Volume 2 - CH 6

Chapter 6 – I Tried To Defeat Devil Treant

We had sent word in advance that we were heading to Toue in a huge carriage, but when we arrived at the north gate, we found dozens of armored guards gathered there.

“Master, there are so many people there!”

“Are they welcoming us? But the atmosphere is too noisy for that…”

“Maybe there’s a monster near the city.”

We got out of the carriage while talking about it.

One of the guards hurriedly rushed over to us.

“Excuse me, sir! Are you the Dragon Slayer, Kou Kousaka-sama?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Understood! I’ll be calling the branch manager of the Adventurer’s Guild right away! Please wait a moment!”

The guards bowed to us and hurried back inside the city gate. It seems that the branch manager of the guild is coming here, but what on earth does he want?

“…I have a feeling there might be trouble.”

“Right.”

Iris nodded.

“Maybe the branch manager will ask you to do an urgent quest soon.”

“Work!”

The Slime shouted cheerfully and did a somersault on the spot.

“I’ll help you too, Master-san! If there is anything you want me to do, just let me know!”

“Yeah, I’ll be counting on you.”

A slim, middle-aged man came from the city gate as we talked. His expression was dark, and he had a serious vibe about him.

“I’m Popolo, the branch manager of the Adventurer’s Guild of Toue. …You must be Kou Kousaka-sama, right? I’ve been waiting for your arrival.”

The man then suddenly dropped to his knees and bowed deeply. He shouted in a clinging voice, adopting a dogeza-like posture.

“I’m terribly sorry to interrupt your journey! But please! Please! Please save our Toue! Please!”

I was puzzled by the suddenness of the situation but decided to listen to what he had to say in the carriage.

I asked Chief Popolo to sit on the sofa on the first floor.

I, Iris, and Surara also sat down on the sofa across from him.

“Branch Manager-san. Can I ask you to explain the situation first?”

“Y-yes…”

Popolo began to speak in a tone of fear and trepidation.

According to the report, a monster called Devil Treant appeared in the northwestern Second Plains about an hour ago.

Devil Treant is a giant tree-shaped monster that walks on two legs, and its danger level is classified as S+. It is said to be extremely difficult to defeat, as it has the power to destroy a city like Toue in half a day once it starts rampaging, and it also has very advanced regeneration ability.

“Currently, I’ve asked a traveling priest to use special magic to stall the Devil Treant for a while. But it happened so suddenly that we haven’t been able to evacuate the residents or organize a subjugation force in time.”

Chief Popolo made a heartfelt expression of apology and bowed his head again.

“I am aware of Kou-sama’s activities. I heard that you defeated a powerful monster called the Black Dragon. Could you please use that power to defeat the Devil Treant…?”

“…I understand.”

I nodded.

I have the option of refusing, but abandoning them would be a bad aftertaste. I have plenty of cheat skills and cheat items, and the odds are good that I will win.

“But let me correct one thing. I did not accomplish the defeat of the Black Dragon by myself. She also fought with me.”

I said that and looked at Iris.

“…Me?”

Iris blinked her eyes in confusion.

Apparently, she didn’t expect to be the topic of conversation.

“I know that!”

Surara shouted.

“Iris-oneesan used the Dragon God Shield to protect Master-san from the Black Dragon’s flames!”

“So that’s what happened…”

Popolo nodded and bowed again.

“Kou-sama and Iris-sama, please save Toue. We are counting on you.”

* * *

Thus, we received a request from Chief Popolo and set out to defeat the Devil Treant.

The situation is critical. We’d better hurry.

After Chief Popolo stepped out of the carriage, we used the ladder on the back of the carriage to climb up to the roof. The view was good, and we could see all around us.

The roof was flat, so there was no need to worry about falling off.

“Master-san, Iris-oneesan, why don’t you go inside the carriage?”

Surara asked curiously.

“It’s to get a better view.”

“We’re going into battle, and it’s better to be able to see things with your own eyes.”

Iris and I were in agreement.

Even if It’s a small detail, I’m kind of glad that I’m in sync with her.

Feeling a warmth in my chest, I told Dest.

“Let’s go. Northwest direction, full speed.”

