Chapter 172: The Unhinged Bombardment Tactic
This is bad. This is really bad!
The moment he saw the Winter Shogun, Kobayashi knew it was no pushover. The pressure and killing intent it exuded, combined with the biting cold wind, blew them back several meters.
The group shielded their heads, staring at it as if facing a great enemy.
This guy was a strong foe, far stronger than any enemy they had seen before!
"...Mmm, he's appeared!"
Darkness looked at the Winter Shogun, raised her greatsword, and let out a smug chuckle.
I forgot. There's also a perverted knight in the party who rushes up to get abused the moment she sees a strong enemy.
"Wh-what is that?!"
Satou Kazuma's pupils dilated and then contracted. His legs trembled as he took a step back, but he kept his eyes fixed on the powerful enemy that had appeared out of nowhere. At the same time, the huge figure that everyone was staring at took a heavy step forward.
The distance between them did not increase, but instead shortened.
Aqua's teeth were chattering. She said fearfully, "From a long time ago, you should be able to hear his name from the weather station every season."
Seeing that figure's ridiculously absurd appearance, he actually didn't need her to say it. But with a sliver of hope still in his heart, he silently waited for the answer.
"—That's right! He is the Lord of the Snow Sprites, and also the representative of the winter season, the Winter Shogun!"
Suddenly, a cold wind blew.
The snow-white, heavy Japanese armor made it stand out in the snow and ice. Paired with a snow-white, finely-crafted jinbaori that was fluttering in the wind, it held a Japanese longsword that radiated a white, cold aura. A single glance at the gleaming blade was enough to tell that it was frighteningly sharp, constantly releasing a strong presence and killing intent.
It gave no opening speech. It held the sword with both hands in front of its chest, its feet in an eight-character stance, firmly planted on the ground. Then, its waist and shoulders sank, and it assumed a standard hassō stance.
Then, the gleaming blade flashed under the sunlight and slashed at Darkness, who was closest to it!
He didn't know when she had rashly charged up to meet it. He cursed under his breath, kicked off the ground, and followed closely behind, preparing to provide support. At this moment, the Winter Shogun's longsword had already fallen.
"Ngh!"
She let out a muffled grunt, trying to block its attack with her greatsword.
But—
With a clear sound, the greatsword, which had been reinforced a second time with a Magic Circuit and could withstand the fierce attacks of the Dullahan, was actually cut in two at the waist.
"Ah! M-my sword...!" she cried out in grief.
At this moment, he also arrived in time, grabbed her arm, and pulled her back to avoid being cut in half.
He drew his longsword, on guard, ready to escape at any moment.
At this time, the Goddess of Wisdom, who knew the most, gave a timely explanation. "The Winter Shogun. One of the special designated monsters with a high bounty from the state. It is a winter spirit... So-called spirits originally have no specific form, but receive the image that people who encounter them unconsciously imagine, and then materialize accordingly."
"In other words, some idiot with a cheat ability, because he thought of the Winter Shogun when he thought of winter, is the reason this guy appeared, right?" Kazuma had immediately grasped the key point.
And hearing his words, for some reason, he thought of that Mediterranean with the fantasy creation ability.
Don't tell me he was the one who created the Winter Shogun?
...The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed!
"This is just too much trouble! What do we do now?! How do we deal with something like a winter spirit?" Kazuma cried out, holding his head in frustration, and shouted at the reliable leader, "Kobayashi-senpai! Do something with your invincible RyuZU!"
He turned his head to look at the elegant attendant who had appeared beside him at some point. "That's what he said. Is there a way to deal with it, RyuZU?"
"I'm sorry, I can't," the elegant attendant shook her head decisively. "Please have some common sense, Master. Lady Aqua said that the Winter Shogun is a spirit, which means it has no physical body. My attacks have no effect on it at all and cannot cause any damage."
"In other words, even you can't do anything?"
"That is correct."
