Chapter 432: O Dragon, O Dragon! Part 9

Author's Preface
Updates are irregular, so it can't be helped, but I'm truly sorry and feel pathetic that I can't even maintain one update a day.

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The Bone-Clad Keep, Skull Azuchi.
Its primary materials consisted of the bones of monsters hunted in the Sea of Trees.
While the pillars were indeed made of wood, it was a fact that a far greater amount of Resource Points had been spent on it than if it were built solely from stone and wood.

And its true worth lay precisely in the area-wide effects that the "Lord of the Castle" could execute through the objects placed by the "Feng Shui Master."

"Whoa, a direct hit... wait, I'm alive?"

『What!?』

"A buff effect only on the players around here... Emi-Lia-san!!"

"Explain!"

"It's Skull Azuchi's buff effect! While we're fighting Dreadhowl, our Fire Resistance increases!!"

Hearing those words, Psyger-100 furrowed her brows slightly.

(A buff strong enough that even mid-weight attackers won't be instantly killed? This is bad...)

People do not naturally follow the emotions of others. That wasn't out of ego or arrogance; it was simply because empathy and sympathy were also one's own emotions.
And when it came to being moved to action, the more materialistic the influence, the better. When considering which would move people more—the smooth talk of a former PKer or a tangible buff from Skull Azuchi—the latter would undoubtedly win out.

"This is our chance! We'll whittle down Dreadhowl right here!!"

While verbally inspiring her surroundings and issuing commands, Psyger-100 desperately pushed the anxiety regarding that time that would eventually come to the back of her mind. 

There is a saying: "Sharing the same boat despite being enemies."
There is another saying: "Too many boatmen will drive the boat up a mountain."

Was she currently on a boat shared with an enemy army, or was she on a boat lost in utter confusion? Psyger-0 ran while letting out a sigh.

"O Dragon who eats away at the world! O our Forefathers! Behold our fierce struggle!!"

"Rugadododo... you sure are energetic."

"Hahaha! How could I not be elated when marching into such a battle line!!"

"Oh, Tiny Bugmen! Does your heart dance as well!"

"I sense a cultural difference with dwarves who do not bear weapons, but a warrior must at least be able to laugh before a battlefield!!"

"...Hey, Desperados, should we get all fired up like this too?"

"What's the point of going along with those types? There's no need to waste stamina pointlessly."

"Hmph, you in the armor over there. You really should pick up the pace a little. Ah, indeed, there's no need to pay any mind to slowpokes or nerds!!"

"How barbaric. Asking for intellect from beasts whose only talent is swinging their claws and fangs was a mistake after all..."

"O People Who Pioneer, you needn't concern yourselves with fools who can only swing their claws or idiots who mistake their intelligence for strength, you know? More importantly, building a good relationship with us..."

Annoying.
Somehow, in Psyger-0's mind, the sheer clamor could only be described as such.
How did it come to this? It was true that because the Bugmen were accompanying them, they couldn't use a Teleport Gate and were aiming to reach the frontline base on foot... but after repeatedly meeting up and running into others, she realized she was essentially leading a multi-racial exhibition.

The "Giants," led by a giantess who somehow felt like she shared the same character archetype to her older sister.
The "Birdians," whom she briefly mistook for Sunraku.
The "Beastmen," whom she briefly mistook for Sunraku wearing a new mask.

Adding the "Bugmen" to this mix, why was she at the head of a massive horde that could only be described as a multi-racial alliance...?
Sighing at the feeling of sinking deeper into a swamp of thought the more she pondered it, Psyger-0 and Imron advanced through the Sea of Trees.

"Mu."

"Whoa."

At that moment, the instant they took a step—despite not crossing any visual boundary—a heavy pressure, as if a massive weight had been piled onto them, bore down on Psyger-0 and Imron's bodies.

"B.I.G. 2... No doubt about it, we've entered Siegwurm's ability range."

"U-Um, everyone! The battlefield is just a little further ahead...!!"

She felt like a tour guide. One could say this was simply due to the progression of the Unique Scenario EX, but these people of different races and affiliations were all heading toward the frontline base with the exact same goal.
Even Psyger-0, who didn't possess a grand vision like Pencilgon, understood enough that they couldn't simply be ignored.

