CH 187

Chapter 187. Peony Subjugation Battle Part 5



***



Before executing the plan, we should treat Sora and Aka first.



They’ll be playing active roles in the plan, so we must detoxify the poison from the giant Marimos before anything else.



“Sora, how does it feel?”



‘…It’s not working.’



I had Sora drink the MP and HP recovery potions that we had in stock, but they don’t seem to have any effect on her. 



So normal recovery potions can’t detoxify poison…



In that case—



“Hey, get out of my way.”



“Eh?”



I turn back, only to see Shibata-kun standing there.



The other high school students are present as well.



They must have followed Rikka-chan and rushed over here.



Shibata-kun pushes me to the side and walks up to Sora.



“I’ll check this guy’s condition with my skill, so move it.”



…Skill?



Oh, right. Shibata-kun’s a “Doctor”.



He possesses a skill that lets him diagnose his patients. 



I see. Certainly, with that skill of his, he’d be able to check Sora’s….Hm?



Shibata-kun’s staring at me for some reason.



“…She won’t eat me for touching her, right?”



“You’ll be fine…probably.”



“What do you mean, ‘probably’!?”



Oh, so he’s scared.



Upon closer inspection, I notice that his shoulders are shaking a bit.



I turn to face Sora, and she nods in response. 



Shibata-kun becomes visibly relieved when I inform him that he’ll be okay. 



“Well then, here goes nothing—‘Diagnosis’.”



Shibata-kun lightly touches Sora’s wounds, making them glow faintly.



Hmm… this is my first time actually seeing the skill in action.



So this is Shibata-kun’s “Diagnosis” skill.



He’ll be able to tell his patient’s condition—in gaming terms, it would be a skill that helps detect abnormal conditions. 



From what I know, not only can the skill reveal the symptoms of an illness, it can also suggest possible cures depending on the skill level.



It’s a really convenient skill.



“H-healers are a must in parties…geho.”



“…Natsun, is that really something you should be saying when you’re bordering death? Here, I’ll help you drink some recovery potion.”



“T-thanks…”



Ichinose-san, don’t push yourself so hard just to tsukkomi…



On a different note, Shibata-kun diagnosing Sora’s injuries with such a stern expression doesn’t fit hit usual image. 



Being a “Doctor” with that appearance of his…



“He may look like that, but he was a diligent student when we were in middle school. But well… when we entered high school, just like me, he got into a big fight with his parents because of a conflict. By the time we came to our senses, we were like this…”



Standing next to me, Nishino-kun explains as if to answer my inquiries.



Um…do you perhaps have mind-reading abilities?



Nishino-kun smiles and laughs.



“It was written on your face.”



T-that so…



“…Now that I think about it, I wonder why we fought over something so trivial. Compared to what we’re facing right now, it wasn’t anything important, but it felt like everything to me at the time…It sounds stupid, doesn’t it?”



“Everyone goes through that period at least once in their lifetime…”



I come to realize how precious and invaluable those mundane days were seeing Nishino-kun clutch his hands tightly.



While I’m having this conversation with Nishino-kun, Shibata-kun finishes diagnosing Sora. 



“…Oi, Kudou……..-san, can you hand me a disinfectant and some gauzes?”



“Eh? Oh, yeah.”



I take out the requested items from the Item Box and toss them over to him.



“Speaking from the conclusion, the poison’s not the type that seeps into the body. Instead, it’s the type that corrodes the point of contact and its surroundings. Put another way, things won’t get any worse as long as we cut off the poisoned part of the body.”



We have to cut off the poisoned part of her body?



Sora only had her tail and the tip of her foot poisoned, so cutting those parts off won’t be fatal.



That said—



‘—That won’t be an issue. Hmph.’



“W-wait, Sora!?”



“Oioi, what are you doing?”



‘Guu…!’



While we’re racking our brains, Sora quickly slices off the injured parts of her body with her claws.



Her face distorts in pain.



“Y-you’ve got to be kidding! We must stop her bleeding!”



“T-this Dragon’s a maniac…!”



Shibata-kun takes out something that appears to be a thin thread and swiftly stitches up Sora’s wounds.



The wounds close up in no time, and the bleeding eventually stops as well.



What an incredible technique. Could this also be one of his skills?



“It’s a skill called ‘Stitching’. It generates a thread which could be used to stitch up wounds and stop bleeding. Not only that, the injuries heal faster when this thread is used. Oh, but the suturing technique itself is all from him. His hands are dexterous, you see.”



“Is that so…”



Nishino-kun once again provides me with supplementary information as if he has read my mind.



A-anyway, I guess that’s Sora’s situation solved.



