Flee When in a Pinch

 

「So, let me explain the information we’ve gathered.」

「Ah.」

「It seems heroes can undergo a mutation due to bearing karma. Apparently, they mainly mutate into names associated with the seven deadly sins.」

「I see… so Wrath Pengu’s wrath wasn’t just caused by stress?」

「It would seem so. And for Brave Peckle, that red-haired woman is an enemy, it seems. According to the setting, she’s quite an evil doll.」

「She laughed right before the Wrath Pengu event occurred.」

 

It’s ominously creepy.

So the root of the curse was the red-haired doll, not Brave Peckle, huh?

 

「There were also some hints. If we use Brave Peckle as a reference, we might see an opening for attack, right?」

「Ah… he excels in skills but lacks offensive capabilities when deployed in dungeons.」

 

He’s a Peckle meant to have allies.

That’s why he had that combat style.

 

「Right, that Brave Peckle carried a shield for protection. In fact, he probably has decent magic resistance too. Though there was something like a monster encyclopedia, so there were countermeasures listed.」

 

I see, so monster information is accumulated in the library?

 

「So would we get the same result even with Yamikage here?」

「No. Rather, it seems more suited for magic attacks. While it recommended ignoring defense or proportional attacks for melee, ranged or magic had slightly lower resistance. Anything but fire should work decently. We’ll just have to try.」

「Alright! Then let’s go, everyone!」

 

Everyone nods at my voice and takes the formation we had discussed.

Mainly, the Spirits take the vanguard, enduring the fierce attacks of Dark Filolial while concentrating attacks on Wrath Pengu.

Tsumugi confronts Dark Filolial as much as possible without provoking Wrath Pengu.

I, Shouko, and Yamikage poke at Wrath Pengu with ranged attacks, while Sheryl and Romina provide supporting archery fire.

If Wrath Pengu looks to unleash an Iron Maiden, we all rush to destroy it.

 

With that decided, we confront Wrath Pengu.

Just like before, Wrath Pengu appears, and we take the formation we discussed, with Tsumugi confronting Dark Filolial while we position ourselves to prevent Wrath Pengu from protecting Dark Filolial.

Melee attacks are forbidden.

We keep our distance as much as possible while attacking Wrath Pengu.

 

「Drain!」

 

Bashin! A flashy effect occurs when Yamikage’s spell hits Wrath Pengu.

Compared to when Shouko’s defense-ignoring attack reduced his HP, this dealt even more damage.

Putting it in numbers, if Shouko’s attack did 0.5% damage, this seemed to do 1% damage.

 

「…It’s not very effective.」

 

So that’s considered ineffective.

Wrath Pengu’s magic defense must be high too.

Still, we’re using specialized equipment, so it’s having some effect.

 

「This equipment is amazing! All my spells are being enhanced! Circle Drain!」

 

This time, Yamikage casts a spell on both Wrath Pengu and Dark Filolial.

It seems to hit easily since it has good tracking ability.

 

「And a bonus!」

 

Yamikage forms hand seals, and a sphere of light strikes Wrath Pengu.

This one doesn’t seem to deal much damage.

But if she keeps casting it continuously, the damage keeps accumulating.

Wrath Pengu is having a hard time recovering Dark Filolial’s HP.

This might work!

 

「We won’t lose this time! Crimson Wheel!」

 

Tsumugi continuously attacks Dark Filolial with her scythe.

Just that seems to deplete Dark Filolial’s HP considerably.

However, Dark Filolial is very fast, so if it gets serious and moves, it could break through our encirclement.

If that happens, whoever it targets will run and pull it away from Wrath Pengu.

 

「We’re doing well! Let’s go all out! Round Dance Zero Stance – Snow Moon Flower!」

 

Shouko unleashes her big move, the Snow Moon Flower.

In response, Wrath Pengu hardens its defenses with a cage of shields.

 

「That’s an opening!」

 

Without missing that chance, Yamikage begins a great spell chant.

And the moment the effect of Wrath Pengu’s shield cage expires…

 

「Bloody Rain!」

 

Without hesitation, Yamikage’s great magic activates.

A crimson rain pours down, aimed at Wrath Pengu.

Smoke rises from all over Wrath Pengu’s body.

It’s like a powerful acidic rain spell.

 

This is clearly dark magic.

