Chapter 347
FODDER (3)
After completing an action of unbelievable proportions, she nonchalantly glanced at IAM and said, "Now they have been taken care of, step further back. I have cleared a path for you to run… Seeing your insistence on not using your Avien, you are useless in this battle." She had spoken in a way that showed her words were the unfiltered truth. There were no lies at all!
IAM glanced at the now open area that this ridiculous ascender called Natsuki had cleared, where if he wished to, he could run away and leave her to handle such a precarious situation where the odds were not in their favour whatsoever. But this visage of Natsuki seemed to be filled with boundless confidence in herself as she actually attempted to send him away!
But would IAM really do such a thing?
Maybe if this was the IAM from the first few weeks when he arrived in this new world called Holem, he would have been terrified and weak. He may have done so…
But the IAM that existed right now… could not be compared to the IAM of the past.
"Don't say such stupid things."
A firm voice was heard as IAM spoke, and shocking enough… it sounded like he was actually admonishing her!
Her face didn't change, but one could feel the air around her turn slightly cold as she braced herself to take on the rest of the deadline creatures who were beginning to recover from the sudden and brutal deaths of the others!
IAM spoke with confidence and calm as he smiled. "Did I not say we will be working together? Did I not say in order to complete this trial we need each other? Did I not say only by working together can we possibly win? So now that we really need to do so, I should just run? Should I just abandon you? I think not! Don't say such stupid things! I'm not so useless that I can't contribute!"
His words seemed to send sparks in the air as the coldness slightly receded from Natsuki as she asked, "Then what can you do?"
IAM twirled his finger with a certain mech as he said, "I have KASSARA… and you. I will watch over you and help you navigate through the creatures while keeping an eye on those devilborns… I will support you when needed."
"…Can you do such a thing?"
There were wisps of doubt as to whether he could command her across such a situation. She also seemed like someone brimming with pride—how could she easily bend the knee and follow another?
"I might not look like it… but I've gotten a lot of experience with creatures like these…"
There was something magnetic about his voice at this moment that caused Natsuki to turn and look at his face.
What she saw was a pair of eyes that almost seemed to be black holes, as if they were pulling one's soul and self toward their darkness, a depth that looked utterly empty with nothing occupying it.
It was these eyes… these same eyes that when she had first seen them, she had immediately felt they could not possibly belong to a human being, and that caution was best advised around such a person.
It was the same pair of eyes she had seen gazing at her when she had prepared to fight and defeat him, when they had calmly proclaimed surrender.
It was the same pair she had only seen for the third time when something within them seemed to have changed—something she could not quite discern—when he had helped her find the pouch belonging to Zara.
It was these same eyes that had confidently approached her with the suggestion that they should work together, all based on a theory he had come up with.
And now… these same eyes were telling her to heed his commands.
Would she really do such a thing? Was she even capable of trusting—no… not now. Was she capable of placing herself in the hands of another?
The truth was…No.
But…
"If it's decent, I might abide to your words," she spoke.
And that was all, as IAM focused on the incoming threat.
Her sword was raised as the creatures moved with increased caution and wrath—one born from worry over their lives, the other from the desire to avenge those that had fallen.
IAM's voice suddenly echoed out, "Go for the high spawnlings first!"
???
Words that might cause confusion, as the usual progression would be taking down the weaker ones before confronting the tougher opponent. But IAM's words directly contradicted that logic.
"Normally, taking down the weaker ones before the strongest would be the correct approach," IAM continued quickly, his voice steady despite the approaching danger. "But that only works when there is a vast difference in strength between you and the weaker ones, allowing you to swiftly take them down with minimal cost. That is not the case here."
His gaze flicked across the battlefield as he assessed the situation.
"It will still take some effort for you to take down the nine mid spawnlings remaining, especially if they are spread out. And the high spawnlings won't just wait around while you fight. They will interrupt and hinder you. Unlike the low spawnlings, the mid ones can actually last in a fight."
The creatures continued advancing, their movements slow but filled with growing hostility.
"In a fight such as this, it is better to eliminate the stronger ones first without wasting too much energy," IAM said. "I won't be able to hold them back as effectively with my mech as I could with mid spawnlings. We need to take them down quickly."
His voice remained calm as he finished.
"After that, we will work together and slowly take down the rest. And if you become tired… it is far easier to run away from mid spawnlings than it is from high spawnlings."
Natsuki heard no problems with his logic as she looked at the four high spawnlings, attempting to decide which one to take down first when IAM spoke once again.
"Take down the worm first. It's the slowest and won't be able to react when your sword is flying from a distance. And from what I can tell, its abilities probably have to do with its eyes, so avoid looking too closely and aim for its soft flesh. The butterfly lizard is massive and might be capable of flying. The bald woman thing is dangerous—we can't see any obvious means of attack—and the hairy one seems to have thick skin. I would focus on the worm."
The words had barely left his lips before she reacted. She pushed down against the ground, picking up pace as she suddenly shot forward toward the slowly approaching worm!
IAM lifted KASSARA as one of the mid spawnlings that had been in the way attempted to interrupt her charge. He switched to automatic and aimed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets tore through the air. With a screech, the creature was struck and forced to halt, its body jerking violently as the rounds tore into it, allowing Natsuki to continue unhindered.
The other high spawnlings turned to face Natsuki as she was immediately deemed the biggest threat. IAM wasn't even radiating the aura of an ascender, making him seem insignificant in comparison.
The mid spawnlings appeared to follow that same instinctive mindset, as only the one that had been hit by IAM's bullets began racing toward him!
IAM remained unfettered as he calmly emptied the rest of the first round into the creature. It didn't die immediately, but it staggered to a stop, its body riddled with holes as blood began pouring from the wounds.
He simply moved his attention away from it as it slowly bled out.
This particular creature seemed rather stupid, as it had kept running in a straight line, making it easy picking.
IAM instead observed the changes on Natsuki's side as they attempted to navigate this dangerous situation.