LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 267.1
Chapter 267.1. Counterattack Again
Hakata City was in an uproar. Announcements warning of a monster attack were being repeated, and people who had been tilling fields or clearing debris in the suburbs were quickly returning to the city. In exchange, tank squads were moving out and forming battle lines.
“We’ve confirmed a stampede caused by monsters. Residents, please head to the nearest evacuation shelter calmly. Repeat: We’ve confirmed a stampede caused by monsters. Residents, please head to the nearest evacuation shelter calmly.”
The loud announcements were hard to ignore, and startled people exchanged confused glances.
“Another stampede?”
“It’s probably a small-scale one. We just dealt with this last time.”
Some, carrying only a backpack likely containing evacuation supplies, were heading to the shelters, while others were more relaxed:
“Can we leave our things behind?”
“Yeah, if we close the shutters, we don’t have to run, right?”
“As long as we stay locked inside, we’ll be fine.”
“We can’t let burglars get in, after all.”
Some people, with an overly optimistic outlook, had no intention of heading to the shelter. They were closing shop shutters and propping up storm windows, seemingly unconcerned. These were people who believed the stampede would be nothing serious, and focused more on protecting their property from opportunistic thieves.
“I told you so! Monsters show up so quickly, I knew it would happen!”
“Grandpa! Where do you think you’re going with that gun?”
A lively old man, holding a gun, was trying to climb the city wall, with his daughter trying to stop him, showing different reactions from everyone.
It would be easy to shout at them to head to the shelter because it’s a stampede, but people have their lives to live. Especially those with small businesses, who fear looting. From my position atop the wall, I watched the scene below and let out a tired sigh.
“Third one.”
I muttered quietly, my face darkening. Snowflake, standing next to me, looked at me with a concerned expression, her face hardening upon hearing my words.
“Was it really that easy to shoot down the [Dark Raven], Master?”
“Yeah, the raven that went for reconnaissance couldn’t get past the enemy’s anti-air network. I’m in trouble now.”
As Shizuku’s voice echoed in my mind, floating beside me in ghost form, I nodded in agreement. Her thoughts echoed what I was sensing: The Behemoth’s lightning rain was unavoidable, and it relentlessly fired homing magic. A dangerously powerful monster.
“An upper-class type, huh? Does that mean it’s an S-rank? Wait a minute, didn’t we just deal with this recently?”
We’d just defeated Satan, so why was the enemy also growing in strength to match my own? I felt like punching the dungeon administrator.
“Similar events happened in the original world as well. Your presence, Master, seems to be raising the average level of the enemy.”
[Indeed, it’s common for enemies to grow stronger to match powerful allies. Snowflake might be right. I’ll call this the ‘Romantic Saga Method,’ as we’re in Kyushu.]
“Basically, even if we try to escape, the enemies just keep getting stronger, right?”
Shizuku, with a somewhat odd name for the phenomenon, nodded as Snowflake seemed to agree. I didn’t really agree, though. The idea of enemies strengthening because of me was a bit hard to swallow.
“Both of you, don’t say any more about this. It’ll come back to bite us.”
“Understood.”
[Please seal my mouth later. I’ll leave the method to you. Hehe.]
Shizuku pretended to be shy, covering her mouth, so I shrugged. If rumors like this spread, I’d be in serious trouble. I might even be driven out of town.
Though, thinking about it, without me, the dungeon’s monsters couldn’t be defeated. I wasn’t sure if driving me out was the right choice. Still, people tend to make rash decisions when faced with immediate danger. I hope this prediction doesn’t leave my lips.
[Speaking of which, Master. I noticed something strange with the enemy’s dungeon.]
Suddenly, Shizuku became serious and looked at me. Well, if it’s about the fortress dungeon, it’s not really a dungeon anymore, is it?
“Is there something strange?”
[When we took down the Monster Fortress, a dungeon appeared. It feels strangely similar to that time. The way the enemy is preparing for battle seems like the same kind of pattern.]
“Is it a persistent stalker? After failing last time, they probably built a new dungeon to send after us.”
Shizuku furrowed her brow in suspicion, and I quickly pieced it together. There had been a bothersome stalker last time, and they clearly didn’t give up.
“I want to tell them to come out and stop hiding, but dungeons are a concept of the world itself. I need to figure out how to deal with it… but what conditions would trigger the creation of a dungeon? No, maybe it’s when there’s an intelligent monster that’s hostile to me.”
I snapped my fingers, vocalizing my guess. Last time, it was Satan. This time… maybe it’s an angel. I felt bad for Snowflake, but it seemed like both fairy and angel machines used the same principles as monsters. It wouldn’t be out of place to consider angels as monsters.
Could it be? Was the Earth Federation hiding in Kyushu? Or were they there to stall us? Either way, the situation was bad.
[Could it be like one of those “villain of the week” scenarios? Maybe they’re reusing the same materials. Hohoho.]
Shizuku, turning into an “Ebi Alien,” made a strange laugh while striking a pose. I couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking that an Ebi Alien would probably be easily defeated.
“I guess if the angels just followed the dungeon’s will, it would truly be the end. Well, it’s already a degenerate world, so it wouldn’t be so surprising.”
“Master, you have too many enemies.”
With a seductive chuckle, Snowflake poked my cheek with her index finger. Her small finger tickled.
[Your role as a lover is over, Snowflake! Leave the role of the main wife to me. Doesn’t that sound strange? Shoo, shoo.]
With a hiss, Shizuku, now transformed into a jealous “alien,” inserted herself between Snowflake and me, waving her arms frantically. I laughed at how cute she was and took a deep breath, trying to refocus.
“Luckily, the enemy’s marching speed is slow. We’ll deal with the stampede again before thinking about the dungeon.”
[You’ll be using god-level magic, then?]
“Yeah. But if the enemy is learning from us, they’ll likely try to interfere somehow. So, I’ll summon some allies.”
With a flick of my finger like a conductor’s baton, I called upon my allies.
[Kou, Mike, Kuu. It’s your turn.]
Feeling my thoughts, three powerful familiars leaped out of the shadows. Each of them had their own consciousness.
“Chii.”
With a cute squeak, Kou transformed into a giant serpent. Its semi-transparent body shimmered brightly in the sunlight.
“Meow.”
With an adorable mew, Mike revealed its brave form. The jet-black tiger, five meters long, had crystal-like fur that gleamed beautifully.
“Caaw.”