Akatsuki Translations

The horde of monsters rushing towards the Dragon-Devoured Uuga was halted by the magical barrier erected around it. It was an even more formidable wall than the one currently deployed by the knights at the center of【True Babel】.

Learning from the previous aerial monster assault, Lynne’s revised barrier blocked the monsters’ intrusion far above where Jain and the others were positioned, incinerating anything that approached.

“Wow, it looks like bugs swarming on the barrier,” Rabin remarked.

“They only look small because they’re far away. Each one is a monster. Don’t let your guard down,” someone warned.

“But seriously, none of them are getting through the barrier at all. Lynne is amazing, isn’t she?” Rabin mused admiringly.

Indeed, Lynne, the user of the 【White King Formation】, was truly something. Despite the short time since Proudia’s underling attack, she had managed to update Uuga’s defensive magic formulas.

—Interfering with the vast amount of magic formulas constantly deployed on Uuga, updating only the defensive barrier without causing issues elsewhere, it’s like acrobatics.

—It’s the pinnacle that only someone with an abnormal passion for formula inscription can achieve.

—I was allowed to see the construction site, and it’s beyond amazing—it’s frightening.

The White Serpent’s magicians spoke with a mix of admiration, amazement, and reverence. Given that these magicians, with their solid skills as silver-ranked guild mages, were so astonished, Lynne’s abilities must truly be remarkable.

In fact, if the monsters continued to be thwarted by the barrier, that would be ideal. It would only make things easier for Jain and the others. However,

“…It doesn’t seem like it’ll be that simple,” Eckstein muttered ominously, closing his eyes to survey the situation with his magic eyes of transcendent sight.

“What’s coming?” Jain asked.

“Proudia’s dragon underlings, like the ones the 【Hero】 showed us during the previous Uuga attack. One of them has pushed through the monster swarm and is clinging to the magical barrier.”

Jain could see it too now. A massive, creepy dragon with the face of a baby was clinging to Uuga’s barrier high above, wearing a disgusting smile. It slowly inserted both hands into the barrier.

『KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!』

The barrier crackled violently, repelling the intrusion. The underling’s hands were charred black. But it didn’t stop, instead spreading its arms wide with a squishy sound.

“Is it… opening a hole!?” someone exclaimed.

The magical barrier was forced open in an incredibly crude manner. Simultaneously, a great swarm of monsters rushed through the opening.

“Hey, isn’t that cheating!?” Rabin shouted angrily, pointing at the dragon underling. Jain agreed.

Magical barriers weren’t designed to be “parted” physically like that. It was like creating a valley by parting water with one’s hands. It was beyond unreasonable.

“But there’s only one underling! Their numbers seem to be limited!” Eckstein noted.

“Here they come!!” Jain warned.

Soon after, monsters began pouring down, rushing towards the command tower.

“【Magic Barrier!!】” the White Serpent’s magician squad and the Envy Knight Order’s magician squad shouted in unison, deploying barriers simultaneously. Although they had promised non-interference with each other, they had coordinated in advance regarding this barrier.

They knew a sophisticated and complex barrier covering the entire command tower was essential.

A multi-layered defensive barrier. In a way, this was copying the battle method used in Babel. However, naturally, there were many things they couldn’t replicate.

『『『AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA』』』

“Ugh…!?” The magicians cried out in the face of the overwhelming number of monsters. There were far too many. Even considering that their barrier was created through the cooperation of first-class magicians, it wasn’t enough to withstand such a massive number of monsters.

They didn’t have a large number of replacements like Babel did. It was impossible to perfectly replicate Babel’s fighting style. Therefore, adaptations were necessary.

“Don’t try to block everything!! It won’t hold!! Create openings in certain areas to guide them!” Jain shouted instructions.

The reason multiple magicians joined forces to create the barrier was not just to strengthen it, but to manipulate its structure. They reinforced areas that absolutely must not be breached while creating openings to funnel the monsters to where they could be dealt with.

