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 64: The Night of the Decisive Battle

Episode 64: The Night of the Decisive Battle

Time flew by, and today was the tenth day—the day of the decisive battle. Filled with an extraordinary fighting spirit, I silently advanced through the forest.

“([Night Vision], check.)”

It was late at night. The witching hour when even the plants and trees slumber… or so it felt. The forest was enshrouded in pitch-black darkness, with no moonlight reaching the ground through the canopy of trees. Without [Night Vision], it would be impossible to navigate.

By the way, this world also has a moon. Its color, size, and the patterns on its surface are slightly different from Earth’s moon. Every time I gaze up at it, a vague sense of nostalgia reminds me that this is another world. But that’s not important right now. The key thing is launching a surprise attack during this night.

If the target is asleep, the conditions for my [Assassination] skill will be met. And even if it isn’t, the darkness will make it easier to meet those conditions. Additionally, without sunlight, the Forest Turtle’s automatic healing skill, [Solar Heal], will be far less effective. This was the perfect opportunity.

“(This is it.)”

I arrived at the outer edge of the [Sea of Forest]. The Forest Turtle should be in the center of this area. From here, it was impossible to avoid the dense plant life, so I relied on the silence provided by [Concealment] and pushed forward.

Then, I sensed a change in the atmosphere.

“(I didn’t feel this when I entered the [Poison Swamp]… Have my senses become sharper since I learned to use [Dominion]?)”

With that thought in mind, I pushed through the undergrowth. Even so, the sound was almost imperceptible. The effect of [Concealment] was working perfectly.

“(There we go, it’s that way.)”

I parted the grass and trees, heading toward the center of the [Sea of Forest], where a towering giant tree stood. I had come here once before, after the fight with the Chaos Beast. At that time, the Forest Turtle was resting at the base of that skyscraper-like tree.

In this abnormal overgrowth zone, the area around the giant tree was free of other trees, and instead, grass and flowers thrived. I remember seeing the Forest Turtle lying there, sensing its overwhelming |Mana|, which had crushed my fighting spirit that day.

“(Good, it’s here.)”

Looking back to the present, I saw the Forest Turtle sleeping at the base of the giant tree, and I no longer felt that insurmountable gap in power. It might be because I’ve grown in size, too. The oppressive presence was still there, but the despair of being utterly outmatched was gone.

“(…Let’s do this.)”

With a small, resolute thought, I felt my body grow lighter. It seemed [Folly] had activated. Although the feeling was unsettling, I continued moving quietly, taking a route that wouldn’t wake the Forest Turtle. Once I reached the base of the giant tree, I climbed it using [Climbing], scaling it swiftly.

I kept my attention on the Forest Turtle below, but there was no sign that it had noticed me. Eventually, I reached the top of the tree, directly above the Forest Turtle. From there, I launched into the air with [Aerial Jump], [Aerial Jump], and [Aerial Jump] again.

With three leaps left, I dove downward. Boosted by numerous [Skill] modifiers, I shot toward the ground like a bolt of lightning. I formed a venomous spear in the shape of the Hydra and prepared to use [Heavy Thrust]. Accelerating with [Impact], my speed increased rapidly, but suddenly, the giant tree leaned as if to shield the Forest Turtle.

“(It’s [Tree Spirit’s Devotion]…!)”

That was a [Skill] where, once every 24 hours, the surrounding trees would automatically move to defend the turtle when it was in danger. I had previously decided not to bother dealing with this, as waking the Forest Turtle early would be counterproductive. Besides, there was a chance the [Tree Spirit’s Devotion] wouldn’t be able to react to my |Speed|, or it might have already exhausted its uses earlier in the day.

However, things didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped.

…Well, no matter. I had a secret plan ready for situations like this.

“(Straight through it!)”

With renewed determination, I charged forward. My lightning-speed strike broke through the shield made from the giant tree’s bundled branches before it could fully form.

Next, I faced the tree trunk itself. The sound of wood cracking, like a tree being struck by lightning, rang out continuously.

“(It’s tough!)”

The impact of the trunk severely reduced my momentum. This monstrous tree, likely over a hundred meters tall, had been further strengthened by the Forest Turtle’s [Skills]. Its sturdiness was incomparable to ordinary trees.

Still, I broke through the incredibly hard trunk. At last, the Forest Turtle came into view. It seemed to have woken up, possibly due to the sound of the trunk breaking. The Turtle looked up at me—this isn’t good.

“Grreeuuuh.”

In an instant, the trees growing from the Turtle’s shell extended, spreading out to block my spear.

“([Heavy Thrust]… Gah!)”

Using my [Weapon Skill], I thrust the venomous spear forward. The tip pierced through the makeshift wooden shield and reached the Turtle’s shell, but… that was it. The repeated deceleration had prevented the spear from penetrating the shell.

“(What incredible reaction speed!)”

Cursing under my breath, I moved to my next strategy. I mimicked two greatswords that could ignore defense, and with them, I slashed at the Forest Turtle’s shell. It was a double activation of [Compact Slash]. The moment the greatswords carved two lines into the shell, the trees growing from the Turtle’s back knocked me away.

“Gyaaah!”

(Damn, even the trees on its shell have [Budding Collapse] attached to them!)

It made sense, considering the shell is part of its body. But still, this was troublesome. I used [Jump] to put some distance between us.

“Gruuuaaaah!”

The Forest Turtle rose on all fours, glaring at me, letting out a low growl that seemed to rumble from the depths of the earth. Even without [Communication], I could feel the seething rage in its gaze and voice.

(Damn it, the plan’s gone off the rails.)

I muttered to myself. Ideally, the initial dive attack should have inflicted a deep wound and poisoned the turtle, but that didn’t happen. Well, if plan A fails, there’s nothing left but to break through head-on. Besides, now that I’ve been spotted, there’s no point in hiding anymore.

(Alright, let’s go, [Territory]!)

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

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>> The Weapon Born from the Fire of War, Fuwa Katsu, has activated [Territory].

>> [Dominion: Factory] has come into contact with [Dominion: Sea of Forest] of Dwozof, The Ensnarer of the Forest Chains.

>> A territorial conflict has occurred.

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The shockwave that erupted at the center of our clash sent tremors throughout the entire forest.