Chapter 412

412 – Petty Provocation

『Inside the gigant’s body are the captured souls of hundreds of humans and monsters. After Demon Lord-sama takes the skills of adventurers, I dispose of the remaining skills and memories, and then cast them out as convenient. But the adventurers who no one would notice the disappearance of are instead thrown underground, to become food for the gigant.』

Rogueheil’s [Telepathy] continues.

By destroying skills, the memories are also harmed… I had faintly expected that. Skills are the products of experiences and instinct. Having your skills taken away means losing their source, too. Thinking along those lines, it’s clear why both Douz of Miria’s village, and Modi’s daughter Luon lost their sanity.

『Hey, parter! The one at the back is just trying to get on your nerves! The gross things are coming!』

I know that. This is Rogueheil’s provocation. By sharing information that no longer matters, he hopes to enrage me, break my concentration, and cause me to move without thinking. I understand that, but I can’t wholly ignore it, either.

『After Demon Lord-sama has taken most of their skills, in a state of insanity, they are devoured by the gigant and their soul is captured. They continue to moan in agony, still not understanding anything of what has happened to them! Is it terrifying!? It’s terrifying, isn’t it? It’s the fate that awaits you shortly! Hyohyo, hyohhyohhyo!』

I can’t help but focus on Rogueheil’s words. I know it’s better to ignore him. But I can’t manage that.

『I can hear the cacophony of moans from the corpses with my [Telepathy]. Let me out, please let me out, kill me… It hurts, aah, it hurts… Hyohyohyohyo, it makes me laugh!』

“GuuUU…”

I glare at him and growl.

In both personality and action, these guys are rotten by nature. No, that’s not right. Wicked behaviour leads to even more evil evolution.

Rogueheil didn’t just happen to take on that unsettling appearance. That unpleasant form is the result of his own inherent disposition.

『And thus, thank you for being distracted.』

The trolls have closed the distance to me. Behind them, the body doubles are holding back, and further back, the gigant slime is looking for an opportunity.

“GOOOOh!” “GOAoOOO!”

“GOOOO!”

The three trolls swing their clubs down toward me. My partner bites into one of them, but again the troll’s flesh becomes steel, and her teeth seem unable to pierce through.

I swing my foreleg up. But I won’t make it in time.

The remaining two swing their down clubs towards the base of my throat and my shoulder. The body doubles prepare to fire [Ooze Bombs].

I load as much power as I can manage into my foreleg. Black flames cloak my forefoot. The clubs hit my throat and shoulder directly, but I brace my legs to absorb the hit.

As an ouroboros, my attack power is not overwhelming for an A rank. My defence is also poor. My magic stat is high, but compared to the similarly magic-specialised A- rank Rogueheil, the difference isn’t large. But in exchange, I possess an overwhelming toughness.

“Go…”

Perhaps in response to my bloodlust, the trolls in front of me harden themselves. I let swing my foreleg at them with great force. The black flames draw a line through the air.

【Normal skill [Dragon Punch] has risen from level 3 to 4.】

The metalicised troll receives a direct hit. My fist stops at the lead troll, but I open my eyes wide and put my strength into my arm to swing again.

“GuuOOOOOOh!”

A crack opens up in the troll, and its upper body tears away from the lower half as it returns to flesh.

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【1104 experience points have been acquired.】

【Due to the Title Skill [Walking Egg: Lv -], an additional 1104 experience points have been acquired.】

【The level of [Ouroboros] has risen from 103 to 104.】

With that power, I also smash through to the second troll behind.

【1120 experience points have been acquired.】

【Due to the Title Skill [Walking Egg: Lv -], an additional 1120 experience points have been acquired.】

I did it. But too much blood is climbing to my head. It’s good that I’ve reduced their numbers, but I’m still in a terrible spot. The body doubles’ [Ooze Bombs] are coming.

That’s not all. Rogueheil’s main body has also become covered in bumps, so [Ooze Machine Gun] is incoming too. The gigant slime is also moving.

In the current situation, avoiding normally would be difficult. If I lose my posture, I’ll receive countless attacks from every direction. Once that happens, no matter how much HP I have, I won’t get away unscathed.

In that case, there’s one thing to do! It’s a gamble to use it in this situation, but with no safe option, I have no choice but to rely on luck. I kick off the ground and enter low-altitude flight, then curl up my body and start to rotate vertically. Behind me, the [Ooze Bombs] fly past each other.

As I land on the ground, huge fissures open up. I forcefully push onwards, plowing through the centre of their formation, crushing one of the body doubles as I do. Delayed, the gigant slime shoots a tentacle in my path.

I did it, I did it, I avoided them all. I start to close in on Rogueheil’s main body, who has been looking on as a spectator.

『Cheh… What is this…!』

Rogueheil slams his tentacles into the ground to spring up and avoid me. I also slow my rotations and slam my tail into the ground to launch myself at him in the air. With my remaining angular momentum, I swing my forelegs as hard as I can at him.

I absolutely won’t lose to someone like you!

But, the sound of the gigant’s tentacle piercing the air rings out. I flick Rogueheil away my tail, knocking myself into the ground in order to take my distance.

Cheh, I missed the chance to hit him. The timing wasn’t perfect.

The gigant slime’s ultra-powerful tentacle grazes past me. As I thought, it’s dangerous. But if I focus on the gigant slime in its fixed position, I’ll receive attacks from all the others.

“BuruuWAAAAAAAA!”

The gigant slime’s roar resounds. Inside it, the countless dead bodies float sadly.