The Darkness was Comfortable for me
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chapter-198-30041322
“Myaaaaaaah!!”
It suddenly appeared.
No, it might have been there to begin with. It was hiding deep inside, huh.
The nest that’s dome shaped had the cry echo through the whole area. It is as if it pierced through my entrails… That kind of hard to describe cry made us understand that there was something completely different from the Lamias here even if we didn’t want to.
*Zazazaza*The sound of something sliding against the ground resonated.
The Lamias stopped their movements, and it seems like they are directing their attention in that direction.
(It is showing up with this timing, huh.) (Hikaru)
I could see that since I have Night Vision.
A giant body one size bigger than the Lamias, at over 3 meters tall.
Its upper body is the appearance of a woman just like the Lamias, but it has blue skin and unnaturally long arms, moreover, her abdomen was split, and there were beast fangs lined up from that open space.
The lower half is even more abnormal. Wriggling tentacles like the legs of an octopus were asserting their presence.It is in the same category as a Demon Lord.
It is truly mixed; a Chaotic Beast.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
Is it bad luck…or maybe good luck?
The strongest monster of the 4th Floor.
The Scylla has entered the stage.
“W-What is going on here?!” (Rifreya)
Rifreya was looking around restlessly.
She still can’t see that since she doesn’t have Night Vision.
“It is the Scylla. I did hear that there would be times when she would come out from the Lamia Nest, but…what should we do? Should we break a Barrier Stone?” (Hikaru)
“No, we came here with the intention to defeat her to begin with. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to get a feel of how strong it is. Also, it would be a bad move to use a Barrier Stone here. We have to at least return to the entrance before using it or we would be leaving Full-chan behind.” (Jeanne)
“So we will be retreating little by little then…” (Hikaru)
Jeanne is calm, but her voice is trembling.
We have been advancing little by little as we fought in the Lamia Nest, so we have gone almost to the very center of the nest. Returning to the entrance would require us to run with our backs turned which holds a risk of its own.
And most of all, the pressure of the Scylla is strong to a painful degree, and…even if not to the point of being impossible, I don’t have the courage to take my eyes off her.
“Mimimimimimi—!”
It let out a weird cry while her tentacles were transforming.
The purple thing looked like the legs of an octopus, but it has changed into a giant wolf head.
“Gaaruaaaaaaa!”
As if the wolf head had a will of its own, it growled, and rushed towards us with bloodshot eyes.
The pressure of a giant monster that makes even the air itself tremble. Even as someone who has faced a Demon Lord, my back was shuddering here.
Even the usually headstrong Jeanne had her knees go weak a little there.
Now that the battle has begun, it is most likely impossible to run away already.
It may be possible to use Barrier Stones to take refuge temporarily, but this is the Lamia Nest. In the time we are cooped in the barrier, the Lamias will increase in numbers, and it would be clear that our escape would be made even more difficult.
We are at the very center of enemy territory.
“…No choice but to do this. We came here with that intention to begin with, right, Kuro, Reya?” (Jeanne)
“No, I would have wanted to do this after defeating all the Lamias.” (Hikaru)
“Don’t ask for such luxury here. It is a monster that sometimes doesn’t even show up when looking for it, you know?” (Jeanne)
“Yeah, I get it.” (Hikaru)
We don’t have the time to be complaining here.
We did come here to fight the Scylla, so we have researched info of her properly beforehand.
No matter how strong of a monster it is, a monster that already has the information on how to win against it isn’t that much of a threat…in theory.
We know that it doesn’t use Spirit Abilities.
We know that it doesn’t jump.
We know its attack range.
Know its element.
Most of all, we have more than a hundred instances of battle information of when it has been defeated.
If our levels are reasonable, even if there’s a difference between information and actual combat, the chances of losing decrease greatly.
“…That said, the Lamias are a hindrance.” (Hikaru)
The problem is that there’s still a lot of Lamias. It is way too much to fight at the same time.
Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like the Scylla and the Lamias are coordinated here, but it doesn’t change the fact that they are both aiming for us.
“Hikaru, what should we do?!” (Rifreya)
“Kuro, what do we do?!” (Jeanne)
Seeing the whole battlefield and giving orders is my job.
For now, I would like to avoid getting pushed from all sides.
“Rifreya, reduce the number of Lamias as you have been until now! Jeanne, keep the Scylla at bay! I will assist you two!” (Hikaru)
“Okay!” (Rifreya)
“Got it!” (Jeanne)
The Scylla opens up her tentacles as if spreading open wings, and shrieks.
It is an action like that of a wild animal that has identified you as an enemy and is intimidating you.
“A giant boss battle, huh. My blood is boiling!” (Jeanne)
The eyes of Jeanne were burning and she faced the giant monster that’s several times her size.
She puts up her shield and takes on the whip-like attack of the Scylla’s tentacle.
