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158 [Altora] Each One’s Motive – Part 1

「[Sword Saint], activate!」

While Marge and the others were overcoming the first of the ‘Generals’, the narrow mountain pass midway between Fathie and the footpath had also become a battlefield.

A horde of monsters surged forward without end. Slipping between their ranks, Altora’s silver-flashing sword danced. Each slash severed tendons and major arteries, throwing the vanguard into disarray and halting their advance.

「Now, Gordon!」

「[Obsidian], [Strength Boost], activate! Ooooooooh!!」

Gordon charged in, now enhanced with added hardness and weight. With the log cradled in his arms, he shoved, struck, and knocked monsters aside. For a brief moment, the monster’s momentum was completely halted—exactly the opening Altora had been aiming for.

「You’re up, Eria! Crush them from above with gravity magic!」

「Mana consumption reduced by [Auto Mana Regen]. Cast time shortened by [Rapid Chanting]. Fall, fall, fall—crush them with the majestic pull of the stars: [Gravitational Domain]!」

A massive pressure descended on the packed monster horde.

Wounded by Altora’s blade from the front, pressured by Gordon’s brute force, and now crushed by overwhelming gravity from above—if the rear monsters pushed in now, they’d be utterly immobilized.

Catching his breath, Altora grinned as he confirmed that things were going exactly according to plan.

「Hah! No need to cut down each one of these bastards one by one. Just wound ’em, pin ’em down from above, and they’ll become a wall the rest can’t get past. After that, they’ll crush themselves to death trying to force their way through. Simple as that.」

「A tavern’s tougher. You’ve gotta feed and booze up everyone who walks through the door.」

「Hah, Gordon—you’re finally warming up, huh?」

「Observation: He is merely bluffing to keep himself going.」

「Sh-Shut up…」

Despite the strain and nerves of battle, Gordon—the oldest among the Divine Silver Sword and former royal palace gatekeeper—was holding his own. His words might lack confidence, but his work was solid and steady.

「Didn’t think it’d go this well, but this tactic’s clever. The real strong ones are probably further back, but with the front blocked off, they haven’t even shown up yet.」

「Tch, still not enough. Where’s the dragons at, huh?」

Eria’s magic was precisely reinforcing their efforts. For now, the hold line was holding firm.

But just when everything seemed to be going well—Altora, a battle genius, sensed something amiss and recalled a crucial lesson: it’s when you get cocky that danger strikes hardest.

「They’re here.」

「Huh? What is?」

「Inevitable outcome. Blocking the front means only the tougher monsters can push through. So if something is coming… it won’t be anything halfway.」

「Quit talking in riddles. Just say it.」

「Warning: Incoming.」

—GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

It wasn’t a dragon’s roar. Dragons—rare monsters of high intelligence and strength—only appeared as ‘Generals’ or other elite threats. None were part of this artificially-triggered Dungeon Break.

But in terms of raw power, there were monsters that rivaled dragons.

For example, massive beasts that combined features of multiple animals, each attribute fused to create a strength greater than the sum of its parts. Monsters so unnatural they seemed stitched together from corpses—so-called ‘Chimeric Beasts’.

「Chimera-types…! Of course the large-class monsters would be these, given this dungeon’s beast-heavy makeup!」

「‘Chimera’ refers to any monster formed from multiple fused beasts. That one’s probably fox, deer, snake, and…」

「I said I wanted a dragon, damn it. Gettin’ the order wrong is the ultimate tavern taboo, you damn dungeon!」

Four advanced in the lead. Behind them, more followed, clearly visible in the distance.

The monster horde couldn’t push forward, but to a Chimera towering taller than a house, that didn’t matter. It stomped over others, shrugged off the gravitational field, and barreled ahead. Even as Eria boosted her output, it wasn’t enough to slow them. Her high-grade staff creaked under the strain.

「W-What now!? Can we even fight those things head-on!? What do we do!?」

「Strategy required—!」

「Don’t panic!!」

Altora barked them back to focus. Unlike Marge, who always had a plan, Altora’s answer was stark and absolute: we fight.

「Didn’t you see? Marge left behind his damn sword. He went into that dungeon barehanded.」

「Y-Yeah… so?」

「So we’re doing the same. Equipment? Potions? Skills? Don’t ask for what you don’t have. Just focus on slicing the bastard in front of you. And don’t worry—burned to a crisp, mashed to paste—if there’s anything left of you, I’ll drag it to Mina myself.」

「I get that there’s no other choice—but how exactly do we do that!?」

In battle, morale is critical. Ten thousand soldiers who’ve lost the will to fight are no match for one thousand willing to die. Altora’s speech wasn’t reckless bravado—it was tactical necessity.

But still, they were three hundred against a million. Morale alone wouldn’t bridge that gap.

Gordon’s desperate question was answered by Altora pulling out a pouch. It was packed to the brim with dark green pills.

「Like this. Just restocked too—perfect timing.」

「Verdant Decay…!? Altora, you’re really gonna use that!?」

「Reconsideration advised. It’s far too reckless.」

「Relax. According to Remonde, I already took way more than the lethal dose and still lived. I ain’t your average chump—I’m Altora Carmancy, the damn Divine Silver Blade.」

Ignoring their protests, Altora grabbed a fistful of pills and bit down hard.

「…Oh yeah. Here it comes.」

The pain vanished. His vision cleared like a veil lifting. Every detail of the world came into sharp focus. His skin prickled, his heartbeat roared—it was a euphoric surge washing through him.

「Ahhh—yes—yes yes yes YES!! That’s it. Damn, rationing this stuff before? I was a total idiot!」

Back in the fields near Kinui, Altora had pushed past his limits in a duel with Marge, using so much Verdant Decay that his skill warped entirely. The price had been steep…

But now—

「This… this is what it means to win against something you can’t beat!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!」

「Altora, you…」

「[Sword Saint]—ACTIVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE!!」