True Vorpal Bunny (Danmachi SI) Ch.21 (Patreon)

Chapter 21:

“Sweep, staff of crushing evil! Dyo Thyrsos!” Filvis Challia unleashed her spell, releasing a blast of lightning at the charging monsters before her.

The black-haired elf didn’t have the time to count how many monsters she took down as more took their place. She swung her sword and when multiple monsters were in front of her, she started chanting again, maximizing the number of foes she struck with one spell.

However, this wasn’t enough. She saw the way her Familia members couldn’t keep up. And neither could the other adventurers that had been caught in this trap concocted by Evilus.

Filvis herself was flinching. She was getting low on Mind Potions and the stronger monsters were getting nearer;

Then, one of her friends got smacked aside by a Barbarian. The Deep Floors variant of the Minotaurs roared in open challenge after killing a member of the Dionysus Familia.

Before Filvis could try to avenge her friend, a labrys came flying out of nowhere and buried itself in the back of the monster’s head.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU DAMN COWS!” Its owner jumped on top of the monster before it could fall and retrieved his weapon before leaping back into the melee.

Filvis recognized the description of Iru Kratz, alias the Collared Beast, the youngest Level 3 and record holder for the fastest Level Up. She didn’t know what the Hume bunny of Freya Familia was doing here, but she gladly accepted his help.

“Collapse, Star Crown!” She heard him chant before he was envelopped in an aura of black and purple. The next instant, he disappeared from her view before smashing into a pack of Loup-Garous.

His intervention lightened her load enough that she could actually marvel at the difference between them. She was three years older than him and a Level 2. He was Level 3, and his Skills and spell must have been mighty because she had seen other Level 3s fight with less vigor than him.

The fact that such a short chant resulted in such a powerful enchantment was mind-boggling for the elf.

But, such thoughts could come later, when her life and her friends’ weren’t on the line.

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Iru had found his marks. The true problem of the horde was the monsters from the Deep Floors. They were between high Level 3 or low Level 4, but they were specialized.

The Loup-Garous were fast and had sharp claws and teeth, but they lacked strength. The Barbarians were stronger Minotaurs but just as lumbering. The Spartoi were the most balanced, but were weaker than Iru overall.

So, for the Bunny who had high stats all around, he took the fight where his enemies were at their weakest.

The Barbarians were avoided and taken from behind before they could turn around. For the nimbler monsters, Iru charged them and overpowered them with heavy gravity.

It was the best way Iru had to deal with them, trusting the other adventurers to pick up the slack.

However, it wasn’t long before the Dungeon reminded Iru that it was vicious.

So focused was he on the monsters from the Deep Floors that Iru forgot the Water City had its own danger.

Iru’s axe bounced off a barrier. He sighted the Carbuncle that had created it. Before he could try and squash the critter, red streaks flew through the air, directed at Iru.

He managed to swat one on the flat edge of his axe, revealing an Iguazu, the red swallow-like monster that made its nest behind the Great Fall, known for its speed and Kamikaze tactics.

Iru was too slow to parry or dodge the other two. One impacted his thigh, exploding into gore and impaling its beak in the Hume’s Bunny’s flesh. The second slammed into Iru’s shoulder, the armor thankfully preventing another open wound, but still sending a shock through Iru’s body and making him stumble.

A Spartoi took the opening and thrusted its spear, aiming to pierce through Iru’s eye.

“No, you don’t!” Iru snarled.

He tiled his head to the side, letting the spear scratch his cheek before he grabbed the shaft and tugged the Spartoi forward. He then headbutted its skull hard enough for the skeletal monster’s head to explode into bone shards.

Iru retrieved his labrys, channeled Star Crown into its edge and fired off an Afterglow.

The magic slash culled numerous monsters, but not enough. More came to replace them.

Iru clicked his tongue. He couldn’t spam Afterglow. It took a lot of compressed magic to fire one and at his current level, it didn’t have the power to wipe a Floor clean like he could have done with Alfia’s absorbed power.

And since there were a lot of uncoordinated adventurer parties with him, he could do horizontal sweeps without the risk of hitting someone.

So, he kept fighting, keeping a tight hold of his Mind for when the situation called for it.

Monsters died in troves, but it wasn’t bloodless. Multiple adventurers had died, already exhausted from diving so deep and not ready for such a prolonged battle.

A Loup-Garou lunged for Iru’s neck. The Hume Bunny ducked but got a chunk of one of his ears bitten off. He retaliated by beheading the mutt.

Iru was also starting to feel the fatigue. Minor wounds were piling up. He couldn’t keep up. 

Just as the situation was getting desperate, a cry tore through the fighting before the monsters’ backline was attacked.

“For Iru-chi!” Lyd screamed as the Xenos suddenly made their way through the attacking monsters.

“Idiots!” Iru couldn’t help but scream. “You were safe!”

“See! He’s worried about us!” The Lizardman yelled back. The Xenos cheered and started to fight harder. “Well, we’re worried about you too!”

If anyone said that Iru had a small tear coming down his eye, he would deny it.

