Momoe had been caught by the Slime.
For a split second, they assumed it wouldn’t lead to catastrophe since it was just an Alter Ego, until she screamed that she couldn’t dispel it.
“Momoe, keep your head on its shoulders!”
Hushiki’s voice rang out from the sky.
That such a mystically aura-laden girl was shouting loudly made it clear that she, too, was not without her share of panic.
“I don’t get it! Why is this happening?”
The unharmed Alter Ego Momoe was in complete disarray.
“…What happens if the Alter Ego gets taken out like this?”
Fuka muttered under her breath, her voice laced with unease.
Yes, that was the most pressing question of all.
Was it just a case of the Alter Ego being defeated? They worried about Momoe undergoing a pseudo-experience of death through memory sharing, but even worse outcomes were within the realm of possibility.
Namely, the scenario where the death of the Alter Ego affects the original body.
No one knew what impact it would have if an Alter Ego that was supposed to be dismissible was forcibly kept in existence.
If so, there was only one option left to take.
Save the clone without letting it die.
“Yorina! Change the barrier’s conditions! Make sure the slime can’t escape this area!”
“Yes…!”
With that, there was no longer any worry about Momo’s clones being taken away.
If it were a ‘Resonant Acid Slime,’ it might be able to break the barrier, but he could just have her redeploy it every time.
The giant slime absorbed the captured Momo—pulling her into its body.
All of Momo’s remaining clones dropped to their knees, clutching at their throats as if gasping for oxygen.
—Does capturing one clone affect all the others!
Then it must mean the main body at the base was also taking damage.
“Momo!”
Inukai’s scream.
Smoke rose from Momo’s skin, her flesh melting and burning away along with her clothes.
“Chiyu! Keep healing her! Use painkillers too!”
“[Intermediate Healing]! [Pain Relief]!”
The wounds healed, but Momo immediately sustained new injuries in their place.
No screams came from the captured clone, likely because it was drowning in its own mucus, but the sight of its agony was distressing.
“Yorina! Can’t you generate a barrier inside the slime’s body and rescue Momo?”
”…Ugh! Sorry! The internal acid will destroy the barrier instantly!”
Yorina’s ability allowed her to move a barrier after deploying it.
I had hoped that would make the extraction easier, but things weren’t going to be that simple.
“Inui! Have the remaining clones mount the Beast Spirits! Myself, Fukanou, and Inimori will take down the giant one! Everyone else, handle the low-level slimes!”
A chorus of acknowledgments came from the group.
“Both of you! For now, just keep shaving away at that slime from the outside!”
“Got it!”
“Consider it done!”
The shadow puppet transformed both arms into blades and leaped onto the giant slime, while Fukanou’s Wind Blades sliced through the enemy’s body.
I continuously stored the debris using my [Inventory].
The giant slime vibrated with agitation—and whoosh—something shot out of it.
It wasn’t “something.” It was acidic liquid.
“[Store]!”
As long as I could identify it and it was within range, I could store it in my [Inventory].
The enemy’s counterattack fizzled out, and under the pressure of their combined assault, the foe’s body gradually shrank.
I glanced around for a split second.
“Obstruction.”
A whirlwind kick sent the standard individual flying, core and all.
“You’ll pay the price for what you did to Momo.”
The slimes under Inu-ka’s control swarmed in from multiple angles, forcing them into a frenzy of cannibalism.
“I won’t let any of them get near the Kunou group!”
Fenrir Illusion Partner shredded and stomped down enemies one after another. “Kunou! Please, save Momo!”
Mochiha continued to precisely shoot out the cores of the slimes, her enhanced archery striking with deadly accuracy.
“Sousuke-san! The enemy’s movements are weird!”
As if in a rage, their bodies turned red, and suddenly, the movements of the surrounding grunt slimes froze dead.
A chill ran down my spine.
“—Everyone, get away from the slimes!”
Thankfully, everyone reacted to those words instantly.
Immediately after, the grunt slimes’ bodies exploded outward, their mucus splattering across the ground and grass, which began to sizzle and dissolve with a hissing sound.
