Vol-08 Ch 5 – Planet’s Core

Part 1

"Well… are there any materials in this direction that could be used to power a spaceship?"

"Yeah."

"Where are we headed, by the way?"

"You'll find out when we get there."

"That's obvious, isn't it…?"

The next day.

After waking up in the morning and finishing breakfast, we decided to leave immediately and walked through the wilderness with Ouma-san leading the way.

You might be wondering why we were suddenly in the wilderness.

But we hadn't been teleported anywhere, nor had we been carried by Ouma-san, who had returned to his original size. We were really walking in the wilderness right after leaving the house.

It seemed that the place where we live was originally a part in the depths of the [Great Devil's Nest].

In the depths of the Great Devil's Nest, there were many black hardwood trees and powerful monsters like the Mithril Boar. In addition, in the depths of the forest there should have been magic stones SS-grade or higher that could be used to power the spaceship. I've never seen them, though.

During the battle with Avis, his attack wiped out the entire forest behind Sage-san's house, and the vastness of the [Great Devil's Nest] was reduced to nothing.

But…

"Hmm…? Hyii?"

"Yuuya!?"

As I was walking, I suddenly felt a strange sensation on the bottom of my foot, and the moment I moved my foot, a tree grew out of the ground where my foot had just been, piercing the sky!

"W-what is that? Why is it suddenly growing out of nowhere?"

As I stepped away in surprise, I placed my foot on another spot and felt the same sensation on the sole of my foot again.

"C-could it be…"

When I moved my foot, I had a terrible premonition that a tree was growing out of the ground again!

"Hey… what's going on here?"

As I moved from one place to another, trees began to grow one after another in an instant, transforming themselves into magnificent black hardwood trees.

"Astonished. This growth rate is out of the ordinary."

(Even if this is a phenomenon unique to this land… it's out of the ordinary for a mature tree to suddenly grow out of the barren ground!)

Yuti, Merl-san, Night, and others continued to avoid the black hardwood tree that suddenly sprouted as if attacking.

Then, Ouma-san, who was flying in the lead, told us with a dumbfounded look.

"What are you surprised about? The amount of magic power floating around in the [Great Devil's Nest] is the highest in this world. The life force of the plants that grow there is also extraordinary. These [Black Hardwood Trees] were once wiped out by that Evil attack, but I guess they left their seeds in the ground and were ready to revive at the slightest stimulus. It would take some time for the monsters to return to their original numbers, but nature should be able to revive soon. The impact of your feet may have accidentally triggered the regeneration."

"Isn't the life force too strong?"

How could they just skip the budding and suddenly become mature trees?

As I was bewildered by the unbelievable vitality of the Great Devil's Nest, Ouma-san laughed.

"Well, even though the number of monsters has yet to return to normal, it doesn't mean they aren't around."

"Eh?"

The moment I was about to ask what he meant, I felt the strong presence of a monster. In addition, the location is…!

"Under our feet again?"

We immediately jumped away from the spot, and something jumped out from the ground where we were just now with tremendous force!

And this time, it's not a tree.

"──Kishaaaaaaa!"

"T-that's…?"

"Astonished. That's the [Gluttony Worm]."

"Gluttony Worm?"

The name gave off a very bad vibe.

It looked terrifying, and although there were no eye-like parts, it had a huge mouth that could easily swallow up a dozen people and had a huge amount of teeth lined up in a row.

Its skin was slimy and gnarly, and it looked like a giant worm.

I immediately activated my [Identification] skill.

[Gluttony Worm]

Level: 5

Magic Power: 2,000

Attack: 100,000

Defense: 5,000

Agility: 1,000

Intelligence: 10,000

Luck: 1,000

"100,000 Attack Power?"

What's with the outrageous stats? I haven't seen this aside from Master Usagi who has over 100,000!

However, this monster seemed to be an ambush-type monster, and it was a relief that its agility was not that high. But it's still dangerous…

Merl-san, who was seeing the monster of this world for the first time, groaned as she operated her terminal.

(Is this the creature of this planet…? I understand that this planet is different from Earth, but the patterns of life and genetic information are also very different. Even so… it's amazing that a single creature can possess so much power.)

"Um, Merl-san. I know it's a little late to ask, but can you fight, Merl-san?"

(Unfortunately, I can't use the battle mode on this device yet.)

"I see… So, Akatsuki, will you stay here and protect Merl-san?"

"Buhi!"

