There’s no solution for close combat.
I suddenly realized while sensing the area attack that crushed the road.
-!
The loudest noise I’ve heard so far burst my eardrums. A piercing ringing filled my ears. Rocks pelted my body.
“Dammit.”
I had some room to dodge, probably because it had gotten bigger, but it was a close call; I nearly became dried fish.
It hurts. I surveyed my surroundings with spatial perception.
That bastard must be an alpha, leading a horde of monsters. Hundreds of monsters were rampaging all around.
The people who had been barricading the shelter were now disbanded, engaging in a free-for-all.
Fortunately, the shelter door was firmly shut. If it had been open… that mob of monsters would have charged through it.
“Ouch…”
My left arm hurt.
I hadn’t dodged completely. I must have been close enough to feel the backlash, as chunks of flesh were torn from my severed left arm.
Now it was uncomfortable to move my left arm. I felt chills run down my spine from the exposed bone at the wound. I was still wondering why it moved at all.
Is it because I’m a superhuman? If I hadn’t been, I might have died from the shock.
I cast a bit of healing magic and wrapped the sky’s feathers around my arm like a bandage.
Fog billowed up, engulfing the surroundings. Yet, Aeolus’s eyes fixated on me.
“Close combat is not the answer.”
If I got hit up close, I wouldn’t last long. Even if I managed to brush off an attack, it wouldn’t matter. It would just buy me a bit more time.
Then I had to attack from a distance.
I had no arrows or bow to shoot. I didn’t have any bullets or guns to fire from afar, and there wasn’t anything handy to throw.
But there was something else. I steadied my breath and brought my hands together. It was like a pre-ignition stance. I focused and expelled my internal mana outward.
– Vwoom!
The mana transformed into a spell. A simple structure for a spell. The mana consumption was manageable, so I wouldn’t be burdened even if I unleashed it in a frenzy.
“Mana Ball.”
A sphere of mana generated behind me and was shot out. It didn’t stop at one. It fired immediately without delay as soon as it was created. The torrent of mana balls hit Aeolus.
– Blam!
The explosion engulfed Aeolus. It didn’t end there. The mana balls colliding with the crimson fog triggered further explosions.
It didn’t deal any damage. The mana balls only disrupted the blood aura but didn’t break through.
However, they accompanied explosions. I adjusted the spell to increase its explosive power. I couldn’t inflict damage, but I could push Aeolus back with the explosion. Consecutive bursts pushed him away from me.
– Growl!
The growl was heard first. The ground beneath Aeolus marked a rough pit afterward.
A high-speed leap. It couldn’t deceive my spatial perception. I quickly twisted my body.
A deadly slicing sound brushed past my ear. My earlobe was torn. I swallowed the familiar pain.
I twisted my waist. The blood aura coiling around my leg burned fiercely.
I aimed to kick. The moment I observed the writhing blood aura, I abandoned my attack and pulled back.
– Wham!
Blood-colored slashes poured down where I had been standing. The blood aura wrapped around its claws elongated and then swept through the space as slashes.
An attack that hadn’t existed just a moment ago. Had he been hiding it? Could that beast be engaging in psychological warfare?
The plan didn’t change. Avoid close combat. Keep the distance and hold him back.
I recoiled. Widening the gap, I unleashed various spells. Mana balls, mana slashes, elemental attacks, and binding spells that restrained his feet.
All sorts of magic traced through the space.
Naturally, Aeolus aimed to break through, trying to close the distance. A monster fueled by overwhelming physical capability charged forward.
I dodged and deflected where I could. Besides the damages I had to take, I evaded as much as possible.
Having spatial perception allowed me to do this.
As long as his aura didn’t shatter in a single blow, I could manage.
I couldn’t shake him off solely with physical ability, but if I poured magic into him to stiffen him, it would be possible.
Mana rapidly drained from me. I squeezed the ambient mana out. The unrefined mana scorched the circuits.
It would leave aftereffects, but it was better than dying.
I bought some time. External rescue. I didn’t know when it would arrive. Even if they did come, I had no idea how long it would take to break through the outer wall, but that was all I could trust.
– Growl…
A moment later, what had been a roaring mouth snapped shut. The paw that had been relentlessly swinging stopped.
