CHAPTER 5
MENTAL DEATH
1
After covering his mouth with cloth to keep out the sand, Subaru took a deep breath.
If he was being honest, he would have liked some goggles, too, but unfortunately, that was asking too much. He had no choice but to steel himself to the sand flying into his eyes as he kept staring into the center of the dust devil.
“Beako! Meili! Hold on!”
“I know!” “You’re such a hard taskmaster!”
Cutting through the sand that blurred their vision was a deadly being clad in a pitch-black carapace.
If it was allowed to get close, a single strike from its pincers would be lethal. If it was kept at a distance and given enough space to unleash its stinger, it would be lethal. And there were a lot more potentially lethal combinations.
There were enough lose conditions to stock a shop and then some.
“But don’t even think of giving up! There being a wealth of ways to lose is nothing new!”
“Is this the time for that?! Argh! Go for it, gaba-pony!”
Listening to Subaru’s unreliable shout, Meili gave an order to the demon beasts.
The centaur-like monsters let out a shriek like a baby’s cry, and the two creatures ran into the desert at full speed, one carrying Meili and the other carrying Subaru and Beatrice.
And clinging to their tails as they furiously kicked off the sand was the giant scorpion, kicking up a sandstorm with its skittering legs.
“—Sssssss!”
As expected, at long range, it aimed to end their lives with its stinger, and up close, it came swinging with its pincers. Maintaining just the right distance, they continued to deal with its attacks.
Compared to the list of lose conditions, their singular win condition was stalling until something changed. They were waiting for Emilia to clear the first floor of the tower and destroy the rules that had been set.
In truth, he wasn’t even sure it was actually possible, but…
“I suppose if it wasn’t, the rules set for the tower wouldn’t make any sense.”
“Exactomundo, Beako. Telling us in advance in the rules that it’s okay to abuse the system means that the rules are meant to be broken.”
And if that was possible, then it would be something granted as a reward for the person who cleared the tower. Given that, it would be a privilege only bestowed upon those who cleared it in the proper way.
It was massively helpful that Emilia had beaten Reid straight up in his test. If she had not, they wouldn’t have even a chance of saving Shaula.
“I’m never forgiving that asshole for what he did to Emilia-tan, though…!”
It still pissed him off just thinking about it, but Julius would be the one to give Reid his just deserts. Looking forward to him beating that sexual harasser black-and-blue, Subaru kept the tall tower in his sights and entrusted himself to Beatrice’s and Meili’s hard fighting.
“ ”
The sensations from Cor Leonis, particularly Ram’s, were an ongoing concern.
He was confident he had sent everyone to the best place for them, but Ram’s fight, in particular, was one he expected to be especially hard from the start. Both because her opponent was Lye Batenkaitos, the villain who had turned Rem into a sleeping beauty, and also because of Ram’s condition.
Only a perfect Ram would be able to handle Lye Batenkaitos. And he wanted Ram to wipe the floor with Lye. That was why he needed to shoulder the burden that always tormented her.
Which was all the more reason…
“It would be really bad if we get too far away from the tower and the authority cuts out! Sorry for adding so many limitations, but please work with me!”
“ ! When this is over, I swear I’m gonna… Argh!”
Meili pursed her lips pursed as her face reddened.
While the tamer grumbled, Subaru kept a tight hold on Beatrice as he clung to the monster’s back…
“I’m counting on you, Emilia-tan… Me and these two girls will buy as much time as we can!”
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