This is bad. I've been relying too much on RyuZU's game-breaking ability. I actually forgot about the drawback of not being able to harm beings without a physical body.
Just at this moment, the reliable Aqua gave a perfect solution.
She opened the small bottle in her hand and released the Snow Sprites she had worked so hard to catch. "Everyone, listen to me! The Winter Shogun is very magnanimous! As long as we show proper etiquette and sincerely apologize, he will let us go!"
"What do you mean?"
"—Kowtow!"
"...Huh?"
"Get on your knees, quickly! Hurry up, you guys, drop your weapons too! Apologize, quickly! You too, Kazuma, apologize!"
With that, she immediately prostrated herself on the snow-covered field, pressing her head tightly to the snow. Who knows where she had thrown her dignity.
Wait, what the hell are you doing?!
You're a goddess! You're a goddess, right! Even if the Winter Shogun is a spirit, you're still a goddess! Why are you kneeling to it?!
And it's a perfect kowtow, too!
Seeing the unhesitatingly kneeling Aqua, he wondered if he should change his faith. If Mitsurugi Kyouya or the other Axis Order believers were to see this disgraceful sight, their faith would surely collapse, and they would turn to the dark side. Or they might simply not recognize her as the true Goddess of Water.
When the Winter Shogun's gaze swept over, Kazuma's knees buckled, and he knelt down very readily.
What a weakling.
Among the party, only he, Darkness, and Megumin were still standing with their chests puffed out.
Kazuma whispered anxiously, "Kobayashi-senpai! Darkness! Megumin! Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up and kowtow and apologize!"
"I refuse."
Darkness threw down her broken greatsword and glared at the Winter Shogun with an unwilling expression, saying with a huff, "At the very least, I am a Crusader. I still have my dignity. Even if no one is watching, as a knight, how can I kowtow to a monster out of fear...!"
"Well said, Darkness! As expected of a believer of Eris!" he said, patting her on the head in praise, while also verbally provoking Aqua.
Although she usually followed behind monsters seeking thrills, although she couldn't hit her targets and was always a hindrance to the party, although she was a hopeless pervert.
But as a knight, she was qualified.
"Megumin, what about you?"
"I will absolutely not kneel!"
Megumin was even more decisive than Darkness.
She was a strange one. When she could cast Explosion, she was the second boss of the universe. When she couldn't, she was better at playing dead than anyone else.
Having Explosion magic makes you just that confident.
"Well then, Megumin, do you want to know if Explosion can harm the Winter Shogun?"
"In other words, the chance to save everyone with my Explosion magic has come?!"
Hearing this, her eyes shone with a strong crimson light. This was her sign of excitement. She had been looking forward to this situation for a long time.
High enthusiasm was a good thing. At the very least, she wouldn't surrender before the fight like the others.
Hearing this, Kazuma became even more agitated and yelled, "Wait, wait! I know her Explosion magic is strong, but will it also work on the Winter Shogun? After all, against the Dullahan, it was completely ineffective!"
"It will work," he said with certainty.
The last time, it hadn't been very effective because the attribute of the magic didn't counter the Dullahan. But this time, the ice-attribute Winter Shogun was clearly the one being countered.
So not only would it be effective, but the effect would be doubled!
Kazuma, however, became even more uneasy and said worriedly, "I understand the attribute counter, but is one Explosion really enough?"
"Wait, what do you mean, Kazuma? If you don't believe in my Explosion magic, then I'll just have to let you experience it yourself!"
Being questioned, she was immediately annoyed.
The short her looked up and glared at him, her angry expression as if to say that if he didn't apologize, she would blast him with Explosion.
And he didn't deny it either.
"One Explosion might not be enough."
"...Eh?"
"But there's nothing that can't be solved with one Explosion. If there is, then just use two!"
A hint of hot-bloodedness was in the grin that spread across his lips.
The infected Kazuma silently climbed up from the ground, patted the snow off his body, and said in a relaxed tone, "Since you've said so, senpai, then I have no reason not to help. After all, this is the consequence of my carelessness."
