That monster is dangerous... No matter how you look at it, it’s bad news.

A one-eyed giant… must be a Cyclops or something? I really hope it doesn't start shooting beams out of its eye.

I have no idea why it's crying and screaming, but it's a threat in more ways than one. This giant is likely the target of my "Divine Guidance"—Arges of the Altar. Like that bear from before, it can speak, so I'm fairly certain it's the one. If so, I won't fulfill the Guidance unless we take it down.

Actually, the Guidance doesn't even matter right now. One way or another, we have to defeat any monster that makes it out of the mine.

"Diana! About the reinforcements you asked Priestess-sama in Erische, do you know how long it will take for them to arrive?"

"P-Probably about an hour, nodesu!"

"That's a long time..."

Right now, it's just the one-eyed giant, but soon Orcs, Goblins, and all sorts of other monsters will start pouring out. It's impossible to contain them all. Our current fighting force is limited.

But you can't just run from monsters. Even if you hide, they'll track your magical signature and hunt you down. Technically, we could probably save ourselves and flee, and no one would blame us. But my girls... they'd never choose to run.

And honestly, since this mess is almost certainly connected to my Divine Guidance, I feel like I have to do whatever I can. Of course, if reinforcements from Erische arrive, I plan to happily leave it to them.

I finally understand why a Hitotsuzuki is such a dreaded disaster. If you aren't perfectly prepared, there will be casualties. People will die.

This is a problem.

While I was busy overthinking things, Shamash-san had already moved. She was ready to fight. Raising her arm, she manifested the same ice spears she used against the Goblins.

Six sharp icicles hovered in the air. The massive Cyclops was a target so large you couldn't miss even if you tried. With a flick of Shamash-san's wrist, the spears shot forward like bullets. It looked like a direct hit, but—

"Resisted!?"

The ice shattered against a transparent, wall-like barrier surrounding the giant. Four out of the six spears were neutralized instantly.

A magic nullification ability, perhaps... I didn't even know something like that existed. I was planning to rely on Shamash-san as our heavy hitter, so this is a major blow. Still, two spears hit home. Maybe we can overwhelm this monster with sheer volume?

The giant, meanwhile, looked down at the icicles stuck in it with a look of pure confusion. It was an incredibly stupid-looking expression, which somehow made it even scarier. It's the type where you have no idea what it'll do next.

"U-UOOOHHH! I-I HURTSSSSS! WHY WOULD YOU DO THATTTTT!?"

Lemon-sized tears began streaming from its giant eye as it wailed.

"So monsters feel pain..."

"Everything about it is outside the norm. What even is that thing?"

Even Rebecca-san seemed a bit taken aback. I thought monsters were just "phenomena" spawned from mana pools? This Arges entity feels way too biological.

The Cyclops, having shed enough tears to form a puddle, angrily raised the hammer in its right hand with a whoosh. Around the head of the hammer, blue, white, and yellow sparks began to flicker. The sound of high-voltage snapping reached us even from here.

...This is bad. That thing is definitely bad news...!

"Shamash-san, get out of there!" I shouted.

Shamash and the Cyclops were still about fifteen meters apart. Shamash looked back at me, tilting her head. She might not understand why I'm yelling for her to run.

The hammer came down with incredible force.

Even the Cyclops should know it physically couldn't reach her. It may be a completely idiotic monster, but it probably isn't that utterly stupid.

As the lightning-charged hammer hit the ground, multiple bolts of lightning spread out in all directions.

"—!?"

Even Shamash-san couldn't dodge lightning closing in at near light speed. A fountain of light erupted from the impact point. There was no avoiding it.

The strike hit her directly. Her body stiffened with a jolt. Powerlessly, Shamash-san collapsed.

I knew it... Is lightning even supposed to travel horizontally like that!? I don't know the physics, but she was definitely electrocuted. A lightning-attribute hammer. A literal Thunderbolt Hammer.

I once bought a stun gun for Diana and Marina to use for self-defense and tested it on myself—it was no joke. Your body literally stops working. This looked like a much more magical version of that.

Fortunately, it looked like Shamash-san was still conscious, so the damage wasn't fatal. Then again, electrocution is serious business; maybe she just got lucky that the output wasn't higher. If that AOE attack had lethal power, this fight would be over. Even so, being temporarily paralyzed is a huge problem.

