âI will do my best, so attack with all you have. This is the first time we are working together, so fight as if you are fighting alone. Iâll try to guess as much as I can.â
Rata rustled his fur, which had turned into a ball, and prepared to run. His fur was not ordinary, so he should be able to fend off its attacks a couple of times. The issue was whether Sarahâs sword could cut the monster.
âI donât think sheâs lacking in attack power.â
He hadnât seen it a few times, but Sarahâs sword was sharper than he thought. Also, its weight was pretty good, so he thought of lightly blocking it with his tail earlier, but the shock he felt through his entire body was too great.
If she attacked with all her power, she could fight well against the monster.
âHere I go!â
At the time the signal fell, Rata rushed to the monster as he rolled on the ground. He was incredibly fast, and his wavy hair now stood like thorns. Then he crashed right into the monsterâs torso.
Bang!!!
There was a considerable impact, and Sarah approached the monster without missing the opportunity.
Kwaa!
The monster screamed and grabbed Rata with both hands. It would be difficult to touch him since Rata had thorns all over his body, but the monster lifted him up as if they didnât matter.
âDamn it! This isnât workingâŚ.!â
Rata couldnât finish his words as the monster threw him to the ground. Fortunately, the shock of the impact was absorbed as he made his fur soft again.
At the same time, Sarah jumped over Rata and stabbed the monster in the neck.
[Futility Divide]
If possible, she wanted the monster to die right then and use her familyâs technique, but the monster was faster than she thought.
It tilted its head to avoid the sword, then turned its body to the left and swung its large tail.
âA tail?!â
When its tail suddenly appeared, she was greatly shocked because it didnât have any tail earlier, but those thoughts didnât last long.
Sarah unfolded the Sea of Hundred and covered herself with the sword in front of her. The monsterâs tail hit her sword.
Kwak!
The aura on her sword shook, and the shock was transmitted to her body.
Sarah frowned and bounced off the ground a couple of times.
âYah! You damned monster!â
The squirrel returned to his original form and called out to Sarah, who had fallen, with a worried tone.
But soon, he was annoyed.
âIt looks like it has the ability to transform.â
Rata had some information about the monster, but he didnât know that it could transform.
He thought that it had a strong force, but this was too much.
âBut to survive in this huge tree for a long time, you donât have to be just strong. I overlooked that part.â
Sarah staggered to get up, and Rata asked her if she was fine.
âIs there anything broken?â
âI am just a little surprised.â
Sara replied with a normal face and put her sword in front of her again. The impact on her body was quickly offset by the artifacts. However, if it happens several times, then the artifacts will start wearing off, but for now, she can try again.
Rata decided that Sarah wasnât bluffing, so they prepared to attack again.
âAs you can see, it has the ability to transform its body. I donât know the extent of its abilities, but we need to fight while taking into consideration that there are quite a lot of variables.â
He was saying that they shouldnât run blindly like before.
Rata continued,
âFor now, donât step out. Just wait.â
âWhat?â
âI will let you observe the extent of its ability, so keep an eye out for it. Just like how you observed me.â
âWhy do thatâŚâ
Sarah was about to ask why Rata was doing that, but he smiled and said,
âIsnât that the best strategy to win?â
She didnât know if it was really a good strategy for them to win, but it was clear that the weakness of the enemy would be revealed at the price of sacrificing his body.
And Rata didnât have to do that.
If only he had run away, Sarah would have felt better. But to see him doing this, she wondered if what Rata had been saying until now was sincere.
âI told him he was lyingâŚâ
Sarah shook her head. Too much doubt could be a disease.
Even though it wasnât nice, this was the situation they were in.
Now that a bigger enemy was in front of them, it was only right for her to agree with Rataâs plan.
âI will follow your plan.â
âI was thinking about what to do if you were going to be stubborn. Good. Keep your eyes open.â
Rataâs hair grew long, and it wrapped itself thickly around his body like armor.
In fact, it was safe to say that his body was covered with hard fur, so it was really armor.
However, it had one downside.
âFull Armor Mode!!â
Rata screamed loudly, and seeing that Sarah mumbled,
âDisgustingâŚâ
âDo you think that child will lead her properly?â
Gaia didnât respond to Venusâs question.
She couldnât do it even if she wanted to. She didnât want to talk about it too much. Venus also knew that, so she didnât expect an answer.
But she still kept asking,
âI donât know much, but he almost messed up the world once. This time too, with his petty character, he might ruin the great plan you are trying to achieve.â
Gaia, who was silent until then, spoke for the first time,
[I believe in that child.]