"Oh my, so you do know."
"I'm sorry, I was wrong."
He apologized as quickly as he had knelt down. As expected of the scumbag Kazuma, who was despised by all the villagers of Axel.
Aqua also nimbly stood up and shouted, "And me, and me! I'm a goddess! A goddess! With me here, I can definitely help you solve the Winter Shogun with ease!"
"Heh, I wonder who it was that knelt the fastest just now, and you still have the face to call yourself a goddess? A disgrace to goddesses, a disgrace to goddesses," Kazuma took the opportunity to mock her, and without holding back.
"What did you say? Say that again?!"
Aqua was annoyed and wanted to fight back.
He didn't know what they had to blame each other for. After all, they had knelt down at about the same speed. It was just the pot calling the kettle black.
He turned his head to look at the motionless Winter Shogun.
He licked his slightly chapped lips, his mouth grinning to its widest. "To actually let us discuss our strategy and boost our morale... I don't know if I should say you're confident in your own strength or if your nature is just that arrogant. But, I thank you for that. So, we will be the ones to subjugate you!"
The party members spread out.
Darkness was still in the front, acting as the vanguard, holding his longsword and tangling with it. Kazuma was constantly harassing it with his longbow, shooting arrows as he moved around.
And he and Megumin were in the rear.
"Megumin, how many magic crystals are left?"
"Three."
"Three?!"
He was dumbfounded.
To prevent any accidents, he had previously ordered a hundred magic crystals from Wiz as a backup. He hadn't expected that in less than a month, only three were left!
Is this thing as addictive as XX?!
He patted her shoulder and said earnestly, "You're still young. You have to restrain yourself. You should quit this in the future."
"No! A member of the Crimson Demon Clan will die if they don't have a shot every day!" Her resistance was very fierce.
"No matter how insatiable you are, you can't have it every day!"
"I don't care! I want it! If you can't satisfy me, Kobayashi, then I'll just go and find someone else!"
"What did you say! You're not allowed!"
In the middle of the battle, the two of them had a disagreement.
While he and Megumin were having their quarrel, Kazuma cried out in agony, "Kobayashi-senpai! I can't hold on much longer! Aren't you done yet!"
"It's fine! I can still hold on for a while!" The longsword in Darkness's hand broke again. She hugged the Winter Shogun's calf and wouldn't let go. It seemed she was having a lot of fun.
"We'll talk about this when we get back. For now, let's just deal with the enemy."
"Hmph. No matter what you say, I won't change."
This little loli...!
She raised the staff in her hand and began to chant her spell.
"Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark, I beseech thee, combine with my deep crimson!1
The time of awakening cometh. Justice, fallen upon the infallible boundary, appear now as an intangible distor2tion!
Dance, dance, dance!
I desire for my torrent of power a destructive force, a destructive force without equal! Return all creation to cinders, and come from the abyss!
Explosion!"
The magic shook the cold, dry air and, with a huge roar, blew a large crater in the center of the white plain, revealing the coffee-colored earth beneath. But after the snowstorm cleared, the figure that was still standing told everyone that this explosion had been nothing more than a tickle.
For once, Megumin showed a disappointed expression.
"Don't be discouraged. Your Explosion is indeed unparalleled. It's just that the opponent is too out of this world," he said, comforting her while handing her a magic crystal. "Here, continue."
She bit her lip.
"That's right! There's nothing that can't be solved with one Explosion! If there is, then just use two!"
Explosion!
Explosion!
Explosion!
Three in a row. Even she couldn't quite take it. She swayed and collapsed into his arms, completely powerless.
"Megumin! Are you alright! Megumin!"
He shook her body.
And the little loli opened her lazy, moist eyes, and with a strange bewitchment, said in a delicate voice, "...So satisfying."
"Don't say strange things at a time like this," he couldn't help but retort.
