Chapter 43: 43, Swarm and Sparks A Floral Nightmare
Suppressing my urge to flee, I tightened my grip on Yuki's clothes. "Caleb! Where are you!?" Yuki called out, scanning the area as she ran, but all she could see were endless fields of flowers. "Could it be that the swarm came from over there?"
"…Caleb!" After a moment of hesitation, Yuki took off toward the spot where the insects had surged. Again, the swarm descended upon us. "Chain Lightning!" she shouted, unleashing arcs of lightning that struck down dozens of insects nearby.
Yet, I didn't feel like we were making a dent in their numbers. "No way… the flower fields…"
"Stay strong, Phoebe!" Yuki urged. The flower fields that the swarm had passed through looked almost barren, as if ravaged by pests. Had they been consumed in an instant? I didn't know. But the parts of the flower fields untouched by the swarm remained intact, making it clear the bugs were up to no good.
Yuki stared angrily at the barren flower field. "Caleb... stay safe!" The words escaped her lips like a prayer as she took off running again. Suddenly, a pillar of fire erupted nearby. "Is that Caleb's attack!?"
"Let's go, Yuki!" she urged, sprinting towards the flames. As she approached, she spotted Caleb, his massive sword wreathed in fire. Scattered around them were what appeared to be charred remains of insects.
"Caleb! You're safe!"
"Thank goodness both of you are okay!" he replied.
"What about the other fairies!?"
"...Some were attacked by the insects and didn't make it…" Caleb clenched his jaw, a voice thick with fury rising from him.
"Is it true? There were victims...?"
Though the words threatened to spill out, she suppressed them, choosing instead to speak as Phoebe. Damn it! If only there were other players around… But Yuki had kept this place a secret, making their chances close to zero.
"Yes, so let's head to where the insects emerged! The source of the problem should be there!"
This was a turning point for Phoebe. If she suggested going to the teleportation circle now, perhaps Kageroi could be saved… But that would only satisfy her own desires, not actually bring Kageroi back to life. Besides, it was unlikely Phoebe would consider leaving her family behind in such a dire situation.
"Um... what about my mother?"
"I don't know... Given she has the key, I can't believe Phoebe's mother would be taken down so easily..."
Phoebe's mother has a key to the fairy gate too!?
"We're short on time. Let's head straight to the source of the insects! Yuki!"
"Right, if we take out the boss, we might find a way through!"
Kageroi and Yuki burst into a run, and I couldn't stop them. But if I confirm the boss's location now, it could be useful later...
As they charged into danger, I felt a twinge of self-loathing for being so calculating.
After about five minutes of running, dodging and battling swarms of attacking insects with Yuki and Caleb using lightning and fire, we finally reached the source of the infestation.
There stood a gigantic mosquito, human-sized. This is bad; it's revolting... With a long, hose-like mouth, a body stained crimson as if it had just fed, and unpleasantly buzzing wings, the idea of fighting it made my skin crawl.
"Ah, a guest... or rather, the main course has arrived!"
"You're the culprit leading this swarm of insects!"
"Culprit? How harsh! We merely came for a meal… Although, I suppose if you call me their boss, then yes, I am."
The mosquito spoke as if it were just casually discussing dinner... Can it really talk?
"You are the All-Mosquito! A disaster that drains life from everything!"
"What's wrong with draining life? Humans kill and eat various creatures too, don't they?"
"I won't deny that, but at least my kind is not as barbaric as to attack indiscriminately."
Does Caleb know the boss?!
And is it just me, or is the All-Mosquito's voice incredibly grating...?
"Yuki! I'll take the lead while you prepare the big spell!"
"Got it! Concentrate!"
After exchanging words with Caleb, Yuki begins casting a spell, and a magic circle appears beneath her feet.
"Blade of Fire!"
"Oh, what a delicious flame!"
Caleb swings down a massive sword engulfed in flames, only for the All-Mosquito to catch it with its hose-like mouth. To Caleb's shock, it begins to drain the fire from the sword.
"Wha—?!"
"Here's a taste of what's left!"
Flames burst forth from the All-Mosquito's mouth, singeing Caleb… Can it really absorb and counter flames like that?!
"Regenerate!"
"Triple Ice Needle!"
I cast a healing spell on Caleb while Yuki's magic summons three sharp icicles erupting from the ground beneath the All-Mosquito. They hit its body with great force but fail to pierce through…
"Ice is meant to be absorbed, not to stab, you know?"
"If thrust attacks aren't working, then let's unleash Ice Meteor from Ice Chain!" Yuki bound the All-Mosquito with chains of ice and dropped a massive ice chunk from above. The ice crashed down, exploding upon impact!
"Meteor Slash!" Caleb swooped in, delivering a swift strike with his sword, but the All-Mosquito intercepted it with its mouth again.
"Ha ha! You think such feeble attacks can win? They barely scratch me!"
"Ugh!" Caleb was flung back, struck by the whip-like motion of its jaws. This creature is simply strong and durable, isn't it?
"Yuki! Let's try mixing in attacks of different elements! Element Boost! Speed Up!"
"Got it, Chain Lightning! Flame Tower, Holy!"
Yuki unleashed a flurry of magical attacks, but wait—if you hit it all at once, how will we know which attribute is effective?
"Ugh, with this many attacks, I can't absorb them all at once…"
"Fire is its weak point!"
Wait, you can tell, Yuki? But didn't you just absorb fire magic? Even if it's a weak point, can it counter without taking any damage?
"Keep it busy, Caleb! I'll bind it! Earth Chain, Ice Chain, Thunder Chain!"
