Chapter 99

Nick’s world exploded with sensation. Feeling the oni’s approach through was far more jarring than he had anticipated. Even the adult wyvern’s presence hadn’t been so overwhelming, though admittedly, that might have been because he was filtering his senses through the Astral veil and didn’t have such a powerful spell to perceive its effects on the world.The air shuddered as something massive moved through the forest—a sheer, unstoppable presence, like a mountain deciding to move on its own.

For a moment, Nick thought he might go blind and deaf from the sheer weight of its existence pressing against his senses.

His mind buckled. His breath hitched. To save himself, Nick was forced to dispel . It was too much, and he feared he would be overwhelmed if it remained active when it crossed the treeline. couldn’t help him if he was the one causing harm to himself.

The silence in his mind was deafening. He wasn’t used to it anymore, and he felt the loss of awareness keenly.

Staggering back a step, Nick heaved for breath as sweat beaded on his brow. His thoughts felt sluggish, as if he had just pulled himself from deep water. He felt naked and exposed without , but he had no choice.

However it was doing it, the Moss Oni was too much to track through his spell, at least not without preparation. It was just too different from everything else around it. It was like listening to a pop song, and all of a sudden, a death metal solo came on at full volume while the song still kept playing.

He forced himself to look up. At least his physical senses were still working.

The Moss Oni smashed through the last line of trees with all the subtlety of an avalanche.

It was enormous. Where the trolls had been as large as two men, this was something else entirely.

Twenty feet tall, with bark-like skin covered in thick, damp moss. Its legs were like tree trunks, its arms thick as ancient oaks. Two massive, curved horns rose from its head, gleaming black like obsidian, and its eyes…

They were white.

Not empty. Not blind. But pure, like pale moons shining in its grotesque, gnarled face.

The oppression it radiated was suffocating, and Nick wasn’t the only one affected. Around him, adventurers and soldiers staggered back, their eyes wide, loosening their grips on weapons that suddenly felt useless.

Even those hardened warriors who had faced trolls without hesitation now trembled as the Oni’s presence crashed over them like a tidal wave.

The moment of silence broke when it started laughing.

The sound rolled through the clearing, deep and booming, vibrating in Nick’s very bones. The trees creaked and groaned, as if bowing in submission.

Nick clenched his teeth so hard he feared he would shatter them. That was not encouraging. The oni didn’t have an expression per se, as its face was made of immovable bark, but it exuded glee. It was as if they had prepared a buffet as an offering, rather than a massacre.

Then it spoke. “I would have been disappointed if you could not deal with such filth.” Its voice was like grinding stone, yet disturbingly understandable. Nick didn’t exactly know what he had expected from it. Maybe a dumb monster like the trolls. He’d known that its size didn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t intelligent, especially as he read that Moss Oni liked to build a following of lesser creatures, but somehow he hadn’t expected it to speak.

“My sister has taken the better one, but I suppose I will make do with my new toys.”

Toys. Nick felt a cold chill creep down his spine. It didn’t see them as enemies. He wasn’t exactly inclined to accept the assessment, but it wasn’t encouraging.

Eugene’s voice rang out then, blowing away the haze of terror that had gripped the group. “Stand tall, men of Floria! Hold your ground!”

Some of the terrified men regained their composure, shifting into a ready stance and grimly preparing to confront the monster. Others stayed in the back, mouths open and eyes lost.

But before any further orders could be given, one adventurer broke.

Nick barely had time to turn before he saw the man sprinting forward, blade raised, screaming in desperation.

Nick instinctively reached out to stop him, but he was forcibly reminded that he didn’t have active as his gust of wind passed right by the man. He was so accustomed to knowing where everything was that he struggled to aim properly without it.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The adventurer reached the Oni, swinging his sword straight for its knee.

It was a clean strike at the perfect angle, and strong enough that even a troll would have felt it.

The blade sank into the moss… and stopped. Everyone stared at it for a moment, waiting to see if the oni would react.

The moss shifted, pulling the blade inward and slowly swallowing it. The adventurer yanked at the hilt, trying to dislodge it, before he froze.

Slowly, he lifted his head, eyes wide in horror, as a massive hand loomed above him. With a sickening crunch, the Oni’s fingers closed around him.

Silence. A single heartbeat passed, and the massive hand kept squeezing.

The wet pop of bones shattering echoed across the battlefield.

Nick saw a spray of gore, and knew that there was nothing anyone could do. Even the best elixir would be useless.

The Oni released its grip, letting the pulped corpse fall to the ground with a wet splat.

A shudder ran through the strike group. It was a primordial instinct, that even humans of this land had. Despite the System, despite the incredible might they could aspire to, watching a gigantic creature casually crush one of their own touched a part of their lizard brains that screamed they should run.

On the other hand, Nick was furiously trying to devise a plan. He couldn’t deny being spooked, but soon enough something else took over that space. A rage at this creature who saw them as playthings, who thought it could mercilessly crush them without fear of reprisals. It made him want to attack, but Nick knew better. He tempered his anger, folding it upon itself like a blacksmith would a blade, and assessed the situation.

