This Wasn’t A Situation Where We Could Afford To Gamble

“Fire Arrow!”

Orphe immediately followed up by firing a flaming arrow at one of the Snow Alligators, but… just like before, it slid off the surface and was deflected away.

“Geh!?”

“Orphe, higher up! Mjolnir!”

Kikori’s axe crackled with lightning once more. One of the Snow Alligators leaped with its great jaws wide open toward the place where Orphe had been just an instant before.

But by then, Orphe was already flying even higher.

Seeing its exposed belly, Kikori slammed his electrified axe into it.

“GIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?”

The embedded axe poured lightning into the Snow Alligator through the wound, and it was charred black.

But at the same time, the other two Snow Alligators sprang at Kikori… and just before they reached him, Orphe dove down and dragged Kikori out of the danger zone.

“That saved me!”

“Shut up! What are we supposed to do about those things!?”

“Their bellies are soft! And attacks work normally inside their bodies!”

“Well, that’s a great discovery! If the same trick works two more times, we’ll win!”

That was true. Perhaps because they had grown wary after seeing one of their own die, the Snow Alligators were now slowly circling around while glaring at Kikori and the others.

For the moment, they showed no sign of attacking, but that did not mean the situation could be viewed optimistically.

“They haven’t given up… right?”

“They’re just figuring out how to kill us.”

“Yeah… figured.”

In other words, this situation would not end until one side died.

Which meant they had to work out a way to kill the Snow Alligators too, but…

“Orphe. Can’t you do something with that spell from earlier, Flame Sphere?”

“Probably not. Fire Arrow isn’t weak, you know.”

“…So this isn’t a situation where we can afford to gamble.”

“That’s right.”

It was easy enough to infer what abilities the enemy had.

They were extremely resistant to physical attacks and magical attacks.

That was all. But because that was all, the situation was terrible.

There were only two ways for them to win: strike the belly, or strike inside the body.

That was all, but… not even the faintest idea came to Kikori about how anyone was supposed to pull off something like that against a crocodile.

As he thought, Kikori suddenly realized something.

“Orphe!”

“What?”

“Flame Sphere! If you fire it at their feet…!”

“Huh? Ah, I see.”

With a vicious grin, Orphe seemed to understand from that alone.

“I’ll draw their attention first. Use that opening.”

“Okay.”

He drew in a huge breath.

Against monsters at this level, he doubted intimidation could possibly stop them in their tracks.

But… now that they were already wary of him, he should at least be able to draw their attention.

So Kikori poured every bit of killing intent he had into it.

I will absolutely kill you.

With that determination packed into it, he roared:

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

War Cry.

That War Cry, filled with killing intent at full force, successfully drew the Snow Alligators’ attention onto Kikori.

And because of that, the Snow Alligators failed to notice.

The tiny fairy that had shot away at high speed from Kikori’s side.