“Understood! We are moving!”

The carriage begins to move.

At first, the speed was like walking, but it gradually increased, and soon the surrounding scenery began to flow rapidly.

The carriage is equipped with《Wind Protection A+》, so the effect of the wind is minimal. If it weren’t for that, we’d have been blown off the roof.

“Hey, Kou.”

Iris whispered to my left.

“Thanks for what you did earlier.”

“Eh?”

“It’s about the Black Dragon. Didn’t you correct the story about me fighting with you?”

“Iris is a very important friend, after all.”

“…Fufu.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. You can leave the defense to me this time, too.”

Iris said and raised the Dragon God Shield.

It was an item that I originally restored with [Creation] skill, but since it can only be handled by Iris, who is the owner of the [Dragon Shrine Maiden] skill, I left it with her for the time being.

Normally, it seems to be stored in a pouch on her waist, but as it was before the battle, she was holding it firmly in her left hand. She seemed to be fully motivated.

After fifteen minutes of driving the carriage at full speed to the northwest, we saw the shadow of a giant in the distance.

No, it wasn’t.

It was a tree in the shape of a giant. Its size could rival that of a condominium tower in the city. It was over fifty meters tall.

The trunk, the tree’s body, was covered with crumbly bark, and countless branches and roots twisted together to form the arms and legs.

The position of the head is obscured by the lack of a neck, but a devilish face appears on the torso slightly above the arms.

I activate my [Appraisal].

Devil Treant: A giant tree-shaped monster. Its character is extremely violent, and it loves destruction and slaughter more than anything else. It has a high level of regeneration, so defeating it is often a long battle.

It seems that this huge tree is definitely a Devil Treant.

There were many silvery chains wrapped around its limbs, blocking its movements.

I wondered what those chains were.

Just as I was about to question it, Iris explained it to me as if she had sensed it.

“Celestial Chain ─ it is a high-level light magic. It is a chain of magical power that restrains the opponent. But there aren’t many magicians who can hold back Devil Treant.”

“I remember Popolo saying that. He said he asked a traveling priest to stall the Devil Treant.”

“Yeah. The priest must be quite skilled.”

“Master-san! The chain is going to break soon!”

It was just after Surara shouted.　

“Oooooooooohhhhh!”

The Devil Treant let out a scream and swept its right arm wide open. It broke several chains, and they disappeared.

With its free right hand, it now tore off the chains on its left arm. The chains that bound its legs were also torn apart by its slight movement.

“Kou, look!”

Iris pointed to a spot just in front of the Devil Treant.

There, I could see a small figure.

It was probably the traveling priest.

The priest’s body was enveloped in a flashing silver light, and a chain of light extended from the ground around the priest and wrapped around Devil Treant.

That priest must have activated the Celestial Chain again.

However, the chain disappeared like a mist. Perhaps the priest had run out of magic power.

The priest’s body slumped and fell to the ground.

I commanded Dest.

“We’ll retrieve the priest first. Hurry up!”

“Copy that! Accelerating!”

The speed of the carriage increased rapidly.

In the meantime, the Devil Treant swung its right leg wide open.

“Guoooooooooooooo!”

It seems that the Devil Treant intends to crush the priest.

Before that, however, our carriage made it to the priest.

The sudden braking shook the roof.

I jumped out of the carriage and immediately ran to the priest’s side.

“…She’s just a kid, isn’t she?”

I couldn’t help but be surprised.

It was a small, slender, silver-haired girl who held Devil Treant in place. Her face was neat, but her eyes were closed.

She must have been about fourteen or fifteen years old.

Suddenly, the surroundings became dark. I looked up to see the Devil Treant’s right leg approaching.

But I’m in no hurry.

When I turned my eyes to the roof of the carriage, I saw Iris holding up the Dragon God Shield.

“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

With a shout, the《Dragon God Barrier EX》effect is activated, and a light barrier spreads out.

BANG!

The right leg of the Devil Treant hits the light barrier. But there was not a single crack in the barrier, completely shutting out the enemy’s attack.

“Guoooooo!”

The Devil Treant repeatedly stomped its right foot in frustration, but it could not break through the barrier.

