Scenic Description of the Plateau of Behemoths
* * *
Arc 29, begins.
A forest, so vast that its end cannot be seen, spreads out endlessly under the blue sky.
This is the Plateau of Behemoths... a paradise for giant monsters, isolated from the outside world by sheer cliffs, with the exception of a few places.
<<<BUBUBUBUBUBUU!!>>>
Now, flying out into the sky from between the trunks of giant trees, were three Destroy Bunbuns.
They are powerful, beetle-type monsters, resembling rhino beetles... boasting bodies the size of a light vehicle, five horns, and gleaming jet-black carapaces.
<<<<<<BUBUBUBUBUBU!!>>>>>>
An additional seven Destroy Bunbuns flew out from the forest!
A total of ten Destroy Bunbuns flew straight through the sky of the Plateau of Behemoths, in a perfectly disciplined formation flight.
The destination they head for, filled with fighting spirit and murderous intent... is a mountain... protruding and soaring from the forest like a pimple.
However, that mountain is no ordinary mountain.
It's unnaturally yellow... and its surface is covered with hexagonal holes... it's that kind of mountain.
In other words, although its size is that of a mountain, it is not a mountain!
As the Destroy Bunbuns approached, what appeared from the holes of that "mountain"... were also super-giant honeybees, the size of light vehicles!
Their name is, the Fortress Honeybee!
In other words, what the Destroy Bunbuns are after is the honey stored by the Fortress Honeybees... and for the Fortress Honeybees, they are plunderers that must be defeated.
<<<<<BIBIBIBIBIBI!!>>>>>
The Fortress Honeybees bravely intercept the charging Destroy Bunbuns.
However, the enemy's jet-black carapace is a troublesome armor that even the giant stingers of the Fortress Honeybees cannot penetrate.
<<<<<BUBUBUBUBUBUN!!>>>>>
While smashing the bodies of the oncoming Fortress Honeybees into pieces with their tackles, the Destroy Bunbuns head straight for the Fortress Honeybee's nest-mountain.
Their buzzing... sounds intimidating!
They completely disregard the attacks of the Fortress Honeybees!
However, it was at that moment!
<<<Bubu!?>>>
Taking advantage of an opening, a single Fortress Honeybee latched onto the Destroy Bunbun flying at the very rear of the formation.
Then, with that single bee as a starting point, more and more Fortress Honeybees gathered, forming a clump that covered the Destroy Bunbun...
This is, 【Bee Ball】!
Even in our world, it is said to be a group attack performed by Japanese honeybees to counter hornets!
However, this is the other world, Ardyst.
If you ask whether these Fortress Honeybees formed a 【Bee Ball】 to steam the Destroy Bunbun to death with heat... that is not the case.
In the first place, Destroy Bunbuns have bodies so tough that they wouldn't die even if burned by flames.
<<<Bu... bu...>>>
Swarmed by the Fortress Honeybees, the Destroy Bunbun can no longer even be seen.
Of course, it can no longer flap its wings, and falls to the ground, along with the clump of Fortress Honeybees.
Fwoosh...
And then, the Destroy Bunbun and the 【Bee Ball】 made contact with the ground.
It was at that moment!
CHUDOOOOOOOOOON!!!
A huge explosion occurred!
Yes!
The 【Bee Ball】 of our world is a technique to steam the enemy to death with heat, but...
The 【Bee Ball】 unleashed by the Fortress Honeybees of the other world, Ardyst, is a technique to kill the enemy by causing a mass mana-berserk and triggering a huge explosion... a technique that should be called an 【Explosive Bee Ball】!
Observing the epicenter of the explosion, one can see scorched trees, the charred and lifeless body of a Destroy Bunbun, and furthermore, the corpses of many exhausted Fortress Honeybees.
The 【Bee Ball】 is a suicide attack that costs the honeybees their lives... that fact alone remains the same in this world.
CHUDOOOOOOOOOON!!!
CHUDOOOOOOOOOON!!!
