Into the Barrier

How much time had passed since the battle began?

The buzzing of mosquito wings felt like it would drive me mad.

A sound that would normally just be annoying became this vicious when enough of them gathered.

I couldn't stop the goosebumps of revulsion.

Even so, Alexia's magical technique was clearly superior, even to an amateur eye.

Her flames continued to annihilate the oncoming enemies.

But Alexia's magical power wasn't infinite.

And no matter how efficiently she used her magic, consumption wasn't zero.

Facing the endless swarm of Mosquito Monsters, Alexia had been casting continuously, and she was visibly beginning to tire.

"There's a lull."

"That was the seventh wave…"

Having burned through seven enormous masses, the Mosquito Monsters were no longer visible.

Alexia confirmed this and slumped down.

She was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily.

While they had the chance, Azu and Elza wiped Alexia's sweat and handed her a drink.

Then they made her drink a mana potion.

"This is bitter."

"Bear with it and drink. It would be rough if you completely ran out of magical power."

"I know."

She wiped her mouth and stood up again.

Her endurance was still intact. Her fighting spirit hadn't waned.

Meanwhile, Evalin's expression hadn't changed at all.

She should have used about the same amount of magical power as Alexia.

Was this much not a big deal to her?

"If you're tired, you can sit and wait the whole time."

"Don't worry, I can still keep going."

"I wasn't worried though…"

"Then don't bother me."

Perhaps it was competitive spirit. Fire magic was Alexia's specialty, so maybe she was a bit competitive with the elf.

The ambient temperature had risen considerably from the continuous fire magic.

According to Elza, the fire attribute in the surroundings had strengthened.

This was an advantageous situation for us.

"More reinforcements. How long is this going to go on?"

"The total number is definitely decreasing. The black shadow covering the sky isn't as large as before."

Eventually, more Mosquito Monsters came flooding from the depths.

Should I consider retreating once before Alexia reached her limit?

Or should we rely on Evalin to finish them off?

I couldn't yet judge which was the right call.

At the very least, Evalin's magical power didn't seem like it would run out.

Alexia and Evalin continued firing magic toward the barrier.

While watching them, we did what we could on our end.

"Is this right?"

"Yes. Well done."

"Finished over there."

Following Elza's instructions, everyone who wasn't otherwise occupied drew simple magic circles.

One circle would drain the user's magical power to restore the magical power of those inside.

We also prepared one to enhance fire attributes.

They weren't as sophisticated as what a proper mage would create, but they should still help the two of them a bit.

It would be effective in a battle of endurance.

More time passed, and finally, all the black masses that had covered the sky vanished completely.

No reinforcements came from the depths.

It seemed we had finally eliminated a significant number.

"The ones on this side have been dealt with. Humans can manage after all."

"Obviously…"

Alexia's complexion was quite poor, but she was still conscious.

The poor color was a symptom of magical depletion.

I brought a mana potion to her lips and made her drink it forcefully.

"Good work. Rest for now."

"It's not over yet. We only burned the ones that multiplied. We haven't wiped them all out. It won't be over unless we get every last one."

"Exactly. If we leave it for a few days, it'll probably be back to normal."

"Just a few days…"

If we made Alexia do the same thing again, she wouldn't last.

I felt bad pushing her when she was already tired, but since we'd come this far, we had no choice but to see it through.

"We retreat if it becomes dangerous. Evalin-san, you agree, right? Please follow this absolutely."

"Fine. I'm curious what it's like inside, so I'll follow the human's instructions."

"That works for me."

From an elf's perspective, humans must inevitably seem inferior.

But I was grateful she was willing to follow instructions regardless.

We entered the barrier.

All the holes we'd come through were sealed.

Perhaps because fire magic had been blasted continuously, the surrounding air was dry, and the rotting ground was completely scorched.

There was a burnt smell, but we managed to avoid the foul stench at least.

"Can't you shrink the barrier? If we made it smaller as we cleared areas, it would be easier to deal with."

"No. The barrier can open or close portions, but it can't be made larger or smaller. I'd have to release it and set up a new one."

"And that wouldn't rule out the possibility of prey escaping, huh."

Finn's suggestion was rejected.

Barriers were convenient, but apparently not that flexible.

Surviving Mosquito Monsters attacked from here and there, but the numbers were insignificant and easy to handle.

Indeed, they were only a threat in numbers.

A small number was not particularly frightening, even if they were monsters.

A prickling itch on my arm.

A large Mosquito Monster was sucking blood.

I reflexively swatted at it but missed.

Despite its size, it was as quick as a normal mosquito.

The next instant, Azu swung her sword.

The Mosquito Monster was split in two and fell to the ground.

"The bite won't stop bleeding. Let me wrap it with a bandage."

"Yeah, please."

She applied medicine and wrapped a bandage around my arm.

Thanks to the medicine, blood didn't seep through the bandage.

"One bite took quite a bit of blood. And the fact that the bleeding doesn't stop right away is troublesome too."

"It also seems to call its friends with the smell of blood."

The buzzing around us grew louder again.

Evalin noticed and raised her staff.

A scorching hot wind blasted the area, blowing away the Mosquito Monsters.

"Don't stop moving. I want to get to the back quickly."

"… Let's do that."

Who knew what would happen if we lingered.

We hurried toward the source.