To be honest, I expected the appearance of the [Twin Priests].
Three priests remained… But considering the twins were practically treated as one, there were only two senior members left in <Ratatosk>.
Among them, the Prophet would inevitably bring out the [Twin Priests]. The other one, the [Priest of Dreams], was the weakest boss, with all their power concentrated in one special ability.
The silver-haired female priest, the [Priest of Dreams], was the weakest… essentially the first boss.
That one was only capable of hiding in a shabby dungeon where a few small mobs would appear. Their direct combat power was negligible.
‘But despite that, she became a popular meme character because of her cute model…’
An evil female executive with silver hair and a slender figure. And on top of that, she had the ability to trap her opponents in a flimsy illusion.
It was practically a declaration to charm players with her appearance. However, she was so weak that she was easily taken down quickly.
‘That very weakness made her even more popular.’
Anyway.
According to the original story, early on, the troublemaker mantis— [Priest of Discord], Ofnir, would appear as an ‘unbeatable boss’ and toy with the protagonist's party. Then, the [Priest of Dreams] would appear as the first boss.
This marked the first boss battle.
And the second to appear would be the ‘priest’-level boss, the [Twin Priests]. From them onward, the bosses were treated as raid bosses that required characters awakened to at least the [Unique Ether] level.
These sticky, brown twins with suspiciously close ties were also early-game bosses. But at least they were stronger than the powerless [Priest of Dreams].
‘They were notorious enough to earn the title of newbie killers.’
This marked the second boss battle.
After defeating the two weakest among the Four Heavenly Kings, the story would progress to the real challenge against the [Priest of Discord]. This straightforward power creep was the main flow of the story.
At the beginning of the semester, this was how I thought things would go.
Until that damn Jinsu-kun interfered.
‘Now, everything's so twisted that we’re taking down the strongest one first and working our way down in reverse.’
In other words, that insect over there was laughably weak in terms of combat power compared to the priests we’ve defeated so far.
I assessed whether that insect had achieved any unexpected growth.
The distance made it difficult, but I stretched my ether out with sheer willpower to measure the ‘gap.’
“…”
The male side of the [Twin Priests]—‘Goin.’ The energy I felt from his main body wasn’t particularly threatening. Compared to the enemies we’d faced so far, he seemed rather unremarkable.
‘A brown, underdeveloped kid like that, no wonder.’
At the very least, if I could attack, I had a feeling I could take him down without too much risk.
I was confident I could smash his head in and turn him into <Central Prism Academy>’s special omakase insect tartare.
After all, I’m the domesticated wife-type Pingchang, who excels in cooking.
“…”
But he was too far away. Even if I threw something, he had plenty of room to dodge.
I roared in frustration, my voice shaking the very trees and mountains around.
“Waaaah—☆ You cowardly bastard!! Come down here already!!”
My frustration even reached the horned insect. The [Twin Priest] Goin muttered in a voice that hadn’t quite settled into maturity, muffled as he spat out the chaos insects covered in slime.
[Tch, what are these inferior beings yammering about? Inferior beings have low intelligence.]
Then he flicked a dung-like chaos insect in my direction.
Swoosh—!
Wait, did that little brat just throw crap at me? This punk needs an adult’s correction. I’ll smack his bottom with a bat, and he’ll be crying in his blanket, regretting everything.
“Eit—☆”
Before the insect even touched the ground, I grabbed a nearby boulder the size of my torso and hurled it.
Boom—!
The stone cut through the air and smashed the chaos insect to pieces. Hearing the explosion, the insect, who had been spewing chaos insects, turned to look back at me.
[Such brute strength… You’re like a monkey, you inferior being.] "How could there be such a cute inferior being☆" [What is this inferior being babbling about?]
I shouted provocatively in his direction.
“What's that you’re muttering in your inferior dialect~☆ Hm♪ You’re dead, pal—☆” [Hmph, if you think you can make me angry, you’re gravely mistaken.]
I was hoping he’d get pissed and come down, but my attempt at provocation failed.
Instead, a swarm of dozens of larval chaos insects started crawling toward me, not knowing their place.
The sight of dozens of big larvae rushing like a pack of dogs was grotesque, their pincers clicking in their mouths.
Hiss—!!
So I swung my greatsword without even looking in their direction. The sword’s strike was followed by an explosion of pink ether.
Boom—!!
The dozens of larval chaos insects couldn’t withstand the sheer physical force that came crashing down on them. Like a pack of dogs scrambling on an icy surface, they screeched and struggled in vain.
Screeech—!!
Even if the chaos insects replicated infinitely, whether there were 200 or 300 of them made no difference in the face of an overwhelming power. With just a swipe of my hand, they writhed and squirmed.
“That’s right, little ones—☆”
I glanced back, and sure enough, the sight I’d expected was there.
The juniors, who had initially been flustered, had regained their composure and were now calmly mowing down the chaos insects. They were covering each other's backs against a force that would have overwhelmed the captains of most schools.
Rota was casting without even chanting, forming her fists like a cat's paws.
“Meow!”
Every time she said ‘Meow!’, her summoned orange cat would charge and explode like a claymore.
Meow—!
With a blast, countless daggers burst from the cat’s mouth, devastating the surrounding area. It was a ridiculous sight, but the destruction was brutal.
Boom—!!
Amid the settling dust, the aftermath was clear.
Dozens of chaos insects were blown apart with each explosion, leaving behind nothing but a mess of gooey remains, as if they were fresh fruit juice.
Of course, they would soon regenerate, but the attack was enough to hold them off.
In the meantime, Kara’s [Revolutionary Comrades] were dispersing the chaos insects' aggro, whipping them with their slender mechanical arms.