In the surroundings, huge explosions occurred again, and a third time.
One after another, the Destroy Bunbuns were shot down... and only three remained.
<<<BUBUBUBUBUBUN!!>>>
But even so!
The remaining Destroy Bunbuns did not slow their charge!
Without looking back at the corpses of their fallen comrades... they dodged the interception of the Fortress Honeybees with coordinated high-speed flight, desperately aiming for the nest-mountain, and flew like missiles!
From their round eyes... something shining, was shed...!
The Destroy Bunbun is a hateful plunderer from the perspective of the Fortress Honeybee, but it is not "evil".
They too, are desperate to obtain high-quality food to store power... honey to survive.
In other words, what we are seeing now is a scene from the harsh struggle for survival on the Plateau of Behemoths!
<<<BUBUBUBUBUBUUUU!!>>>
<<<BUBUBUBUBUBUUUU!!>>>
<<<BUBUBUBUBUBUUUU!!>>>
And here.
Finally, the Destroy Bunbuns reached the nest-mountain of the Fortress Honeybees.
ZUGAN!
ZUGAN!
ZUGAN!
The continuous destructive sounds are proof that the Destroy Bunbuns have broken through the outer wall of the nest-mountain and have invaded its interior.
Now that the nest-mountain has been invaded, the battle is decided.
What begins now is a rampage by the three Destroy Bunbuns.
They will sip honey to their heart's content, devour the soft flesh of the bee larvae, and nourish their spirits until they are satisfied.
...Greedily.
<<<BIBIBIBIBIBI!?>>>
And now that the nest-mountain has been invaded, the Fortress Honeybees have no move left.
Their stingers are ineffective against the Destroy Bunbuns, and they are suppressed by their instincts, unable to use the 【Explosive Bee Ball】 inside the nest.
It's a checkmate.
The buzzing of the Fortress Honeybees, like a scream, echoed around the nest-mountain...
However, it was at that moment!
<<<<<!?>>>>>
Suddenly, a huge shadow covered the Fortress Honeybees, who were at a loss.
A shadow so huge... that it completely covered even their mountain-sized nest.
The one who cast that shadow.
It was...
A super-giant whale, its entire body covered in moss... and with a forest on its back.
No, it might be better to say it's a monster that resembles a whale.
After all, it is a terrestrial creature, and has four sturdy legs instead of fins.
However, its overall form is unmistakably that of a whale, and it's hard to believe that it's a creature completely unrelated to an actual whale.
Anyway, to digress.
That land whale was staring intently at the Fortress Honeybee's nest-mountain.
And, slowly, it opened its giant mouth.
Bakuri, and—
That mountain-sized nest, along with the very earth it stood on!
...It devoured it in a single bite.
<<<BOAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!>>>
Was it satisfied with the taste?
After swallowing the nest-mountain, the super-giant land whale roared loudly, shaking the air.
And, *thud, thud*.
Causing localized earthquakes... and knocking down the surrounding giant trees.
It walked away, heading somewhere.
◇ ◇ ◇
Such a harsh struggle for survival between giant monsters... a small monster watched intently, hiding in a hollow tree.
A small monster, small enough to fit in the palm of a human hand.
Its entire body is covered in a sticky, bluish-purple slime... and on top of that, gravel and garbage are stuck to it, making it filthy.
In any case, it is a dirty, sticky lump, and its true identity cannot be grasped at a glance.
That small monster, having witnessed the battle between the great monsters, which could be called a combat act, was stunned for a while, but.
A little later, it must have remembered its fear.
Gradually, gradually... its body began to tremble.
And then.
(I'm sick of this!! I want to go back to Japaaaaan!!)
So, it shrieked in its heart.
【Destroy Bunbun】
A super-giant beetle about the size of a compact car, with five horns.
It loves honey.
In Arc 17, Deogandai the "Puppeteer" deployed them in the attack on the royal capital of Ashgo.
Parallel universe Rimuru?
I just looked up bee ball, and i'm just glad i am not a hornet....