But the next second, the hairs on his back stood on end. An indescribable sense of crisis stimulated his peripheral nerves. The warning from the necklace on his chest made him subconsciously do a forward roll to dodge.
—Swish!
A white blade of light, with an unstoppable momentum, disappeared into the sky. Even the air currents were cut. One could imagine how sharp it was.
"I actually didn't kill it?!"
An emotion of disbelief welled up in his heart.
He looked at the Winter Shogun and found that it was not as healthy as before. Its white armor was in tatters, its jinbaori was completely burned, and a large part of its entire left side had also been melted away.
Although it was pathetic, this was the effect of four Explosions, and in a situation where the attribute was a counter.
As expected, it was strong. What should he do?
For a moment, he couldn't find a way to deal with it.
RyuZU suggested, "Why don't we use my ability to take everyone back to town?"
"No, that's no good," he said, shaking his head and vetoing it. "Returning to Axel will only make it follow us. We can't shift the danger to a beginner town."
To solve the trouble one has caused oneself—this was the most basic principle of an adventurer.
But her ability was also very crucial. He had a feeling that something was about to pop into his head, but he just couldn't get it out.
"W-we're done for!" Aqua cried, hugging him and blaming him loudly, "Why did we have to fight the Winter Shogun? Why didn't we just kowtow and apologize! Explosion is useful, but it needs a huge number of them! We don't have that many right now!"
"That's it!"
"...Eh?"
"That's it! A huge number of Explosions! No, bombs!"
He finally remembered.
—Crystal Bombs!
The ones he had bought from Wiz before. After being activated with mana, in one second, they would explode with a power equal to Explosion, a chicken-rib bomb!
"Hehehehe..."
His expression gradually became sinister.
"Master Kobayashi, please restrain your unsightly, sleazy smile."
"Ahem, my apologies."
He gave a perfunctory cough, then whispered in her ear. The elegant attendant's eyes lit up slightly after hearing him.
"It seems the useless you, Master, still have to rely on me in the end. But I didn't expect the trash you bought to actually be of use. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said you have no brains or taste. Well then, I'll be right back."
She held her skirt and gave a slight bow.
Under the puzzled gazes of Aqua and the others, she appeared in front of them again. At the same time, around her were several hundred black, shiny spheres.
Hehehehehe...
"Let's begin, our plan." Seeing these spheres, his smile once again became immoral.
Aqua asked anxiously, "What, what? Is there a plan?"
"Ah, of course there's a plan."
The plan was simple.
First, he would charge these crystal bombs, then she would use her [Imaginary Switch] to throw them at its feet. The Winter Shogun, who wouldn't be able to react in time, would surely be blown to smithereens!
The whole process was very fast. To increase the destructive power, he ignited all of these bombs at once.
Then, she used her ability. His eyes blurred, and he appeared on a distant mountain top. Beside him were Aqua and the others. Even Darkness had been brought over.
"Eh? Wasn't I just wrestling with the Winter Shogun? Why..."
"Thank you for your hard work in holding back the enemy, Darkness. Now, let's watch the fireworks together!"
————BOOM!
As soon as his voice fell, she appeared at his side. The plain in the distance immediately resounded with a loud noise ten times greater than Explosion. A towering flame, accompanied by a gale and a visible sound wave, rushed over. The party members were instantly sent flying and fell to the ground.
A huge and bottomless crater had been blown into the plain below. This time, forget the Winter Shogun; even the snow-covered plain had disappeared.
"What, what? What in the world happened?"
"This is..."
"Kobayashi-senpai, was that you?"
The group turned their gazes to the man before them.
"Haha, hahaha... ahahahahahaha, hahahahahahahahaha——————"
His laughter was truly terrifying.
The few of them couldn't help but huddle together, trembling with fear, looking at the back of the man before them as if they were looking at some great evil demon king.
Having successfully subjugated the Winter Shogun, his and his party's reputation had once again risen considerably. But along with it came a bill for 150 million in debt.
Damn it! Why?!
(End of Chapter)