Chapter 151: Let’s Catch the Rats, Let’s Catch the Rats Part 1

-Meow.

-Meow, meow.

-Meow~!

Cats.

And not just a few. The scent of the blessed silver vine trees must be incredibly powerful because far more cats gathered than I had expected. One, two, three, five, ten, twenty… There seemed to be at least forty of them. They meowed in soft, melodious tones while swishing their tails and blinking their eyes brightly, all thanks to the silver vine trees. Some kicked the silver vine fruits with their paws, while others scratched at the trees with their claws. The more they did, the stronger and wider the blessed silver vine scent spread.

-Nyaaaak!

-Yaooooong!

Cats are different from dogs. By nature, they don't follow orders. Cats only chase after 'pleasure.' They aren't bound by rules, nor do they obey anyone. The reason wizards or witches can use cats as [familiars] is because they treat them as 'friends,' not as subordinates.

This was the reason I didn't use the [Obedience] skill on the cats. If the [Obedience] skill had been used, it might have been possible to control the cats, but the result I wanted would not have been achieved.

And what was the result I wanted?

Naturally, it was "hunting".

Some of the Ratmen were stunned just by the sight of the cats. Even though the Ratmen had far superior fighting power, the instinctual hierarchy of the food chain still existed between rats and ordinary cats.

No matter how small and weak a cat might be, it was still fundamentally the natural "predator" of rats.

A fear and terror ingrained deep in their bones!

That instinct was not something easily overcome by mere willpower.

Moreover…

– Flash…!

The cats, who had thoroughly enjoyed the blessed silver vine trees, were now emitting faint traces of divine and purification power. This was thanks to the blessing bestowed directly by Lynshaka. Every time they swished their tails, the pure cleansing power drove away the foul darkness. In their excited state, the cats gazed into the shadows where the Ratmen were hiding with their eyes gleaming.

They looked at them as if they had found a new "toy".

-The goddess of the forest and earth, Lynshaka, is impressed by your scheme.

-The goddess of the forest and earth, Lynshaka, promises you a special reward.

[Special Quest Triggered!]

[Special Quest: Let's catch the rats, let's catch the rats, squeak squeak squeak!]

[Special Reward: ?]

…A special quest, out of nowhere?

Lynshaka seemed to harbor clear resentment toward Barbason. It made me wonder what exactly happened between the two.

Anyway, a special quest! It was a welcome offer for me. If I handled it well, I could strengthen my relationship with Lynshaka and even receive a reward.

Well, it wasn't difficult.

Now, I just needed to provoke the cats a little more, just a little bit.

I smiled as I drew a new arrow and set it on the bowstring. Then…

– Swishhhhhhh!!!

I shot the arrow at the largest and most robust Ratman in the group. The arrow pierced straight through its neck, or more precisely, its carotid artery and sprayed an enormous amount of blood everywhere.

– Splaash!!!

Blood gushed from its neck like a fountain. The sharp scent of blood spread quickly, and nothing could excite the cats more than that.

– Hisssss!!!

– Hyaaah!!!

The cats smelled the blood, especially the "rat" blood, and they bared their sharp claws and began to tear through the Ratmen. Thanks to the blessed silver vine trees they had been furiously scratching, their claws were now imbued with purification power and they mercilessly tore through the Ratmen's skin and gouged out their eyes. Normally, no ordinary cat could do such a thing, but with Lynshaka's blessing, the silver vine trees had given them the power to subdue the Ratmen. In a sense, they had become "minor divine beasts". Indeed, a faint glow of purification emanated from their claws and teeth as a result of the silver vine tree's influence.

"Do not fear! Do not fear! You are the children of the great demon Barbason!"

The Ratmen, who were already frozen like mice before a cat, began to scatter in a frenzy as soon as the cats started their attack. Except for a few that remained loyal and strong by Barbason's side, most of the Ratmen were too busy running away from the cats to think straight.

It's a madhouse… or rather, a cat-house…

While I took down the fleeing Ratmen with my arrows…

– Slash!!!

On the right was Lloyd.

– Swick!

And on the left was El who started cutting through the Ratmen.

The Ratmen, in complete panic, trampled over each other in their desperate attempt to escape from the underground temple. But the more they struggled, the easier it became for us to take them down. Some had their necks cut clean, others were split in half, and some had their heads pierced by arrows. One by one, the Ratmen who had once seemed endless began to disappear, and Barbason was starting to show signs of panic.

