Instead of me doing all the purification myself, it seemed more efficient to divide the labor using the purification-type Clean enchanted magic tools.
"Everyone, use these to purify the people who are acting strange!"
I quickly pulled the purification magic tools from my Storage Ring and handed them out to my companions. I’d originally made these to fulfill a delivery for the Merchant Guild, but this was an emergency. I felt a bit bad about using them, but the situation demanded it.
"There, this should fix you up."
"I’ll take care of this person over here too~!"
"O-Oh! The voice... it's gone! You saved me, young ladies."
Halfa and Spira worked as a duo, weaving through the crowd to reach those under the influence of "The Voice." Both of them possessed mana pools that were deep even by high-rank adventurer standards. For the simple task of purifying those currently affected by the voice, the two of them were more than enough.
"Hey, wait! Don't get close or you'll be brainwashed!"
"I know! It's not a problem!"
"...What was that light just now?"
"I purified it before we went for the kill. We can thin their numbers safely this way."
"Oh!"
Lowell focused his efforts on thinning the monster ranks. It turned out that if the Special Individuals responsible for planting "The Voice" were purified beforehand, they reverted to being normal monsters. This allowed the defenders to dispatch them without fear.
Shiroru and the Petit Golems were also pitching in. Despite their appearances—which clearly weren't human, even if they didn't look like monsters—they were openly firing magic at the enemy. The adventurers who weren't in the loop seemed a bit bewildered, but surprisingly, there was less confusion than I expected. Shiroru and the others actually had decent name recognition already. I caught a few people mentioning "that Muscle-yaki incident," which explained why everyone was taking the sight of a holy beast and golems in stride.
Thanks to everyone’s hard work, the people under the influence of "The Voice" had been cleared from the immediate area. The monsters were also being pushed back, albeit slowly. However, this gate wasn't the only place being swarmed. Their numbers were still overwhelming, and there was a distinct lack of people capable of using purification.
"Lad, you're here!"
Just as I was wondering how to distribute the remaining enchanted magic tools, Zahha-san appeared. It looked like Torta-san had successfully tracked him down. As the acting commander here, Zahha-san was the perfect person to entrust with the items. He had the authority to distribute them where the fighting was heaviest.
"Zahha-san, take these!"
"...Huh? What the heck are these?"
"They're enchanted purification tools! I ran out of proper materials, so I had to use goubu instead."
Goubu was a root vegetable similar to burdock. Since I’d exhausted my supply of lumber, I’d been forced to find a substitute. I had plenty of these in stock since I’d bought them in bulk a few days ago.
"You might not believe me, but they work. Look, Lowell is using one over there."
"No... it's not that I doubt they work. Rache already warned me that you tend to do preposterous things. It's just... well... couldn't you have picked a slightly better material?"
Zahha-san seemed less than thrilled about the goubu. Still, out of all the vegetables I had, it was the closest thing to a wooden stick. I figured it was better than using a potato.
"It was an emergency."
"...Right. An emergency. Of course."
For a split second, Zahha-san wore a pained expression, looking as though he were physically forcing himself to swallow whatever retort he had prepared. He quickly pulled himself together, asked for a quick rundown on how to use them, and rushed off. As expected of an A-Rank adventurer, his ability to pivot was magnificent.
Though, as he left, I did hear him grumbling, "How in the world am I supposed to explain that these are magic tools...?" I could only hope he’d manage to pull it off with his natural charisma.
Once I finished enchanting a final batch of goubu, I joined the effort to purify the surroundings. Zahha-san had clearly succeeded in persuading the other defenders, as the rate at which monsters were being slain spiked. Even so, the sheer quantity of enemies meant that fully mopping them up would take some time.
Most of the adventurers were handing their enchanted goubu off to others once they ran low on mana, so the burden on individuals was manageable. We, however, were using purification non-stop. Even with the Ring of Malice Conversion boosting my recovery, it couldn't keep up with the constant drain. I ended up burning through my stock of mana recovery potions at an alarming rate.
Still, our struggle was paying off. The monster count was dropping significantly, and it felt like it was only a matter of time before the city was secure.
That was when it happened. A heavy, booming vibration shook the ground beneath our feet. It wasn't just a one-off tremor; the periodic thuds were growing louder, as if something massive was approaching.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me..."
One of the nearby adventurers muttered as he stared up at the sky. I followed his gaze and froze. Towering like a mountain was a black giant. It was moving toward us from the center of the city. Because of its sheer scale, its gait looked slow, but in reality, it was covering ground at an incredible speed. Each step looked heavy enough to crush buildings, let alone people.
Now that it was closer, I could sense it clearly. That giant was a literal mass of malice. The black haze clinging to it like armor radiated a foul, sickening aura.
The giant slowly scanned the area... and then its gaze locked onto a single point. Specifically, it was looking right at me.
"Found you! I knew it! It really is you! You are nothing but a nuisance to the trial! I will bury you with my own hands!"
The giant spoke with Godfee's voice. He sounded absolutely livid.