When I asked him to do so, Akatsuki raised his paw as if to say, "Leave it to me."

"Pi! Pii!"

"Hey, you stay over here. If you go out there, it's not good for Yuuya's training."

"Pi?"

Ciel offered to help fill the hole left by Akatsuki but was stopped by Ouma-san. Ugh, it would have been reassuring to have Ciel's support… Well, I somehow expected this to happen, so no problem.

"Well then, Yuti, Night. We are the only ones fighting; can we do this?"

I asked, and Yuti gave me an indescribable look.

"Unknown. Gluttony Worm is a legendary monster."

"Legendary?"

"Affirmative. It's the same as Ouma-san, the kind of monster that appears in legends. I believe it was one of the Seven Deadly Sins."

"Seven Deadly Sins…?"

Are they the same as the Seven Deadly Sins that also appear in stories on Earth? Well, it's called Gluttony, so it's probably the same.

So in terms of the name, it bears the name [Violent Eating]? Isn't that right…? I don't know the details, though. But why is it that the same or similar concept as Earth's Seven Deadly Sins exists in this world? I wonder.

"The more I hear about it, the worse it sounds, but… can't we just avoid it… It seems impossible, huh?"

"Affirmative. We are definitely being targeted. It seems to move slowly, but we don't know what kind of attack it has."

As I listened to Yuti's words, I turned my gaze to Ouma-san, but Ouma-san was not looking at me as he held Ciel.

"It must have been hungry because of the lack of food since the forest in this area was wiped out. If you don't defeat it, it will eat you."

"…So it will be difficult to escape…"

…Even Ouma-san, as expected, would say something if it was an enemy we couldn't defeat, which probably means we can defeat it. …Maybe.

"…It can't be helped. Yuti, Night. Let's handle this on our own."

"Affirmative. I'll do my best."

"Woof!"

With the reliable voices of the two as a signal, I took out my [Omni-Sword] and slashed at the Gluttony Worm.

＊＊＊

(Wha… what's that weapon?)

As Yuuya and the others begin to battle the Gluttony Worm, Merl rolled her eyes when she saw the weapon Yuuya was holding.

"It's something my friend, the Sage, left behind."

(The Sage…? No, more importantly, how could a single individual have created such a thing?)

"Yeah. Because there was nothing he couldn't do."

(That's absurd…)

Unlike Yuuya, Merl came from a planet where science and technology were at their most advanced and could infer the power contained in various objects from the electromagnetic waves that flooded them. Moreover, the terminal attached to Merl's arm can be used to make more accurate measurements.

It was only when she saw the weapon in Yuuya's hand and the storage room of Yuuya's house that Merl felt that it was outrageous without the need to even use the terminal.

Even Merl, who had traveled through various universes in search of the blueprint, didn't know of any other place where such extraordinary power was swirling around.

In addition, the wave of power in the storage room would have easily collapsed not only the Earth but also the entire universe, but somehow it has remained in that space, perfectly intact.

It was no exaggeration to call it an act of God, and Merl could not prove it with the science she knew.

And the surprise didn't end there.

"Hey… This guy's skin is too slippery to cut!"

Surprisingly, even though Yuuya slashed at the Gluttony Worm with his [Omni-Sword], the blade could not penetrate the Gluttony Worm's skin properly to cut it.

(That weapon didn't work?)

"It's certified as an S-class because of the small amount of magic power it contains within its body, but if you look at its ability alone, it's one of the best among the monsters. They called it one of the Seven Deadly Sins for that very reason."

(What are the Seven Deadly Sins?)

"I don't know much about it. It's a title that humans have given them arbitrarily. …No, was it the Sage? I don't know where he got the idea from, but he said something like that a long time ago. In any case, there are at least six more troublesome types of monsters like the Gluttony Worm inhabiting this world."

(What do you mean, there are still six more kinds of creatures like that?)

Merl's eyes widened at the fact that Ouma had told her.

In the meantime, when Yuuya found out that the [Omni-Sword] could not be used, he stored the [Omni-Sword] in his item box and took out the [Absolute Spear].

(Wha? What's with those weapons? Is there more than one weapon that can contain that much power?)

"Hahahahaha! Is that your common sense? Don't talk about the Sage with such a narrow view."

(It's not just my common sense, it's the common sense of the universe…)

Merl began to feel dizzy.

Originally, she had come to collect the blueprint for an anti-celestial annihilation weapon to protect her planet from the Dragonia aliens. No one would have thought that there would be a weapon that surpassed all the technology of Amel on such a remote and empty planet.

