Ch.383The Light of the Meteor that Repels Evil

“Ah~ah, we’ve been completely caught in this one.”

“Yeah. But at least everyone’s safe, so that’s good.”

“Even so, it’s too unfair. I can’t break taboos even in dreams, yet he so boldly reveals himself as a Demon Lord and uses his powers.”

We had fallen into the Poison Demon Lord’s trap and arrived at a bizarre location.

The sky churned with a chaotic mix of purple, gray, and dark blue.

We stood on a muddy path about 20 meters wide, marbled with green, red, and brown.

And beyond the path was a pitch-black space that reflected not even a speck of light—truly deserving of the word “darkness.”

“I don’t know if that blackness is land or water, but I’m certain we absolutely must not stray from the path.”

“Yeah… I don’t think even Anti-Poison Field would help out there.”

“Are we inside the Poison Demon Lord’s body?”

“Maybe, or it could simply be a closed area like the Third Eye Tribe’s island.”

“First, we need to check if we can escape using the Adventure Book.”

Anastasia said this while opening the Adventure Book, and soon her eyes widened in surprise.

“What? What’s wrong? Can we not get out?”

“No. It seems I can open a transfer gate to my hideout anytime. But look at this.”

“Let me see…”

Anastasia’s Coastal Cliff, the Third Eye Tribe’s Island, the treasure vault in the Sphinx Mine underground dungeon.

Below the text leading to each location, unintelligible letter fragments were appearing and disappearing.

Though I’m seeing this phenomenon for the first time, I can guess what it means.

“It seems a new line is about to be added.”

“Indeed. It was like this when you discovered the dungeon in Korkas Ravine.”

“So this means we need to fulfill some special condition to complete this sentence.”

“Eh~ But having a gate to such an unpleasant place isn’t something to be happy about.”

I agree with Mina’s opinion, but it feels wrong to ignore a potential hint.

Even in the worst case, we can open the gate and evacuate in an emergency, so until then, we might as well do our best to find the conditions for completing the new sentence.

For that reason, we have no choice but to proceed along this unpleasant muddy path.

“The ground is slippery and hard to walk on.”

“Be careful not to fall. We don’t know how toxic this mud is.”

“The burden on the Anti-Poison Field is relatively light. Compared to the lowest floor of the tower, the poison concentration seems lower.”

“That’s a relief…”

Since the mud path stretched out in both directions, we chose one direction and moved forward.

Seti at the front, Phyllis at the rear, and the remaining four in a tight formation surrounding Anastasia.

The reason we’re protecting Anastasia rather than Jessica, who’s the core of the Anti-Poison Field, is so we can escape using the Adventure Book if necessary.

‘Squelch…’

“Whoa, they’re coming out!”

“Mud Men, like those often seen in swamplands. Let’s take them down before they get close.”

“Got it!”

‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’

Rising from the muddy ground were about 10 golem-type monsters called “Mud Men.”

Their movements are sluggish, and their defense isn’t particularly high, making them easy targets for our gunners.

If we form a line and concentrate our fire, they should be cleared in an instant.

Or so I thought, but…

‘Bang! Ratatang! Bang! Bang!’

“…Something’s not right.”

“Hmm. It seems that apart from Jessica’s Derringer, the others aren’t dealing much damage.”

Currently, four guns are being fired.

My Wishmaker and Milky Way, Jessica’s Femme Fatale, and Phyllis’s Old Willow.

If only Jessica’s Femme Fatale—the Derringer pistol—is landing effective hits, the reason is clear.

“They’re minions of the Demon Lord. Like the dolls in the ‘Sexmotbang,’ they’ve been granted immortality.”

“If that’s the case, leave it to me! Ahem!”

“Ah, please do, Mina.”

The formation splits left and right, and Mina, wielding the “Annihilator,” takes position beside Seti.

Even though they’re all made of meteorite, each weapon’s ability related to the “Demon Lord Slaying” characteristic is different.

My Wishmaker, Phyllis’s Old Willow, and Iris’s Stiletto require special handling but exhibit strong Demon Lord Slaying characteristics.

Conversely, Jessica’s Femme Fatale and Mina’s Annihilator are always active but exhibit weaker characteristics.

As an exception, Seti’s Night Slasher is always active, but can temporarily enhance its Demon Lord Slaying characteristic using Seti’s own magical power as a trigger.

In other words, against numerous small fry, Mina, Seti, and Jessica (with her “Fragment of Omniscience” in burst mode) excel.

Against powerful bosses, Phyllis and I shine.

As for Iris… she’s merely insurance, so it’s right not to count her in our regular combat strength.

Anyway, for that reason…

“Hiyahaa~~~!!”

‘Wheeeeee~~dudududududu…’

Once the silver barrel of the Annihilator sprays a barrage of “Demon Lord Slaying” magical bullets, all that remains are the tattered corpses of Mud Men.

