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Chapter 38 – part 12

Lilith, with an obviously furrowed brow and an irritated tone, asked,

「…12 seconds? 15 seconds? Which one?」

「15 seconds.」

Came the response.

Satisfied, Lilith nodded and replied,

「…Alright.」

Cordelia, glaring at the approaching Ogre Emperor while getting closer to Lilith, asked,

「So, what’s the plan?」

「Hey, Cordelia?」

「What?」

「What do you think the Ogre Emperor’s strength is?」

Cordelia thought for a moment and said,

「Regeneration ability?」

「That’s right. It’s a troublesome ability that even Koharu’s Railgun, with its overwhelming destructive power, can’t overcome.」

As Cordelia gazed at the massive Ogre Emperor and sweated, she continued,

「On top of that immense size and power… there is his regeneration ability. How are we supposed to deal with that?」

「The solution is quite simple.」

Lilith smirked.

「What do you mean?」

「If his regeneration is impressive, we just need to destroy him faster than he can regenerate.」

Cordelia looked puzzled at Lilith’s grinning expression.

「If that were possible, then our troubles—」

Lilith interrupted Cordelia’s words.

「10 seconds.」

「10 seconds?」

「It’s an S-rank Calamity-class individual. That’s the longest I can bind them for.」

「Really? Can you really stop something like that for 10 seconds?」

Lilith nodded in response to Cordelia’s question.

「During that time, can you use your Holy Sword to carve him up?」

「I don’t like taking orders from you, but I understand.」

Satisfied, Lilith nodded and called out to Koharu, who was battling the Ogre Emperor about 10 meters away.

「Koharu!」

Koharu responded reluctantly.

「I’m having a tough time dealing with this ridiculously tough Oni Emperor, so don’t interfere, small fry! Stay back!」

「You can’t win this on your own! That’s why we’re here to help!」

Cordelia shouted.

「Help? What are you talking about?」

Koharu reached into her pocket and pulled out an iron ball.
She was clearly planning to use Railgun once again.

At that moment, Lilith’s temples throbbed with frustration.

「Listen carefully, you amateur!」

「Amateur? Me?」

Koharu looked puzzled.

「You should not get too cocky with the power you wield at your level.」

In a voice so loud it shook the air, Lilith addressed Koharu.

「Cordelia Allston and I will chip away at the Ogre Emperor’s durability! So your job is to make the final shot count! Blast through the Ogre Emperor’s… big belly!」

As Lilith spoke, Cordelia began to run.

Her eyes were crimson, and her aura was also scarlet.
Cordelia, turned into a berserker, closed the distance between herself and the Ogre Emperor in one swift move.

Cordelia, transformed into a berserker, closed the distance between herself and the Ogre Emperor in one swift motion.

At this point, 2 seconds had passed.

As Cordelia faced forward, the Ogre Emperor unleashed a right fist from its massive body.
Cordelia evaded the attack by leaping to the side, creating a crater several meters in size on the ground.
Amidst the falling debris and dust, she circled behind the Ogre Emperor.

And there, the Ogre Emperor’s movements came to a complete halt.
It was as if it had been frozen in place.

Lilith closed her eyes and chanted a spell in a high-pitched voice, a sensation akin to being paralyzed.

At this point, 4 seconds had passed.

Cordelia swung her holy sword with all her might as she raised it high and struck horizontally.
With a light “pachun” sound, the Ogre Emperor’s right Achilles tendon was severed.

With a heavy thud, the Ogre Emperor knelt on one knee.

At this point, 6 seconds had passed.

Cordelia continued her rotation and swung her holy sword towards the Ogre Emperor’s left leg.
With a speed approaching the speed of sound, the holy sword, propelled by centrifugal force, crushed the Ogre Emperor’s calf.

Blood and flesh splattered, and simultaneously, the Ogre Emperor knelt on both knees.

At that moment, Cordelia clicked her tongue.
The initial strike had not been enough; the wound on the Achilles tendon had already begun to heal.

