Kyaaaaaa!
“Watch out for the sound wave attack!”
Puhuhk!
“Where do you think you’re going!”
“Combat unit incapacitation complete.”
“Don’t kill them! Capture them alive!”
With the cooperation of the Association, Grakshar, who had organized the power of Green City to a certain extent, was leading his orc family into the final stages of their work.
A few hunters who received direct requests from the Hunter Association, including the Wooden Blackhand and S-grade hunters, teamed up with Grakshar and his orc family to crush the gangs inside Green City with overwhelming power and firepower.
Of course, the final work was nothing special.
The hunters and the orc mafia operated in cooperation and collaboration while respecting each other’s territories to suppress other forces.
The gangs of monsters were certainly more dangerous than regular dungeon raids or simply hunting monsters.
They understood strategy and tactics, used modified and twisted mana weapons in the city, and a multitude of monsters operating in groups would definitely be rated as A-grade or higher in danger levels, causing havoc in the city.
But no matter how threatening they were, it was impossible for a party of A-grade hunters and S-grade hunters to be defeated.
Especially when the hunters focused solely on combat and destruction without worrying about the city’s destruction.
Cough, cough…
“Capture complete.”
With the last monster bound by the giant electric wires for large monsters, the resistance of the Batsmen was suppressed.
To avoid any potential toxic gas or viruses, the hunters wearing oxygen masks could finally take off their suffocating masks after the battle ended.
“Haah. Wearing oxygen masks is way tougher than dealing with those Batsmen…”
“We’ve finished securing this area too.”
“Oh, good work.”
Although the thick green mist wasn’t toxic, the twisted mana kept the hunters’ magic resistance in constant resistance mode, accelerating their fatigue.
Adding the need to wear oxygen masks, even just standing still brought on fatigue rapidly.
If the enemies had fully colluded and executed a hit-and-run strategy, the hunters would have needed even more personnel and support than they had now. But fortunately, the monsters tended not to cooperate that well.
In fact, groups like Grakshar’s orc mafia who cooperated with humans and the Hunter Association were the exception rather than the rule in Green City.
“With that necklace, he must be identified as the boss of the Batsmen.”
“They said if we catch the leader, the rest should be easy since they live in groups.”
“Someone shouting mid-way caused all those thugs to come out, though.”
“What can we do? We can’t just shut their mouths one by one. We’re not exactly stealth-oriented hunters.”
“Hey, humans! Bring the captured Batsmen over here!”
As the hunters subdued the grotesquely warped flying thugs, similar to bats and wild boars, the orc mafia who had finished cleaning up the other area guided the hunters.
“Wow, right. Let’s go.”
“Seriously, it feels like we’ve become subcontractors.”
“Isn’t that exactly what we are? We got the request from the Hunter Association and are doing the job while the other hunters are resting.”
“Oh man, I heard that Hunter Isia opened a chicken shop somewhere in Green City. I wanted to check it out…”
“Isia? The number 1 ranking in Blood Swamp?”
“Hey, watch your mouth around Gallery Master Janghun.”
“Is he still Gallery Master? I haven’t checked in since Yujin was Gallery Master a few years back…”
“Let’s go after this. It has to be better than canned food.”
While they were at it, the orcs offered food to the hunters as a show of goodwill.
The vegan orcs grilled vegetables like broccoli and cabbage with great care. The only problem was that many hunters preferred meat.
At first, they accepted the grilled vegetables out of boredom with canned goods, but a hunter had to eat meat.
That said, Korean hunters were happy with garlic fried in bean oil.
“But aren’t these supposed to revive even if we kill them? So wouldn’t they not easily surrender?”
“Now that you mention it, Grakshar knows that simply overpowering the monsters with strength isn’t the solution…”
Hahaha! We’ve lived long in Green City. We know how to torture without killing, as long as they don’t die!
“Wow, it’s not every day you hear an orc talk about torture.”
“Right? Usually orcs either kill their enemies honorably or take them as breeding stock!”
The orc mafia, smoking a cigarette, chuckled at the hunter’s words.
Crackle, crackle!
“We used to be like that too. But in Green City, death means resurrection and resurrection gives us the chance to backstab our enemies! If we keep seeking honor, our heads will get smashed multiple times.”
“Wow, you’re sounding more human than orc now.”
“So, will you guys become the rulers of Green City after this?”
“I’m not sure. We only serve the boss…”
Just then, a rather analog-looking mobile phone in the orc’s pocket rang loud.
It was a direct call from their boss, Grakshar.
“Yes, boss. The Batsmen have been taken care of. We’ll be there soon… What?!”
The orc’s face stiffened suddenly, having been jovial with the hunters. The hunters sensed something was off and immediately fell silent.
“Understood. I’ll take the kids and head there immediately.”
Click
“What’s up, orc bro?”
“…A disturbance has been detected in Green City. All families are to head underground immediately.”
“Huh? Underground?”
“What’s going on? Overtime now?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know, human. But the boss’s commands are absolute. A disturbance has been detected in Green City. The boss’s goal isn’t just other monster clans, but something in the underground of Green City. It seems he sensed something unusual down there. He’ll probably head down soon too.”
