Chapter 414

414 – Withdrawal and Pursuit

『You can see my skill, can’t you? It’s terrifying, is it not?』

Extending his tentacles and preparing for close combat, Rogueheil calls out to me.

『[Skill Crash]… This skill is the proof that I am the closest to Demon Lord-sama! I cannot use the skills like that honoured person can, but I can at least remove them. To enter close combat with me is the height of folly… Do you not think so?』

Rogueheil wiggles a tentacle towards me. Likewise, I hold my forelegs up, claws ready to rip him apart. His countless eyeballs pulsate, each of them opening wide.

He must want to make me flinch from his Demon Eye skill to create an opening. I extend my awareness throughout my body, overpowering the effect of his Demon Eye.

『Die!』

Rogueheil shouts. The three newly created body doubles quiver as they surround me, opening their mouths to shoot bullets of slime. It’s their favourite skill, [Ooze Bomb].

Low to the ground, Rogueheil jumps towards me. While I’m dealing with the triple [Ooze Bombs], he plans to attack with the [Skill Crash] he threatened earlier. If he’s closing the distance himself, that suits me well! I’ll endure it and hit him hard back!

…No, that might not be correct. Was [Skill Crash] a lie meant meant to make me hold back? Even if that was the case, I don’t think Rogueheil would want to enter close combat himself. If I don’t have enough time to kill him, would avoiding him right now perhaps be safer?

No, I can’t afford to back down! The trolls are coming, and the gigant slime is winding up for its next attack. Rogueheil is also weakened from having to use [Doppelganger]. His true objective might be to get me to back away in order to give him time to recover HP and MP. Now is the time to attack!

I step forward and swing my claws. One of the [Ooze Bomb] balls of acid shatters against my claws. But the remaining two burst against my shoulders. Sharp pain runs through me, and I feel my wings contracting.

But I can endure this! If I can hit him as a result, then precisely because I am an HP monster by the name of an ouroboros, the damage is worth it. Being able to take damage in exchange for settling a battle is the ouroboros’s strength.

Rogueheil doesn’t jump at me. He stops just outside of range of the range of my claws, his grotesque body erupting in bumps.

As I thought, the [Skill Crash] was a lie. He’s using his favourite [Ooze Machine Gun]! His words earlier were a trap to get me to focus on [Skill Crash]!

『I read you correctly! Hyoho, hyohohohohoho! Die, Irushiaaaa!』

Two steps beyond of the reach of my claws, the [Ooze Machine Gun] will hit me immediately, so avoiding will be difficult. This is the perfect distance for him. I also can’t move my wings at the moment, so I can’t use them to block or fly away.

Countless balls of acid shoot from Rogueheil towards me. All of my shoulders, head, arms, and belly are hit.

『Die, die, die, dieeeeeee!』

My scales melt. If I don’t get away quickly, this will be dangerous even for me. But I don’t move to the side or backwards. Instead I charge directly ahead and grip Rogueheil’s body firmly with my claws.

『Ha…?』

Is this also as you predicted?

“GuuOOOOOOh!”

I lift his body up with my forelegs, then slam him down with all my body weight. His body of slime bounces up, cracking the floor.

『Gohooh!?』

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As he floats in the air, I slash at him with my foreleg. Knocked from the impact, he flies into my partner’s mouth, who bites down to pin him in place.

『O, oh…?』

I then drive a [Dragon Punch] into him. Part of his body remains in my partner’s mouth, but most of him shoots away and tumbles over the ground. Most of the eyes on his body are crushed.

His scattered body doubles burst one after the other, becoming pools of liquid. It seems he lost the strength to maintain them.

Phew… Heheh, I did it. How’s that feel? You’re still alive though, right?

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

[Rogueheil Aurornia]

Species: Shoggoth Ooze

Condition: Normal

Lv: 81/105

HP: 123/1185

MP: 44/734

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

Great, if I can just get one more blow in…! I glance at the gigant slime. Its tentacle is coming. Its motion is so big that, unless it gets a lucky punch in while I’m in melee combat, it’s not too scary. I jump backwards to avoid it. The tentacle scrapes across the floor and gouges out the wall, cutting directly between me and Rogueheil.

『Th-that’s it!』

Rogueheil transforms back to human form. But his gutter-green colour remains, and he is still covered in eyeballs. He jumps on the tentacle, and as it contracts like rubber, it pulls him back with it.

I hurriedly shoot a [Wind Slash] after him. The blade of wind cuts through the tentacle, but only grazes his body. At that size, he’s too small to hit reliably. I kick off the ground and tuck my head in, [Rolling] after him.

Damn it! He’s copying me and using same technique in reverse to run away!