Chapter 1688: Chapter 1686: Just Take Off the Head and It’s Edible! (Lounging in Bed with a Quilt)

The girls’ arrival somewhat relieved the situation on Crusch’s side, but did not fundamentally improve it. The Priestess of the Goddess and Berlin joined the ranks of healing those soldiers poisoned by magic power, while Ais and Mavis handled transporting the soldiers to the large tree—the only visible landmark in the thick fog. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Mel joined the battle as a main force of reinforcements. Initially, everyone believed that Mel’s participation in the fight would quickly turn the tide.

However...

"Over there!"

Using magic detection, Mel decisively pinpointed the white whale hidden in the fog. She leapt forward as her longsword sliced down, leaving a deep wound on the whale’s head. The whale screeched in pain, and swung its tail at her. Mel deftly evaded, launching another attack on the whale.

Yet...

"Why does it seem like Mel isn’t giving her all?"

Watching the battle scenes, Meiyin questioned with confusion.

"Doesn’t Mel have the power of half an ancient dragon? How can she be fighting so hard?"

Meiyin’s question was understandable—judging from the current situation, Mel’s inflicted damage on the white whale was akin to that of the elderly white-haired man and Crusch earlier. Though she did considerable harm to the whale, it wasn’t a fatal blow.

This was far from what Meiyin imagined. As a transmigrator, she knew of Mel’s possession of half an ancient dragon’s power. To Meiyin, with such power, Mel should only have to swing her sword a few times to slice the whale into sashimi.

Yet she never expected this turn of events...

"It’s normal; people without combat skills fight like this."

Fang Zheng seemed unfazed.

"Mel only has half the power of an ancient dragon; besides, she isn’t a dragon herself. Her body is still human, which limits her strength."

As Fang Zheng explained earlier, size itself is a combat advantage. Fang Zheng once wondered why dragons would revert to their original forms during battles—they would be bigger targets for concentrated attacks, from a human perspective.

However, after becoming the Time Dragon, Fang Zheng realized—it’s not so easy to get hit!

Dragon defenses are so tough that regular attacks can hardly pierce them! Plus, their killing power is enhanced when reverting to their original forms!

Take AOE for example: if Fang Zheng wanted a Superman punch as a human, it might kill dozens of people. But if he transformed into a dragon, a single claw to the ground would obliterate Crusch’s entire group with one shockwave.

Thus, sometimes size itself restricts power. Mel only has half an ancient dragon’s power and retains a human physique, further weakening her force output. If Mel could transform into a dragon, the whale would be in trouble. However, Mel is just a human, merely a twelve-year-old girl whose combined height with her sword doesn’t exceed three meters. Her attack is akin to an ancient dragon using a toothpick against the whale.

What’s more, Mel lacks any combat skills.

To Fang Zheng, Mel was just like those newbie players who level up to 100 in video games but lack real skills. They might be decked out in top-grade gear but falter in high-level instances.

Fang Zheng had seen many like this: a Shadow Priest healing, a tank in damage gear—all typical of this type.

"Heck, where’s the healing? Heal us!!"

"I’m healing, but your health drops too fast!"

"Can you solo heal? Use group healing! Know how to break curses?"

"What’s group healing? Where’s the curse-breaking skill? Plus, I’m also dealing damage! How else would I attack the boss?"

"Gosh...!!"

[Player Cirno angrily left the party]

"Heal us! Why can’t you keep up the heals!"

"I am healing, but why is your health dropping so fast? Aren’t you the tank? Didn’t you use damage-reducing skills?"

"I did, but the boss hits hard!"

"Shouldn’t be! How could it be? Let me see your gear... all this is damage gear? You still want to tank?"

"Can’t I? This gear handles small mobs well, even deals good damage."

"......."

[Player Great Fairy silently left the party]

"Hunter, I told you, recall your pet! Stop competing for aggro!"

"I’m the Beast King! How will I fight mobs without a pet?"

"Turn off Taunt! How else am I supposed to hold aggro?"

"My pet is helping maintain aggro. Moreover, as a tank, you should hold aggro better!"

"Darn—!!"

[Player Remilia left the party in frustration]

The so-called random instance extinction engine refers to players like Mel.

Like before when dealing with the goblin nest: upon seeing the victims’ plight, Mel was enraged and charged at the boss, leaving her companions in place. She forgot another melee fighter in her team had already gone to escort the victims home. Two ranged members lacked self-protection abilities. Had the Priestess of the Goddess and others not intervened, by the time Mel returned after defeating the boss, her companions would have been ravaged by goblins.

The same applies now.

Mel, eager to block the whale, charged at it bluntly, yet she lacked techniques for a lethal strike, ending in a stalemate... but it didn’t matter much.

"Miss Mel, attack the organ that releases the whale’s mist!"

From below, the Priestess of the Goddess saw clearly and urgently shouted; previously, although the girls didn’t fight directly, they continuously monitored the battlefield with surveillance magic and knew the mist emanated from the whale’s body. Mel’s blind assault on the whale proved fruitless, for the whale continued emitting mist, making supporting Mel impossible.

"Got it!"

Upon hearing the Priestess’s instructions, Mel realized and quickly charged across the whale’s back. Her longsword created a flurry as it effortlessly destroyed the whale’s mist-emitting organs. The severely wounded whale wailed and fled, as the dense fog gradually dissipated.

"Great!"

Watching the mist recede, Crusch was elated and raised her longsword anew.

