Tenkomori: The Homecoming Club Conquers Another World
Chapter 168

Chapter 168. New Game+

"How many!?"

"Too many to count!"

Quid's face paled at the lookout's reply, then turned even grayer as the enemies entered his [Presence Detection] range.

We were already surrounded. And by a considerable number - easily over a hundred.

I doubt they'd go all out against just twenty beastmen. If we include those waiting in their lair, their total numbers likely exceed three hundred.

Well, this is more than enough already. They clearly don't intend to let anyone leave alive.

The beastmen frantically grabbed their weapons and awaited orders, but Quid just stood there with a pained expression, at a loss for words.

If previous survey teams had merely been driven away, he probably never imagined they'd mobilize so quickly or deploy such overwhelming numbers.

I scrambled up the collapsed stone structure to get a view from the roof.

The moonlit ruins of Gisero were overrun by a horrifying swarm of aberrations. As the encirclement tightened, their density increased - the hard clattering of their carapaces rubbing together and their eerie cries lapped at my ears like waves.

How nostalgic. This is exactly the scene I witnessed after transferring worlds.

Glancing down, I saw Quid had also climbed the stones to survey our surroundings.

I have many thoughts about this man, but I am grateful for one thing - that he brought me here.

Targeting the northeast, I unleashed [Fireball] with [Multiple Chant], sending countless fireballs raining down. The ensuing explosions left the beastmen stunned.

I kicked a pebble, hitting Quid squarely in the back of the head.

"I broke their encirclement. Get moving."

"Was that just now..."

"No time for chatter. Besides, this was the plan, wasn't it?"

For a brief moment, Quid's face registered shock.

He started to say something, then bit his tongue and glared toward the forest.

"...Retreat!"

At his strangled command, the beastmen all broke into a run at once.

Leaping over burning underbrush and charred Garneles corpses, the black mass fled through the broken encirclement.

Watching them go, I turned my gaze back to our base.

"So, what are you still doing here?"

Sahars remained at the base, a dagger in hand.

"When the village made its decision, I vowed to do everything to keep you alive. If that proved impossible, I would die with you."

"Listen, the village's schemes don't matter. I fulfilled our promise at the salt mines. Feeling responsible now is misplaced."

"You're still my benefactor. Living with the disgrace of a treacherous betrayal holds no appeal."

His stubborn attitude was exasperating, yet I couldn't help but smile.

Those words—I wish I could have heard them from that guy too.

Shaking off the sentiment welling in my chest, I aimed at the surroundings of our base.

The instant I did, stone spears erupted from the ground, impaling the Garneles' feet.

Shrieks filled the air as Sahars let out a grunt.

"[Stalagmite]...but on this scale..."

"I used the ground as a catalyst. They shouldn't break through easily. Sahars, focus on defense."

He seemed to grasp my meaning when I said "defense."

Sahars looked up at me sharply.

"You can't mean—"

"I won't die. So don't you die either."

I flashed him a grin and drew the Simitar of the Gale.

His stalwart figure overlapped with Alter Les Reedwald in my mind.

Shall we begin? Our first battle in fourteen years—and my long-awaited revenge.

◇◇◇◇

I'd prefer to challenge them with just my sword like before, but there are simply too many.

First, let's thin their numbers.

Firing twelve [Fireball] in all directions with [Multiple Chant], the fireballs soared over the stone spears before detonating.

An even louder explosion than before reverberated as Sahars stared at the flames in astonishment.

"So this is combat with [Multiple Chant]. It's like having an army."

Despite feeling unsteady as my mana drained away, I shook my head.

"No matter how much firepower I have, I'm still just one person. Armies kill the strong. Don't let your guard down, Sahars."

"Right back at you. If you're going to take responsibility for my life, don't go dying pointlessly."

"I'll do my best."

I grinned and activated [High-Speed Movement].

With a short running start, I leaped into the air, unleashing [Gale Fang Strike] on a Garneles below before bisecting it from above with [Power Strike].

A soldier tried to swipe at me as I landed.