Living until the very moment of detonation, and given the sheer volume involved, even my storage would have struggled to mitigate the damage.
It was fortunate that everyone managed to evade in time.
“The Resonant Acid Slime,” I mused. “It seems capable of turning other slimes into acid bombs.”
“Though it appears they failed to detonate.”
The relentless erosion from Inshin and Shinpo continued. Unable to recover the limbs lost to my storage, the giant slime shrank rapidly.
But in a sickeningly clever twist, he had arranged Momo’s body at the center, forcing them to guard her core.
—Is it about time?
“Chiyu! Give me healing and buffs!” “That… guy!?
Please!”
“I’m counting on you!”
”…Hah. 『Muscle Enhancement』! 『Pain Suppression』! 『Intermediate Cure』!”
True to our ten years as childhood friends, she swallowed her hesitation and honored my request. A faint light enveloped my body. “Sojiro-san!?” “Kudo-kun!?” “Shinpo! Finish it off!”
Leaving the startled Shinpo and Inshin behind, I sprinted forward.
The enemy had shrunk considerably, but precisely because of that, I could no longer rely on the two’s attacks.
There was too much risk of injuring Momo’s clones.
Given it was currently ensnaring its prey, damage inflicted by allies’ attacks might well penetrate to the main body.
The enemy desperately hurls spheres of acid, but I absorb them all.
Momo, who had sunk into the enemy’s body, reached out a hand as if begging for help.
I thrust my upper body into the mass and extended my arm toward her.
Instantly, her uniform and my arm began to sizzle and dissolve, but thanks to Pain Relief, the pain wasn’t too intense.
“Got you, Momo!”
Once I had a firm grip on Momo’s arm, I yanked with all my might.
As if pulling her up from the ocean floor, Momo’s body was drawn out of the slime’s flesh.
Cradling her in my arms, I immediately stepped back.
“Please!”
“Storm Blade!!”
Countless wind blades descended upon the giant slime, slicing through to its core inside and shredding it apart.
With a sound like a scream, it stopped dead for a moment before bursting into nothingness.
Corrosive Resonance Slime—defeated.
But right now, Momo was my priority over anything else. “Momo! Are you okay!”
“Cough… cough, cough…”
I dropped to my knees on the spot, bracing Momo’s upper body to prop her up. “Momo!” “Mmm… Sōsuke-kun?”
“Oh… thank god. Are you alright?”
With a dazed gaze wandering in space, Momo gave a weak nod. “Yeah…”
“I’m sorry… for holding you back… this is just the worst”
Slowly, tears began to well up in Momo’s eyes.
“What are you saying? I’m just glad you’re safe.”
Relief washing over me, a smile escaped my lips without thinking.
”…You’re not mad?”
“Momo only tried her best to be useful to everyone, right? There’s no way she could have known her clones couldn’t be separated if she got captured by the enemy. I wouldn’t get angry at that.”
Shifting the subject, I continued.
“Good job out there.”
It must have been so hard; she really endured it well.
That was what I meant to say.
”…! ~~~~?”
Looking down, I saw Momo’s face had turned burning red.
“Are you okay?! D-Do you have any injuries? C-Chi-yu—”
”…This is bad. I don’t get it. What kind of emotion is this…”
In my arms, Momo clutched her chest and mumbled something incoherent, but I knew I had to get Chigyu to see her as soon as possible.
Afterward, the women gave us a mix of exasperation and warm concern with their stares, but thankfully it seemed like no permanent harm would come to Momo.
That’s all that mattered.
”…Sorouke. You really do things like that without thinking, don’t you? It’s infuriating, but I can understand how Momo feels.”
“Mm. Yeah. If someone is in trouble right in front of me, I jump in first and figure out the details later.”
The glares from Sarena and Chigyu were painful.
I felt guilty for putting them in such a dangerous situation, but I couldn’t have let any of my companions face it instead.
At least everyone was safe now.
We had managed to defeat the second unique monster.
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