Volume 3 Chapter 22 Interlude： The Uninvited Guest (Part III)
*Continuing from Lene's perspective.*
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Adiliana's attacks were fierce.
Minori struggled to dodge her tentacles and sustained serious injuries.
I couldn't get any closer, and Suzu had to focus on her healing magic to support us.
While the attacks were intense, what was even more alarming was Adiliana's recovery ability.
Even when we dealt fatal blows with my Alchemist's Gun, she quickly healed before our eyes.
It didn't happen like this when we faced Ferron, another Dark Mage.
After all, she had turned to ash when we broke her barrier, so it was bizarre to see her now, unscathed.
And it wasn't just Adiliana who posed a threat.
The undead, like the zombies and ghouls she summoned, were crawling up from right under our feet.
Individually, they weren't too much trouble, but with dozens spawning at once, it was impossible to handle them all.
"Suzu! I need you to reinforce the barrier!"
"But..."
"If those undead head toward the house, that would be a disaster! Please, just do it!"
"...Okay."
Even in her battered state, Minori was still worried about the people taking refuge in the house.
I wanted to save her, but I felt utterly helpless.
"I can't take this anymore! This stinks and feels disgusting!"
'Eek!'
Ai-Ai was busy taking out the undead alongside Flamme, but I could tell she was starting to tire.
We had to find a way──any way──to turn this around!
"...That's it!"
I remembered a new weapon I had been developing while improving my Alchemist's Gun.
I hurriedly dug it out of my magic bag.
It was still just a prototype, but there was no time to waste on that!
"Minori! Get back! You're gonna get caught in it!"
"Huh? What...? Oh, I got it!"
Minori wanted to know what I was going to do, but she understood the situation wasn't something to linger in and started backing away.
At the same time, I launched that new weapon towards Adiliana.
It was a little heavy, but it flew straight towards her.
"......Huh?"
Adiliana noticed something flying towards her in a parabolic arc, but it was too late.
I aimed the Alchemist's Gun at the thing that had rolled at Adiliana's feet and pulled the trigger.
The sound of the bullet piercing, a *bang*, was light, but the next instant, a booming sound and a gigantic flame erupted around Adiliana.
"──────"
Adiliana couldn't even speak, as the flame was consuming the air around her.
At the same time, the undead she had summoned lost control of their master and started to fall.
"Everyone, get away from Adiliana! I'm gonna suffocate her! Minori, start healing!"
"Uh, uhm... What is... that..."
As I called out to Minori while rummaging through my Magic Bag, she nodded confusedly and came down to my side.
'That,' she's talking about the bomb I threw.
"That's a bomb called <Napalm> that I developed with Ryuuji. It's designed to burn really well. Isn't it burning nicely?"
The "Napalm" is a specialized bomb designed to burn, using a unique blend of gunpowder.
One of the best things about this bomb is that it can prevent fiends and demon beasts from regenerating.
Another plus is that even monsters resistant to fire can be targeted for suffocation as the Napalm consumes the air around it.
When I came up with this weapon, Ryuuji called me a devil...
"It burns too hot... Just make sure not to light it near a dry brushwood forest..."
As I received treatment, Minori let out a sigh of disbelief, her face a picture of astonishment.
I knew the risks of fire, but there was no way I could hold back from saying such things in that situation.
"...And yet, she said Ryuuji died..."
"I don't believe it. Suzu probably doesn't either. There's no way our Big Bro Ryuuji would go down like that, so carelessly."
Driven by unease, I murmured to myself, but Minori, who didn't buy it at all, gave me a serious kick to the rear.
It's probably a mix of trust and something like bonds that she's feeling.
I can't help but feel a little envious.
Before long, Suzu's magic was complete, and the barrier was reestablished.
This time it seemed much sturdier, but it looked like she had overexerted herself and was totally exhausted.
"Phew..."
"Good work, Suzu. ...Oh, it looks like Adiliana is at her limit too."
As Minori consoled the exhausted Suzu, Adiliana, who had been burning intensely, collapsed to the ground as her carbonized legs could no longer support her body.
It was a tough fight, but in the end, it ended rather anticlimactically.
Afterward, we were helping Ai-Ai and Flamme recover from their exhaustion, but there was no sign of Adiliana reviving.
And then, just to be sure, Minori approached to check the body, and that's when it happened.
"Ugh...!?"
The only sound that ruled that place was the *crackle* of the branches at Minori's feet exploding.
Then, Minori's pained cry echoed through the air, and as I stopped my healing hands to look, something unbelievable filled my vision.
"...Sis Minori...?"
SuzSuz called out, but Minori remained still, her right side pressed against her wound, collapsed on the ground.
The one who had pierced a hole in her, of course──
"That was quite a struggle, wasn't it...? It takes a lot of power to restore my body..."
The charred remains of Adiliana rose, and a voice, seemingly emanating from where its mouth should be, made that statement.
And from the ground around it, golden tentacles were writhing, emerging one by one.
One of them must have pierced through Minori's side.
"Ahhh! Aaahhhh!"
SuzSuz trembled, her entire body shaking at the sight of Minori, lying motionless, and Adiliana, which should have been utterly defeated, resurrecting before her eyes.
I want to shake too.
To think that even that bomb couldn't defeat it.
We might be finished.
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