“What’s going on?”
Panting, I maintained my distance as I watched Aeolus’s expression.
For some reason, he had halted. His eyes seemed to be contemplating something.
Whatever it was, it was a brief chance to catch my breath. I could take a moment to regroup my strained body, circuits, and core.
Sweet rest didn’t last long. Aeolus resumed moving.
– Boom!
Aeolus slammed into the ground. The floor cracked beneath him as he charged forward. I flew back and formed a spell.
I had to prevent his approach. I responded with magic, keeping my distance just like before.
The crimson fog didn’t rush towards me… I flinched as my body trembled.
Aeolus wasn’t heading towards me.
The direction was different.
It was… towards the firmly shut entrance of the shelter.
In other words, a place full of easy prey for Aeolus.
“Dammit.”
I realized Aeolus’s intention. It was strange to think I didn’t know.
I felt blatant murderous intent.
The moment I observed his deep red eyes soaked in sticky blood, I had no choice but to feel it.
Murderous intent typically conjures images of filthy and dirty feelings.
An emotion born from the desire to kill usually stems from ugly sentiments.
The true aura of lethality was nothing but the dirty and disgusting feelings I sensed from alleyway thugs.
But that was not the case with him. Aeolus was different.
The moment our eyes met, I realized.
It wasn’t something to add to murderous intent, it was a pure emotion.
Aeolus’s intent to kill didn’t harbor any messy grudges.
It was hunger.
The root of his murderous intent was nothing more than hunger.
He survives by eating.
He survives by devouring others.
To eat, he becomes stronger, so he won’t be eaten.
And thus, he devours.
A simple and straightforward mindset. There’s no filthy malicious intent hanging around.
Wild carnivores don’t need complex reasons to catch herbivores. They shouldn’t be criticized for doing what’s right.
“……”
He was the same.
The reason he first attacked me? Because I was prey that wouldn’t survive.
Why is he now ignoring me and heading for the shelter? Because I’m not easy prey and there are plenty of easy meals inside the shelter.
How much could the shelter door possibly hold back Aeolus? I could break it too. So, could he not break through?
For a moment, it felt like time stopped.
Aeolus, who had leaped into the shelter, froze. Stones falling from the sky, too, came to a standstill.
It was just like before.
As I dragged my foot back, I felt an illusion that the world was waiting for my answer.
The world was slow. My thoughts accelerated. The superhumans guarding the entrance were also dismantled by the horde of monsters and Aeolus.
No one was there to block. I thought it. My rational mind calculated calmly. Can I stop him? I questioned again.
If I do stop him, can I survive?
This wasn’t an open space like before. It wasn’t a space where I could easily dodge attacks or evade. It wasn’t a place where I could cast spells easily.
No matter how wide the shelter’s passage was, it wouldn’t be as spacious as here.
Allowing attacks would mean I had to face them head-on in sequence, basically right in front of me, turning into a meat chunk.
I couldn’t unleash a barrage of spells. I had to withstand it all with my body wrapped in thick armor and drink it all in with my blood aura.
That would be outright suicide. Just stalling for time while throwing away my life.
To put it bluntly, hadn’t I already piled up enough excuses?
I thought that, too.
Ever since the dungeon went haywire, I hadn’t had a moment’s rest.
I had killed monsters as I saw them and rescued those who hadn’t managed to escape. I had blocked monsters charging at those people.
All of it came with life-threatening risks. No matter how strong I was, I was nothing more than a rookie who had never experienced actual combat.
I’d been running around for hours; I had managed to stall even an alpha monster.
I met the minimum requirements. I had filled the minimum excuses. No, not filled, I overflowed.
If people heard my side of the story, few would point fingers at me as a selfish bastard.
People would say I’d done enough.
So, there was no reason for me to crash into the ground here.
Crash! The ground I was standing on shattered. I extended my leg. The space rapidly shifted.
It was a different speed than before. Whoosh! Blood gushed from my leg. My leg cried red from the forced exertion.
I blocked the entrance to the shelter. Aeolus’s eyes widened. For a brief moment, I was faster than that monster.
Aeolus approached.
His thick paw, the hideous claws protruding from it, and the blood aura surging over them drew near.
Death approached unseen.
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