High School Hack and Slash Chapter 99 Part 1
Ruruie
―― labyrinth of Perforation Realm 『YGGDRASILL』, attached branch realm 『Yomotsu Hirasaka』 ――
――The『eighteenth』 stratum, 『uncharted』 domain――
「Forward tentacles confirmed! Full helm~.」
「Hawawa.」
As Rinko, acting as commander, gave instructions, Ichiko, acting as helmsman, turned the rudder with all her might.
Jumping out of the surface of the sea while raising a spray of water was the tentacle of the realm gate guardian『Giant Soft-bodied Monster (Titan Kraken)』.
Many more tentacles, which were over two meters in diameter and sporting countless suckers, emerged from the sea.
「Full speed ahead, keep it steady!」
「Hawawawa.」
Speeding through the 18th stratum of the dungeon, 『Nine Mountains and Eight Seas (Marine Sphere)』, which was a nature field, was the『Whaling Ship Neo-Pequod』.
The ship, which was built during the raid quest『Demon of the Deep』, had been upgraded and evolved into a cruiser.
However, the characteristic paddle wheel mechanism was left as it was.
This was not only because of its romantic significance, but also because through the use of Moby Dick material for the paddles, they provided better propulsive power than those of the screw-propeller type.
The ship galloped through the surging sea, dodging multiple tentacles.
「Wha-ha-ha! Guillotine Cutter random pounding!」
Mai, striking an imposing pose on the bow deck, raised her brand new magic rod and shouted.
In addition to focusing and amplification of magical energy, it was equipped with a function that improved rapid-firing.
The circular saw-like blades, shooting out and swishing through the air, cut up the tentacles.
The wounds wound up soon regenerating, but it was enough to stop their movements.
「Alright! Looks like they’ve been caught. Let’s go, Seiichi-kun!」
「Aye aye sir. Rather, please make sure not to fall off again, okay.」
As the stern hatch of the Neo-Pequod was opened, a mobile machine that modeled after a water bike took off.
Both Seiichi, the pilot, and Otoha, straddling the rear seat, were still in their swimsuits.
Upon landing on the water, the water bike dashed through the sea using the compressed water-pressure organ (water jet organ) that served as the dynamic force.
「Awright! The first one!」
As she held the seat between her legs to maintain her posture, the harpoon, which she spun around and around with both hands, cut the tentacle.
「Senpai, senpai, let’s charge ahead, too!」
「Y, yes. H, here we go.」
「Anti-water organ (float organ), activate.」
Taking off from inside the hatch next was the spider-shaped multi-legged mobile tank, which was equipped with eight legs.
Boarding the double-seated cockpit were Chieri and Kakine, and riding on top of the tank was Saki, who was carrying a katana.
After landing on the surface of the sea, the multi-legged mobile tank ran across the surface of the sea with a gliding-like momentum.
The figure of the tank gliding along the surface of the sea was as free as a water strider.
It was such a high-performance machine that it appeared as if it was autonomously evading monster attacks.
Tentacles swooped down on the machine, which was not as fast as the ship or the water bike.
「This time for sure, I’m going to turn you into takoyaki!」
However, they were all cut down by Saki, who wielded a huge burning katana, 『Gaen Hanabi』.
This was the third time they had challenged the realm gate guardian, 『Giant Soft-bodied Monster (Titan Kraken)』.
The reason why they failed to bring it down twice was partly due to the boss’s super regeneration ability, but above all, it was because it would end up escaping to the bottom of the sea after receiving a certain amount of damage.
The boss class guardian, which fed on the miasma leaking from the realm gate, basically never left its dwelling place.
The place to which the giant soft-bodied monster (Titan Kraken) escaped was the stone circle in the center of the submarine island.
It was the realm gate to the 19th stratum, 『Mount Purgatory』.
「Confirming the octopus ink ejection. It has entered escape mode guys.」
A huge maelstrom was beginning to form on the blackened surface of the sea.
「Now then, I’m firing the signal for withdrawal.」
At the words of Mikan, who was looking through binoculars, Shizuka nodded and fired a smoke bomb.
On the blue sky canvas where a red smoke was rising, pinpoint cumulonimbus clouds were forming.
The water bike, followed by the multi-legged mobile tank, jumped into the stern hatch, which had been left open.
「All set, I suppose? Well then, full speed withdrawal!」
「Hawawa, booster jet ignition!」
*Clang clang* As she set the output lever to the max, Ichiko turned on the booster engine on top of that.
It was the switch for the compressed water pressure organ (water jet organ), which was also installed in the water bike.
