“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
“!”
Many of the adventurers couldn’t get the screams out of their throats in the face of such overwhelming numbers.
They could see only flowers, flowers, flowers no matter where they looked—forward, left and right, backward. Even the space overhead was blocked out by yellowish green bodies. Cacophonous howls bearing down on them, the adventurers took off at full speed to avoid getting swallowed up by the wave. The viskum had sacrificed itself to completely inundate the cavern with monsters.
The swarm was so intimidating that even the strongest second-tier adventurers were on the brink of losing their will to fight.
There were hundreds, possibly thousands of them. Normal monster parties paled in comparison.
This was much, much worse.
“Keh…!”
The masked man made it into one of the cave entrances and left the hellscape behind.
Asfi saw him easily escape with her own eyes.
“No, no, no! This is frickin’ impossible!”
“Stay close or you’ll get crushed!”
Lulune wailed as she ran around in a panic, trying desperately to evade the massive walls of green bodies and seemingly infinite whips. The war tiger Falgar forced words out of his mouth in an attempt to reach her, but the monster howls swallowed his shout.
The violas attacked everything in their path. Upon seeing an adventurer, they either attempted a slithering body slam or unleashed a rain of whips. However, the monsters were also attacking one another. Amid the chaos, the last living members of the robed faction were devoured on the spot. “GAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!” came one dying scream through the carnage as the remaining Evils’ Remnants vanished from the cavern. Even the remains of the man in the off-color robe disappeared down a monster’s throat.
Violas followed their scattering prey. Several isolated battles commenced. Bete spun through the air, slaying monster after monster with powerful kicks. Other frontline fighters wielded large weapons, slicing monsters in half with each swing. No matter how many of the monsters died to their blades, more kept coming. The adventurers could not make a dent in their numbers.
The battle became an all-out brawl.
“Violas!”
“!”
Meanwhile, Aiz was trapped in Levis’s monster-pincer attack.
No sooner had she blocked her opponent’s crimson sword than the violas at her command thrust their vine-whips at her like spears. Surrounded by a ring of endless enemies, she had nowhere to escape to. Levis used her limitless supply of disposable pawns as distractions to launch her own hit-and-run attacks. Even with the added strength of Airiel, Aiz was losing ground.
Neither Aiz’s nor Lefiya’s group of adventurers could come to each other’s aid. They had their hands full just staying alive.
“—!!”
“Wha—?!”
Levis made her move after Aiz’s wind had felled twenty, thirty, forty or more of the violas and blown them into the air.
She positioned herself behind one of their massive frames before cutting it out of her way. Caught off guard, Aiz wasn’t able to react to the ambush in time as Levis appeared from among the pieces of the monster’s body. She lost her grip on Desperate on impact, and it was knocked from her grasp.
—Oh no!
Aiz’s weapon spun through the air in diminishing flashes of silver. Intense heat ran through her veins.
The knight was disarmed, a swordswoman without a sword. Aiz’s capability in battle decreased dramatically without Desperate in her grasp.
Levis wasn’t going to let this opportunity go to waste and charged in.
“You won’t escape!”
“~~~~~~~~~!”
Aiz did everything in her power to knock Levis away, but the monsters barred her path to Desperate.
That one-step delay was enough for the red-haired woman to close the distance and put Aiz on the defensive once again.
Forced into hand-to-hand combat, not her strong suit, the blond girl was in dire straits.
Just like the adventurers around her screaming at the top of their lungs, Aiz had her back against the ropes.
The monsters were becoming more aggressive.
Lefiya and the other adventurers managed to regroup in the cavern’s center and desperately held the violas at bay.
Their only saving grace was that these monsters had been born prematurely, making them physically weaker than normal.
Even so, that didn’t change the fact they were fighting for their lives. They were trapped in a nightmare, surrounded by fanged, vibrant blossoms. There were so many of the beasts that all exits were hidden from view.
It seemed like after every monster shriek, one of the adventurers fell to the ground.
“Ahh! Oh no…!”
Lefiya and the other magic users were trapped in the middle of the chaos, unable to harness any of their power.
Trying to cast magic in the middle of the swarm was the same as suicide. None of their allies was willing to form a protective Wall. They all had their hands full as it was, leaving Lefiya powerless to assist and cursing her uselessness.
The war tiger Falgar, caked in his own blood, howled. Elf fighters blocked oncoming attacks with their swords, barely able to repel them. A dwarf had lost his weapons in combat and instead slammed his broken fists into one monster after another. Asfi and Lulune engaged the violas with a flurry of slashes as Bete kept his feet moving, piles of monster corpses around him. Hearing their yells—no, screams tormented Lefiya as she watched their battles from a distance.
—Why can’t I…
Why can’t I fight side by side with these brave people?
Why can’t I pick up a sword and slay monsters, pick up a shield and protect my allies?
I just run away, get saved, watch helplessly.
My chants only hold them back.
I’m useless.
The magic staff she clutched to her chest had never felt so heavy.
If only I could be like Lady Riveria or more like Miss Filvis…!
