168 - - The Lord of the Lost Palace-the Prelude to the Battle of the Lost Palace

"That's quite a view."

Wow, those are big ants. And there are so many!"

"You're so sparkly, To-chan."

Is that the big miasma hole? It's really a disaster. ......"

The number of goldenrod ants, glowing all over their bodies, is seven.

They are spread out in a fan-like formation as if protecting a huge black root that peeks out from the back of the room, waiting for any intruder.

"They came out all at once! They're ready to kill us.

"But it's easier to understand than to be cut off," he said.

"That's right. I get the feeling that they don't have a lot of time left.

"You've done everything in your power for me. That's what makes you worth defeating.

"Oji, you only just barely managed to kill one the other day. If you talk so loudly, you will surely die next time.

That was me in the past, not now. Let your hearts be cold before my reborn majesty.

Thor's lips lifted gently when he saw no signs of fear on the part of the "Platinum Flame," which had experienced a terrible retreat last time.

Convinced that this is why they are in the Kongo-class, he asks them for advice on a plan of action.

"Stratchia, do you think you can withstand the until the shell of the thing separates?"

Vajra ants are characterized by their strong outer shells.

It boasts the highest hardness and is resistant not only to heat, but also to abnormal conditions.

Furthermore, the glow that is emitted at regular intervals can dissipate the heightened fighting spirit of those who approach it, as well as any strengthening spells that may have been cast on it.

Such a powerful exterior, however, is separated from the main body when it receives a certain amount of damage, and transforms into a large number of small golden ants.

Last time, the swarm of ants was swept away by Ninessa's upper branch magic and the situation was over, but this time, it was as difficult as if it were seven ants.

Stratchia, who had been looking at the glaring ants for a while, shrugged her shoulders deliberately.

"Hmmm, they won't last a minute."

"I knew it was reckless."

The is an advanced martial art that can negate and nullify all physical attacks, but it is an extremely poor match for the type that consumes a small amount of accumulated fighting spirit in the body.

"Ninessa, can you remove the shell with only ?"

"Probably not without a . I doubt it will even crack."

If they appeared one by one, it would be an endurance battle, and with Thor's , they should be able to endure for a long time.

We had planned our strategy in anticipation of this, but as expected, the miasma was not so easy to deal with.

When you are outnumbered by an opponent that can barely be dealt with by a few, you are left with almost nothing to do.

In the face of overwhelming numbers, Thor silently scratched the bottom of his chin.

If they launched their biggest attack on the first move, he might have a chance to win the game if he could somehow withstand them and reduce their numbers one by one.

The only problem is that there is no shield that can withstand seven lords of the labyrinth.

"............ No. Then, why don't we just do them all together?"

With a heroic shout, Moo launches his and .

Not to be outdone, Kugase applies and to Straccia and Thor in succession.

Sola takes a deep breath and grips her staff, while Rammera rubs her back in a calming manner.

Yuril and Ninessa, standing on either side of the group, meet each other's eyes and nod quietly.

"Let's go!"

"Let my courage be burned in your eyes!"

In response to Thor's voice, Stratchia, filled with a tremendous amount of fighting spirit, leaped out.

Kicking the earth, he majestically challenged the seven giant shadows.

The masters of the labyrinth show no sign of contempt for this sudden and reckless challenger, and greet him inorganically.

With a single, unruffled, orderly movement, they quickly surround the red-haired swordsman and open their jaws one after the other to bite and crush him.

Just before the first jaw seized him, Stratchia shouted in a high voice

"Now, show me your sins before my two swords!　--

Swirling white flames burst forth, enveloping the swordsman's entire body in a flash.

The white flame-cloaked body draws a circle, and the swords outstretched repel the bites of the ants.

Staring at Straccia, who continued to spin like a spinning top, Ninessa's eyes flashed a bright red.

At the same time, from her red lips, words of prayer to the god of fire quietly leak out.

