Monster Stampede [3]
The variety of monsters would immediately send panic to any normal person who saw it. First, who wouldn't be afraid to die in such a tragic way? Second, who didn't fear monsters? And lastly, they were nasty. The air was thick with the scent of blood and earth, a nauseating combination that made my stomach churn.
The kinds of monsters weren't fixed, so I assumed this was indeed orchestrated. During migration season, monster stampedes occur, but they consist of the same category, not predators and prey joining forces.
Well, a stampede's driving force is to find food, as resources in their previous area would have become scarce. Mostly, humans were the best targets. However, with predators and prey combining forces, it was impossible to think this was all natural.
It was a hypothesis in my first life. During that time, we investigated how the people's lives were sacrificed. The stampede was the main reason why they died and the ritual proceeded. Some thought it was natural, but others believed it was orchestrated. I was one of those who believed it was unnatural, and our hypothesis was finally proven.
Sighing, I prepared myself for the upcoming spells I needed to release. My heart pounded in my chest, the rhythm quickening with each passing second. Lyra was still behind me, but she seemed to have now focused on the danger rather than her curiosity.
I summoned the Control Panel. Seeing the spells I had registered, I nodded, satisfied that I had managed to play the plan out in my mind.
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[Assimilation System]
Spells: Calamity Bringer, Destruction, Ending's Call, No One is Alive, Void Bringer, Wide Range Explosion, Undead Hands, and 11 more
Weapons: None
Gadgets: Titan One
Artifacts: Cog of Eternity, Boots of Aurora, Mana Gather, Brave's Call
Passive Abilities: Gadget Control
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[Spells]
[Calamity Bringer] – 120s [Destruction] – 120s [Ending's Call] – 120s [No One is Alive] – 120s [Void Bringer] – 60s [Wide Range Explosion] – 30s [Crater Bringer] – 30s [Annihilator] – 30s [Giant Fire Ball] – 30s [Undead Hands] – 10s [Special Arrow] – 10s [Pure Arrow] – 10s [Pressing Arrow] – 10s [Liquid Arrow] – 10s [Double Arrow] – 10s [Elemental Arrow] – 10s [Moonlight Arrow] – 10s [Rainfall Arrows] – 10s
[?] [?] [?] [?] [?]
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The other four spells with a 120-second cooldown were deadly. They wouldn't be fit for this fight as they would leave a hazardous amount of mana that could harm the settlers. This only left me with the other spells I had registered and in mind. However, I wouldn't be able to use them all or bombard and focus my spells on defending, as I still had to face Orca after this. Conserving my mana was a priority.
"Alright…" I mumbled, trying to steady my trembling hands, before aiming for the back of the tarantula. If I had to kill monsters with some of my spells, the best option was at the front.
[Wide Range Explosion] – 29s
A huge explosion loomed before us, creating a cloud of dust that reached the sky, and the earth trembled more. Blood splattered in different locations; the monsters paused and their attention was diverted. Their deafening growls weakened, but they remained ferocious.
However, I didn't wait for the clouds to disappear and unleashed the second spell.
[Crater Bringer] – 29s
A huge asteroid-like rock appeared before us and landed directly on my target, causing another intense rumbling that weakened the earth wall's structure. The ground beneath me vibrated, making it hard to maintain my balance. However, that didn't concern me as the important thing was to eradicate at least half of these monsters before letting Titan One fight them.
The spells I had used started their countdown.
[Annihilator] – 29s
A deafening call of wind immediately cleared the cloud of dust, revealing the scene before us. Amputated, squashed, erased, flattened, buried, and irregular monsters lay before us. The series of attacks had slightly thinned the monsters at the front.
As the deafening call of wind ended, invisible slashes appeared, so elusive that even I couldn't determine their direction. Smaller monsters were diced, and the bigger ones lost some of their parts. However, it wasn't over; there were still some at our sides, charging at the wall.
[Special Arrow] – 9s [Pure Arrow] – 9s
[Pressing Arrow] – 9s [Liquid Arrow] – 9s
[Double Arrow] – 9s [Elemental Arrow] – 9s
[Moonlight Arrow] – 9s [Rainfall Arrows] – 9s
A series of different arrows rained down from my sides as I aimed my arms at them. I followed up with various spells that I could cast easily, ones that wouldn't require much mana. Even with the small amount of spells I released, it consumed at least 1/8 of my entire mana reserve. The depletion was significant enough that I hesitated to cast another spell, knowing I needed to conserve energy for the upcoming battle with Orca.
Breathless from the series of spells, I took out the Brave's Call. At least the monsters at the walls had been eradicated. As I blew the horn, a deep, resonant sound echoed through the battlefield, capturing the monsters' attention, just as I had hoped.
Shit… This is it…
Panic and excitement washed over me as I commanded Titan One to the First Mountain. The heaviness of its movements sent tremors through its entire body, and I could feel them clearly at my feet. My breath came in short, quick gasps, the anticipation almost unbearable.
As we ran, I noticed Lyra dashing on the crumbling structure of the walls, following us. She seemed serious about this fight as well, which was a relief given the sheer number of monsters. Even with my best efforts, it wouldn't be possible to kill them all easily.
I still worried about the possibility of Orca noticing my betrayal and ignoring his command. He might send some of his stationed troops to guard the town and rush at me. But I was somewhat complacent, believing he wouldn't realize it was me immediately.
At least, I had a few minutes to end this stampede. If we got far enough from the town, I could unleash some of my deadliest spells, though returning to the town immediately afterward would be difficult. The fear that Orca might realize his plan to kill the settlers with the monster stampede had failed and instead use his prowess and people to kill them indiscriminately tingled my composure.
"Hey, can I trust you to look out for any monsters that pass through the ends of the walls? I'm afraid this artifact won't attract all of them," I asked Lyra, who seemed to be moving away from us.
I didn't know how she would react, but her silence suggested she was considering it deeply. Then I noticed she wasn't following us anymore, which made me relieved that there would be a reliable person to handle any stray monsters.
The monsters ahead finally responded to my call, charging toward us with frantic expressions. Their eyes gleamed with different colors, but the craziness was palpable.