Ch.65Beast Alliance (2)

Boom— Boom— Boom—

After slaughtering the ants that blocked my path, I continued forward. I had rescued a large turtle-like creature that was being tormented by ants and crying for help…

There were about a hundred ants that wouldn’t die even when hit by my axe, and from what I could see, the turtle had killed several hundred more. It must have been quite dangerous for the turtle.

Being surrounded on all sides would have been a significant threat for a turtle that couldn’t look behind itself.

I was heading toward where the demonic beasts were said to be gathering, thinking this was good rehabilitation exercise when—

Grooooowl—

The turtle was chasing after me fiercely. Could it be angry that I took its prey? I was thinking it was quite audacious to be angry after begging for its life just moments ago, when—

“Khan, the Turtle Dragon is asking you to wait a moment.”

I stopped walking after Mary’s translation. The so-called Turtle Dragon approached me with thundering steps.

Huff… Huuuuuuff…

It ran up quickly and was now breathing heavily as if it might die any moment.

“Mmmmm—? (How out of shape is this thing?)”

“Turtle Dragons usually stay in one place and don’t move much! And they’re so gentle that they won’t attack even if you enter their territory unless you attack them first!”

I see. So it’s a friend who survives on its inherent strength and endurance despite lacking exercise. The leisurely pace is the luxury of the strong.

This creature’s fireballs had considerable destructive power, and its shell looked so hard that I wondered if even my strength could break it.

Grooooowl

Finally catching its breath, it began to speak to me.

The way it moved its horned head up and down while speaking seemed like it was expressing gratitude…

“It says thank you for saving its life! It was really panicking because it has almost no way to attack enemies coming from all directions when it’s in water!”

So it really was thanking me. I’m not sure if the demonic beasts in the Demon Forest are particularly intelligent, or if demonic beasts as a species are generally intelligent…

I was taken aback at receiving thanks from a demonic beast, but I nodded in response.

“Mmmmm— (I just helped you as part of my rehabilitation exercise, no need to make such a fuss.)”

The creature kept bowing its head until Mary translated that it was enough, and only then did it stop.

Its bright, innocent eyes made me wonder why this creature was classified as a demonic beast at all.

Grooooowl?

“It’s asking where you’re going? To the Demonic Beast Alliance! MA for short! I just made that up, but it’s good, right?! Anyway, we’re going to meet the demonic beasts that have gathered to fight against the insect monsters!”

Growl! Grooooowl!

“Oh? It wants to come too? Hmm… Khan! What should we do? This child wants to join us.”

Upon realizing from Mary’s words that I was the decision-maker, the Turtle Dragon looked at me with sparkling eyes, pleading.

Don’t leave me behind. Please take me with you.

To see a creature about 6 meters tall and 13 meters long begging so desperately… It reminded me of Minky, the turtle I had at the orphanage in my previous life, so I nodded.

Grooooowl—!

It bowed its head to me gratefully. Mary started playing on the shell of the Turtle Dragon, our new temporary party member, while the Turtle Dragon and I set off toward the Demonic Beast Alliance.

* * * * *

After joining up with the Turtle Dragon Minky, we followed the guiding feather toward where the Demonic Beast Alliance was located.

The name Minky came about when I casually called the Turtle Dragon “Minky,” and Mary started calling it Minky every time she addressed it, until it eventually became its name.

I apologized to it for doing something inappropriate, but it seemed to secretly like the name and just said it was fine.

Though we gained a new companion in Minky, our travel speed was reduced by half due to the turtle’s slow pace.

But thinking that having a creature with such powerful attacks would be a great help in the war against the insect creatures, we advanced slowly as if taking a stroll, crushing many insects along the way.

The first one we encountered was a Titanium Mantis, the same kind that had troubled me on the last night at the entrance. It aimed for the Turtle Dragon’s neck, but sensing the danger, Minky quickly retracted its head, and I swiftly moved to sever the mantis’s neck.

I took the mantis’s sickle with me, thinking it would be good to throw it like a boomerang.

After the Titanium Mantis disappeared, we next encountered a 3-meter jade-colored insect with a shimmering body. Despite its beautiful luster, it seemed to have no aggression and quickly fled upon seeing us.