As I deflected its claws and prepared to counter, a white shadow descended—and the soldier's head tumbled to the ground.

"Watch out for the slender ones. They use water and holy magic."

With a brief cry, Phil vanished.

Simultaneously, the limbs and heads of surrounding Garneles went flying.

That was beyond the range of [Claw Sword Strike].

Then it must have been [Chaotic Claw Slash]?

A skill that releases random claw strikes, yet every one hit a joint. His control is flawless. If even a one-handed sword's [Chaotic Flash] can achieve that level of precision with mastery...

But enough of that—I can't fall behind.

Where Phil broke their formation, I pressed the attack; where I created openings, Phil dove in.

We rampaged unrestrained through the moonlit abandoned village, each swing of my sword and flick of his claws sending translucent blood spraying through the air.

Against such numbers, our greatest obstacle became the corpses.

Our overwhelming speed gave us the advantage, but if we stayed in one place and got surrounded by corpses, we'd lose our mobility and be crushed.

Yet darting into the thick of them carried its own risks.

Living Garneles were just as much obstacles. Charging into an unbroken line could still cost us our speed.

Fighting with that tension, I kept cutting through the endless horde of aberrations.

Without even time to catch my breath, I hammered the laborers before me with [Double Strike], then finished them with slashes empowered by [Wind Blade].

Phil also made full use of [Claw Sword Strike], occasionally unleashing [Chaotic Claw Slash].

Before long, I noticed his breathing growing slightly ragged.

The poisonous squirrels of Soprick were troublesome, but we could cut them down easily.

Garneles were different.

Even the lowest laborers had learned [Carapace], and soldiers strengthened it further with [Armored Shell].

Without using [Power Strike], I couldn't cut through anything but their joints.

As I continued fighting like a faucet left running, I quickly scanned our surroundings.

No elites.

With numbers like these, at least one should be hiding somewhere.

[Presence Detection] struggles with such dense crowds, and we lacked the luxury of a thorough search.

Moreover, these monsters seem strongly attached to their territory. Gisero won't be restored unless we exterminate them or deal a crippling blow.

So I want to whittle them down as much as possible and take out any elites—but we may be moving around too much.

Our constant darting about probably kept them from revealing themselves.

Maybe I should lure them out.

After cutting down another, I moved near the Tree of Beginning.

"We'll hold this position for a while."

As I raised the Simitar of the Gale, Phil leaped onto my shoulder.

The heat radiating from his neck felt higher than usual.

I'd planned to dig in here, but both Phil and I clearly needed rest.

Watching the Garneles slowly tighten their encirclement, I raised my voice.

"Can you hear me?!"

Though I doubted they understood, the Garneles froze in their tracks.

"Planning to hide in the back till the end?! I'll give you a fight—come out!"

Flourishing the Simitar of the Gale, I made an exaggerated show of searching.

Did my meaning get through somehow?

The Garneles began stirring uneasily, then suddenly parted.

The front ranks split left and right, opening a path.

From it emerged three Garneles.

Their slender builds and somewhat intelligent faces—the elites had taken the bait.

Narrowing my eyes at the nostalgic sight, I turned my gaze to [Appraisal].

What I saw made me narrow my eyes for a different reason.

The lead elite was abnormally strong.

The two behind were in their late twenties level-wise, but this one exceeded thirty.

Not only did it have the intermediate magic [Flood Ball], but also [Carapace Hardening]—normally absent from elites—to strengthen its [Armored Shell], plus a skill adjustment giving it 27 acceleration.

If Sahars had fought this one, he might have lost.

More importantly...is it just me? Its gait and aura feel familiar.

I hardly dare think it, but...

The two rear elites stopped while the lead one stepped forward.

After observing me for a while with its large single eye, it slowly assumed a forward-leaning stance.

The next instant, it charged at me with acceleration surpassing any human.

As the hazy memory grew vivid, I swung the Simitar of the Gale.

A simple horizontal slash was blocked by [Armored Shell] and [Carapace Hardening], producing a hard, dull sound.