"Marina! Come with me, we're retrieving Shamash-san!"

"Understood, de-arimasu!"

"Diana, get the Spirit Stones ready. We'll use them if things get hairy!"

"Eh? Ah, yes!"

I dashed out to grab Shamash-san. She was twitching like in a manga; if I didn't get her out of there, the giant would eventually just step on her and turn her into mince. I needed to think of a plan and execute it fast. We were low on time, which meant we had to be efficient.

The Cyclops was currently preoccupied trying to pull the ice spears out of its shoulder, paying us no mind. Thank God it wasn't the "relentlessly finish off the enemy" type. Since it was still fifteen meters away, retrieving Shamash-san was easy. We hauled her back to the group.

"Ugh... I'm sorry. You saved me. To charge in like that only to fail so miserably... how embarrassing."

She was still a bit buzzy, but she seemed surprisingly okay. It felt more like a "Stun" status effect than raw damage.

"Don't worry about it, nobody could have predicted that. I'm just glad you're okay."

"The shock paralyzed me, but I don't feel any lasting damage... However, that is a terrifying monster. It resists magic, too..."

"Are you sure you're not hurt?"

Normally, lightning would leave some nasty internal damage. Maybe she's fine because she's a Demon?

"Yes, I can neutralize some magical effects. I am a Demon, after all... But you all won't be so lucky. If you can't counter that lightning, you can't win this fight, can you?"

She was right. If it used that AOE while we were all in range, it could be a total party wipe. And we weren't just fighting the Cyclops; we had the regular monsters to deal with too. I really didn't want to be eaten alive while paralyzed.

"Anyway, let's figure out what to do. We need to handle this before things escalate. Fortunately, the giant is slow. If we can kite it, we can buy time, but the problem is..."

I looked toward the mine entrance, which was still quiet for the moment. Shamash-san nodded, understanding my concern.

"...Right. Since the Mimic was destroyed, the regular monsters will start pouring out soon. Monsters haven't made it out of the mines in Lucraela for years. The residents won't know how to handle it."

If that happened, the casualties would be unimaginable. I didn't know the exact population of Lucraella, but the death toll would be massive. We had to funnel all the monsters into one path using a decoy. But we didn't have enough people.

I glanced over at the Cyclops. It was staring at us with a slack-jawed, vacant expression. A massive single eye. Turquoise-blue iris. Flat nose. Two tusks protruding from its lower lip. A mohawk. Half-naked.

...It looks like a total punk. Even the way it swung the hammer reminded me of a punk rocker smashing a guitar or a bass.

The area was clear of civilians now. The local warriors Shamash-san had instructed must have spread the word and evacuated everyone. The Marco siblings were gone too. That meant we were the only targets left. Which was fine by me.

The giant began thumping toward us. It was creepy because I couldn't tell what it was thinking, but for such a large creature, it moved incredibly slowly—about the speed of a human walking.

We began to retreat down the mountain path, keeping a consistent distance from it while we held our war council. We ignored its yelling: "WHAAAAT? ARE YOU GUYS RUNNNNING?? NO WAYYYYY!"

I checked the mine entrance. No other monsters yet, but it was only a matter of time.

"If only I could set up the Twilight Mimic again..."

Shamash-san muttered.

That would be the best-case scenario. If a full swarm got out, it would be a bloodbath.

"Rebecca-san, what do you think?"

"Maybe we should hold this big giant back while the Demon-san sneaks into the mine?"

"Yeah, that's the smart move, but there's a problem. Monsters are attracted to large mana sources, right? They'll all just swarm Shamash-san. She'll be caught in a pincer attack. Ideally, a decoy unit should pull all the active monsters away so Shamash-san can quickly set the Mimic and get out."

No regular monsters had emerged yet. The ones that were out before likely fell into the sub-space created by the Twilight Mimic. But now that the Mimic is gone, the new spawns will come out without end. We had to fix this immediately.

"No... I can't ask you to do that. This is Lucraella's problem."

"Shamash-san, we're past the point of arguing. If we're going to do this, we need the most efficient plan. The best thing you can do is quickly and safely set that Mimic so no more monsters come out. Or, if you can't do the Mimic, just use magic to collapse the entrance and bury it."

We didn't have time for a back-and-forth. Every second was precious.

"Thank you, Ayase-kun... In that case, let's make a Monster Torch."

"A Monster Torch?"

