20 Hours Without Backup (5)

"Ugh!"

Although I expected it, blocking its legs is as hard as trying to stop a speeding truck barehanded! If my hand slips, will I get isekai'ed just like this? Wait, technically, we're already in a different world!

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *SQUISH!*

Mina continued firing her gun at the giant centipede's eyes and finally managed to puncture one! "Nice one, Mina!" I praised as I braced myself, trying not to get sent flying by the impact hitting the hammer repeatedly.

*SCREEEEEEECH!*

The centipede let out a powerful cry, seemingly feeling pain from its destroyed eye. Toki didn't miss the chance and quickly began harassing—I mean, taking advantage of the injury, sending her fireballs faster, trying to burn the wound and worsen the damage.

However, her fireballs weren't as fast as a bullet and were getting dodged or deflected using the scales on its head. "D*mn it! What a tenacious b*stard! Stop dodging and burn!"

Marionne was also doing her own thing, continuously freezing everything in her path. Thanks to her, the burden on me trying to slow down the centipede's movement was going a lot easier. The frozen legs became extremely brittle and broke upon contact with my hammer!

"..."

Still, with the current situation, we can't relax one bit. The centipede was still going strong. If it had a health bar, then we'd probably be only chipping about 5% of its health by now! That was just how large the disparity in size and power was.

"Don't I have any skills I can use...?!"

Currently, my only damaging skill, Smash, is useless in this situation. If I could reach its head, then the story changes, however. I opened up my status panel, checked out the skills, and noticed one skill I had never used before. The one I got after reaching the second class change.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained...!" I took a deep breath and activated the skill, calling upon its name. "World Scan!"

As soon as the words left my mouth, the entire world came to a standstill. I looked around, and everyone was standing in place as if time itself had stopped.

"Woah!"

I could even see my own body frozen in place while breaking the legs of the giant centipede!

"Is this something like an out-of-body experience?" I couldn't help but wonder. "But wait, there's no time to think about such things!"

I tried to control myself, as if controlling my body inside a dream, and flew higher and higher. Along with the gain in altitude, information was flooding into my head.

"A destroyed capital... Power plant... Monsters... Beasts!"

I found one! Other living beings other than the foxes and us! However, it was a little too far and would take too long if we were to request its help. In the first place, there's no guarantee that it wouldn't attack us.

I began to narrow down the search to somewhere about a kilometer from our current location. Up in the air, nothing; on the ground level, there's also nothing but sand, rocks, and piles of bones. Below the ground... There's hope!

"I found it! Our ticket to victory!"

As I was feeling excited, I suddenly felt a powerful suction force. Like water going down the drain, I was forcefully pulled back into my body. And then, after I blinked my eyes, time began to move once more.

*TING!*

Due to the slight discrepancy in senses, I was sent flying by one of the unfrozen legs. I ended up rolling a few meters but didn't suffer any major injuries at all.

"Marionne, Mina, continue attacking it! Toki, I need your help!"

As I called them, I ran to the spot where I saw the "key" to our victory. "Toki, blast the ground right here! Dig about 50 meters deep!"

I didn't delay a single second and told Toki what to do. Although confused, she quickly did as told and fired a few explosion spells directly at the ground.

"Explosion! Explosion! Explosion!"

Like a broken recorder, she chanted the same spell over and over. Thankfully, it had a short cooldown, so it didn't take that long before it was in view. A large, underground tank.

"Perfect!" I jumped down into the burning hole and quickly touched the hot surface of the metallic container, placing it into my World Storage.

After I retrieved it, I jumped out of the hole and turned toward the giant centipede once more.

Marionne was taking the attention of the centipede, while Mina was providing support fire, trying to snuff out the remaining eyes of the insect. Despite there being only the two of them, they were managing the enemy's "hate" perfectly.

"Marionne! Try to freeze every part of its body at once!"

I had no time to explain, so I just shouted my command. Marionne, fortunately, didn't even doubt my command and did as told. "Freezing Wave! Ice Age!"

A white mist flew, freezing everything that it touched. The centipede's movement became a lot slower as more than half of its body froze in an instant.

Seeing the perfect execution, I couldn't help but smile.

"Nice! Now, retreat as far as possible! Toki, go to Lily and the foxes and protect them with a barrier!"

"I don't have a barrier, idiot!" Toki quickly countered. "Mina, Marionne, you two should come over here! Marionne can make a wall with ice at least!"

"Got it!"

"I'm freaking tired right now, though?!"

The girls ran to where Lily was and quickly put up a barricade made of thick ice. After seeing that they were prepared, I quickly ran to the frozen centipede, running along its body that was slowly regaining its movement.

The destination I wanted to reach was its head, but since its body was long and convoluted, I gave up.

"If you got split in half, you'd still die, wouldn't you?!" I moved to the center of its body before taking out my hammer.

Then, I took out the burning hot tank of something. "Here's your present; enjoy!"

I swung the hammer down, causing the contents of the tank to splash all over. It was a colorless liquid that smelled addictively good. Gasoline.

"...!"

Right after I saw it splash, with practiced movements, I placed the hammer back into my World Storage and took out a large metal panel, using it like a shield. Then a small spark, followed by a flash, and a deafening blast.

*KABOOM!*

The gasoline caught fire, which quickly flowed back inside the tank and caused a powerful explosion shortly after.

I, who was near the explosion, got a few burns, but with the metal panel protecting me, that was the only damage I took. Well, I'd soon receive more damage, though, from the fall. "How high did I get sent flying?!"

Looking below, the scene of the blast looks like a volcanic eruption. The blue ice covering the girls and the foxes, fortunately, managed to hold strong against the blast. As I started my descent, I let go of the metal panel before taking out a large piece of cloth and using it to slow down my falling speed.

It wasn't enough to completely reduce my fall to a safe speed, but at least I'm not falling at the same speed as a cannonball anymore.

"Ruin!"

Just as I was about to crash land, preparing myself for the painful impact, a curved precipice made of ice appeared right below me. It was angled perfectly to guide my fall into a gentle slide, up until I touched down on the other end, where the girls were.

"Phew... Thanks, Marionne. I owe you one." I wiped the cold sweat on my forehead.

After all, if I fell just like that, then I'm sure that I'd probably suffer a few broken bones at least.

"You're welcome," Marionne quickly replied, a sweet smile on her face. "For the payment, a kiss would suffice."

"..."

This girl is taking advantage of the situation... I sighed, moved toward her, who had a surprised, confused expression on her face, and pulled her by the waist.

*Chu!*

After kissing her forehead, I gently let go of her body. Marionne's face was beet red, her legs shaking like a newborn calf as she held her forehead. "Y-You really..."

She plopped down on the ground as if she were losing strength in her legs completely. She's the one to ask for it, and this is her reaction? Talk about being rude.