Jujutsushi Wa Yuusha Ni Narenai

own my tentacles.
This is why we need actual vanguards like Mei-chan vanguarding people like me.
The mantis continued towards me like it was nothing.

Likely because it was wary of the poison swamp under its feet, rather than running over on its 4 legs, the mantis really did hover right above.

The mantis flew as if it was gliding over the floor of the cave, not a square inch of its feet touching the surface of the acidic swamp.

 

“Pull it down”

 

Blackhair bind, once more.
This time, the hairs came out from within the Rotten Bog.

However, they were also cut by the scythes.
The mantis shortly paused, hovering above the swamp, and with an accurate slash, cleanly dealt with the braided Blackhair Binds that had slithered out of the swamp like a tentacle monster.

It wasn’t enough.
I couldn’t slow its approach since it could cut them down instantly.

In that case, how’s this.

 

“Rise from chaos, bind in foul blood, stand on stained earth――”

 

The incantation barely finished.
The mantis was already done slicing apart the rest of the tentacles, it was soon approaching the bog’s perimeter.
But, I made it.

I practically threw the drops of blood from my bloodseal, aiming right at the Rotten Bog.

And there, stood Rem, submerging her body fully into the bone-melting bog; she was melting apart in a rapid pace.

 

“――Vile Mud Doll!!”

 

Re-summon? No, it was more of a restructuring.

I’d remake Rem’s body, not with mud, but instead the toxic solution of Rotten Bog.
A human figure was a necessity in the creation of mud dolls, so I had Rem’s initial body fulfill that requirement.
Now I’m just hoping I finished the canto and the curse activated before the original body went to mush――

 

“Hold it off, Rem!”

 

Responding to my cry, bulky, poisonous sludge rose up from the bog acid.

Its limbs were as large as logs, with an all-around thick, massive body.
Despite that, the muddy creature was dripping constantly as if it was about to collapse in on itself.

However, Rem kept together that humanoid form, and grappled the mantis.

 

“KYOWAAAAAAAAAAAAA”

 

The Rotten Bog monster held the large insect in its embrace, the latter’s carapace melting under the bog acid enveloping it; The mantis screeched in pain.

Now!

Now, finish it off? No, it was now the perfect chance to run the hell away.

 

“Keep stalling it!”

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Rem was my decoy.
I ran along the very edge of the cave where the bog didn’t reach.
I could feel Rem and the mantis’ intense struggle behind me.

Rem’s body, probably because it was very much liquid, was on the verge of collapse already.
The mantis was struggling fiercely, piercing its scythes into Rem, but slashing wasn’t very effective on that semi-liquid body.
In spite of that though, all the slashing, stabbing, and general rampaging around was taking some toll, causing Rem’s body to slowly break apart.

Rem would most likely be done in before the mantis’ body melted down from the acid.
And if that mantis still had any functional legs, it’d be more than capable of chasing me down and murdering me.

I didn’t have another Rem to act as a decoy, I couldn’t use this trick anymore.
And depending on how much damage the mantis sustains, Blackhair Bind might not be of use in finishing it off.

I didn’t need to bet on some all-or-nothing, right now I was more likely to live if I ran.
Plus, it wasn’t like if I happened to somehow defeat the creature, I would suddenly level up and get my status restored.

 

“Haah… Haah… ”

 

I forgot all about scouting ahead, I simply ran.
Right now, my priority was to get away from the struggling mantis behind me.

 

“Spread out, Rotten Bog”

 

I didn’t know if it’d be any help, but I cast Rotten Bogs at random intervals.
If the mantis did lose its wings, plus got enough legs done in that it couldn’t walk on the walls or ceiling, it might just give up instead of risking my bogs.

 

“Shit, shouldn’t use blood so heavily”

 

After casting my 3rd swamp, I started to feel unsteady.
Won’t humans die after losing half their blood? I think it was around 2 liters on average.
And since I’m smaller than the average person, I was even worse off.

Using my bloodseal did allow me to forego cutting myself every time, but I should watch it so I don’t get anemic.

As I was thinking about a danger to my life quite different from the man-eating mantis struggling some distance behind me, I could see a light up ahead.

 

“Could it be, the exit!”

 

Great job, I’m proud of you.
As if the dungeon was rewarding my solo struggle, I could see a light, the boundary between cave and ruins, the goal.

 

“Haaa… haaa… Finally, I made it, somehow”

 

Lurching through the exit, what I saw was a room not unlike the Orthrus’ boss room.
But the difference was, there was a gaping hole in the wall connecting this room to the cave.

Yeah, this, without a doubt, was the room where Souma-kun defeated that boss he mentioned.
The room had good lighting too, one glance around and I could tell that there was no trace nor shadow of anyone or anything.

Guess the boss was yet to respawn? Or maybe, just defeating it once permanently kills it? At any rate, that’s good news to me.
I’m struggling as is, please don’t ask for more.

Then again, this IS a boss room and you at least have to face some strong enemy once you enter.
As if the dungeon was demanding such, an enemy did appear.

 

“GYOOAAAAAAHHHH!!”

 

Goes without saying, it was the Knight Mantis that I’d elegantly avoided just previously.

It seems Rem fucked it up quite a bit.
It had lost its left scythe, the wings were gone to the point where flight was impossible, and there were various marks of corrosion all over its body.
It looked practically dead.

 

“Tch, what a tenacious bug!”

 

It’d be great if it just dropped dead right now.
The bug was pretty unrelenting, like it was holding some sort of grudge against me, even after it’d gotten a full body makeover.