The elite was sent flying, stumbling before finally catching itself on the ground.

Setting Phil down from my shoulder, I watched with deep emotion.

"Even for a noble like me, fourteen years brought tumultuous changes. How much more for a monster like you. I never thought we'd meet again."

It couldn't possibly understand my words, nor would they mean anything if it did.

Still, I smiled.

"Did I taste good, Elite?"

Before I'd even finished speaking, the elite moved.

Skimming the ground, it dashed toward me and swung up its sharp claws.

I twisted my upper body to dodge, then evaded its reckless follow-up slash.

The elite kept swinging wildly, leaping at me to sink its fangs in.

Avoiding and deflecting with my simitar, I realized:

It's slow.

Back then, I couldn't even track its movements, but now I can observe every action.

I must have misremembered.

While nobles and monsters face different hardships, Garneles act in groups, and elites likely only fought during major hunts. Even with the [Enhanced Growth] cheat, our experience density must differ.

Dodging another charge, I kicked its head away.

Staggering, the elite caught itself at the encirclement's edge before turning.

Simultaneously, a swirling mass of water appeared and shot toward me.

It had been waiting for a chance to use this beyond my effective range.

But the [Flood Ball] barely flew before [Penetrating Gale] intercepted and burst it.

The torrent swept away both caster and surrounding Garneles.

Outsped, its trump card rendered useless.

It had grown stronger too, but had no moves left.

The elite noticed my leap but had no time to dodge.

The Simitar of the Gale pierced its single eye, eliciting an earsplitting shriek.

As I withdrew my blade, the elite immediately tried healing with [Light Healing], but while the hole closed, its vision didn't return. Already a dead body walking.

Dangling my simitar, I circled behind it.

"Meeting you was despair. That trauma made me obsess over strength as a child. You're undoubtedly my origin point."

Raising the Simitar of the Gale high, I used [Power Strike] to behead the elite.

The exact opposite of our previous life's dynamic.

I'd like to call this closure—but there's no time for sentimentality.

Responding to their comrade's death, the two remaining elites emitted strange cries.

Immediately, [Dissolve] and [Dissolve Sphere] shot toward me from all directions.

Rather than blocking with [Earth Wall], it'd be safer to retreat with [Leaping Hare].

But as I turned my gaze, Phil entered my view.

Sitting nonchalantly at the Tree of Beginning's roots, he looked at me as if to say, "You'll handle it."

Even exhausted, he could easily dodge this.

Fine. I'll let him rest a bit longer.

Interfering with magical projectiles is nearly impossible.

Only magic like [Dispel Magic] can affect such concentrated mana.

But the dissolving liquid is a natural ability enhanced by mana.

This, I can overwrite.

I cast [Operate Water] with [Multiple Chant], channeling as much mana as possible.

My mana clashed with the Garneles' tainted mana inside the liquid.

Droplets grazed my cheeks as my vision distorted from the dissolving spray.

Then suddenly, I felt something give way like a bursting dam.

Sighing, I watched the dissolving liquid before me.

"Got control."

The massive amount hung motionless in midair.

Seeing their own launched skills suspended, the Garneles froze in shock.

Wasting this would be a shame. Let's reuse it.

Using the liquid as a catalyst, I unleashed [Ice Bolt] with [Multiple Chant] at the remaining elites.

Their comrades also served as obstacles. With no escape route, the two elites faced a barrage of icicles.

A hard sound echoed through Gisero's ruins; when silence returned, the elites lay dead, bodies bristling with icy spikes.

They might withstand one or two, but ten or more is too much.

Though the elite that ate me could probably endure it.

Dumping the remaining liquid, I surveyed the Garneles.

"Now that the troublesome ones are dealt with, let's clean up the rest."

Raising the Simitar of the Gale, I charged in, with Phil joining a beat later.

And once more, chaos ensued.

Luring out the elites proved the right move.

Leaderless, the Garneles fell into disarray.

The soldiers retained some fighting spirit, but the laborers clearly slowed.

