The World Is Overflowing with Monster, I’m Taking a Liking to This Life

Chapter 186. Peony Subjugation Battle Part 4

Countless somethings explode out of Peony and get fired in all directions with bullet-level velocity.

(BulletsNo, this is)

With enhanced vision and heightened concentration, I figure out what they are.

Seeds.

Countless seeds the size of acorns.

Compared to everything that Peony has shown us until now, theyre really small in scale.

That said, despite being only a few centimeters in diameter, the danger level of these seeds far exceeds that of Peonys roots and vines.

Theyre extremely dangerous.

Both my skills and my instinct are ringing alarm bells and warning me not to get hit by them.

!

I immediately deploy a wall in front of us using the items in the Item Box.

To prevent any seeds from passing through, I pack the items close together and make sure that there isnt even the slightest gap.

A few seconds later

ZUGAGAGAGAGAGA!!

The Peonys seeds strike the wall that I have created.

For a brief moment, I got worried over whether the wall would hold.

The sound stops.

Thankfully, the wall hasnt been penetrated.

I let out a sigh of relief.

It seems the projectiles power isnt so great.

The wall made using the Item Box has managed to block all the seeds.

W-what was that just now?

Nishino-kun is still in a daze from the surprise.

I give instructions to Sora.

Sora! We need to leave this place soon!

Nu?

Confused, Sora grunts for a second, but she picks up on something and immediately turns around to escape from Peony.

It was the right call.

The wall that I made through the Item Box should have plummeted down under the influence of gravity, but it has instead fallen apart and scattered.

Wha!?

Whatare those?

Its a bit difficult to describe, but there are some green spheres floating in the air, and each of them have a diameter of about 1 meter.

Giant marimo moss ballsI guess itd be appropriate to describe them as such?

There are lots of tentacles wriggling on their surface.

Rather than being naturally round, they appear to have taken spherical forms because the tentacles had been entwined into such shapes.

They remind me of the Shub-something monster from Cthulhu Mythos.

They arent alone either.

Just from a cursory glance, I can tell that there are dozens of giant Marimos floating in the air.

(Were they born from the seeds from before?)

Did they grow to this size in such a short time? How does that even make sense?

No, I shouldnt try to apply common sense to these monsters and their skills.

I should calm down and analyze the situation.

Peony had fired those seeds in all directions.

That means

K-Kudou-sanl-look down

Down?

I follow Nishino-kuns words and look down.

What the

The entire town has been covered in green, and giant Marimos have overrun the town.

What a surreal sight this is.

Coupled with the destroyed townscape, the scene before me makes me think of the phrase The End of the World.

Modern society has been overrun by plants.

Its as if the hourglass known as the ecological pyramid has been flipped upside down.

In front of us who have been stunned into silence, the giant Marimos peel off their outer skins, revealing their mouths from beneath.

The giant Marimos have distorted mouths present in many parts of their bodies, and their teeth are like that of humans, but poorly aligned.

enough

A voice.

not enough

not

enough

N-n-n-not.

enough.

Not enough.

Famished

Let meeat.

It hurts

me eat

dont want pain.

Ithurt

Let me eat. Let me eat. Let me eat. Let me eat.

LET ME EAT. LET ME EAT. LET ME EAT. LET ME EAT. LET ME EAT.

LET ME EAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!

Their teeth rattle, and their voices overlap with one another.

Its an eerie sight thats enough to make me shiver.

Ive had some concerns about our decisive battle against Peony, and one of them had been the possibility of Peony possessing an unknown skill.

Attacks from roots and vines, regeneration, automatic defense, pollens that induce hallucination.

Weve already witnessed many of its powerful skills, but there was the worry of Peony having a hidden card.

That possibility has been on my mind for a long time.

(The more unpleasant a premonition is, the more likely it is to become reality)

I take a glance at Peony.

Unlike before, Peonys emitting a dense presence.

Hostility.

Until now, it has only seen us as its prey.

Thats why we were able to read its movements and damage it.

However

(It has now recognized us as its enemies instead of as its prey)

To be honest, I dont really welcome this change.

I wouldve preferred Peony having its guard down.

