Otoko Aruji - Chapter 35: Battle
I suddenly issued a warning to everyone, so everyone took notice of me, but after all they quickly realized what it was tensed up and started being cautious of the surroundings.
The remaining HP of the Horned Bear that remains frozen in the ice has just dropped below 30. Even if you take into consideration the endurance in another minute or so it'll suffocate. I don't have to maintain the ice anymore. I close the identify window of the Horned Bear that's frozen and start being cautious of the surroundings like everyone else. Oh, that's right. There are walls of ice that are 50 m in width in front, so the direction we need to watch out is limited to the sides and back. Since the swamp is beyond the wall of ice, it's not as important to be cautious of behind. In that case, we need to be cautious of the sides.
However, even if I were to say be wary of the sides, it is inefficient to look around here and there.
"I'm going to create earth on the left side from the ice. Everyone keep an eye on the right."
At the same time I make a similar earth wall on the left hand with earth magic. With this we should have considerably reduced the direction we need to be cautious of. I made it 5m in height the same as the ice so it shouldn't be possible climb over or break through, even if it manages to do that it should earn enough time to prepare for it.
Everyone seemed to understand my thoughts, and started to pay attention to the right hand direction. I already confirmed that the condition of everyone except Kerry has recovered well.
"Grrr... Gaoooooon! "
It was there as after all. It is the Roar of a different Horned Bear. I can't tell for sure but it seems to be bigger than before. Oh, it's not just my imagination. Winry's MP has decreased by 2 and only has 1 remaining. Her state is also Panic(Small). The MP of Zachery and Beckwiz has also decreased by 2 and their condition Panic(Small). Damn it, this is bad.
"Al, everyone's condition is strange again! I'll take them to where Kerry is!"
Mill seems to have noticed as well. Mill and I push the one in worst condition Winry to where Kerry is under the tree. I tried using identify on Mill and I again while moving and was able to confirm that both of our MP has decreased by 2 as well. Next, we need to do something about Zachary and Beckwiz. If she hears that roar once more then Winry will fall into a complete state of panic as well.
Even if we were able to somehow manage to get rid of the Horned bear, if all of the adults are in a Panic we can't retreat. I don't know where the new Horned Bear is yet. Even if I were to try and guess from the direction of the sound it is hard to grasp the direction because we're surrounded by walls. However, since I still can't see it yet, I still have time now to make a plan with Mill. I point to the right side with no wall and say.
"Older sister, I think that the Horned Bear will appear in that direction. As soon as I can see it, this time I'll bury it alive with earth magic. If I fail, then older sister, please take over."
After hearing what I said Mill looked at me for a moment and said with a calm voice.
"Okay, Al, I think that is probably the only thing as well. I'm counting on you."
It's so simple it can't even really be called a plan but during these times if it gets too complicated it might fail. Anyway, some sor
t of instruction on what to do was necessary. We somehow managed to move Zachery and Beckwiz to the side of Kerry and told them to sit down, rather than returning to our original position we move 5m along the right wall and look through. Although it is somewhat melting, the visibility through the transparent ice is pretty good. However, since the surface is melting down, we should be able to tell if something moves on the other side of the ice wall but if it's any further than a few meters away then I don't think we'll be able to tell.
I use the selection mode of Identify just in case. I can at least hope for it to get caught up as a selection target.
"Sister, if you see, magic or anything else it doesn't matter what but hit it with something. In the moment it flinches I'll crush it with dirt!"
"Yeah, I got it. Be careful."
Mill and I only said that much to each other. Mill still has more than 600 MP and can use everything other than wind magic pretty well so we might be able to do this somehow. Anyway, we'll do anything we can to keep everyone alive.
Just like that we continued to keep our guards up along the ice wall. The roar hasn't come since then. I wonder how long has passed? Tens of seconds or a few minutes, maybe even close to 10 minutes have passed. Anyway, it feels like a long time. My palms are sweaty and feel disgusting. While waiting for the Horned Bear I wiped the sweat on my pants and I suddenly felt a bit lighter. Could it be I leveled up? Then I guess the frozen Horned Bear finally died from suffocation. However, I should have needed more than 6000 experience points to level up. This Horn Bear was probably a considerable amount of experience points.
It's not the time to be casually identifying myself so my level up doesn't matter for now, I see, it's still only been about one minute since that last roar. I can tell that I was really nervous. Tension itself is not a bad thing, but being too tense is not good. If I don't relax a bit more I won't be able to move right away when needed. It would be too pathetic to fail at using magic from being too tense and die.
"Uwaaa!!"
A scream filled with fear came from around where everyone was sitting. Damn it, from over there? I quickly turn around and try to confirm where the Horned Bear is appearing from. Did it go around the dirt or is it trying to climb over, which?
It seems that Horn Bear has come around the earth wall. I feel it's a bit smaller than the one I froze in ice. Is it the cub?
It's somewhat farther of a distance to go around the wall than go over it so it's better for us. I quickly go to use earth magic. However, I'm too close to Mill to use the same sort of shape that I prepared with ice magic. Well then, I'll use 90 MP to create dirt. Then launch that with void magic...this is bad! This time I'll hit Beckwiz and everyone.
