“This place is good! Go for it!”

“Oh!”

The man who had noticed something called out to me, and I immediately responded, launching the 【Floating Orb】 in the direction he indicated.

…It was a pretty cool exchange, but I still hadn’t grasped what was happening.

The fact that he noticed something I didn’t means he’s got quite the keen eye.

For now, instead of heading straight there, I decided to first assess the situation and increased my altitude.

The battlefield in the south was still engulfed in chaos, but… even further south?

That area is at the edge of the First Forest, where a river flows down from the First Mountain. It’s not the kind of place where monsters would normally gather…

However, looking down, I noticed several parties shifting southward as if on alert—something was definitely coming.

“Oh, the leader’s there too… huh?”

While scanning my surroundings on the way, I spotted the leader.

I thought about descending to talk to him, but just as I began lowering my altitude, I saw several dark glowing spots at the edge of the forest.

Green and red lights were from the 【Fairy’s Eye】… but those dark lights…!?

“Crap! Leader! A Demon King Type! It’s coming this way!”

It took me a moment to confirm due to the darkness and the fact that it had been a while since I’d last seen one, but that black glow—

That’s definitely a Demon King Type.

What the hell!?

Wasn’t it supposed to stay away from here!?

“Ahh… yeah, no mistake! Hey! A big one’s coming!”

The leader clearly had experience fighting Demon King Types.

He loudly informed the others about the kind of rewards one would get for defeating a Demon King Type in their territory, rallying them.

Thanks to that, despite the near-ambush situation, no one was panicking.

I should calm down too… Deep breaths, in and out…

From what I could see, as expected, it was a wolf-type Demon King, similar in strength to the one I had defeated before.

However, the wolves it commanded felt nearly as strong as their leader… though there weren’t many of them.

Last time, I had caught the Demon King Type by surprise and finished it before it could do anything, so this would be my first real fight against a wolf-type Demon King.

Unlike before, I didn’t have my usual allies with me, making things even trickier…

“Prepare to intercept!”

“”Ohhh!!””

The leader signaled the defense line, placing the heavy shield-bearers at the front, and the adventurers responded with intense fighting spirit.

Do they even need me at this point…?

Sensing our determination, the Demon King Type also seemed to get fired up.

It took the lead, guiding its followers directly toward us.

Akame and the others wouldn’t be able to see colors in this darkness, but even from here, I could tell that the accompanying wolves were significantly larger than usual.

In fact, the boss wolf might actually be smaller than its underlings?

Their strength didn’t seem that different, though.

The minions might be the real problem here.

I could see everything, but what about the people below?

Should I use a light spell from above…?

“!?”

Suddenly, the area above the adventurers lit up brightly, forcing me to shut my eyes for a moment.

I hadn’t even cast the spell myself—so they had planned for this.

The people below must have used magic.

I was impressed by the numerous floating lights that now illuminated the battlefield, hovering at about the same altitude as me.

Light magic was a basic spell, something even those without formal training could use if they had a knack for it.

Still, coordinating this many at once was impressive.

“Hahh… Looks like I really don’t have much to do here…”

Then again, if nothing happens, that’s ideal.

Rather than recklessly joining in, I might be better off staying up here.

With the area now lit, the Demon King Type and its pack charged forward.

Then, in a sudden shift, the Demon King Type itself fell back into the group, allowing a particularly large wolf to take the lead.

And with that, they accelerated toward us.

Stronger monsters of the same species tend to be larger.

The leader was massive, but even its underlings were the size of cows—exceptionally strong by wilderness standards.

They were most likely planning to use their sheer momentum to break through our formation…

Even though the people below had 【Prayers】 cast on them, could they withstand it?

Feeling uneasy, I activated 【Shadow Sword】 and 【Scarlet Bee Needle】 while keeping watch from above.

Then, just as the leader wolf and the shield-bearers were about to collide—

They didn’t.

Magic? A blessing? A Blessed Item?

Right before impact, the ground beneath the lead wolf exploded, throwing it off balance and sending it tumbling across the battlefield.

With the speed it had built up, it skidded straight past the front lines and crashed into the spears of the waiting adventurers, who quickly finished it off.

The other wolves didn’t get knocked down, but they hesitated.

They had effortlessly neutralized the charge, which was supposed to be the wolves’ strongest weapon.

…This might actually end a lot easier than expected.

Still, I shouldn’t let my guard down yet.

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

Sera ・【Hideout】 +1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind Garb】・【Floating Orb】 +1【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】【Red Sword】・15 cards

Seriana ・【Range Identification】・【】・33 cards

Elena ・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec ・【Power Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・9 cards