The feeling that Im getting from it is now is more along the lines of wanting to kill us through whatever means available.

It cant be helped.

Nishino-kun, we should change our strategy!

Youre right. Lets go with Plan B instead!

Since Plan A isnt working, well move to Plan B.

Its a good thing that Nishino-kun and I came up with several plans in advance.

But to execute Plan B, we must first return to the Safety Zone.

Theyre coming!

Sora roars, and the giant Marimos floating in the air make their moves.

Opening their mouths, they stretch out their green tongues and hurl them towards us in great numbers.

Item Box, open!

GUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

Kyu!

Do not move!

We activate our skills simultaneously.

Soras breath burns them, Nishino-kuns command stops them, Kikis Reflection repels them, and my tetrapods sinks them to the ground.

However

(Theres too many of them.)

Hundredsno, are there thousands?

There are so many Marimos now that it would be ridiculous to count them one by one, and theyre extending just as many tongues towards us.

Some of them slip past our attacks and latch onto Soras body.

Gu!

Sora raises a voice of agony.

The tongues have wrapped themselves around Soras legs and tail, and those parts have begun to rot.

(Acid? No, it must be poison!)

Not only have they begun to rot, theyre turning purple as well.

This is bad!

Aka!

Furu furu!

I quickly convert a portion of Akas suit into the orcs knife.