Visions of the overwhelmingly powerful high elf came to the forefront of her mind as she caught sight of the elegant young elf woman fighting valiantly.
Just like the blond swordswoman she idolized, the master elf was still far beyond her, and the beautiful magic swordswoman was still out of reach.
If only she were capable of fighting like the elf Filvis.
If only she were armed with sword and song, she could be slaying monsters that very moment.
Lefiya glimpsed Filvis taking down yet another beast. In that moment, Bete’s words flared up in her mind.
—“You’ll never be anything more than baggage.”
She no longer felt any pain from those words, just a deep-seated sense of powerlessness.
“Aiz…!”
While Lefiya wallowed in despair, Bete caught a glimpse of the other battle.
He snarled at the sight of the blond swordswoman with golden irises fighting alone against Levis and a swarm of monsters.
Bete had lost track of how many of the premature, weaker monsters he had slain and quickly scanned the battlefield—and spied the young elf.
“Oi!”
“Eh…?”
He didn’t bother announcing himself until he was right next to Lefiya.
“I’m going to help Aiz. You figure out a way to take care of this!”
Lefiya’s shoulders jumped as the werewolf grabbed her collar.
“B-b-but I am just—”
“A bottom-feeder, I know! But I also know how ridiculously powerful your magic is!”
Bete interrupted her with a rage-filled lecture.
“All bottom-feeders say they want to be strong but run away from it! Is that all you’re ever gonna do? Prove me wrong! Make all of us regret doubting you!”
Bete’s amber eyes glared deep into Lefiya’s dark-blue irises.
“Don’t admire the old hag, surpass her!”<
br />
—Surpass Riveria Ljos Alf.
Bete said it, loud and clear.
That absurd goal that no one else ever said. Even Aiz, Tiona, and Tione had never uttered those words.
They weren’t the words of the abrasive, never-satisfied-with-his-current-strength werewolf, but they were Bete’s true thoughts.
—Are you satisfied with how you are?
The question came right from his heart.
Bete, always irritated by the mere sight of weak adventurers, gazed at her with passion and roared with the power that lit a spark within Lefiya. That spark grew into flames that spread throughout her body.
Burning emotion filled her heart. It was a new pain, the pain of wanting to do exactly what the man in front of her was asking but not knowing if she could. It made her very soul shake.
As Lefiya unknowingly clenched her fists, the werewolf leaped into the fray.
He said nothing, provided no encouragement or smile as he turned and dashed away.
Lefiya watched his retreating form for a moment—the powerful back of a man worthy of fighting at her idol’s side.
That image of his back burned into her memory. She frowned a moment later, her shapely eyebrows bristling.
The young elf came to a decision amid the howls and screams of man and beast.
“—Please protect me!!”
Lefiya’s voice was powerful enough to cut through the chaos.
She held the one weapon allotted to her high above her head, signaling to her allies that she was preparing to cast magic.
The other adventurers’ eyes went wide upon seeing her take that stance.
“P-protect you? And do what? A half-assed spell isn’t going to do jack shit…!”
“Believe in me!!”
Visibly shaken by Lefiya’s request, Lulune squealed between slashes.
Lefiya knew that she had to dispel thoughts of herself as a weak, cowardly magic user right here and now.
“I am a magic user! Protect me and I’ll save us all!!”
She put the raw energy she had received from Bete, the flames burning in her chest, and the desire to reach a higher level into her voice. It was all an attempt to take a step closer to Riveria, a strong magic user anyone would want to have behind them.
That majestic tone and strong stance were enough to sway both Asfi and Filvis.
“All units, gather around Thousand Elf! I trust her!”
“……!”
Filvis led the group of adventurers entrusting their fate to the young elf into a group in front of her, to hold back the swarming monsters.
Lefiya began to gather Mind energy and issued one more plea.
“Surround me! Please hold for five—no, three minutes!”
She did her best impression of Riveria. The adventurers followed her command.
The violas’ infighting came to an abrupt end as all of them zeroed in on the elf in the middle of the ring of adventurers. Lefiya lifted her gaze and started to cast.
A three-minute countdown that would determine their fate had begun.
“I beseech the name of Wishe!”
A golden circle grew under her feet, illuminating all the adventurers in magic light.
Blocking out the violas drawn to her like moths to a flame, Lefiya focused solely on her spell.
“Ancestors of the forest, proud brethren. Answer my call and descend upon the plains.”
Sing. Sing. Sing.
No unnecessary breaths, every syllable loud and clear, there was no doubt in her mind that Riveria could do this in less than a minute.
That wasn’t something she could do as she was now—only sing.
A song of hope to save her friends—a song of victory.
“Connecting bonds, the pledge of paradise. Turn the wheel and dance.”
She selected her Summon Burst.
The magic she was calling forth would duplicate Riveria Ljos Alf’s in a spell capable of destroying everything in sight.
Using the power of this incredible magic, she could wipe out every single monster at once.
“Come, ring of fairies.”
The adventurers in formation around her blocked one attack after another as the monsters broke into a frenzy.
