We descended the stairs.
The room we entered was massive, large enough to host a baseball game.
It was just as we’d been told beforehand.
And there, in the center, it stood.
A red face, a long nose, and leaves from a Japanese Fatsia tree.
Its attire was like that of a monk.
「A Tengu, huh?」
「Indeed! I am one of the Eight Great Tengu of Japan, Zenkibo of Mount Omine!」
「It can talk?!」
This was the first time I’d ever encountered a monster that could speak.
Mount Omine… that’s a mountain down in southern Nara Prefecture, right?
What’s a Tengu with that name doing all the way out here in Mount Ikoma?
「Why do I speak, you ask? A question both simple and complex. Yet, words are not a gift granted solely to humans.」
「If we can communicate, let’s talk. Just let us pass. My business isn’t with you, but with the dungeon core said to be on the tenth floor.」
「I cannot allow that. I was created to guard this place, and to neglect that would be… wrong, I think.」
「You think?」
「Be it human or not, the reason for one’s birth is often that vague.」
The Tengu chuckled.
「Taira, I don’t think talking’s going to help us here.」
「What do you mean?」
Could it be that his words are laced with some kind of curse?
「I agree. What’s coming next isn’t a negotiation or a duel—it’s a fight to the death.」
Ayame was right.
Once emotions get involved, it becomes harder to kill.
That’s what she was getting at.
「Hmm, it seems the lady warrior has steeled herself. Well then, let us commence the battle!」
The Tengu laughed.
At the same time, it swung its large Japanese Fatsia leaf.
「That is… if we’re really going to fight!」
Suddenly, a violent gust of wind erupted.
The force of it—unbelievable.
We were all pushed backward.
「How about it? Leave now, and you may yet live. If you stay, I shall crush you with force!」
The wind pressure grew stronger.
Such power…
Just then, Milk raised her gun.
「Release: Create Gunpowder… Release: Hot Stone Bullet!」
The shot rang out.
No matter how strong the wind is, this should—
Wait, what?!
「The bullet stopped in midair?!」
The bullet spun rapidly but wasn’t moving forward at all.
Eventually, the rotation ceased, and it dropped to the floor, rolling back toward us.
「Then I’ll cancel it out with my wind magic! Release: Cyclone!」
Ayame’s wind magic pushed back against the storm.
The wind pressure eased a bit.
Now we can—
Wait, it didn’t reach?
The wind wasn’t making it past the same spot where the bullet had stopped.
「Hmph, impressive strength. But to break my Tengu Storm, you’ll need much stronger power. Only a wind of the same nature can break through!」
「So, if we use that Tengu Storm, we can break the barrier?」
「If you could, that is. This technique is a powerful art—」
「Tengu Storm!」
Ayame had apparently used her Learning skill.
Swinging her archmage’s staff, she unleashed a wind even larger than her earlier cyclone, shattering the wind barrier the Tengu had created.
Immediately after, Hime and her four bunshin dashed toward the Tengu.
「Dagger Art: Oboro Thrust!」
Hime split into fifteen bunshin, all attacking the Tengu at once.
「Gah! Tengu Escape!」
The Tengu used teleportation, instantly moving to the back of the room.
「The likes of you, using Tengu arts and conjuring multiple bunshin—are you truly human? Or perhaps disguised yokai?」
Coming from a Tengu like him, that’s rich.
-0-
The battle raged on.
There were moments where we thought we had the upper hand, like when Hime caught him off guard, but the fight was a struggle.
The Tengu was formidable.
The Fatsia leaf he wielded served both as a sword and a shield, resilient and capable of unleashing wind blades with each swing. It was far more troublesome than any ordinary weapon.
At first, we didn’t realize how those wind blades worked, which led to the destruction of one of my substitute bracelets and left a small cut on my face.
Even when we cornered him, he’d use Tengu Storm to create distance or Tengu Escape to evade.
The only consolation was that his skills couldn’t be used consecutively. If we could corner him three times within a short period, we could take him down.
Naturally, the Tengu was aware of this too.
Whenever his skills were on cooldown, he wouldn’t engage.
He’d maintain his distance.
At times, he’d outright flee.
But when we chased too hard, he’d strike back unexpectedly.
Another substitute bracelet shattered, sending a sharp pain through my chest.
The Cloak of the Dark Fire Rat absorbed some of the damage, but the pain still throbbed.
At the same time, a potion soared through the air, healing me.
Milk’s healing magic was on point as always.
「That’s a sturdy cloak you wear.」
The Tengu remarked, still looking as though he hadn’t broken a sweat.
I wanted nothing more than to break that long nose off his face.
I retrieved a fresh substitute bracelet from my inventory and equipped it.
「Hmph, I see… I’ve figured it out. The swift but underpowered ninja girl… The rear guard, able to heal and attack, but physically unimpressive… And the linchpin of this party, the swordsman—Tengu Escape.」
The Tengu vanished!?
But we hadn’t even cornered him—where did he go?
His presence reappeared far behind us.
「Milk, behind you!」
The Tengu had materialized directly behind her, raising the Fatsia leaf to strike.
「I can’t abandon my allies!」
In that instant, my substitute bracelet shattered, and an overwhelming surge of pain shot through my back.
My substitute skill had activated.
「Taking your allies’ wounds upon yourself? All you’re doing is multiplying your weaknesses. Pathetic.」
The Tengu raised his Fatsia leaf for another blow, but—
「Release: Powder Explosion!」
A massive explosion detonated between Milk and the Tengu.
Agonizing pain from the blast seared through my body, and Milk was thrown toward me.
She must have calculated that getting caught in the explosion was better than being sliced by the Tengu.
By flying in my direction, she’d also be close enough for immediate healing.
「Taira! Potion Rain!」
A shower of healing potions rained down, soothing my injuries, but my body still felt heavy.
The Tengu… of course, he seemed barely affected by the blast.
Damn it, he had turned his Tengu Escape from a defensive maneuver into an offensive one, targeting Milk and Ayame.
「Well? Have you considered surrendering yet?」
「Yeah… at this rate, it doesn’t look like we can win.」
I said, flashing a sly grin.
「It’s time to use that.」
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