The girls saw the state I was in and panicked. I wanted to yell at them not to come, but I couldn’t muster a sound. They rushed over and tried to lift me.
But Machina of Pride was not someone you could afford to look away from—not even for a heartbeat.
“Oh...”
The holy magic I somehow managed to activate dulled the pain just a little, but I couldn’t even squeeze out a single warning sound.
And then—
“Turning your back on me... How insolent.”
“Myagh!”
“Yip!”
Machina of Pride’s arm stretched out like a whip, sending the girls sideways with a sharp crack. They stayed conscious only because they’d instinctively jumped back at the last second to soften the blow.
They got up immediately, both wincing in pain.
“Weak. So weak,” she muttered. “If you won’t resist, I’ll just devour you now...”
Even though her voice was low and mumbling, pride oozed from every word. The mushroom didn’t have a face, but I could tell she was gloating.
Dammit... We finally made it to the goddess statue... I’m not giving up. I’ll fight to my last breath!
“Oh? You still have some fight in you...? Then how about this? Mushroom Empire.”
A massive wave of spores burst out from her body. The multicolored cloud must have been a mix of countless mushroom spores. I countered with purification, detox, and fire and lightning magic, but the amount didn’t decrease at all. The sheer volume of spores completely overwhelmed my attacks.
Within moments, they filled the entire room. I threw up a Wind Barrier around myself and Godlord. Shiro could use the same magic, so she and Kuro were managing too. But the spores hung in the air like a thick fog, and visibility dropped to zero almost instantly.
I braced myself, worried that Machina of Pride would use this chance to attack—but the attack never came. Instead, the spore fog slowly began to clear.
But this did not spell relief for us, because in just that short time, the entire room had transformed.
“Let the world of mushrooms swallow you.”
The room had been infested with mushrooms—from tiny ones the size of a fingertip to massive ones larger than a person, covering the walls, the floor, and the ceiling in all colors of fungi, many of which I didn’t even recognize.
“Get ready to taste despair...”
Then, I noticed something. “These are...”
These weren’t just ordinary mushrooms. Just like Machina of Pride, they sprouted limbs, waddling comically.
But this was no laughing matter. These were magical beasts called rampage mushrooms, and dozens of them were writhing before my eyes.
“Fire Needle!”
Some of the mushrooms were edible, so I knew their weak points: They were vulnerable against fire, and their cores were in the center of their caps. I blasted fire magic right at that spot, and a rampage mushroom collapsed in a single hit.
Just as I’d thought, they weren’t much of a threat individually. Shiro and Kuro fired magic from within their barriers too, keeping the mushrooms from getting close. We kept casting spell after spell, but—
“Dammit, they just keep coming...”
Their numbers didn’t drop at all. The mushrooms covering the room kept growing, coming to life one after another. Is every single mushroom in here a rampage mushroom?
Worse than that, Machina of Pride wasn’t done. She released more spores.
There weren’t as many as before, but we couldn’t afford to let any of them touch us. In addition to poisonous mushrooms, there were mushrooms that caused curses or corrosion, and there was also a chance that she had cast mana mushrooms again.
I had to boost my spell output even more, burning off the spores with fire magic while fighting off the rampage mushrooms.
“How long will your mana last, I wonder...?”
Just as she said, my mana was dropping fast. At this rate, I’d run out soon.
“Shadowflame Formation!”
“Useless... This level of magic isn’t even worth blocking...”
My attack, aimed directly at her, did nothing. Despite being struck by the black flames, she didn’t have so much as a scratch. And it wasn’t like the desert dragon, which had blocked the attack with black mana. It seemed that she simply had absurdly high magic resistance. Even advanced magic probably wouldn’t have done much.
“You seem to still have room to think... Then let’s add more...”
Machina of Pride lightly moved her hands, and the small mushrooms around her swelled and began to move. Nearly fifty new rampage mushrooms were added to the mix.
“Now, try to defend yourself... Run wild. Wreak havoc. Show me your power...and you shall become a worthy sacrifice.”
Sacrifice my ass! Screw that! I’m not giving up!
I steeled myself, but deep inside, a faint sense of fear peeked through.
Can we really win...against a monster like that?
There was no question that this thing wasn’t just some magical beast. It was a monstrosity, a creature beyond reason that had hijacked Machina’s body.
Against an opponent like that—
“How about this...?”
“Gah! This...is...!”
Countless mana bullets rained down on our barriers. My barrier shattered instantly, the storm of bullets slamming into me. As I was blown away, I saw Shiro and Kuro get launched as well, thrown across the floor. They seemed to have been knocked out, and the spores slowly started swallowing them.
I managed to activate holy magic, but I could barely move.
“You will die. All of you.”
No way in hell...!
“But that is the reality of the situation.”
I don’t believe that for a second!
“Then what will you do?”
Fight! Till my last dying breath!
“Impossible. You, Shiro, Kuro, Godlord—you will all die here.”
I won’t let them die! That’s right, I don’t even care about myself! But Shiro and Kuro are not gonna die! Not as long as I’m breathing! Why did I almost give up? I might die? I’m not dead yet!
“Yes. Get angrier! Then I shall grant you power!”
Power? If only—
The moment I steeled myself, a fierce roar shook the room.
But it wasn’t mine; the voice belonged to a new figure who had entered the room.
The hall’s door, sealed shut ever since the desert dragon had appeared, was still closed. Yet, undeniably, there was a man.
“Holy Light Wave!”
He fired a blinding light that filled the room, blowing away the rampage mushrooms without harming us. To us, it was bright, but nothing more.
Wait, did my mana recover a bit? My injuries are healing too. The pain’s gone, and my wounds have closed somewhat. Have I been saved?
For now, yeah.
But the one who’d saved me was also the last person I wanted to see.
As I cast healing magic on Godlord, who was lying beside me, I stared at the black-haired, dark-eyed young man cutting down the remaining rampage mushrooms. He sliced one in half with a single blow and wiped out dozens of them with magic at impressive speed.
He was strong, but not a welcome savior. Because the one who’d appeared was the mercenary Ares—the man who’d nearly killed us.
Did he chase us all the way here? Or did he just happen to reach this place while clearing the dungeon?
As I struggled to decide what to do, Ares finished off the last of the rampage mushrooms and stepped toward me.
Machina of Pride seemed wary of this sudden newcomer, watching him closely.
Ares stopped a few meters away, silently scowling down at me. He didn’t radiate the crushing bloodlust he had last time, but he clearly didn’t feel anything positive toward us either.
And then, he spoke.
“Are you a reincarnator?”
“Huh?”