Marina and I charged at Arges together.

The zap attack is meant for long range. He probably wouldn't use it in close quarters. Even if he does, the motion itself is full of openings—we can land a solid strike.

Plus, Arges's back is a safe zone for the zap. Just moving behind him after reading his motion should be enough to avoid it. Fighting close to him shouldn't be a problem.

"NUGUOOHHHHH! I'M GONNA KILL YOU ALLLLLL!"

Arges swung his hammer wildly. The strikes delivered by this super-buff giant packed incredible power and speed. The only saving grace was that they were wide swings. If you watched carefully, you could dodge them.

The attack patterns were monotonous, too. If we were facing an opponent with actual martial arts technique, we might have been wiped out instantly. But whether he was just an idiot or simply lacked skill, he did nothing but swing that hammer around.

However, blocking was out of the question. He was exactly like the bear we fought before—if his hit connected, it would be game over. We had no choice but to keep dodging. It was mentally exhausting, but we had to push through.

"Marina! You know the drill!"

"Understood, de-arimasu! I will fight while dodging!"

Marina slammed her halberd into the giant as they crossed paths. The deep purple axe blade struck the giant's exposed flank, sending shards of brilliant light scattering. Since monsters didn't have flesh and blood, there was no gore. Consequently, it was hard to tell exactly how much damage we were actually dealing.

"I guess it's the same pattern as the bear."

"It seems so, de-arimasu! But it feels even less substantial than the bear did!"

We backed off to dodge the hammer the giant was swinging like a maniac. Marina was fighting cautiously, which was a relief. No matter how brave she was, nobody would want to take a direct hit from a blunt instrument that was essentially a massive hunk of iron.

Using hit-and-run tactics, I closed in after a dodge and slashed the giant near his knee with my magic sword. More light fragments scattered, but the impact felt shallow. Maybe attacks just didn't penetrate well against a tough guy wearing armor of thick muscle.

The massive iron hammer swung recklessly with a heavy woosh. A blow like that would pulverize even a giant boulder. A human wouldn't stand a chance. In fact, an Orc that wandered too close got caught in the crossfire and was flattened instantly.

A chill ran down my spine. We were fine as long as our stamina held out, but I really wanted to end this as quickly as possible...

"Damn! His reach advantage is too much!"

I backed away.

"NUOOOHHH! WHY WON'T I HIT YOUUUU!?"

Arges threw another tantrum. This giant stood nearly three meters tall. No matter how long the blade of my two-handed sword was, there was a limit to my reach. At best, I could launch a surprise attack on his crotch and yell, "Weak point strike! Critical hit!" Incidentally, it didn't seem very effective.

In that regard, Marina's halberd was long enough to reach the giant's flank and chest. However, she had to overextend to reach those spots, so it didn't seem to be doing much damage either. Then again, even with the bear, there were almost no visible changes as we dealt damage. The damage should be accumulating, but...

"Marina, let's pull back for a second!"

"U-Understood!"

We retreated toward Diana and Ion-san. The giant was slow, so a quick dash gave us a bit of breathing room.

Elepipi, along with the two Oyakata, was guiding the evacuation of the locals. Although Elepipi was usually spaced out, when given a role, she performed it with remarkable vigor.

Etowa was leading the monsters away with the torch, keeping a safe distance. She was just a bit ahead of us, but if our line broke, the monsters would swarm her and the torch, so I made sure there was a decent gap between us. I'd given her strict orders to ditch the torch and run if she felt she was in danger, so it was fine.

Diana was playing the role of a healer with her spirit stones in hand. Ion-san, protected by the Shadow Knight, stayed by Diana's side—a pair of princesses.

I relayed the battle plan to Marina. Not that it was much of a “plan” beyond just trying what we could.

"Marina, the giant uses the hammer in his right hand, so he usually steps forward with his left leg when he swings."

"That is true, de-arimasu."

"So, let's focus our attacks on that left leg. If we can trip him up, we've got this. Then, we go for the eye. I don't know if that works on monsters, but it's a glaringly obvious weak point."

"Understood, de-arimasu!"

Targeting his only eye was a pretty dirty move, but there was no way I could ignore a spot that practically screamed “vulnerability.” If I could hit it, I would.

Further behind the giant, Rebecca-san was fighting like a demon against the Orcs. I'd asked her to clear out the smaller mobs while we handled the giant. Besides Goblins and Orcs, stone humanoids—probably Golems—had appeared.

Their numbers weren't high yet, and since most were slow, we were managing to pick them off one by one, but things would get hairy if this dragged on. No matter how strong Rebecca-san was, there was a limit to what one person could do.

Watching her, I noticed her fighting style was a bit different from Shello-san's.

"Her way of fighting... is very similar to Zack's..."

Ion-san murmured.

I wondered if Rebecca-san had learned swordsmanship from Isaac, or if she'd just picked it up by watching him. I had a feeling it was the latter.

If that were the case, did that mean Ion-san, who had been taught directly by Isaac, was also good with a sword? Well, even if her Prison Crest made it impossible now, I'd have to ask her eventually.

But first, we had to take down Arges.

