Chapter 435

435 – Descent of the Phoenix

Iridescent colours spread over the expanding slime. The colours shift to warm shades as the slime swells up to become a bright red bird. From the bird’s neck, a human’s upper body sprouts in place of a head.

…This is probably the original owner of [Life Mana], the borrowed form of the [Fallen Phoenix]. B-but, the slime had to have defeated the phoenix that owned [Life Mana]. In other words, there must be a weakness to this skill. If I can find that and use it…!

“…It’s pitiful, God-sama said. It seems I really am a special individual in this world. In exchange for gaining [Life Mana] on evolution, the phoenix has an extremely low HP for an A rank – that was its weakness. Even so, it was annoyingly tenacious. But you see, among all the different kinds of monsters, only I have no weaknesses. That’s because only I am nonstandard, only I am the monster that God-sama desired, only I defy the rules of this world.”

Behind the slime, four bright red wings spread out. Simultaneously dark red flames shoot from the wings. The space behind the flames seems to warp from the haze of their extreme heat.

S-sorry… Lilixira, it doesn’t look like I’m going to be able to win. Or was I meant to be a sacrificed piece?

I step back reflexively. The damage from the repeated [Dark Spheres] is too heavy. I can’t fly properly since one of my wings got blasted off, and part of my arm is missing. A large portion of my partner’s neck has been gouged out, and blood is flowing out.

The slime walks towards me, one step at a time, slowly pointing its fingers at me. Our eyes meet. The moment I try and flee, it’ll attack.

『H-hey, don’t give up! There’s got to be something!』

Right, there has to be something. If [Life Mana] really was a no-weakness skill produced by the slime’s cheat ability, it would be strange for it not to have used it from the start. It could have blasted indiscriminate [Dragoflares] to kill me without ever getting close. The chamber might have collapsed, but I’m sure it would have been able to get away. So then I’m certain it’s not an omnipotent skill.

Probably, it was able to recover both HP and MP by using another skill to recover HP after converting HP to MP with [Life Mana]. I think there must be some other risk involved, but since there was nothing in the skill explanation, it can’t be a massive demerit.

What bothers me is that when it used [Life Mana], three [Enthused Owls] appeared… Though there’s nothing I can guess from that. It doesn’t change the fact that the slime has recovered, and that I am driven to the verge of death. It’s too late now. I’ve been overwhelmed by the slime’s number of cards. I can’t even move properly any more.

“…You had luck on your side. But still, I didn’t think you would give me this much of a hard time.”

The slime lowers a finger. From a back wing, a mass of flames about two metres wide shoots out. The mass of flames takes the shape of a bird, spreads its wings, and flies towards me with its beak open wide.

“[Sacred Flame Bird]… A mass of flames with a tracking effect.”

I block with my remaining wing. The flames explode against the surface of my wings, and my body is covered in powerful heat. I can feel my HP dropping lower and lower.

“GuuU…”

I face the ground and crouch down. From the start, I didn’t have any chance of winning.

I should have fled from the start. Laplace’s percentage was no more than the slime’s probability of winning. The remaining five percent might have been just the probability that I be able to get away.

“Gaa, gaaAaAAAAh!”

My partner shouts and shakes her head. With each swing, blue blood scatters from the wound on her neck. A second, and then a third [Sacred Flame Bird] explode against my body.

Its arm still raised, the slime opens its mouth.

“I got this strong by thinking about nothing but gaining strength. It looks like you went around doing things you didn’t need to. I don’t know too much about what you did, but this is the result of that difference. If your level was at the maximum and you attacked me using your advantage in stats, the outcome might have been different. If you had evolved, even if you didn’t reach legendary class, you would have been A+ rank. If that happened… Well, I don’t have any way of knowing how it would have gone, but in the end, that’s how it is.”

Then, as though savouring its time, it slowly lowers its arm.

“Irushia, unexpectedly, I might not have hated you. Not that it matters any more.”

A huge bird of flames flies towards me. Because of the focus on power, it’s not very fast. But, it’s still plenty to hit me as injured as I am now.

…Sorry, Aro, nightmare, treant-san. It doesn’t look like I’ll be able to return. I need to apologise to Lilixira and Miria, too… No, this isn’t even in that dimension now. What will the slime do now that I’ve failed to stop it? I don’t think Lilixira will be able to stop it. The moment I realised Lilixira and I weren’t cooperating properly, I should have gone back right away. It seems that if either me or Lilixira had tried to fight it alone, stopping the [Chaos Ooze] would have been impossible.

Just before the [Sacred Flame Bird] hits me, a single figure leaps out in front of me. I open my eyes wide.

“UooooooOO [Exorcising Blade]!”

A sinister dark red blade cuts the [Sacred Flame Bird] in two. Without exploding, the flames lose their power and fade away. V-Volk!?

Volk lets go of his greatsword with his left hand, and opens and closes it as though to check his grip strength, a creepy smile on his face.

“Umu, it’s plenty.”

Wh-what is that sword…? Also, isn’t he faster than when he fought me…?

“I wouldn’t get too close. That sword is cursed, it seems. He even tried to kill me as I healed him. It seems it’s true that the [Dragon Hunter] is closer to a monster than a human.”

Right in front of me, standing on a pile of rubble, is Lilixira’s attendant, Alphiss. Below her short blond hair, her fierce eyes peek out.

“God-sama!”

I don’t see the nightmare, but Aro is still making her way here. Jumping over rubble, she lands next to me and glares at the slime.

“GuuoOOOOO!”

I growl.

H-hey! It’s seriously dangerous! If you don’t run away right now, everyone will be killed!

“Phew, that surprised me, but it’s not the Saint. No matter how many small fry show up now…”

The slime laughs with contempt. Alphiss’s voice interrupts that laugh.

“You shouldn’t have come out. No matter how many humans you consume, and no matter what you proclaim to be, you’re ultimately no more than a slime. Even now, Lilixira-sama is maintaining the prophecy with the magic power she’s conserved. By falling for Lilixira-sama’s provocation and revealing yourself so unconcernedly, you committed a grave mistake. You shouldn’t have moved until Lilixira-sama showed a decisive opening. Just as Lilixira-sama has done.”

The slime’s face twists in anger.

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