âHoo? Did you just speak? Is that fine? He might hear your voice and come here.â
Venus spoke in a playful tone.
Gaia wasnât offended because she knew her personality, and she wasnât wrong. Still, she wasnât the type to pretend that she didnât know anything when she could hear that the people she believed in were being criticized.
[Ratatosque doesnât make the same mistake twice. Because the past is just the past.]
âLetâs hope so.â
Gaia closed her mouth again and stared into the space.
There, Ratatosque was fighting with the monster.
âRata. I believe that you can do it.â
So guide Sarah to the right path.
Contrary to his ridiculous appearance, his Full Armor had an amazing ratio of attack and defense. Then a soft light shone from Rataâs body.
âI thought I would live my whole life without seeing you, but since things ended up like this, I will show it.â
He spat out his words as if declaring war on the monster and crouched down.
The fur that covered his body tightened and pulled his muscles.
A weak wind blew around them as if the wind would become stronger any second.
Sarah looked at this in shock.
âHe was hiding such a form?â
His furry armor looked like muscles, and his protruding tail stretched out in a straight line and swelled up like a club.
Roooaaar!
The monster roared and rushed for Rata. Another arm began to grow under the monster, and the two pairs of arms merged into one, growing so large that they looked like wings.
Another leg came out, merged with the existing one, and became very large. The monster was more deformed and horrible to look at than the God of Gluttony at the Rotomo Strait.
The power this monster held couldnât be compared with the God of Gluttony, but right now, it was at a dangerous level.
âCan the squirrel handle it?â
Rata showed formidable strength, but he couldnât help but feel small and weak in front of the monster.
Since he told her to observe the monster, she intended to just watch them fight.
It was because she had a hunch that even if the monster were strong, Rata wouldnât be pushed very much. Before long, the two collided.
Kwang!!
There was a huge sound that gave the illusion that the whole tree was shaking.
The force she felt from the monster was beyond her imagination, and she was worried that Rata would fall out of the tree, but contrary to her thoughts, Rata wasnât pushed back.
âEuhhh!â
Standing tall, he was fighting and enduring the weight of the monster!
The monster began to push its hand onto Rataâs head to crush him down. But as if he didnât care, Rata blocked its leg with his body and grabbed the head of the monster with both hands.
He took a deep breath, and his body swelled up.
âHuh!â
And using his body that was pressed against the monsterâs leg as support, he bent his waist in the opposite direction and pulled the monsterâs hand toward his chest.
As he rolled back like an armadillo, his rotational force increased, and he threw the monster away.
However, it was such a huge monster that only its body was bent back a little, and the squirrel swung his tail as if he had anticipated it.
Puak!!
His tail, which now looked like a club with thorns, landed on the monsterâs head that had come down.
Kuaak!
The monster screamed as if the impact was extremely painful. However, it was not a significant blow.
The monster dragged Rata with its other hand. As it grew, its movements became slower, but it became stronger.
âKwak.â
Although his defense had significantly increased in his Full Armor Mode, the monsterâs strength and weight were still not something that he could easily endure.
Rata groaned and made his fur smoother, so he managed to slip out of the monsterâs grasp. But Rata was still gasping for air.
The fight began again.
In his Full Armor Mode, Rata increased his speed by making his body light. In terms of strength, he judged that he was no match for the monster. So he began to deal with the monster more easily than before.
âStill, it is true that the squirrel is being pushed back.â
Rata was stronger than expected, but the monster was constantly changing its attacks to adapt to Rata.
Eventually, it caught up to his speed.
âKuak!!!â
Rata was hit three times with the monsterâs stiffened tail, and he was slammed into the tree. He made his fur soft so he could absorb the shock, but it felt like his insides were hurt from the monsterâs attack.
Cough.
Blood flowed from his mouth. He had reached his limit. Rata looked at the monster with a worried face.
Then he said,
âAre you ready?â
At that question, Sarah answered,
âHuh. I can win.â
It was a short time, but Rata struggled to show Sarah the attack pattern the monster used. And now that she somehow understood the monsterâs attack pattern, Sarah began to approach it.
Sarah told Rata,
âGreat job. I will take over from here.â
â⌠I believe in you.â
She didnât answer, but she smiled, and Rata lost consciousness.
GrrrâŚ
The monster turned its gaze toward Sarah.
Kwaaak!
It opened its mouth wide while roaring in anger, and Sarah frowned at the stench.