Merl was surprised and fatigued, but Ouma laughed in amusement.

"It's nice to be amazed by Sage's weapon, but it's not just the weapon that's amazing."

(Eh?)

"Although there are still many things that are lacking, I sense a similar vibe in master… Yuuya as in the Sage. Even I cannot measure his potential."

When Ouma had just said this, Yuuya unleashed his [Magic Attire] and Evil's power that had laid dormant within him, as he overwhelmed the Gluttony Worm. However, as a last-ditch effort, the Gluttony Worm went on a rampage, its huge body undulating wildly. Then, the aftermath of the attack headed towards Merl.

(Ah!)

Merl, who had been caught completely off guard, was unable to avoid the stone pebbles launched by the Gluttony Worm's violent movements. In addition, Merl was still unable to use her battle mode.

"Watch out!"

In an instant, Yuuya came to Merl's side and held her in his arms.

"I'm sorry! My lack of power has put Merl-san in danger… Are you okay?"

(Eh… Ah… Yes…)

"I see… Please stay here for now. I'll defeat it properly this time."

That's all Yuuya told her, and then he put Merl down at a further distance and headed straight for the Gluttony Worm.

Merl was taken aback by the sight. In response to Merle, Ouma smiled proudly.

"Do you understand now? That guy is amazing."

But Merl could not say anything.

Part 2

"I-I'm tired…"

"Affirmative. I need to rest."

"Woof."

After we managed to defeat the Gluttony Worm, I crouched down.

Although we were not injured in any way, facing an attack power of 100,000 was mentally exhausting. The threat forced us to fight while being conscious of the fact that even a single blow was dangerous.

If it were only about status, it would be close to Mithril Boar or something like that, but no matter how I looked at it, the Gluttony Worm was by far the stronger opponent.

After all, as the name [Violent Eating] implies, it would eat anything. Moreover, since it compresses the food it eats inside its body and spits it out at super high speed, it is powerful both as a long-range and a short-range attack…

Furthermore, even though I defeated such a powerful enemy, my level did not increase. Seriously…?

Then, Ouma-san and the others who had been watching our battle approached us.

"Hmph. Why don't you take that thing down as quickly as possible? Even though the arrogant Evil from before can do it… the current master should be able to handle it as well. That's how strong you've become, you know?"

"N-no, as expected, I can't be compared to Avis, but still, it was strong, and there's no way I can have any leeway fighting it. If anything, it's one of the strongest monsters I've ever fought…"

"What are you talking about? It's good to be humble, but it's also true that the results of your daily training are showing. You need to compliment yourself a little bit, too."

"That's…"

"But that doesn't change the fact that you're still inexperienced."

"Which one is the right one?

I don't know if I can compliment myself if you say so.

As I let out a sigh at Ouma-san's words, I looked at the dropped items with my [Identification] skill.

[Violent Eating Helminth Skin] :: The skin of the Gluttony Worm, which is said to devour everything with its limitless appetite. The skin of the Gluttony Worm is constantly secreting slippery mucus from its surface, making it incredibly soft and difficult to cut.

[Magic Stone : S] :: Rank S. A special ore that can be obtained from monsters with magic power.

[Violent Eating's Cleaner] :: Rare drop item for Gluttony Worm. A cleaner that bears the name of one of the Seven Deadly Sins, "Violent Eating." It only sucks in objects that its owner recognizes as garbage. On the other hand, it does not suck in anything that the owner does not recognize as garbage. There is no limit to the amount of garbage it can suck in, and the garbage it sucks in can be converted into energy. However, it cannot suck in living organisms. It is very light and does not require a power source because it works by converting the garbage it sucks in into energy. A portable cordless cleaner that is easy to use. It is the only cleaner that does not change its suction power.

"What the heck is this?"

Nothing was shocking about the skin or the magic stone. If I had to say one thing, it would be that the skin of the Gluttony Worm was a material that slipped on the surface even when I slashed it with my [Omni-Sword], so it literally didn't stand up to the blade. As for the magic stone, I thought it would be at least an SS grade if I were to consider the monster's strength alone, but it's not. That's ridiculous. I wonder if it had something to do with the amount of magic power it possessed in its body.

Well, I was able to defeat it, so that's good, but what's more shocking is the cleaner!

It had been a long time since I've had a drop item among the daily necessities series, but I didn't expect a cleaner! And there's a violent sounding name to it!