Chains of ice, earth, and lightning wrapped around the All-Mosquito.
"Oh my, those chains look delicious..."
Stretching its mouth wide, the All-Mosquito began to absorb the chains. The lightning chains faded away, the ice chains melted, and the earth chains crumbled. Was it siphoning the power of the chains?!
"Open! Fairy Fire Gate! Burn away all our enemies!"
Caleb thrust his sword toward the sky, and a magic circle erupted above the All-Mosquito, unleashing a torrent of flames that engulfed it!
Fairy Fire Gate! Caleb could use it too! This wouldn't end well… No, wait! If we were winning, that meant Phoebe shouldn't be in danger of being eaten by a spider!
"Get back! Caleb!"
"Huh!? O-Okay!"
Caleb stepped back, creating some distance. My command had slightly lowered our resonance rate, but it was obvious Phoebe had a firm grasp of the situation. However, I couldn't blame him for backing off!
"Hmm, impressive power, but what a waste if you can't hit."
"What!?"
As the flames from the Fairy Fire Gate dissipated, nothing remained. But black specks—oh no, mosquitoes—began to move and gather in one spot, wriggling until they transformed into the All-Mosquito… It split into smaller mosquitoes to evade the attack?!
Caleb stood in shock... This was bad; it felt like he'd almost exhausted his hand of cards. Plus, with barely any MP left, his flight was unsteady…
"Well, when you're that bound up and announce a big move, naturally I'll have a counter ready!"
"Well, there's no way we can get away without taking any damage!"
"It's a secret; if my trump card gets revealed, it won't be a trump card anymore... But if you're willing to let me draw your blood, perhaps I can consider it..."
"Yuki! Let's escape while we can; we need to blind the All-Mosquitoes! If Caleb's magic runs out at the Fairy Fire Gate, continuing to fight will be dangerous!"
The resonance rate dropped again to 30%. Damn it, Phoebe isn't giving any concrete instructions... but prolonging this fight is too risky!
"...Right! Rock Wall! Caleb, relax and use Telekinesis!"
I encased the All-Mosquitoes in stone walls, pulling Caleb closer with magic and settling him on my shoulder. Does Caleb have the power to recover MP? Somehow, he managed to float and carry that enormous sword.
"Hold on tight, both of you! We're making our escape!"
"Okay! Speed up!"
"Ugh, where did everyone go?"
As Yuki took off running, I glanced back to see the stone wall crumbling rapidly behind us.
"Hmm, if we're fleeing, we should send him ahead."
Just then, I heard a voice, followed by a tremor as a giant centipede emerged from the ground!
Is that... from the second quest?
Oh no, it's charging towards us at an incredible speed!
"...Yuki, there's a centipede coming up behind us. I'll hold it off, so could you get Phoebe to safety in your world?"
"You're an idiot! How are you going to return to this world if you disappear? Plus, you're out of MP, right? It's suicidal for a magic swordsman to fight without magic! You can't even fly for long without your MP!"
"Even so! If we stay like this, the centipede will catch up, and we'll be wiped out! So... goodbye!"
"Wait! … Reach me, power up, speed up! Regenerate!"
I tried to stop him, but Kageroi leapt off Yuki's shoulder and began battling the centipede. I don't even know if my support magic reached him—damn it, it's so frustrating!
The resonance rate is rising... Ugh, Phoebe must be feeling the same frustration.
"I don't want this! No, no, no! Caleb, you absolutely can't die!"
For a moment, Yuki hesitated, but then she took off again. If she pushed hard, maybe she could take down the centipede by herself. But if the allmosquitoes caught up to her, it would be over. Realizing this, she ran, tears streaming down her face, until she finally arrived at what looked like a temple with a large magic circle inscribed on the walls and ground. Is that a teleportation circle?
Surrounded by a flower field, some parts are devastated, stripped bare as if eaten by pests. Have the insects attacked here too?
"Alright, at this point, I should consult that guy even if it gets me in trouble..."
"Oh, you're late to arrive."
"No way!?"
An allmosquito appeared, blocking the way in front of the magic circle.
"Fufufu, there's no way I'd let you, the main dish, slip away. You're the only human in this world, after all."
"...Well, that's a relief."
"Y-Yuki, we can't rush this! We need to escape now!"
Dammit, how can we both get to the teleportation circle...
"Telekinesis!"
With Yuki's magic, my body—Phoebe's body—began to levitate.
"...Ice Coffin... ice, protect her!"
"Wait... Yuki..."
My body froze. This is bad; I could barely see. Yuki, what are you doing?!
"If you focus only on the fairies, this is what happens."
With a thud! The long snout of Allmosquito stabbed into Yuki's abdomen...
Yuki!!
"Ugh! At least let Phoebe... escape!"
My body, encased in ice, was thrown into the teleportation circle by Yuki's magic!
Just before being engulfed by the circle, I caught a glimpse of Yuki, enveloped in a red aura...
"You have cleared the Trial of Resonance."
...I guess I cleared it, but there's nothing to celebrate!
Was there a chance that Yuki or Caleb could be saved if I just tried harder? But even if it were my body instead of Phoebe's... would it have made a difference? Caleb's trump card, the Fairy Fire Gate, seemed ineffective too...
What's going to happen next...?
"As a reward for clearing the Trial of Resonance, Phoebe's memories will be restored."
The world blurred with noise as Phoebe's memories flowed like a moving image. Unlike her own experiences, the true course of history showed that it was Yuki who had fallen first. In the moment of launching the Fairy Fire Gate, as Yuki let down her guard, the All-Mosquito behind her transformed from a tiny mosquito back to its original form, striking her down.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone