<h4>Chapter 42: Tree monster? Tentacle monster? Tentacle tree monster!</h4>


    Nibbling on her grilled meat, Hinagiku watched Mikoto and Wu Yan with much bewilderment.


    After she woke up, the mood between the two changed in terms of quality.


    He didn’t change much, he would still grill meat when called on and his speech pattern is as usual unpredictable, it’s Mikoto’s behaviour that’s odd.


    Every time he threw a nce at her, she would look away within 2 secondspletely avoiding eye ctact. When he turn away she would secretly take a peek at him before turning her head away within 2 seconds and then shaking it like she’s trying to deny something.


    This farce repeated itself over and over.


    This abnormal appearance is like a kitten scratching her heart (tl: upset, jelly<), she’s="" really="" itching="" to="" ask="" what="" in="" the="" world="">


    After they’re finished with their meal he touched the fire circle and the fire disappeared, storing it away he turned to the two.


    “Alright, let’s move out, there shouldn’t be that many monsters anymore, not with the amount weid to rest yesterday…”


    Thinking back about the horde that could make a mountain from their number the two merely nodded in stern motion.


    Observing their appearance, he may look normal on the outside but he’s quite joyous inside.


    It seems the two managed to adapt to this situation otherwise it would be a hard fightter on.


    “There’s only one path here!”


    Pointing at the wide passage.


    “Therefore we can only move forward!”


    “Let’s go fidn that jewel of heavenly pce or something and leave this God forsaken ce!”


    With an ecstatic tone not jus tbecause she wants to find the search target and get the hell out of here but more importantly because there’s most likely monsters ahead, and if there’s monster, there’s experience points!


    After Wu Yan’s exnation and persuasion it may seem like she doesn’t care about the sisters anymore but actually the matter has already been engraved on her heart.


    He already said it, the time in her world is frozen still, the sisters won’t be harmed any further, this in turn made her a bit panicky.


    She only wants to attain more strength, the strength to one up elerator, and with it save the sisters!


    It’s inevitable that she’s in a frenzy, but he’s satisfied with this, at leastpared to the helpless and despairing her in the original work, this kind of face is more appeasing.


    Part of the reason is because of the time stop but another reason is because unlike in the original story, this one has hope!


    In the original work Mikoto wants to save the sisters butpletely powerless to do so, she maybe no.3 but elerator is no.1, it may not seem that big a difference but the difference is like heaven and earth between them!


    In the original she was saving one of the sister and had a bout with elerator but under his op esp, she got owned.


    Add that to the fact that there’re behind the scene pulling the strings…


    Due to this, she had to resort to ‘suicidal’ method to save the sisters!


    But right now the story’s different, rather than the insurmountable elerator, she is his summon now and with enough battles and strengthening there’s a way to surpass elerator!


    The circumstances surrounding sisters were told to her by Wu Yan during the entire night after she shoved him away in embarrassment. The matters mentioned include the function of sisters, ‘s n and the BoD’s support and the likes.


    She can’t help feeling dejected, this implies that she would have to go against the entire Academy City, her home, one does not need to borate on how this is very depressing.


    Of course, she has already steeled her resolve and made the necessary preparations, even in the original she did so what’s to say of now.


    What she understands now is that as long as she beats elerator then in the short run her sisters will be okay, regarding Aleister however she’s sure he wouldn’t let her mess up his n.


    On what to do post elerator’s defeat, Wu Yan only said ‘system must be able to pose a solution’ so she’s assured with that.


    Compared to original story, she don’t have to go el lobo solo on this endeavour, there’s someone who has merged her life with him watching her 6 o’clock, someone who is really trustworthy willing to lend a hand or two, undoubtedly she’s feeling a ton of happiness!


    All that said however she must still get stronger…


    Under her incessant urging the trio resumed their journey to find the jewel of heavenly pce.


    Same as the environment they’ve seening here, everywhere being rocks and stones devoid of even slightest hint of water, the trio walked on this passage that desensitized one’s vision while not reducing their vignce.


    Completely different in terms of attitudes, Hinagiku and Mikoto is now more serious and hardened than the them who’s came in with a yful attitude, funny how one bout with the youkai army changed them so.


    Certainly, they’re a bit ufortable to this change…


    He’s speechless at the way the two is walking so carefully, what with knitting their legs close together.


    You girls weared safety pants year in year out and not without them your stride changed like so, how to put this?…


    Mikoto and Hinagiku’s feeling pretty edgy right now, the two went around with those pants because they don’t want to watch their steps and constantly guard their skirts, with their attitude being all masculine and athletic this kind of movement pattern is very tiring.