…No, let's look on the bright side. It's not that there's anything wrong with it; it's just nice. It'll make cleaning a lot easier!

After I stored the dropped items in my item box, Ouma-san took the lead again and started to go further.

"Are you done? Then let's go ahead."

"Oh, yes. By the way, how far are we from the destination?"

"What, we're almost there."

He just smiled meaningfully as he said that but didn't give me any details.

Then, after a while, I realized that what Ouma-san said was true.

"Here."

"T-this is…"

As we walked through the wilderness after that, it suddenly appeared.

(This hole is…)

"Astonished. I've never seen a hole this big before."

"Woof."

"Buhi."

"Pipi?"

Yes, we were suddenly in a place where there was a hole in the ground. The diameter of the hole was so large that I couldn't even tell.

And when I peeked down lightly so I wouldn't fall in, all I saw was a pitch-black space.

While suppressing a terrible feeling, I asked Ouma-san.

"E-err… this place is…"

"Ah, this is the deepest part of the [Great Devil's Nest]. It is also our destination this time. Well, to be precise, it's the depths of this hole."

"….."

I had a hunch that I didn't want it to come true, but it did. Or rather…

"No, no, no, this is impossible! Look at this hole!"

"Yeah, it's a hole."

"I'm not talking about that. How are you going to get down? What is this hole in the first place?"

There are so many things I want to say that I feel confused and more confused, but Ouma-san just laughed.

"This is the place that connects to the planet's core."

"The planet's core?"

(Wha?)

As I twisted my head around, unable to keep up with the imagination, Merl-san seemed to have understood the exact meaning of Ouma-san's words and was in shock.

(T-this is the hole that connects to the planet's core? And in such a bare place? Do you realize that? The core is synonymous with the heart of the planet! How can it be in a place where it's so easy to reach…?)

"As you say, beyond this point lies the core, the heart of the planet. But don't get it wrong, okay? This place hasn't been bare from the start. It's just bare like this because of that Evil idiot. If it were in its original state, people would not be able to come here. It's in the innermost part of the Great Devil's Nest, after all."

"T-that's right…"

It was only after Ouma-san's explanation that I understood that this was the deepest part of the Great Devil's Nest that I had always wanted to reach.

…I didn't think there would be a hole like this, but I guess it's still an important place for this planet.

"But why is there a hole in the ground?"

"A long time ago, the Sage showed interest in the core of this planet. However, as you can imagine, he couldn't open a hole leading to the center of the planet in a crowded place, so he chose the innermost part of this Great Devil's Nest, where people wouldn't bother him. It would be impossible for a human being to reach here, and there is no sign of anyone around."

"What are you doing, Sage-san?"

You're drilling a hole that connects to the core of the planet just out of curiosity? Isn't that a bit out of the ordinary?

As I was surprised by Sage-san's outrageous story, Merl-san's voice trembled as if she had noticed something.

(Huh? C-could it be that… you are planning to use the planet's core to power my ship? If the planet's core disappears, this planet will be destroyed!)

"Eehh?"

I was surprised by the sudden word 'destroy,' but Ouma-san let out a sigh.

"Are you stupid? As a matter of fact, I would never do such a thing. Rather, this planet will not allow it."

"The planet won't allow it?"

"…I won't bother you with the explanation. If you're lucky, you'll find out about it."

"Y-yes…"

"Anyway, the planet's core itself will not be used. However, there will be energy crystals overflowing from the core lying around the core. I thought of using those."

(I-I see…)

I'll have to go in to find out the details, but there may be something there that can power Merl-san's spaceship.

"But if we were to go to the end of this hole, how would we get down? Besides, if we are going to the center of the planet… it must be very hot, right?"

I had an image of the center of the planet, but it didn't sound like a place where people could go because of the magma.

But Ouma-san didn't seem to mind and looked at the hole.

"Oh well. My magic will protect you from the heat, as I'm sure you can't do anything about it. And… as for the way to get to the bottom of the hole, as long as you follow the right procedure, you'll be fine."

"Procedure?"

"Just watch."

As Ouma-san approached the edge of the hole, he suddenly began to release a tremendous amount of magic from his body.

Then something like a magic circle appeared above the hole.

"If you pour in a certain amount of magic power like this, a magic circle will appear to help you get down the hole safely. If you ride this, you can safely reach the center of the planet without falling and being killed."

"I-I see…"

As I nodded to Ouma-san's explanation, a pale blue light gently enveloped my body.