「Just how tough are you, you giant…」

Cordelia muttered as she continued to slash deep wounds into the Ogre Emperor’s body.
She was worth being called a Meat Slicer.

At this point, 11 seconds had passed.

The dance of the sword, or perhaps a chaotic dance of fresh blood.
After dozens of slashing strikes, Cordelia leaped into the air, and as if delivering the finishing blow, she sliced open the right side of the Ogre Emperor’s neckーthe carotid artery.

As she landed on the ground, she turned to look at Lilith behind her.

「In the end, that was the main plan, wasn’t it? My role was to buy time. Well, I couldn’t really deliver a blow that would completely overwhelm its regenerative abilities, so it doesn’t matter.」

Cordelia said with a wry smile, then hastily retreated from the scene.

At this point, 12 seconds had passed.

The Ogre Emperor knelt on the ground.
Just as he was about to rise on his nearly healed leg…

「…For the second time today. Golden Roar (Drugs Genocide).」

A violent phenomenon seemed to occur, with the surroundings bathed in a golden hue.
In essence, Lilith converted her MP directly into a violent device known as the golden light.
It was an extremely inefficient magic with terrible fuel consumption.

After the flash of destruction had faded, Lilith clicked her tongue.
…Even if it’s the lowest class, it’s truly S-rank.
Despite pushing it this far with Cordelia and her, it seems we still lack that final push.

Seeing the Ogre Emperor, who was mostly charred but still alive, Lilith couldn’t help but sigh.
As she watched the skin, flesh, and bones rapidly regenerate before her eyes, Lilith spoke to Koharu.

「…That said, he’s already in a sorry state. One final blow here will finish him.」

Before Lilith had finished speaking, Koharu had already completed all her preparations.

「Quit the chatter! I’m already doing it! Who do you think I am, an amateur?! This gloomy… ugh, whatever, I’m done with this! Just die already! Type-0 Electromagnetic Induction (Railgun)!」

The super-physical magic boasted by the Eastern shrine maiden exploded.
As foretold, those subjected to it faced inevitable destruction and devastation.
Upon impact, the iron ball obliterated the Ogre Emperor, scattering meat chunks all around.

However, the Ogre Emperor does possess an abnormal regeneration ability.

All eyes remained fixed on the scattered pieces of the Ogre Emperor.

5 seconds.

10 seconds.

15 seconds.

And after 30 seconds had passed, when it was confirmed that the Ogre Emperor had become a completely restored corpse, a sigh of relief filled the air.

「Did it… work?」

「Well, it appears so.」

At that moment, applause echoed from the surrounding area.

「Hahaha, that was impressive, truly impressive. The Ogre King, the Ogre Emperor, and most of the other grunts, nearly all of them have been rendered powerless. You are such a problematic big sisters.」

When they turned toward the source of the voice, Cordelia froze completely.
Her face turned pale, and she broke into an instant cold sweat.
She couldn’t even stand properly, and her knees began to shake uncontrollably.

Lilith, on the other hand, raised both her hands as if to say ‘I give up’ and let out a deep sigh.
Having traveled the world with Lute, she had developed significant resistance to creatures of this kind, and she accurately understood the current situation.

Their gaze was fixed on a small boy.
He stood at a height of about 150 centimeters, and his weight probably didn’t exceed 40 kilograms.
He looked like an ordinary boy of around 10 years old, except for the fact that he had horns.

Cordelia, suppressing her rising nausea, muttered as if to herself,

「You really were here. Why is it that premonitions always seem to come true in the worst possible way…」

The boy had an innocent expression.
Then, without a word, Koharu reached into her pocket and drew out an iron ball.
She wore a challenging smile directed at the boy.

「In terms of my physical condition, I have just one shot left – a last shot. But that’s more than enough. Unlike the Oni Emperor, you don’t have regeneration abilities… I know that from the legends!「

Taking out the iron ball from her pocket, Koharu continued speaking.