Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 14 - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Masked Mystery

Ottmar had finally shown himself, signaling the beginning of the genuine battle. Lily and Gerbera were leading Ottmar and the unidentified masked enemy away, having no choice but to leave their master to his other servants. Their hopes were pinned on the ones who were closest to finding him, Rose and Lobivia.

Lily didn’t know this, but the two of them were accompanied by the Skanda Iino Yuna. If they managed to find Majima Takahiro, his safety would improve drastically. That was true.

That was only if they managed to find him, though.

Lily had overlooked one fact. Only knowing one facet of the whole, there was something she simply couldn’t have accounted for. Earlier, she’d checked where everyone was relative to each other using the mental path. She’d found that her master and Rose were far closer than the last time she’d checked. However, the question was how long that’d been the case.

Had they been on the move the entire time to reach that point? Or had they reached it a while ago and come to a stop? Lily had no way of knowing. Had she constantly been monitoring their location, she would’ve realized. Or perhaps if she’d known that Iino Yuna was accompanying them, she would’ve found this strange.

“At this rate, Rose will get to him in about the same amount of time we initially predicted.”

That was what Lily had told Gerbera, but that was strange. After all, their initial predictions had only factored in Rose and Lobivia being together. Lily’s calculations were based on their having to fight each time they encountered monsters blocking their path. However, the Skanda was accompanying them. Monsters weren’t obstacles. They could move at a normally impossible speed.

As such, going at the same speed as Lily’s prediction was clearly slow. It meant something had happened. But what? A moot point. After all, they already had the answer to that question. Lily and Gerbera weren’t the only ones who’d started fighting the real enemy.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Something is getting closer.”

“Another monster?”

“Probably.”

It happened immediately after Rose settled the quarrel between Iino Yuna and Lobivia.

“First, we need to get these obstacles out of our way,” Iino said, running off and then immediately changing her tune. “Wh-What the?!”

She was so thrown off that she couldn’t hide her discomposure. Nevertheless, she thrust out her slender sword. Thanks to her vast experience from fighting all over the world, she wouldn’t be deterred.

“Haah!”

Her strike was faster than any other. Even her strength was comparable to the average combat-focused cheater. In truth, this boundlessly powerful strike had easily defeated many monsters to this point. This time, however, the blow was caught with an ear-grating clash of metal. Her attack, one that couldn’t be perceived by the human eye, had been blocked by a sword. The sword’s wielder wore the same mask as Lily’s opponent.

“Impossible...” Iino mumbled in astonishment.

The masked enemy’s reaction was naturally a little delayed, but it still kept up with her speed. As one of the strongest cheaters, only another cheater, a beloved of blessed blood at the level of the Battle Ogre, or just barely some of the strongest monsters like Lily and Gerbera, could keep up with her. Her enemy had outrageous skill. Despite her shock, her body kept pace.

“Yaah!”

Making full use of her speed, she dodged to the side, then struck at a different angle. So long as her enemy was reacting a little late, unleashing a chain of attacks would ensure that she came out on top. As such, she focused on getting more and more strikes in. Her plan wasn’t unsound. The masked enemy was sure to fall in no time. If they were alone, that is.

“Again?!”

Another masked enemy cut in between them and blocked her attack. Surprisingly, this one also possessed the strength to go toe to toe with the Skanda. And that wasn’t all. There were five masked enemies in total. Unbelievably, despite somewhat of a difference between their skills, they were all around the same level.

“You’re kidding... Are you saying multiple people joined forces with Okazaki?!”

It was natural for her to be shaken. Possessing the power to somehow manage against the Skanda meant every enemy here was in no way inferior to a warrior of the exploration team. Still, they were different from warriors in that they had a clear command structure and mental fortitude.

For better or worse, warriors were egotistic and tended to lose control when in an inferior position. They’d gained strength based on an unconscious certainty that they had to have some kind of power, making such weakness an inevitability.

However, the enemies before her fought with proper coordination. Not a single one showed any sign of trying to showboat. Also, even though they were facing the Skanda, an opponent who was beyond them individually, they didn’t falter and properly fulfilled their roles. That gave Iino no opening to exploit. Even the Skanda couldn’t easily defeat multiple opponents who were close to her level at the same time.

If she were here on her own, maybe it would be possible for her to manage. At worst, she could depend on her explosive leg strength to escape. No matter who these people were, they wouldn’t be able to keep up with the Skanda’s speed. That wasn’t an option, though. Rose and Lobivia were with her.

“Gah?!”

Unable to hold back the attack of the masked enemy who’d gotten around Iino, Rose used her axe as a shield and was knocked over.

“Get away from her!”

“Rose!”

Iino Yuna immediately went to help, and Lobivia screamed.

“Lobivia... I’m fine. Protect yourself,” Rose said calmly, getting up and swinging her left arm, which had been rendered unusable.

“Combat Matryoshka. Exchange.”

Her arm split in two, activating the magic tool within. A new arm appeared and attached itself, and Rose readied herself once more.

“That’s not enough to defeat me.”

Resetting all damage done to her, Rose didn’t shy away from the battlefield. The speed at which she was able to get back on her feet was her greatest weapon. The reason she’d gotten hit in the first place was because she’d covered Lobivia. She’d made full use of her ability to recover instantaneously from damage.

Rose and Lobivia had often fought against enemies who were stronger than them. Neither had the strength to face these masked enemies head-on. Having to use what openings they could get while fighting Iino Yuna, the masked enemies couldn’t launch many attacks against the two, and the two girls had enough strength to defend against those attempts.

Lobivia was particularly strong. If she took on her original form as a dragon, she would be a much bigger target, giving Iino Yuna too much to cover. As such, she maintained her form as a little girl, transforming only her arms into their draconic aspect. She combined the martial arts she’d recently learned from Kei with her instincts as a beast. Whenever the masked enemies showed an opening, she charged into them. Once in a while, she also supported Iino Yuna with her flaming breath.

Things got dangerous here and there, but thanks to Rose taking the initiative to shield the others and instantly retake the field, they were managing. The masked enemies’ coordination was impressive, but Rose and Lobivia weren’t going to be outdone. So long as Iino Yuna was here to support them too, they weren’t going to be defeated so easily.

Conversely, it was also difficult for the girls to defeat their enemies. With neither side capable of dealing a decisive blow, the battle remained a stalemate. In other words, this prevented them from linking up with Majima Takahiro.

“What’s with these guys?! We were so close!”

Lobivia screamed in irritation. They’d spent a fair amount of time stuck here. They needed something significant to break this deadlock. In truth, what they needed was for Majima Takahiro to reach them. Much like how Rose and Lobivia had the Skanda Iino Yuna as the ace up their sleeve, he had a joker: the Lord of Darkness Kudou Riku. Even without the majority of his army, he had the nightmare stalker Dora, dirty sludge Caesar, and elemental dragonfly Friedrich.

If they came here, that would be more than enough to overturn the situation. The turning point to this battle might depend on how fast Majima Takahiro managed to make it here.

There was of course no need to say this, but—

“Why are you here?!”

This wasn’t the only place where the true battle had started.