"Look, I've cast a spell on you. This way, you won't die from the heat or the lava. Although it's a bit of a hassle, I'll also protect your clothing. Now, you will have no problem soaking in the lava. Do you want to give it a try?"

"Eh, I'll pass…"

As expected, I don't want to be soaked in lava.

"Or rather, how does Ouma-san know about such things?"

"Hey, Yuuya. You didn't forget that I'm the Genesis Dragon, didyou?"

"Ah, that's right."

"Did you really forget that?"

"N-no, um… I mean, I know that you're the Genesis Dragon, but I had a stronger sense of you as a family than that, so…"

"Ugh… Y-you can't fool me by saying that! Good gracious…"

Ouma-san got on top of the magic circle in anger.

"What are you doing? Come on, get your ass over here!"

"Ah, yes."

"Shame. Ouma-san, you're embarrassed."

"Eh?"

"Yuti!"

Even though Ouma-san was angry with her, Yuti got on top of the magic circle without seeming to care. Night and the others and me followed, and finally, Merl-san stepped onto the magic circle with some hesitation.

Part 3

Then the magic circle began to descend slowly.

"Oh…"

It's like an elevator…

The only difference was that the destination was in total darkness, so it's a little scary.

However, the magic circle was much better than I had expected, and as the darkness gradually reduced my vision, the magic circle glowed pale blue and white, and even though I could not see my surroundings clearly, I could at least see everyone's faces.

As we continued to dive underground, the scenery around us changed drastically. I began to see brightly glowing magma-like objects.

"…It's about time. You need to be ready to fight at any time."

"Eh?"

Before I could ask him back what he meant, we finally arrived at what seemed to be our destination.

Thanks to the magic that Ouma-san had cast for us beforehand, we were fine, but we were in the middle of a sea of lava, and if we had come down without taking any precautions, we would have already been burnt to a crisp. I never thought that I would be in a situation where I would be immersed in lava…

We came to such a super dangerous place, but Merl-san looked around and opened her eyes.

(This is…)

"Merl-san, is there something wrong?"

(Y-yes. Please take a good look, Yuuya-san. There are pale blue ores around…)

When Merl-san told me, I noticed that there were indeed some pale blue minerals peeking out from the sea of swirling lava. I was so caught up in the surrounding lava that I didn't notice it, but what could it be?

When I was thinking about it, Merl-san told me with a nervous look on her face.

(That's… the crystal of energy from this planet.)

"Eh?"

(To be precise, it's crystallized energy from the core of this planet, so even if you bring it back, it won't affect the planet directly, but it's still a tremendous amount of energy.)

"I-I see… So, if we use that mineral, will Merl-san's ship work?"

(Yes, I'm sure it will.)

If that's the case, let's settle this quickly. Unfortunately, I didn't have any items to chisel at the ore, but if I could bring those back, Merl-san would be able to return to her home planet.

Then, Ouma-san urged us to look at a certain place.

"Look at that."

"Eh? …Wha?"

As Ouma-san urged me, I turned my gaze in that direction and saw a huge pale blue sphere floating in the air and spinning.

The sphere had yellow lines running through it, and the light was pulsating as if it was moving. I wondered what it was, but I felt as though something would fly away after chanting the spell of destruction from that famous anime movie*.

[T/n: According to aRaion in my discord channel, it's from anime movie Laputa in the castle.]

"This is the deepest part of the hole, and that's the planet's core."

"That's…"

"Astonished. I've never seen such tremendous power before…"

Although I can't quantify the energy like Merl-san did, I can still feel the tremendous power of the planet's core in front of me.

(A-amazing… That's the planet's core…)

Merl-san, who had never seen a planet's core before, stared at it in amazement.

"Now that you know what it is, you can start collecting the ore around it."

"Oh, yes."

I was preoccupied with the planet's core, but our goal is the energy crystals overflowing from that core.

I'm afraid of what might happen if I touch that core, and I need to make sure that I don't touch that…

While I was thinking about this, I was about to mine the pale blue mineral called the energy crystal when suddenly my surroundings began to shake.

"W-what?"

As each of us took a precautionary stance against the sudden situation, Ouma-san quietly informed us.

"As expected, it won't let us do anything for free…"

"Eh?"

"Yuuya, don't let your guard down. The one who's coming out now is ─ the guardian of the planet."

The moment Ouma-san said that, the surrounding magma erupted violently. In addition, the energy crystals we were trying to mine also glowed and floated up one after another.

