64 - the evil spirit of red water

At first glance, it looked exactly like river slime.

It was about the size of an empty barrel, and except for its spherical shape, there seemed to be little difference between the two.

There was only one crucial difference that anyone could easily notice.

The sphere of water was floating soundlessly at the height of an adult's face.

The raindrops were falling down continuously from above our heads with even more intensity.

But strangely enough, not a single ripple, not even a splash, floated on the surface of the red sphere.

It remained still in the air, as if it were a large raindrop that had failed to fall to the ground, displaying a strange sense of presence.

Thor's voice rumbled with an idea as to why this monster looked so different from the other monsters that had been mutated by living creatures.

"No way,...... is it an evil spirit of red water?"

"That's no way, old man Thor. Listen, back away slowly ...... and don't let them find you."

"No, apparently it's too late. I think they know we're here.

Numerous spiny protrusions, which were not there before, appear on the surface of the sphere.

It seems that Dialgo's fighting spirit, which was earlier, has been detected.

Thor, determined, silently reaches for the hilt of his sword.

Many adventurers cite the iron shears of the red-shelled crab and the stampede of the rampaging river horse as the most feared threats in the hunting grounds of the Bloodshed River.

But by far, the one thing that all those with long experience on the river had to say was unanimous.

"If you see a body of water floating by, don't go near it. That's the worst."

The evil spirit of red water is a monster that has been confirmed to occur in the Bloodshed River basin during rainfall.

It is classified as a spirit, and its attribute is water.

It is said that this spirit type does not originate from living creatures, but is created by a natural phenomenon combined with a miasma.

Therefore, they have a unique appearance, but there is a strange contradiction in that the higher species are humanoid for some reason.

Since they originated from a natural phenomenon, they do not have predatory urges, but instead possess some troublesome characteristics.

They react to the fighting spirit and magical power that people possess, and attack.

And one of the troublesome characteristics of spirit monsters was that they were almost impervious to attacks with conventional weapons.

Since they are made of air or water, even a slight change in their shape is ineffective.

The only way to defeat them is to destroy the part called "spirit nucleus".

If you use offensive magic techniques, it is possible to stop them from moving by the interference of their magic power.

However, the red-iron class that is active in the hunting ground of this bloodstream is barely at the level of a medium branch.

The only useful attacks are , , and by fire-users.

However, the opponent is a water change, and its compatibility is as bad as ever.

Therefore, it is said that there is only one conclusion to be drawn in case of encounter.

Just run away.

And if you get entangled, the same conclusion applies.

Just endure until the rain stops.

But in that case, it was also an infinitely difficult story.

Because--.

Suddenly, one of the prongs that had appeared on the surface of the evil spirit of red water was thrust straight out at a tremendous speed.

The thorn of the growing water approached Thor with the speed of an arrow shot out.

The iron sword running in its scabbard intercepted it with its greatest sharpness.

The water thorn, cut off at the tip, loses its target and is pulled back.

Thor, who had moved forward to pursue the thorns, saw two new thorns growing up.

He immediately flips his cloak, which has improved its defense.

However, one of the thorns easily pierced through the cloak and went straight through Thor's thigh, sewing him to the ground.

Three more thorns strike without a moment's pause, as if to finish him off.

Exhaling quickly, Thor's arm moved with blinding speed, and the steel blade sliced through the air in a brilliant motion.

In an instant, the approaching thorns are replaced by a spray of water, and after a pause, the thorn in his leg loses its shape.

Thor takes a step back, stopping the blood from flowing down his thigh, and holds his sword at the ready.

"You stay out of this. I can't protect you.

You're out of your depth, old man!

"d*mn it, come on, back off!"

The water thorns have a range of more than ten paces.

Moreover, they have the power to easily pierce even a cloak as strong as iron armor, and they can fire multiple shots at the same time.

They are only as thick as a thumb, but if they hit a vital point, they will easily end you.

There is no chance to get close enough to wield a weapon against it.

The sound of the bowstring shaking without warning echoes in Thor's ears as he struggles with his attack.

It was the work of Tapa and Tali of the Suiba clan who were in the tent.

Accelerated arrows evade the interceptions of the water thorns and pierce the body of the evil spirit one after another.

However, without the slightest tremor, the mass of water moved silently toward the tent, dropping the arrows that had pierced it to the ground.

"Run!

At the same time as Thor shouted, a large number of water spikes were shot out.

The two men jump backward in a panic.

Several sharp thorns pierced the spot where Tapa and the others had been just moments before.

The water thorns shot through the tent's wooden frame, causing the tent to tilt and fall, unable to bear its own weight.

The sound woke Moe, who had been dozing off behind the stove, and he woke up.

The sleepy-eyed child is forced to wake up and looks up at the strange red ball floating in the air, rubbing his eyes.

The evil spirit of red water, who had noticed his new prey, unleashed a relentless barrage of water spikes.

"--Sora!"

"Yeah!"

Mu was hit in the chest with a thorn from the water with such force that he flew through the air and fell to the ground.

He rolled around and finally stopped when he hit a tent near the bank.

The child stood up vigorously, waving his arms alternately in anger as Toll and the others stared at him with bated breath.

I'm so surprised!　What are you doing to Moe?

"Are you okay?　Young child!"

"Are you hurt?　Little boy!"

Thor let out a long breath as the child was pulled away in the arms of the rushing twins.

He then notices Thora's and glares at the monster coming toward him.

Thor's back teeth grit.

"Sola, I'm going as fast as I can!"

"...... Umm, yeah."

With his iron sword dangling, Thor strode toward the evil spirits.

Without a moment's pause, the thorn of water was released.

The sword flashed, and without a sound, the tip of the sword sliced off and flew away.

Three more followed.

Three more are cut off in the same manner.

As soon as they were five steps away, the water spikes increased in number.

At the same time, Thor's sword slashed through the air with tremendous speed.

But he is unable to fully control it, and several thorns pierce his shoulders and legs and graze his torso.

But Thor does not stop.

He moves closer step by step, his pierced body.

And just as the main body enters the sword's reach...

Countless thorns of water attack Thor.

Thor was not the only one waiting for that moment.

--

.

--.

--.

A series of magic moves were fired in rapid succession, changing the trajectory of the thorns and smashing them against each other, creating a space for the attack to occur.

Thor's body slips into the gap.

The blade growls, cutting off a chunk of water.

Two more.

And two more.

The blade moves in all directions, slicing the monster into tiny pieces in mid-air.

Soon the monster dissolves into the air, spraying red water, as if it has been hit in its weak spot.

The next thing you know, the rain has stopped.