A giant made of rock and mud stood before them.
“Everyone, first, try hitting it with all you’ve got.”
Zofia, Ringa, and Reve.
And several of their subordinates started running towards the golem at Zenos’ command.
However, they seemed somewhat hesitant due to the intimidating presence exuded by the enemy.
“It’s okay. I know you’re scared, but there’s no need to be. Leave the support to me.”
Standing behind them, Zenos held out his hand towards the demi-humans.
――Agility Enhancement.
A faint blue light enveloped them, and their speed increased dramatically.
“What the, my body feels incredibly light.”
“It must be something Lord Zenos did.”
“Alright, I think I can fight like this.”
Zofia took out her whip, Ringa held her hatchet, and Reve charged with her spear.
――Muscle Enhancement. Strike Enhancement.
The sound of destruction echoed, and parts of the golem’s leg, struck by the enhanced blows of the three, crumbled and scattered.
“It’s been a while since I’ve used enhancement magic, but it’s not bad. Good, keep it up!”
Zenos shouted, keeping both hands held out in front of him.
OOOOOOAAAA!!!
The golem, perhaps recognizing them as enemies, suddenly let out a ferocious roar and swung its arms.
A thunderous sound rang out, and a gust of wind blew. The golem’s fingertips grazed Ringa’s body, and she was sent flying into a ruined house.
“Ringa, are you alright?”
“Nn, I was surprised, but I’m fine. Thanks to Lord Zenos.”
Ringa emerged from the ruined house unscathed. A protective spell already covered her body.
This was how he used to support his party members from behind in the past. The difference was that he used to support them silently.
The reason was that Aston would fly into a rage if he used support magic during battle. Thinking back, Aston probably had some awareness that he was mistreating Zenos. Therefore, he was afraid of being cursed by some strange magic from behind during the battle, in revenge.
Zenos explained himself many times, but Aston wouldn’t listen. In the end, Zenos trained himself not to chant, to suppress the magical aura as much as possible, and to support them silently and secretly. As a result, he was ironically expelled for doing “nothing”.
“I’m starting to remember how to fight.”
There were two important constraints to be aware of.
First, the effect of the magic weakens the farther away the target is from Zenos, so they must remain within a certain distance. Second, while healing, protection, and ability enhancement are fundamentally the same, their activation forms are different, so they cannot be applied completely simultaneously.
Therefore, he needed to protect them with defensive magic, enhance their abilities at the moment of attack, and immediately heal them if they were injured. He had to instantly switch between the necessary magic according to the battle situation.
As a result, the demi-humans, supported by Zenos, were gradually pushing back the golem without taking any damage.
“Okay, I think I understand.”
As Camilla had said, even if the limbs were destroyed, the broken parts would regenerate by gathering surrounding rocks and mud. However, they confirmed that it took some time for complete regeneration.
That was the key.
“Everyone, break both its legs at the same time.”
At Zenos’ command, the demi-humans started running simultaneously.
The way to defeat a golem is to destroy the magic stone somewhere in its body. He could identify its location using <Diagnostic Scan>, but the accuracy would decrease if the golem moved violently. Therefore, he would break its legs and use <Diagnostic Scan> in the instant it was unable to move during regeneration. Once the location of the magic stone was known, all that remained was to concentrate their attacks.
The three demi-humans, enveloped in a faint light, exchanged glances.
“I never thought I’d fight alongside you guys.”
“This is also thanks to Lord Zenos.”
“This is the first time I’ve felt so secure with someone watching my back.”
“My, my, you surprise me, Zenos-kun.”
“The Guide”, watching the battle from atop the hill, breathed a sigh of admiration again.
Would he wait for help from the central group? Or would he run away from this place and call for help?
He was watching to see which he would choose, and once again, Zenos exceeded his expectations. The man led only a few people and confronted the golem head-on.
“Amazing. An impromptu gathering is displaying this much power.”
He had heard that Zenos could use both protective magic and ability enhancement magic, but this was beyond his imagination. The demi-humans, who belonged to different races, were fighting like a seasoned party against an ancient monster.
“To begin with, it’s unfair that you can use different types of magic at that level. This is your victory in the second act, too.”
However, contrary to the content of his words, the “Guide” seemed extremely pleased. His murmur was tinged with excitement.
“Now, it’s finally the climax. The. Final. Choice. awaits you.”
GOAAAAAA!!!
The golem’s legs, struck by the simultaneous attack of the demi-humans, scattered into rubble. The upper body, losing its support, fell backward with momentum.
At that moment, Zofia shouted.
“Teacher, there’s a child who was left behind!”
“What?”
Perhaps the child was hiding behind the ruined house out of fear.
Zofia was pointing to the area where the golem was about to fall, but Zenos couldn’t see it from his position because of the rubble.
“Damn it.”
He couldn’t cast a highly accurate protective spell on someone he couldn’t see. Zenos immediately started running. He might barely make it in time—
—But,
The golem suddenly twisted its upper body and planted both hands on the ground. As if to avoid crushing the child, everyone’s movements stopped for a moment. In that gap, the child came running out, crying.
Zofia’s subordinate immediately grabbed the child and led them to safety.
“Impossible…”
Behind Zenos, Camilla said in a daze.
“Golems only carry out simple orders given to them. The action it just took is unthinkable. It’s also strange that it suddenly became ferocious as soon as it started fighting you. The characteristic of a golem is that its behavior is consistent.”
Hearing Wraith’s words, Zenos calmly replied.
“Camilla. You said earlier that high-purity magic stones, which become the core of pseudo-life, are no longer obtainable, right?”
“Yes, I did.”
“If you were to forcibly imbue an imperfect magic stone with life, what method would you use?”
“…No way…!”
Keeping his gaze fixed forward, Zenos slowly lowered his raised hand.
“I’ve finished <Diagnostic Scan> of the golem. The magic stone is located in its left chest.”
And the <Diagnostic Scan> revealed a familiar outline in the location of the magic stone. Staring at the regenerating golem, Zenos muttered.
“You’re… Aston, aren’t you…?”
A/N: Aston, you…?!