Chapter 453: O Dragon, O Dragon! Part 30

"Tch... Just as expected of a Unique Monster; I heard Ctarrnid's toughness was pretty extreme too, but this is even beyond that...!!"

A massive chaotic melee with countless players mixed into the clash between Siegwurm and Noirlind. Even though the vast majority were targeting Siegwurm, PT Overwerke unconsciously clicked his tongue at Siegwurm's seemingly inexhaustible condition.
Even Siegwurm is an enemy in a game; it's impossible for him to be unkillable. And yet, despite a considerable amount of time having passed since the players began their assault, it didn't feel like they had managed to inflict any damage beyond making him flinch slightly.

"It's not that it's... completely ineffective. In fact, Noirlind's attacks are clearly having an effect... So does that mean he's just simply that tanky?"

『Indeed I am. This body was created to resist the Genesis in the past... Know that your radiance and half-baked fangs are not enough to slay me!』

"Whoops, to think he'd actually answer me."

However, PT Overwerke thought.
Truth be told, when it came to defeating Siegwurm, Noirlind's presence was incredibly significant. Aside from possessing a massive frame that rivaled Siegwurm's, Siegwurm had a high probability of using Shining Dragon King (Tupac Amaru) in response to his breath attacks, which allowed them to narrow down the enemy's actions.

However, Noirlind wasn't entirely an ally either. And because he was viewed with hostility by the lord of Skull Azuchi and her subordinates... the Crafters who were heavily involved in constructing the frontline base... he was in a position where he was fighting alongside them but still being targeted by them at the same time.

『Nuuu! What is the meaning of this, Akitsu Akane! There are insects here attempting to defy me!!』

"It's your daily conduct, Noirlind-san! Look, apparently you did a lot of terrible things in the past!"

『Hmph, such petty grudges... But do you really think pain of this level will have any effect on me!』

"It feels like you're competing with Siegwurm-san! Let's do our best!"

It seems Raid Monsters exist separately, but as for the identity of the Wolfgang girl fighting alongside a Raid Monster-equivalent Color Dragon in this EX Scenario... there's no end to the things to be curious about. But at the very least, they were grateful that she was keeping Noirlind's aggro locked onto Siegwurm.

"Those who arrived later and are joining the command chain, swap out with those who've run out of resources! Siegwurm switches between skill nullification and magic nullification! The skill nullification barrier also affects skills that are currently active, so be careful!!"

Giving out orders for what felt like the umpteenth time, PT Overwerke let out a heavy sigh.

"Solo commanding on this scale really is rough, isn't it..."

"I see, then allow me to assist you, albeit belatedly. I was held up dealing with our former members... ah, no, our sister clan."

"Nut."

A voice that provoked an almost infuriating feeling in a certain respect called out, and four swords danced through the air, naked and unsheathed, without a wielder.

『Who goes there!!』

"Clan Leader of Black Sword, Psyger-100. I have come to defeat you."

『Very well, then come at me!!』

"【Quintet】!!"

Renowned magic swords danced through the air. Although they flew around simply as flying weapons, under the guidance of the Conductor Sword, they slashed at Siegwurm with movements as if some unseen entity were gripping and swinging them.
It was a phenomenon that would be absolutely impossible to see in reality (well, maybe such technology has already been realized by now). Cheers erupted from among the players, and even Siegwurm was forced to slightly halt his movements in the face of the highest pinnacle of the Servant skill, built upon all the time, materials... and every single resource that could possibly be poured into it.

『What an overwhelming storm of swords...! Ohh, how utterly magnificent...!!』

"I am honored by the praise...! Advance! Do not line up, do not bunch together! Surround him and smash your attacks in from all directions!!"

The voices of the players roared back in affirmation, echoing high into the night sky. With the core members of Black Sword joining the fray, the vast majority of players once again stood against Siegwurm. This wasn't a matter of whether the commander was competent or incompetent; it was the unification of consciousness through sheer, overwhelming visual impact.

