Published at 22nd of February 2022 03:42:34 PM

524 The Cost of Retreat (side: atlach-nacha)

I had thought I had pulled Aro back a moment too soon. But, I was naive. At the last moment, Aruanes claws grew in length.

Aros abdomen was split open, and she was thrown to the ground.

Th-thank you Atlach-nacha

Aro feebly offers me her thanks. I dont like speaking, so I give a slight nod in a reply. Whenever I say anything, right-head master seems stupidly happy, so I usually try to make a habit of not speaking, but this is no time to be worrying about that.

Through [Autoregeneration], Aros abdomen rapidly knits closed.

But, considering how much damage she must have taken, theres no way she can return to the front lines Or rather, her choice to fight that monster head-on in the first place was a mistake.

Those extendible claws Theyre probably made of blood. To be more precise, theyre the result of some skill hardening and sharpening blood using magic.

Aruane you see, she really doesnt like monster blood. Its super bitter. Its suffocating, painful, and choking It really is bad. But, its for Saint-sama, so it cant be helped.

Aruane runs towards us. Her eyes are those of a predator appraising its meal. Behind her is the undead Alexio.

Her expressions and tone are mismatched, making a particularly difficult opponent to read. She really is creepy. Her voice sounds like that of a child trying to softly coax her parent, and there are hints of compassion and pity in her eyes. But, her mouth alone gives the impression of a predator toying with its food, which I suspect is closer to her true feelings.

The other possibility is that she isnt thinking about anything. Aah, thats probably it. Living just through instincts isnt at all rare for monsters, but it seems there are some humans who live like that too.

The blockhead still hasnt recovered from the damage, and Aros in no condition to return to the battle. The opponent is a monstrosity with one foot in A rank, as well as an approximately B+ rank undead.

What can I do?

Ive already erased one of the miniature [Doppel Cocoons] I stuck to master. That should let him know that were in a danger. But, of course, in this thick fog, he probably cant get here very fast.

Whats the best course of action I can take here? There are two enemies, and of our three, two of us are heavily injured. Is there any possible outcome other than us all dying? I have some confidence that I can be craftier than the pure-hearted Aro, or the blockhead who doesnt seem like he would have a single growth ring if you cut him in two. Is there any way I can see out of this?

I point a finger at Aro as she tries to panickedly rise to her feet.

Eh?

Aro, take treant and get away from here. Ill buy some time.

She hurriedly shakes her head.

Th-thats no good! Youll!

Im the fastest of us. My injuries are also light. You two will just get in the way. Get that big tree to shrink down and take it with you.

atlach-dono?

The treants body trembles.

But!

Hurry! Once you two get away, I can also escape!

I curl my finger as I urge her to go. She stares at my finger and nods in confusion.

I had thought the treant would say something in protest, but instead it obediently activates [Tree Spiritisation]. My harrying might have been effective. Thats good. If they took too long, we could have all been killed. Aro enlarges one of her arms and carries the spirit-form treant on her back as she runs.

The treant stares back at me helplessly. He really is effeminate.

Spider-san is kind, oh so kind. But, its no good, you see. Splitting up into two groups wont do you any good.

Alexio, who had been running alongside Aruane, splits off the chase Aro.

You see? You see? This just happens. Sorry.

Aruane pauses in front of me and stares at my face. It looks like shes waiting for a response.

Even though you told a lie so they would go.

Its strange, so strange. Aruane you see, she can see through lies.

This girl really is creepy.

Its true that I made Aro think I had stuck a thread on her in order to get her to focus on running away.

Aro once saw me stick a thread on another fast monster, and then use it to move quickly. So, by suggesting that I had stuck a thread on her, I hoped she would jump to that conclusion.

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Of course, I have no such convenient technique. If I could do something like that, I would have already stuck threads in all sorts of places as back ups. If I explained it in detail, she would have seen through me.

Sorry, this is the end for all of you.

I almost break into a smile in response to Aruanes words. Of course, I predicted that the undead would be sent after the two injured in this situation.

No Its just going to be me.

The undead Alexio has already closed the distance to Aro. But, just as hes about to swing his sword, he suddenly stiffens, then swings wildly, driving his sword into the ground and topples over. He quickly gets to his feet, but Aro has already gained more distance.

Ah

Aruanes mouth opens in surprise.

She can only stop him from moving Well, its better than nothing.

Aros skill [Undead Maker] allows her to use nearby dead bodies as weapons. Alexios corpse is already under Aruanes control, so it seems the most she can do is momentarily freeze him in place at point blank range To be honest, I wasnt sure if it would be effective at all.

But, now they should be able to get away. Besides Aruanes skill might have a limited range. Its a plan built on optimism, but with no other options, this was all I could think of.

Aruanes going to have to chase and hunt.

She flexes both her arms. Her claws that were about the length of fingers suddenly grow five times as long, turning into a set of ten red blades.

Too bad, you cant.

I raise both arms to the sky and use [Doppel Cocoon]. Im not going to hold anything back. Ill use up all my mana in one go. Dozens of threads shoot from my fingers and form into body doubles. Im creating four in total.

Because youre going to stop Aruane?

She tilts her head to the side in doubt. It feels like shes asking me if I really think I can stop her.

I said it in a way that would invite confusion, but the reason isnt because I can stop her. Aro has a skill called [Fog of the Dead]. In this already foggy island, it should be extremely hard for her to find Aro once she has some distance. If anything, Id like to see her try.

My four [Doppel Cocoons] jump at Aruane at the same time. She kicks off the ground and runs in a circle around me. Just by doing that, shes escaped from my body doubles.

She kicks off the ground again, leaping at me from an angle where I have no body doubles to protect me. I cant bring them back in time. I swing my arm, releasing five [Severing Threads] at point-blank range.

Aruanes dress tears, and blood splatters. But, I didnt manage to cut very deep. I had hoped it would tear her to shreds, but this was the expected outcome. Shes terrifyingly tough. To do any real damage against her, Id need a heavier attack. No, I knew that. I just attacked out of principle. That is all.

As Aruane approaches right in front of me, it feels as though time slows down.

Then, can I I try to dive to the side, but my body reacts slower than my thoughts. Aah, it looks like its already too late.

Strangely enough, I dont feel any fear.

All I feel is a vague sense of satisfaction. Aro and treant have gotten away So all I can do is hope that right-head master can safely defeat this black-hearted woman. As I think that, I notice something strange. It seems Im thinking of that blockhead as a proper companion.

I do feel a little proud of what Ive achieved here, but more than that, I feel sorry for leaving everything to Aro and treant. This will probably weigh a lot on them.

Aah, left-head master might have felt like this too.

A sharp claw stabs into the base of my neck.