As for Aka…



“…Furu furu.”



Aka cancels its mimicry and begins to shake violently by my feet.



“~~~Furu furu!”



Pon!



Aka ejects out a small lump of muddy substances.



“…Is this perhaps the part that was poisoned?”



“…Furu furu.”



‘That’s right,’ Aka seems to say.



…This child just went ahead and detoxified itself.



Recently, it feels like Aka’s performing exceedingly well.



With this, however, we’ve finished the emergency treatment for Sora and Aka.



“—Then let’s proceed with the rest as planned.”



“Yes. Please be careful, Kudou-san.”



After confirming the content of the operation one last time, we move out once more.



“Sora, I’ll be relying on you again.”



‘Umu.’



I straddle Sora. 



I’ll be acting alone this time and parting ways with Nishino-kun and his friends. 



Before I could take off, Momo appears from the shadow of my feet. 



“…Kuun.”



“…I’ll be alright, Momo. Sora and I will do something about the enemy, so be entrusting Ichinose-san and the others to you, okay?”



“…Wan!”



Momo nods and replies energetically. 



Next, I turn towards Ichinose-san, who’s being supported by Rikka-chan.



“Ichinose-san, I’ll be back soon.”



“…Yes.”



“Aisaka-san, I’ll be leaving her in your hands.”



“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to protect Natsun and the others until that time comes.”



“That’s reassuring.”



Rikka-chan gives me a big thumbs-up.



Behind her, Shibata-kun and Goshogawara-san nod with conviction…



…It should be fine. 



With everyone working together, they should be able to last for “an hour”.



The rest would be up to us.



I hold the reins and send Sora the signal.



Upon receiving said signal, Sora spreads her wings and soars into the sky.



I take a glimpse at the large army of green beneath us before addressing the giant tree that’s at the end of it all.



“—Peony, let’s put an end to this.”



Sora roars. 



The air around us quivers in response, and the large army of giant Marimos and Peony’s roots come shooting towards us. 



*****



—Hungry…



Peony was feeling famished.



—Hot…it hurts…not healing…



Its body was injured, and the fire had not been extinguished.



The burning sensation and the pain from its injuries were waking Peony’s “ego” from its deep slumber. 



‘GIGIGIGI!’



‘—ET ME EAT!’



‘LET ME EAT!’



‘HUNGRY!’



‘GIGIGIGIGIGIGI!’



‘—ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’



The “Fertility Eating Ryes”, its innumerable envoys, were speaking Peony’s will in its place.



Peony hadn’t used this skill in a long time, and it was something that Peony had wished to avoid using. 



The reasons were simple. 



These creatures were a part of Peony’s body, yet they were independent units at the same time.



Unlike with its vines and roots, the nutrients sucked in by these creatures would not be transmitted to Peony.



In fact, they would pollute their surroundings by self-detonating once they have consumed a certain amount. 



From Peony’s standpoint, they were no different from pests that devoured and ruined its flower fields. 



The “Fertility Eating Rye” was thus a skill which summoned forth envoys that functioned contrary to its will. 



However—



—Irritating…



Peony was so irritated that it had used the skill which it had been avoiding this entire time.



—They’re in the way.



It sensed the presence of two powerful beings in the front. 



One was from a Human, and the other was from a Dragon.



They were like bugs to Peony, but they were rather strong and tenacious.



What’s more, they had been constantly interfering with its “meals”.



Why would they do such a terrible thing?



A meal, a satisfying meal, was all it wanted.



Why did they have to interfere?



—Erase them.



They were no longer considered “preys”.



They were now its “enemies”, enemies that had to be eliminated for it to have meals in peace.



—Do not disturb me from my meals!



Its entire body shook, and Peony began to “move”, all to ensure that its enemies were eliminated. 



*****



—It has begun to move.



I stare blankly at the scene before me. 



It’s as if an entire mountain is moving—would that expression suffice?



Actually, forget what I said. Its body’s bigger than even that of a mountain.



The giant monster sways unsteadily as it trudges forward one step at a time.



—The Superior Species of Treants can “move”.



This is something that I learned through “The Right to Question”, and I’ve seen it firsthand when I fought the “Flowered” Treant before our encounter with Peony.



It’s something that I knew. It’s something that I’ve confirmed.



Nevertheless, the scene that’s spread out before me could only be described as breathtaking.



“What a ridiculous amount of pressure that I’m getting…”



It’s only moving at a speed that’s comparable to an ordinary person’s sprint.



That said, it’s from a giant tree monster that’s bigger than a mountain.



The pressure’s no joke, not to mention that its hostility is directed towards us.