Then, I extend the knifes blade like a whip and slice off the tongues that have latched onto Sora.

~~~Furu furu!

Aka twists its body as if its in pain.

It must have touched some of the poison as it was cutting the tongues.

Sorry, Aka. Please endure for now.

Thanks to Akas sacrifice, Sora regains her freedom.

Sora, its now or never.

I know!

She flies at full speed and reenters the Safety Zone.

The moment we pass through the barrier, the tongues that have been chasing us in hot pursuit get blocked out by the invisible wall.

We someone made it out alive, but the problem still remains.

Fujita-san and the others rush over to us as we land on the ground.

Hows the situation?

The worst.

Fujita-san asks a concise question, and I return an equally concise answer.

It was within our expectation, but Peony has been hiding a skill from us.

And by that you mean this

Outside the Safety Zone, there are countless giant Marimos wriggling around.

Just the sight of them licking at the invisible barrier with their tongues is enough to cause psychological trauma.

The giant Marimos have innumerable mouths, and they attack with their tongues. They arent that powerful, but there are a lot of them, and their tongues are poisonous.

Poisonous?

Fujita-san turns to look at Sora.

The scars on her tail and her right leg seem rather painful.

Sora, how are you faring?

Im fine.

Its clear that shes putting up a front.

I hope the recovery potions that weve prepared would be enough to cure her

Sora rubs her belly as if to distract herself from the pain thats coming from the poison in her leg and tail.

(What about Peony?)

Just like before, Peony is standing in the suburban regions.

It hasnt recovered from its injuries yet, and a part of its body is still burning.

That said, the fire would be extinguished sooner or later.

(Its presence has changed though)

Im getting this tingly sensation due to Peonys hostility.

Theres no room to doubt that Peony has recognized us as its enemies.

OOOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOoooo

LEEeeeeTTT mmmmEEEEeeee EEEeeeeaaaAAAAAAAtttttt

GYIIIIIIIIII

LeeeeeeeEEEEEET MEEEEEE EeeAAAAAATTTT.

Armies of giant Marimos are slamming at the invisible wall of the Safety Zone with their tongues.

Whats the point of all this if they cant enter?

One of the giant Marimos explode just as I am having such thoughts.

Gigaa!

Gaa.

Gyaooo.!

Pan. Pan.

One after another, the giant Marimos begin to burst like water balloons, spraying their green bodily fluid to the surrounding.

Wha?

Nishino-kun, Fujita-san, and I are taken aback by what happens in front of us.

None of us know whats going on.

Nevertheless

Heywait a second

Someone eventually says something.

They must have realized the abnormality in this abnormal situation.

Strange. Impossible.

How are their fluids passing through the wall?

Yes, the fluids from the giant Marimos that have popped are passing through the invisible barrier of the Safety Zone

Jyiiuuuuuu

The fluids sizzle on the ground before evaporating.

D-do not approach the fluids! Make sure you dont breathe in the gas either!

Fujita-san quickly gives out orders.

I expected no less from him.

Heeding his instructions, we cover our mouth and nose with our hands.

Then, we distance ourselves from the source of the gas.

The gas probably contains poison, poison thats been inflicted to Sora.

But how?

If all of this is happening because of Peonys skill, how are the fluids entering the Safety Zone?

The Safety Zone prevents monsters from entering, and attacks from their skills will be repelled as well.

This has always been true until now, and it has saved our lives many times.

Of course, its not likely there arent any exceptions.

For example, monsters like Aka, Kiki, and Sora can temporarily enter the Safety Zone as companions if theyre in a party with humans.

If a monster is identified as a companion, it would be allowed to enter and exit freely.

Not only that, the monster would be able to activate its skills inside the barrier as well.

(Did someone betray us?)

Has someone betrayed us in favor of Peony?

For a split second, the worst scenario passes through my mind.

However, I immediately dismiss this thought.

No, that cant be it.

If someone did betray us, the giant Marimos should be able to enter as well.

Then how in the world?

Nishino-kun, who has been deep in thought next to me, jerks his head up as if hes come to a realization.

C-could it be? Kudou-san! Please try storing the poison inside the Item Box!

Eh? O-okay!

I hold my hand over the poison, and the poison disappears from my sight.

! What

I quickly check my list of items in the Item Box.

God Trees Venom 1L 1 is displayed there.

God Trees Venom?

Nishino-kun calls out to me as Im standing there in a shock.

As I thought. Kudou-san, theyre probably being treated as drop items.

Drop items?

Think about it. Weve been bringing back the Orcs knives, the Giant Ants shells, and the Treants branches to the Safety Zone. Theyre all weapons and body parts of monsters.

His words make me open my eyes.

Hes right.

Hes absolutely right.

Even without becoming our companions like Aka and Kiki, we can still bring in parts of monsters into the Safety Zone.

When monsters perish, their bodies disappear.

However, parts of their bodies that have been separated from them before their deaths get left behind.

Its like the Goblins blood on the washing machine.

The same is true of the monsters weapons and Peonys branches which were burned down by Soras breaths.

Weve subconsciously been collecting these drop items and brining them back to the Safety Zone.

The giant Marimos fluids are probably the same. The fluids that splatter out as they explode are recognized as drop items instead of monsters. Thats why the Safety Zone does not protect us from it

I see

That makes a lot of sense, but

This is bad news

Indeed, it is.

A great number of Marimos have filled the surrounding areas.

Not only are they on the ground, a lot of them are floating in the sky.

Gigiga

Gigi

Gigaga!

The giant Marimos covering the sky burst out into fluids and rain down on the Safety Zone.

I try to store them all into the Item Box, but the fluids are awfully hard to aim, not to mention that there are simply too many of them.

The Item Box can store rainwater collected in a bucket, but it cant store rain itself.

The reason behind it is that its hard to tell just how much of it Im supposed to store.

(I wont be able to store them all in time!)

I have no way of storing all the poison that has been spread over such a vast area.

Should I contact the others that have the Item Box?

No, that wont do.

Phrasing it this way might sound a bit offensive, but the level of their Item Box is much lower than mine.

They wont be able to do anything about the situation either.

It is at such a moment that Fujita-san shouts.

Do not panic! All non-combatants have already evacuated indoors! For the time being, they should be fine from the poison rain! Shimizu-chan and the others will take care of things on their end, so we must focus on our attacks!

Everyones attention is on Fujita-san.

But Fujitahow are we supposed to deal with so many of them

Think about this calmly, Towada! With such a convenient skill at its disposal, why would Peony have waited until now to use it? It couldve easily massacred us if it had used it from the beginning.

We are struck dumb by his words.

Hes right. Why did Peony save this skill until now?

With such a powerful skill, Peony couldve used it against us much earlier on.

If Peony had activated this skill, it wouldnt have had to suffer so much damage from us.

(Is it because weve been recognized as its enemy? Is it because Peonys finally willing to be serious?)

No, that shouldnt be the case.

It didnt use it until nowno, could it be that it couldnt use it until now?

Is there a risk that comes with using it?

Nishino-kun and I speak over each other.

Our eyes meet, and we both nod.

Sora!

Fujita-san!

Launch an attack on Peony straight away!

Fujita-san and Sora grin at us.

Sora unleashes her breath, and Fujita-san orders the Self Defense Force to resume the bombardment.

GUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

ATAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!

Soras breath and the Self Defense Forces bombardment pierce through the army of green and shoot towards Peony.

