Chapter 497: The Sealed One 2

The Sealed One 2

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“YUGYAAAAAAAHーーー!!!”

The torrent of purple light, unleashed with a bizarre roar, instantly engulfed Kalamaruyu and the others!

And then, in just a few seconds.

Crack!

A high-pitched sound echoed around them.

The sound of Saint Ad’s first barrier being destroyed.

…Crack, crack!

Then, the second and third barriers were broken.

The Grand Armored Yumushi continues to fire its beam, its momentum unstoppable!

Crack!

The fourth barrier was also broken.

It’s only a matter of time now.

And then, a few seconds later.

…Crack!

Even the fifth barrier, unable to withstand the torrent of light, was finally destroyed, as their vision was filled with intense purple light.

The beam, which had been blocked in mid-air, reached the ground!

Burning and melting everything in its path—the grass, the earth… everything!

Jyuuu… Ji-ji-ji…

When the Grand Armored Yumushi stopped firing its beam, what remained was a molten, red-hot earth.

The small, annoying creatures that were scurrying around earlier no longer exist.

Sensing that with his mana, the Grand Armored Yumushi decided to do what he had to do, according to his instincts.

And that is—to devour the Kodorokizo ore deposit spreading throughout this area.

He’s hungry.

He found this feeding ground, filled with magic ore, but he’s wasted so much time.

He was immobilized by those small creatures, the same species as the ones from earlier.

The frustration of not being able to move, with a feast before his eyes, was unbearable!

But his time of patience is over.

He’ll enjoy this feast to his heart’s content.

After he’s had his fill, he can go and eat those small creatures for dessert.

They’re not as good as magic ore, but they’re not bad either.

The Grand Armored Yumushi has eaten most of the group that sealed him before.

So he knows what they taste like.

And he’s already sensed that their nest is nearby.

He’s looking forward to it.

Well, for now—

It’s magic ore.

The Grand Armored Yumushi opened his mouth wider than when he fired his beam, and turned his head downwards, to bite into the earth.

“【Barrier・Super Great Mallet】.”

But it was at that moment.

He heard a voice, and then… the Grand Armored Yumushi felt a strong impact on his head, and was slammed into the ground!

“Yugi… Gi-gi-gi…”

He’s not damaged.

But he is surprised and irritated.

The Grand Armored Yumushi slowly pulled his head out of the ground, and turned to face the direction of the voice.

“Ahahaha! My apologies?”

There, standing on a faintly glowing aerial floor, with her hand on her hip, blowing smoke… is a small creature… in other words, Saint Ad!

She had escaped, hidden in the strong light, before all her barriers were broken by the beam!

“Alright, good oneーーー!!”

“Get her, Anegoーーー!!”

“Anego, you’re so cool! Marry meーーー!!”

“You idiots! You’re going to draw its attention! Shut up!!”

And Kalamaruyu and the triplets are also safe.

They’re currently hiding in a makeshift trench, dug by the triplets using earth magic, some distance away from the Grand Armored Yumushi.

“I’ve always hated roundabout talks at tea parties. I’m the type who wants to get things done quickly, without worrying about maneuvering.”

Now, floating in the air with 【Barrier・Aerial Floor】, Saint Ad created faintly glowing orbs of light in both hands.

It’s 【Sealing Orb】—the one she used to seal Shimegamamo’s movements!

“So… This is the endーーー!!”

Saint Ad shouted triumphantly, and threw the 【Sealing Orbs】 in both hands at the Grand Armored Yumushi.

This monster’s body is too big for them to miss.

The 【Sealing Orbs】 that hit the Grand Armored Yumushi immediately extended strings of light, wrapping around its giant body.

“That’s it! That, that, thatーーー!!”

And it’s not just the first two!

Saint Ad created more 【Sealing Orbs】 one after another, and threw them at the Grand Armored Yumushi!

In no time at all, the Grand Armored Yumushi’s body was covered in strings of light, and just like with Shimegamamo, a white cocoon started to form…

Saint Ad’s 【Sealing Orb】 is extremely effective against an opponent with a giant body like the Grand Armored Yumushi.

Therefore, this battle will continue without a hitch, and Saint Ad will be victorious.

…Or so it seemed.

“…YUGYAAAAAAAHーーー!!!”

The next moment—

The Grand Armored Yumushi, as if annoyed by the strings of light wrapped around its body, wriggled, and… let out a bizarre scream, its entire body glowing purple, intensely!

In other words, it released a huge amount of mana!

“Huh? Seriously?”

Saint Ad, seeing what had happened, involuntarily exclaimed in a dumbfounded voice.

