This Lava Snail could no longer be described as merely large.
It was practically a small volcano.
In front of it, they were as insignificant as insects.
Its body was tens of meters tall, its shell like a mountain formed from countless boulders stacked together. At the center of the shell, like a volcano, magma continuously spewed out, with scorching molten rock flowing through the crevices on its surface.
The moment this giant Lava Snail appeared, the temperature at the bottom of the vast valley seemed to rise by an unknown number of degrees in an instant.
Both Texas and Exusiai's eyes widened.
Even as worldly as they were, they had never seen such a monster.
A Lava Snail tens of meters tall....
"Fuck!! How can there be such a big snail!!"
Even the usually carefree Exusiai couldn't keep it together now, letting out a simple and crude line of *Lungmen Profanity*.
"How did it get this big? Has it been eating hormones every day?"
Exusiai looked it up and down. She already had her Guardian Gun in her hands, though the power of such a firearm against this monster could almost be described as merely polishing it.
As the giant Lava Snail appeared.
The Lava Originium Slugs that had been continuously drilling out seemed to become frightened, instinctively shrinking back in fear.
The Lava Snail's two small eyes under its shell looked around. Noticing the tiny figures below, it let out a roar. Instantly, the small volcano on its shell began to boil, and magma continuously erupted from the small volcano on its back.
The Lava Snail monster opened its large mouth, and a massive fireball condensed within it. Then, it was instantly spat out. The scorching flames melted everything. Even the ground, which had already been baptized by magma countless times, showed faint signs of melting under the fireball the snail had just spat out, showing just how high the temperature of this flame was.
The fireball was just too fast.
Texas's eyes widened, her heart pounding. She grabbed Croissant and Exusiai in front of her and threw them aside, then pushed the still-dazed Surtr away. She herself barely managed to dodge to the side.
The molten fireball grazed past Texas's legs. Even without touching, the extremely high temperature on its surface, like steam, almost instantly melted the heat-resistant black stockings on Texas's legs, even burning the skin on her legs.
*Hiss...*
The moment she landed.
The pain in her legs made Texas suck in a sharp breath.
She quickly took out a special burn spray from the pouch on her waist and continuously sprayed it on the severely burned areas of her calves. The cool sensation barely managed to alleviate the pain from the burns.
It hadn't even touched her.
Just the temperature around the fireball was enough to burn her legs. Even Texas's special fire-resistant stockings were useless. If her flesh had touched the fireball, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Her flesh and blood would probably have been melted away in seconds.
Nearby.
Surtr looked at this Lava Snail.
As expected...
Not only did Surtr sense it, but Lucas Reeve also knew why there was such a huge monster here.
It was obvious.
The blade fragment containing a part of the Ancient God of Flame's power must be inside this snail. Nourished by a portion of the Ancient God of Flame's power, this Originium monster had grown from an ordinary Originium Slug into a giant Lava Snail dozens of meters tall in less than a year.
In other words.
If they wanted to retrieve the blade.
They could only take it from within the snail's body.
For an ordinary person, there would probably be no way. After all, they wouldn't know its exact location and could only try to kill this Lava Snail, then carefully dissect its massive body to find a blade fragment the size of a palm.
But Lucas Reeve was different. Due to the mutual induction between the fragments, Lucas Reeve could clearly know the exact location of the fragment. Moreover, the fragment's position was a bit tricky. To avoid any accidents, the blade fragment was located at the center of the Lava Snail's body, protected by a hard volcanic rock shell and scorching magma. Furthermore, this blade fragment would continuously provide power to the Lava Snail, making it extremely difficult to kill.
If Lucas Reeve weren't here.
He estimated.
The three girls from Penguin Logistics would have no way to deal with it. It would even be a question of whether they could escape from this deep valley.
"Tex, your leg??"
Exusiai, who had been pulled to the ground by Texas, quickly ran to her side and asked with concern about the condition of Texas's legs.
"It's fine... just a small burn..."
Texas shook her head and stood up.
"This mission seems much more dangerous than the last one. Last time we were facing people, but this time we're facing a monster..."
Texas's expression was grim, but she didn't seem particularly scared. Perhaps for them, when they chose to work for Penguin Logistics, they had already cast aside thoughts of their own life and death.
"It does seem a bit like that...."
Exusiai said after a moment's thought.
As they supported each other and considered their next battle strategy, the giant Lava Snail didn't give them a chance to chat. Its boneless mouth was very long, and magma was condensing into a sphere again within its lava-vent-like oral cavity, seemingly preparing to launch an attack identical to the previous one.
"Hehe!"
"Like I'd give you another chance!!"
Seeing this, Exusiai immediately launched a counterattack.
She raised her two automatic assault firearms, aimed at the Lava Snail's mouth, and pulled the triggers.
"Take this!!"
[Overloading Mode!]