I ran back toward the giant with Marina. I backstepped to dodge the downward hammer strike and delivered a diagonal upward slash to his left leg. Light shards scattered violently, and I felt the feedback of a decent hit.

"UGUOOOHHH! IT HURRRTSSSSS!"

He cried out in pain, but in true monster fashion, there was no blood and his movements didn't slow down. I started to doubt if he actually felt anything at all.

* * *

The battle continued as we slowly retreated.

It was too much to leave all the regular monsters to Rebecca-san, so Marina and I chipped in when we could. We managed to keep everyone safe as the fight wore on. However, we were getting close to the center of Lucraella.

...Just what is Lucraella's appointed elf doing?

There was still no sign of reinforcements. Naturally, the reinforcements from Erische would still take some time.

"Fuu... There's no end to them... I wonder if that Demon-san is really alright..."

Rebecca-san exhaled as she cut down an Orc.

She was right; monsters were still pouring out. I'd lost track of how many we'd killed. The haul of mana crystals must have been incredible, but we didn't have the luxury of picking them up.

"Most of the monsters are slow. If Shamash-san handles things well, the flow will stop eventually. We just have to hold out until then."

"Un. But my weapon might be reaching its limit..."

"Yeah..."

My magic sword didn't chip, and being a “magic sword,” it probably wouldn't break easily. Marina's halberd likely wasn't high-quality either, but its heavy construction meant it was still holding up. However, the sword Rebecca-san was using was borrowed from the Dwarf Master Smith.

Since she'd rushed out in a hurry, she hadn't exactly picked out a masterpiece. She'd been fighting stone Golems with it, so it made sense that it was either about to snap or had become hopelessly dull.

This is bad.

"For now, Marina and I will handle the hard monsters. Rebecca-san, focus on the Orcs... Man, I really wish we had some backup."

"I agree... The people in this town are kinda weird. Why hasn't anyone come to help?"

Exactly. Nobody was coming. Even if just that elf from the guild had stepped in, it would have made a massive difference...

The battle raged on. Marina was currently keeping the giant at bay, but he was still full of energy. I didn't feel like we were getting anywhere near defeating him. The only saving grace was that we were still dodging his attacks.

In the midst of all this, a Golem raised its arm and lunged to crush me. Its lumpy body was made of solid rock—it was beyond “hard.”

"Oraaaa!"

I slashed at its joints with all my strength.

According to Rebecca-san, even if it was made of rock, the moving parts were vulnerable as long as it was active. Sure enough, if I targeted the arm joints correctly, it was effective. The arm popped right off at the joint.

Since the Golem's only weapons were its arms, it became docile once both were removed. It was one of those strange monster traits—once they lost their means of attack, they stopped moving. Monsters in that state dropped slightly higher-quality mana crystals.

Well, I didn't have time for that, so once a monster stopped moving, I had to leave it be.

"One more!"

I timed my strike and swung at the other arm. But my aim was off. Gakin! The sword bit into the upper arm instead. If the blade deviated even slightly, the joint amputation would fail. The Golem didn't care that a sword was stuck in its arm; it kept attacking. It felt no pain.

"Crap...!"

The stone fist approached. If I let go of the sword, I could dodge easily, but I instinctively gripped it tighter.

Rebecca-san was busy mowing down Goblins some distance away. Marina was facing off against the giant and clearly had no room to help. No matter how much I practiced dodging, it wasn't the kind of skill that let you avoid a blow once it was already in motion—once you were in “checkmate.”

My training was about moving so I wouldn't be targeted and positioning myself so I wouldn't be hit. In a situation like this, there was no escape.

In the split second where I didn't even have time to scream, the Golem's rocky, rugged fist closed in. Without even a moment to prepare myself, I instinctively closed my eyes.

In that instant—

ZUGAGAGAGAN!

—A series of clashing sounds.

"...? Huh?"

When I opened my eyes, the Golem had been turned into a pincushion by ice spears and had stopped moving. A moment later, it vanished like smoke, leaving only its mana core behind.

"That was close. I'm sorry I'm late."

"...Your timing is way too cool."

Shamash-san apologized while still in her spell-casting stance. I felt relieved from the bottom of my heart. I really might have been at my limit.

* * *

"I intended to do it quickly and come right back, but because I made the torch, monsters in the mine started spawning one after another. I had no choice but to move cautiously."

That seemed to be the reason for Shamash-san's delay.

Well, certainly, the way these monsters were spawning was no joke. Since she had run back through the path where this army was advancing all by herself... it's a wonder she didn't run into any accidents. In fact, it seemed there was a brawl around the time she set the mimic trap.

"Because of that, my magic power is empty. I'm sorry, but I won't be able to use magic for a while. Forgive me for being useless. Well, I can use summoning magic, so I'll contribute through that."

"No, you're a huge help!"

The battle continued even as we spoke.

I slashed through the annoying Goblins that were swarming us with hand axes. Goblins were hardly a threat, but their numbers were still their numbers. I had to pay at least a minimum amount of attention, and honestly, I was starting to get really tired. Even if I wasn't, I had to do something about Arges quickly.

"Ayase-kun, let me have some magic stones. I'll summon the strongest magical beast I can call. It won't be able to manifest for long, but it should be of help."

