Chapter 65. Collision
Para and Anu stared at Bastet in confusion.
─[I haven’t seen this one around here…]
─[If we don’t know it, then it must have recently been born or evolved.]
Fortunately.
That creature, Bastet, didn’t seem to be on their side.
Whether it was an act to make Group 4 let their guard down or not was still uncertain.
【Pururu】─What? Isn’t that puma-like cat on their side?
【Yumi】─Listening to them talk, it seems like it, right?
【Bubble Bubble】─How many SS-rank monsters are there… I feel like I’m going to lose my mind thinking about the Monster Great War…
【Mysticism】─Geon oppa! Bring that cat over to our side! If you do, we’ll have the numbers advantage!
【Rizenova】─Miss Mysti is correct. Whoever recruits that monster first will claim victory.
Bringing Bastet over to our side.
It didn’t seem like a bad idea.
But I had no clue how to persuade her.
While I was thinking of a method.
Para directed a question towards Bastet.
─[Are you our enemy?]
─[Enemy? What are you talking about?]
─[I’m asking if you have any intention of fighting us.]
─[I have no intention of fighting.]
─[Then get lost. I don’t have time to deal with you.]
─[……]
Oh.
That wasn’t bad at all.
It seemed like Para had just hit a nerve with Bastet.
As proof, Bastet’s brow furrowed slightly.
Anyone would feel offended if they were told to get lost upon first meeting.
‘It doesn’t seem like they’re pretending not to know each other.’
While Para and Anu remained wary of Bastet.
Arachne glanced at Azeras and opened her mouth.
─[Azeras. They say she’s the guardian of the labyrinth?]
─“Probably a hunter of explorers…”
─[A hunter of explorers?]
─“They’re monsters that harbor hatred for explorers and hunt them… It’s highly likely they were once enslaved by the Dominant One…”
According to Azeras’ explanation.
Most hunter monsters had a history of being dominated.
Because of their harsh treatment under the Dominant One, their hatred for explorers had grown to an unimaginable degree.
Not all Dominant Ones in history had treated monsters badly, but…
【Pururu】─So they’re a former slave. No wonder they harbor resentment.
【Yumi】─I can understand that. The Dominant One often treats monsters poorly. If I were in they’re shoes, I’d have trauma too and resent explorers.
【Mysticism】─Melody Fox didn’t harbor any resentment!
Aside from explorers.
The reason they hunted Drifters was simple.
Drifters were essentially explorer candidates.
It wasn’t just about rejecting outsiders for no reason.
Para and Anu, seemingly deciding to ignore Bastet, redirected their attention forward and shouted loudly toward Group 4.
─[Hey, you lot! The first person to reveal the location of the explorer will be spared!]
─[First come, first served! I always keep my promises!]
Naturally, there was no way Group 4 would accept that offer.
Arachne, seemingly dumbfounded, let out a dry laugh.
─[What are they even saying?]
─“Nonsense…”
Azeras, too, ignored the offer.
The giant caterpillar carrying Group 4 also got angry and adamantly rejected the proposal.
─[Abbbllrrr!]
【Pururu】─Caterpillar, you don’t even know where Geon is anyway.
【Yumi】─He’s not even one of Geon’s tamed monsters to begin with.
【Mysticism】─Even though Geon hasn’t tamed him yet, he’s so loyal!
The Mummy Skeleton, who was in the process of being tamed, was…
─[Coooool…]
…sleeping soundly, bound in silk.
【Pururu】─That guy sure has it easy.
【Mysticism】─Let’s just not tame that one.
Para sighed and asked once again.
─[This is your last chance. Is there truly no one willing to reveal the explorer’s location?]
Azeras and Arachne completely ignored his words.
The caterpillar shook its body, signaling its refusal.
─[Abbbbllll! Screw you!]
【Pururu】─Did he just say “screw you”?
【Yumi】─You must have misheard.
As everyone rejected the offer, Para and Anu’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
Iris zoomed in on their faces, showing us their expressions.
She’s naturally gifted at filming—she’s a born camerawoman.
Anyway.
The situation was now on the verge of exploding into a full-blown battle.
Of course, while the atmosphere was tense, neither side made any rash moves.
Both were still assessing each other’s strength.
Amidst this heavy tension.
I lowered my voice and carefully called Arachne.
“Kino.”
─[Yes, Father.]
“Do you think you can try persuading that Bastet?”
─[You mean bring her over to our side? How should I do that?]
“Tell her you’ll give her some delicious fish.”
─[Fish? Hmm…]
【Pururu】─Like that’s gonna work.
【Bubble Bubble】─It might! In our world’s history, there was a noble who rebelled after being bribed with food.
【Pururu】─That noble must’ve been an idiot, right?
【Rizenova】─There’s no harm in trying. Sometimes, simple and direct methods work. Cats do love fish, after all.
【Mysticism】─That’s not a cat, it’s a puma!
【Yumi】─Pumas are part of the feline family. They’re basically just big cats.
【Pururu】─Even if it works, where are we going to get the fish?
“You guys will send it.”
【Pururu】─?
【Yumi】─I’ll go grab some at the fish market!
After hesitating for a moment, Arachne quickly turned her head toward Bastet.
─[Hey, Bastet!]
─[It’s Bastet, meow.]
─[We’ll give you some fish later, so can you help us take down those ugly guys!?]
─[What’s fish, meow?]
─[What?]
─[I asked what fish is, meow.]
Bastet tilted her head in confusion.
A flustered Arachne turned to Iris.
─[Uh, Father, how should I explain this?]
Just tell her it’s something delicious.
I was about to say that when…
─[Don’t try any funny business…!]
Boom!
Golden sand burst into the air like an explosion.
Anu had launched himself forward, kicking off the sandy ground.
