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Chapter 228: The Second Stampede Commences

The colossal monster, Elder Bone Tortoise, was to be held back by Rook’s Mount Golem Eidolon, while the multitude of monsters would be repelled by the elite forces centered around the Labyrinth Conquerors and Ealdred Crow. As for Orbis and Meena, the concerning elements of this whole incident, they were to be dealt with by a select few from the Scarlet Devil Squad, Golden Tune, and Absolute Helix who possessed unique skills.

“The girl seems to be an insect-type monster, and Orbis likely has characteristics of beast-type monsters. Since it’s been confirmed that the girl’s shell is abnormally hard, we’ll leave her to the Scarlet Devil Squad. Orbis will be handled by Golden Tune and Absolute Helix. Any objections?”

“Nope.”

“…We’re good.”

“None here, either.”

Leon, Weiss, and Tsutomu nodded at Christia’s instructions, and amidst the bustling activity, each Clan began to gather together. Then, the ten members of Absolute Helix and about twenty carefully selected members of Golden Tune grouped up side by side.

“Hmph,” Eunice grumbled, “So I’m stuck with you again…”

“……”

“What? Ignoring me? How dare you!”

“Shut up. Just shut up…”

Tsutomu pushed the persistently annoying Eunice away with his staff and then called out to Leon as the latter was in the middle of warming up. Sure that they would be able to act most effectively without getting in each other’s way, Tsutomu decided to pair up with Leon, who was likely the most combat-capable among those who were here.

“Oh? You’re actually putting faith in me for once, eh?”

“Well, you’re up against a guy this time, so I don’t foresee any problem.”

“Dude! That’s got nothing to do with it!”

Tsutomu knew that Leon had underestimated Meena before, but still, he trusted Leon’s unique skill and combat abilities. While Golden Tune’s evaluation as a Clan was low, Leon’s evaluation as an individual combatant was quite high.

After exchanging a few words with Eunice’s silver-furred Vulpeer junior Milway, as well as Barbara, a Tank he had once tutored, Tsutomu addressed the members of Absolute Helix once again.

“Attackers, don’t push yourselves too hard. And Amira, try to rein in your greatsword swings more than usual.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

“Good. Tanks support the Attackers. You probably won’t need any aggro management skills, so adjust your tactics accordingly.”

“Got it.”

Since their opponents this time were former humans with intelligence, aggro-manipulating skills like <<Combat Cry>> would have no effect. Therefore, the Tanks would have to employ combat tactics that capitalized on their durability, but with Garm, Daryl, and Xeno, there should not be any problems.

“Hannah, can you take on more of an Attacker role this time?”

“…I guess,” Hannah nodded, seeming sulky.

Since everyone in the Clan was already aware of Hannah’s recent resentment towards Tsutomu, nobody was particularly surprised.

“C’mon, Hannie. Cheer up~~!”

“L-leave me alone!”

“If you’re gonna complain about Tsutomu, then complain away! I’ll listen to it all you want~~!”

Amy proceeded to tease Hannah like how she usually would, and though Hannah seemed aloof, she did not outright refuse. Seeing this, Garm, who had been concerned moments ago, wore a slightly exasperated expression.

“It’s getting started,” Tsutomu proceeded to say. “Brace yourselves.”

“Hmm…”

“No need to remind us about every little thing, Tsutomu!”

“Sure, whatever you say. Just fight effectively like you usually do, all right?”

“Ugh…”

Her attitude dismissed, Hannah’s face twisted in discomfort.

“Hannah, focus,” Garm said, lightly tapping her on the back. That snapped her out of her rage and prompted her to adopt a more composed expression. 

“Y-yes, sir!”

Gradually, the Shields of House Kantjelucia and House Babenberg began to open. The knights preparing anti-monster magic tools were mostly inexperienced in Stampede battles of this scale, so most of them appeared tense.

“Okay, no problem.”

“Time to put my new move to the test!”

Many high-level Explorers from Ealdred Crow began checking each other’s equipment, with Stephanie and Bittman among them. Their movements were refined, like those of well-trained soldiers, perhaps as a result of their daily routines.

“You know, I have something I’d like to try, too,” Rook said to another Summoner as he sat on the Mount Golem, “Can I have a Fire Dragon?”

“Yes, of course,” he readily agreed to the proposal.

Other Summoners also summoned Fire Dragons and Shell Crabs, forming a group of large monsters.

“Alma, make the opening shot a big one, alright?” Cecilia said, leading the discussion among Scarlet Devil Squad’s elites.

“Sure thing.”

“……” Weiss listened silently, his arms crossed.

“Weiss, got anything you wanna say to Alma?”

“Wait, Cecilia, why are you asking him that–“

In response to the question, Weiss’ dark eyes betrayed a hint of agitation. He hesitated for ten or so seconds before staring directly into Alma’s eyes.

“…You seem to have changed for the better after that talk you had with Tsutomu. I think you’ll be fine.”

“Y-you think?”

“I’m counting on you.”

“……”

“Ooh, someone’s happy!”

“S-shut up! I’m NOT happy!”

Alma, blushing up to her ears from Cecilia’s teasing, was met with a puzzled expression from Weiss. Seeing Weiss like that, the other Clan members shook their heads in exasperation.

“All right, let’s do this!”

“Don’t do anything reckless.”

“Of course! Safety first!”

“Yeah!”

The twenty Clan members of Golden Tune selected for this mission were mostly former soldiers or experienced mercenaries. The Clan as a whole boasted high-level Attackers with rich combat experience. Their admiration for Leon was evident, as his skills were highly respected by even Weiss and Camille.

“We’re opening the Shields now! Is everyone ready!?”

