Chapter 810: December 16th: Triumphant Return -Result-

Well then............ it's getting to the limit of how long I can keep looking away. No one else is speaking up, so......... ah, fine, I'll go.

"U-Um...... Ur Idim-shi?"

"Hm."

"Well, um......... are you, like, in a bad mood or something?"

"That Is Not The Case."

Really? It's just... your whole body is all spiky, or rather, you've got this absolute sharpness that looks like it'll injure anything it touches.

Ur Idim-shi is a self-proclaimed Orc, or rather, an "Ourc"? That seems to be his race. Orcs, which sound similar, are usually designed as giant brutes with pig or boar heads, but Ur Idim-shi is completely different except for his massive frame. First of all, he has six eyes, his fangs are pure carnivore, and the carapace covering his entire body is more like a mishmash of crustaceans and beetles coated in murderous intent. It's so jagged that my hand looks like it'd get sliced open if I carelessly touched him.

And that......... had evolved even further after defeating Tomahawk. It's no longer just a carapace; it's a razor-sharp outer shell that can only be described as blades forged into the shape of armor. No, that's exactly Tomahawk's bladed shell. Ur Idim-shi has replaced his own armor with the very same bladed armor that tormented us so much... Just what on earth happened to him?

No, nine times out of ten, he's the type of monster that absorbs the traits of the foes he kills to grow even stronger. Where exactly is this Ourc-san going to end up......?

"Well... how should I put it, you've gotten a really... y'know, sharp-looking mug now?"

"Yes......... It Is Rare, But I Sometimes Obtain The Power Of Those I've Slain."

That's exactly the trope of a monster that absorbs the traits of the foes it kills to grow even stronger〜.

As I thought, isn't this guy the type of final boss who eventually despairs at humanity and runs to the extreme conclusion of "I have no choice but to annihilate humanity!"? There are two types: the one who touches upon the beauty of humanity at the very end and softens their attitude slightly before dying, and the one who dies screaming "Impossible! Not me, of all people...!!" I wonder which one he'll be...... No, I mustn't give up. If we keep showing him the inherent goodness of humanity, I'm sure he'll remain a reassuring ally.

"Sunraku-kuuun, Sunraku-kuuun."

"What is it?"

"Try whispering something dirty in my ear......!"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"That hits right in the braiiiin!?"

I yelled in her ear for now, then chopped her on the head. Looking elsewhere is a bad idea too—one guy is rubbing his cheek against a magazine, another looks like he's about to lick his halberd, and the last one is rolling around on the ground swinging a Ritual Spirit Sword. The people here are completely composed of the wicked side of humanity. We're doomed!!

"Well, anyway... Ur Idim-shi. If you hadn't held the frontline during this subjugation, several of us here definitely would have died. Thanks for the help."

"Hm............ I too Was Surprised by The People Of The Raging Waves......... You Truly Possess Great Power. I Am proud To Have Fought alongside You."

He's a really good person, but because he's transformed into an appearance that looks like he's constantly on high alert, I'm eternally terrified he'll suddenly say, "You've outlived your usefulness, now die." At any rate, it seems the concept of a handshake exists for the King Hounds too, so since he offered his hand, I steeled my resolve and shook it... Ah, ah, ah! His claws, or rather his fingers themselves, are as sharp as blades, so I'm taking DoT! I'm taking DoT! This is no different from tightly gripping a knife, is it!?

"To Grasp This Hand Without Fear...... Are All The People Of The Raging Waves... Like This?"

"Who knows? You don't often find people with that much guts, y'know? Well, I can do it with ease though......!"

"Oh? If it's a test of courage like that, I'm in too. Wait a sec, let me heal my HP just in case."

"If we pulled an all-nighter together, we're comrades, right?"

"Nfufu."

For some reason, a handshake event with Ur Idim-shi suddenly began. He's probably the one who understands the situation the least, but we're mostly just running on momentum too, so I can't explain it. Anyway, the handshake event concluded after making one full round, ending with DeepSlo shaking his hand using the third hand growing out of her back.

"...For now, I guess we head back to Catzeria to report."

"Not to the Minotaurs' base?"

"I don't know where it is."

Anyway, if the quest doesn't progress at Catzeria, then we'll have to set out on an expedition to this Minotaur base from there...... Man, we're getting further and further away from human settlements.

"Well, for now......... True Dragon Species subjugation! Great work, everyone!!"

......

............

..................

It is morning. The members here are basically perfectly fine with pulling all-nighters for the sake of gaming, so while there is a bit of sluggishness, there's practically no change in our performance. Having returned to Catzeria via DeepSlo's teleportation magic, we visit the venue where the summit was being held for the time being.

".........Hm."

There she is. The Minotaur Queen......... Asty, uhh.

"Ah, found you, Queen of the Minotaurs."

"All of You......... That, Terrifying, dragon is............"

I swiftly point at Ur Idim-shi, and each of us stands in a way that shows off our Dragon Destroyer GearBuster Armed......... Finally, I raise Areadbhair and say a single line.

"You should send the good news to your recuperating husband. Tell him we have certainly accomplished his revenge......"

No matter how you look at it, her head is literally a cow's, but the fact that I can clearly recognize expressions of shock and joy on it is a testament to ShanFro's terrifying graphical resolution. Regardless, we had successfully subjugated a True Dragon Species—a formidable foe on par with Unique Monsters and Raid Bosses.

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Author's Afterword

So, was a newborn Ur Idim round and completely different from his current form? Not exactly. He slowly reverts the factors he absorbs into himself over time, so he'll eventually return to the form he had when we first met him. It's just that his body starts to transform when he enters combat.

Since Saina was flying and Sunraku was jumping this time, he didn't use it, but he has a Flight Form, and the Severing Dragon Form he acquired this time is also pretty crazy.

Because it's basically a partially reproduced generic Tomahawk-kun. (Though the mana consumption is intense, so he can't use it frequently.)