To be frank, if the number of enemies is small enough to be swept away before the Annihilator’s barrel overheats, there’s no need for anyone else to step in.

“Cleanup complete!”

“Impressive as always. This annihilation ability surpasses even the Shockwave Splasher.”

“To think that Mina, who once participated as a non-combatant, has become this strong… This big brother is pleased. Pat pat.”

“Waaah~ You’re messing up my hair~”

After clearing the Mud Men, immortal monsters continued to appear.

Swamp Mosquitoes, Paralyzer Lizards, giant dragonflies, and other swamp creatures,

As well as carnivores like leopards and wolves, humanoid monsters like goblins, orcs, and lizardmen,

And even undead monsters like ghosts and zombies appeared before us, all contaminated with poison.

…It’s strange to describe ghosts as contaminated with poison, but anyway.

“Sorry, two got through.”

“Leave it to me, Seti!”

‘Ratatang!’

For those that move quickly or fly, I intercept with the “Demon Lord Slaying” characteristic loaded into Wishmaker.

“Annihilator, activate!”

‘Wheeeeee~’

Groups that move slowly and have weak ranged attack means are cleared by our resident bully, Mina.

“Kuk, they may be just zombies, but there are too many!”

“I’ll join in!”

‘Tatatatatatatatang!’

When enemies appear in numbers too great for the Annihilator to handle, Jessica’s Femme Fatale displays its fatal charm to the fullest.

As if to say that numbers mean nothing before the fantastic collaboration of a gatling gun and a sub-machine gun.

And finally, in front of a dead end that rose like a small hill…

“Grwoooooo~~!!”

“A lizard?”

“A dragon species!”

“It’s a dinosaur!?”

A creature that exudes a “I’m the boss” aura appeared.

Now is the time to exert our party’s full strength.

“Grrrr~”

“Too slow.”

‘Slash!’

Seti takes on the role of distracting the enemy at the frontline.

“Diamond Dust!”

‘Crash!’

Jessica binds the target’s feet with freezing magic.

“Kyaooooo~”

“Wall of Force!”

‘Boom! Boom! Boom!’

If the enemy launches a ranged attack, Iris blocks it.

Mina guards Anastasia, our emergency escape personnel.

I handle situations that Mina’s Annihilator cannot cover.

And finally,

‘Click, click, click.’

After the Old Willow’s loading lever moves three times, Phyllis kneels on one knee and takes a firing stance.

A tunnel of magical letters unfolds in front of the muzzle.

What follows this scene, reminiscent of Jessica’s combination, is—

“Sacred Demon Buster {Holy Strike That Kills the Demon Lord}!!”

‘BANG-!!’

A flash erupts with a loud gunshot.

Neither the magical bullet leaving the muzzle nor its trajectory is visible.

It’s not like my skill that transcends time, nor is it invisible magic—it’s a pure product of speed and destructive power.

This is the “Demon Lord Slaying Magic” that Phyllis created.

‘Kuuung~~~’

‘Pssshhhhh—!’

The dinosaur’s massive body collapses onto the mud, and Old Willow’s firing mechanism emits white smoke.

That steam-like emission is the remnant of magical power that was concentrated to the extreme.

This means Old Willow cannot be used for the next 10 minutes or so.

Just like in those days when I first met Phyllis.

“Whew, that was a splendid strike, Phyllis.”

“It’s not worthy of such praise. I focused too much on accuracy and destructive power, only to face the same usage restriction problem that Mina had solved for us.”

“Hey, the output of magical bullets and the strain on the gun are bound to be proportional. While you can’t shoot, others can cover for you.”

“Mina’s right. That’s what companions are for, right?”

After a high-five with the grinning Phyllis, I examined the giant dinosaur’s corpse.

I thought retrieving the magic stone would be impossible since its chest was completely blown away, but surprisingly, it was lying nearby.

A small statue shaped like an animal’s leg, made of the same material as a magic stone.

“…Is this the dinosaur’s magic stone? It has an unusual shape.”

“Yeah. It’s like a part of an intricately crafted glass artwork.”

“That means there might be monsters carrying other parts… hmm?”

Anastasia, who had been examining the magic stone, suddenly took out the Adventure Book.

Thinking I might have missed an emergency situation, I hastily assumed a combat stance, but Anastasia raised one hand in a calming gesture and showed us the page with the sentence.

[ —no—-of—–s——to–go——-safe——ni—–will——–if———ra- ]

“This is…!”

“Part of the sentence is starting to appear!”

“Could it be related to obtaining this magic stone fragment?”

“I think so too. I don’t know how many more there might be, but it’s worth searching this place thoroughly to collect them all, don’t you think?”

Act 2 of our campaign against the Poison Demon Lord.

The treasure hunt was beginning.