“No need to be so loud, old man…”

Brooklyn, listening to the orders from House Babenberg beside her, pulled a disgusted face as she opened and closed her Shields layer by layer, smoothly guiding the Explorers forward. Her dissatisfaction was evident as she observed the Explorers proceed out through the Shields.

Meanwhile, Christia, floating in the sky, confirmed that everyone was ready for deployment and then took a megaphone in hand.

“All units, deploy. Annihilate the Stampede.”

With Christia’s calm and no-nonsense voice delivering the final instructions, the last layer of the Shields opened, and the Explorers rushed out in unison.

　▽▽

Before they knew it, the horizon was filled with a multitude of monsters, a sight that would overwhelm any ordinary observer. Indeed, even the knights loading magical cannons within the safety of the Shields seemed strained, while Brooklyn cast skeptical glances at the hundreds of Explorers who had ventured out to face the tens of thousands of monsters.

“Leave the big one to the Mount Golem. Take care of the rest!” Rook casually rallied his Clan members as he sat atop the Mount Golem’s <<Barrier>>-covered head.

“Yes, sir!”

Unlike before, the Mount Golem now sported a noticeable red hue.

Rook, having been killed so many times during his Clan’s attempts to conquer the seventieth layer, understood the Mount Golem’s mechanics well — at first, its movements would be slow and it would automatically spawn a variety of smaller Golems. Then, as time passed, its body would redden, signifying the gradual increase in its mobility. 

Earlier, Rook had warmed the Mount Golem’s body with a Fire Dragon’s breath attack, enhancing its capabilities to that of the boss battle’s second phase.

“Let’s go!”

With Rook atop its head, the Mount Golem swiftly dashed forward, kicking aside ground-level monsters as it aimed for the Elder Bone Tortoise. The sight of such a massive entity moving with such agility astonished those who were seeing the Mount Golem for the first time.

“Damn, look who’s having fun!”

“All right, Rook’s opened the way! Go, go, go!”

“It can do that right from the start? That’s practically cheating!”

Watching the Mount Golem deliver a flying knee to the Elder Bone Tortoise’s face, the Explorers who had endured hardships on the seventieth layer laughed heartily. Following right behind the Mount Golem’s trail were the Fire Dragons and Shell Crabs, as well as the Explorers.

“We’ll handle the small fry,” Christia, effortlessly taking down dozens of monsters with a single arrow from her cursed Devourer Dragon bow, issued instructions to the three Clans, “Absolute Helix, Golden Tune, Scarlet Devil Squad — keep moving forward and restrict Orbis’ movement. If defeating him proves difficult, just buy time.”

“Aye, aye!”

The three Clans proceeded to enter the narrowing path forward. At first glance, entering the midst of the monster horde might seem like a suicidal act. The monsters, comprised of equipped Goblins, Orcs, and Kobolds, resembled an army. Additionally, there were insect-type monsters burrowing underground and winged creatures hovering in the sky.

Indeed, with the monsters being decently equipped and positioned by a human with some degree of strategic deliberation, they posed a considerable threat. This Stampede was clearly different from the usual.

“<<Combat Cry>> on the count of three. Here we go — one, two, three!”

“<<Combat Cry>>!”

However, despite the defending force being placed in an unfavorable location, the monsters remained creatures of low intelligence. Provoked by abilities like <<Combat Cry>> and <<Warrior Howl>>, they were easily lured out, and with the efforts of the Labyrinth Conquerors-led units, the monsters were effectively dispersed.

“<<Dual Wave Slash>>!”

“♪”

Amy, contracted with the Sylph, unleashed her attacks, cleaving the approaching monsters’ legs in two. Wyverns attempting aerial ambushes were brought down by arrows from Diniel and other archers, while subterranean insect-like monsters were incinerated by skills from Black Mages.

The monsters’ defenses weakened due to the Tanks interrupting their formations, causing them to be unable to stop the charge of high-level Explorers. Battling monsters was a routine for major Clans’ Explorers, especially those of the ones leading the charge, Ealdred Crow, who spent most of their waking hours in God’s Dungeon. They were accustomed to dealing with monsters while limited to a group of five — yet each individual was formidable. With hundreds of them teamed up here, very few monsters stood a chance against them.

“Looks like we’ve got a Dragon up ahead! Send four more Attackers over here!”

“Hey, that Tank’s surrounded! Someone provide them support!”

“Ah, it’s fine, don’t worry! We’re already getting a ton of support and healing! This is a piece of cake!”

Though one Tank was overwhelmed by a horde of monsters, he was continuously healed by several Channelers. With the support from the marching band providing overall augmentation, Healers did not need to use support skills this time, allowing them to focus solely on healing. Additionally, with many Tanks drawing aggro, the monsters they were up against were nothing to fear.

“<<Meteor>>!”

“<<Meteor>>!”

“<<Meteor Stream>>!”

The overwhelming frontal assault from dozens of Black Mages, accompanied by simultaneous Spirit magic from various contracted spirits, as well as continuous support from the Minstrel-led band, allowed for tactics during a Stampede battle that were impossible within the usual framework of a five-person party.

Against the Explorers, even monsters equipped and positioned strategically by a human were ineffective, unless they were large monsters like the Queen Spider or Fire Dragon.

The Stampede side seemed to have anticipated this, however; before long, other large monsters besides the Elder Bone Tortoise began to appear.

“Multiple Dragons detected from above. A giant serpent has also appeared on the ground. We’re already engaging. Eldred Crow, handle the Dragons. Absolute Helix, focus on the serpent. Scarlet Devil Squad and Golden Tune, continue engaging the two main targets.”

Following Christia’s orders, the major Clans forged onward, following the guides sent by the Labyrinth Conquerors.

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