"Everyone, stay alert———!"

Yet before Crusch finished speaking, she froze in place.

Not just her, even the soldiers looked skyward, dumbfounded.

For in the sky, there wasn’t just one whale, but... three.

Why? Why did the original single whale multiply into three?

What kind of cruel joke is this?

The people on the ground fell into immense despair.

It’s only natural; earlier, just one whale pushed them into a grueling battle. Now, facing three whales... how could they fight?

It feels hopeless!

"Clang!"

The longsword dropped to the ground.

"We’re doomed!"

"We’re going to be killed!!"

"I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die!"

"Calm down!!"

Seeing the soldiers wavering in front of him, Crusch also urgently shouted loudly. But it was clear that facing this unexpected situation, mere encouragement was not enough to resolve the problem.

"Things seem a bit unfavorable."

At this moment, the Priestess of the Goddess also arrived next to Crusch and spoke softly. Compared to those soldiers, she and Ais were much calmer—what was a mere White Whale, at worst it meant failure and being eaten, but could it compare to Goblins?

"Indeed, the situation is unexpected. It’s strange; never heard of White Whales being pack Demon Beasts before..."

"In this regard, the Knight seems to know something."

"Fang Zheng?"

"Yes, just now when that old man attacked the White Whale, the Knight said, ’Hit a critical hit, it’s now in the second phase...’ Though I don’t quite understand what he meant, but..."

"So, this is also a trick of the White Whale, right?"

Crusch nodded.

"But now we have no way to retreat, the duration of the Night-Exorcising Magic has also ended."

As he spoke, Crusch looked up, only to see the once dazzling Radiance like daylight was now gone, and night had descended again. Although the mist had thinned considerably, it hadn’t disappeared... one could say the situation was worsening.

"I have an idea."

"Oh?"

"But..."

"But what?"

"But... it depends on how fast everyone can run."

"...???

After hearing the Priestess of the Goddess’s suggestion, Crusch frowned.

"It’s indeed risky, but we have no other choice now!"

With that, Crusch suddenly raised his Longsword.

"Everyone, follow me! Quick! Those who give up stay behind! All who can hear my orders, charge with me!"

With the command, Crusch rode the Earth Dragon, charging ahead, and the others immediately followed. They didn’t know what Crusch intended to do, but following their leader was the only way out!

"Mel, Ais! Could you help block those White Whales and join us!"

"Alright."

Upon hearing the Priestess of the Goddess’s order, Mel stopped foolishly confronting the giant beast at hand and immediately retreated to regroup with the others. On the other side, Ais worked with the white-haired old man to fend off the White Whale’s attack. Soon, they arrived at the center of the battlefield, under the highest flying White Whale, while the other two White Whales came from the left and right sides to surround them.

"Please hold off their attacks again! It’s enough even if you can restrain them for just ten seconds!"

"Got it!"

Mel nodded vigorously, then faced the White Whale, raised her Longsword, and swung forward vigorously!

"Lightspeed Sword!"

"Swish!!"

With Mel’s movement, a burst of sword light emerged from her sword, descending from the sky and striking White Whale No. 2, smashing it heavily to the ground. Meanwhile, the white-haired elder, with Ais’s support, leaped to the top of the White Whale, wielded his Longsword forcefully to puncture its eye.

"Boom!!"

The two White Whales fell instantly, and simultaneously, the Priestess of the Goddess decisively issued a command!

"Run quickly!!!"

"???...

Upon hearing this, many were stunned, yet moments later, they sensed unparalleled magic power condense above their heads!

"Finally, it’s my turn to appear!"

Megumin raised her Magic Wand high, her eyes blazing red. The magical power swirled around her, converging.

"Feel this great power, praise this noble destruction, by my power, I summon. At this everlasting day’s end, Demon God, grant me your strength. Hear my summons, feel my will, and annihilate all—Explosion!"

"This is...!?"

"Transcendent Magic, run quickly!!"

In an instant, everyone scattered, and soon after, dazzling light descended from the sky, transforming into a massive Magic Circle that blasted the ground. The highest flying White Whale bore the brunt, its massive size unable to resist the Burst Magic’s impact, it was directly smashed to the ground, colliding heavily with the other two White Whales.

The next moment, the earth shook.

"Boom------------!!!"

A mushroom cloud akin to a nuclear explosion rose to the sky, engulfing the three White Whales completely, with a berserk Shockwave bursting forth and sweeping away the distant Flower Field.

"Cough, cough cough..."

The Priestess of the Goddess desperately crawled out of the soil heap, turned back to look, and gasped.

Only a pit several meters deep and several meters wide remained where the White Whales had been, and at the center of the pit, a scorched White Whale lay sprawling motionless.

"...Ais."

"Hm?"

At this point, Ais also climbed out from the nearby soil.

"Has Megumin’s Burst Magic... grown more powerful again?"

"Yes."

Ais nodded slightly.

"After all, practice makes perfect."

"...Yes, practice makes perfect..."

Thinking of Megumin’s relentless daily practice of releasing Burst Magic... the Priestess of the Goddess shivered.

Will we still be able to come back alive?

But for now...

"Is it over?"

"Should be."

Facing Ais’s inquiry, the Priestess of the Goddess relaxed with fatigue, observed the White Whale carefully.

"According to the Knight’s theory, this should be edible once the head is gone."

Then, the Priestess of the Goddess said.