Shamash-san gathered the magic crystals scattered around. To be honest, I was in a situation where I'd take any help I could get. If she could summon a strong magical beast, it would be a lifesaver. I didn't care how many magic crystals we used at this point—just keep summoning them!

Shamash-san placed the large pile of magic crystals she had gathered (more than ten times what was used for the Shadow Knight) on the ground and began to chant the spell solemnly and loudly. A faint crimson aura rose from her.

〈O thousands, tens of thousands of stars, beacons in the dark, become order's path.〉

〈O all-powerful king, spear of sycophants, sword of traitors.〉

〈O guardian of order, child of destruction, Shaitan who rules the demons.〉

〈Descend. Manifest. From hell to hell, become incarnate.〉

〈I am the dream-wielder Nightmare, Shamash Aureole.〉

〈Manifest according to my wish—Evil Eye!〉

Shamash-san's aura erupted like a raging storm. It was a long chant. Apparently, it summoned an incredibly powerful monster. The light shone so brightly that I had to look away, and what appeared afterward was—

"Fuwawawawawa! The enemies are here! Fuwa! Fuwawa!"

"............"

"Fuwaa!"

A giant eyeball creature floated in the sky. Numerous tentacles with eyeballs at their ends dangled and wriggled beneath it. And yet, even though she didn't seem to have a mouth, she started talking in a girl-like voice, going “fuwawa fuwawa.”

"Something dangerous in many ways has appeared!"

"Dangerous? This Evil Eye-chan is powerful. The drawback is that her summoning time is short and her fuel efficiency is poor. Now, Ai-chan! Turn the monsters into ash, one after another!"

"Fuwa! Fuwawawa! I'll do it—DEATH!"

Ai-chan (temporary name) floated up into the sky. A deep red aura rose from the eyeballs dancing and fluttering about. It was truly surreal.

Perhaps because they were both one-eyed, Arges was also staring at Ai-chan with a dumb look on his face and his mouth wide open.

"Eat this—DEATH! Overflowing Eye (Ai)!"

Ai-chan's ten tentacles aimed at the monsters like gun barrels.

Flash! In an instant, dazzling destruction beams were fired from the small eyeballs at the tips of the tentacles without interruption. She pierced through the monsters one by one, methodically wiping them out. Terrifying power. Instead of being turned to ash, the monsters were simply erased.

"Fuwawa! A clean sweep—DEATH! Kyun-kyun!"

"Well done, Ai-chan! As expected, you're reliable."

Shamash-san patted Ai-chan's head over and over. Evil Eye squinted her eyes and went “fuwawawawa.”

...What even is this?

Ai-chan was taking care of the small-fry monsters. Floating in the air, she fired magic from a height where enemy attacks couldn't reach.

According to Shamash-san, she could manipulate many types of magic and was almost entirely immune to magic herself. Just hearing about it, she sounded like the strongest creature imaginable. I felt that if a monster like this appeared naturally, we'd be doomed. However, I was told she was completely weak to projectiles like arrows, so I guess everything has weaknesses after all.

As for us, we were still running in circles against Arges as usual. The three of us—Marina, Rebecca-san, and I—repeated hit-and-run attacks, but we weren't making any progress.

"Ayase-kun! Come here for a second!"

Shamash-san, who had been watching the battle with Diana and Ion-san, shouted.

"This is a bit hard to say, Ayase-kun... but your attacks are hardly getting through to that thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I can tell by the feeling of the magic power contained within the monster... but it seems that other than the attacks from your magic sword, nothing is having much effect."

"Are you serious?"

Doesn't that mean I have to fight him alone? No thanks.

"It's probably better to have the others take care of the other monsters and have you fight alongside Ai-chan. However, that thing has magic resistance..."

In other words, no matter how well we dodged or nullified the lightning attacks, we couldn't defeat him due to a lack of attack power. This was a serious problem.

Even while we were talking, Rebecca-san and Marina worked together to close in on Arges. Rebecca-san's powerful blow hit Arges's left knee! He didn't fall. The strategy of aiming for the left leg to trip him up wasn't working very well either. In fact—

"Ah."

Rebecca-san's sword snapped cleanly at the base.

This is really bad.

Rebecca-san retreated while cursing, clearly frustrated. In her place, I sent the Shadow Knight toward Arges, but it was erased after taking a single hit. It seemed to be no match for a boss-class monster. Rest in peace.

"Ayase-kun. Let's try the sword you brought, even if it's a long shot."

Huh? Are you talking about the [Rusty Sword -2]?

Well... it was certainly worth a try... maybe? Marina's attacks weren't getting through, and Rebecca-san's longsword had broken. Elepipi's sword was one-handed, and its attack power would be even lower. At this rate, we'd be in a stalemate no matter what.

Shamash-san took the rusty sword from my inventory along with a handful of magic crystals. After muttering a spell, the usual blinding light followed.

"Look... It seems we hit the jackpot more than I expected."

With a grin, Shamash-san held a beautiful, heavy longsword that shone like a jewel, bearing no resemblance to the rusty sword from before.

"This is... a Holy Sword."