"O tree of heaven-burning radiance! Now is the time for you to shake the branches of your flaming authority and spread your red flaming leaves. ......

But the ants are not an easy opponent who will wait for us.

After a few sparks fly from a few slashes, the first one emits a vanishing light from its body.

Just before that, Thor was moving.

With a thud, he lightly kicked the ground.

As if leaving the sound behind, a body that has already turned into a gale runs past a few steps ahead.

Thor, who had instantly entered the swarm of rigid ants, lost his fighting spirit and reached for the blackened armor of Straccia - .

Immediately a white flame flared up, and the red-haired swordsman circled the two blades again.

A hard thud echoes through the air, and the massive jaws shift direction, losing sight of their target.

Then...

"Mourning flowers of cremation that bring about ashes, let them dance and bloom in glory--."

Flames in the shape of flowers float above their heads and fly off in the direction indicated by the flame wizard.

The flowers hit one of the Vajrayan ants and scatter in a flurry, scattering countless super-heated petals.

One after another, the raging fire blooms and consumes the monster's body surface.

But as expected, most of the heat slides off the shiny outer shell.

Exhaling quietly, Ninessa mutters to the ice-user, her silver hair shimmering.

"The front of the house has warmed the place up for you. Come on in."

Yuril, who had deftly turned his ear to indicate his approval, gracefully held out a gray cryolite-crowned priest's staff into the air.

"Moonlight, bind-- ."　

Immediately, a space cut out in a perfect circle appeared above the heads of the ants.

A piercing silver light overflowed from the hollow hole.

In the blink of an eye, the silver light covered the monster's body, freezing it, stopping all movement.

However, inside the ants, there was still plenty of the effects of the superheat that had just enveloped them.

The inner force tries to expand, while the outer shell tries to contract.

The incompatible relationship between ultra-high heat and ultra-low temperatures broke down easily, creating a large crack.

Countless cracks appeared, and one after another, the vajra shells began to shatter and fall off.

"Oh, yes!

"You look like a boiled egg, Sora-chan!"

"Moo-chan, you like eggs, don't you?"

Through the thin film of water that has been stretched before we know it, Sora and Moo are chatting carefree with each other.

Next to Kugase, who exhales in exasperation, the red-headed magician has already begun his next big move.

"Scatter and bewilder, leaves of the tree of fire... ."

As soon as the chanting ends, Straccia's body splits into several pieces.

The illusions that were created created more illusions, and countless numbers of straccias continued to spin at high speed, smiling broadly.

Then, a large number of ants, created from the fragments of the shells, swarmed in one after another.

The monsters swarmed faster than the speed at which the illusions were created, and in no time at all, the numerous stratchia were obliterated.

But it seems that we have bought enough time.

Thor, who had returned before she knew it, had restored her magic power completely, and Ninessa finishes her chanting with bright red eyes once again.

"--"

The little golden ants are helplessly swallowed up by the storm of flames that blooms once again.

Then, as if to stop them, Yuril also released his magical power.

"--" (Moon Peril Iceblade)

A brilliant light that freezes everything in its path illuminates the seven lords and countless ants and straccias all at once.

Inside the translucent shells of the small rigid ants, cracks appear irregularly, reflecting the light diffusely and shining beautifully.

The next moment, all the monsters shatter at once.

Sora and Mu clap their hands in admiration at the glittering fragments of vajra stones.

It seems that the extravagant and reckless strategy of launching four consecutive attacks of the Upper Branch Magic Technique has worked.

If the opponent gives his all from the very beginning, we should not only endure it, but also give our all.

This is the way of thinking of Thor, who likes to use his sword to the limit.　

And it worked better than expected.

But all is not yet over, and this is only the half of the story.

The seven lords, having lost their glittering outer shells, slowly flinch.

The remaining fragments slide off, and a new shell, stained jet-black, emerges from beneath.

The deafening sound of wings rings out in the depths of the earth, signaling the opening of the second act.