Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 61: VS Honey Bee

Episode 61: VS Honey Bee

“(Wh-What the…!?)”

The flower field at the enemy’s base was swarming with an uncountable number of bee-like magical beasts. Judging by their size, most of them were likely categorized as Greater Beasts.

If I were still human, I probably would have fainted at the sight. But since I’ve fought against massive insect-like magical beasts a few times as a Slime, I could at least manage to only grimace in disgust.

“””Gichigichigich!”””

About five Bees from the swarm noticed me and flew my way.

“([Replicant Form]!)”

I lashed out five times with my poison whip. Every time the whip struck, the Bees exploded into pieces. And in no time, they were all wiped out. 

The speed of these Greater Beasts made it impossible for them to avoid my attacks, and it was quicker to swing five times than it was for them to reach me.

“Giji! Gichichichi! (Don’t falter! Prepare for a full-scale attack!)”

A leader-type Bee, likely classified as Grand Beast, gave out orders. The other Bees stopped buzzing around the flowers and began to rise into the air, gathering |Mana|. The leader was also accumulating |Mana| while trying to distance itself from me. It was probably a rear support type.

It was a smart move for a commander, but I had no reason to let it go.

“(Taking out the command center first is standard procedure.)”

“Gijii!?”

I extended my poison whip, and the fang at its tip pierced right through the leader. It managed to dodge a vital hit at the last second. But with a hole in its belly and poison flowing into it, there was no way it could survive.

Before long, it took its last breath.

…Yeah. This feels like I don’t even need to swing the whip anymore. Just hitting them with it, using the control ability of [Replicant Form], is enough to deal a fatal blow.

“([Replicant Form], Quadruple Activation.)”

I created four new poison whips. And now with five whips in total, I began to ravage the Bees. Each whip danced around as if it had its own will, resembling the legendary Hydra as they moved. One after another, I accurately destroyed the Bees.

This precise movement was thanks to the [Multi-Sword Style] I gained from {Evolution}. Even with five whips at once, I could control them freely and swiftly reduce the number of enemies.

The Bees, following the final command of their fallen leader, tried to retaliate by firing poison stingers and flame bullets. But against my |Toughness|, they were utterly ineffective.

Soon, realizing the tide had turned against them, a second-in-command, probably another Grand Beast, issued a retreat order. The survivors scattered like baby spiders.

“(…Might as well chase them down.)”

I couldn’t afford to let them come back again later. I quickly absorbed the fallen Bees and activated [Concealment] before starting my pursuit.

The Bees hadn’t gotten far, so I caught up with them quickly. It seemed they had split into two groups, and the one I followed had about half the number it originally did.

I quietly trailed them as they struggled to hide their massive bodies. Before long, they arrived at a gentle hill where flowers bloomed in abundance. It was near the residence of the Forest Turtle.

There, they reunited with the other half of their group.

Beyond the hill, there was a cliff, and the Bees descended below it. I went to the edge and peered down.

“(Whoa, is this their hive?)”

Sure enough, a massive Bee nest lay there. It’s not hanging from a tree branch like a normal one, but sprawling on the ground at the base of the cliff.

“(That’s huge…)”

It was even larger than I am in my Sovereign Beast form. As a magical beast nest, it was among the biggest I’d ever seen.

“(|Mana| detection… Looks like there are multiple Grand Beasts in there.)”

I made a rough estimation. I couldn’t narrow down the exact numbers yet. But with my current abilities, I could at least gauge that much.

“(There shouldn’t be any Sovereign Beast in there, so I shouldn’t lose. But… I’d hate for any to escape.)”

I thought for a moment and decided to unleash my maximum firepower from the start.

Using [Aerial Jump] twice, I jumped high into the air.

“([Aerial Jump], [Frenzied Charge], [Impact]!)”

I activated several of my frequently used [Skills] simultaneously and came crashing down like a meteor.

“([Replicant Form], [Heavy Thrust]!)”

I mimicked the poison spear I had crafted from the Hydra and thrust it down at the moment of impact. A deafening crash shook the surroundings.

“(Half-destroyed, huh? It’s sturdier than I thought.)”

Even though I held back some power to avoid sending it flying too far, I’d aimed to obliterate the entire thing. Still, it ended up only partially wrecked.

I jumped out from the large hole I had made and surveyed the half-destroyed nest.

In response to the sudden attack, a horde of Bees began pouring out of the hive.

They tried to swarm me, but—

“([Weapon Storage], [Thousand Blade Genesis]!)”

They were instantly sliced apart by countless knives. Every single one of them was made of wood—I’d used wood as the [Skill]’s target.

The wooden blades also inflicted further damage on the nest. However, despite this, the Bees’ forces hadn’t been entirely wiped out yet.

More kept emerging, one after another.

“([Weapon Storage], [Thousand Blade Genesis]!)”

But they were immediately scattered once again by the same move.

In exchange for the overwhelming destructive power, the [Skill] takes time to prepare and consume a lot of |Mana|. But I used it continuously.

“([Weapon Storage])”

Then, I took out another wooden weapon.

This is the trick behind being able to rapidly fire [Thousand Blades Genesis].

During my training in [Dominion], I had stored the weaponized wood in [Weapon Storage].

This was to avoid the trouble if it were discovered by humans or used by other magical beasts, so I always do this when using [Dominion].

However, just occupying the capacity of [Weapon Storage] is a waste.

Therefore, I infuse |Mana| into it every night before sleeping to keep it in a state just before activation, so it can be used as ammunition for [Thousand Blade Genesis].

Since time does not flow in the otherworldly space, the infused |Mana| does not dissipate.

Thanks to this, I can now make it explode immediately upon retrieval.

“Gi, Dii…”

A particularly large individual, presumably the queen of this nest, was shot through as soon as it appeared.

With that, the appearance of the Bees abruptly stopped.

―――Non-Notification Information Recording Zone―――――――――――――

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～

>> The Weapon Born from the Fire of War, Fuwa Katsu’s Soul Accumulation Level has increased to 113

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～

The sensation of power surging informed me of the <Level> increase.

It has been a while since I {Evolved}, and this is finally the second <Level Up>. There’s a long way to go.

“([Intensified Warfare]… The poison from the needles seems quite good, but it still doesn’t match up to Hydra. Well, I’ll just store it away for now.)”

I then collected only the necessary materials, melted the Bees, and turned my gaze to the remains of the nest.

I felt a considerable amount of |Mana| from this nest as well.

I took a small piece of the crushed nest, made easier to eat by repeated attacks. It had a slight dripping of honey. I then absorbed it into my body.

“(Delicious, sweet!?!)”

The exquisite sweetness spread as if it was concentrated from a whole barrel of honey into just one drop.

If not careful, the |Mana| could be even more concentrated than that of the Queen Bee, spreading throughout my entire body.

In the pleasant sensation, I devoured the honey mindlessly, as if I had become a bear.

“(Phew, I ate well.)”

By the time I finished eating the nest, my stomach was full, including the stored |Mana|.

Satisfied with the ample food, I started my way back home.

Thanks to [Sense of Direction], I had a rough idea of the direction of my base. I decided to return before dusk.

Thus, I was leading a fulfilling life as a Sovereign Beast.

But four days later, dark clouds began to gather over my peaceful days.

“──It seems the nobles are coming to defeat you, Katsu.”

The one delivering such news was Ergo, who had been brought by Paula.