Chapter 528: The General Skeleton 4
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The darkness, spreading out from the shadow at General Tekigataa's feet, gradually expanding.
Apparently, it has a texture like a viscous swamp, muddy.
From that mud, countless arms extend, swaying in the air, beckoning, or groping the surrounding floor.
Furthermore, those arms are quite long.
A dark arm reached my feet, some distance away from the dark swamp.
I was about to kick it away...
<It's better not to. Creatures that touch it will have their mana sucked out.>
Warned by Extra-sama, I stopped.
"Rah!!"
Instead, I attacked it with [Princess Club], and the dark arm was easily torn off, turning into dust and disappearing into the air.
The dark arms... although they're clearly reaching out towards me, somehow sensing me... they're not trying to touch the princess.
It seems that the princess, who has been turned into a doll, isn't their target.
<[Greedy Dark Hand]... A terrifying spell, once called 'The Hands of the Dead Reaching From the Underworld'.>
I listened to Extra-sama's explanation, backing away from the gradually expanding dark swamp.
...Once called?
<The name was changed, after complaints from the Underworld God. It's not really relevant to the main story, so I'll omit the details for now.>
Right.
<The effect of this spell, simply put... is to 'decompose any creature dragged into that swamp, at an incredible rate'. It's still small in range, but... that dark swamp will continue to expand, and eventually become large enough to swallow a small country.>
In other words... it's a terrifying wide-area annihilation spell that can easily destroy a country...!?
<And the creatures that are dragged in are decomposed into mana and nutrients, permeating the surrounding soil... creating fertile soil, and giving birth to a vast agricultural land.>
Eh, it's a spell for agriculture!?
<It's both a wide-area annihilation spell, and a wide-area soil improvement spell... According to the Magic God, it's a two-birds-with-one-stone spell.>
I can't keep up with God's sense of values!
I was dumbfounded, while swinging [Princess Club] to ward off the black arms that were trying to grab me and drag me into the swamp!
<And, Emi! Look at General Tekigataa!>
Prompted by Extra-sama, I looked at the center of the dark swamp.
『Gufufu, gufufufufu!』
And there, in the middle of the eerie dark swamp, is General Tekigataa, laughing hysterically.
Several dark arms are wrapped around his legs... and his body itself... is gradually being dragged into the swamp!?
<This spell is fully activated in exchange for the caster's soul. In other words, the moment General Tekigataa is completely swallowed, the swamp will explosively expand its range, and there will be nowhere to run.>
So?
<Defeat General Tekigataa, before that! That will cancel the full activation of the spell!>
Alright, that's easy to understand!
"RAAAAAAH!!"
I started using [Stone Throwing] at General Tekigataa!
Picking up pebbles from the floor and throwing them, picking them up and throwing them... [Infinite Pebbles]!
『Gufufufufu, it's not working!』
But General Tekigataa easily blocks them all, by languidly moving his greatsword.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang—the sound of the pebbles bouncing off, echoing emptily...!
<W-What should we do... !?>
Extra-sama groaned, her voice laced with impatience!
What should I do...
"............"
Actually, I've already thought of a solution to the problem.
<Eh, you have!?>
But... I need to be brave, and do something that needs to be done.
So I just tried using [Stone Throwing], even though I knew it wouldn't work.
But it didn't work.
I have no choice but to make up my mind.
............
...Let's do this!
I closed my eyes, put the princess, who was frozen in a praying posture, on the floor, and looked at her face.
She doesn't say anything.
"Princess... Lend me your strength."
I said that to her, and then...
I pushed her body.
Clack!
The princess's body rolled on the floor, making that sound.
Like a board.
Like a surfboard!
"RAAAAAAHーーー!!!"
GARI, GARI GARI, GARI, GARIIII!
I grabbed the princess's arms, pushing her body forward, her head scraping against the floor!
And just before reaching the dark swamp, I—jumped onto her body!
"[Princess Surfing]!!"
And then, using [Silverfish], I stuck my feet to the princess's body, created nozzles on my waist by changing the shape of my [Black Armor], and started jetting out jet-black mana!
"RAAAAAAHーーー!!!"
We instantly accelerated!
Tearing and blowing away the dark arms that were trying to drag us into the dark swamp, we charged straight towards General Tekigataa!
『Gufu!? Wh-Whatーーー!?』
The flustered General Tekigataa held up his greatsword... and blocked [Princess Surfing] with its blade!
GAGAGAGAGAGA!!
The princess's head, continuing to move forward because of my mana jet propulsion, and the blade of General Tekigataa's greatsword, scattering sparks!
『No, that's impossible!? Impossible, impossible!?』
General Tekigataa is greatly surprised by my charge!
『Gufufu... Fuhahahaha... Gu-ha—hahaha!!』
After a pause... he burst into laughter!
The clash between his greatsword and the princess's head continued, and then...!
Creak, creak!
The greatsword... started to groan!
『I can't believe... this is happening!』
General Tekigataa, seeing his greatsword starting to crack, shouted!
『I never expected thisーーー!!!』
BA-KIIIIIIIIIN!!
And then, the next moment!
General Tekigataa's fourth greatsword... finally broke!
"RAAAAAAHーーー!!!"
[Princess Surfing], breaking through the obstacle—the greatsword—instantly reached top speed!
And then, it hit General Tekigataa...
And... blew his body away, armor and all!
『GUWAAAAAAHーーー!!!』
General Tekigataa's skull, blown away with a death cry, crashed into the stone wall and shattered... turning into black dust.
And at the same time... with the caster gone, the [Greedy Dark Hand] stopped spreading.
The dark arms sank back into the dark swamp, one after another, like a snail that had been poked, and the dark swamp itself quickly shrunk—
Until it finally became like a small ink stain, and even that disappeared after a few seconds.
"............"
I jumped off of [Princess Surfing], and stared at the scene.
The skeletons of the Superbad Empire, who had been bound to this fort for five hundred years... have all been destroyed.
The battle is over.
"Fuuuu..."
I exhaled deeply.
I relaxed my body.
Guuu—
My stomach starts growling.
<Good work, Emi.>
I received Extra-sama's words of comfort, with my exhausted mind.
Yeah, thank you, Extra-sama.
I'm really tired.
And hungry.
I could probably devour a dozen flocks of flying lizards right now.
<Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any dragon flocks around here... And there are no human settlements that would be easy to attack...>
No, I have no intention of attacking human settlements...?
While picking up a stone from the floor, crushing it with my teeth, and putting it in my stomach, I continued my idle chatter with Extra-sama.
And then... suddenly the room started getting brighter!
"!?"
Judging from the long shadow in front of me, the source of the light is behind me!
I turned around, narrowing my eyes, to confirm the identity of the glowing something.
And then—
The source of the light that came into my sight.
It is—
The princess, her upper body embedded in the stone wall... in other words, only her legs and skirt are sticking out.
...Yeah.
The princess, who I just used as a surfboard earlier.
She continued to move forward, following her inertia, even after I jumped off, and crashed headfirst into the stone wall.
<That light... I'm sure it's because General Tekigataa was defeated... and the [Dollfication] is about to be undone!>
Ah, crap.
I hurriedly pulled the princess out of the wall, dusted her off, and stood her up on the floor.