Chapter 113
Fighting the Black Wolf
The black wolf leisurely walked into the warehouse area.
A wandering iron golem attacked the wolf, but it easily avoided the iron golem’s monotonous attacks, sending it flying with its forelegs.
Bang! The iron golem crashed into the dungeon wall and instantly stopped moving, turning back into an ordinary mound of iron.
Moreover, there was a definitely mark from the wolf’s attack left on the iron golem.
… You know that iron is the highest defense of what we have, right?
Shuddering, I gulped.
What Meat was manipulating was a haniwa golem made of stone. It’d probably be over the instant it got hit no matter how much armor was on it.
“… Alright! Guiding now!”
By guiding, she was saying she’d be following the plan of us luring it to [Flame Cavern] since our chances of winning otherwise were small.
“I’ll leave the path to you! I’ll take the right. Rei will attack it with a bow from the left. Kinue, follow Meat for attacking it and don’t let up on it by operating the next golems one by one! But Meat, there’s no replacement for the haniwa so do your best alright!? Nerune’s spiked shell golem will drive it on from behind!”
“Understood! Golem, GO—!”
“Rokuko-sama! What should I do!?”
“Ichika, block up the side paths with wall golems, guide the enemy forward!”
According to Rokuko’s instructions, Meat was using the haniwa golem, with Rei using the four-legged archer golems, Kinue-san the four-armed golems, Nerune the spiked shell golems, and Ichika the wall golems.
They were precise directions… so precise that I don’t need to do anything. Do you guys even need me here?
“Third archer destroyed! But I succeeded in luring it! Coming in the fourth!”
“Is the haniwa golem still alright?”
“Problems, none. As is, will lead to magma area.”
The black wolf was attacking the haniwa golem when I checked it out with the monitor, but the golem blocked the wolf’s forelegs’ punches with the shield it held in its hands by warding off the blows. It kept the shield, which was larger than the wolf’s mouth, held out to the front to prevent from being bit. Although it was also attacking with a sword to threaten the wolf, the wolf evaded it.
Four-armed golems that each tried obstructing it were easily flicked away and sent flying… quickly turning back into piles of stone. However, like an all-you-can-eat buffet, more and more four-armed golems came to attack it one by one.
Along with that, a spiked shell golem was also urging it forward from the rear, but it didn’t display much effect. Its tail easily broke through the golem’s stone spikes, taking away its strength and turning it into an ordinary steamed bun stone golem. As there were no other means left to it, the golem resolved itself and rammed towards the wolf’s tail.
I can’t really read wolf expressions that well, but it looks pretty irritated.
Then, probably because it didn’t like that it hadn’t defeated all of its enemies, or maybe because the four-legged archer golems’ attacked were really irritating, it focused on attacking and was successfully lead forward.
It did nothing but earnestly be induced towards the magma area that Rokuko made.
“Alright, one more and it’ll be at the magma area! … Meat, are you alright?”
“I’m alright… I can, still go! …!”
The haniwa golem’s shield finally gave in. Crunch, crunch. The black wolf chewed on and swallowed the shield.
The shield was originally made of stone after all. It did good enough being able to last this far.
Immediately following that, its foreleg crashed down. Receiving the hit, the horse part was immediately brought down. The body portion barely separated from it in time, but there wasn’t a chance for it anymore.
It was somehow managing to ward off its attacks with its magic sword, but damage continued to build up on it… The sword that should have been a blade golem had already returned to being a standard sword. Though even so, it was still a suitable replacement for the shield since it was made of iron.
… Thinking about it now, I should have given it a shield made of iron too.
“—The sword can’t be used anymore, one more step…”
“Just roll into the magma area! Don’t worry about breaking the haniwa!”
“Alright!”
Following Rokuko’s directions, the haniwa golem rolled down the staircase into the magma area.
She said that it was alright to break the golem, but I’m the one that’s going to have to rebuild it… Well, I don’t particularly mind if it breaks though.
Crashing and banging into the steps on the way down, the haniwa golem shed its stone armor as it crumbled.
The black wolf would soon chase it into the magma area—I thought. Its feet suddenly stopped, turning around.
“Huh!? Wait! W-why!?”
Rokuko panicked. It’s understandable, this was the result despite that golem being sacrificed. Even I’m surprised. What’s it doing?