 

“… Final battle, I guess”

 

Since it was caught up, it’d be dangerous to run and leave my back wide open.
It had lost its wings, but still had the four legs.
It was faster than me, and even if I put out Rotten Bogs, it seemed likely to just jump over, or simply push through with willpower alone.

Since I’d already lost Rem’s base body, I won’t be able to summon Super Poison Rem like earlier either.

Still, the mantis was dying.
If I could just dish out a bit more damage, I should be able to kill it.

However, I didn’t have any means of dealing that fatal push.

The mantis looked so unsteady, and yet, it still raised up its remaining scythe.
My only weapons were the Red Knife and the dagger.
Both were blades with a short reach, and it’d be suicidal of me to close in with them.

 

Meanwhile, its scythe had a reach much longer than a longsword.
If I went up with my knife yelling out “Die Fuckface!!!” like some Yakuza shooter, I’d surely be cut down sideways.
Even if I had my old spear, my ability to kill wouldn’t improve.

 

Shit, a Shaman doesn’t do close quarters combat.
I won’t win that way.

 

“SHAH! SHAaa…”

 

The mantis looked wary, it raised a high pitched screech, and kept its distance.
The atmosphere was balls to the wall tense.

 

In reality, I had no power to compete against this green faced fuck.
The mantis apparently hadn’t realized yet.
Because once it thought, “Hey, this kid’s actually weak,” this match would end with but a single move.

 

This wasn’t the time to be worrying.
Think.
I needed to think of a way to land the finishing blow on this dying mantis.

Wasn’t there something? Was there something? Something I could do to get this flaming knife inside its body?

The Red knife had the firepower to do it.
As long as I stabbed it before its scythe could reach me, of course… Dammit, there was not time to find a branch somewhere and fashion it into a spear, if only my arms could stretch out―― Wait, wait wait.

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“SHAAAA!!”

 

The mantis screeched again.
It was once again back in action; it’s patience had run thin.

 

“ Rotten Bog!!”

 

I plopped in a bog on reflex.

Although not large, the Rotten Bog suddenly appearing in front of it did cause the mantis to grow cautious and it backed away.

Good, that was all I needed.
Rather than a physical wall, the bog had become a psychological barrier, successfully keeping the mantis away.

Now, my turn.
I’ll kill it first, before it can think to jump over or bypass the small bog.

 

“――Blackhair Bind ”

 

I conjured up two braid-acles of hair from my own shadow.
I then proceeded to have them grab the Red Knife and dagger respectively.

Ugh, I felt so stupid.
It was only at these last minute showdowns, that I came up with these clearly obvious applications.

That’s right, my arms themselves can’t stretch, but Blackhair Bind could do that all day long.

 

“Go!!”

 

The two knife-tipped blackhairs flew out like arrows straight towards the mantis.

Blackhair Bind had, at first, had a length that was just barely enough to bind around the target’s ankles, but after continuous usage, binding monsters and dragging them down into the bog, it could now extend to quite a few meters.
The strength and speed had both been improving little by little.

If I attach a knife to one of these tentacles, I essentially create a ranged weapon with a reach much longer than any spear.
It’s like the scythe and chain, but not as technical in its usage.
Well anyway, since I could move the tentacles at will, I could freely attack every which way I chose.
It was extremely easy to handle.

 

“KYYOAAAA!!”

 

I took aim, stabbing the two blades straight towards the mantis’ torso.
Though one of them was an ordinary blade, the other was blazing.
On impact, a plume of flame burst out.

 

“Nice, it hit――oops, that was close!”

 

It raised a painful groan, confirming that damage had been dealt, which is when I immediately drew back the knife-tentacles.

The mantis brandished its scythe fiercely, whether intentionally or acting out in desperation, I didn’t know, but my tentacles would be easily severed if touched by that.
And by obvious consequence, the knives tipping said tentacles would then be dropped.
I couldn’t afford to let that happen.

 

“In that case, I’ll aim somewhere your scythe can’t reach… Like your back and hind legs”

 

Making use of my overwhelming advantage in reach, I’d take my time cutting it up until it dies.
I dub it: the pin-cushion maneuver.

Although it was frustrating that I couldn’t kill it in a single blow, then again, I’m supposed to be a support role.
Who’s big idea was it to make a Shaman fight melee?

 

“Take thiiis!!”

 

I wanted to take better aim, but it wasn’t like the mantis was going to take this lying down.
It realized how it was being targeted, and took action to desperately defend itself.
In other words, it started moving around like crazy.

Finding my target had become a lot harder now.
I should just aim at the general location of its back.
Anywhere was fine, as long as it hit.

 

“Uwa! Wait jus-, NO NO NO!?”

 

The mantis didn’t even try to register the feeble amount of damage and madly dashed towards me.
This was bad, this was so bad, I was done for if it got in range.

I had to expand the Rotten Bog.
Make it so that the mantis wouldn’t want to approach me.

 

“KYOAAAA, KISSSHHHHAAA”

“Shit, shit, shit! Ahhh, too close, stay away, stay away, dammiiit!”

 

I kept retreating from the mantis, putting down more bog, all the while trying to find a chance to stab it with my tentacle knives.
I barely edged by as the creature almost cut my body, this happened over and over again.
I was desperately running around the boss room, screaming, crying all the way――

 

“Kyooo, kiaa….”

 

Under my repeated attacks and the bog’s poison, the mantis finally stopped.
That terrifying scythe too, just hung there powerlessly, it looked like it won’t move anymore.

 

“Die, DIE!–”

 

The mantis was immobile.
I stretched my bog under its feet, restrained it with Blackhair Bind, cast Contra-Beat Butterfly to add additional damage, and finally, pin-cushioned it with my knives.

Check and mate.

 

“DIEEEEEEEEE!!”