despite the warmth of this land.
Amidst all of that was a hooded boy running freely on the battlefield with nary a care for friendly fire.
To be able to coexist, to be able to be his strength, to be trusted by him, to be relied on by him…
“Ahah! In that case, I better answer my master’s wishes! Or else, what kind of strongest monster beast am I? Allow me to prove here and now that even in speed, my kind is number one!”
As she wore a smile of joy, and her eyes shimmered brightly, just as she declared, all of her attacks increased in speed.
All the while, she made sure not to hit her master and not wantonly destroy the area.
Despite such considerations, the power she demonstrated was completely one-sided.
The magic of the tenkorius was inherent to them, and her fire, ice, and lightning all followed a principle unlike that of a magic. But irregardless, the soldiers birthed by magic were pitifully trampled over.
Before anyone knew it, they were already at the twelfth wave, and a few seconds later, the thirteenth came, but by then, she was no longer frustrated.
“Send as many as you want! I’m in great condition tonight! I’ll take on billions if I have to!!”
The enemies before her were all trash obstructing the path of her master. And it was her role and duty to clean up such trash.
As she reveled in the joy and happiness of being able to partake in such a sacred act, she dominated all of the enemy forces.
“Her spirit is commendable, but I wish she’d refrain from saying anything that might raise flags. Because it definitely won’t end as a joke when I’m involved.” As expected, the number of enemies was a problem.
While moving within her domain, he muttered that in exasperation as he punched through the core of a golem.
The eyes hidden behind his hood appeared somewhat anxious as they glanced in the direction of the count’s mansion.
At the same time, he casually tossed away the shattered fragment of a golem, blew away the head of a chimera, and crushed an automata.
The extermination of the enemy forces was proceeding smoothly. Youko’s morale was high, and nothing has been able to get past her.
Shinichi was able to fill her gaps well. He covered a vast amount of area no one would expect from a lone warrior. Above all, he did so without relying on any big spell, allowing him to keep his mana consumption to a minimum.
But despite that…
“Wait a moment… Isn’t this bad?”
His eyes found themselves glued in that direction, and what he ‘saw’ was an uneasiness that couldn’t be explained.
His face twisted as he ran.
The priority was low.
The threat level was high.
The survival rate zero.
She’d entrusted them to him.
But such justifications were too weak.
It’s difficult.
It’s painful.
It’s hard to breathe.
No.
Stop it.
And yet
And yet
And yet,
────He did not lose himself.
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