“Myaaaaaaaah!!”
The inhuman scream of the Scylla.
She backsteps the bite of the wolf head, and she was protecting herself behind her shield from the sweeping attacks of the many tentacles that were sending everything along with the Lamias flying away.
It is obviously going to be difficult to switch to the offensive there, but in terms of defense, she is dealing with that ferocious monster in higher than equal footing.
“[Darkness Fog]!” (Hikaru)
I cut to the back while defeating the hindering Lamias, and activate the dark fog on only the upper half of the Scylla. The Scylla is not a snake woman like the Lamias. In other words, there’s the chance that the darkness works on her.
It is also because I could tell from the battle just now that she was following the movements of Jeanne with her eyes.
The Scylla let out an annoying cry while blindly swinging her tentacles.
You might get hit by it if not careful, so this in itself is still dangerous, but if you properly take distance, she is harmless in this state.
Several Lamias were being caught in this blind rage of the Scylla and were being torn apart.
It is an outrageous strength. If I were to get hit by that, I would be dead before I even have time to heal.
“Rifreya, darkness works on the Scylla! For now, defeat the Lamias at a safe distance from her! Jeanne, take distance and deal with the Lamias first! I will handle the Scylla! Try not to get close to the Scylla! The range of the tentacles is wide!” (Hikaru)
If darkness works, it would be better for me to be its opponent.
Seeing that Jeanne took distance from the Scylla, I spread the range of the Darkness Fog.
I take out a Spirit Energy Potion and drink it.
“Close, [Dark Coffin]!” (Hikaru)
Scyllas are monsters without much movement speed.
Also, its big body.
Dark Coffin is strong but slow in its activation, so it is a good ability against this monster.
“Aa—Ami—Aaa—……”
A dark coffin of 20 sides seals the giant octopus woman inside the darkness.
(…Did it work? But…it doesn’t look like it will be hanging for long.) (Hikaru)
We are dealing with a monster that has mighty strength.
It most likely surpasses the Demon Lord we fought before in terms of plain strength.
My Spirit Energy is being sapped away at outstanding speed just from maintaining the ability.
“Full! I will summon the Dark Knight here! We won’t be able to put our strength in watching out for you there, so if a monster comes, break the Barrier Stone without hesitation!” (Hikaru)
Sound travels well inside the cave.
Full, who was sneaking peeks inside the cave from the entrance, responded with an ‘understood-nyan’, and I immediately began channeling my Spirit Energy.
A Barrier Stone costs 1 Point, so it is a decently valuable item, but this is the time we should be using them.
“Summon: [Dark Knight]!” (Hikaru)
“Create: [Undead]!” (Hikaru)
Using abilities while maintaining Dark Coffin is pretty rough, but in the time the Scylla is sealed, we have to create a certain degree of breathing room here.
I squeeze out my Spirit Energy and summon 2 allies.
I could tell by feeling that the Dark Knight that was summoned as the bodyguard of Full had already disappeared from running out of time.
The one I summoned with Create Undead was the reliable Lizardman zombie. We have been storing the Chaotic Spirit Stones without selling them, so I can still call more of them.
By the way, the second one I summoned was hit by a Lamia and perished.
The number of Lamias is finally showing signs of decreasing.
It seems like it has peaked. Looks like we are slowly reaching the end.
I am picking up the Spirit Stones falling to the ground with Shadow Storage when possible, so they aren’t getting in the way.
“Dark Knight, enter the coffin and attack the Scylla! You can kill it, and if that’s not possible, please reduce the number of tentacles. Lizardman, you help in wiping out the Lamias!” (Hikaru)
I also fight the Lamias while giving orders.
Honestly speaking, Lamias have violence in numbers. It is by no means a situation where we can take it easy. Rifreya is specialized in attacking, but it also in part makes it easy for her to take damage.
Rifreya can win against a Lamia 1-vs-1 without receiving any damage, but in a situation where several rush towards her, there’s the luck factor coming into play too.
On the other hand, Jeanne is stable no matter the situation, but her attack power is lacking compared to Rifreya.
In a situation where 2 come in the time you are defeating 1, it is definitely not favorable.
Jeanne can only deal with around 3 at the same time.
Even with all this going on, more Lamias are gathering around Jeanne.
“Guh, these guys… Is this an endless wave zone?” (Jeanne)
Jeanne was blocking the attacks of the Lamias while utilizing that momentum to swing her sword and sever their arms and bodies at the same time.
With her physical strength and the hellfire steel sword, the defensive power of the Lamia’s skin is practically paper. In other words, it is almost impossible to block it.
Even so, you still get pushed back with superior numbers.
The persistence of the Lamias was making even Jeanne irritated here. She wants to fight the Scylla -the Boss monster- so it is a natural response from her though.
But the Lamias are desperate too. More than a 100 of them have already been defeated. There’s no doubt they are seeing us as their sworn enemies.