As the Originium energy in Exusiai's body surged into her two firearms, the Sankta's signature angel halo above her head suddenly lit up, as dazzling as the sun. The several pairs of translucent small wings on her back actually grew larger in this mode, as if transforming into real angel wings, incomparably holy, enveloping Exusiai within them.
Exusiai's crimson hair began to move without wind, and a white-hot light flashed in the depths of her eyes.
In this mode.
The bullets from Exusiai's firearms shot out incessantly, capable of emptying a full magazine in an instant. Empty casings rained down from Exusiai's guns, clattering on the ground.
These bullets were all Originium Rounds.
Emperor, their boss, naturally knew how dangerous this mission was, so all of Exusiai's bullets had been replaced with Originium Rounds. This was one of the few times Exusiai got to use Originium Rounds to her heart's content.
The Originium Rounds formed a barrage that instantly pierced the Lava Snail's magma head and exploded inside its mouth with a series of bangs. The magma ball that was still charging suddenly became unstable under the interference of the Originium Rounds.
With a violent tremor, the magma ball, which hadn't even been fired from the Lava Snail's mouth, boomed and exploded right inside the monster's mouth. The explosion was so powerful that it even blew its head clean off.
"Alright!!"
Exusiai happily ended her Overloading Mode, and then her whole body suddenly felt dizzy. However, Exusiai's strength was much greater now than before. If this had happened in the past, she might have collapsed from the dizziness, but now, even though she was a bit dizzy, she could still barely continue to fight.
However.
Her happiness didn't last long.
Magma spurted from where the lava monster's head had been blown off, and then a new snail head drilled out from the severed point. The surface of its skin was crimson-white, almost identical to a red-hot soldering iron.
Perhaps it was out of anger.
The moment its head grew back.
The lava monster actually roared at the sky. The small volcano on its back seemed about to erupt, continuously spewing magma outwards. Numerous stones, completely encased in molten lava, shot into the sky like fireworks from the small volcano. Upon reaching their zenith, they turned into a meteor shower, crashing down on the ground indiscriminately.
"!!!"
As expected.
In front of this monster, the power of ordinary humans was still too insignificant. Texas's Originium Blade could easily cut through the flesh of any enemy, including many types of armor, but it was completely helpless against this kind of monster. The surface temperature of this monster was simply too high. Even from such a distance, she could clearly feel the intense heat from its body, let alone getting close.
One could imagine.
If Texas were to approach to attack, it was uncertain whether her Originium Blade could even harm this monster, but she would definitely be severely burned by the temperature of its body. To deal with this kind of monster, ordinary manpower was definitely not enough; they had to rely on various powerful long-range weapons.
Faced with the rain of molten rock.
Texas carried the somewhat dizzy Exusiai on her shoulder, while Croissant raised her small heavy shield to block the downpour of lava.
*Clang, clang, clang...*
Various small but red-hot, magma-coated stones landed on Croissant's shield, making metallic clashing sounds, along with a sizzling, burning noise. The heavy shield was actually having trouble withstanding the erosion of the magma.
"Aah!! Tex, what should we do!!"
Croissant shouted while dodging and shielding Exusiai and Texas from the rain-like molten rocks.
And...
This lava rain showed no signs of stopping.
The Lava Snail monster was still steadily outputting damage. This kind of indiscriminate AOE lava damage was a nightmare for ordinary people.
"Let's run!!"
After a moment's thought, Texas made a difficult decision. For now, they could only flee.
This deep valley was very long, and this fiery area was only a part of it. It seemed that everyone had severely underestimated the danger of this mission. A frontal assault was clearly impossible. They could only find a way to retreat and come up with another plan.
However.
Just then.
Croissant felt her vision go dark, and she suddenly cried out.
A huge molten meteorite, a full five meters in diameter, fell from the sky, landing right on the retreat path of the Penguin Logistics members.
So big....
It's too big...
She definitely couldn't withstand it.
Gritting her teeth, Croissant forcefully held her heavy shield in front of the other two, trying to use all her strength to block the massive molten meteorite.
Suddenly.
A crimson figure flashed past Croissant.
Instantly.
With a flurry of sword flashes.
The surface of the giant molten meteorite that was about to hit Croissant split open cleanly, breaking into countless small stones that scattered and landed on the ground.
Croissant and Texas stared with wide eyes; she had almost thought she was about to die.
And under the gazes of the three.
Surtr slowly landed in front of them.
The moment she landed.
Her crimson hair cascaded down her back like a smooth waterfall. Her originally purple eyes had turned a deep black, and her black skirt danced with the wind. She stood before them, holding the greatsword, which was much longer than she was tall, in one hand.
"Holy shit! Miss Surtr is this strong?!!"
Croissant was the first to recover from her daze, utterly shocked. As an eyewitness, Surtr's performance just now could be described as supremely cool. Her movements were graceful and elegant, like a transcendent being effortlessly wielding the greatsword.