I picked up the priestess in the meantime and returned to the carriage.

Then, Surara suddenly plopped down from the roof.

“Master-san! I’ll take care of the girl!”

“Okay. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes! I’ll swell up a little!”

Blub, blub, blub, blub!

Surara’s body quickly increases to about five times his original size.

…What on earth was happening?

I doubt it very much, but I’m in a battle now. I can think about it later.

I put the girl on Surara’s back.

“Put her in the bedroom upstairs.”

“Yes!”

Surara moved, crawling along the ground with the girl on his back, opened the door of the Grand Cabin, and went inside.

I watched him go and then climb the ladder back up to the roof.

The protective barrier is still under the onslaught of Devil Treant, but it’s not shaken at all.

Iris glanced back at me with her Dragon God Shield raised.

“Welcome back, Kou.”

“I’m back. Are you okay?”

“I’m better than I was with the Black Dragon. But I still need to get some rest.”

“Okay.”

I nodded and said loudly to Dest.

“We have to leave the Devil Treant for now. Get away from Devil Treant as fast as you can.”

“Understood!”

The carriage began to move immediately. It made a sharp turn and turned away from the Devil Treant.

“I think it’s safe to say that we’ve gotten pretty far from it.”

When Iris lowered the Dragon God shield, the protective barrier disappeared. On the contrary, I took out the Dragon Slayer’s Magic Sword Gram from my [Item Box].

It was a huge sword with a length of over two meters, and its blade shone with a dazzling silver color.

“──I’ll leave a little present for you.”

I held Gram on my right shoulder and readied it.

When magic power is poured into the blade, I activate one of the granted effects…《God of War Slash S+》.

“Oooooooooohh!”

I swung the sword down from the upper left to the lower right with great force. The magic power in the blade was released, and it became a huge slash that sliced through the Devil Treant’s left leg.

“Guaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The Devil Treant screamed in agony.

In the next moment, an amazing phenomenon occurred.

The left leg, which was separated from the body, melted into a gooey mess and collapsed. At the same time, countless roots grew from the cut surface of the body side and intertwined to form a new left leg.

“…What an incredible regeneration ability.”

As I was admiring it, the Devil Treant’s whole body trembled.

What in the world is it going to do?

“Kou, be careful. The branches are coming!”

Immediately after Iris shouted, countless branches sprouted from the Devil Treant’s body.

“Guooooooooo!”

With a roar, the branches shot out.

They changed their trajectory in the air like guided missiles and rushed towards our carriage at a furious speed.

Of course, I’m not receive the attack quietly.

I took out the Flame Dragon Emperor’s Ring from the [Item Box] and put it on the middle finger of my left hand. 

The ring will activate the [Flame Emperor], increasing my aptitude for fire magic to the extreme.

“The target is all the branches, don’t let even one of them get close. Fire Arrow!”

When I held up my left hand, fire arrows shot out from my palm like a machine gun, shooting down every branch.

A flower of flame bloomed in the air one after another.

“Beautiful…”

Iris couldn’t help but blurt out a word.

“But Kou, when did you learn to use magic?”

“Just recently.”

“You really can do anything, can’t you? But if you can use fire magic, it’s a lot easier.”

“What’s the matter?”

“There are two ways to defeat a Devil Treant. One is a prolonged battle of brute force. Just keep attacking until its regenerative ability reaches its limit.”

“You mean I could just keep running around while shooting the《God of War’s Slash S+》from a distance?”

“Yes, that’s what I mean. It will take a little time, but it’s possible with Kou’s strength.”

“What’s the other way?”

“A short battle with fire magic. If you burn off its head completely, the Devil Treant will die before regenerating. That’s what I’d recommend.”

“Right.”

I nodded.

“The longer the fight goes on, the more likely that an unforeseen event would occur. The sooner it’s settled, the better. …But where is the Devil Treant’s head?”

“You see the face at the top of the torso? Just imagine burning all of it.”

I see.

However, the Devil Treant was so huge that aiming at its face from the ground was a little too far.

I think I should try an aerial battle here.

I took out the Flying Potion from my [Item Box].

“What’s that, Kou?”