The elemental matchup doesn’t seem great, but Yamikage’s equipment is top-notch.

It seems to have enough power to forcibly break through magic defenses.

 

「It’s a magic that summons a blood rain that deals continuous damage in an area and lowers defense!」

「We’re making good progress!」

 

But no sooner had those words been spoken!

Wrath Pengu and Dark Filolial simultaneously charge at the highly threatening Yamikage.

 

「Kweeeeeeeeee!」

 

Dark Filolial breaks through Shouko and Tsumugi’s interference with a high-speed eight-hit combo, striking Yamikage. The moment it finishes, Wrath Pengu traps her in a cage of shields and unleashes an Iron Maiden.

 

「You’re in the way!」

「That’s right! If you thought this would be one-sided, you’re sorely mistaken! Scythe Technique – Crescent Sickle!」

 

Tsumugi swings her scythe horizontally, sending a crescent-shaped slash towards Dark Filolial.

It cuts through Dark Filolial and continues towards the Iron Maiden appearing behind it.

With a ringing sound, Tsumugi’s technique collides with the Iron Maiden and dissipates.

 

「Not yet! Round Dance Second Stance – Blizzard!」

 

She generates a flurry of petals with two fans, slashing at the Iron Maiden.

Now it’s my, Romina, and Sheryl’s turn!

 

「Lure Double Needle!」

 

I hook the Lure onto the Iron Maiden, waiting for the special arrows Romina and Sheryl will fire.

 

「Here I go!」

 

The arrows Romina and Sheryl made with Alto are bomb-tipped.

Their range is quite short, but they pack a serious punch when fired.

With a thud, the arrows strike, and then explode, shattering the Iron Maiden.

 

「Phew! I thought I was done for!」

 

Yamikage, emerging from the shield cage, lets out those words.

If she has energy levels equivalent to Shouko’s, a single hit shouldn’t kill her, but the damage must be severe.

Though that’s not the issue here.

 

「Alright! We’ve nullified the Iron Maiden too! Let’s attack all at once!」

「「「Oh!」」」

 

And so, we attack Wrath Pengu and Dark Filolial according to plan, poking at them little by little.

 

「…This feeling and sensation, there’s no doubt about it.」

 

Shouko mutters, seeming to have realized something.

 

「What is it?」

「Wrath Pengu’s defenses have slightly increased in this battle with Yamikage compared to last time. Its stats must change based on the number of challengers.」

 

I see, so it becomes stronger accordingly if there are more people.

Perhaps it’s designed to prevent being overwhelmed by superior numbers… troublesome.

Still, either way, it seems we have a chance at victory!

I was thinking that when Wrath Pengu’s HP dropped below half…

 

「It’s mounted!?」

 

That’s right, Wrath Pengu mounted Dark Filolial and began rapidly running around the field.

Damn! It’s fast!

And for some reason, it stopped attacking us.

 

「Isn’t this… an attempt to flee until the time runs out?」

 

There are only 18 minutes remaining.

Fleeing when in a pinch, huh…

 

「What a troublesome fighting style, keep running away! But cornering a fleeing opponent is my specialty! Improvised Pitfall Trap!」

 

My trap skills finally come in handy here.

I set a large number of traps in the distance to corner it.

 

「Kwe!?」

 

Dark Filolial gets its foot caught in a hole, stopping its movement.

 

「Now! Bind Lure!」

 

I hook the Lure onto Wrath Pengu.

Wrath Pengu desperately resists, but as long as the Lure is attached, it can’t escape.

I reel it in, limiting its escape distance.

 

「Wow… incredible!」

「As expected of Onii-chan. I didn’t think traps would come in handy like this!」

「Go all out while you can! It’ll try to escape as soon as the effect wears off!」

「Understood.」

「Here we go!」

 

And so, by restraining the fleeing Wrath Pengu with traps and the Lure, we manage to keep attacking and finally deplete its HP.

 

「…Did we do it?」

「What a cliched survival flag.」

 

As we engage in such banter, the black flames contract, the black shield Wrath Pengu carried shatters, returning to Brave Peckle’s shield.

Dark Filolial dissipates into a shadowy mist and vanishes.

Brave Peckle collapses in defeat, and the sky turns to a clear blue.

It seems there won’t be any cliche revival scenes this time.