novelraw Chapter 72 : Chapter 72
Chapter 72 : Chapter 72
Chapter 72
Leviathan, the giant fiend that swims above the clouds.
Its name might make it sound like the most dangerous creature in the world, but in reality, it was a docile fiend that paid little mind to what happened on its back.
What was noteworthy was that Leviathan harbored an enormous amount of mana within its body, befitting its colossal size.
The amount of mana increased as Leviathan grew, which also adversely affected its heart.
Because of this, it constantly emitted a faint level of mana into its surroundings. When that emitted mana mixed with the plants or small creatures living on Leviathan’s outer shell, they became the fiends we had been hunting until now.
Some players of D&K even referred to the fiends living on Leviathan's back as parasites.
And once, periodically.
Leviathan would spew out a massive amount of mana, and that would become the Lava Fiend, Galakal.
“Leviathan doesn’t have sharp teeth or claws. The massive amount of mana it possesses is used to keep its enormous body afloat in the sky, so it doesn’t have any special attack skills either… There is just one offensive tool it has, and that’s poison.”
“So that’s why we need the antidote… Huh? Wait a minute.”
Byan, who seemed to be understanding, suddenly realized something and frowned.
“Field Commander, the target we have to fight is the Lava Fiend, not Leviathan. So why do we need to carry antidotes?”
“First, Leviathan’s outer shell… that is, the ground of Tet Island. Just touching it with your bare skin will get you infected with Leviathan’s poison. You have to take an antidote immediately. If you don’t have poison resistance, you’ll probably die within a minute.”
“Right… we could crash to the ground while fighting Galakal, so I guess the antidote is essential… What about the gas masks?”
It was a rather sharp question.
Indeed.
Since Leviathan's poison was only transmitted through contact, it was natural to wonder why a gas mask, which was related to breathing, was necessary, unlike an antidote.
Still, it seemed that becoming a field commander had given him a sense of responsibility, and Byan’s thinking had deepened a little.
“Before that, there’s something else you need to know… The large amount of mana that Leviathan periodically releases also creates wounds on its outer shell. The blood that flows out then mixes with the mana, and the fiend born from that is Galakal. And Leviathan’s poisonous substances are most concentrated in its skin and blood.”
When the great island floating above the clouds was first discovered.
Who would have thought that island was a giant living creature?
The name of the first discoverer was Frey Vulcan.
He named the four islands after himself, calling them the Frey Archipelago, and immediately began a full-scale exploration of the islands with the help of the royal family.
The exploration was accompanied by countless sacrifices.
A deadly poison that claimed lives upon contact flowed through the island’s earth, and numerous dangerous fiends inhabited it.
Among them, the strongest fiend was Galakal.
The monster, formed from a mass of crimson liquid, radiated heat in all directions. Every time it walked, the red liquid stained the ground, and a foul-smelling smoke rose from it.
Frey judged it to be lava.
That was how Galakal came to have the nickname “Lava Fiend.”
However, as investigation and research progressed, new truths updated all the old, incorrect information: that the Frey Archipelago was not a group of islands but a giant fiend named Leviathan; that what flowed on Leviathan’s outer shell was not lava but blood; and that Galakal was a fiend created from a mass of that blood.
But the name, already established as common knowledge, did not change.
That is why, to this day, Galakal is still called the Lava Fiend, not the Blood Fiend.
“Since it’s made of blood, it does radiate a certain amount of heat, but it’s not unbearable, so it won’t be a problem. The issue is the poison mixed in Leviathan’s blood. Leviathan’s blood slowly hardens when exposed to air, and at that time, the poison contained within the blood mixes with the atmosphere and spreads in all directions.”
Because of this phenomenon, Galakal was always accompanied by a thick smoke, and that smoke contained a potent poison.
If you inhaled that poisonous smoke without any protection, even the healthiest person would not last ten seconds.
Therefore, when engaging in combat near Galakal, one must always be mindful of their gas mask.
A minor mistake could cause the mask to come off, or an enemy attack could destroy it, leaving one exposed to the poison and causing their heart to stop.
“The enemy we have to face isn’t just the Lava Fiend Galakal. Just like us, the Purity will also mobilize their army to obtain the mana source that can be acquired by subjugating Galakal. We’ll have to fight Purity soldiers while also fighting Galakal, so it will not be an easy battle.”
“…In that case, we could kill an enemy just by removing their gas mask, without necessarily having to plunge a sword into their heart.”
This time, too, Byan hit the nail on the head.
I nodded, and Byan’s expression brightened considerably.
Looking into his eyes, I could guess what he was thinking.
Byan’s goal was to steadily accumulate achievements and gain fame to rise to a higher position.
And the easiest way for a low-ranking soldier to accumulate achievements was to subjugate a named Purity figure who could influence the battlefield.
Perhaps because the person Byan had learned from at closest range happened to be me, there was a possibility he couldn't think of any other way.
“That’s right. If you can just remove their gas mask, it’s possible to easily deal with someone even stronger than you.”
“Then…!”
“And conversely, you could also be taken down by someone weaker than you.”
“……”
The joy that had overcome Byan slowly subsided, a change conveyed through his expression.
My single remark had made him realize.