Texas's eyes also widened. She had guessed that Surtr's strength was considerable, likely stronger than her own, so when they had just faced the crisis, Texas was actually very confident in Surtr's ability. She just didn't expect... her to be *this* strong.
That sword speed just now.
Texas herself couldn't even clearly see how many strikes she had made, but judging by the fine pieces the boulder had been shattered into, it was at least a hundred strikes...
*Hiss...*
A hundred strikes in an instant...
Terrifying.
As a swordswoman herself, and a very skilled one at that, Texas could only manage fifteen strikes in an instant at her full power. Such an ability was already considered top-tier among elite swordmasters... but it was still a far cry from a hundred strikes in an instant...
She was a true top-tier expert.
No wonder the boss was so at ease letting her come along.
So it turned out...
She was ultimately here to protect them...
"Surtr, how's the positioning? Do you know the exact location?"
Lucas Reeve hadn't acted immediately just now because he was confirming the precise location of the blade fragment. Although he could initially sense it was in the core, the Lava Snail was massive, dozens of meters tall, while the blade was so small.
Even knowing it was in the core didn't give him a detailed position. So, Lucas Reeve let Surtr sense the blade's location. Since Surtr's soul itself was fused with Laevatain, if Lucas Reeve could sense it, Surtr naturally had no problem.
"Found it..."
Surtr said.
At the same time.
Surtr's eyes changed again. One eye became a deep black, while the other turned an icy purple.
"No problem... let's pierce through in one go."
Lucas Reeve took a deep breath. Surtr didn't speak, just gave a simple "Mhm."
In the next second.
To the disbelief of Texas and the others, Surtr's body bent slightly, her legs coiling as if gathering power. She gripped the handle of the great flame sword with one hand, actually assuming an iaijutsu stance.
"!!!"
Texas had seen this kind of technique before.
She had seen it from some master swordsmen in Higashi.
But...
Shouldn't this kind of iaijutsu attack be performed with a normal-sized sword or katana? How could someone use a greatsword nearly two meters long for iaijutsu?
It was simply incredible.
If Texas hadn't seen it with her own eyes today, she would never have believed it.
*Hooo...*
With a deep breath.
A breath containing the essence of lightning was exhaled from Surtr's mouth.
Around her body, lightning flickered and arcs of electricity sparked. Even the small stones on the ground slowly levitated, wrapped in electrical arcs. Flames blazed, enveloping Surtr's body and the great flame sword in her hand.
*Zzzzzzz~~
Exusiai slowly regained consciousness. She raised her head in confusion.
"Is it thundering?"
But Texas and Croissant held their breath completely.
[Honoikazuchi no Kami]
In the next second.
Surtr's body instantly vanished. With a flash of lightning, a huge crater was left in the ground. Electrical arcs even leaped around the crater's edge, and in its center, magma seemed to be roiling.
No one could see anything clearly.
They only saw a streak of crimson light, like a fiery thunderbolt, suddenly illuminate the depths of this deep valley.
The thunderlight instantly pierced through the body of the lava monster. The surrounding rock walls were covered in a spiderweb of cracks, and rubble flew everywhere.
And when everyone came to their senses.
Surtr had already reappeared a great distance away.
Furthermore, magma was flowing over her left hand. This magma couldn't burn Surtr's skin at all. In the center of the magma was a fragment of a crimson flame blade.
Having lost its power source.
The giant Lava Snail's body continuously shrank and shrank, eventually becoming only slightly larger than an ordinary lava slug.
"We won!! We won just like that?!!"
Croissant and Exusiai stared with wide, disbelieving eyes. They never would have imagined that this monster would be defeated so easily.
It was too easy....
So easy that it made them think they could have done it themselves.
Try it and you'll die.
However, the most shocked were not Exusiai and Croissant, but Texas.
Because...
That move just now...
She had seen it before!!
She was much more observant than Exusiai and Croissant.
Texas recalled several months ago, when Sora was attacked by a fan's suicide bombing. On the surveillance footage, Jessica had vanished in a flash of lightning, severing the man's hands in one fell swoop. She also remembered when they fought the gangs in the Wastes together, Jessica had once again used such a move to cut off an enemy's head.
Exactly the same...
Completely identical.
Including the motion of drawing the sword, sheathing the sword, and bending her legs—it perfectly matched the Jessica in her memory.
If it were just that they had the same master.
Texas wouldn't believe it.
She herself was very skilled, so she knew clearly that even with the same master teaching the same moves, different people would execute them with subtle minor actions. This was more of a habit; everyone's habitual movements were different. While it didn't affect the outcome, it was very difficult for others to deliberately imitate.
Combining this with the almost identical aura and the tendency to change personalities at the drop of a hat.
A crazy thought that astonished her crossed Texas's mind.
The previous Jessica and the current Surtr...
Are the same person!!