As we drew closer, the situation became clear. We were still too far away to see every detail, but a group of adventurers was locked in a desperate struggle against a swarm of monsters. One individual stood out, towering over the others—likely an Abyss Queen. She was a massive bee-type monster that commanded an endless legion of subordinates. That meant the creatures thick in the air around her were undoubtedly Abyss Soldiers.
The queen herself was an A-Rank threat. While the soldiers only possessed C-Rank combat power individually, they were treated as B-Ranks given their tendency to attack in coordinated swarms. With a queen leading them, their threat level surged even higher. They were easily the most troublesome monsters on the thirtieth floor.
"There's no mistake, nya! It's them, nya!"
Rache-san made the call from a distance. We had heard they were exploring the thirty-first floor, so perhaps they had been intercepted on their way back. It was a stroke of luck that we found them at all. These floors were massive, and even a slight deviation in our route could have caused us to miss each other. I really should have used my Item-finding Rod the moment we arrived. I had been so sure they were still on the floor below that I’d grown careless.
"Hm. It looks like they’re being overwhelmed," Masso-san grunted as we drew nearer.
To my eyes, the battle looked just as bleak. The four of them were huddled together, completely engulfed by the swarm. Two vanguards were fighting with everything they had, and occasional bursts of area magic kept the onslaught at bay, but they were vastly outnumbered. Forced entirely onto the defensive, it was only a matter of time before they were worn down.
"What are you doing, nya?! Get it together, nya!"
Rache-san screamed in frustration. It was no wonder she was panicked; even from here, I could tell the four of them were reaching their limits. It wouldn't be surprising if someone collapsed before we even reached them.
"I’m going ahead, nya!"
"I shall precede you as well."
The two A-Ranks, who had been matching our pace until now, suddenly accelerated.
"Shiroru! Carry Halfa and the others and run!"
『Understood!』
While not quite as fast as the A-Ranks, Shiroru was capable of incredible speed in his giantized form. I had him rush toward the fray with the other three on his back.
『What about you, Tort?』
"I can use Shadow Leap from here! Just go!"
『Got it!』
Once I saw Shiroru off, I began my own preparations. There was something I had to do before I used Shadow Leap myself: I needed to create some Air Golems. After conjuring four of them in distinct colors, I handed each a pair of wooden rods from my Storage Ring. One rod was a single-use tool enchanted with Shadow Leap, while the other held Shredding Storm. I had marked them with colored bands to ensure there wouldn't be any mistakes.
"Jump to those four and unleash your attacks in different directions!"
The golems nodded and instantly vanished. They must have teleported successfully, as I immediately saw massive tornadoes erupting around the four adventurers.
"Allen, you guys join in too, okay? Do you have your staves?"
In response to my call, Allen and the others poked their heads out from my trench coat pockets and gave a firm nod. The 'staves' were the enchanted magic tools I had crafted for them. I had supplied them with several tools for attack magic. If they overused them, they’d run out of energy, but since they could recover mana from the magic stones I’d tucked into my pockets, they could manage their own replenishment.
"Alright, here I go!"
Timing it for the moment the tornadoes subsided, I activated Shadow Leap. This magic usually only worked on the caster, but at the size Allen and the others were, they were treated as my belongings and teleported along with me.
The world shifted in a heartbeat. My sense of balance wavered for a second, but I’d grown accustomed to the sensation. I quickly recovered and looked around to see the adventurers right in front of me. All four were caked in grime and filth, looking nothing like the elite A-Rank party they were supposed to be.
"I'm a friend of Rache-san's! I'm here to help!"
I shouted to reassure them, knowing how suspicious a sudden appearance would be. However, their reactions were dull. They barely acknowledged me, their focus entirely consumed by the bees.
They were likely so close to the brink that they couldn't afford to respond. Between their tattered appearance and the intensity of the swarm, they must have been fighting for an eternity. They needed a rest, and fast.
The Air Golems had already dissipated, having only been given enough mana to trigger their spells. In their place, the Petit Golems leapt from my pockets, unleashing magic based on their own judgment. They mostly favored Shredding Storm. Area-of-effect spells were definitely the right call against these numbers. Individually, the soldiers were only C-Rank, so Shredding Storm was enough to chip away at them. We couldn't kill them with a single hit, but with all five of us—myself and the Petit Golems—firing at once, it wasn't an issue. More importantly, the raging winds acted as a protective barrier against the bees' stingers.
"Nya~! You beat me to the punch, nya!"
As the winds howled, Rache-san and Masso-san finally arrived.
Now, the real counterattack begins!