“…But this saves us from the trouble.”



‘Umu…’



Our biggest concern had been over how we could have Peony “move” from its place.



I didn’t think the problem would resolve itself so quickly.



All that’s left to do now is to follow our plan.



I hold the reins to signal Sora.



With an “Okay”, Sora turns around and “retreats”.



*****



—Stop running away.



Peony’s frustration deepened. 



It was using all its branches, vines, roots, leaves, and “Fertility Eating Ryes” to attack its enemies, but its enemies were still alive.



—They’re not getting hit.



All its attacks were being dodged, blocked, or burned.



Despite all its effort, why weren’t its attacks landing?



Peony failed to understand what was going on.



If Peony had been capable of “thought”, it would’ve noticed after analyzing the battle that its enemies were devoting all their attention to “dodging”.



Unfortunately, Peony failed to do so as it had only just regained some of its “ego”.



—Stop dodging!



In the first place, it was a miracle that Peony had been able to regain its “ego”.



The skill known as “Gluttony” increased the amount of experience acquired by the user and allowed the user to obtain “complete mastery” over whatever magic stone they consumed.



Magic stones were crystallized forms of magic that monsters dropped when they died, and they contained all the experience and skills of said monsters from their birth to death.



By consuming them, it was possible to acquire the magic, experience, and skills of the dead monsters. 



However, “compatibility” was necessary in order to acquire a skill.



For example, although Momo gained the skill known as “Roar” after eating “Rufen’s Magic Stone”, Aka wouldn’t have been able to obtain “Roar” as it didn’t have a “vocal cord” or a “voice” to speak of. 



Similarly, even if Momo had eaten the “Mimic’s Magic Stone”, she wouldn’t have acquired “Mimicry” as her body structure would not have been able to support the change.  



They had only been able to acquire the skills after ingesting the magic stones as they were highly compatible with the skills stored in them.



Peony, however, was an exception to this rule.



“Gluttony” allowed Peony to ignore everything about compatibility.



In other words, it could acquire the skills and experiences of all monsters and turn them into its own.



Be it Aka’s “Mimicry”, Sora’s “Breath Attack”, Momo’s “Shadow Manipulation”, and Kazuto’s “Item Box”, Peony had them all.



It had preyed on creatures that could use similar skills in the past.



In fact, Peony had well over 200 skills by the time it confronted Kazuto and the others.



If Peony had been able to utilize at its skills, Kazuto and his companions wouldn’t have stood a chance. 



“Gluttony” was so powerful and unrivaled that it was a cheat in the truest sense.



Nonetheless, the “price” for it was equally large.



—Hungry… 



Whoever owned “Gluttony” would be in a perpetual state of hunger and thirstiness.



The feeling of hunger would be so great that no amount of food would make it go away.



It would be to the point where the owner would forget what they’ve eaten and what skill they’ve acquired. 



Even resistance skills would not curb this “hunger”.



—I’m…hungry…



That was the reason why those who had “Gluttony” would lose their “will”.



Their “appetite” would force them to live only to satisfy the insatiable “hunger”.



Even if they had tens, hundreds, or even thousands of skills, they wouldn’t be able to wield them properly.



Yes, that should’ve been the case.



Until this moment, that was.



—They’re in the way!



Peony’s ability to process “thoughts” was recovering after a long time of being dominated by the unappeasable “hunger”.



It was all to bury the two midgets that dared to interrupt its meals and have it experience the “dread of impending death”.



Think, think, think.



How can I kill them?



How do I get rid of them?



Peony thought desperately with its weak ego.



—It was then that Peony noticed something peculiar.



—Hmm…? 



A “peculiarity” that it wouldn’t have ever sensed had it not regained a segment of its “ego” and “thought”.



In front of the two annoying creatures that were fleeing, there was “that” place where Peony had detected a lot of delicious presence.



—The “wall’s” gone…?



The “invisible barrier” that had once covered the region around the City Hall had disappeared into thin air.



—…?



Why?



It was originally a place that Peony couldn’t enter even if it wanted to.



A frustrating place that housed a lot of delicious inhabitants which it couldn’t put its hands on.



However, the “wall” was no longer present. 



—Why…?



Peony was oblivious as to why this was happening, but it knew that a lot of the two midgets’ friends were inside the once-standing “invisible barrier”.



The “ego” that Peony had awakened whispered in its ears.



This was an opportunity.



—Eat them.



It was intent on devouring every single friend of the two midgets that disturbed its meals.



‘GYIGYIGYI!”



‘FOOOD!!



‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ ‘LET ME EAT!’ 