The shield-wielding war tiger and dwarves refused to back down despite their injuries, ignoring the searing pain of their bleeding shoulders.
Elves equipped with twin blades and animal people sacrificed their bodies to hold back the surge of monsters. Lulune and Asfi were a blur behind them, knocking away the countless whips that came in over the heads of everyone manning the Wall.
Filvis and Hermes Familia faced the omnidirectional assault head-on.
“Please—give me strength.”
Lefiya’s eyes shone with faith in her allies, allowing her to eliminate all distractions from her mind. She increased the tempo of her song—and triggered the spell by calling its name.
“Elf Ring.”
Her golden magic circle suddenly turned emerald green.
Lefiya then began to cast the summoned magic. New hope surged through Asfi and her allies, more determined than ever to buy Lefiya enough time. That is, until they saw something that made their faces go pale.
“Big ones! And a shit-ton of them!”
The newcomers must have been wandering about the green hallways of the transformed labyrinth. This new flood of enemies surged in from the many cavern entrances.
Lulune’s scream sounded above the battle as more of the massive creatures encroached every time they slew their immature counterparts.
“Viridis—!”
Lefiya’s spell was far from complete. Filvis peered over her shoulder at her kin and saw the young elf continuing to chant—determination once again burned in her eyes.
“Out of my way!”
“S-sure!”
Pushing her way past, Filvis charged directly into the path of the oncoming monsters.
Lefiya’s gorgeous refrain sounded behind her as she opened her lips.
“Shield me, cleansing chalice!”
A short-trigger spell.
Asfi and Lulune watched in amazement as a second spell manifested.
Filvis thrust her left hand straight forward at the incoming tidal wave of violas.
“Dio Grail!!”
A pulsing white sphere appeared.
The first wave of monsters slammed into it. The field held against their whips and body slams.
Each impact sent sparks of magical energy flying into the air. Asfi’s and the other adventurers’ shadows danced, Filvis in the center of it all.
As the sphere of white light illuminated one part of the cavern, Aiz’s wind was being overwhelmed.
Violas hindered the girl’s path forward, and Levis relentlessly slashed with her crimson greatsword.
Dodging it by a hair, Aiz used her momentum to spin and land a devastating kick.
“That’s nothing compared to that sword of yours.”
“!”
Every ounce of wind Aiz could muster went into that kick, but the impact landed on the hilt of the crimson greatsword. Completely unscathed, the red-haired woman regarded her with cold confidence as she launched a counterattack of her own.
All the unarmed knight could do was evade. Airiel alone was not enough to contend with an opponent like Levis, especially when the heavy greatsword was fast enough to leave crimson afterimages.
If only I had a sword…!
Desperate had landed in a corner of the chamber not too far away, piercing the soft floor. Every time she caught a glimpse of the silver blade, Levis moved in to block her path. Aiz frowned in the face of this enemy who would not let her retrieve her weapon.
The two had been engaged in combat for quite a while at this point. Aiz’s physical strength was waning, and the constant use of magic ate away at her mind and body. On the other hand, her opponent possessed seemingly limitless endurance, worthy of the title “monster.”
“Let’s finish this already
!”
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Aiz’s neck as Levis rode the front of a charging viola with the crimson greatsword held high.
A searing-hot pain shot through her chest as the blow connected. At that moment…
“—A blaze shall soon descend.”
The elf girl’s song reached Aiz’s ears through the monsters’ howls.
“!”
—Lefiya!
The spell powerfully resonated as if Riveria herself were casting it in her beautiful voice. Aiz momentarily gawked at the elf’s song.
At the same time—a flash of gray fur entered the fray.
“Get lost!”
Bete had arrived.
Forcing his way through the walls of monsters, he finally caught up to the furious battle with a series of vicious attacks. Aiz and Levis watched in surprise as the werewolf made a beeline to the girl’s side.
“Hand it over, Aiz!”
“!”
That was all Aiz needed to hear to understand.
“Wind!”
A wind current glided from her outstretched hand and into Bete’s metal boots as he passed by.
The yellow jewels built into the metallic greaves flashed as powerful vortices enveloped both his feet.
“Approaching flames of war from which there is no escape. Battle horns blaring on high, all atrocities and strife shall be engulfed.”
Aiz immediately made her escape from the battle after giving Bete the power of wind. Lefiya’s song in her ears, she made a break for the silver saber protruding from the floor in a corner of the cavern.
Bete took her place in battle, blocking the red-haired woman’s path.
“You!”
“Damn it, woman, stay down!”
Levis saw what Aiz was trying to do and gave chase. However, Bete wouldn’t let her.
The clash of the woman’s greatsword against Airiel-empowered boots reverberated through the open arena.
“Come crimson pyre, merciless inferno. Become hellfire.”
Bete rode the air currents to deliver a meteor shower of powerful kicks.
The werewolf devoted everything he had to allowing Aiz time to retrieve her sword. He had to keep their opponent in place for as long as possible.
Levis snarled in frustration. Sending the violas in the area to bar Aiz’s path, she confronted him with every intention of killing the man in her way.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria, Vol. 3 Page 20
