“To strike down comrades who came to rescue and even eat them… What a psycho!”

Of course, I, along with the other members… And it’s not just that, even the remaining two Giant Apes are completely stunned, you know?
I don’t really understand the expressions of monsters, but even so, I can tell this much.

The scythe is sealed, and the monster is defenseless while eating, but it still can’t act due to the abnormality.
What the hell is going on here…?

“Alexio, Lord Zighart, Lord Luban. What do you think of that? Does it have any meaning?”

August asks the three of them, but it seems like they can’t give an answer either.

It is said that outside monsters sometimes fight over territory, but it is common knowledge that monsters inside dungeons don’t fight each other.
This is a bit hard to understand, right?

“I don’t know… It’s not just a meal, but… huh!?”

As Zighart is answering, a change occurred with the Giant Ape being eaten.
It was being gnawed on from the neck, and as it progressed to the chest, the corpse of the Giant Ape disappeared from both the top and bottom.
It must have eaten the core.

“…!? Hey… look”

Now it seems like Alex has noticed something and pointed towards the boss.

The scene of the Giant Ape being eaten was so shocking that I missed it, but from where I severed the right arm with the scythe, bubbles began to emerge, and something started to grow.
…Is it regenerating?

“Maybe because it ate the core? My snakes also seem to get stronger after eating cores…”

“That could be it… If that’s the case… We need to hurry. No matter how much we weaken it, if it keeps getting healed every time a monster is called, it will never end. Alex, the leg you set up is still in place, but… can you make it work?”

Looking at it, the cracks in the leg are still there.
I don’t know in what order the healing happens, but it seems like it doesn’t heal all parts of the body uniformly.
Maybe one is not enough for a full recovery, or perhaps it takes time, but if left alone, it will probably heal by consuming other monsters.
Monsters are rolling around conveniently nearby.

The boss is ignoring us and glaring at the remaining Giant Ape.
It looks like it wants a second helping.
The Giant Apes should run, but they are frozen in place, possibly intimidated.
It’s like a frog staring at a snake… though it’s a praying mantis.

But as Zighart said, it seems like there will be no end to this.

“This is tough… I did widen the area a bit, but it’s still not enough to expose the inside, and besides, it’s just one leg. To make it immobile…”

“I see… August, we might have to give up on the materials, is that alright?”

“Honestly, it’s a shame… but it can’t be helped… Do you have any ideas?”

If we crush the leg, we can fight without it going to feed, but it seems that’s difficult.
After hearing that, Zighart got August’s permission to give up on the materials.

Are we going for the core…?
Just like with the mid-tier boss ape, our goal is not just to defeat the boss, but also to acquire the materials intact.
But it seems like we’ll have to give up on that.

“Pierce the belly. If it’s in the same place as the giant mantis, the core should be in the chest, but I can’t control the damage… It might get crushed, but… it can’t be helped. Alex, you take the front. Keep it occupied while we stop its legs and make it stand up.”

“Understood. You two, provide support.”

With that, Alex dashed towards the boss.
His movements are fast!?
Can we decide that so easily after such a simple exchange…?

“Sera, go tell the other two over there.”

“Oh, yeah…”

Teresa and the others haven’t moved from where they fought the boss earlier, and they’re keeping watch from a distance.
From that distance, they can’t see the feeding or the recovery process, so if I don’t tell them properly, they won’t know what’s going on.
But… I don’t really understand the situation either.

Not just Alex, but August and Luban are also following Alex. If I were to ask, I should ask Zighart, but he’s busy spreading some chemicals on the ground…
Oh well… I’ll trust the instincts of the two of them.

◇

They were sharp.
And they were smart.

Even with my somewhat vague explanation, they understood it perfectly, added to it, and conveyed it back to me.

The boss mantis doesn’t have that carapace on its belly.
It’s like a crocodile.
So, we need to make it stand and expose that area…

However, even if it stands up, it doesn’t stand on two legs like a human, so the angles and positions we can target are limited.
That’s where the three vanguards come in.
Zighart keeps a position that’s easy to aim for while continuing to draw its attention so it doesn’t start feeding.

…This is tough.

“The drug Zighart scattered is meant to gather mana more easily. It’s not as strong as the one we used against the giant beast Riana, and usually, it wouldn’t do much, but in a dungeon rich in mana, combined with the 【Dragon’s Lung】, it should have some effect.”

“Lady Fiora, what should we do?”

“You can’t act as a shield, right? …Well, there might be monsters that Sera’s poison won’t affect, so let’s keep watch around us. Sera, you too.”

“Understood.”

Teresa nods.

“…Oh.”

Hmm… I feel bad for the men who are directly facing the boss, but it’s true that there’s nothing we can do.
Oh well… I’ll do my best to support them.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Sera・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garb】・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】【Crimson Horn Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Snake’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】・3 cards

Seriana・【Range Identification】・【】・28 cards
Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・3 cards
Alec・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・5 cards