Chapter 814: December 17th: Blazing Beat Up Part 1

Author's Preface

We've entered Katzo's POV, finally. It's been long......... December 16th was a truly long day.........

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The essence of the Smoldering Great Crimson Wings is that it is an energy body.

There might indeed be legends—or "actual examples" within the game—of things like cutting through lightning or splitting the sea. But that is merely a change in shape; the thing itself wasn't killed or erased.

So how does one strike down living scorching heat? State-altering interferences like cutting or denting are meaningless, and you'd burn to death before you could even swing.

"Really making us work for it, honestly........."

OiKatzo and the others were currently not at the extinct volcano where the Smoldering Great Crimson Wings sat... but aboard the Bahamut 3rd Ship, the "Behemoth".

『The awakening of the Red Right Genesis Kin... Under normal circumstances, unconditionally releasing all combat forces might be the correct response, but... yes, it was concluded far back in the Divine Age that that would be unacceptable. My brave and thoughtful children, with that in mind, what is it you ask of me?』

Direct combat participation was impossible. To "Ivory," who implicitly conveyed this, OiKatzo... and several party members stated their "business," noting that they hadn't come to ask for that in the first place.

"We want you to make it rain."

『Correct. From torrential downpours to light drizzle... My children, it shall be as you desire.』

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Raid Monsters.

These are massive, multi-player raid enemies that were suddenly implemented in Shangri-La Frontier. Red, Blue, Green, White, Black. There is one raid boss corresponding to each of the five colors on both the New and Old Continents.

The Raid Monsters identified so far include the "Maddened Great Azure Swarm" sealed in Ruluiath.

The "Devouring Great Crimson Clad," the first Raid Monster ever subjugated by players.

And the "Wandering Great Azure Plague," which invaded Thirdrema alone and racked up a terrifying kill score due to its utterly brutal, knowledge-checking mechanics.

Aside from those, there have been a series of sighting reports for other Raid Monsters, and it's safe to say that the threat of these five colors is now widely known not just to players, but to NPCs as well.

Let's get back to the main topic.

Raid Monsters share a common system characteristic. This was derived from the numerous encounters, sighting reports from players, and the results of battles that didn't even qualify as a fight. While there are system-based "restrictions," the crucial point is that "Raid Monsters respawn after a set period following their defeat."

In short, while there is the issue of it taking time to challenge them again once they are defeated......... it means they are an endgame content that is reproducible, and theoretically, challengeable by all players.

Naturally, when something like that is implemented, players aiming for a complete clear of all Raid Monsters will inevitably appear. (Though due to the nature of the Ctarrnid battle and its flavor text, it seems the Maddened Great Azure Swarm is the only enemy that cannot be challenged at all.)

"Whoa, it's really coming down out there."

A group of players advancing along the path leading to the Dead Crater Lake of Rise and Fall in Thirdrema. The player leading the group... needless to say, was OiKatzo. Beyond her, or rather, his gaze......... was a scene of a torrential downpour falling only on the volcano, pinpointed to that single spot.

"I knew it was pretty sci-fi, but I didn't think they could manipulate the weather that conveniently."

"I heard they're projecting the ingredients for rain clouds? From Behemoth or something."

"That's so fantasy......... It's like, they're just pushing through with 'no way modern people could understand future tech, no matter how ridiculous the science is'."

"Who knows, maybe it'll be a reality in ten years?"

"I'm a rain woman in real life, so I really wish they'd stop it from raining at my travel destinations while I'm there...... Oh, and on the plane's flight path too."

"Ah, so that's why your name is Rainy Rain......"

The players replying......... They aren't members of the 【Wolfgang】. Including OiKatzo, all 14 players—the maximum limit for a party—are individuals who gathered at OiKatzo's call, aiming to conquer the Raid Monster.

It's true they gathered to subjugate a Raid Monster, but they belong to different clans and are practically strangers to one another......... However, this is a group formed with the mandatory order of subjugating the Raid Monster "Smoldering Great Crimson Wings," having formulated strategies beforehand and synergized their respective equipment traits.

"With this, phase one is cleared. An ultra-high-temperature body you can't even touch, which causes a steam explosion if you hit it with half-baked amounts of water............ All we have to do is keep dumping enough water on it to overpower it completely."

No matter how vast the energy it holds, it is not infinite. Even if it were infinite, it couldn't maintain 100% capacity constantly. And the Smoldering Great Crimson Wings maintains its energy in the form of "heat." If so, the strategy from here on out is simple enough for an elementary schooler to understand.

If something is hot, you just have to cool it down.

"Sorry, but we've got map attacks too...... See? Alright, today we're literally a Firefighter Squad! If all 15 of us huddled up like geese can't beat a mere endgame content, it'd be more efficient to start over from a new save data! Let's all survive and make a triumphant, smug descent down the mountain!!"

"Yeah!" fourteen voices echoed with enough force to rival the massive volume of the torrential rain.

The stage was set with unfortunately rainy weather, as soaked rats drenched in the downpour challenged the kin of scorching heat to a battle.

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Author's Afterword

・Weather Manipulation License (Behemoth)

Allows the user to change the weather in a specific area of the Old Continent once a day (first come, first served).

This is a part of the environmental control mechanism installed on the Bahamut 3rd Ship, Behemoth. Among the lost technologies of the Divine Age, it relies entirely on techniques that do not utilize mana particles at all. Specifically, it's a combination of nanomachine technology and airflow manipulation.