The Prelude to a Counterattack (4)

"...Miracles are sure to happen to those who believe."

Dolores covered her mouth with her hands and muttered in a low voice.

Anyone who saw what was happening in front of their eyes could say that, even if they were not members of the Lun Church.

A horde of giant spiders, and the single largest spider of them all.

Time has passed so quickly that the baby madam, who was once as small as a lump of dust, has now become a mother with a gigantic body.

A huge mother with a bunch of small(?) children who look exactly like her!

"...I can't believe it."

"You're much bigger than Madame Eight-Legged."

The Madame cub was so huge that even Camus and Aiyen, who had seen the mother before, could not hide their surprise.

It was like a mountain moving.

kwalkwalkwalkwalkwalkwalkwalkwal...

A wall of spiders blocks the stream of water polluted by the Red Death.

A spider monster from the world.

For a creature that thrives on poison, the Red Death was like the first fatty meal they'd had in a long time.

The power, size, and gluttony of the spiders, which even demons were reluctant to confront, blocked even the seemingly unstoppable wave of red death.

Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp-

The streams that the spiders touched became clear and transparent again.

The red death aura was being cleansed away by the countless spiders.

The priests on one side, the spiders on the other, hold the Red Death at bay.

Flubber, too, was devouring the poisonous people, growing in size and inhaling more and more of the Red Death.

Camus and Aiyen were beside him, draping an arm over Dolores' shoulders.

"Hey, Holy Water Vending Machine. You and my boyfriend were having such a good time earlier. What should I do now that I'm sad that I have less work to do?"

"Ah, that's a shame!? And who's the vending machine! It is blasphemy! And why is Vikir your boyfriend in the first place?"

"Oh- I also benefited from this saintly juice a long time ago. Hahaha-"

"J-juice!"

Behind him, Sinclair was barely holding back her laughter, and Kirko was just standing there with a sullen expression on her face.

Then. In front of everyone, Madame cub bowed her head.

ku-gugugugugu...

The cub slowly lowered her face to where Vikir stood.

The sound of the carapace rubbing against the carapace surrounding the joint was transmitted like an earthquake through the ground.

It's a bit strange to see a fully grown adult.

Vikir looked at her with some wariness.

However.

ppangsis-

Madame cub lowered her head in front of Vikir and smiled brightly.

Back in the days in the dormitory of the Colosseo Academy, she would wait alone in his room while Vikir was out for class, and when Vikir would open the door and come back, she would always look like that.

[Hack-hack-hack-]

The cub tilted her head toward Vikir.

A fierce hug, seemingly oblivious to her own size.

"...Mmm. Well, yeah. You've grown a lot, really."

[kkiing- kkeung-]

When Vikir strokes her, she wags her tail and burrows into his arms like she used to.

She may have gotten bigger, but she's still a baby.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out above the cub's head.

"Hunting Leader!"

"Brother! I've come to help!"

How could he forget those voices?

Vikir looked up and saw the faces of those he had bonded with in the jungle.

Ahul, whom he had met in the Hell Tree, and Ahun, whom he hadn't known alive since, stared at him with a bow in hand.

Behind them, the warriors of Balak, all of whom Vikir had thought dead, smile at him, revealing their white teeth.

[Grrrr!]

A roar erupted from behind Vikir, who was just about to wave.

Vakira, the returning spirit of Aiyen, roars toward the sky.

An answering roar came from the gathering of Balak's warriors.

A wolf, identical to Vakira's, reared its head.

Viola, Ahul's partner. Vakira's daughter.

The wolf father and daughter also share a long-overdue reunion.

And then.

peopeong! peog! peo-eog!

The fearsome archery of Balak's warriors began to push the poisonous people back.

Ahul's performance, in particular, was almost unrivaled.

Based on the stats she had gained from the Hell Tree, she was overwhelming the strength of even the most elderly Balak warriors.

"You've improved a lot, Ahul."

"...Hunting leader!

Aiyen patted Ahul's head roughly.

Ahul's eyes filled with tears as soon as she saw Aiyen's face.

Meanwhile, Vikir landed on his side and asked Ahun.

"What about the chieftain?"

"She was attacked by a demon in the form of a horse. She still suffered from the effects of her battle with Adonai, but she broke the tip of the demon's horn....."

Vikir nodded silently at Ahun's words.

Perhaps the reason he was able to defeat Amdusias so soon after emerging from the Hell Tree was because of Aquila's previous battle.

