Stand Up!!!

"Ow ow ow ow ow—!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream instantly echoed through the cavern.

A huge amount of blood gushed from the wound, rapidly spreading across the ground the moment it landed and climbing up the giant tree, seeping into it at incredible speed like a living creature.

The next moment, a sudden change occurred.

Several eerie crimson patterns emerged across the giant tree's surface, spreading through the wood like blood vessels. The enormous cocoon seemed to come alive, emitting a heart-pounding pulse.

Second Brother froze for a moment, then immediately understood the intent behind Fourth Brother's wild train of thought.

"You mean—!"

"That's right!" A childish voice came from below.

Second Brother blinked and looked down.

A chibi Fourth Brother, only as tall as her calf, stood there with his hands on his hips, proudly declaring:

"Fuse my blood with Third Brother's giant tree and give it the ability to devour and convert energy!"

"An otherworldly version of Wood Release, freshly made!"

With a wave of his tiny hand, he pointed at the violently shaking giant cocoon.

"Go, Third Brother! Use Tree World Descent on Big Brother!"

"Understood!"

Though the sight of Fourth Brother in this form made Third Brother's eye twitch, the energy feedback from the giant tree greatly boosted his confidence.

The giant tree twisted inward even more frantically. The crimson patterns pulsed in and out like breathing, each flicker accompanied by the enraged roar of the Lava Troll.

Meanwhile, the giant cocoon, which had kept expanding due to Big Brother's growing power, began shrinking at a visible rate!

"Ohohohoho! It's working!"

Chibi Fourth Brother jumped joyfully, throwing both hands into the air. Because of his smaller body, his hops looked especially springy.

Curious, Second Brother bent down, slipped her hands beneath his armpits, and lifted him to eye level.

"I wanted to ask this earlier..."

Staring at his adorably chibi face, Second Brother spoke inquisitively.

"What's with this form of yours?"

"Oh, this?"

Dangling in midair, Fourth Brother kicked his short legs before explaining with a perfectly serious expression:

"Can't be helped. The blood bats, blood shields, and stuff I usually use in battle are all constructed from energy."

"But this time, to merge with Third Brother's skill, energy alone wasn't enough. I had to use my own blood as a medium."

"But I needed rather a lot, so..." He spread his hands.

"The blood I had left wasn't enough to support my tall and mighty body, so I had to shrink a little. I call it power-saving mode."

"Is that really the point?!"

Even Third Brother, busy maintaining the restraints, could not help turning back to complain. The giant tree even swayed from it.

"Isn't the real question why you can turn yourself into something like this?"

Fourth Brother dug at his ear with his pinky, wearing an expression of complete matter-of-factness.

"I'm a vampire. Isn't it perfectly normal for me to finely control my own flesh, blood, and bones and alter my size?"

"Look at those Bloodfiends native to Terra. They're already doing stuff like regenerating from a drop of blood. I'm keeping a pretty low profile just turning chibi, okay?"

Second Brother and Third Brother: "..."

After a stretch of silence, Third Brother muttered gloomily:

"What kind of 'I reckon' power is that..."

Second Brother gently set chibi Fourth Brother back on the ground and relaxed slightly.

"Phew... I never expected you to finally be useful this time."

"What was that supposed to mean?!"

Fourth Brother immediately bristled and jumped up to punch Second Brother's knee.

"I have plenty of good ideas I never got the chance to show off! It's your narrow-minded vision that has been limiting my potential!"

Second Brother's mood had eased somewhat, and she could not be bothered to argue. She nodded perfunctorily.

"Since Big Brother's side is almost resolved, let's take Ifrit back fir—"

Boom—!!!

The entire cavern shook violently. A massive crack split across the ceiling, and countless rocks rained down.

Second Brother stumbled, her expression changing sharply as she immediately looked toward the giant cocoon enclosing Big Brother.

"What happened, Third Brother?!"

But Third Brother's voice carried a barely perceptible tremor.

"Big Brother... Big Brother just self-destructed!!!"

"Huh!?" x2

The giant cocoon, which had been gradually shrinking under the crimson Wood Release's absorption, was instantly illuminated from within by such intense light that it seemed transparent.

"Not good! Reinforce it, now!!!" Second Brother shrieked. Purple light flashed wildly from her curse staff as she continuously applied weakening effects.

Third Brother poured every ounce of strength into it, roaring as he channeled energy into the giant tree in an attempt to suppress the destructive power about to erupt.

Spiderweb-like cracks instantly covered the tree's surface, and blinding light burst from them.

Second Brother's screams intertwined with Third Brother's roars. More giant trees surged forth madly; whenever one layer shattered, another immediately coiled around it to fill the gap.

Chibi Fourth Brother stomped anxiously. "Hold on, Third Brother!"

"I... can't hold it much longer!"

"You have to hold it!"

Seeing the situation about to spiral out of control, Second Brother raised her curse staff. Purple light at its tip began spinning and gathering rapidly.

"That's enough! We can't wait any longer. Prepare Time Stop, we're running!"

At the instant the time-stopping field was about to unfold—

Buzz...

The violent shaking vanished without warning.

The terrifying energy fluctuations disappeared along with it.

The light on the giant cocoon's surface quickly dimmed, and it began slowly contracting again, without any further movement.

Second Brother stood there blankly with her staff raised.

"...It stopped?"

With a thump, Fourth Brother dropped to his knees and pounded the ground with his tiny fists, his voice choked with tears.

"Big Brother~! How could you just leave like that... We haven't even... Pff!"

Before he could finish, Second Brother mercilessly punched him flat.

