The Peerless Kobold - Chapter 168

 Chapter 168 – A Mysterious Steppen Kobold Appears?

Nevertheless, the Mages and Priests from the Adventurer unit were able to block the earth magic attack by alternately shooting powerful offensive magic attacks and making the Queen Ant take a defensive position.

Additionally, due to the death of the 2 Imperial Ants guarding her and the rearguard Mages of the first platoon attracting the rest of the giant ants, the Adventurers led by Grace and Edgar were gradually making a path for the huge ant queen while clearing the other ants along the way.

As the rest of us followed from a distance, the Queen Ant, who had been slowed down due to her injuries, staggered upward and swung one of her sickle-like front legs towards the Adventurers approaching her!

“SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

“UWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!”

“GUWAAAAAAH!”

Edgar, who was oozing with a fighting aura throughout his body, positioned himself as he set his Middle Shield up and activated the High Protection that was imbued in his armor while the two other Adventurers behind him were easily blown away from the impact of the Queen Ant’s blow.

However, although the Middle Shield was tough enough to withstand the attack and provide protection to the rearguard while impeding the Queen Ant’s pursuit, Miss Grace couldn’t help but complain about it.

“… Is that really a B-threat monster? Everyone, it seems like the attack magic has an effect in close range! Let’s start with its injured leg first and move on to the others!!”

Following her reliable command after she had regained her composure, Muriel and I continuously attacked one of its legs with Wind Blades and Flame Bullets. Meanwhile, someone had shot an Exploding Ice Bullet at one of its middle legs that were supporting the Queen Ant when she raised her forelegs which caused her to lose her balance.

“GIIIIIIIIIIIIH!?”

“Now’s my chance!!”

The moment one of her sickle-like forelegs pierced the ground when she fell, I ran past Ares and towards the place where the other vanguards had spread out to avoid the attack and used her front leg as a springboard and leaped towards it with a magical tornado.

As I jumped over the head of the Queen Ant who had slightly fallen forward, I maneuvered my body to change direction and landed directly on its back. Then, while holding the scabbard with my left hand, I pulled out my curved blade with my right and forcefully pierced the ant-shaped monster’s weak point which was the area where its medulla oblongata is located.

“SEIAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

“GIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

Although I felt some resistance, my blade went through but was stopped by its hard muscle fibers as it reached the middle, and I was shaken off by the Queen Ant as she cried out and went berserk!

“Uwoah!? Kuh, o wind, obey me!!”

“A-Archer!!”

It was already too late by the time I noticed Muriel’s cry, so my attempts to extend my time up in the air by creating a magical updraft backfired, and I was met with the Queen Ant’s thick, whip-like antennae.

“GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH!!”

“Na, guhaa! Uu…gh”

I crossed my arms which were equipped with arm guards to catch its whip-like antennae, but the penetrating impact caused my skin to painfully tear, and I was knocked away with a flourish.

Of course, I couldn’t just let myself fall into the midst of the giant ants, so I quickly reconfigured the magic I used for creating and maintaining the updraft that kept me afloat and crashed into a location a little far off from the battleground.

“Kahah… urghh…”

“Kyauh!?” (Kyaaaah!?)

Even though I was able to slow down the speed of my fall by manipulating the air current, the impact threw the small fox out of my waist bag and rolled away with a plop while I was thrown into the grassland.

“U~, kuon, woruau?” (U~, are you alright, big brother?)

“Uoquon… Ku, guoruaauon.” (I’m fine, but… Kuh, it really got me.)

I took off my gloves and shoes while lying down and looking at the sky. Slightly frustrated, I gradually changed my muscle and bone structure and returned to my wolfish Kobold form to make up for my lack of physical strength.

I’d been keeping the human disguise for so long that I felt a sense of freedom and contentment when I changed back into my silver-furred wolfman form after a few days. Then, I loosened the metal fittings that Smith had customized for me when he repaired my armor.

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh.”

I focused on the flow of magical power in my body as I took a short breath. Despite the tightness of my leather armor, I activated the earth-attribute magic Adamantine body and took advantage of the power of my buffed-up body to leap up.

As I quickly took note of the situation, I noticed that when the giant ants engaged with the subjugation teams, the rear of the right flank ended up having fewer soldiers guarding it than the other sides where the battle was focused on.

In other words, there was almost nothing blocking my way to the target.

(If that’s the case, then I just have to charge in!!)

I unconsciously smiled at the heaven-sent opportunity as I did a low sprint across the grasslands and rushed at the Queen Ant from behind as she once again stood on her hind legs and raised her sickle-like forelegs.

“VORUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!” (DIIIIIIIEEEE!!)

With the momentum, I clad my legs in whirlwinds and launched a dropkick on the handle of the curved blade that was still stuck on the base of her neck to ensure that the blade was firmly embedded up to the hilt.

“GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?”

Continuing from the first blow, I landed on the back of the shrieking Queen Ant who had stiffened in shock, and immediately pressed my hands against the junction connecting its thorax and abdomen and gathered wind magic in it.

“Vorufu, gaorufuh!!” (Cut through, Six-fold Wind Blade!!)

Although I said that, it was just really two Triple Wind Blades I launched from my left and right palms, but the six Wind Blades I fired at close range effectively cut the muscle and nerve fibers before the queen could protect herself with the magical phosphorescence again.

Of course, the queen shook me off again since she was struggling desperately, but I managed to fire off another Triple Wind Blade just before I was thrown off.

“G-giiiiiiih, ii… aaa, giu… a…”

Before I left in a magical whirlwind, I watched as the Queen Ant, whose thorax and abdomen was shredded and its neck pierced by my curved blade, lost her life and collapsed, leaving both the Adventurers and the giant ants stunned and unable to move.

“Hey, Edgar, I don’t understand what just happened, but… What was that?”

“Who knows? It might be the Steppen Kobold that was in one of the guild requests…”

“Won’t it completely wipe out the ‘iron’ Adventurers who would try to complete the quest!?”

“Hnn, that’s right…!”

As the red-haired Mage agreed with Riberto who caught a snippet of Grace and Edgar’s conversation, the giant ants who had lost their queen cried out as they rampaged chaotically.

“GISHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

“Take them down now!!”

“Let’s reduce their numbers here!!”

The Knights from the 2nd and 3rd platoons shouted and the soldiers from both flanks rushed towards the enemy while the Adventurers followed suit, but…

Aside from some ants who were fighting to the end, some of the giant ants that can move quickly with their six legs were able to get past the gap in the strike team encirclement and scurried off and disappeared into the grasslands while being shot at by the 1st platoon.

As a result, by the time the silver-haired Adventurer got back from retrieving the small fox and joined his companions, the remaining Imperial Valley Ant was also taken down by the onslaught of the soldiers, and the series of battles came to an end.