I wanted to tear off its sparkling wings for Mary, but as I was feeling disappointed about missing the chance, we moved to the next area and encountered a giant cricket.

The massive grasshopper, standing about 7 meters tall and over 19 meters long, charged at us immediately. I threw the mantis sickle I had collected at the enormous creature with its 3-meter mouth, but…

The cricket easily jumped to avoid the attack and bit me, tearing off a chunk of flesh from my arm. Though it was several times my size, its strength was similar to or less than mine, but its bite force was beyond imagination.

Seeing it enjoying my flesh so much, I increased my size, grabbed my axe, and charged. It jumped again to avoid my rush, but… Minky was waiting behind me.

Kwaaaang—!!

Minky shot a fireball, knocking the cricket down, then charged toward the fallen insect.

I also rushed forward to hack apart the creature that had torn my flesh, swinging my axe.

Swoooosh—!!!

Craaack—!!

My axe easily began to shatter the cricket’s body, and Minky’s feet reduced it to pulp.

The cricket disappeared in an instant, leaving only pieces of meat.

Thinking that the cricket would have been quite a formidable opponent without Minky, we moved on, only to find a giant water bug attacking a demonic beast.

The round water bug with its moist body was about to finish off the demonic beast it had subdued when I spotted it.

Guessing from its wet appearance that it might be weak against electricity, I created a lightning whip and swung it.

Crackle—

Screech…

It really was weak to lightning. The simple lightning whip caused the creature to fall backward, exposing its weakness without even managing to kill the lizard it had pinned down.

Screech—!!!

The lizard that had been trapped under the water bug jumped up and fled the area.

Minky and I tore into the water bug as we continued forward.

Following the feather’s guidance, we eventually arrived at an area where a battle was in full swing.

* * * * *

Kwaaaang—!!!

A giant bird impaled a dragonfly that had been flying through the sky, then tore at the dragonfly’s face with its massive beak.

Screech—!!!

The giant bird, Storm Wing, let out a victorious cry, but had to take flight immediately.

Kwaaang—!!

A massive enemy charged with its sharp horn toward where Storm Wing had been, and if Storm Wing had been even slightly slower, it would have been impaled and killed.

The bird flew high, very high, and looked down at where it had just been.

There, a giant stag beetle had driven its horn into the ground where Storm Wing had been.

As Storm Wing was about to descend rapidly to attack while the stag beetle struggled with its horn stuck in the ground—

Flash—!!!!

Screech—!!!

Storm Wing fell from the sky as a blinding light attacked its eyes, causing searing pain.

As it was about to crash into the ground, unable to focus through the sudden pain—

Roooar!!

A giant tiger appeared and caught Storm Wing. Thanks to this, Storm Wing survived, but could only groan in the tiger’s mouth, its eyes severely damaged by the sudden flash of light.

Kwaaang!!

As the tiger was running swiftly through the forest with Storm Wing in its mouth, it was suddenly struck by an insect that burst from the ground.

Growl!

The underground creature had completely caught the tiger by surprise, causing a terrible sound from the tiger’s belly, and Storm Wing was also thrown to the ground.

Screech!

As Storm Wing was startled by being suddenly thrown to the ground, and as the giant larva that had broken through the surface thrust its massive face forward to pounce on Storm Wing—

Whoosh—!!

An axe flew in from somewhere, bursting the larva’s head, and lightning generated from the axe completely scorched the larva’s body.

Storm Wing, not understanding what had happened but relieved that a new ally had arrived, was focusing on recovering its eyes when—

“Storm Wing! What’s wrong!? Can’t you open your eyes? I’ll heal you!”

A kind voice it had heard before. Realizing it was the fairy it had rescued a few days ago, Storm Wing let out a cry of relief.

Chirrup

“Yes! It’s okay, you’ll get better soon. And Khan and Minky are here too, so you can relax!”

Storm Wing thought it was strange that there was someone with the odd name Minky, and closed its eyes, enjoying the warm touch of the fairy’s caress.

And above Storm Wing, the Minotaur Khan and the Turtle Dragon Minky joined the battlefield to rescue the demonic beasts.