The Oni wasn’t rushing them. It wasn’t mindlessly attacking like the trolls or the goblins. It was testing them, like a predator deciding which meal to eat first.

The entire strike group stood still for a moment, holding their breath in terror. Their hearts pounded as they realized that the Moss Oni wasn’t just another monster—it was a force of nature, a living calamity.

Then, all at once, Eugene yelled. “FORWARD!”

The soldiers roared and surged into motion, skills flaring to life as their training took over. So deeply was it ingrained in them to follow their Captain’s orders that even in such a moment, they didn’t hesitate.

Muscles bulged, armor glowed with activated enhancements, and blades sang as they were drawn. The hesitation was gone, replaced by determination and fury.

Then—a streak of fire.

Nick barely had time to blink before Eugene launched himself forward, his entire form wreathed in flames, his sword blazing like a star.

He collided with the Oni’s chest like a comet, and an explosion of heat and fire erupted upon impact.

BOOM!

The Oni staggered. It took two steps back, crushing a fallen tree beneath its massive feet.

The ground quaked with each movement, as the sheer force of Eugene’s strike caused ripples of heat to shimmer through the battlefield.

Nick stared, trying to understand just how deeply this had hurt it. His father wasn’t as strong as Arthur, but given the environment, his element might just be enough…

The Moss Oni grinned. It tilted its head down, peering at Eugene like one might observe an interesting bug.

Nick’s stomach sank. The damage, he saw, was minimal.

A patch of moss on its chest was blackened and burnt, smoldering faintly, but it was nothing significant. His blade had barely scratched the bark below it.

Eugene clicked his tongue in distaste and immediately retreated, flames flickering as he slid back to the front lines.

“That thing’s got some serious resistances,” Eugene growled, shaking his arm. “But it’s not invincible! I hurt it! We can KILL IT!” At his roar, the men began attacking, slashing, cutting. More than once, they had to abort, as the Oni took a ponderous step as if to retaliate, only to abort half-way, rumbling in delight as it saw them flinch.

Nick, meanwhile, forced himself to ignore the fight for just a moment. His greatest asset was ; without it, he was limited to reacting only with his regular senses, which was not good enough.

Carefully, Nick began tuning into the air currents again, inching back toward his full battlefield awareness. He took it slow, controlling his breathing as he tried to acclimate himself to the overwhelming presence of the Oni.

Again, the soldiers and adventurers charged and the Moss Oni let them come. This time, when it moved with an almost amused sigh, it didn’t stop.

With a single backhanded swipe, it sent three men soaring through the air, their armor crunching like paper as they slammed into trees.

Another soldier leapt in, slashing at its leg—only for the moss to swallow the blade whole, rendering it useless. The Oni didn’t even acknowledge the strike. Instead, it stomped down, squashing the poor man with an audible crunch. Nick felt the air tremble.

It was horrifying, but the men didn’t desist, desperately rushing ahead to give their Captain time for a more powerful attack.

His battlefield control was still incomplete, but Nick could see everything once again. Now he just needed to let the sensory feedback flow into his subconscious, or he wouldn’t be quick enough to act on it.

The oni’s presence remained powerful and daunting, but what had forced him to release the spell was how jarring it had been. It was still unpleasant, but after a time, he felt the spell slot back into place, enabling him to do more than sift through the data the winds were bringing him.

As soon as he reestablished his control, Nick lashed out, catching the thrown soldiers with quick gusts of air, slowing their descent just enough to prevent fatal injuries.

Instead of breaking against the trees, they hit with less impact, rolling onto the ground. It wasn’t perfect, but it allowed them to scramble back into the fight, shaken but alive.

“Kid!”

He whipped his head around. It was Morris. The rangers and archers had finished their preparations. Nick nodded in acknowledgment. .

Bringing a whisper of wind to their ears, he relayed his plan. “Put everything you have into those shots, and don’t bother making them precise. I’ll guide them.”

Morris grunted in acknowledgment.

Nick focused, extending his control over each arrow, wrapping them in gentle currents of wind. He had never tried something like this before—controlling dozens of projectiles flying at high speeds simultaneously—but he wasn’t about to let that stop him.

“Go!”

The rangers released their arrows as Nick grabbed them tightly, weaving more and more air around them. The wind twisted and curved, correcting the projectiles’ trajectory mid-flight. Some crackled with elemental energy, while others sparkled with alchemical coatings, ready to explode on impact.

Nick handled everything—the arc, the impact point, and the distribution of force. Then, the first arrow hit.

BOOM.

A fire arrow exploded against the Oni’s shoulder. Then another. Then a third. A chain reaction of explosions rippled across its massive frame, covering it in smoke and fire.

For the first time, the Oni let out a roar of pain. The battlefield shook under the sheer force of its bellow, the shockwave sending loose leaves and debris scattering.

Nick grinned.