Ignoring him, Second Brother nervously looked at Third Brother.

"Third Brother, what's going on inside?"

Third Brother's chest rose and fell slightly, his tone thick with confusion.

"It's... it's strange! The energy is receding, but..."

Fourth Brother pulled his head out of the ground, shook the dirt from his hair, and instinctively continued:

"Huh? Don't tell me Big Brother is breaking out of the cocoon as a butterfly in there?"

As though answering his nonsense—

Gurgle, gurgle...

The sound of viscous liquid churning came from inside the shriveled, quiet giant cocoon.

Everyone instantly fell silent, staring tensely at the enormous black cocoon.

The giant cocoon, once tough and swollen, was visibly shriveling and contracting.

Then, scorching viscous lava slowly flowed out from between the giant tree's gaps...

Fourth Brother's eyes widened, his mouth forming an O.

"Oh no! Third Brother squeezed Big Brother into juice!!!"

"Wait! I was controlling my strength!" Third Brother panicked for a moment at those words and instinctively loosened the giant tree's restraints.

With that, even more lava poured from the loosened gaps, instantly spreading a burning crimson expanse across the ground!

Just as they stared at this apparent "crime scene," stunned and at a loss—

Another change occurred.

The lava's flowing momentum abruptly halted.

Everyone: "?"

Under their gaze, all the lava that had flowed out began slowly running backward, accelerating faster and faster!

As the lava gathered, a massive shadow rose from the ground once more, enveloping the unprepared group again.

Fourth Brother tilted his head up at the huge outline gradually taking shape and muttered:

"Oh, for fuck's sake..."

Third Brother said, "This looks awfully familiar..."

Second Brother lowered her curse staff and voiced everyone's thoughts through gritted teeth:

"What a cheating bastard..."

The searing lava rapidly converged and solidified. The Lava Troll once more stood in the center of the cavern.

Fourth Brother finally could not take it anymore. Pointing at Big Brother, who had fully recovered and even seemed more imposing than before, he let out a despairing cry:

"Why?!"

"Since when could you elementalize, Big Brother?! You wandered into the wrong genre, damn it!!!"

"Roar—!!!"

The Lava Troll roared. Lava in its lower body expanded sharply, transforming into a devastating wave of molten rock that surged toward them.

"Everyone, get over here!"

Third Brother growled. Several thick giant trees erupted from the ground and swiftly lifted them high into the air, narrowly avoiding the crimson death zone spreading beneath their feet.

Fourth Brother clung to Third Brother's enormous antlers like a koala and shouted at Second Brother below, who gripped her staff tightly.

"Test plan aborted! Let's make a strategic retreat first! If this keeps up, Big Brother's going to kill his own family for the greater good!"

Second Brother gripped her curse staff so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She stared fixedly at the Lava Troll below, which seemed impossible to kill or destroy, her expression complicated.

Big Brother has gotten stronger again...

Third Brother is constantly developing new abilities...

Even unreliable Fourth Brother is trying to make breakthroughs in his own way...

Only me...

"Second Brother, Fourth Brother! You go first! I'll stay behind and cover you!"

Third Brother flung Fourth Brother toward Second Brother while driving the giant trees to raise wall after wall before the lava wave.

However, Big Brother had already "evolved."

His enormous body instantly collapsed into a flow of lava, passing directly through the gaps between the giant trees and continuing to surge upward.

Fourth Brother's scalp went numb. "Fuck! Big Brother can ignore physical barriers now! Is he going to chase us through the tunnels next?!"

Second Brother's heart tightened sharply.

Absolutely not!

If Big Brother in this state catches us, the consequences will be unimaginable!

Think of something! Think of something, now!

What can you do?! Think!

As the lava below continued churning, a scorched spherical object was pushed by its force to the edge of the giant tree platform.

Second Brother glanced at it instinctively, but that single glance locked her gaze to it as if drawn by a magnet.

That was... that was!!!

The King Snow Ape's eyeball, battered to ruin by Big Brother and scorched black!

A bold thought struck Second Brother's mind like lightning.

"Fourth Brother!"

"Huh?"

Fourth Brother, who had climbed back onto the antlers, froze.

"Third Brother!"

"I'm here!"

While maintaining the giant tree platform, Third Brother answered nervously.

"I have an idea. I need your cooperation!" Second Brother's voice was urgent and excited.

"Osu!" / "Got it!"

Though neither understood what was happening, their long-standing trust made them answer at once.

Second Brother suddenly crouched, aiming her hand at the eyeball as crimson flames, completely unlike Big Brother's, ignited.

"I say..."

The flames instantly engulfed the eyeball. The necromancer issued a decree to the dead overlord's remains:

"Stand up!!!"

(My turn!)

Quick-Play Spell [Revival of the Dead] activated!

Activate the effect of [Revival of the Dead]: Revive and strengthen the dead to fight for me!

Offer the King Snow Ape's eyeball as a sacrifice!

Revive the King Snow Ape from the graveyard!

Descend!

Master of Frost! Incarnation of Strength!

The lord of the Snowfield Dungeon, the King Snow Ape!

A circular magic array spread across the sea of magma in scarlet flames, accompanied by an intense radiance.

A massive arm thrust out from within and smashed into the ground, instantly freezing the magma solid with bone-chilling frost.

Boom—!!!

The snow-white figure launched itself into the air with a powerful push of its forelimbs, landing before them amid a thunderous roar.

Fourth Brother: "Th-this is...!"

The dead overlord of the ice plains was reborn in the flames and unleashed a roar of vengeance at its former opponent, now the incarnation of destruction!

"Roar—!!!!" (I've returned from hell!!!)