In the time Jeanne was having trouble with a dual-wielding Lamia, more Lamias swarmed her.
“Kuh!” (Jeanne)
“Jeanne! [Shadow Bind]! [Shade Shift]!” (Hikaru)
I immediately went to assist her and defeat 1.
Even while fighting here, I am continuing to maintain the Dark Coffin of the Scylla, and my body is heating up from running out of Spirit Energy.
That said, I can’t not use abilities here.
Rifreya is having a tough time here too. She is scratched all over and spilling blood.
But the Lamias are not giving us any time to heal ourselves.
We still have the battle with the Scylla, but we are still lacking any signs of an end, yet our resources are drying out.
“Mi—a—mi—mi—!”
“Wa, seriously?!” (Hikaru)
*Crack*
A cracking sound resonated, and the Dark Coffin broke.
The Dark Knight and the Scylla come out from inside.
Dark Knight-kun must have tried quite hard there -you could also say it is natural since he was against an opponent that can’t move- it managed to cut off 4 tentacles.
The cut off tentacles were bouncing on the ground just like the legs of an octopus.
The Scylla has received sword wounds on her upper body too. Her deep crimson eyes were burning in hatred, and she is moving her tentacles to deal a vengeful blow onto the Dark Knight.
“[Darkness Fog]! Dark Knight, fall back. Deal with the Lamias!” (Hikaru)
In this situation, the Dark Knight is a valuable ally. I have no spare energy left to summon it again. I can’t have it be defeated by the Scylla helplessly.
The Scylla that was caught in the darkness swings her tentacles blindly.
But we are outside her range.
A pitiful Lamia was caught in it, but I more than welcome friendly fire.
Darkness works on the Scylla, so it is serving to hinder her for now, but we can’t relax.
There’s still the possibility of her relying on sound to charge at us which could lead to someone dying.
She is strong just by pure body mass. Even without doing an actual attack, you can die just from being body slammed from that.
“Dark Coffin…not possible. With my remaining Spirit Energy, it won’t even last a minute. Bind will barely be of use. Me getting close to fight her…would be reckless.” (Hikaru)
Honestly speaking, it would be difficult for me to fight the Scylla in close combat.
I may be wearing armor, but I don’t think I would be able to endure an attack from that. Rifreya would be able to barely take a hit if she blocks it with her sword, but testing that out would be dangerous.
We would need something like Jeanne blocking, breaking the Scylla’s posture, and attacking; that kind of flow in order to deal any significant hit.
“Jeanne, switch! I’m counting on you with the Scylla!” (Hikaru)
“I’ve been waiting!” (Jeanne)
Thanks to the work of Dark Knight-kun, we have gotten some breathing room, so we switch.
This time, I joined in the efforts of wiping out the Lamias.
The Scylla has half the amount of tentacles she had before. If Jeanne concentrates on defending, she should be able to buy several minutes.
Even in the clearing strategy of the guild, it said that it is the established tactic to cut off her tentacles before defeating the main body.
“Let’s go! [Shadow Bind]! [Shade Shift]!” (Hikaru)
The next instant I cast the abilities that are suitable for close combat and are low cost…
<<Congratulations! You are the first Chosen to raise all your contracted Spirit Abilities to Mid Tier. You will be awarded 3 Points.>>
“Eh, what?! Mid Tier?” (Hikaru)
My mind couldn’t keep up with the sudden happening, and the voice continued.
<<Congratulations! You are the first Chosen who can use Chaotic Abilities by your own power. You will be awarded 5 Points.>>
“E-Eh?!” (Hikaru)
I defeat a bound Lamia while in my confusion.
Chaotic Abilities.
I certainly heard that.
I found the chance and opened my Status Board.
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[Dark Spirit Ability]
Tier 3 Ability
・View of Darkness [Dark Sense] Proficiency 86
・Falsehood of Darkness [Shadow Morph] Proficiency 0
・Transformation of Darkness [Phantom Warrior] Proficiency 76
・Deposition of Darkness [Shadow Storage] Proficiency 98
・Casket of Darkness [Dark Coffin] Proficiency 21
・Call of Darkness [Summon: Dark Knight] Proficiency 25
Tier 5 Ability
・Revelation of Darkness [Darkness Fog] Proficiency 2
Special Technique
・Return of Darkness [Create: Undead] Proficiency 16
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“…Shade Morph. Shade Shift has gone up a tier then!” (Hikaru)
The Falsehood of Darkness that was the only Tier 2 in the Dark Spirit Ability entries has finally evolved into the next ability.
The Darkness Fog has also leveled up.
And then, below it, that was shown…
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[Chaotic Ability]
・Terror of Chaos [Fear] Proficiency 0
・Shatter of Chaos [Dispel] Proficiency 0
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Those are without doubt the abilities that the Demon Lord used.
