First Outer World Story Series: The Black Mist that Devours - Chapter 145
Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter
Returning to the story, the “Palace of Abyss”.
(Ichiko POV)
“Then let’s go! ?Solid Flame Javelin?!”
Our first shot was a complex technique that Mugi had used to defeat the robot with Chirito and the others before.
That blow pierced the center of the cluster of monsters that had settled around the undersea volcano we had designated as our next destination, triggering a major explosion.
By now, the explosion had swept away hordes of monsters, leaving a temporary opening in their line of defense. Next, it was my turn.
“?Mantle of Mist?. Ichiko!”
“Haaaaaaaaa!!”
With Lady Ryo’s activation of ?Mantle of Mist?, my physical prowess heightened. At the same moment, Izumi and I swam rapidly to the heart of the enemy’s defense line, where I executed ?Sword of the Formless King?Weak? on the spot. I conjured a huge sword, which could be called a “Zankanto,[i]” seizing the chance to land a hit and cleave away the entire area.
The second blow had been delivered.
Meanwhile, at the bottom, Deborah and Yuu used the carcasses of surrounding fallen monsters to suppress the rising plume of smoke.
Our attack was not over yet.
“Izumi!”
“I know what to do! ?Pack of Wolf Carrying Life and Death?!!”
Izumi, who had been waiting at the bottom of the sea, summoned wolves under her command with the edge of her axe when my attack subsided. She let the wolves burst out of her accessories as she swung her axe violently.
The ejected wolves flew like cannonballs, irrespective of the fact that they were in the ocean, and bit the monsters that escaped the attacks of both Mugi and myself, devouring them with the same momentum with which they were ejected.
Some of them avoided the wolves’ aggression by dodging to the side because their trajectory was straight, yet when they evaded the first blow, the other wolves whirled around and attacked these monsters, obliterating them.
From my observations of the assaults, it seemed that the wolves under Izumi’s leadership possessed two abilities.
One was a regeneration capacity that allowed them to act with ease even in the harsh environments of the ocean depths.
The other was the ability to turn even the slightest wound into a fatal one. Although it escaped my understanding, it appeared to be fairly a powerful ability.
Eventually, the shadows of the foes became sparse. The undersea volcano was still bursting at the seams with monsters, but this was due to our capabilities to exterminate them exceeding their rate of emergence.
We then plunged into the undersea volcano through a narrow opening.
————–
The undersea volcano was a site where, instead of lava and plumes of smoke, a profusion of monsters kept springing up one after another.
These monsters, on the other hand, weren’t well-controlled, perhaps because they were focused on getting out from the volcano, so they were being wiped out with no great trouble by me and the other members of the team who were adept at melee attacks.
“Even so, how long has this hole existed?” Lady Ryo involuntarily blurted out.
But, it seemed that everyone was wondering the same thing. Their expressions were all similar.
“Enemies are here again.”
“Again? ?Intellect Enhancement?.”
“Not again. ?Solid Flame Javelin?.”
After witnessing the opponents rising up from below, Mugi, who had received Une’s ?Intellect Enhancement?, blasted the group of enemies with ?Solid Flame Javelin?. Subsequently, the surviving assailants were scattered by my sword and Izumi’s wolves.
Nonetheless, how deep does this hole go?
————–
In the end, it had taken us about an hour to reach the bottom of the hole.
Although the length of time it required was due to the fact that we were descending slowly since we had to be vigilant for hostiles in the water, I still reckoned that it was considerably deep.
And at the bottom of the hole was a gigantic gate that had been constructed to cover the entire bottom of the hole.
“Is this the… gate?”
“But the presence that can be felt through the gaps in this door is…”
“An overwhelming sense of foreboding…”
“There’s no doubt about it…”
All of us collectively gulped at the presence transmitted from beyond the door.
The “Crawling Octopus King of Chaos” was the bearer of this presence. He was the master of the creatures that were currently wreaking havoc on our country, as well as our ultimate goal.
“One way or another, waiting here won’t accomplish anything. Our mission is to vanquish the Octopus King. That is a purpose we cannot attain unless we advance onward.”
Everyone was nodding their heads as if they were resolved by Lady Ryo’s words.
“Then, we will all charge in!”
[[[Understood!]]]
We then pushed open the gate at our feet.
What came into view first was a wall of a glowing blue boulder.
Following that, we could distinguish what appeared to be the arms of some sort of creature. Those arms were a kaleidoscope of hues, mainly blue, creating a color palette that perfectly embodied the phrase “chaos.”
We then passed through the gate completely and took in the entirety of his figure.
A monstrous octopus-shaped creature with almost a dozen chaotically tinted arms rested there.
It was, nevertheless, a typical octopus body component. While his figure had strayed far from our expectations, the creatures we had faced in this dungeon, “Palace of Abyss,” were growing from his body.
When I lay my eyes on this scene, I can grasp how the Octopus King’s army had amassed such great numbers in such a short period of time.
It was due to the ability of the Octopus King. That was to say…
“The ability to summon?”
And no sooner had I muttered that than the monsters that had been sprouting from the Octopus King’s body separated from him and headed towards us.
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T/N:
[i] It’s a long/colossal sword like those used by mecha