Particles of sand swirled around him.
Anu, crouched low like a beast, charged at Arachne.
The distance between them closed in an instant.
And then.
From Anu’s side.
Azeras’ foot sliced through the air and struck him.
Thunk!
─[Gah!]
Anu’s body was knocked off course by a precise blow to his side.
Anu, lifted off the ground by the impact, rolled across the sand.
Grinding his teeth, Anu planted his hands on the sand and stood back up, glaring fiercely at Azeras.
─“Don’t lay a hand on my friend. You’ll die…”
─[Fine. I’ll kill you first.]
The battle had begun.
***
The giant caterpillar, carrying the Mummy Skeleton on its back, withdrew to a safe distance to watch the fight.
─[Arise.]
At Para’s command, hundreds of sand giants rose from the ground simultaneously.
The desert trembled with their appearance, and a sandstorm raged.
【Pururu】─It’s Attack on Giantsss!!!
【Mysticism】─😱
【Rizenova】─Magnificent.
【Yumi】─Wow. I just got chills.
In response, Arachne summoned countless spider spirits.
─[Wrap your bodies in silk and bulk up!]
At Arachne’s command.
The summoned spider spirits began spewing white silk from their bodies.
The silk continuously wrapped around them.
Soon, they were clad in an armor made of immobilizing silk.
The armor’s appearance was identical to that of a Dog Spider.
Of course, the size was much larger.
Big enough to rival the giants.
【Bubble Bubble】─Huh? That’s the Demon King of Peace!
【Pururu】─What’s that, you weeb?
【Yumi】─That’s mini choco-me!
【Mysticism】─It’s no longer mini! It’s a giant choco-me!
Para and Arachne simultaneously issued commands to their summoned creatures.
─[Charge!]
─[Take down every last one of those giants!]
The sand giants marched, shaking the earth with each step.
A wave of sand rose with them.
Opposite them, the spider spirits, armored in silk, advanced in unison.
And finally.
The two sides collided.
─[By Pharaoh’s command, annihilate the enemies!]
─[Leave none alive! Kill them all!]
─[Purge the insurgents!]
─[Shii!]
─[Shiii!]
─[Shiiiik!]
The battlefield was instantly swallowed in chaos.
【Pururu】─This is a full-blown war.
【Bubble Bubble】─It feels like the Monster Great War is happening all over again…
Meanwhile, in the sky, Azeras and Anu were locked in a fierce battle.
Boom!
Each clash between Azeras and Anu created shockwaves that sliced through the air around them.
【Pururu】─Up there, it’s pure hand-to-hand combat.
Their movements grew faster and faster.
Punches and kicks flew at lightning speed, eventually becoming too fast for the camera to capture.
Only faint afterimages remained in the places they passed.
【Rizenova】─They seem evenly matched.
【Pururu】─Are they even fighting?
【Yumi】─It seems like they are, but it’s too fast to see.
As the fierce battle in the sky continued.
The screen shifted back to Arachne.
【Mysticism】─Iris is good at broadcasting. A true pro.
【Pururu】─She’s surprisingly professional.
Behind the spider spirits.
Arachne, who had been silently spinning and compressing silk into a dense bundle, finally completed her work.
Opening her eyes slightly, her red gaze locked onto Para.
─[Absorb.]
With Arachne’s soft whisper.
─[N-no… what is this…!]
A blue light began to flow from Para’s body, drawn into the silk bundle Arachne held.
It seemed she was absorbing his power.
Thud.
Para, seemingly drained of strength, fell to one knee.
─[To be able to drain my soul’s power… what kind of monster is this…]
But he didn’t surrender easily.
Extending both arms, Para let out a ferocious roar.
In response, the desert’s sands were sucked toward his body, replenishing his strength, allowing him to rise once more.
Of course, it was only a brief recovery.
Arachne’s silk bundle continued to drain his power.
Realizing he needed to destroy that bundle before being completely drained, Para immediately took action.
Sluuurp-
Para grotesquely opened his mouth wide.
Inside, dark energy gathered, forming a small sphere.
─[Annihilate.]
At Para’s command.
A beam of black light shot out from the sphere like a laser.
The massive beam sliced across the desert.
Splitting it in two in an instant.
As if the world itself had been cleaved in half.
【Pururu】─Whoa, this is insane…
【Pururu】─I’m trembling all over, just watching this on the broadcast.
【Mysticism】─😱😱😱
【Yumi】─It’s like watching gods fight…
【Bubble Bubble】─That’s because they are gods.
【Rizenova】─It fills me with awe.
The sand giants and spider spirits, clad in silk armor, were obliterated by the black beam.
And Arachne, too.
─[That… was close.]
Her human upper body had been severed from her spider lower body.
【Pururu】─???
【Pururu】─Choco-me!!! No!!!
Fortunately, it wasn’t fatal.
White silk poured from each severed part, reattaching her upper and lower halves.
As if nothing had happened.
【Pururu】─?
【Pururu】─That’s freaky, Choco-me…
【Pururu】─But I’m glad you’re alive. 😭
While the transcendent battle shook the heavens and the earth.
Iris’s camera focused on Bastet, who had been sitting next to the giant caterpillar.
【Pururu】─Why is the camera suddenly showing her?
Lost in thought, Bastet murmured to herself.
─[Fish… fish…]
Suddenly, she stood up.
─[I don’t know what it is, but it sounds like food. And it sounds delicious.]
She spread her wings and took to the sky.
─[If it’s something I can eat, I’ll help.]
Then, from up above.
She roared at the SSS-rank monster, Solorb, floating serenely in the sky.
─[Awoooo!!!]
·
·
·
·
·
·
─[Did you call for me?]
The once unyielding sun began to slowly descend, sinking toward the earth.