It seemed the other NPCs had also been affected by the gravity field. Showing ten different reactions for ten different people, each of them readied their weapons and cracked their knuckles, their fighting spirit rising as if to say they would be the ones to accomplish the dragon hunt.

"...Somehow, I'm very tired."

"It's a rare experience, right? You should consider it a gain... right."

"You really can't hide it at all, Imron-san."

"Once you get to a certain level of friendliness, the roleplay peels off pretty easily, doesn't it..."

Chatting about such things, the two players charged into the battlefield alongside the diverse races.

The Giants' "Odin Clan": 58 members in total.
The Bugmen's "Bug's Pride" (including the two of them): 15 members in total.
The Birdians' "Fist-Wing Delinquent Squad": 20 members in total.
The Beastmen's "Lionheart Vanguard," "Foxfire Society," and "Abundant Elephant Army": 20 members each, 60 members in total.

A group of "humans" that could now safely be called a Legion advanced.

".........It's hard to show my face."

An additional member. One Vorpal Bunny clinging to Psyger-0's back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Therefore, the first contact was made with the players dealing with Bryreinyego, who had opened hostilities in the area closest to the forest.

"Kuh... we don't have enough manpower!"

"The others split off to whittle down Dreadhowl!"

"We can't hold back the small dragons!?"

"We can't level up because the battle won't end!?"

Unlike Dreadhowl or Brockentried, who were single-target threats, the battle against Bryreinyego required simple mass and manpower.
With support coming from Skull Azuchi, the participation of 【Black Sword】, and various other reasons, the balance of player forces had tilted, and Bryreinyego's small dragons were on the verge of breaking through the players' encirclement.

"Impossibleー! Maintaining the front line with just healers is impossibleー!!"

"Can an attacker come helpー! With just tanks, we're going to get ganged up onー!!"

Screams rose from all over the front line. Because the total number of players had decreased, the situation where substitutes would fill the roles of those who dropped out was beginning to warp into a distorted shape.

But just before a section of the front line collapsed, reinforcements appeared.

『Now, my children! Trample these foolish maggots and claim this land!!』

"───No, the only place fitting for you is within your own pool of blood!!"

A wind blew. It was a wind like two blades slicing through everything, forcefully blowing away the small dragons in its path without question.

"Eh, wha—eh, so huge!"

"Whoa, there's a ton of them coming!"

"A child... no, forced perspective! A little girl the size of an adult!"

"Isn't that just a normal adult woman?"

"Eh, my fetish..."

Giant figures appeared one after another from the Sea of Trees that had escaped incineration. All of them carried weapons that looked like they had seen long use, and following the twin-sword-wielding giantess at the vanguard, they ran, shaking the earth, as if to say, "I'm coming too."

『You, you lot areeeee!!』

"Bryreinyego, do not think you can escape us. We, the Giants, shall sever your neck! We, the Odin Clan, who inherit the will of the heroes Odin and Dordona! Know me as Fione of the Mora Begalta!!"

She was not Dordona of the Areadbhair, one of the heroes whose name echoed among the Giants and who appeared in the "Tale of the Traveling Rabbit."
Fione, the descendant of Odin—the great hero of the Mora Begalta who once carved through the White Dragon's territory to establish the land of the Giants—now pointed the two swords once wielded by her ancestor at Bryreinyego.

And, as if responding to the great hero's twin swords, numerous giant weapons were raised toward the night sky.

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Author's Afterword

• Tale of the Traveling Rabbit
  A fairy-tale-like legend passed down among the Giants, Birdians, Dwarves, and Beastmen.
  It tells the story of great heroes from multiple races embarking on a journey to slay dragons alongside a "Traveling Rabbit." While there are slight variations depending on the race, the inclusion of the "Traveling Rabbit" is universal.

Because of this, the Giants have a culture of actively avoiding attacking Vorpal Bunnies. Or rather, there are more cases where they just don't notice them because they're too small.
Among the Beastmen, a dispute over "interpretation differences" constantly erupts regarding the Beastman hero in the tale, with arguments like "It's a Lion!", "It's a Fox!", or "It's an Elephant!", depending on which race is dominant in a given faction. For the record, the correct answer is a Hamster Beastman.

As an aside, while the aforementioned four races treat it as a fairy tale, in Rabituza, it is treated as "one of Vash's past adventures."