    Basically, with their familiar safety pants suddenly gone, it really is… awkward to no ends!


    What’s more they have to beware the wolf behind them…


    The two understands very well once the expose their God’s gift to all men, the shameless wolf behind them will definitely enjoy himself without the slightest reserve!


    This is pointless when a battle happens, their skirts flipping is definitely going to happen but what can they do beside suck it up with frustration.


    If he could read their minds he would have chuckled at their silly thoughts before continuing like so.


    “What are two panties worth? When I have seen every nook and cranny?”


    What they don’t know is that their ‘safety guards’ are currently resting within his space ring…


    What does one mean when saying someone is shameless? This my friend is the paragon!


    “Look, there’s some sort of light ahead!”


    Pointing at it with Shirosakura, what appeared before them was an exit like ce with a bit of lighting from it.


    He changed into a more tense face and dashed to their front.


    “We don’t know the rough situation so it’s better to be a bit more prudent, we can’t exclude the possiblity of there being monsters ahead!”


    The two nodded to him formally, mental prep and the likes has been prepared since after the fight yesterday.


    Mikoto ran the calctions in her head to prepare her abilities to fire off at a moment’s notice. The strongest one here is her although the leader is Wu Yan, so she must at least y her part.


    Exiting the passage, the trio saw a circle wide open space in front of them after being momentarily blinded by the bright light. Compared to their previous battlefield, this one is even wider, it doesn’t seem artificially made. The surrounding wall has holes in them of different evenly distributed holes roughly the same size, the holes didn’t seem deep as well. Just by standing down at the za the trio could see the holes’ deadend, if one were to describe them it would be like they’re inside a beehive.


    And right at the top in front of them was a cave bigger than any other cave around it, in front of it is a imperial throne (tl: 龙椅, or just throne), it’s just a normal stone chair but from its appearance it looks a bit badass.


    Taking this all in Mikoto turned grim, the two were baffled by this.


    “Something wrong? Mikoto…”


    Hinagiku walked to her side.


    “Look at that!” Frowning she pinted at the throne.


    “That’s a throne yes?”


    “Isn’t taht obvious?”


    He just rolled his eyes at her, as long as one has eyes one could see that’s a throne.


    Receiving his white eyes she just leered at him.


    “Stupid, who sits on a throne?!”


    “Isn’t it the king….”


    Finally getting her hint he’s startled.


    “Are you saying…”


    Looking at the tall throne her jaw dropped, incoherent in speech but it seems she understood the implications.


    “That’s right!”


    She looked at the two before continuing.


    “There is nothing but small holes here, the depth we could perceive with our eyes and including the big cave behind the throne this would mean there’s no other further passage here, this is the innermost area!”


    Tauting her face Hinagiku resumed her point.


    “so since this is the innermost area, where did the monster army from before spawn from?”


    Pointing at the holes.


    “There’s only one answer, the holes, those are its nest, and that…”


    Pointing at the big cave behind the throne she grinned.


    “Is the king of the army! It’s his nest!”


    “rumble…”


    As her voice fell, the ground shook and she fell into his chest out of the shock,pletely unlike her previous cool demeanour, red clouds began to float up her face.


    Hinagiku on the side also got tipped off her bnce and was caught by Wu Yan as well, he promptly tightened his hold on the two and steadied himself.


    The ground began to have fracture lines going through them, in the midst of shaking some rock began to move around and some came towards him.


    He jumped and dodged the rocks one by one if he could not dodge the rocks then he would use them as foothold to move around.


    The shaking grew more and more intense, while he’s considering the chances of ceiling copse, a vine shot out from the shaking ground and with a hurricane like speed approached his front and whipped at Wu Yan who hadn’t had the time to respond.


    At this moment, something moved inside his mind, the motion materialized outside and the impact from the whipping is blocked by a formless armor.


    A dull thud resounded when it was blocked, the armor then stayed for awhile before disappearing.


    Only now did he return to his senses, stepping on a vine he did a flip in the air beforending on his feet with a cold sweat running down the side of his head.


    That vine whip would have rendered him unfit forbat if it were not blocked by the conceptual dragon armor.


    The vine retreat when its assault failed. Even more vines came out from the ground after that, within a blink of the eye, hundreds of vine came out and a tree slowly crawled out from the center of the sea of vines. The tree had a face and giant mouth, it had its sight trained on the trio.


    Is this a tree monster? Or is it a tentacle monster?