Return of the Fallen Volume 13 Chapter 35
Kazuki’s idea was simple. To kill these things with mere physical attacks or even magic was deemed far too demanding. Kazuki could do little to these monsters, but Monsuta, on the other hand, could deal damage to a large swath of them fairly quickly. This damage, though, was not enough to take them out. Instead, it became an opportunity for the less injured ones to cannibalize the weaker ones, instantly healing their wounds and growing stronger and larger in the process.
In order to preserve Monsuta’s strength whilst reducing the enemy Kauzki came up with this idea.
Create multiple platforms and place both of them in the sibling rivers. One in the sticky black and the other in the highly acidic yellow river. Both platforms were different in shape, weight, and balance. By confronting a few on one platform, it would cause the platform itself to shift due to the new weight. In doing so it would knock them off balance and send them falling into the rivers below.
When one platform became overwhelmed, Monsuta and Kazuki would simply abandon it for the other one and repeat the process. Because the weight and balance were different on the second platform, this ensured if any enemies followed the pair across one river tot he other, they would not be used to the balance and stumble once more.
If that wasn’t enough, Kazuki had made a few thousand golems the size of one’s fist. With a thought he made them roll beneath his enemies’ feet and trip them up even more. He wanted to make several more platforms but he ran out of time. These two platforms though seemed to be more than enough.
Monsuta and Kazuki were on the flat platform made out of Monsuta’s armor. It floated atop the acidic yellow river. Because of its shape and it being Monsuta’s special rock, it floated exceptionally well and took no damage from the yellow acid.
On both shores, the enemy shriekers numbered hundreds deep, and their numbers were still increasing. One shore to the other was a sea of foes.
Because the platforms were not very big, the enemy could not send too many at once. Because of this, the numbers were just barely manageable.
Monsuta’s tail whipped forward cutting the air apart as it struck and knocked down one enemy after the other. The howling cries continued to rattle the inner ear as they melted in the yellow river below and died rather quickly.
Those that managed to land aboard the armor platform and slip past Monsuta’s defense would then have to deal with Kauzki or rather his tiyn golems.
The golems were scattered across the entire platform here and there. As soon as an enemy landed nearby, Kazuki sent a small flood of golems to roll beneath every spot they dared to place a webbed hand. This slowed them down just enough for Monsuta to send them flying into the acid below.
As this was playing out, Kazuki also took full advantage of the never-ending flow of shriekers. For every opponent that fell and died in the acid down below, Kazuki would absorb the fire energy within them before they were completely melted away into nothing. Kazuki inhaled deeply as a smile formed on his face. His powers were constantly and steadily rising.
He never dreamed he would find a way to grow his powers like this.
(Yes…More…Give me more fire!)
The platform made of armor began to get crowded faster than expected. With a far leap, Monsuta took Kazuki and jumped to the half-sphere platform floating on a fake platform overtop the black river.
There were a few shriekers already waiting on the half-sphere platform. With Monsuta’s high leap, he came slamming down atop the platform like a crashing meteor.
*BANGGGG!*
His weight caused the entire half-sphere to tilt heavily in his favor. All of the shriekers came tumbling and rolling down in his direction. With a flick of his tail, he batted them away left and right. They fell into the sticky black tar-like river and sank to the bottom. With its sticky nature, it was impossible for them to escape from and so their lungs filled with darkness, and they drowned in a horrid and ugly fashion.
Kazuki tried to get another freebie and absorb the fire energy from these freshly laid corpses but the black sticky river was too devastating. Any energy that entered the black river became stuck and there was no way he could remove it in such a short time if he even could at all.
(Damn, all that delicious fire energy, and I can’t get a single taste of it.)
Kazuki did not know why he used the word delicious to describe fire energy but at the moment it just felt like the right word. Ignoring the weirdness he focused on the enemy closing in.
Even if he had no golems on this platform it did not mean he could do nothing to help. As several more shriekers landed on the shared platform Kazuki’s hands began to flash with the ancient hand symbols. Concentrating the elements, he made slick ice beneath them. The heat of this world of course caused the ice to vaporize almost instantly but it was just enough to make a few slip.
With this small slip, Monsuta stomped hard on one side causing the platform to tip once more. His tail swiped across the platform and knocked them all away in one fell swoop.
This fight went on for minutes but time continued to pass and soon hours passed. The shriekers had stopped flooding out of the world vents a while ago but their numbers were in the tens of thousands. Even though Monsuta had been fighting for hours he had only gotten rid of seven or eight hundred by now.
Monsuta had used zero magic this entire time as Kazuki had told him to preserve it. Although Monsuta was a being of great stamina, under this world’s suppression that stamina was nowhere near limitless. Monsuta was starting to feel it.
Knocking a few more into the burning river below, Monsuta asked exasperatedly
“Kazuki can I use my magic yet?”
Kazuki wanted to give Monsuta the go-ahead. At the very least with his power, he could cut down a large portion and buy them some time to recover. Somehow though, Kazuki felt this was not the right time. he felt that deep in his soul. Something just wasn’t right.
(Even though we’ve been at this for hours, their numbers are barely decreasing. Not only that but Monsuta said these creatures were nearly mindless. It appeared that way at first but as time went on, they seemed to have become more cautious. Almost like they are holding back waiting for something.)
Kazuki knew Monsuta would get tired as time went by but he appeared even more tired than Kauzki predicted. The cause was immediately known when Kazuki thought about it.
(The vents! Why is there still so much green fire blazing? Not only are the green infernos burning but they are getting brighter and hotter. Monsuta is not invincible and this green hot energy is affecting him.)
“Monsuta, I think something is
Before he could finish his words, the ground began to tremble.
The mountain near the shore suddenly burst open and a hand rose up from its depths and stretched high up into the air. The mountain vanished as an incredibly large creature pulled itself up and out from the underground.
Kazuki’s instincts unfortunately rang true.
With the suppression of this world many times more than what one would consider normal. The dust and debris rained down and hit the ground with fat thuds.
What appeared before the pair was big, ridiculously so. A shrieker somehow far bigger than the mountain it climbed out of. It stood proudly on its tail and opened its mouth to release the most vicious howling roar Kauzki had ever heard in his entire life.
*SHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!*
Kazuki’s ears exploded, and he spilled blood from every orifice on his face. He felt his soul almost fall apart under this single roar. Kazuki had to use his soul-reading ability and a Lower Realm’s worth of fire energy to help repair all of this soul damage. He wasn’t alone in sharing in the devastation, as Monsuta had smears of blood on his face as it leaked from his nose and the corner of his mouth.
The blood was burned away from this world’s heat.
The shrieker spotted Monsuta and Kazuki, and a cold voice boomed in their direction.
“ARTIFACT!!”
Kazuki felt a dangerous chill run up his spine as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
The mountain-sized shrieker stared directly at Kazuki with its fiendishly yellow eyes. It was as if this monstrous thing was staring into the very depths of his soul.
Suddenly, something made sense, and he made a realization.
(The reason the shriekers started to appear more and more frequently. The entire reason they harassed and hammered away at Monsuta’s cave…It was all to get to me!)
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