I Was a Small Fish When I Reincarnated, but It Seems That I Can Become a Dragon, so I Will Do My Best - Extra Chapter 255
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Naoya : AION Mall Otherworldly Store
Maria : Mebius World Online
9-3. Ambush
“Ouren-san, how did you not notice!?”
“Huh?”
“Why didn’t you warn us!?”
“Didn’t seem worth mentioning…”
“Please don’t judge based on your standards, Ouren-san! Amariaz, you noticed too, right?!”
“Yup.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“If I did, they’d know we noticed them.”
Pop pop pop pop!
A series of sharp sounds rang out as the hidden ambushers were blown away.
“Huh!?”
“Whoever notices handles it. That’s normal, right?”
As Amariaz spoke, the explosive sounds grew even more intense. It seemed that from the moment he realized there were ambushers, he’d already begun setting up his Air Pressure Swords. The ambushers leaping at us were all blown away, completely thwarting their surprise attack.
Ouren-san must have known Amariaz was handling it, which is why he didn’t say anything.
“It seems there is no need for us to intervene,” said Abyss.
“Indeed. Boring,” added Iubora.
“Come on, don’t say that! If it’s easy, we can save our strength,” I tried to reassure them.
“We came to fight, not to stand around bored.”
“U-uh… Iubora, Nii-chan, calm down! Houen-san, say something too!”
“…Do you really want to waste your energy on such weaklings?”
“”No way.”” we responded in unison.
“Then stay calm until the real fight begins.”
Abyss gave Houen-san an impressed look. He was used to calming down hot-headed individuals. After all, he had calmed many rowdy adventurers in the past. While his direct approach had sometimes backfired, his strength always silenced any complaints. Nostalgic memories of those days made the corners of his mouth lift slightly.
Meanwhile, the sounds of the Air Pressure Swords continued, but they started to dwindle. The stockpile of swords Amariaz had prepared was running low. Finally, they were all used up.
“That was the last one. I think we took out quite a few, but… what do you think?”
“There are still plenty left. Those robes seem to provide decent protection. It would be better to take them out individually, rather than relying on area attacks,” Ouren-san observed.
“I agree.”
Ouren-san reached out, and water materialized from thin air, forming into spears. Hundreds of spears took shape and, in unison, flew towards the enemy. Some tried to block the attack, but it was a skill. Their magic was useless against it, and any regular swords would simply break.
As expected, most of the enemies were taken down by that single attack. Yet more enemies continued to appear from seemingly nowhere.
“Whoa, what’s with these guys? Are they clones or something?” I muttered.
“Ouren,” Houen-san called.
“I know, Houen. Staying here is pointless. Leave this to me,” Ouren-san said confidently.
“Quite the extravagant rear guard.”
“I’ll finish this quickly. Amariaz, you know the direction to their base, right?”
“No problem.”
“Good. Mist Manipulation.”
The mist began to thicken. It rapidly deepened until it became so dense that even a few meters ahead was impossible to see.
I can’t see a thing in this fog…
Whoa!
Suddenly, something wrapped around my hand. The moment I realized it was a slimy substance, I understood it was Tekeris-san. He pulled me along, guiding the way. It seemed he was helping us navigate through the thick mist.
Using the mist to escape the large number of enemies was probably the simplest solution. They just kept appearing, seemingly without end… but I wonder where they were all coming from.
Ouren-san can handle that, though. His massive mana reserves will take care of it, no doubt. Meanwhile, I should cast Substitution on Amariaz. He’s the most vulnerable here, so it’ll be better to wait until the mist clears.
With Tekeris-san leading us through the dense mist, we advanced steadily. Before long, the mist started to thin out, and I could make out the shapes of my companions moving relatively nearby. No one appeared injured.
Suddenly, something shifted at the edge of my vision. Startled, I clenched my fist and turned to see a massive eye staring right at me. Without hesitation, I lashed out.
“Explosive Fist!”
BOOM!
The mist dispersed in an instant, revealing the true form of the creature. A massive moth-like monster was flung away by the shockwave of my Explosive Fist. As it tumbled, its many legs flailed before it stood up again, staring at us. What I had thought was a giant eye was actually a pattern on its wings.
“Everyone, cover your mouths!” I shouted.
“Right, it’s a moth after all!” Houen-san quickly instructed.
Moths tend to release toxic scales, and Houen-san likely suspected they might be dangerous. I couldn’t defend against poison, so I covered my mouth with my clothes and tried to avoid inhaling the scales. But before we had to worry, Houen-san stepped forward and activated his flame skills.
BOOM—an explosion ignited in the wrong direction, but it still burned away the scales floating in the air. Pockets of flame erupted all around, revealing that clumps of the scales had been scattered everywhere.
“Time to burn it down. Flame Manipulation.”
Flames emerged from Houen-san’s hands, creeping across the ground toward the giant moth. It seemed like the battle would be over in an instant, but just as the flames approached the moth, they were swallowed by a blue barrier.
“What the…?”
The flames, trapped within the barrier, writhed violently. Normally, Houen-san’s flames carried the Absolute Inferno skill, meaning they wouldn’t extinguish, even without oxygen. Yet, the barrier gradually shrank and snuffed out the flames entirely.
“This one’s all yours, Houen. That moth is a Dobara. Don’t inhale the powder—it’ll kill you instantly.”
“In-instantly!?”
“Um, I’ll be going ahead then…” muttered Abyss, as he and Kenra-san immediately bolted from the scene.
Yeah, I think I’ll pass on that, too. Grabbing Amariaz, I followed their lead. No way am I dying here!
With the rest of us gone, Tekeris-san, Iubora, and Houen-san remained, facing the massive moth. Houen-san conjured flames once more, igniting the poisonous powder in the air, causing the surroundings to blaze brightly.
“Seems like I’m the only one who can handle this,” Houen-san remarked.
“Make sure to finish it before Ouren gets here,” Tekeris-san responded.
“And what about you two?”
“Naturally, we’re moving on ahead. I’m not here to waste my time on small fry,” Tekeris-san said casually.
“Not many would call that thing ‘small fry,’ though,” Houen-san muttered.
“Maybe not. Anyway, let’s go, Iubora.”
“Understood.”
With a flap of their wings, the two took off, leaving Houen-san behind. Watching them leave, Houen-san sighed, realizing he had to deal with the troublesome moth. The fiery surroundings continued to burn as the moth kept sending its toxic scales in his direction.
“If that poison spreads, things could get tricky. Plus… it wasn’t the moth that used that skill, was it?” Houen-san said to himself.
He conjured a small flame in his palm, a tiny spark that flickered gently. Without a dramatic flourish, he simply let it drop to the ground.
In that moment, the fate of the moth and whoever had conjured the blue barrier was sealed.