Now that we’ve decided to take Kasumi higher, there’s no need to hold back.
“Will someone lend her an old necklace?”
“I will lend you mine, since I also fall in the little sister category.”
Says Ayane while bringing out an old version of the necklace.
“This…?”
“It’s the first necklace darling gave to me. Everyone has one.”
“I can’t take something this important!”
“It’s all right, I’m only lending it. And you need it if you are going to new heights with us.”
“What do you mean…?”
Kasumi seems confused, but Aki and Maki also convince her to reluctantly put on the necklace. I’m not sure it will have an effect, but I think it will be all right.
“I equipped it. Is this fine?”
“Yes. Are you ready?”
“All the items have been collected.”
I face the Big Killer Hive again, and see the first slash has been healed completely, most likely due to its skill. And it fell silent after bringing out the first group of guards.
I figured it would call reinforcements in the time we’re talking, but apparently not. I want to roll the gacha at this point, but I can’t be that lax in front of a hive. Let’s just get through it.
“Hmph!”
Clink!
I swing my sword again without activating skills. It feels better than the first time, but it still doesn’t show any signs of breaking. As for reinforcements…
“…They’re not coming.”
“Does it only call them once?”
“I figured it wouldn’t end like that because it has Familiar Summon III, but…”
“Maybe more will come if you damage it more.”
“Maybe. But if I use full boost, it will take time to use again. I want to preserve it for an intense battle… Enki, pile bunker.”
‘Gogo!’
Enki stands in front of the Big Killer Hive, turns both legs into spikes, and connects them to the ground. It turns its arms towards its target in this pose, and fires iron stakes.
Boom!!
This attack easily pierces the armor of the Big Killer Hive, opening a big hole in the middle. Honey starts leaking, filling this area with a sweet aroma.
It must be over fifty percent destroyed, but it’s still maintaining its form, not turning into smoke. In fact, it’s slowly repairing itself.
‘Vuvuvu!!’
‘Vuvuvuvu!!’
“Are they finally here?”
Apparently destroying half of it had an effect. These reinforcements are close to three times as many as before. There are six Red Killer Bees, and twelve Killer Bees. And many maroon bees.
Dealing with this many will be hard, but if we take too long, the hive will regenerate. We have to keep destroying it.
“Enki, focus on destroying the hive. Enril, look after Enki.”
‘Gogo!’
‘Popo!’
“Aira and I will focus on the red ones. Everyone else, do what you think is best.”
“““““Yes!”””””
And so, we’re fighting yet another big swarm of bees.
“Kuh!”
“Uuh!?”
It’s been a while since we had a tough fight like this.
Especially Aira and I, who are fighting multiple rare monsters in the outer circumference and are targeted by an endless number of stingers. The bees are really ferocious, and even Aira is hit. Suffice to say, if someone as seasoned as her is hit, I’m hit even more.
We both have Adamantine Armor III, but this is a skill that’s good against strong attacks, and weak against rapid fire. It’s really not good against the Red Killer Bee’s stinger machine gun. Once a poison stinger attack gets through Adamantine Armor III, I keep getting hit more, and I have stingers all over me before I know it.
Pain rushes through my body, but it’s probably not just physical, I’m sure it’s also internal pain due to the poison. I got hit too much, to the point where I can’t tell where the pain is.
Ayane and Maki are using healing and detox magic here and there, but it does little considering I keep getting hit. And I don’t have the time to remove them in this heated battle, I have to focus on taking them down.
“Uooora!”
‘Vuvu!?’
【Level up】
【Leveled up from hundred and sixty to hundred and sixty-one】
I manage to take down two Red Killer Bees in the chaos. Aira gets one, but that’s still just half. There are still normal rares too, and this endless pain is eating away at my body. How long will this hell go on for?
And then, all the bees in front of me suddenly disappear.
“…Eh?”
It’s like I’m seeing an hallucination due to the poison, and I see a notification I’ve seen before.
【Received Killer Hive trophy】
I turn to look, and see the Big Killer Hive in front of Enki has been hit to the point where it can’t retain its original shape, and it slowly turns to smoke. And the swarm that came to guard it turns to smoke along with it.
“Is it over?”
“…Ahh. It seems so.”
Aira says as she removes stingers from her body. She looks pretty spent too. Is this the third time I’ve seen a low energy Aira? The first time was in the high rank dungeon, and the second time was the first time we faced a Lamia.
“Shouta!”
“Darling!”
“Are you all right? Ouch.”
Now Aira is casually removing stingers from me.
There’s no hesitation, or mercy.
“Bear with it, master.”
“Ouch. Can you be a bit gentler… Ouch!”
“It is done. Now receive Healing Magic please.”
“Yes, but you first.”
Maki and Ayane are worried, and since Aira took more damage relative to her stats, I have them heal Aira first. I feel like I still have poison in me, but I can take it. After all, I feel like the status condition course I took in the association was worse.
But this was a lapse of judgment on my part.
I prioritized the rare monsters like always, but everything disappeared when the hive was destroyed. Also, there were multiple rare monsters agile enough to evade Ayane’s magic, and that dangerous situation was unexpected.
Thankfully, none of their attacks dealt fatal damage, but this would’ve been dangerous without Aira and I, so I need countermeasures against that.
It was dangerous, but… Yes.
“There’s a lot to reflect on, but it’s a good experience.”
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