Episode 108 Enchanting Smile - Level Eater

Tatsuro, Ai, Ennio, and Marikka were each heading to the landing spot where Jorn awaited. "What are you all planning to do from here on out?" "The plan is for Ai, Ennio, and me to head over to Gregory's place first." "Oh? What about the Depris?" "We'll have Caldina handle that part." With that said, Tatsuro gently lifted Caldina, who had been lounging on Ai's head, and instructed her to transition into her “Mature Form” mode. Marikka, though surprised by Caldina's change of appearance, knew now was not the time to indulge her curiosity. During this time, Tatsuro advised Caldina to be ready to switch to her robust "True Form" if the situation necessitated it, adapting as needed. The reason for changing Caldina to "Mature Form" is that instead of using the "Dragon Flight" skill, she could use "Flight," which required no dragon energy—she could continue flying until her own magic power depleted. Caldina, hearing she would be acting separately, seemed a bit disheartened about being apart from the others. But when promised ample pampering later, she perked up and found her motivation. "Then, we'll keep an eye on this little one. With Jorn and her paired up, they shouldn't lose to mere bees." "That sounds good. Caldina, you'll be working with Jorn. Can you handle it?" "Pyuuu!" "Looks like she's up for it. We'll do our best too, so Caldina, let's give it our all!" With Marikka and Caldina bonding in this way, everyone arrived at the site where Jorn waited. It was already swarming with bee-like monsters known as Depris, and a large green serpent was swinging its hefty tail, annoyed, to swat them away. "Wow, this place is a mess too... Jorn, feel free to use your skills!" "Shiiiii." Responding to Marikka's words, Jorn stopped flailing his tail and began channeling his arboreal magic. The area around them started sprouting plant life from Jorn's body, extending branches and vines that ensnared the countless Depris flitting about, crushing them on contact. "Incredible. Is that some kind of tree magic?" "Yep. Jorn was born with the power of the forest of the Fairy Realm, just like me. He’s a creature nurtured by the spirit of the trees." "We can't lag behind. Caldina, use your detection magic to find and bring down the queen bee, Bipris." "Pyuuu!" "She has detection magic!? Between that form and this one, the mysteries just deepen." Forming a supportive partnership with Marikka's team, Tatsuro and the others turned their focus to the larger creatures. "Alright, we’ll borrow Caldina for a bit. We'll finish this quickly, so you all hang in there, too!" "Good luck!" "You too, Marikka!" "I don’t know what’s going on, but do your best!" Only Ennio, who didn’t quite grasp the situation, cheered with less conviction as Marikka quickly jumped onto Jorn, who had nullified the plants. Now moving freely again, Jorn gave a resounding cry and soared into the air, filled with Depris. Caldina cast a look back at Tatsuro and the others before taking off with a flap of her wings, tearing through the Depris that blocked her path with talon-like precision, and followed after Jorn. "Alright, let's get going too. Ennio, when we head over to Gregory’s, don’t just swallow up whatever he says. Make sure to think for yourself and judge whether it's good or not." "Got it." "But first, we need to take care of that big monster ahead." "I’ve got another ace up our sleeve for that, so it should be fine." "Ace up your sleeve… Oh!" "???" Only Ai understood, while Ennio seemed puzzled. Tatsuro, knowing they’d show it soon enough, opted not to explain and retrieved a board from the "Item Box." "Ennio, we're going to fly from here. Can you keep up with those legs of yours?" "Race? Ennio's good at that!" "Then let's see who gets to Gregory's place first!" "Thinking you can beat Ennio? That's bold!" Fire burned in Ennio's eyes as he tore through the Depris approaching with his claws, taking off towards the scent of Gregory before Tatsuro and the others even had a chance to lift off. "Hey! Cheating with a head start isn’t fair!" "No time to argue. Let’s go." “Right!” With that, Tatsuro’s group took to the skies, gliding on their board along the direction Ennio had launched himself toward Gregory. To reach the location where Gregory was, they had to navigate through a sea of Depris. Ennio deftly dodged their poisonous stingers and shredded those he couldn't evade with his claws, pushing forward steadily. Following closely, Tatsuro used wind and fire magic to obliterate large numbers, while Ai sliced through any remaining threats with her gem sword. Moving as if the Depris weren't even there, they closed the gap until the sky-bound Ennio, who had lost the aerial race, fell behind, bringing them face-to-face with a mammoth-like creature. "Is that it...? After a Plesiosaurus, now a gigantic mammoth? It's like some Jurassic Park here." "The beastmen who went to capture it initially seem to be