The magma swelled and gradually converged, eventually transforming into a huge mass.

Then, in the same way, one lump of magma after another was created, and gradually more and more of these lumps gathered, and the energy crystals that existed around them joined in and finally transformed into the shape of a giant!

"Wha…"

"Stunned. What is that…?"

"…Hmph. It's just like the old ─ no, it's gotten a little bigger?"

Yuti and I were overwhelmed by the giant in front of us and were at a loss for words, while Ouma-san was carefree as he looked at the giant.

The giant radiated a stronger presence than any monster I've ever seen and showed us its overwhelming presence.

"──Guooooooooo!"

When the lava giant shouted, there was a shockwave that made us think that the planet itself was shaking violently. It struck us as well. I had to do my best to hold on to my position.

"O-Ouma-san! What the heck was that?"

"Didn't I tell you before? It's the guardian of this planet."

"Guardian?"

"Yeah. To exterminate the undesirables who have come to steal the energy of this planet."

"Eeeeeehhhh?"

There's no other way to put it but to scream at the simple fact that he told me.

No, the undesirables, you say? Ouma-san said that he knew a place where there was a good energy source, so we came here, and we were not told that we would be treated as undesirables!

Well, when it comes to planet energy, I can't blame it for thinking that way! In fact, that's what we came here for!

However, since we hadn't taken any precautions or prepared ourselves, we were in a panic. Can we defeat it? This thing! It's the planet's guardian, you know?

And even if we could defeat it, it would be awkward… What should we do?

"Since you seem to be thinking about something strange, I'll tell you first that defeating this thing will not affect this planet. It will come back after some time anyway. So give it your best shot. If you don't… you will die."

"No way…!"

We had just defeated Avis, and we were celebrating it with joy! I thought I was going to be able to enjoy sightseeing in this other world from now on!

What's so sad about this is that we have to do something dangerous like this?

"Kuh… Yuti, Night, Cie…! Let's do it!"

"Okay."

"Woof!"

"Pii!"

"You must not fight."

"Pii?"

Just like in the case of the Gluttony Worm, Ciel, who tried to fight with me, was stopped by Ouma-san.

Well, I kind of expected it, but Merl-san can't use the battle mode of her device yet, either. So it would be better to have her stay near Ouma-san and the others and have Akatsuki recover her immediately if anything happened.

As a result, just like the time of the Gluttony Worm, the three of us were going to fight, me, Yuti, and Night. No, three is not enough! This!

"[Thousand Spear Piercing]!"

I immediately took out my [Absolute Spear] and unleashed the Spear Saint technique, and the countless branching stabs attacked the lava giant.

But──.

"Guoooooooo!"

"No way…?"

The giant bent down just before it was hit by my attack and jumped up from the spot with tremendous force! As I was astonished by the giant's unbelievable movements, which seemed to be several tens of meters in height, Yuti, who had already predicted the giant's movement, quietly told me.

"Prediction. I've already placed an arrow there."

"Guooooooo?"

Just at the moment when the giant's flight reached its peak, the arrow pierced the giant with tremendous force, as if it had been aimed right at it. What's more, the blow of the arrow by Yuti was heavy and crushed the lava armor of the giant.

"It's done. That's ─ Wha?"

"Seriously…?"

Yuti's attack partially damaged the giant's body, but when the surrounding lava floated up again, it attached itself to the giant's body and the giant returned to its original form.

"Could it be that… It can recover infinitely from the lava?"

I have a bad feeling about this, but it sure looks like it!

Now completely back to normal, the giant sticks to the wall and uses it as a foothold to jump at us all at once.

"Guoooooooo!"

"Avoid it!"

In order to avoid the attack, we jumped away from the spot as fast as we could. Immediately after that, the giant crushed the point where we were standing a moment ago without mercy.

"Monster. The power is ridiculous…!"

"Grrrrr…. wooof!"

Night, who was looking for an opening, did not miss the chance when the giant hit the ground and used magic to launch a compressed water bullet at the giant.

"Gaaaaaaaah!"

"Guooooooo!"

The giant was hit by the Night's water magic. The flames on that part of the body were extinguished, and for a moment, a black rocky surface could be seen. But as soon as the flames rekindled, it began to move again as if nothing had happened.

Part 4

"Guuooooooo!"

"Then… how about this! [Heavenly Saint Slash]!"