"Using Mana Crystals as a base, I can create a torch that attracts monsters. If you can act as a decoy for just a little while, I'll be back before you know it."

Oh, that's handy.

"I'll make it now. While the flame is lit, every monster in the vicinity will be drawn to it, so be careful... Are you really sure about this?"

"Let's just get moving. If things get too dangerous, we'll just throw the torch and run."

"Understood... Thank you."

She gripped a handful of Mana Crystals and began chanting a spell under her breath. The crystals transformed into a single, pale blue torch. A flickering, surreal black flame—looking like it had been drawn with ink—glowed atop it.

"Whoa."

"There. Now every monster should prioritize this. I'll be back soon, so please, stay safe."

"Yeah. Wait, do you need a guard? Monsters are coming out, it'll be tough alone. I can send Marina or go myself."

"No need. I'll have to fight some, but I'll use my Invisibility magic to slip through."

Invisibility too? She really has a diverse toolkit. I'm jealous of the "natural cheats" of this fantasy world. If I had invisibility in the real world, I'd probably only use it for dine-and-dashing.

"Good luck then. Be careful."

"Of course. I'm going to be your slave, after all."

She gave a cheerful, bright laugh. That sounded like a massive death flag, I thought, but I kept it to myself. She'll be fine. Honestly, we're the ones in more danger.

As Shamash-san cast her invisibility magic, her presence instantly faded. She took a long detour and began to sneak toward the mine. The Monster Torch worked perfectly; the Cyclops didn't even notice her and kept coming toward us. Monsters were already starting to peek out of the mine entrance. If she was caught, her life would be like a candle in the wind. But I had to trust her.

"Alright! Everyone, let's move! We'll retreat while taking out any monsters that outpace the Cyclops! Etowa, take the torch and lead the way! Elepipi, you carry the gear and guard Etowa! Diana, keep those Spirit Stones ready so you can use healing magic at a moment's notice! Marina, Rebecca-san, and I will handle the fighting! Oyakata, Current master, please help protect Etowa and the others! Ion-san, stay in the middle!"

* * *

"So what's the plan, Jirou? Retreating is fine, but if we keep heading down this path, we'll hit the town in no time, you know?"

"You're right... I wish there were some warriors in Lucraella we could rely on."

Lucraella has an old mine that's turned into a dungeon, and I've heard there are warriors—or adventurers, maybe—who make their living there. Realistically, those kinds of professional adventurers are probably the only ones we can rely on.

The warriors assigned to the mine would have their own duties to protect it (even with the Twilight Mimic set up, they can't just abandon their post), and unlike Erische, Lucraella doesn't seem to have any permanently stationed knights. There are apparently some military police, but I can't expect much from them in terms of combat strength.

At this point, whether the designated elf of Lucraella will help us or not is the real deciding factor.

"In any case, we have no choice but to fight. That's what it comes down to."

"That's fine, but what about that attack from earlier? The flashy one?"

Even Rebecca-san seems to have trouble with lightning.

"It surprised me, but it was kind of pretty, de-arimasu."

"The sound was incredible! It went rumble-rumble-flash, so it's definitely lightning!"

As Marina said, if you looked at it purely aesthetically, it was pretty. But it was also a vicious attack. Etowa seemed to have correctly deduced its nature as lightning as well.

"I have something I want to try regarding that attack. If we don't seal that move, we won't be able to do anything except long-range combat."

"Eh? How? Are you going to use a shield?"

"No, Rebecca-san. I don't think a shield can block that."

The shield would probably just conduct the electricity and fry the person holding it. In fact, a metal shield might even make things worse.

"Then what are you going to do?"

"Just watch. And if it goes south, please retrieve me like you did with Shamash-san."

"A-Aruji-dono! Are you sure you'll be okay, de-arimasu...?"

"I'll be fine... probably. If worst comes to worst, we have Diana's magic. It shouldn't kill me in one hit. But even if it looks bad, do not jump in, Marina."

"U-Understood, de-arimasu."

I borrowed a one-handed sword from Elepipi and stepped forward. The Cyclops stopped in its tracks, looking at me with a suspicious expression.

"WHAAAAATT? YOU STOPPPEDDDD RUNNINGGGG?"

It really was quite talkative. I wondered if we could actually communicate.

"Just for a bit. More importantly, is your name Arges?"