While I was hesitating, Mill created a fire ball and fired it at the Horned Bear while moving away from Beckwiz and the others. Damn, what should I do with the dirt I made? I hold my hands out wide over my head. There should be a ball of dirt with a diameter of 29m above my hands. The volume is roughly 12500m^3 so the diameter should be about that. Normally you would compress and shape this as you fire it off. Ah, should I try rolling it? If I use void magic to harden the surface somewhat then it should roll with some momentum. I wonder if I can flatten it? No way, I may hit Mill. I guess I should fire it after all.
Fire it off while shaping it. Just like before I shape it into a doughnut and have the Horned Bear get flattened in the center. Mill is leading it away by using fire magic and provoking it... Right now, fire!!
A doughnut-shaped clump of dirt goes flying towards the Horned Bear. Alright, this will work! The Horned Bear stopped moving to see if it can dodge the dirt. Did it give up? Is what I thought but of all things it ducked down and jumped up all at once. Just like animals jump through a ring of fire at the circus it jumped through the hole in the doughnut!
My shock was great as I was completely thinking I had it. The Horned Bear which had jumped up landed on a pile of dirt and then set me as its target. It turned its head over to here. Damn it, I'll show you. I saw the fire ball that Mill used hit the shoulder of the Horned Bear and burn its fur. However, the Horned Bear just ignored the fire Mill used. It ducks down on the dirt hill aiming to run at me. In that moment, from the corner of my sight Zachary stood up and fired the buckshot slingshot at the Horned bear.
It is a buckshot slingshot that can knock out a small bird but it probably won't have any effect on the Horned Bear. Won't it just piss it off?
"Gyaon! "
Wow, it seems one of the shots fired from the buckshot managed to hit its left eye. It seems to have faltered a bit. Now's the chance! I control the dirt that's become a hill again.
"Grr!! Guwaaaaan!"
Right before the dirt I was manipulating was about to cover the Horned Bear the roar came again.
Since the distance was considerably close, it was a roar that felt like it burst my eardrums.
This is bad. I'm sure Winry has fallen into a complete Panic, but what about Zachary and Beckwiz?
No wait, it's not the time to be thinking about that. With the roar just now my body stiffened up for a moment as well and my concentration was disrupted.
This is dangerous. It takes me about 1 second to recover from the paralysis but how long will it take the Horned Bear to escape from being incompletely buried? I feel like it will take about the same amount of time.
I immediately use wind magic to create a vortex of air like a tornado around it. The tornado should blow up the dirt and block off his sight. However, it may be a considerably strong tornado but there's no way it has enough power to lift that several meter bear up into the sky. The chance of it breaking through with force is high, or rather I made it under the premise that it breaks through. The tornado just now is preparation for the next attack.
I use water magic and fire magic, I'm going to use ice again, but this time I'm going to use void magic to shape the water before I use fire magic. Into the shape of a 50 cm spear. Then use fire magic to freeze it and make a spear almost like a sharpened telephone pole. Then I fire this off with void magic!
There's barely 30m between me and the dirt hill.
I move the telephone pole to about 200m behind me.
And, the duration on the wind magic has already finished so the Horned bear is covering it's eyes on the top of the dirt hill.
I fire off the telephone pole as fast as possible.
I don't know how many Km/per hour it was going but the telephone pole flies off at an insane speed.
A super-large spear that is flying aimed at the Horned Bear's head.
If this hits I'm sure it would be an instant death.
The Horned Bear has already noticed the spear flying at intense speed.
However, it's already too late.
I won't let you escape from my guidance even if you move a bit.
Die.
My aim didn't miss, the telephone pole of ice pierces his skull and his head gets blown off somewhere.
Everything has ended, I look up at the sky and the sun still hasn't reached the middle of the sky.
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For a while after that we cautiously watched our surroundings but neither another Horned Bear or any other dangerous monsters appeared. Beckwiz and Zachary were both in the Panic(Large) condition, they only had six or seven MP remaining. It took about ten minutes for them to recover. There are various problems that appear when the condition changes from Good. Especially in cases like this time, it gives me various things to think about.
Kerry and Winry did not recover even after two hours. Probably because MP is zero.
Since we had so much time it couldn't be helped, we collected the magic stones from the Horned Bears and while were at it put what is said to be the highest quality diaphragm, stomach meat, and liver into a rubber back. Even though it's a pretty big bag it was completed filled with just that. The one that was frozen I used fire magic of about 100 degrees to quickly melt it. It can't be helped that the surroundings became submerged in water.
I quietly worked away while Beckwiz, Zachary, and Mill we're talking excitedly. I was thinking about various things. Like if that roar can be blocked using ear plugs, starting from such pointless things, I thought about how it would be troublesome if anyone remembered that ice spear I used at the end.
Starting from the conclusion, the two adults Beckwiz and Zachary were in a state of Panic and couldn't remember much at all as far as I could tell from the conversation. They might have seen the ice spear I used at the end but as far as they are talking about that I can confirm they don't remember it.
Mill explained to the two of that, "In the end Al finished it off with magic".
Now, let's go home.
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We didn't notice the one peeking at us from the brush. There was a considerably amount of distance and even after being cautious for a while there was no sign of an attack.
Horned Bear's supposedly grow into adults capable of reproduction within a few years.
This one I would end up having to deal with for a while from here on out.
It's a one-sided relationship of him coming to attack though.
Almost as if he saw me as his revenge or something...