That he was not the only one holding the hilt of the sword.
That the enemy also possessed a sharp blade capable of taking him out in one blow.
“So always be careful. Don’t let your guard down. Especially you, Byan. Don’t get carried away and charge in just because you see a chance to shoot down a named enemy. If you slip up, you might get a two-rank promotion, but that’s not what you want, is it?”
“…No.”
Money, honor, power.
They were important, of course.
But none of them could be more valuable than life itself.
So I had no intention of being overly greedy.
My only hope, as always, was to be able to utter the line, “I survived another day,” after this battle was over.
* * *
From a distance, Tet Island was extremely serene.
A lake in the center of a wide field sparkled, reflecting the sunlight, with a small river flowing along the outskirts and lush vegetation.
And a few small mountains.
However, upon getting closer, one would be reminded that the Frey Archipelago was not a simple group of islands but a giant fiend.
Potent poison and numerous fiends.
It was a perilous place where a moment of carelessness could cost you your life.
But no one could deny that, at least from a distance, its appearance was reminiscent of a beautiful tourist destination.
However, today’s Tet Island was neither serene nor particularly beautiful.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE.
Tet Island vibrated violently.
It was not an earthquake, of course, but Leviathan trembling.
And a moment later.
CRACK.
The ground of Tet Island split open, and red lava began to ooze out from the cracks. Soon, lava started erupting from a small mountain.
“…Sir. In human terms, that’s like a pimple popping, right?”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Ugh… I hate this so much.”
Latia squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away.
Simultaneously, the roar of a fiend echoed from one of the several mountains.
Graaaaah—!
At the roar echoing from afar, Selina clicked her tongue in displeasure.
“What bad luck.”
Just as she said.
It was an unlucky situation.
There were a total of three mountains on Tet Island. One was near the Purity camp, and the other two were close to the Alliance camp.
The Lava Fiend was born randomly from one of these three mountains, and although the Alliance had a statistical advantage, the Purity had gained the geographical upper hand.
Since the Purity was closer, they inevitably had an advantage in terms of supplying energy packs and other things.
But what could be done?
War was not something you could postpone just because you were at a disadvantage.
I was just about to activate my Fairy Wings for deployment.
[This is a message for all commanders on standby for deployment.]
Marquis Saeb’s voice came from Selina’s rank insignia.
His voice still sounded as unmotivated as ever, but for some reason, it also contained a sense of urgency.
[The reason is unknown, but the amount of mana currently being emitted by Leviathan is significantly weaker than usual. Ederka is doing its best to determine the cause, but it seems we will need more time. I would appreciate it if the commanders and the Alliance soldiers deploying to the field would exercise extreme caution.]
“……”
The two phrases I had deciphered through the ring Reysia had given me naturally came to mind.
「Frey Archipelago. Roka.」
To be precise, one of the four Leviathans that swam above the clouds, with the individual name Roka.
Her appearance had been the height of inefficiency.
She had used large-scale teleportation magic to bring Odin’s entire fleet to Stage 1, wasting a massive amount of supplies and time, and all she had given me was a ring enchanted with an encryption spell.
Naturally, she wouldn’t have told me to go to Roka for no reason.
Odin was plotting something at Frey's Roka.
I didn’t know what it was, but it must have something to do with the decrease in Leviathan Tet’s mana.
“…Let’s deploy. The other units are already moving.”
At Selina’s words, I looked up and saw soldiers wearing Fairy Wings moving toward Tet from the airships lined up nearby.
We, too, soared into the sky.
Not just Unit 917, but soldiers from other units flew alongside us.
A rough estimate put their number in the hundreds.
A large-scale battle was about to break out.
Not a battle decided by the performance of airships, like at Achimlab Fortress, but one where victory and defeat would be determined by the abilities of the soldiers.
Kyaaaaah!
The fiend’s scream grew closer.
And then.
BOOOOOM!
An explosion erupted with a deafening roar.
“…They’re already putting on quite a show.”
They couldn't possibly have thought they could defeat the Lava Fiend before the Alliance intervened.
Perhaps the Purity commander, filled with confidence because of the presence of Odin and Rodos' heroes, had given the order to attack.
Of course, this wasn't bad for the Alliance.
The Purity soldiers being drained of stamina from fighting Galakal meant the tide of battle would flow in the Alliance’s favor.
“Target in sight!”
Someone shouted.
It was hard to identify due to the rough wind, but it was probably Byan’s voice.
Just as he said.
Far in the distance, Galakal was visible.
At the peak of the mountain.
The fiend roared with its head sticking out of the lava-flowing crater, swinging its two arms.
Each time Galakal, whose size was incomparable to the foes we had faced so far, swung its arms, red liquid splattered in all directions.
Galakal’s body was composed of Leviathan’s blood.
A liquid with a potent poison.
Numerous soldiers were already flying around Galakal, scattering in a panic every time the red liquid flew toward them, only to awkwardly regroup again.
The uniforms they wore were white, the opposite of our Alliance’s.
All of them were Purity heroes.
Among those Purity heroes, one man stood out.
The man brandished a long spear imbued with a blue aura.
Each time he did, Galakal’s head staggered violently.
I knew that man’s name.
“Hobelerus…”