244 Creeping Danger
Without a pause, Fang and I sent the incoming white parasite-looking things flying off the edge. As we did, we slowly walked along the long intestine, heading to wherever the direction we were following led.
A problem arose soon enough, though.
"Ahh!"
Queen Thalia screamed in fear as she was attacked by some of the parasites. Being the nearest, I moved to clear those who were bothering her, but I was still a little too late. She was already injured here and there, bleeding a little.
"..."
She was just around the 3rd stage in strength after all. Even if she fought with all her strength, I doubt she could fight back against these parasites, who were as strong as 6th-stage monsters.
When the parasites found the chink in our armor, they started hounding Queen Thalia incessantly. Due to that, our progress stagnated, and we were kept in place for a few minutes. During that time, we haven't progressed even a single step.
"This won't work!"
If this continued, only the ending of us getting tired and overwhelmed by the waves of parasites would be clear.
"Fang, light!"
It should be more efficient if I created the light, but I plan to use [Echoing Thunderclap]. I can't split my attention due to that.
Fang, hearing my call, immediately conjured a black sphere beside her. It wasn't a light source, but more of the reverse. It eats up the darkness nearby, clearing the view for a few hundred meters. I'm not sure how that works, as it went against the laws of physics, but whatever.
With the view cleared up, I quickly took out my backup sword and went down in a stance. Since I don't want to be incapacitated right after, I limited the output to the few hundred meters that were visible.
Evergy was compressed to the limits, becoming arcs of purple lightning as they weaved around my body. As soon as the computations were completed, I lifted the sword from the sheath.
A flash, followed by a series of explosions. In just an instant, all the parasites around us became clear. As a bonus, I sent a flying slash forward, clearing even the dark path ahead.
As soon as I returned to my initial position, I felt my skin release smoke from moving faster than the speed of sound. Fortunately, it wasn't too much, and the damage was something that I could heal with first aid and a single potion.
As soon as the skill ended, however, we didn't have time to stop and heal. Fang stayed at the back to protect our rear while I ran at the lead, Queen Thalia between the two of us.
As we ran, static was heard once more before Ember's nostalgic voice echoed around.
"(Master! You're all in a dangerous spot! Quickly head straight and to the right; that should give you a brief respite!)"
"Roger!"
I followed her words without any doubt, and as she told us, just behind a wall of parasites, something like a hole in the meaty wall outside the intestine was visible. Thinking of our location, it must be the wall of the abdomen, somewhere near the sides. However, the hole ahead of us made me think otherwise.
"Is that leading straight outside?"
The parasites didn't give me time to think, though. As soon as we approached, like a receding wave, they swarmed us without any gaps. With a sword in hand, I was able to clear the path ahead singlehandedly. However, even a sword wasn't enough to kill the parasites. They were too tough for their own good!
Even with the sword, the parasites could only be cut into pieces, but they were still able to rush forward without trouble.
"Move away!!!"
Fang shouted as she paved her way ahead, creating a clear path on one side. Taking advantage of her efforts, I led Queen Thalia by the hand as we jumped toward the hole. I was expecting to fall again, but as soon as we entered, we hit a wall almost instantly.
"Ugh, is this place a narrow area?"
I'm not sure if it's near the skin, but we only have a small amount of wiggle room inside, not even enough for us to open our arms wide and stretch.
"Uwah!"
Fang rushed inside, miscalculating the distance, and slammed hard into my face. However, before we could even address the pain, we turned toward the opening, watching for the parasites that we expected to soon follow.
However, no matter how long we waited, not a single parasite entered. Fang parted the flabby meat at the opening, but right outside, those parasites were already forming an army, ready to charge into us at any moment.
"(It's fine, master. The defense mechanism of the Dragon King wouldn't bother you as long as you're inside there.)"
Just as we were wondering how to escape, Ember's voice echoed again. For some reason, just hearing her words made us heave sighs of relief. In the end, I guess we really were tired from fighting nonstop after all.
Before anything else, I took out a potion from my [Spatial Storage]. Although the opening was a bit short-lived, I was still able to properly get what I needed from inside. As I drank the potion, feeling its healing effects on my body, I asked Ember about our current situation.
"So, Ember, can you teleport us out now?"
Our aim before was to reach a part where the connection would be stronger, somewhere closer to the surface. Although I'm not sure where we are right now, it should be closer to the surface at least.
However, Ember's voice visibly became a bit darker when she continued.
"(About that... Master, actually, the space was locked by someone from outside.)"
"... Can Goddess Zeta's ring overcome the space lock?"
21:07
Although I could guess the answer, I needed to ask the question just for confirmation. And, as "...!"
I don't even need to hear the rest; it must be Noir's handiwork. Without the ability to teleport out now, the only thing waiting for us would be a slow death.
"... Can Goddess Zeta's ring overcome the space lock?"
Although I could guess the answer, I needed to ask the question just for confirmation. And, as expected, the answer I was expecting came.
"(The space lock is empowered by the Dragon King's, a God-level Monster's energy. Even with Goddess Zeta's teleportation technique, it'll be impossible...)"
"I see... So, what should we do?"
Now that we can't teleport out, we can only find our own way out. However, we are currently stuck in this small space, where the three of us are required to stick close to one another just to fit.
Outside, there's even an army of parasites waiting. Our situation is pretty grim, even from my perspective.
"(... Actually, we managed to keep a passage open, and are able to teleport you out anytime...)"
As if forced to say it, Ember muttered in a pained voice.
"... A passage... So only one?"
I guess she wanted to save it for emergencies and teleport me back, even if it meant leaving Fang behind. However, knowing that we can send someone away, I have other plans.
"Then take Queen Thalia away. With her safe, it'll be a lot easier for us to move around too."
"..."
Since she was right beside me, I could see her pair of fluffy bunny ears lower in disappointment. I guess she realized the underlying meaning of my words: that she's a "deadweight" to our team right now. However, there was also a hint of joy that flashed in her eyes, probably from knowing that she could be safe ahead of us.
"(... Are you sure, Master?)"
Ember asked once again, as if not entirely convinced of my decision. However, this should be the best way to use it. This ensures that our outing would at least have meaning since we'd be gaining a hostage to leverage any future talks against the Cleaver Kingdom.
"Go ahead. I'm sure."
As soon as my voice echoed, Queen Thalia's body was covered in white particles of light. A few moments later, her figure vanished. Ember's voice was heard again, echoing louder than before.
"(Queen Thalia's in our hands now. We'll also send a map to you for the place you should head for... Master, please be careful there.)"
Feeling the urgency in her voice, I quickly noticed that the connection was about to get cut off again. I guess it's a problem of energy since whatever device she's using to communicate with me should be using energy to function too.
A second later, as if receiving a telepathic connection, information regarding the internal map of the Dragon King's body was passed to me. I quickly tracked our current location and matched it with the information we received.
"... So we're at the liver area?"
That was pretty far from our target location, which is the heart. Apparently, the heart contains an altar where we can teleport without a problem. It uses the Dragon King's God Territory as an intermediary, making it possible to get out of this godforsaken place.
"Nice, now we have a target and a path to take; the only problem is..."
I looked at the opening, where a slight gap was present. There, the white parasites, the Dragon King's defense mechanism, were squirming disgustingly.
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