struggling." "Looks like it. Even handling just one is tough, but dealing with an endless swarm of Depris makes it a real battle." Despite their prowess, as seen from Tatsuro’s perspective, the beastmen were caught in a one-sided fight. While the mammoth-like creature attacked freely, the Depris ignored it entirely and targeted the beastmen. At this rate, they wouldn’t last long. "Those pesky things are a distraction. Let’s isolate them." "Agreed. It’s an endless cycle otherwise." Ai commented while cutting through more Depris. In agreement, Tatsuro focused on creating a magical spell using the wind. The idea was to summon a storm to sweep away the insect threat. "Out of the way, go somewhere else!" With Tatsuro’s command, a vortex formed above, vacuuming up the flying insects like a powerful whirlwind centered around the mammoth-like monster. The wind tore through the Depris, shredding them apart and ejecting the remains outward. In the end, a magical wind barrier formed with a 500-meter diameter, impossible for any flying creature to escape or enter, trapping the chaos within and freeing the field. "What in the world... is this large-scale magic!?" "Deputy Commander! Look up there!" "Is that the adventurers from earlier coming to our aid?" "We're grateful! Now there's no more interference from the Depris!" "Everyone, prepare to attack that big beast!" "Yes, sir!" As the morale of the Knights of Ryadas soared, Gregory’s face twisted in disbelief. (Where did they get that much magical power from!? Damn, I should have put more trust in the sensory linking of these tools...) (Well, no matter. If I consider them new experimental subjects, this could be quite worthwhile.) "Gregory. Hey, are you sure everything’s going to be fine?" "Yes, no problem. It’s too much trouble to seriously engage them, but this one tool will suffice." With a cheerful smile, Gregory lightly kicked the creature they were riding. Watching Gregory's confident demeanor, Bertram resumed his foul grin, eagerly anticipating the moment to kill his father and sister. However, despite his facial expression, Gregory didn’t truly believe it would be that easy. If it were only the knights before him, he believed the enormous mammoth—known by its species name Paralaqueus—would suffice for their means. Yet miscalculations occurred. Gregory, who had been monitoring through Iyaruki’s last moments using Shared Sensory, a skill that linked his senses to his subordinate monsters, should've grasped how dangerous the two were. But mastering that skill was no simple feat. As an ordinary tamer at best, Gregory still hadn’t fully mastered it. Moreover, due to the distance, the feedback was cluttered with noise, making details unclear. However, the fear experienced by the creature he had monitoring them had been conveyed. Gregory dismissed it as exaggerated cowardice from his monsters, thinking he barely managed to take down Iyaruki and that the two hesitated to kill him, mistaking their reluctance for failed attempts and underestimating them. Nonetheless, he had reached a point where retreat was no longer an option. Gregory, uncertain how long such grand magic could last, believed their opponent would need to focus on maintaining it, choosing to exploit this advantage by commanding the creature he was mounted on. "Paralaqueus, my tool! Open those eyes of yours wide!" "Wuuuuuoooooo!" The mammoth-like creature, Paralaqueus, opened the three horizontal eyes on its forehead, revealing yellow pupils that unleashed an electric shock into the surroundings. "Look! Something’s coming out of its eyes! It’s like a special effects movie!" "Damn, lightning sure is envious. I want to wield it, but I’m holding back." "Holding back, why?" "Because lightning attacks are a staple in a boy's top three must-try attack list. (Note: This is Tatsuro's personal opinion.)" "You could just use it if you want. It's kind of cool." "It is cool, isn’t it? But there are too many other skills with higher priority." While they chatted leisurely in the sky, the knights below weren’t as fortunate. About half of them were immobilized by the electric shock, though their advanced training meant they suffered paralysis instead of immediate death. Knowing they weren’t dead, they had allowed for such casual banter, but now it was time to get serious. However, the knights’ newfound vigor had ironically become a hindrance. "Ugh, we didn’t clear out the Depris for their sake…" "It might be a while before we can switch… Oh, Ennio’s finally here." "Really? Hey, Ennio!" "What!? Flying is cheating! If I could fly, I’d have been here much sooner!" Opening the barrier to let Ennio in, Tatsuro and the others continued, noticing Gregory's eyes filled with mixed emotions. (Is that Ennio!? When I got word he'd run off somewhere, I wondered what to do...) (Ha! With this, victory is assured.) As Gregory watched Ennio talking congenially with Tatsuro's group, a shadowy grin crept across his face.