“…It’s intriguing that an orc doesn’t just go for a head-on confrontation but has some detection abilities.”
The hunters sighed, putting on their oxygen masks and gearing up again.
As a subcontracted entity, they had no choice but to handle any additional overtime.
“Ugh… overtime in the sewers? I’ll have to wash my outfit…”
“Sorry, humans. As an apology, I’ll offer some nutrient-rich green juice when we’re done.”
“…Huh?”
“No thanks.”
“I’ll just accept the sentiment.”
“Green juice is delicious… I can’t understand human taste.”
“○○○○○”
“Oh, speaking of Isia the Saint.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know why my ability is called [Machine Infection]?”
“I dunno.”
Crackle!
The moment Shia tilted her head, the huge underground cavern’s green mist started writhing like a living being.
Despite the suffocating green mist closing in on all sides, Shia maintained a calm expression.
‘After all, poison doesn’t affect me, and my mana resistance is high, so I’m fine no matter what.’
Naturally, Shia’s overwhelming physical specs disregarded all anomalies. And with her purification miracle, it made sense that she was at ease.
Meanwhile, Lilybet grinned wickedly, her hand curling as the green mist closed in on Shia.
But Shia merely tilted her head, releasing a bit of divine power as her response.
It was as if nothing happened.
The green mana couldn’t penetrate Shia’s divine power.
“Huh?”
Yet the green mist began to stain Shia’s divine power.
Like how white paint would discolor with a drop of green paint.
Divine power can manifest into anything.
Being a concept above mana, divine power brings about miracles that cannot occur with other abilities, and even with the same enhancement, divine power serves as the source of a much more powerful effect.
And Lilybet was infecting that divine power.
“I can truly infect anything with my mana…”
Shia’s white divine power mixed with Lilybet’s green mana, spreading like an infectious enchantment.
“There’s the concept of magic resistance, but if I slightly inject my will into the enhancement ability that grants beneficial effects, everything under my control, be it immaterial or material, will be transformed. And anything transformed will undergo a fundamental change.”
As the white and green mixed, what was created in the air was a slender wire.
“Into machines!”
“Oh my…!”
At the end of a wire that was nowhere to be connected, gears sprouted like fruits, and the wires connected to those gears turned into another structure.
Gears. Machines. Wires. Pipes. Tubing.
And even more complicated green systems and unseen wheels.
They merged recklessly in space, forming a spherical shape.
That sphere resembled the bit that emitted mana beams from Lilybet’s [Slime Mother]!
“I may not be an expert in machines, but unlike me, the Fragment of the Demon King certainly is! Hahaha!”
The numerous pipes, wiring, and gears embedded within Green City were structured in such a way that their operation was incomprehensible and theoretically rendered impossible, yet they manifested and operated like magic.
The knowledge inscribed on the Fragment of the Demon King embedded in her chest had the ability to create Green City and actualize such absurd abilities.
“Thank you, Saint Shia! I wanted to duel with you once, and while it’s regrettable that it ends up like this…!”
Lilybet, who had infected Shia’s divine power, grinned with confidence.
“Normally, in a place like this, it’s expected to confront your opponent with all your body and soul without holding back, right!?”
“No, wasn’t it just a casual spar?”
“Wahaha! This moment is a clash of our hearts and a battle of beliefs! How could I possibly hold back?!”
It was just like a scene from a comic or anime!
Both were in agreement of pursuing peace and love, yet due to minor differences in methods, they couldn’t help but clash in a bittersweet yet noble conflict!
Yes, the romance I was searching for was here!
“No, I don’t call that romance, I’d call it a brawl!!”
“Wahaha! Even so, shall you join me, Saint Shia? When will we have a chance for such a romantic battle!”
Especially since they’ll be clashing their hearts and souls!
Shia grimaced inwardly as she thought, This Mint Queen’s noble purpose in creating Green City is understandable, but I can’t comprehend how she turned into a romantic delusion with that warped brain.
Well, it’s not like it was completely incomprehensible, but in times like this, can’t she just ease off a bit?
“So you too, come at me with all your might!!!”
[Full Deployment]
BAMMM!!!
No, I didn’t plan on going all out!
You’ll end up dead like that!
Shia’s battle style was very simple and straightforward.
Essentially, she didn’t rely on much technique, using only her strength and speed born from that strength to stomp her opponents down.
After all, that made sense, as Shia was capable of overpowering her opponents with overwhelming specs, needing no crafty moves, and she rarely encountered enemies with higher specs than herself.
Menelapie and Teresa were exceptions since their power classifications and directions were different from Shia, and they rarely fought against her.
In the case of the Demon King, Shia ultimately squashed him with her strength, so it could be said that there were effectively no adversaries with equal strength to Shia.
An exceptional case was Olgania from Daesanrim, but back then, Shia aimed to suppress rather than kill her, so that wasn’t counted.
And today.
Shia was abruptly realizing how strong the Mint Queen’s power was.
Crackle!
VROOOOM!
A torrent of green mana warped around Lilybet, swelling and then blasting away like a wave of fire!
