Chapter 29: The Sovereign Debt of the Sky
"Now," I pulse, my voice a cold, resonant frequency that cuts through the roar of the wind and the high-pitched hum of the interference field. "Benimaru! Hakuro! Forget the magic! Use the physical force of your blades! I've stabilized the immediate coordinate space! The 'fees' for being in the air have been waived!"
The battle is a chaotic mess of high-altitude logistics. Below us, the City of Tempest is shielded by the bunkers I commissioned, but up here, the sky is thick with violet scales and the snapping jaws of thirteen Megalodons. Rimuru is a blue blur, darting between the smaller sharks, but every time he tries to land a decisive blow on Charybdis, the mountain-sized beast simply ripples.
Notice. Target: Charybdis is utilizing [High-Speed Regeneration] fueled by the core's magicule furnace. Damage sustained: 14%. Recovery rate: 12% per minute. At current output, the Alliance will reach stamina depletion before the target reaches critical failure.
Azathoth, tell me something I don't know. We're hemorrhaging magicules just staying aloft. This isn't a fight; it's a war of attrition where the opponent has an infinite credit line.
The Kijin are moving with surgical precision. Hakuro's blade flashes, bisecting a Megalodon's fin, while Benimaru's dark-flame-enhanced strikes—now focused into physical heat rather than pure magic—char the undersides of the spawn. But Charybdis herself remains an insurmountable liability. Every scale she sheds turns into a guided projectile, seeking out our forces with the persistence of a tax collector.
"Shinji! We can't break through the hide!" Rimuru transmits, his voice sounding tight. "It's like hitting a rubber wall that hits back!"
"Stop aiming for the surface, Rimuru," I pulse back, my obsidian membrane tightening as I dodge a volley of scales via a short-range [Spatial Motion] jump. "She's a hollow vessel. There's a core—a pilot—at the center of this mess. I can feel the 'Starving' frequency I copied from the Orcs. It's vibrating inside her."
Notice. [Analytical Appraisal] has localized the core. Coordinates: 40 meters behind the dorsal fin, 10 meters deep. Soul signature identified: Phobio of Eurazania. He has been integrated as the emotional catalyst for the Sky-Queen's awakening.
Phobio. That hot-headed cat-man really did it. He sold his soul for a power upgrade he can't control. It's the ultimate predatory loan.
"Rimuru," I transmit, my voice dropping into a dark, transactional tone. "The core is Phobio. He's being used as a battery. If we extract him, the 'contract' holding Charybdis together collapses. But we need a distraction big enough to open a path through those scales."
"A distraction? I'm already throwing everything I've got!"
"Not you," I pulse, my dark surface shimmering. "The Special Consultant. It's time she earned her honey."
I look toward the sidelines where Milim Nava is hovering, her pigtails twitching with visible frustration as she watches the "boring" battle.
"Milim!" I broadcast, my voice carrying the weight of a lead executive. "The audit is failing! The target is stubborn! I'm authorizing a 'Limited Intervention.' One strike. Precision only. If you destroy my city, I'm canceling the honey subscription for the next three fiscal years!"
Milim's face lights up with a terrifying, radiant joy. "REALLY?! I can hit it?! YES!"
She doesn't wait for a second invitation. The atmosphere doesn't just vibrate; it screams as she descends.
"DRAGON BUSTER!"
The streak of pink light makes the Orc Lord's evolution look like a candle flame. The impact isn't an explosion; it's a deletion. A massive, perfect cylinder is carved through the air and the right side of Charybdis, vaporizing the scales and exposing the pulsing, fleshy interior where the core is hidden.
Warning. Magicule shockwave is threatening internal stability. [Partial Magic Interference] is at maximum load. Soul Capacity: 48.5%.
"Rimuru! NOW!" I scream telepathically.
Rimuru doesn't hesitate. He dives into the smoking wound Milim created. A second later, he emerges, holding a charred, unconscious Phobio in his nubs.
Without its pilot, Charybdis's magicules begin to dissipate. The mountain of flesh doesn't fall; it simply turns into violet mist, evaporating into the high-altitude winds. The interference field vanishes. The sky is clear.
I float down toward the plaza, my membrane feeling heavy, the "noise" of the battle still echoing in my core.
Notice. Threat neutralized. Total magicule expenditure: 22%. Structural damage to the City of Tempest: 4%. All Alliance personnel accounted for.
Soul Capacity Status: 48.5%. Notice: User is operating at extreme density. Fragmented laws [Beast-Skin], [Corrosive Resistance], and [Partial Magic Interference] are creating overlapping interference patterns. Evolution Trigger is becoming increasingly likely if an external catalyst is encountered.
I need a drink, I think, watching Milim do a victory lap while demanding more honey. And a chair. And maybe a vacation to a place where nothing flies and everything is made of gold.
Current Magicule Reserves: 54.4%. Location: Central Plaza. Status: Charybdis defeated. Phobio recovered. Soul Capacity: 48.5% (DANGER).
Chapter End.