“I’ve been afraid of centipedes since my past life.

No, it’s more accurate to say I hate them.

Well, not many people probably like them either…

Unfortunately, this world has giant centipede-like monsters.

They’re called Giant Centipedes, and the first time I saw one, I screamed.

…And now, one of those giant centipedes is looking down at me from the top of an earth pillar.

At a distance of about two meters.

‘Hiiiiiieeee!!’

It’s no use.

My entire focus is locked on the centipede now.

Part of me is calm somewhere deep inside, but the screaming won’t stop.

And at this range, none of my attacks are effective… Wait, what?

‘!?’

In an instant, the centipede was pierced by a beam of light and reduced to ash.

Zighart.

As expected of the reliable old man.

You’re amazing, Shiny Old Man!

”Uoooohhh!!”

‘Huh?’

As I was internally showering Zighart with praise, an intense shout from below suddenly pierced my ears.

Just as I was rejoicing at being freed from the centipede’s menace, someone had to spoil the mood… How rude!

‘Hm?’

I turned toward the source of the voice, ready to complain, and saw August swinging his sword, which was now cloaked in an even larger, shining blade of light.

The Boss Ape was collapsing.

A bit farther away, something that seemed to be its leg was rolling on the ground—August’s shining blade must have severed it.

…Right, the Boss Ape. I had completely forgotten about it in the panic.

Apparently, the battle had continued, and August’s shining blade was the decisive move.

It seemed less like an ordinary item and more like a bestowed blessing, though I hadn’t managed to create an opening myself.

How did he manage that?

I didn’t see it at all.

As I stood there, somewhat amazed, Alec picked up a club he had tossed nearby.

Even though the Boss Ape was down to one leg, it was still moving, so we couldn’t let our guard down. But it looked like it was finally about to be taken down.

◇

Just like when I circled behind the Boss Ape earlier, I returned to Zighart while taking a slightly roundabout route.

His attention had already shifted to the monsters approaching from further ahead, and he was occasionally launching small light bullets at the Boss Ape to keep it in check. But the battle was now left to the other two.

”Zighart-san.”

”Oh. You alright?”

He must have been referring to the centipede incident.

His words showed concern, but his face was smiling.

”You were a great decoy, you know? Your screams created the perfect opening.”

”Kuh…!?”

He looked genuinely amused.

But now I understood how the opening was made.

Even though my kick had no effect, my scream had drawn its attention. That damned centipede…

”Ahem… Well, never mind that. So, are we leaving the rest to the other two? What should I do?”

Trying to regain my composure, I asked about the situation.

With both legs gone, the Boss Ape was now flailing its arms wildly instead of moving.

For Alec and August, who could dodge those attacks head-on, this was probably the best opportunity to strike. But for me, it was tough to handle such erratic attacks.

Though, since the Boss Ape wasn’t moving anymore, it might be possible to take careful aim with 【Danrem’s Thread】…

”Yeah. I’ll stay alert just in case, but there’s no way it can turn things around from here. I could handle it myself, but if we’re going to use it as materials, their approach will leave more usable parts intact than burning it up with magic.”

”I see…”

So the fight was essentially decided.

My bow and Zighart’s magic would destroy too much of the material.

I glanced toward the Boss Ape and saw August slicing down again with his glowing blade, severing its right arm this time.

The core seemed to be in its chest, and even if that was wrong, August’s method wouldn’t crush it easily.

”Sera, tell the others we’re done here and to join us so we can finish this quickly.”

”Got it!”

Looking at the other side, they still seemed to be holding up well, but with so many monster corpses piling up, they must be due for a break.

◇

”I’m back!”

Although the battle had settled somewhat, I made sure to call out to the three.

”Welcome back. I heard your scream earlier… Are you alright?”

While the others were still destroying monster cores, Fiora, who seemed a bit idle, answered me.

Wait, my scream reached all the way here?

”I’m fine… Nothing to worry about. Anyway, the fight on our side is almost wrapped up, so they asked us to regroup. Can you guys join?”

”I’d like to finish disposing of these corpses first. Sera, could you help with your snakes?”

While piercing heads and chests with swords or destroying cores with magic, Luban asked for my help.

”Hmm? Got it… But are you sure?”

Even though the holy coins aren’t specifically tied to who destroys the cores, my snakes would benefit from it.

I’d mentioned this before to the group.

It felt like I was gaining an advantage without much effort, but…

”It’s fine. We don’t gain anything from it, and leaving the bodies behind would be a bigger problem. Besides, reinforcements seem to have stopped for now. Let’s take care of this while we have the chance.”

This time, Teresa spoke up as well.

”I see… Alright. I’ll start with the ones further back.”

I felt a bit guilty taking the spoils, but it was true that leaving the bodies would be an issue.

I gratefully began helping.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Sera – 【Hideout】 +1 【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Floating Orb】【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee’s Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Snake’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】 – 60 cards
Seriana – 【Range Identification】 – 28 cards
Elena – 【】 【Green Fang】 – 1 card
Alec – 【Heavy Strike】【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】 – 2 cards