Volume 2 - CH 449

10-35. Prevention

First, we need to determine the components that make up that entity.

For now…

“【Hi ryū】 Let’s try throwing that at it!”

“On it!”

I firmly lift Hakuryuzen and control the Fire Dragon.

I try to charge straight at it, but the roots wriggling around it strike and cancel out the attack as soon as I get close.

It might have been a momentary encounter, as the fire didn’t spread to the roots, and it didn’t even serve as a proper test.

Well, that was unexpected.

Can’t even stop its movements, huh?

Being transparent is such a hassle…

And it’s troublesome that I’m the only one who can see it.

“I’ll try to stop it! 【 Tochigami】 !”

Grumble grumble

“It’s not stopping at all… Wait, I can’t control the soil!?”

“They call it ‘Land God Slayer,’ right… Does it mean we can no longer manipulate the earth around it?”

“If that’s the case, its usable skills are severely limited… Then, 【 Bakukko-kabe】 !’ It’s going to cause a big explosion, so be careful!” (Explosive Hard Wal)

“Tell us first before using it!!”

In front of the transparent tree, a boiling black wall appeared.

It has many red streaks, and from there, heat similar to lava is emanating.

It looks dangerous at a glance.

Uhmm, should I use a barrier or something…

Crack!!

Rumbleeeee!!

As soon as the roots touched the Explosive Hard Wall, a bright light covered the surroundings, causing a massive explosion.

Upon checking with the haze, I saw several roots being blown away and falling to the ground.

With an explosion of that magnitude, it seems that it could only manage to blow away a few roots.

Then, the transparency of the fallen roots was lifted.

The surroundings were covered in soil, and there seemed to be stones as their core.

If those are what the tree is made of, they should indeed be hard.

But it’s clear that they can be destroyed.

“…Huff! …Huff! What an explosion!”

“It seems the power has increased, and the firepower is quite strong… It’s been a while since I saw a mushroom cloud.”

“Reizen, how many more times can you use it?”

“I… I don’t have any more magic power… I used quite a lot in the battle against the voice of the earth…”

“Here.”

“Dang, Mana Potion…”

There are still two cases left.

You can drink as many as you want.

But I definitely won’t drink it.

During Reizen’s recovery, I’ll give it a try and launch an attack myself.

I only have one technique to use though.

Taking a few steps forward, I grasp the Hakuryuzen in front of me.

Assuming a high stance, I step forward with my right foot and swing the blade.

” 【Tenwari】 !”

Whuss!

Tenwari flew and cut off several roots.

The last one seemed to be blocked by a thick root, but it still managed to make about half the cut.

For now, it seems that physical attacks work, and slash attacks like Tenwari are effective.

However, it still shows no sign of stopping and continues to move while digging up the ground.

Not being able to use earth-based magic is troublesome.

The options for stopping it are limited.

I try to deploy pneumatic barriers and water barriers to stop it, but unfortunately, they are easily destroyed.

Reizen has used explosive barriers a few times, but it still doesn’t stop the progress.

“… What should we do?”

The ground is being destroyed.

An invisible presence.

No matter how many times I attack, the hardness remains unyielding, and the roots grow back even when cut or destroyed.

I’m starting to lose sight of how to stop something like that.

Is there anything else…?

Compressed air is weaker than Reizen’s explosive barriers.

I can’t use ‘Hakai’ since it’s earth-based magic. (Demolition)

It’s impossible to stop it with water, and the reamed water spear would probably have the same effect as Tenwari…

I lack a decisive method.

I can manage the roots, but I have no means to attack the main body.

Reizen doesn’t have a more powerful attack method than the explosive barriers.

Dacia can’t take a gamble against an invisible opponent, so she can’t do anything either.

“Our skills are not compatible.”

“I can’t push myself any further…”

“I can’t do anything because I can’t see it. So, what should we do…?”

Fortunately, the Daichi no Mushi doesn’t seem to be interested in us and hasn’t attacked back.

It might be because of the distance, but either way, we can’t stop it with our current abilities.

We’re only hindered the whip roots, and we haven’t landed a single hit on the main body.

If I use the Ouryuu’s Decision here, we might be able to defeat it.

But using that skill is dangerous.

I don’t know how much of a price I have to pay.

“… Dacia, what would happen if I used Ouryuu’s Decision here?”

“I can’t imagine. Hiwa’s existence was erased as a cost… No, that’s different. Erasing existence was also a decision made by the Ouryuu. So, there might not be a cost.”

“Tell me more about it later.”

“If we have the time.”

I feel like we had a similar conversation earlier, but well, nevermind.

For now, let’s assume we can’t use Ouryuu’s Decision…

“… What should we do?”

FHWAAAM!

Daichi no Mushi suddenly burst into flames.

It shouldn’t have been made of flammable material, but the flames spread rapidly and engulfed its entire body.

The roots thrashed around, causing the ground to shake, but there is no damage to us due to the distance.

I hear a booming sound from above.

I feel relieved, thinking that an ally with a favorable matchup has finally awakened.

“It seems we have an unexpected guest…”

“You okay, Houen?”

“Heck, I almost dead!!”