… After that, the black wolf noticed the wall golems’ existence. After sniffing around, it suddenly destroyed a wall golem by lunging at it.
“Not good, it’s heading to the boss room. It doesn’t look like we can stop it!”
“… There’s no choice but for us to receive it in the boss room huh. It’s the iron haniwa’s turn. Meat, are you good to go?”
“I’m not, confident.”
She was able to put up a good fight against it in the stone haniwa golem, so she should be able to put up an even better one in the upgraded version, the iron haniwa golem. It even has an iron shield.
“It should left, to Rokuko-sama…”
“No, you were able to hold up against that wolf until just a moment ago. You can do it. I’m counting on you, Meat Blackdog!”
“… Yes! Goshujin-sama!”
I fired Meat up by patting her head.
“Go get ’em!”
“Iron haniwa, I’m going!”
The black wolf vigorously slammed against the boss room’s doors and entered. It felt like a black aura seeped from its black body.
Our dungeon’s strongest fighting strength confronted it, the iron haniwa golem. Iron haniwa for short.
Mounted on its iron horse, the iron haniwa’s body was clad in iron armor.
[Gaooooon!]
The black wolf howled. Likely to threaten the small fry that stood before it.
However, the iron haniwa didn’t falter. Meat was manipulating this as well.
“Pseudo-Slash!”
Holding the specially-made, oversized magic sword blade golem to attack while mounted, it attacked with an imitation of the swordplay skill [Slash].
The wolf easily dodged the opening attack, slamming against the iron haniwa that had lost its posture on horseback.
However, the iron haniwa golem avoided the charge by deliberately rolling off the horse’s back.
“Rokuko-sama, the horse is yours!”
“Got it!”
Passing the horse’s operation to Rokuko, she concentrated on manipulating the haniwa’s main body.
It was fundamentally the same as before. Defending with its shield, attacking with its sword.
And this time, Rokuko also operated the horse’s charges.
Even though it was called a horse, it was also a golem made entirely out of iron. Just considering how much mass it had, there was a destructive power to it. Running about the room, it bolted towards the wolf after gaining momentum.
To compare it to something, it was like a giant motorcycle freely crashing about the room.
[Gurururu—… gaaah!]
However, the wolf managed to evade the horse’s charges while also dodging the slashes and sweeps from the iron haniwa’s pseudo-swordplay skills.
So it’s no use huh… is what I thought, but it looked like it was concentrating on dodging the attacks more than I thought it was.
… Looks like it needs one more push.
“Send out the boss’ followers. All hands on deck! For equipment, bow and arrows, wooden! Don’t bother matching your volleys, take care to not hit allies, do nothing but shoot!”
Although the followers were normal iron golems, they were armed. Their armaments could be replaced depending on the strategy, their feature was that they could cope with a lot of situations.
We’re going with wooden arrows this time. I don’t intend for them to damage the wolf, their only purpose is to divert its attention. Even if they accidentally hit allies, it won’t do much damage. Wood won’t do much to the iron golems.
The bows fired towards the wolf, their bowstrings ringing from the force… but were all swatted down by its tail.
That’s alright. The wolf’s attacks are lessening more and more, constantly being attacked by Meat manipulating the iron haniwa.
Is the wolf tiring? It looks like it’s going berserk in this game of concentration.
As soon as I thought that, the wolf hurled itself towards the horse golem’s flank mid-attack. Slamming into the iron horse that had come to attack it at full strength, the wolf disappeared.
“… That’s not it! It clung on!?”
The wolf—no, it didn’t look like a wolf anymore.
The mass of black mist stuck to the horse’s abdomen.
“What’s going on!? It’s not a wolf-type monster!? Wai—, the horse golem… it’s being eaten!?”
The black mist wrapped around the horse golem… and swallowed its body into itself, ignoring their difference in mass.
Then, it returned to looking like a wolf. This time, it dealt with the follower golems in an instant.
“… Kuh!?”
The Meat-piloted iron haniwa confronted it once again, but the wolf… well, when the golem thrust out its shield to block an incoming bite, the wolf’s head was dissipated into a mist, absorbing both the shield and its left arm. Next, the sword.
Then—
“… I’m so, sorry…”
Meat uttered a sorrowful voice.
The iron haniwa golem was eaten by the black wolf, unable to do anything.