“Damn it! Cover me for two seconds!”

“Sure thing, friend!”

The other adventurers didn’t know what was happening with the sudden arrival of talking monsters, but they were far too desperate to think about it and instead just accepted the help.

Meanwhile, Iru deactivated Star Crown. 

“Mourn the lost love. Mourn the ending of the story. Those tears nourish the goddess’s new tale. Golden Tears.”

He wasn’t good at Concurrent Chanting yet, so he was thankful for the Xenos’s arrival allowing him to take a few moments to chant his healing spell.

Coated in golden light, Iru’s wounds and tiredness started to fade. Unfortunately, it didn’t regrow the bit of his ear that had been bitten, but it at least closed the wound.

With the Xenos joining in, Iru also had the time to take a Mind potion out of his bag and chug it.

With that healing session done with, Iru smiled, reactivated Star Crown and rushed back into battle.

Between the Xenos’s help and Iru back at 100%, the adventurers also gained some breathing room and used their own healing items.

The tides were turning around, and Evilus couldn’t accept that.

The crazy fanatics who had lured this horde of monsters to the 27th Floor couldn’t let the adventurers and those weird talking monsters survive, so they joined the fray, uncaring of the monsters who also attacked them.

Olivas Act, the white-haired leader of this terrorist plan, howled as he threw himself at a party of Level 2s. He was ready to die today and he would bring as many people with him as he could.

Iru’s flying kick to the face crushed this plan like Olivas’s cheekbone.

The Level 3 Evilus member steadied himself and looked back at Iru with outrage.

“You won’t stop us! You will die today and Orario will suffer!”

“How about you go first and hold the gates of Hell open for me then?” Iru responded and jumped at Olivas to bring his axe down on the lunatic.

It became very clear that Olivas Act wasn’t strong. he had managed to reach Level 3, but it was through the slaughter of humans while in Evilus, using cowardly means to gain a lot of Excelia with little risk.

He had no magic or Skills. The only thing that was irregular about Olivas was that he was a tamer.

So, when he met Iru’s axe, his legs folded.

“Kill me, but no one will save you!” The cultist grunted as he backed off from Iru’s whirlwind offense.

One hit from the Hume Bunny’s axe and he had felt his bones creak. He was totally on the defensive.

But his words weren’t false.

Even with the Xenos’s help and a second wind, the assault from the monsters and the maniacs from Evilus pushed back the adventurers once more.

Iru thought about leaving Olivas and going back to help when reinforcements finally arrived.

“Get them!” Ardee screamed, followed by a bunch of adventurers.

Anya and Lili were also there, brandishing their spears.

“No!” Olivas roared as he saw his plan crumble.

Iru slammed down his axe and sent him flying right into the horde of monsters he had brought for.

Iru jumped after him, magic coalescing around his labrys before firing off another Afterglow.

Olivas Act disappeared under the judging light of the heroic strike.

Finally, with the death of their leader and the sudden reinforcements, Evilus and the horde of monsters was dealt with.

Adventurers from Ardee’s group started to advance on the Xenos, who had gone to flank the horde from another side without having to worry about the new adventurers.

Thankfully, when Iru moved to intercept them, a few of the adventurers who had been trapped and fought with the Xenos also put themselves between the talking monsters and the new arrivals.

“They helped us!” Filvis argued.

“Chill!”

“Hey Lyd!” Iru turned toward the Xenos. “Say something!”

“Something.”

Iru pointed at the silly lizard.

“See?! Completely harmless.”

That did take the sail out of the reinforcement party.

“Talking monsters? That’s like right out of a fairy tale.” Ardee had stars in her eyes as she approached the Xenos.

Anya and Lili had lowered their weapons the moment Iru interposed himself. They trusted the bunny.

The other adventurers couldn’t keep their hostility when they saw Ardee converse with the Xenos and she then picked up Arles the Almiraj to hug the bunny-like monster wearing a cute little blue cloak.

Iru did have to explain about the Xenos and how they lived in the Dungeon. Once it was done, he was the one with questions.

“Who sent a rescue party?”

“I did!” Ardee replied. “We got infos about Evilus’s plan. Finn said that it was a distraction and that we should focus on attacking their base instead. I punched him in the face and took everyone willing to help with me.”

Well, that was a change. The Nightmare of the 27th Floor was supposed to be a total massacre, leading to the birth of two Creatures with Filvis and Olivas being taken by the Corrupted Spirit. Finn’s plan should have been approved, leaving the adventurers unlucky enough to be in the Dungeon that day to die.

Iru supplying the Xenos and saving Ardee had created enough butterflies to send what he knew out of whack.

The Nightmare of the 27th Floor occurred earlier, but Ardee opposed Finn and made her own rescue squad. The Xenos helped and brought enough time for reinforcements to arrive. and Iru himself was also the strongest adventurer on the 27th Floor who dealt with the most dangerous monsters.

It was very likely that from now on, his future knowledge was going to be mostly useless.

But he could live with that if that meant more people survived.