".........Haaaaah."

"What is the matter, Overwerke? It is far too early to relax."

"……………"

With half-lidded eyes, PT Overwerke stared intensely at Psyger-100—strictly speaking, at the holy sword Psyger-100 was swinging to control the Servant—and pulled up one side of his mouth as if spitting out a curse.

"Man, you're amazing as always, senpai~ I guess Rätsel really is just meant to be a foil for Sword Saints, huh, hahaha."

"Weren't you employed at an IT-related company? 'Senpai' or not, we have absolutely no connection to each other whatsoever... and as I've been telling you for a while now, it isn't an inferior version or anything of the sort. The versatility of the magic aspect is completely different."

"I casually asked the devs about it once... Apparently, if you compare the current class change rates between Magic Swordsman and Master Swordsman, there's about a 1:4 difference."

".........I will take a 'no comment' stance on that. Here he comes!!"

"Whoops."

『Fuhahahahahaha!! Good! Excellent! The boiling of my blood! The absolute limits of my body and soul! Will you be able to draw them out!!』

『Die right here and nooooowww!!』

Massive mass crashed into massive mass. Due to the very nature of his character, Siegwurm—whose attention continued to be stolen by the smorgasbord of players—was taking Noirlind's attacks almost completely head-on. Despite this, the core of his massive frame did not waver, and he irritably grabbed Noirlind by the head and threw him away.
Naturally, when people gather densely, the probability of getting caught up in a battle between giants increases. The players at the crash site of the thrown Noirlind scattered like baby spiders. Fortunately, no one was crushed, but the impact of Noirlind slamming into the ground disrupted the battle lines more than a little.

"It really is incredible, a genuine MvM between Boss-class entities."

"And even with that plus all the players going all out, it still doesn't feel like we can beat him..."

"So does that mean there's a possibility we need to conquer this from a different angle?"

"Wasn't Ctarrnid essentially an endurance game? No, considering how much he's acting like a typical boss character, there's no way that's the case here, right?"

"No, but even Ctarrnid... flinched at least a little. With him being this tanky, it wouldn't be strange if there was some kind of gimmick involved."

Glancing up at Skull Azuchi, Psyger-100 speculated that there might be some kind of system-based mechanism to Siegwurm.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that as time passed, defeating Siegwurm would only become more difficult. After all, the other clear condition (Noirlind) was already showing signs of exhaustion from continuously taking Siegwurm's counterattacks. Whether out of whim or as an experiment, healing magic would occasionally fly toward Noirlind, but it was likely a drop in the bucket.
If they couldn't defeat Siegwurm, there would undoubtedly be players who would try to fulfill the secondary clear condition. Honestly, speaking in all honesty, neither Psyger-100 nor PT Overwerke were particularly attached to Noirlind's ultimate survival. If Library's speculations were correct, they figured the results obtained wouldn't change dramatically regardless of which clear condition was fulfilled.
However, having fought for such a long time, the two of them were strangely beginning to harbor the exact same sentiment.

"Still... getting taunted with 'Hero this, Hero that' like that, it would leave a bitter taste in our mouths if we just ended up not being able to beat him, wouldn't it?"

"I won't deny that. Or rather, because your group and Library snagged the second Unique Monster, this might end up being our first Unique Monster subjugation, you know?"

If that was the case, they couldn't pull their punches. Psyger-100 shifted her deployed Servant into an even more aggressive stance, and PT Overwerke set a new magic into his Ritus.

"There's a possibility Siegwurm is some kind of gimmick monster! If you notice anything, don't hold back, just try it!!"

"If you're confident you won't get caught in the B.I.G., it's fine to die and respawn, but don't overdo it, swap out with the reserves! You can resupply at the pioneer ships!!"

They were mere players, but they were also leaders of major clans. The swords they swung did not merely signify harming the enemy.