Before Peony could do anything, the army of “Fertility Eating Ryes” flooded into the “Safety Zone”.



Peony was not one to allow others to reap the benefits first. 



Peony hurriedly extended its tentacles into the “Safety Zone”. 



“…?”



There, Peony was once again assaulted by a feeling of incongruity.



—…They’re not here?



There was no trace of delectable food anywhere.



It searched high and low for signs of humans, but it was as if the “Safety Zone” was a hollow shell.



Not a single inhabitant was to be found.



‘Gyi…?’



‘Ge…?’



‘Food…?’



Its envoys, the “Fertility Eating Ryes”, were also raising confused noises. 



—…Why?



Did they run away?



But where could they have run to?



To begin with, how could they have fled anywhere?



Questions were springing up like there was no tomorrow.



Then, something else happened which deepened Peony’s confusion.



“—‘The Art of Ginormous Growth’.”



It heard a voice while it was searching for human presence.



Quite some distance away from the “Safety Zone”, a “Giant” which Peony had hunted a fair number of times recently appeared on the coastlines. 



—It’s that Giant!



Peony was delighted.



The Giant that it had hunted numerous times in the past few days.



Minute as it may be, the Giant was a prey which helped Peony alleviate its hunger.



Kazuto was yet to be aware of this, but the Giant clone created through “The Art of Ginormous Growth” wasn’t a massless phantom.



To maintain such a huge body, the clone had to store the sizable amount of MP needed to activate the skill. 



In other words, it was an energy bank.



For Peony, this meant that the Giant was a type of gourmet food that contained a large quantity of energy.



—Eat!



Its appetite was acting up again, overshadowing its “ego”.



It ignored everything about its enemies and the “invisible barrier”, solely concentrating on extending its tentacles to capture the Giant.



However——they failed to reach the Giant.



Its injuries were too heavy.



Without its body being in an optimal state, it couldn’t extend its tentacles all the way to where the Giant stood.



If it had been in an optimal state, Peony would’ve had no problem probing places dozens of kilometers away and extending its tentacles there.



But this just meant that it had to move to where its tentacles could reach the Giant.



Peony refused to give the “Fertility Eating Ryes” any chance to outdo itself.



With that in mind, it tried to pass straight through the streets of the “Safety Zone” which it previously had no access to.



“—This is the end, Peony.”



…? 



It felt like someone had just said something. 



Peony’s large figure shook in the very next moment.



“…?”



What?



What happened just now?



“——….?”



That was when Peony noticed something—its root system had been scooped out.



“—?—?”



What’s this?



It’s burning?



Both the inside and the outside of its roots were being burned into charcoal.



That wasn’t all.



The area surrounding the City Hall had been turned into a sea of fire. 



When it became cognizant of this fact, an intense pain started running through its body.



“~~~~~~~~~~~!”



“How does it feel to have both the inside and the outside of your body explode simultaneously?”



It heard a voice once again.



Who was it that was speaking?



This voice—right, it belongs to an enemy, not a prey…



“This was the only place where we could be rest assured setting up the bombs. With the help of Kiki, we were able to find a large space underneath the City Hall, and it was the perfect place to set up a load of bombs. The only challenge we faced was how we could guide you here where the bombs have been set up. After all, no matter how powerful the bombs are, there would be no point in them if they don’t hit the target.”



It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.



It’s painful, it’s painful, it’s painful, it’s painful, it’s painful.



“But we knew that this wouldn’t be enough. We won’t be able to finish you for good. That’s why we had to have Ichinose-san do her best.”



Must heal quickly…must eat…more…



“The 54 bullets that entered your body were Aka’s clones. Instead of from the location where they enter, ‘foreign matters’ that can’t be digested are excreted through the roots after circulating through your body. It’s a Treant’s characteristic, isn’t it? After defeating a ‘Flowered Treant’ and some regular Treants, I found numerous bones underneath the ground because they couldn’t be ‘digested’. We simply took advantage of that.”



Peony floundered about desperately and stretched its tentacles.



No, can’t reach. Can’t eat the Giant.



Have to stretch further. Otherwise, won’t be able to eat anymore. 



“Having entered as bullets, Aka transformed into ‘bombs’ while being circulated throughout your body. It was hard, you know? We had to adjust to your circulation and regeneration speed, attacking at certain intervals so that the explosions would happen from both the inside and the outside at the same time.”



No, must avoid that at all cost. 



Must eat. 



Must eat more, and more, and more…



“Here—eat till you’re full.”



‘A…aaaa…?’



And with that—



ZUDOOOOOOOOOON~~!



Along with a thunderous sound of eruption, another explosion from its root system enveloped Peony.