While unleashing the [Magic Attire] and Evil's power, I swung down the [Omni-Sword] that I took out of the item box.

Then, a massive slash of light approached the lava giant and cut off the giant's arm.

"Astonishing."

"Woof!"

Yuti and Night also widened their eyes in surprise at the sight, but their surprise turned into something else.

"H-hey, hey… are you kidding me?"

The lava giant showed no signs of damage from my attack and regenerated its lost arm immediately. In addition, the arm that was slashed away remained in shape, but with the addition of the surrounding lava, it eventually became an arm that would move automatically to attack us.

"Wait… how can you expect that detaching a part of its body will increase the number of moves it can make?"

In addition to the automatic recovery ability, it also increased its means of attack, so there was no way for us to counterattack seriously. Whenever we attack, we strengthen the opponent, so there is nothing we can do about it.

While desperately trying to avoid the lava giant's attacks, I activated my [Identification] skill to see if there was any clue how to attack it.

[Guardian of The Planet]

Level: ──

Magic Power: ──

Attack: ──

Defense: ──

Agility: ──

Intelligence: ──

Luck: ──

"That thing… is it the same type as Ciel?"

Rather than having no numbers, it's impossible to measure; it's insanely strong!

I thought I would get its weakness with [identification], but instead, I feel like I've been confronted with despair!

I couldn't attack it and just kept running away when Merl-san, who was watching our battle, started to operate the device attached to her arm.

(Yuuya-san! I'll search for that giant's weak point on my part!)

"Eh? Y-you can do that?"

(It's probably possible! The fact that it's moving like this means that there must be a part of it that serves as its core somewhere! But it'll take some time to find it!)

"U-understood! So, until you find it… Yuti! Night!"

"What?"

"Woof!"

"Merl-san is currently investigating this giant's weak points! Until then, we'll buy as much time as possible while trying not to provoke it any further!"

"Confused. Yuuya, you say it like it's easy. But… understood."

"Woof!"

Smiling at the sound of their encouraging voices, I continued the battle against the lava giant.

"Prediction. Yuuya! Two o'clock, the attack!"

"Two o'clock is… this direction!"

Thanks to Yuti's prediction, I was able to avoid the giant's attack with enough margin.

"Guoooooo!"

"It's so hard not to attack…!"

Up until now, when dealing with monsters, I have been exchanging blows with them without holding back my own power. Even now, in terms of defeating them, it's no different.

However, this was the first time that I couldn't attack my opponent until I found its weak point, and it was quite tough.

As we managed to survive the giant's attack, relying on Yuti's instructions, the giant made a new move.

"Guooooooo!"

"What?"

"!? Evade! Yuuya, Night, jump!"

Both Night and I did as we were told and jumped as fast as we could, and the giant raised both arms and slammed them into the ground at once!

The force of the blow was so great that huge cracks appeared in the ground, and magma spewed out from between them. If I had been standing on the ground, I wouldn't have been able to move properly. That was the extent of the impact on the ground.

When I looked at Merl-san to see if she was okay under such circumstances, I saw that Akatsuki was deploying his [Sanctuary] skill, and Ciel's blue flames were enveloping Merl-san and the others. It looks like they're okay.

But we're not in a safe enough situation to be worrying about others.

The magma that erupted from the cracks in the ground and covered in flames swelled up like a giant snake with its own will and attacked us together with the giant!

"It's increased its fighting force now?"

"Attack! Yuuya, it's okay to attack the flame serpents!"

"Really?"

"Grrrr… wooof!"

Immediately after hearing Yuti's information, Night once again released compressed water on the flame serpent. Then, the serpent was hit by a water bullet and lost more and more of its heat, turning into a blackened rock that crumbled into pieces.

"It's true! But there's still too many of them…!"

The first thing I did was to unleash the [Thousand Spear Piercing] at a flame serpent, which is one of the reinforcements for the giant. It's not that there's any particular magic in it, but the serpent collapsed as it was after being hit by the [Thousand Spear Piercing].

It seemed that not only water-attribute magic but also physical attacks could defeat the flame serpent.

And so, as we continued to neutralize the flame serpent while avoiding the giant's attacks, Merl-san finally found the giant's weak point.

(…Yuuya-san! I've found that giant's weak point! There's a tremendous energy reaction in the center of the giant's chest! Perhaps that's where the energy crystals it took in are!)

"Center of the chest?"