The chaos insects, desperate to escape the pain, tangled and tripped over each other in confusion.
“…”
I felt a sense of pride in the fact that the three of us were holding off hundreds of these creatures… but I also gauged the situation, hoping we could face the real enemy, not just these minor pests.
[Screeek—!]
The insect that was spewing out chaos bugs. If only there was a way to get close to that thing…
…
If only it would just come down…
…
It’s not coming down—is it?
…
‘Come down, you sister-complex freak of an insect.’
But the insect stubbornly refused to descend.
In the distance, the massive brown dragonfly continued to vomit out chaos insects covered in black slime, dropping them like bombs.
[Screeek—! Take this!] “Scraaawk~☆ Take that~☆” […]
“Ugh, throwing things from a distance… Such a wimp…☆ How about you just drop it and let your sister do the fighting?” […]
Goin threw another chaos insect in our direction.
Splat!
The insect hit the ground, splattering like a cracked egg, then quickly regenerated and charged at us again.
“Hoo—☆ This is really frustrating~☆”
Yet another wave piled up.
It was truly an exasperating tactic from such a pathetic wimp.
[Take this, you inferior beings—!] “Take that, you inferior beings~★” [You cursed inferior being, what’s with you since earlier…! …Tch.] “Oh?”
Uh-oh.
I must have struck a nerve.
Pingchang’s instincts detected that the opponent was slightly aggravated. But the insect quickly regained its composure and flew off into the distance again.
Hiss—!!
Dozens of chaos insects, their numbers growing with each wave, charged at us once more.
What had started as 20 to 30 was now too overwhelming to even count. If this were a computer game, even the latest graphics card would struggle with the frame rate by now.
“But against me, you’re nothing more than practice dummies—☆”
I ground the regenerating chaos insects to dust.
When they charged, I struck their heads.
When they fled, I stabbed their butts with a spear.
Though the bloodied insects slowly regenerated and came back to life…
Who am I?
I’m Pingchang of the Academy City.
‘No one escapes Pingchang’s rampage.’
I raised my leg high and stomped it down hard on the ground.
“Hiya—☆ Taste the power of a maiden’s ball—☆”
At that moment, the earth shook within a 50-meter radius. The ground rippled as if a tablecloth had been pulled away, spreading the tremor far and wide.
Boom—!!
Rocks overturned.
Soil was lifted into the air.
A wave of impact created a massive shadow, born from the force of the quake.
A tidal wave of dust buried the chaos insects.
Rumble—!!
“Whoa?!” “Huh…?!”
The juniors quickly mounted their summons to avoid the shock. Thanks to frequent jump rope training, they understood the signals well.
Rumble—!!
The wave of earth engulfed the chaos insects. They were swallowed up by the sudden shadow.
Hiss—!!
The insects, half-regenerated, staggered from the tremor, their half-bloodied forms tangling together.
The partially regenerated insects tripped and collided with each other, but their regeneration continued relentlessly.
Screeeech—!!
The wounds melded together, twisting them into grotesque forms. The disgusting flesh bundles thrashed and rolled on the ground.
Even as I watched this scene, I tilted my head, still unsure of why that insect was dragging out the time like this.
‘Judging by the full aggro on us, the target seems to be <Central Prism Academy>, but…’
What more is it after…?
At that moment, a clear voice echoed from afar.
It was Anna, the [Great Bow of Verdant] we had been waiting for.
“Thanks, Clara!! Everyone—!!”
And then, a gigantic arrow flew toward us.
Deep green… A verdant-colored ether enveloped it, brimming with the vitality of plants.
Swoosh—!!
As the green arrow struck the disturbed earth, countless vines and trees sprouted. Though they were mere illusions formed from ether, they had a tangible physical presence.
The giant walls of plants quickly isolated the chaos insects.
Screeeech—!!
Anna spoke to us as she approached.
“Good job! I’m not too late, am I?” “Oh, you arrived just in time—☆”
Ah…
This one understands the romance.
I’ll award you 3 Pingchang Points.
“That thing over there is the boss, right?” “Yup~☆ Just so you know, if you mimic its words, it gets scratched—☆” “Huh? Scratched? What does?” “Its feelings—☆” “…”
Anna came over and patted my shoulder. As usual, she looked like a farmer, but she shone like a heroine.
Following her, the elf martial artists established a large plant barrier and shouted.
“Everyone, come this way!” “We’ll help you—!” “Sisters—!! Start praying!!”
Rota and Kara exchanged glances, nodded, and then looked at me with questioning eyes.
We can win, right? Are we going to win? I responded with a wink.
Wink—☆
Of course, the answer was yes.
Anna drew her bowstring, aiming at Goin, and quietly muttered.
“…What could that thing’s goal be?” “Who knows—☆ All it's been doing is throwing dirty things at us girls! What a nasty guy—☆” “…Clara, if I create a temporary platform with an ether skill, could you leap into the air?” “Hmm—☆ Do you think I can't?” “Heh, of course not.”
Anna released her arrow, activating an ether skill that caused plants to grow.
“[Yggdrasil]—!!”
Flash—!!
Following the trajectory, yew trees began to sprout from the ground.
The trees quickly grew, forming thin pillars about 20 meters tall.
‘If I step on those one by one…!’
A stairway reaching into the sky.
For a brief moment, a way to seize the air from the enemy.
I grabbed my greatsword and spear in both hands and charged toward it. Anna, holding her large bow, followed alongside me.
Tat-tat!
At this rate, we would reach that insect.
“…”
But even now, that insect had no intention of coming down.