Chapter 16: The Fury of Pure Love and a Desperate Flight

As if the word “pure love” were a trigger for awakening, the elves suddenly unleashed their hidden strength.

“Haa… haa… A ‘top-tier,’ ‘virgin,’ and into ‘pure love’… He’s practically begging to be ravaged!!!”

“Overly aggressive and clingy women aren’t exactly my type.”

“No worries! Hearts naturally grow closer through mating! They call it ‘taming.’”

“Strong women have their charm, but I’m not into being tamed. I prefer leading over being led, you see.”

“Do the weak get a say?”

Clang!

A frenzied elf’s strike sent Carl sliding backward.

His arm, gripping the greatsword, trembled—he was clearly at his limit.

“Some supporting fire would’ve given us a fighting chance.”

“We’re in deep trouble ourselves. And don’t you know this is all your fault? If you hadn’t mentioned ‘pure love,’ we wouldn’t be in this mess!”

“Sure, they’re obsessed with mating, but I didn’t know they’d be this crazed for domination. Though, I admit, it’s kind of hot.”

Shing—

Readjusting his grip on the greatsword, Carl whispered a question to me.

“Got any contingency plans? Please tell me you saw this coming.”

“What am I, some master strategist? I’m not that smart, you know.”

“Tch, I meet my dream girl, and all that awaits is becoming a stud… Not a great ending.”

“Dream on. Even if we miraculously escape, I’m not accepting you.”

Growling fiercely, he made a disappointed face before resuming his clash with the elves.

But as mentioned, his body was already at its limit. After a few exchanges, an elf’s kick sent him flying toward me.

“…Getting kicked by a busty beauty feels like a reward, but the situation’s grim. My arm’s done for.”

“Total disaster. We’re out of ammo, and the cannon’s barrel is about to break. Priestess, how about you? Can you hold out any longer?”

“No, I’ve only got enough divine power left for one more protective spell.”

Surrounded, with no way forward or back—was this what they meant by a hopeless situation?

Looking at my battered party, my vision darkened.

Was this always a fool’s errand?

Even in perfect conditions, escape odds were slim. With our forces nearly halved, what chance did we have?

Still, I couldn’t help but feel regret.

If Veldum, the buff elf reduced to a husk from two days of relentless milking, had been at full strength.

If Kotath, the gourmet orc who vanished who-knows-where, had stayed with us.

We’d have escaped the Great Forest by now, far beyond the elves’ reach.

“If only Kotath showed up now, we might actually pull off this escape.”

Despite being surrounded and toyed with, we were on the verge of breaking out.

Our current position was the forest’s edge.

If someone with monstrous strength appeared and threw us outward, escape would be ours.

…The biggest problem was that no such person existed.

BRRRRT! Click! Click!

The sound of an empty cannon, out of ammo, snapped me out of my thoughts.

Now, even the enraged beastmen were closing in for melee combat.

I set down the dwarven groin-cannon, pulled out a cleaver and meat hammer from my pack, and faced the beastmen, who looked ready to charge.

What now?

I’m really not confident in close combat.

As I glared at the slowly approaching beastmen, steeling myself—

“What a savage scene. It’s enough to kill my appetite.”

From a completely unexpected direction came an ally I hadn’t dared hope for.

Kotath, the gourmet orc.

To sum him up: a nutcase obsessed with food.

Normally, he’s as sane as anyone, but when he sees something delicious, he’ll do anything to eat it.

Even if it’s laced with deadly poison, he’ll devour it.

Quiet when calm, but when crazed, he’s the wildest of the four—an unpredictable force.

His strength comes from hunger and rage.

The hungrier and angrier he is, the stronger he becomes, his power fluctuating wildly by situation.

Most times, he’s the weakest in the party, but in specific moments, he’s a near-unstoppable problem-solver.

And right now—

“My deepest regrets, elves and beastmen.”

He was stronger than ever.

Thud. Thud.

Each step shook the ground.

His overwhelming bloodlust paralyzed the beastmen instantly, and even the elves broke into cold sweats from the chilling aura.

What in the world happened with the elves to enrage him this much?

Before I could wonder further, his voice provided the answer.

“You promised me the finest cuisine.”

“…”

“So I didn’t resist. A golden chance to taste the Great Forest’s delicacies, bought with the seed from my loins? A small price.”

Thud!

Taking another step, he snorted fiercely, exuding even more bloodlust.

“But I never imagined you’d betray me like this.”

“Your ‘cuisine’ wasn’t for the mouth, but for down below… I’m utterly appalled. And furthermore—”

Pointing at our battered group, he approached us.

Snatching Carl’s greatsword, he aimed it at the elves.

“I don’t recognize some of these faces, but to treat my comrades like this? I can’t let that slide.”

Snort—

As he exhaled angrily, the elves, previously cowed by his aura, rallied their mana and aura, sneering at Kotath.

“Can’t let it slide? What’re you gonna do? Think you can take us all on alone?”

“Nothing’s impossible. Right now, after your betrayal, I feel quite possible.”

“Pfft, let’s see you try. Hope you can back up that bravado.”

The elves charged as one.

Watching the scene, I urgently instructed the priestess.

“Make the strongest spherical barrier you can—no dome, a full sphere!”

“…Suddenly?”

“Do it quick if you don’t want to die! We need to get out of here!”

With everyone but the priestess, who had a sliver of power left, combat-incapacitated, getting caught in Kotath’s and the elves’ brutal fight would likely kill us.

We had to leave before getting swept up—ideally toward the Great Forest’s exit.

Urging her repeatedly, the priestess squeezed out every last drop of divine power, crafting a sturdy-looking spherical barrier.

Confirming it, I dangled a tempting offer to Kotath, asking him to throw the barrier as far as possible.

“I know a few special recipes.”

“…Really?”

“Yup. Throw this thing far out of the Great Forest, and if we make it back alive, I’ll treat you to something delicious.”

“Deal, new comrade. I’ll handle this and find you soon.”

Kotath easily lifted the spherical barrier and hurled it with all his might toward the forest’s edge. Inside the soaring barrier, I caught sight of the elves’ stunned expressions.

Was this what they meant by “the dog chasing the chicken staring at the roof”?

Their faces were priceless—I wished I could snap a photo.

Grinning at the elves, the priestess, face rigid, asked me.

“Will that orc be okay? With the elves’ strength, he’ll be subdued quickly…”

“He’ll be fine. He’ll probably take them all down. In that state, not even a dragon could stop him.”

In the original story, when the party faced annihilation, he entered that state and slaughtered a dragon.

And if he’s even hungrier and angrier now?

BOOM!!!

Shrieeeek—*

Before I finished the thought, deafening explosions echoed from the Great Forest, followed by the elves’ screams spilling outward.

“See? Told you it’s a pointless worry. The real concern is us.”

“…True.”

The spherical barrier soared high into the sky.

Carrying our party, it soon lost momentum and began descending toward the ground.

“Can we survive this?”

“Maybe? If we land in water, we might make it.”

“No plans? What about a platform spell? You’re a witch—do something!”

“What am I, a pocket-equipped robot cat solving every problem?!”

I’m not the all-powerful witch you think.

Just a mediocre one who can only use magic (physical).

Shouting back at the priestess, the spherical barrier plummeted faster. Seeing the ground approach, I let out a scream.

“KYAAAAAAAAAH!!!”