Chapter 58. Great Rabbit Extermination Battle
After a slash of the transparent sword aura, about one-fifth of the pure white land suddenly turned red, followed by the echoing sound of chewing.
Upon closer inspection, one would realize that the white land was actually covered by white long-horned rabbits over brown earth, and they were now desperately devouring the corpses of their suddenly-dead companions.
"Oh oh, as expected of Lady Crusch-nya! I never thought I'd be able to witness the extermination of the Great Rabbit by Lady Crusch in my lifetime-nya. Ferris feels even more in love with Lady Crusch now-nya."
Standing on the cliff, Crusch slowly lowered her sword and let out a long breath, then rubbed the head of Ferris, who had just finished a healing spell.
Indeed, the one who had just wiped out about one-fifth of the Great Rabbit swarm in a single moment was none other than Crusch with her signature move — One Blow, One Hundred Felled.
This technique, which could barely scratch the tough-skinned White Whale, had achieved astounding results against the Great Rabbit.
But that was understandable, because One Blow, One Hundred Felled was a move Crusch invented at the age of 17 specifically to deal with the Great Rabbit when it invaded her family's territory.
With an ultra-long attack range, a vast area of effect, unavoidable speed, and decent sharpness, it was the perfect counter to enemies like the Great Rabbit: numerous, clustered, and individually weak.
"Calm down. The reason we were able to achieve this result is thanks to Lord Subaru's precise intel," Crusch remarked while observing the bewildered and motionless Great Rabbits.
"But who would be willing to bet a strategic-class magical tool like Chase the Night based on vague and nonsensical information about 'a place with only one shared consciousness among a swarm,' 'mana-rich air,' and 'driven by hunger'? Probably only Lady Crusch would, nya."
Indeed, the "sun" that Subaru saw to the right upon leaving the tomb was none other than Chase the Night, a magical tool that could turn night into day.
It was the powerful mana released by it that threw the Great Rabbit into chaos.
Let's rewind time to when Crusch had just taken up the White Whale subjugation task.
With her and Wilhelm's outstanding tactical acumen, they were able to deduce from Subaru's confused explanations that the Great Rabbit was likely approaching the Sanctuary from a certain direction.
However, to cover potential errors and avoid detection by Witch Cultists in the forest, the defensive range for the reorganized interception force was still too broad.
But once the intel was shared, Crusch keenly grasped an opportunity.
Although she didn't know how powerful the mana released by the Sanctuary's barrier was, or how terrifying Emilia's full-power mana could be, the mana radiated by Chase the Night, enough to turn night into day on an open plain, would surely not fall short.
So, to better intercept the Great Rabbit, Crusch coordinated the timing of the operation and led her forces to the western side of the Cremaldi Lost Forest, then modified the terrain to make it the ideal battlefield to face the Great Rabbit.
And the result was the current situation — the swarm was temporarily trapped in a dead-end. The "Chase the Night" above them caused the Great Rabbits to lose their sense of direction, and Crusch kept guiding their movements by leveraging their hunger.
For instance, now that Crusch had slain the rabbits on the left with a single strike, the herd originally moving to the right was drawn back to devour their fallen brethren.
"This wasn't just luck. I have the Divine Protection of Wind Reading, which lets me read the emotions in spoken words.
I compared Subaru's intel with my past experiences fighting the Great Rabbit and only decided to act when I was confident enough.
As for Chase the Night, it is indeed very valuable. We prepared for a long time and only obtained two of them, but they were originally meant for the White Whale hunt."
While adjusting her breathing, Crusch continued, finally pointing at the rabbit swarm below with a smile.
"Since this was saved thanks to Lord Subaru's existence, using it for him is only natural. And if we can use Chase the Night to destroy the Great Rabbit, that's a deal I'll gladly take."
"Destroy it, huh?"
Ferris sighed for once as she looked at the Great Rabbits, which had once again returned to their original numbers.
"Honestly, is it even possible to kill those things, nya? No matter what attack is used, they return to full numbers within seconds. Their breeding ability is so abnormal that even Ferris can't comprehend it anymore."
Noticing Crusch's gaze, Ferris raised her hands.
"I get it-nya, of course I trust Subaru-kun-nya. But he's really too slow-nya. If he doesn't hurry, we'll be the Great Rabbits' dinner."
Crusch rarely fell into deep thought.
Compared to when it first appeared, Chase the Night had already dimmed considerably.
Once it extinguished, the Great Rabbits would once again instinctively seek mana-rich food.
"Lady Ferris, please trust us. We already understand the Great Rabbit's movement speed well. We will follow the original plan and lure them to Point B."
The speaker was Tivey, one of the deputy leaders of the Iron Fangs.
"It's exactly because of your earlier performance that I'm worried-nya. Ferris is entrusting both her and Lady Crusch's lives to you, alright? You better be confident-nya!"
Crusch also looked at Tivey.
Indeed, those with the highest mana concentration present were Ferris and Crusch — meaning they'd be the primary targets once Chase the Night failed.
Compared to the slow-moving Earth Dragons, the agile giant wolves owned by Iron Fangs were the ideal mounts for maneuvering around the battlefield.
"Although three people were seriously injured during the earlier maneuver, we... might not need to act now."
Noticing activity on the left, Tivey commanded her subordinates to retreat. Soon, Subaru landed in the cleared space while holding Beatrice.
"Sorry I'm late, but the situation is even better than I imagined.
You've worked hard, Lady Crusch.
We'll take care of the big groups, Beatrice and I. The stragglers, we leave to you!"
"Hmph, there's no need. Leave everything to Betty! Let me show you the pinnacle of yin magic in this world."
Beatrice said proudly, raising her head.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Subaru desperately tried to communicate via eye contact: Aren't you the one who's been holed up for 400 years?
"Though we just formed our contract, to face one of the three Great Mabeasts immediately — for Betty, the timing is just right."
Beatrice replied confidently, then looked down at the Great Rabbits at the base of the cliff.
"Are all the Great Rabbits gathered here?"
"Yes, they've all gathered. All that's left is one all-out attack to wipe out tens of thousands of them."
"Got it. Let's hold them off for now."
Beatrice closed her eyes as her mana surged rapidly.
Soon, her mana grew so vast that not even Chase the Night could suppress it.
Before the Great Rabbits could act, all of Crusch's forces, under her command, unleashed a barrage on the rabbit horde.
Even at full force, there were still survivors. If the Great Rabbit had even a shred of intelligence, it would've charged toward the overwhelming mana presence above — the great spirit.
But in its hunger, it couldn't resist the nearby roasted meat.
In mere seconds, the scorched ground turned white again, but those few seconds sealed the fate of the Great Rabbit.
The silently meditating girl slowly opened her eyes. She stretched out her hand.
"Ul Shamak."
The pinnacle of Yin magic turned the world black.
The darkness born swallowed the white land whole.
The Great Rabbit horde was compressed — then vanished without a sound.
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