"THAAAAT'S RIGHT. HOW'D YA KNOOOOW? AM I THAT FAMOUS?"

"U-Uh, yeah..."

"I SEEE... FAMOUS... SHISHI, SHISHISHISHI!"

Arges covered its mouth and let out a snickering giggle. It really was a strange creature.

Anyway, that confirmed it. If I defeat this thing, the Divine Guidance is complete. Or rather, it felt so obviously like it appeared because of my Guidance that I felt like I should apologize to the residents of Lucraella.

But hey, this was an act of god! It's the event planner's fault! The spirits' fault! Not mine!

Arges sat there laughing, showing no immediate sign of attacking. For a monster, it was frustratingly un-aggressive. Even though it had declared it would kill everyone on the surface when it first appeared.

As I took a few more steps forward, Arges stopped laughing and took a serious stance.

"OOPPPSSS! ALMOST GOT TRICKED THEREEEE! TAKE ONE MORE STEP AND IT'S ZAP ZAP FOR YOUUU!"

I wasn't trying to trick it, but it seemed to be on guard. Well, I did lie about him being famous, so maybe that counts.

"Your zappy thing doesn't work on me. Actually, all of us are carrying charms that make us immune to zappy stuff."

I bluffed shamelessly.

"T-THAT'S A LIEEE! MY ZAP ZAP IS MY FINISHING MOVEEE!"

"If you think I'm lying, go ahead and try it."

"NO WAAAYYY! YOU'RE DEFINITELY LYINGGG!"

It raised both arms and started throwing a tantrum, shouting "Liar, liar!" I wanted it to just get on with it, but since this was buying time, I figured this wasn't so bad.

"UOOOOOHHHHH! EAT THISSSSSS!!!"

The giant finally swung the lightning-charged hammer. It was the same big, slow motion as before.

"Here we go."

I thrust the steel sword I'd borrowed from Elepipi into the ground right in front of me and stepped back.

The next moment, centering on the hammer Arges slammed down, bolts of lightning arched through the air with a thunderous roar, creating a fountain of light.

But—

"?"

"See? Doesn't work, right?"

"???"

Arges blinked its massive single eye and tilted its head as it saw me shrugging, completely unharmed. I wasn't about to tell it, but it definitely wasn't "cute."

* * *

"WHAAAAAT! AGAIN?! WHY ISN'T IT WORKINGGGG?!"

The Cyclops screamed.

It was fuming because its pride-and-joy lightning attack had been neutralized multiple times.

To be honest, I was barely keeping it together, but we needed it to believe we were immune. And if it stopped using that attack, the fight would become much easier.

"Amazing, de-arimasu. Aruji-dono is a wizard, de-arimasu."

"Fuhahaha! Even the Federation's new beam rifle is nothing if it doesn't hit!"

"I don't know what those words mean, but you sound very confident, de-arimasu!"

Marina cheered me on with wide-eyed admiration.

Heheh. I didn't watch all those The Horror of Lightning! specials on TV for nothing. It might have been luck that it worked so perfectly, but I'll take it.

"G-GRRRRR... DAMMITTT! EAT THIS ONEEEE!"

Refusing to learn its lesson, it slammed the hammer down again. Standing at the front once again, I simply thrust the steel sword I'd borrowed from Elepipi into the ground right in front of me and stepped back.

The erupting lightning was drawn to the sword, completing the circuit with a loud CRACK. The electricity dissipated into the ground.

Lightning doesn't have a will of its own. I didn't quite understand why the magic had a horizontal trajectory, but naturally, electricity wants to be absorbed into the earth. So, if you provide a metal rod as an intermediate path, it'll be guided there automatically. It's called a "lightning rod."

Ideally, we should surround it and attack together, but that would have to wait until we were sure about the lightning situation. Fortunately, Arges seemed a bit slow on the uptake, only thinking, "For some reason, it's being negated." I just hoped it would get frustrated and give up on the hammer.

By the way, the other monsters pouring out of the mine were getting caught in Arges's lightning and were being paralyzed. Since the Thunder Hammer sent bolts out in a 300-degree arc for about twenty meters, the monsters rushing toward our decoy torch were accidentally getting fried. Goblins died in a single shock, so it was actually quite powerful.

Honestly, since the massive Orcs made for pretty good obstacles once they were paralyzed, we could probably use them as shields if we kept them scattered around.

Now, time for counterattack!