“You remember that we collected some Flying Mushrooms before, right? It’s a Flying Potion made from it. If you drink it, you can fly.”

“I didn’t know such potions existed… You never cease to amaze me, Kou.”

Iris sighed in admiration but quickly regained her composure.

“You mean, you drink the potion and attack from the air?”

“Yes. It’s hard to attack from the ground. I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Wait.”

Iris reached out with her left hand and grabbed my right hand.

“I’m coming with you. It would be easier if we split up our roles, Kou attacking and me defending.”

“Indeed.”

Considering the possibility that the Devil Treant will shoot branches at me as it did earlier, it would be best to leave the defense to Iris. That way, I can spend all of my magic power on attacking.

“Then hold on to my right arm. That way, we can fly together.”

“Okay.”

Iris pulled herself closer and wrapped her left arm around my right arm.

“Is this okay?”

“Yeah.”

We were arm-in-arm as if we were lovers, but there was no embarrassment on my part or Iris’s part. We were in the middle of a battle, and it was necessary.

I guess we’re similar in that we can think of things dryly.

I gulped down the Flying Potion.

The rich, mellow aroma hit my nose, and my body floated.

Iris’s feet have not yet left the roof of the carriage.

[Full Assist] is activated, and a voice is heard in my mind.

Do you want to include Irisnot Fafnir in the area of effect of《Wind Blessing S+》?

When I gave a slight nod, Iris’s legs lifted off the ground.

“It’s a strange feeling. It feels a little light and fluffy.”

“Aren’t you afraid?”

“I’m fine. Kou is with me, after all.”

Apparently, she trusts me a lot.

Well, I guess I should respond to that.

I gained a little bit of altitude and went around in front of Dest, who was pulling a carriage and running fast.

“You’ll have to get away to a safe place. Is that clear?”

“Yes! Good luck, Master!”

Dest gave me a thumbs-up with his right hand.

I nodded and took Iris up into the sky with me.

“Don’t let go of my arm.”

“Of course. But you don’t have to hold on so tightly, do you?”

“The wind is supporting us from below.”

“It’s like I’m being lifted lightly all the way up.”

“That’s true.”

Iris’s description was something I could understand too.

It is true that the sensation of flying with the《Wind Blessing S+》is similar to being lifted up by someone.

When I looked back, I saw that the Devil Treant was approaching us, shaking the earth with its two legs.

I decided to maintain my altitude and wait for the Devil Treant.

It was almost within range of my Fire Arrow.

That’s when it happened.

“Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”

The Devil Treant let out a yell and suddenly began to charge at us at full speed.

The speed was unimaginable given its huge body.

It raised its left fist to strike at us.

“──I won’t let you.”

Iris raised the Dragon God Shield with her right hand.

The《Dragon God’s Barrier EX》was activated, and a light barrier blocked the Devil Treant’s fist.

“Now, Kou.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded and thrust my left hand forward.

“The target is the Devil Treant’s head, and I will use all of my magic power for a one-shot kill.”

The normal Fire Arrow is fired instantly from my left hand.

But this time, perhaps because the power was raised to the maximum, the situation was very different from usual.

A large magic circle spread out, starting from my left hand. The magic circle began to rotate at high speed, and a huge flame arrow slowly appeared from its center.

Iris and I glanced at each other for a moment and gave each other a slight nod.

“──I’ll release the barrier.”

“──Go, Fire Arrow.”

The protective barrier suddenly disappeared, and a huge flame arrow was shot out from behind it.

The recoil shattered the magic circle, and we were blown backward.

“Kuh…”

“Kyaa!”

While adjusting my posture to avoid crashing, I followed the fire arrow with my eyes.

The Fire Arrow hit the Devil Treant’s right fist directly and proceeded to crush it and burn it, reaching the head.

“Guooooooooooo…!”

The Devil Treant screamed.

Immediately after, a huge explosion occurred.

The torrential flames consumed the upper half of the Devil Treant’s body, completely annihilating it from this world.

All that was left was its left arm and the lower half of its body.

The left arm was blown off by the impact, spinning around and crashing into a distant mountain. The lower half of its body tilted backward and fell to the ground.

…There is no sign of regeneration.

The subjugation has been completed.