True God In Another World (Tensura x Tbate)

Chapter 108 - Mother's Smile

Rimuru POV

The sounds of battle quickly overwhelmed me: the commands, the clang of iron against claws and bones, the chanting of incantations, the howling of wolves. Not that the noise bothered me - I'd been in far worse situations. Still, watching these enhanced wolves pour out of every shadow of the massive cavern was quite the sight.

"Earth Wall!" I raised a modest barrier, carefully calibrating its strength. Too weak would be suspicious, too strong might raise questions. The three wolves that had been charging at us slammed into it face-first. Not the brightest bunch, these experiments.

Tess moved like water beside me, her sword trailing green wind magic as she dispatched two wolves in a single sweep. Her efficiency was impressive - no wasted movement, no flashy techniques, just clean, lethal strikes enhanced with magic.

"These things just keep coming!" Anna complained, but there was no real concern in her voice. She sent another wave of water magic crashing through a group of wolves, scattering them like bowling pins. "I'm going to need a long bath after this!"

"Less talking, more fighting!" Loid called out, though he was clearly enjoying himself. Lightning crackled along his sword as he cleaved through wolves with augmented strength. Show-off.

I maintained my position, providing strategic support with carefully measured earth and wind spells. It was actually quite challenging, deliberately casting at less than a fraction of my capability while making it look natural. Like trying to write with your non-dominant hand while pretending it's your normal handwriting.

The wolves kept coming, their numbers seemingly endless. Two hundred? Three hundred? Hard to keep count when they moved like a living tide of black fur and gleaming fangs. Not that their numbers mattered - even without my full power, our team was handling them easily enough.

"Alex, give me a platform!" Tess called out. I responded with a quick earth spell, raising a small plateau beneath her feet. She used the height advantage to rain down combinations of water and wind magic, creating miniature storms that sent wolves flying.

"Hey, no fair hogging all the good kills!" Anna protested, retaliating with a series of water spears that picked off wolves with surgical precision. She had style, I'll give her that - each spell was efficient yet somehow managed to look dramatically flashy.

Loid charged through the pack, his augmented strength sending wolves flying left and right. "If you've got time to complain, you've got time to up your kill count!"

I almost laughed at their casual competition in the middle of battle. Instead, I focused on maintaining my role, providing steady support while watching the other teams work.

"Earth Spike!" I called out, creating a row of modest stone projections that impaled several wolves. Could have taken out the entire pack with that spell, but that would definitely blow my cover. Besides, watching my teammates work was actually entertaining.

A wolf leaped at me from behind - predictable really. I pretended not to notice until the last second, then casually stepped aside while raising another earth barrier. The wolf crashed into it with a satisfying thud.

"Nice reflexes!" Anna shouted, following up my defensive move with a water blast that sent the dazed wolf flying into its packmates. "But watch this!"

She began gathering water magic, the moisture in the air condensing into dozens of floating spheres. With a dramatic flourish - totally unnecessary but very Anna-like - she sent them hurtling through the pack. Each sphere exploded on impact, creating a chain reaction that cleared a sizable area.