Of course, monsters would pour through these openings. That’s where Jain and his team came in.

“It’s like a budget version of Babel! Let’s go!!”

Jain swung his axe down on the descending monsters, cleaving them.

                  ◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

The Envy Knight Order’s strike force, led by Eckstein, also began their battle.

They slashed and crushed the monsters. Though the barrier reduced their numbers, there were still a considerable amount. They had to dispatch them quickly, one by one, or risk being surrounded in no time. Eckstein rapidly issued orders.

“Everyone!! Don’t be overwhelmed by their numbers! Focus on handling what you can manage!!”

“Understood!!”

Eckstein was inwardly surprised by the enthusiasm in his subordinates’ responses.

Despite being forced to fight on the frontlines of this hellish situation to assess the entity known as Uuga, their motivation was higher than he expected. This was far from the strike force’s original role, but—

…Or was it because of that?

The knight order’s primary role was to maintain public order and defend the city-state.

It was clear that their organization, dubbed the “strike force,” deviated significantly from this role, given that they were far from Envy. In a sense, they were merely 【Heavenly Demon Greylei’s】 private army, or more precisely, vanguards to satisfy Envy’s ruling class who were privately using his authority.

Of course, this arguably benefited Envy in some ways, but that was sophistry. The motivation of those belonging to the strike force was generally not very high.

Eckstein knew of those who had quit the strike force and the knight order, shouting, “This isn’t what I joined the knight order for!”

For such individuals, despite being far from home, the chance to participate in a “battle to protect the world” seemed to be received much more positively than Eckstein had anticipated.

“Perhaps I should consult with Gloria about this later…” he mused.

The mental care of his subordinate knights was an issue to address later.

First, they had to survive this.

“【O Lightning!!】”

He cast a shortened spell. In this situation, he could hit something even without aiming, but he tried not to waste shots. It was endless, and his magical power wouldn’t last. Although they had prepared a large quantity of magic recovery potions for this occasion, the act of replenishing itself was a waste of time. Even swords could break if swung recklessly.

This was a long battle. Either way, efficient use was essential. But then he noticed something.

“However, the quality of the monsters isn’t that high, is it…?”

As expected of monsters sent from the sky dungeon, most had wings and were flying. That was troublesome, but their durability wasn’t particularly high.

The ones appearing were bird-type, but their attack methods were limited to close-range strikes with talons and beaks. If they didn’t panic, these weren’t much of a threat. Or so he thought.

“Even though we’re guiding them with the barrier, the enemy comes from above! Always be mindful of blind spots—”

But as Eckstein was giving these instructions, a monster appeared behind him. “It” had hidden in the shadows of countless monsters, darting freely through the air, and as if mocking the knights’ defensive formation, it “slipped through” the gaps and lunged at Eckstein.

『GYAA!?』

“——It’s small!!?”

Eckstein, who had restrained its fangs and struck it with his sword just before it reached his neck, thanks to his transcendent magic eyes’ view, was shocked. The monster he had cut down was small. About the size of a fist. It was an insect-type monster. Two thorn-like sharp fangs had been aiming for Eckstein’s throat.

“【Throat-Slitting Scarabs】 are mixed in with the monster swarm!! Be careful!!!”

Eckstein wiped away cold sweat as he shouted the identity of this new threat.

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【Throat-Slitting Scarab】 Seventh Rank

Known as the “assassins of the forest,” these monsters are notorious primarily for their small size.

Typically fist-sized, at most slightly smaller than a human head in length. Among monsters that often grow larger due to magical power, these are quite small.

However, their strength surpasses that of ordinary monsters. Weak attacks are deflected by their hard armor, and their high-speed flight makes them hard to hit. The strike from their fangs, delivered at this speed, can sever an unprotected neck. The name “Throat-Slitting” is quite apt.