The intense light emitted by the Grand Armored Yumushi—

Instantly burned and blew away—the strings of light extending from the 【Sealing Orbs】!

“AAAAAAAAHーーー!!!”

And the Grand Armored Yumushi, continuing to scream, shook its raised head towards Saint Ad.

And then, what happened!?

The small pieces of Kodorokizo ore that fell from its surface—floated into the air… and were shot out towards Saint Ad one after another, like machine gun fire!

“Haaa!? Seriouslyーーー!? It can even use telekinesis!? Should I call it… ‘Magic Ore Bullets’…?”

Saint Ad, although sweating, calmly deployed 【Barrier・Shield】 in front of her and blocked the 【Magic Ore Bullets】.

DAGAGAGAGAGA!!

The 【Magic Ore Bullets】 continued to hit Saint Ad’s barrier relentlessly, like horizontal rain.

And as a result.

Crack… Crack, crack…

With that sound, cracks started appearing on the barrier.

“Tch…”

It’s pointless, and dangerous, to just hide behind the barrier.

Saint Ad, quickly judging that, ran sideways, deploying a new 【Barrier・Shield】 to protect herself, and escaped the line of fire.

DAGAGAGAGAGA!!

Saint Ad, landing on the grassland, and sprinting.

A few moments later, the 【Magic Ore Bullets】 hit where she had been, kicking up dust!

(Hmm, if I keep running, it won’t hit me.)

Saint Ad, glancing back, was about to calmly make that judgment.

But she was wrong.

BAAN!!

With a roar—

The Grand Armored Yumushi, using a giant 【Magic Ore Bullet】, took a calculated shot!

“Tch…!!”

Saint Ad has no choice but to deal with that attack, which was fired, predicting her path.

By the time she noticed, the giant 【Magic Ore Bullet】 was about to hit, so she stopped, and quickly deployed three layers of 【Barrier・Shield】.

Crack, crack, GAH!!

The giant 【Magic Ore Bullet】, about the size of Saint Ad’s upper body, broke through two of the barriers, and stopped.

But she can’t be relieved.

The 【Magic Ore Bullets】, fired after her, caught up, and a rain of bullets started pouring down, with even greater range and density!

DAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGA!!!

“Kuh…!?”

Saint Ad can’t move, caught in that intense barrage.

She could only desperately deploy 【Barrier・Shield】 in front of her, and endure it.

And as if mocking her resistance, the Grand Armored Yumushi made its next move!

“AAAAAAAAAA…!”

It began to fill its giant mouth with a strong, purple light!

In other words… it’s a sign of a beam attack!

“Damn it!?”

Saint Ad, her hands pushed forward as if pushing against a wall, maintaining the barrier, hurriedly looked behind her.

The Grand Armored Yumushi, Saint Ad, and Kalamaruyu and the others hiding in the trench, are currently lined up in a straight line.

In other words.

Kalamaruyu and the others are in the beam’s line of fire!

“It calculated this, this Yumushi!?”

What cunning intelligence, for a giant annelid!

Saint Ad turned pale, and broke out in a cold sweat!

“Run…”

Run.

And as Saint Ad was about to shout that warning…

A second beam was fired from the Grand Armored Yumushi’s mouth.

…Almost simultaneously.

“YUGYAAAAAAAHーーー!!!”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The extra-thick beam, along with a bizarre scream, flew towards Saint Ad, and then towards Kalamaruyu and the others hiding in the trench behind her.

Saint Ad felt the time it took for the beam to reach them, which shouldn’t even be a second, to be incredibly long.

That’s fortunate.

Thanks to that slow-flowing time, she was able to quickly deploy two more barriers—faster than she’s ever done in her entire life.

But only two.

Including the one that was already there, there are only three barriers protecting them.

And because they were deployed in a hurry, they’re weaker than the one that blocked the beam earlier.

Crack… Crack!

So they were broken in a few seconds, unable to withstand the approaching torrent of light.

And on the last one—

Crack—

A crack appeared.

This time, Saint Ad doesn’t have time to dodge.

She could only pray for the safety of the one she’s guarding—

And pour her strength into the remaining barrier, to buy a few more moments, accepting death.

Crack, crack, crack!

But mercilessly—

The cracks on the barrier only spread.

“Aaah…”

Saint Ad…

Swallowed by the purple torrent of light, she could only…

“AAAAAHーーー!!”

…Scream.

…But!

It was right before the last barrier was destroyed!

“Yugya!?

Along with the Grand Armored Yumushi’s confused voice—

The beam’s trajectory shifted upwards, away from Saint Ad.

And then, it flew all the way to the starry sky… near the moon, hanging low in the sky, and disappeared.

“Huh…?”

What… happened?