(Yes! However, as you can see from the battle so far, even if you gradually remove the armor from the chest area, it will return to its original state! Besides, if you attack it half-heartedly, there is a possibility that it will split like that arm! So please attack with the intention of blowing off all the armor with one blow!)

"You're being unreasonable there…!"

Even Yuti's bow and Night's magic can barely scrape off the lava armor covering the giant's body. In addition, the giant's chest armor is thicker than other parts of its body. Now that I've heard Merl-san's words, I can see that the armor is thicker because that's where the energy source is.

"Yuti! Night! Its weakness seems to be the crystals in the inside of its chest!"

"Affirmative. In the chest?"

"Woof."

"Ahh! If we attack it half-heartedly, we will be the ones who suffer the most! That's why we need to blow it up with maximum firepower!"

"…Understood. Then Yuuya is the right person for the job. We'll assist you so that you can attack."

"Woof!"

I don't know what made her think that I was the right person for the job, but I guess Yuti saw something in me. More importantly, now that I have been entrusted with this task, I must fulfill my job.

In the meantime, I've just come up with a way to blow up that armor.

While Yuti and Night are using their own attacks to distract the giant, I used my [Magic Attire] and also the [Three Divine Steps] to close in on the giant.

"Goooooooo!"

The giant seemed to realize what I was trying to do. It ignored Yuti and Night, and started to crush me.

But…

"Useless. I won't let you get in Yuuya's way…!"

"Gruaaaaaa!"

Yuti unleashed her greatest technique, the [Comet], and Night, while deploying the [Magic Attire] as I did, slashed the giant's arm with his magic-infused claws!

"Guooooooooo!"

I finally succeed in slipping into the giant's bosom, which was left open by the attacks of Yuti and Night.

And then──.

"[Heavenly Saint Slash]…!

I ducked into the giant's bosom, jumped up in front of it, and used a technique I learned directly from Iris-san and swung the [Omni-Sword] down with such force that it cut the giant in half from the top of its head.

However, it seems that the title of guardian of the planet is not just flattery, and even with a single strike of the [Heavenly Saint Slash], it was only able to slash through the giant's armor, and the energy crystals hidden deep in its chest were unharmed.

However, it seems to have succeeded in tearing off the giant's armor.

"Shocking. That hit it, and the inside was still safe…!"

Yuti seemed to think that my attack had completely defeated it and shuddered at the giant that was still moving. In addition, the lava that was supposed to have exploded began to gather again and try to wrap around the energy crystals.

"Not good! We have to stop it…!"

"Woof!"

As Yuti and Night hurriedly attempted to attack the gathering lava, I was still in the air and switched my weapon from the [Omni-Sword] to the [World Strike].

"──If that one is a planet, this one is a world!"

While making full use of the [Magic Attire] and the Evil's power, I slammed the [World Strike] in my hand into the exposed energy crystal of the giant.

In an instant, with a tremendous bursting sound, the energy crystals exploded.

In any case, with my full power, I struck a blow with the same mass as the world. There was no way it could be unharmed.

The giant, whose energy crystals were blown to smithereens by me, collapsed into a heap and finally fell completely silent.

"Oh… is over!"

I couldn't help but shout as I sat down on the ground.

We won! No, I really didn't know what to do, but we managed to win!

It was a terrible feeling of despair when I was fighting Avis, but it was a different kind of despair this time. I mean, it's the guardian of the planet, you know? You have no idea how to fight it.

Even so, we were able to defeat it only because of the cooperation of Yuti and the others and Merl-san's help in finding its weak points.

As Yuti and the others crouched there, looking exhausted, Ouma-san, who had been watching the battle unfold, approached us.

"Hmm. It's finally over."

"N-no, we barely won… No one can beat something like that normally."

"You should not be so foolish. I'm not going to let you fight an opponent you can't beat."

"R-really…?"

When it comes to training, I shouldn't trust Ouma-san as much as Master Usagi. They both think in terms of their own standards, so they mistakenly believe that it is possible for me to do something that is incredibly difficult.

When I looked at Ouma-san with bitterness, he laughed and muttered.

"Kukuku… it's good that you were able to defeat it, isn't it? Well then… It's time for you to stop being quiet and let your voice be heard."

"Eh?"

Ouma-san talked to the emptiness, which surprised me.

"Hmph… As I thought, when Yuuya and the others reached the center of the planet, they would be able to hear your voice too. Right ── Argena."

"──You're still the same as always, Genesis Dragon."

Suddenly, the soft voice of a woman echoed in our minds.