Amdusias hadn't been able to overcome the aftereffects of Aquila's power.

Then, a hand tapped Vikir on the shoulder.

Kirko. She said with her eyes shining.

"Now is your chance. It's time to strike back."

Vikir nodded his head in agreement.

Soon, all the reinforcements began to push toward the peak.

"Capture Leviathan's lord!"

Baskerville, Morg, Quovadis, Bourgeois, Tochka reinforcements, and even Balak and the spiders.

Flauros became the target of all who gathered here.

[...Huh.]

Flauros shakes his head in disbelief.

But the tide of battle has definitely turned.

Even his secret weapon, poison release, has been neutralized by the priests of Quovadis and the spiders of the Jungle, making things quite difficult for the demon.

Furthermore, the warriors of Baskerville and Morg were now tearing through the poisonous people with terrifying force, and the battle could be over in a matter of moments.

Flauros looked back at Vikir and smirked.

[Yes, I admit it, I guess I saw your world too easily.]

A declaration of defeat came from the demon's mouth.

But Vikir knew better than anyone that a victory was not a victory unless the enemy's life was ended.

Especially not against a demon.

kwang!

At the same time as Vikir stomped on the ground and charged out, Flauros also jumped back.

"...Here's where we need to catch him.

Flauros was a strong and cunning being.

All demons were, but among them, Flauros was far more dangerous.

Vikir raced up the mountain peak, intent on killing him.

The poisonous people tried to stop him, but the five behind him blew away the obstacles and cleared the way.

Camus, Aiyen, Dolores, Sinclair, and Kirko.

Blazing flames, iron skewers, powerful arrows, holy protection, golden giants, and vampiric creatures overwhelmed the wall of poisonous people who tried to protect Flauros from Vikir.

Then Vikir broke through the crumbling wall of poisonous people and grabbed Flauros from behind.

"Demon."

Black Sun. Eight ferocious teeth bared.

"Kill."

The hound had a strong killing intent.

Just then.

[...Oh, my son!]

Flauros suddenly turned his face over.

A black shadow flashed in front of Flauros as he pulled back the leopard skin, revealing the facial hide of Hobbes, the head of House Leviathan.

At the same time.

…kkaang!

Vikir had to lift Beelzebub to block the heavy scythe falling on the top of his head.

Flutter-!

The black scythe, tattered from countless battles, swung around.

The Harvester, who breathes out a thick fog of poison, blocking Vikir's path.

Kwagigigig!

Sword and scythe clash, creating countless sparks of fire.

But the Harvester was no match for Vikir.

The more teeth there were, and the more dizzy the sword strike, the more the Harvester was being pushed away by Vikir mercilessly.

"Some poisons don't work on me."

After speaking, Vikir removed the scythe with his sword and at the same time struck the Harvester's chest with his palm.

Thwack!

A heavy crack sounded from the Harvester's breastplate as it cracked open.

But Flauros was unperturbed.

[Hang in there, son, the Movement Magic Circle will be activated soon].

The words were spoken more to mock Vikir than to encourage the Harvester.

Flauros turned back to Vikir with a mocking look on his face.

[Now, write 'it'].

Hearing Flauros's command, the Harvester immediately pulled a handful of something from his bosom.

A black sphere, with many barbed spikes sprouting from it.

Vikir recognized it at a glance.

"The seed of the Hell Tree!"

[Yes! It comes out when it's bored, doesn't it?]

Flauros answered on his behalf.

Around them, the rumbling poisonous clouds were gathering once more.

It wasn't just the Hell Tree Seed that was distorting space.

"It's space movement magic!"

"It's quite high class, brother!"

Camus and Sinclair's urgent voices came from behind.

Vikir gritted his teeth and picked up his pace, but he couldn't seem to keep up with the countless Hell Tree Seeds flying in front of him.

'If I get hit by one of those, I don't know what will happen.'

'If I'm dragged into the Illusionary World again, I have no answer.'

If he were to be dragged into the Hell Tree once more in such a desperate time of war, it would be a terrible thing indeed.

Vikir had no choice but to give up on the frontal assault.

... But at that very moment.

"Vikir, go!"

A voice called out, clearing the way for Vikir.

…peopeopeog!

Vikir's path was cleared by a being who blocked the seeds of the Hell Tree with his entire body.

Vikir's eyes widened at the unexpected help.

Piggy.

He gritted his teeth, his body covered in blood.