~~~~~~!

Peony defends against the breath and the artillery by sending many of its vines and roots forward.

With this, Im convinced.

Theres no doubt about it.

I clearly felt Peonys will just now as it defended against the attacks.

This is unlike before when Peony had Automatic Defense activated.

In other words

Peony cannot use Automatic Defense at the moment.

This is probably the price that it has to pay.

While its commanding the army of green, Peony cannot deploy Automatic Defense.

Kudou-san.

Yes

This is a chance for us.

Now that its Automatic Defense is inactive, we can have Peony enjoy the full extent of our trump card.

The problem is with the preparation work.

We would have to think of ways to direct Peony towards where we want it to be standing.

Kudou-san!

I turn around when I hear someones voice, only to see Ichinose-san limping towards us in tatters while being supported by Rikka-chan.

I-Ichinose-san!? What happened to you?

Shes in an extremely sorry state.

There are tears in her clothes and blood all over her arms.

Not only that, her nails are all soaked in blood.

Despite her injuries, the corners of her mouth lift up, and Ichinose-san smiles, albeit forcibly.

I somehowmanaged to shoot them all

Eh?

54 shotsWas that enough?

It takes me a few seconds to realize what shes on about.

Did you continue shooting with that monstrous rifle even after Kikis Support Magic Buff wore off?

Kudou-saneveryones doing their bestI must fulfill my role as wellehe

!

I gently put my hand on her back and pat her head.

Youve done wellthank you.

The last bullet was fired around 5 minutes ago. It should be ready by now.

I had requested Ichinose-san to shoot Peony at least 20 times before Kikis Support Magic -Buff wore off.

She went above and beyond by landing more than twice that amount of shots.

It seems like she wasnt caught even after shooting that many bullets because of the fierce battle between Peony and us.

Even so, she has pushed herself too much.

Please leave the rest to us.

Yes.

Ichinose-san gives me a thumbs-up while leaning on Rikka-chan.

Thank you.

Thanks to her, we are fully prepared now.

Nishino-kun.

Yes.

Nishino-kun and I turn around to face everyone that has gathered here.

I will now explain our ultimate strategy, so please listen carefully.

Everyone hardens their resolve.

Will we survive, or will we lose everything?

Thats the nature of this strategy.

Peony, lets settle this once and for all.

*****

Meanwhile

Hoh, what an unexpected development.

It was watching everything unfold from a distance.

Goruoo?

Yes, its wonderful. Better than I ever anticipated. I never thought Peony would start to regain its ego. It even had to activate Fertility Eating Rye[1], its trump card. It seems like Ive truly underestimated the humans.

It smiled and cackled gleefully.

There wouldve been nothing we could do if it had remained intoxicated by its skills, but its a different story now. Hehe, good thing we didnt leave this town.

Goruoo?

Yes, were making our move as well. If things go well, well be able to take Gluttony, Envy, and that skill in one fell swoop. Its an opportunity that we cant afford to miss.

With that, they also headed to the battlefield.

*****

Notice:

Skill: Fertility Eating Rye

A skill held by Peony.

Can spawn special units known as the Fertility Eating Ryes.

The number of Fertility Eating Ryes produced will be proportional to the amount of damage that Peony has received up to that point. This time around, 2500 units were produced.

These spawns are considered a part of Peonys body. Hence, they will not disappear even if a long time has elapsed.

After suffering a certain amount of damage or devouring a certain amount of prey, they will burst, splattering poison around them.

Even if they are defeated, they will not provide any experience.

While the skill is being used, Automatic Defense will be inactive.

TN:

[1] : Had no idea how to translate this, so I put it in Google Translate.