If dealt with calmly, they don’t move too fast to track, and if a shield is placed in their path, they’ll self-destruct from the impact of their own speed. But in the chaos of battle, when they appear suddenly and attack from blind spots, they become an immediate threat.

In the 【Midnight Forest】 area of the 【Dungeon of Sin, Lust】 where these monsters mainly appear, they’re despised as more troublesome than their individual threat level suggests, as they hide in the shadows of various trees to ambush adventurers.

Yes, they’re monsters from the 【Dungeon of Sin, Lust】.

And now, they were attacking Proudia’s domain.

“Hii, hiiiii!!!” Griffin screamed.

Since the monsters appeared, Griffin and the others had been instructed to attack only the monsters in designated areas. They were to line up to avoid friendly fire and use their powers.

And they managed to do so. Whether it was the result of their training or not, they continued to unleash the power of their spirit blessings – hurling rock masses, high-temperature steam, restraining with hard threads, wind blades, and so on.

Griffin was no exception. He swatted down the monsters before him one after another with his enlarged arms. The feel of the monsters was unpleasant, but he managed somehow.

But when the terrifying insect monsters that appeared soon after pierced through his giant arm created by the blessing of expansion, Griffin panicked. Of course, it was just his enlarged body, and his real body was unharmed. But the sensation of his body being blown apart was indescribably terrifying.

“Calm down. Your real body will be blown away at this rate,” Kalkara warned.

“Ka, Kalkara! Please, spare me! I won’t sneak food anymore!!”

“What good does it do to beg me for forgiveness?”

Kalkara’s gaze was terribly cold towards the clinging Griffin. And calm, too. Above, a mass of monsters was surging, and the terrifying buzzing of the beetles hidden among them could be heard.

Even in a situation where seasoned warriors would be confused, Kalkara remained calm.

“Let me tell you, whether I forgive you or not, it won’t save you,” she stated.

“Let me into the tower!! Please!!”

“There’s no escape route, you know?”

Kalkara answered with a straight face. Huh?! Griffin looked at the central staircase of the command tower. But the entrance was blocked by a huge rock. It was so tightly sealed that there was no gap for a person to slip through.

“We sealed the entrance as soon as the monster attack began. If they manage to infiltrate the interior, Uuga is finished in that instant.”

“Are you insane?!”

“Of course I’m not sane, am I?”

“You, you, youuu!!!?”

As Griffin lost his words, Kalkara suddenly generated a stone sword and swung it horizontally. Several beetles were knocked down simultaneously. But one of their fangs scattered and cut Kalkara’s forehead.

“Eek!!”

Griffin screamed as blood gushed from Kalkara. But Kalkara, without even wiping the blood, looked down at Griffin clinging to her feet.

“I’m crazy. I have no interest in whether you live or die. The same goes for the other knight orders and adventurers. Frankly, we don’t have the luxury of protecting anyone but ourselves.”

“…!!!”

“That’s why there’s only you here.”

She declared strongly and clearly, as if seeing through Griffin’s frightened, shrinking eyes.

“There’s no one to protect you except yourself. There’s nowhere to run.”

“Uuuuuuuuaaaah”

“If you want to survive, stand up!!! You have that power, don’t you?!”

The intense buzzing sound approached from behind. The sound of the insect assassins’ approach. Griffin heard the sound coming straight at them from behind.

He hurriedly stood up. Facing the monster approaching right in front of him, he—

“Nuuuuuaaaaaah!!?”

『GYA!?』

—randomly thrust out his fist, enlarged by the 【Blessing of Expansion】, and swatted it down.

“Uwaaaa! Nuooo!! Hiii!!!”

After that, he returned to the front line where the “apprentice priests” were lined up, still screaming. He was desperate to save himself, his life.

“It was a choice between breaking down or rising to the occasion, but you had more guts than I expected, huh?”

“…Even Greed’s instructor was a bit more decent than this, you know?”

Jain, who had been observing the scene from behind, voiced his exasperation at Kalkara, who seemed satisfied with Griffin’s struggle.