"Damn it, don't lose your minds over mere cats!"

Barbason's cloak billowed dramatically. I could see darkness spreading from beneath the cloak, seeping into the bodies of the Ratmen.

No way…!

I quickly extended Demarcushel's shadow, but it was already too late.

– Kyaaaaah!!!

A Ratman that was attacked by the darkness shook off a cat that had dug its claws into its body. Even as the cat's claws tore away its skin, the Ratman acted without hesitation or fear, as if it felt nothing at all.

At that moment, I recalled a documentary my father had watched a long time ago. It was a nature documentary narrated in a dry and monotonous voice.

In that documentary, they showed a rat that fearlessly attacked a cat.

"Damn it!"

In the brain of all vertebrates, there is something called the "amygdala". The amygdala is one of the brain's structures responsible for processing information related to emotions.

Emotions.

Joy, sadness, anger, fear…

What would happen if the amygdala were removed?

Naturally, one would be unable to feel emotions.

This means they would be unable to feel fear.

A rat with its amygdala removed wouldn't just avoid fleeing from a cat; it would even attack and bite it.

What Barbason had just done was likely something similar to an amygdala removal surgery.

– Kyaaaah!!!

– Nyaaaah!!!

– Kieeeek!!!

– Haaaah!!!

The excited cats and the fearless rats turned the surroundings into chaos in an instant. The cats, having tasted blood, lunged to finish off their prey, while the rats who felt no fear did not run away and started to bite the cats.

"Hahaha, yes! My loyal children, do not be afraid!"

Barbason shouted loudly and burst out laughing. That demon… Well, it's only natural since he is a demon. I gritted my teeth.

…But it's fine.

The cats were holding their ground even against the Ratmen stripped of fear. Barbason's forces were already in disarray, so if the cats, El, Lloyd, and I launched a combined attack, we could easily sweep him away. In fact, the number of Ratmen had significantly decreased, and even though they didn't feel fear, only a few of them were actually fighting effectively.

We just need to keep this up.

There was no time to hesitate. I fired arrows one after another and took down the Ratmen. I then used [Plant Binding] to tie down those that had already fallen so they couldn't rise again. Lloyd and El continued cutting through the Ratmen without showing any signs of fatigue.

Even after stripping the Ratmen of their fear, the situation wasn't improving, and a new wave of anxiety began to creep across Barbason's face.

– Nyaaang!!!

And then, the moment a brave cat slashed Barbason's face…

"Graaaah!!!!!"

The anxiety pooling at Barbason's feet finally exploded.

Barbason glared at me with three thin, red streaks of wounds on his face. The glee and ease I had seen when we first met were gone. Now, his face was filled with nothing but rage, rage, and more rage.

I had a feeling.

Something's about to go down.

But with most of his forces wiped out, there was no longer any threat aside from Barbason himself.

"Hahaha… Ha ha ha, hahahaha!"

…Or so I mistakenly thought.

Barbason let out a burst of maniacal laughter and flung his arms wide to both sides. The shockwave from this movement hit El and Lloyd directly and knocked them down.

"El! Lloyd!"

After taking the initial hit from Barbason and then crashing into the pillars of the underground temple, the two couldn't easily get back up. Damn it… I cursed under my breath as I drew another arrow.

Beepy, when are you coming back?

I needed Beepy to properly deal with Barbason, but there was no sign of him returning. Did something happen to him along the way? I forced myself to ignore the ominous thoughts creeping into my mind and aimed another arrow at Barbason. I could see the arrowhead trembling. Ignoring it, I focused my purification power. The pure energy flowed through the silver arrow made from a moon tree.

"Now, give up quietly, Barbason!"

"Hahahaha!!!"

Barbason burst into loud laughter as if he had just heard an incredibly amusing joke. Then, he cracked his black fingers and reached out toward the air.

"I'll return those words to you. How about you surrender now?"

"I seem to be winning, so why should I surrender? Are you an idiot?"

"Heh, fine. In that case, I'll make sure you surrender personally… You arrogant druid. Your petty tricks end here!"

I sprouted the Shield Lotus seeds to prepare for the impending attack. The shield lotus that had been strengthened and improved by the Phews was much thicker and contained much more magical power than ordinary shield lotuses, offering considerable defense. It should be able to withstand at least one hit.

-Rumble…

However, contrary to my expectations…

-Rumble…

Barbason's magic was directed toward the "prison" where the half-formed Ratmen, who had not yet fully become chimeras, were trapped.