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“uyw@0qdq@:!? byufr@d@7utzqki!!!”
“O Water——!”

I tried my best to ignore the shrill, piercing scream and instead launched several water bullets I had generated. Though it was just water, I intended for the impact to be strong enough to shatter bones. However, the mass of flesh (Syntu) and tentacles took the hit directly without dodging.

The fleshy mass flinched and recoiled slightly, but the tentacles scattered like smoke, only to reform and return to their original shape. As expected, there was no real effect.

“As I thought, the effect is minimal… Saint, I leave it to you.”

As I signaled to the rear with a wave of my hand, the black sludge splattered against the Saint’s protective barrier just in front of me.

The viscous, tar-like substance clung stubbornly to the wall, emitting an indescribable stench. Like the previous attack, there was no doubt it would spell trouble if it landed directly on anyone.

“Ms. Laika, are you unharmed?”
“Yeah, as expected, your barrier was fast. But this thing… it’s mimicking my magecraft.”
“So it is. The first time it used a spear, and now, water bullets.”

The uneasy feeling I’d had after the first counterattack was now confirmed by this filthy sludge. That mass of flesh lacked any real consciousness. It was merely a device, mimicking the attacks it and its host had suffered in its own way, doing nothing more than eliminating threats.

But the counterattacks were swift, and to make things worse, if you touched them directly, it was almost certain death.

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth… It’s punishing us in kind for every fault it perceives.”
“It’s not exactly a fair trade, though. It’s barely taking any damage—whoa!”

There wasn’t even time to devise a plan before it launched a rapid barrage of sludge bullets. Part of the fleshy mass had morphed into something resembling a cannon, firing off the sludge.

Dodging the projectiles wasn’t an issue, but the problem was that if even one stray shot landed in the city, the consequences would be catastrophic. Evading wasn’t an option—We had to either block them with the Saint’s barrier or my own spells.

And that meant constantly being on the defensive.

If I couldn’t create an opening to go on the offensive, there would be no time to gather enough power for a stronger spell. If I kept using half-baked attacks, I’d only be giving the enemy more chances to learn.

The ideal strategy would be to obliterate both the mass and the tentacles in one blow and have the Saint seal the area off with her wall.

“…Saint, would it be alright if I shoved that golem along with the mass over to the other side?”
“I don’t mind. I trust that Koutei can handle things on his own.”
“Ngh! That is quite the unreasonable request!!”

I see. If he had the luxury to make lighthearted remarks, then it was safe to leave the stalling to him. As things stood, the golem was the only one able to physically interact with the tentacles. I had to find a way to counterattack before he reached his limit.

“uyw@、s@4dw、[email protected]!! 3yqm、0qds6ud@iu;555555!!!!”
“Hey, is that even allowed…?”

Perhaps realizing that the sludge was ineffective, the fleshy mass tore off a nearby tentacle, crushed it between its hands, and flattened it into a thin, shield-like shape. It was a crude imitation of the protective barrier the saint had conjured many times, but its purpose wasn’t nearly as innocent as defense.

I could hear the tension in the air as the creature tightened its grip on the black slab—then, with all its might, it hurled it straight at us.

“Laika, follow my lead!”
“You’re kidding me! This is getting ridiculous! Frozen torrent—become a dragon!”

I had no choice but to play my hand. That thing would tear through any half-hearted barrier. First, the Saint clasped her hands in prayer, summoning a defensive spell in front of us. But that alone wouldn’t be enough.

I began chanting a new spell, and as the temperature rapidly plummeted, a massive dragon formed from ice materialized before us.

≪GRRRROOOAAAAAAAARRRR!!!!≫

With an earth-shaking roar, the ice dragon charged, colliding with the slab and the Saint’s spell. The impact caused cracks to spread across the Saint’s barrier, shattering it in an instant—but it had done its job.

The power of the black slab had been sufficiently weakened, and the ice dragon clamped down on it, propelling itself toward the mass of flesh.

“N-Nooo! So it was aimed at this one, after all?!”

With a crash that was more of a plummet than a landing, the ice dragon slammed into the fortress wall and shattered like glass.

“Mr. Koutei!!” Momo screamed.
“It was a noble sacrifice. Let us pray to the gods,” Saint said.
“Hey, don’t get careless. It’s not necessarily over yet.”

As the frigid, frost-filled air cleared, the scene revealed an icefall that had engulfed the mass of flesh. The effect was excellent. One extra golem got caught up in it, but that was just the cost of doing business.

“I-It is so cold! Freezing! Please let me out of here!!”
“Hang in there. If you can talk while encased in ice, you’ve still got some fight left. Their movement’s sealed, so we should be fine from here.”

“Thank you, Ms. Laika. I’ll take care of things from here. You should rest.”
“……Tsk.”

Though I tried to tough it out, it must have shown on my face. As expected, the Saint saw right through me. The pain gnawed at me from the inside, the aftermath of casting too many large-scale spells in succession. No matter how many times I overdid it, I could never get used to this agony.

Honestly, if my body was going to be replaced, I wish they would’ve taken care of this flaw while they were at it.

“Koutei, can you get yourself out? But don’t break the ice,” the Saint asked.
“Hmm… with the current equipment, that is a tall order…”
“Don’t tell me you packed a bunch of junk in there. You’re supposed to be a bodyguard, right?”

Descending to the ground, I walked over to the ice block alongside the Saint. Not even the golem’s strength could budge the thick ice. The Saint likely knew that and was just teasing him.

She continued smiling as always——right up until the moment when a spear of flesh pierced through the ice.

“Oh?”
“…Didn’t I tell you not to let your guard down?”

It’s always best to have precautions in place. Just before the spear could impale her skull, it reversed course mid-air and struck the mass of flesh from which it came. Watching the frozen creature convulse in place evoked a certain disgust. However, it wasn’t writhing from pain.

By injuring itself with its own attack, the flesh mass encountered a major contradiction. Designed to counter any threat, the fact that it had harmed itself caused it to spiral into an error. The convulsions were nothing more than the result of being caught in an endless loop, unable to process the flaw.

“If I say it was trust rather than carelessness… would it sound like an excuse?”
“Sounds like an excuse to me. Next time, handle it yourself. I’m not exactly free, you know.”
“Hehe, thank you. I knew you were kind, Ms. Laika.”
“………”

In that moment, I really wanted to congratulate myself for not stabbing the Saint in the back.

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