Saint Ad, pressing her pounding chest, stared ahead dumbfounded.

What she saw there were abnormally grown vines.

Countless vines are lifting and restraining the front of the Grand Armored Yumushi’s giant body!

“You survived, intruder. You’re lucky.”

And then, Saint Ad heard a cold woman’s voice.

A voice that she shouldn’t be able to hear anymore.

She hurriedly turned to the side, and there stood a muscular woman, carrying a large cleaver on her shoulder, her reddish-brown hair billowing in the night wind.

It’s Shimegamamo!

“Wh-Why…?”

Why is the seal broken?

Why did you save us?

Saint Ad’s words, uttered in bewilderment, were short and to the point, but they basically meant that.

“…I didn’t save you.”

Shimegamamo, occasionally stomping on the ground—DON, DON—glared at Saint Ad, and said that.

“But I succumbed to the devil’s power, and made a deal.”

And then she said something incomprehensible.

“In exchange for breaking my clan’s rules, losing my pride, I…”

Shimegamamo, not caring about Saint Ad, who was blinking her eyes, unable to understand what she meant, slowly pointed the large cleaver on her shoulder at the Grand Armored Yumushi.

“I will avenge… my father, my mother, my brother, and my husband, Wakiteryu!!”

She declared, powerfully!

“And then…”

And it was just as Shimegamamo was about to continue…

“RAAAAAHーーー!!!”

Something small and black, screaming, creating a gust of wind, passed by Saint Ad!

That small, black something quickly reached the Grand Armored Yumushi, and then…!

With the momentum from running, it jumped up…!

And punched its face—which has neither eyes nor a nose—with all its might!

“YUGYAAAAAAHーーー!?”

And the next moment, what echoed around them was the sound of an incredible impact, the sound of vines being ripped apart, and the Grand Armored Yumushi’s scream—its first of the day!

With that single blow, the Grand Armored Yumushi, its hill-like body, fattened by eating magic ore and storing mana—was lifted into the air, spun around half a turn, and then—

Z… Zuuuuuuuun…!

Fell to the ground, kicking up dust.

“Yugi, Yugi-gi… !?”

The Grand Armored Yumushi, for the first time in a long time, since it grew so large, experienced pain, and writhed from side to side, its emotions a jumbled mess of anger, confusion, shock, and fear.

“Hmm.”

The small, black something… Emi Rune, the girl with black hair and black eyes, her hood blown back by the wind—

Although surprised that the giant earthworm in front of her didn’t die from her full-powered punch…

Guuuuuuuu…

…Growled, and quietly assumed a fighting stance against the Grand Armored Yumushi.

“…………”

And Shimegamamo, after swinging her cleaver around, stood next to Emi.

She exhaled deeply, and glared at the Grand Armored Yumushi.

All of her killing intent is now directed towards it.

The plants at her feet swayed unnaturally.

“…I don’t know what’s going on, but—”

And then, the one who stood next to Emi, with a cigarette in her mouth, was Saint Ad.

She exhaled a thin plume of smoke, put out the cigarette using her portable ashtray, and narrowed her eyes, glancing at the cursed child on her right.

Her instincts, honed as an adventurer who has faced countless threats, are screaming the biggest warning yet.

This girl is dangerous.

“For now, I’d appreciate it if we could call a truce.”

But Saint Ad didn’t run away, she put the mysterious girl aside for now, and asked Shimegamamo that.

Because, although she doesn’t know the details… Shimegamamo is trying to move forward, abandoning her rules and pride.

Saint Ad always sides with those who try to move forward.

So she can tell that much, just by looking into someone’s eyes.

Therefore, she can’t just leave this woman alone here.

That’s how Saint Ad lives.

“…………”

Shimegamamo didn’t answer Saint Ad’s question.

But she showed her answer by not directing her killing intent at her.

“Yugya… Yugyaah!!”

Now then, as for the Grand Armored Yumushi—

His primitive mind is currently mostly occupied by anger towards the creature that knocked him down, despite being so small.

So he turned around—DOSHIN, DOSHIN—his footsteps echoing as he repositioned himself to prepare for battle, and…

“YUGYAAAAAAAHーーー!!!”

He roared in anger towards the three women standing there!

The loud sound, the killing intent, and the mana hit them like a gust of wind, making their skin tingle!

But the three women, with their respective determination, faced it, and none of them backed down.

On the contrary—

“RAAAAAH!!”

“UOOOOOH!!”

“HAAAAAH!!”

The three women, shouting, not to be outdone!

Started running towards the Grand Armored Yumushi!

Under the starry sky, on the Great Grassland of Beginnings, illuminated in purple…!

…The decisive battle—has begun!