Yet continuing to fight was no easy task.

Our brief rest barely restored us, and with each swing of my blade or flick of Phil's claws, accumulated fatigue reared its head.

Worried about stamina depletion, I eventually relied solely on [Wind Blade]'s power for my strikes, but the reduced damage left enemies alive. Yet I lacked the strength to finish them off, instead darting between battlefields to avoid being surrounded.

Even so, my dodges grew sluggish, leaving me with numerous wounds. Even Phil's judgment dulled—an ill-timed [Chaotic Claw Slash] left him open to a dissolving liquid barrage that I barely blocked with [Operate Water].

Gradually, the very sensation of fighting faded away.

Then suddenly, our base entered my view.

Sahars was fighting Garneles there.

Many had swarmed the base, but he used the stone walls skillfully to hold his ground.

Without him, our pressure might have been even greater.

Still, our limits were approaching.

For a while now, my rationality had been screaming at me to retreat.

Using [Leaping Hare], I could escape easily.

I'd reserved enough mana to get Sahars out too...but.

That's when it happened.

Turning to find my next target, I realized none remained.

Panicked scanning revealed only mountains of corpses—no living Garneles in sight.

We hadn't slaughtered them all.

[Presence Detection] showed them retreating toward the lake.

"I'm impressed."

Turning toward the voice, I saw Sahars standing there.

His battle had clearly been fierce too—his body was covered in wounds.

"You drove them into retreat."

"We were long past our limits. Any later, and we'd have been the ones retreating."

"Lacking emotion includes lacking fear. They'll fight endlessly regardless of casualties or power disparities. For them to choose retreat means they judged it annihilation. That's result enough. If 'armies kill the strong,' then 'the strong annihilate armies.'"

Quoting my own words back at me, Sahars showed a rare smile.

I had my thoughts, but chose to accept it. As I caught my breath, my gaze turned northeast.

They're back already?

The beastman village that hoped for mutual destruction between the dungeon and Garneles.

Their representative Quid had returned, having noticed the battle's end.

If they attacked now, it'd be troublesome—but why were they so exhausted too?

They'd fled into the forest, yet several were wounded.

I thought another monster might have attacked them, but their bloodstains matched ours.

Garneles don't venture deep into the woods.

Meaning they'd fought on the periphery too.

Quid's group seemed even more shocked than I was.

Surveying the corpse-covered ruins and my blood-drenched form, they gasped.

Their reaction eased my wariness.

In their place, I'd have holed up in the forest to observe.

Whether the dungeon guardians repelled the Garneles or fell didn't matter—they could just mop up the weakened survivors. The village's plan would succeed either way.

Yet Quid had stayed and fought the Garneles.

Whatever his reasons, he'd shared the burden—it wasn't just Sahars relieving our pressure.

"We're resting. Can you keep watch?"

"Y—yeah. We'll handle the corpses too."

Stammering, Quid agreed.

"If it's not too much trouble, separate the slender and large ones. I want to check their magic stones later."

"Understood. We'll examine the most numerous type ourselves."

"That's quite a number. And I doubt most have magic stones..."

"Then we'll check if we have time."

Nodding, I looked at our base.

Sahars' battle had left it in terrible shape. We'd just get in the way of cleanup, so let's rest by the Tree of Beginning.

Turning from Quid as he issued orders, I walked toward the Tree of Beginning.

Casually glancing at Phil beside me, I saw his prized fur matted with Garneles blood.

"Sorry for dragging you through that. I'll clean you properly later, so wait until your mana recovers."

Phil wagged his tail as if to say not to worry.

Sitting at the Tree of Beginning, I leaned back against its warm bark.

Looking up at the night sky, the moon hung unchanged from days past.

Have I surpassed my past life at last?

But this isn't over.

Beyond those that fled, many Garneles still lurk somewhere in the lake.

We must avoid another battle like that—next time, wounds may not be our only concern.

Watching Quid give orders, I turned my gaze to the forest.

The Garneles must have a leader. If we're to target anyone, it should be them.