Chapitre 50: When things start heating up
"I'm setting it up now."
"Thank you for your hard work!"
Inside the alliance's tent, Negi and Lee were watching Negi's mini-map through her bracer while drinking tea when the map suddenly expanded as the new Repeater Towers turned online, expanding the range of her map by another few km in ray from the new tower's position.
"First tower complete!"
"One more to go!"
Minutes later another maid contacted Negi and a third tower rose up, adding to Negi's map the current view of the battlefield where Apollo's troops was fighting.
Noticing the lack of the enemy commander in the mini-map, Lee couldn't help but curse out loud.
"Damn, it didn't reach!"
Negi frowned her eyes as well and tightened her fist. To build those towers she had sacrificed both her Lab and her Research Center but it was still not enough.
"Damn! If I knew this would happen, I would have dismantled the fish farm as well!"
"That would have killed your fishes..."
"Who the hell cares about that!?"
(You do.)
Although Lee knew the answer, he thought it was better to remain silent instead of inviting more of her fury to target him instead.
"There is no way we could have imagined that he would stop so far away."
"Yeah. I really don't understand what is passing through his head. I didn't read him as a coward so there must be other motive for him to have stopped so soon..."
According to the trio's plan, the enemy should have advanced a little more instead of dividing his troops and waiting from a safe place. Had he done so, her new tower would be able to not only detect him but also her own attack troops, making it possible for her to send commands through her bracelet as she watched the enemy move from her mini-map.
Because of this mistake in reading the opponent's move, now her towers weren't able to reach him and her troops were partially blind.
"Please stay well!"
--//--
After sending his troops to charge ahead, Ector opened the mini-map as usual, but upon doing so noticed some red dots moving in the border of his map, right where he had just passed a few minutes ago.
"All troops, stop!"
Noticing there were some rats sneaking for a surprise attack, he didn't call back his troops or felt threatened at all. Ector was 100% sure his current troops were more than enough, so he just stop their march and positioned them instead.
"I have no idea how they were able to pass us undetected but we will be able to find out later as we interrogate the ones who survive... Men! Grab your bows! Aim North-East at once and shot on my command!"
Ector watched the rats slowly approach and as soon as they were close enough, he gave out the command.
"Fire!"
The volley of arrows spread as it flew in the air and Ector watched the rats suddenly disperse to all sides as if they detected the danger that was approaching them.
"Heh! This is getting more and more interesting! But now that they are dispersed... All troops! Chase and annihilator!"
"Master! What if this is a trap!?"
"Don't worry! Just follow what I say!"
"B-but..."
"GO! NOW!"
"Yes, sir!"
--//--
Apollo watched Daily and the Boss Oni charging at each other.
(What the hell is going on!? Why did this battle suddenly turned into a duel!?)
Daisy used her greatsword as an extension of her body but the same could be said to the Boss Oni on the other side. The strikes were too fast for Apollo's eyes, making him see a dozen after images as if both contestants had grown multiples arms.
The two exchanged strikes one after another at an incredible speed, making an spectacular sight, but it was not just the mastery over their weapons that left a lasting impression on anyone watching the scene, it was also the complete discrepancy between their figures that looked like a scene taken out from a fantasy book, after all, wasn't this how many authors through the centuries depicted the fight of the fantasy's hero against the demon lord?
On one side the helmetless tin can armor green haired young women using a greatsword bigger than herself, on the other side a gigantic, blood covered Oni wearing tattered clothed with twin blades in his hands.
The scene was better than many choreographies from famous action movies and maybe the only lacking point was the absence of a background music to add the finishing touch.
Nobody knows who started but suddenly the cheering spread through both whole armies, getting louder and louder as the stalemate continued with no victor decided yet.
Despite the lower reach and mass Daisy was able to use her lower gravity center to stand her ground, not allowing him to pass or advance. The Oni didn't appear to be bothered by the lack of progress, quite the opposite, the more Daisy tried hard to stop him, the more his fighting spirit lit up, adding an extra punch to his already menstruous strength.
Seeing their battle, Apollo started loosing his patience. He wanted to order the other girls to surround the Boss and finish him off at once but something deep in his mind was stopping him, telling him it was a bad idea.
Before he could rationalize the reason for this feeling, something unexpected suddenly appeared before his eyes as both weapons in the Oni's hands lit up on fire, creating a stable flame that covered each weapon's blade.
"What the hell!? When did I die and reincarnate in a magic world!? How the hell is he doing that!?"
Sure, Apollo got quite confused by the unexpected development, but this was not enough to convince him to make the girls stay their ground. No, if anything, this event just reaffirmed that he should end that guy as fast as possible before new surprises appeared, but before he could send the order, another thing caught him attention, making him stop on his tracks.
As Daisy parried the Oni's flame strikes, slowly but surely the fire started to spread through the fallen log pieces that used to make part of the wall. It didn't take Apollo more than a second to detect the danger, causing him a headache due to the multiple new worries that he now had to prioritize.
(Damn! What do I do now!? The fire is spreading! We have to get out! But there are girls still trapped bellow these logs!)
The fight proceeded as Apollo's brain worked at record speed to figure out a solution. Things couldn't continued like this, or else it wouldn't mean just the end of the game but a true game over on his life.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone