Chapter 125: The Next Step of the Plan
"Hiss! That hurts!" Falling to the ground, Natsuki Subaru felt the pain surging from all the muscles in his body, giving him a clear understanding of the side effects of this advanced ability.
Although the cost was still somewhat severe, compared to the price of using Overdrive Burst, it wasn't too terrible.
What Subaru didn't know was that this was entirely due to him assigning two points into Overdrive Burst.
Choosing to unlock the strength-based advanced ability while his base stats were only just at level 5 was already a form of overexertion.
If one's base stats were low, the side effects brought by advanced abilities would be considerable.
Not to mention that Overdrive Burst had two points invested in it—under these conditions, the backlash would naturally be significant.
Lying on the ground, Subaru endured the pain in his muscles.
Just as he stood up, Rem, who had separated from him earlier, came running over from the side and grabbed him, pulling him away from the White Whale that was still shrieking in agony on the ground.
The two didn't exchange many words. Led by Rem, they ran toward the rear. As they did, Wilhelm and Ricardo ran past them.
"Well done! Leave the rest to me!" "Sir, please take a good rest in the rear."
Each of them left behind those words before charging straight at the White Whale.
Subaru turned his head to look at the two men closing in on the White Whale, a somewhat strained smile forming on his face.
This situation now meant that the initial phase of their customized plan had succeeded. What followed was no longer Subaru's responsibility.
Once they returned to the rear, Subaru lay on the ground and watched the distant image of the White Whale struggling on the earth, his earlier anxiety easing.
"Subaru, you really are reckless. This time it's full-body muscle tears, huh? Can't you care a bit more about yourself?"
Felix, speaking with exasperation, treated Subaru without waiting for a response, and continued:
"But you did well. With this, our chances of subjugating the White Whale have greatly improved. From the beginning until now, you're the only one injured—that's a great outcome."
"It's not over yet. Though I'd love it if I end up being the only one injured by the end... it still hasn't used some of its abilities yet."
Subaru's eyes remained fixed on the distant White Whale.
From the start, the creature hadn't produced its mist, and it hadn't flown into the sky.
That was simply because it had been stunned. Once it regained its senses, the upcoming battle wouldn't be so simple.
However, before they came here, all known information about the White Whale had already been shared, and they had prepared accordingly. There shouldn't be any major issues.
Meanwhile, the White Whale, still grounded, finally realized at this moment— It had underestimated these insignificant humans.
More and more "bugs" had climbed onto its body, and among them, several powerful ones had inflicted wounds of various sizes.
Realizing that it could no longer stay grounded, the White Whale ignored the pain and soared straight into the sky.
As it rose into the air, the bugs on its body seemed to fall off during the ascent. Just then, a tiny sphere flew up to its face and exploded violently, releasing a blinding light.
What was once a dark night now became as bright as day. The White Whale slowly opened its mouth, and countless openings appeared across its body.
Then, the organs within those openings began to vibrate rapidly. Accompanied by the White Whale's roar, the sound spread far and wide—easily enough to cover the entire plain.
But that alone wasn't enough for the White Whale to gain an advantage. More openings cracked open at the rear of its body, from which thick fog sprayed out.
The night that had just become bright was once again plunged into darkness, and now the fog obscured the soldiers' vision.
The soldiers on the ground were not surprised by the current situation. After all, this was something they had already been warned about.
Even the White Whale's earlier roar hadn't caused them any significant damage.
Though it did still give them mild headaches despite their countermeasures. If they hadn't prepared, just that single roar would have been enough to leave many lying on the ground, stripped of the will to fight.
Now that the fog had enveloped the surroundings, and they could no longer see their comrades in the distance, they had to remain even more alert.
But no one ran around blindly. They were waiting—for someone to disperse the mist.
Sure enough, it didn't take long before Crusch swung her sword and cleared the fog around her.
"All troops, attention! The White Whale is about to attack. Try not to gather too closely together!"
Just as her voice fell, a blast of mist came down from above her head. Crusch quickly dodged the aerial attack by maneuvering her ground dragon.
At that moment, the hazy figure of the White Whale emerged from the fog behind her. But Crusch had already turned her head in advance, staring coldly at the charging beast.
She gripped her sword tightly, the blade now swirling with wind. Her eyes grew frosty.
"The same move won't work twice!"
Her heavy downward slash released a formless sword aura that cut a gash directly on the White Whale's face. But the beast didn't stop—it kept charging forward.
Crusch stood calmly, not evading, watching the White Whale draw closer.
At that moment, two faint voices rang out from the White Whale's side— Invisible attacks struck its flank, redirecting its attention.
"I've been waiting for you! I was just wondering what to do if you didn't come down! But now you've come right to me to get sliced up—how convenient!"
Completely in the zone, Wilhelm seemed to have returned to his younger self.
The Sword Demon who landed on the White Whale's body truly looked like a demon, carving wound after wound into its flesh.
"Since you're handling that one, I'll take care of the one hiding over here!" "Captain! Mimi's coming to help too!" "Alright! Everyone, let's go! Don't let others steal the spotlight!"
Led by Ricardo, they rode their wolf-like mounts and leapt up onto the White Whale that was concealed within the fog.
Watching all this, Crusch took a deep breath. So far, the plan was going smoothly.
But… where was the other White Whale hiding?
With this question in mind, she raised her sword and slashed upward toward the sky.
As the sword aura cut through the air, everyone on the ground saw it— A White Whale drifting far above in the sky.
"So this one is the real body… huh…" Murmuring to herself, Crusch glanced toward the rear.
Back at the rear, Subaru was moving his hands and stretching.
"As expected of you, Felix. I can't feel any pain at all." "Hmph, don't think you can just act recklessly just because I'm here."
"If I could, I wouldn't want to act recklessly at all. But now it's time for me to carry out the next phase of the plan. Let's go, Rem."
As always read ahead (60 chapters) on my pa tre on!
There you can also read my other 9 Fanfiction