As the bow rose out of the water, the acceleration commenced, to the point that the crews were sent flying backward.
The Neo-Pequod, roaring noisily and leaving a trail of white jet propulsions, broke away to a safe distance while running over the Sea Serpents, migrating wandering monsters.
From the cumulonimbus clouds in the sky, a roar that shook the atmosphere echoed.
「Plasma discharge phenomenon confirmed! All hands, anti-shock and anti-flash defenses!」
Rinko gave the order in high spirits, but the person in question and the other party members had all climbed up onto the bridge to watch the scene behind them.
The black maelstrom that was concaving the surface of the sea was making the ocean current rumble and swirl about.
For the『Giant Soft-bodied Monster (Titan Kraken)』 that was submerging at the center of the maelstrom, it was a wide-range attack that would drag its enemies on the surface of the sea to the bottom of the sea while at the same time allowing it to escape into its field of expertise, the undersea.
Right above the predator, which was baring its many fangs at the bottom of the vortex, a small falling object dropped from the top of the cumulonimbus cloud.
The thunderstorms bursting about inside the black clouds converged on a single point, and a pillar of light that seemed to swallow the falling object pierced into the sea.
The lightning that turned the surroundings white and the sound of explosion that roared through the eardrums resounded simultaneously.
The continuous pillar of light evaporated the seawater and continued on until the dispersing cumulonimbus clouds disappeared, as if melting away.
「… Can’t we just let that guy handle everything by himself?」
「… It’s a map weapon, duh」
Seiichi and Mai, lined up on the bridge, muttered as they gazed at the steamy and boiling surface of the sea with distant eyes.
「Well, just as Mai-chan said, I suppose Touma-kun has the means of a high-powered wide range attack. But it’s simply too rough, isn’t it? Like, you don’t use a chainsaw to sharpen a pencil.」
「That’s given, right~. You don’t need a nuclear bomb to defeat a single orc, after all.」
Otoha nodded to Rinko who laughed bitterly.
It was no longer at the level of a cheat or a superpower, but more like a simple natural disaster.
And speaking of whether it could be used for normal dungeon conquest or not, it was obvious that it would turn into a friendly fire festival.
「I believe it’s something like an anti-bosses firepower battery.」
「Danna-sama, so awesome!」
「If it left behind at least one leg.」
「Takoyaki festival, it is.」
「Now then, let’s regroup. Ichigo-chan.」
「Yes. Heading out to retrieve it.」
Led by Ichiko, who was turning the steering wheel around, the Neo-Pequod turned around in the sea where electrocuted monsters were puffing and floating around.
◇ ◇ ◇
The case of me submerging and nearly drowning.
The original plan was to get onto the electrocuted realm gate guardian『Giant Soft-bodied Monster (Titan Kraken)』 and finish it off.
To think it would end up getting vaporized to dust at the first check, talk about spineless boss.
It had a huge volume, but it seemed to be flimsy overall.
After all, it was an invertebrate.
Ending up plopping into the sea as I was, I went straight to the bottom of the sea due to the weight of the stressor armor.
To be honest, I think『Ether Sea』 and『Nine Mountains and Eight Seas (Marine Sphere)』 were stratums with bad compatibility with me.
Fortunately, due to the realm gate guardian getting crushed, the realm gate, which had been submerged at the bottom of the sea, came up to the surface, so I was able to avoid death by drowning.
The megalithic structure, which was covered with seaweed, a kind of null mob, was just like a sea temple.
There were some stone monuments engraved with what looked like profound ancient writings, but everyone went through the gate without paying attention to them.
Looks like it’s going to be a stratum that we will never visit except for the purpose of swimming in the sea.
After passing through the troublesome stratum, we finally embarked on our conquest on the 19th stratum.
「The 19th stratum was『Mount Purgatory』, wasn’t it? What are the characteristics of this field, I wonder?」
Shizuka, dressed in a yukata, has a slight cherry blossom color on her cheeks.
What’s poured on the small cup in her hand is rice juice.
We also just went out of the bath, so the slightly chilled juice is very tasty.
「Based on the materials, it’s something along a mountain field, I suppose. As long as we don’t let our guard down, I think we probably won’t have any problems.」
Rinko-senpai, similarly wearing a yukata, pours my glass with a sake bottle.
Well, it’s simply that all club members are having a party in yukata, but….
The appreciation party for breaking through the 18th stratum is held on the second floor of the second open air bath rest area.
RELEASE RATE
High School Hack and Slash
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 70 hours
Tftc