Before the time travel, what kind of impression did Renjiro have of Antares?
Broadly speaking…
Its overall size was roughly that of a two-story rural house, not exceeding twenty meters in height, and its movement and attack speed were slow as a turtle.
So, in the original timeline, even Welf, who had just reached Lv.2, could swing a heavy greatsword and, relying solely on his uniform "i" rank low stats, lazily trade blows with it.
Even more absurdly, Lv.1 Lily could flirtatiously dodge and taunt Antares like it was a monkey.
The hellhounds that nearly killed them on the 13th floor of the dungeon were practically rolling on the floor laughing.
And…
Even though Antares had already devoured a god, and not even Artemis herself could stop it from plundering divine power at will, its wide-area moonlight arrows somehow never hit a single person. Its most notable feat? Grazing the wing of a tamed wyvern, leaving it with a pitiful look and unable to carry the main party any higher.
Yeah, but it's pretty good at blowing up bridges and destroying structures.
At this point, its power would suddenly spike, instantly reshaping large areas of terrain.
Aside from that…
As a BOSS-level creature with the ability to absorb nearby life force, even after Antares had withered entire forests, its body was absurdly fragile. Even Rabbit Boy, without charging his Hero's Wish skill, could blow off a leg with a single Lv.2 short-range spell.
Minotaur's past life would have laughed himself crazy.
On top of that, its "infinite reproduction, infinite evolution" trait only managed to spawn a few hundred splinter units. In the end, it couldn't even break through the defenses set up by the Hermes familia.
As a side note, the entire Hermes familia numbered only a few dozen, and the highest Blessing Level adventurer was Asfi at Lv.4.
Even including the temporarily invited [Gale] Lyu·Lian, there were only two Lv.4s.
Yet these few people held Antares back for over three weeks.
In ancient times, even with the help of the great elves, heroes could not kill it, forced only to seal it away, a catastrophic threat comparable to the One-Eyed Black Dragon.
Just that?
No wonder in the original timeline, Rabbit Boy and his group could casually travel from Orario, sightseeing, singing, eating hotpot, and even dancing with goddesses near the enemy's lair.
Mockery maxed out.
Truly like "dancing on a grave."
Also worth noting: in the early storyline, when Rabbit Boy was trapped by the Kengi Thunder familia and desperately needed rescue, Asfi felt she couldn't protect two gods alone in the dungeon's mid-levels, so she brought Lyu to act as a bodyguard.
But in the movie adaptation, when the main party infiltrated Antares' lair, the Elsos Ruins, facing countless Scorpion Splinter Units, Hermes and Hestia could still accompany the team. Even after the final boss was defeated, the two omniscient, zero-power "normal humans" remained unharmed.
Ah, understood. Antares' threat level is equivalent to the dungeon's mid-level areas.
Black Dragon: ???
Zeus and Hera familias wiped out by the Black Dragon: ???
The latter's Lv.8 [Hero] and Lv.9 [Empress]: ???
Honestly, after analyzing the "prophetic" info from the original timeline, Renjiro could only think:
"Integrity Society, you really outdid yourself."
So, what is the real Antares like in reality?
BOOM~
Near the Large Tree Labyrinth side of the camp, an overwhelming swarm of insects surged. From Paimon's overhead view, the army of Scorpion Splinter Units stretched endlessly, seemingly without border.
Each giant Scorpion Splinter Unit perfectly served as a "cannon." They didn't even need to move quickly, their single-eyed purple beams alone were enough to instill terror.
At this moment…
"Where on earth did these monsters come from?"
"Where are the scouts near the frontline? No reaction at all?"
"Run! Run!!!"
…
Formations? Countercharges? Forget it.
Now, whether it was adventurers who had taken on urgent Guild missions, or the Rakia Kingdom's army, they could only flee in panic, powerless to resist.
Even Hedin, Hogni, and Riveria, who had just escaped the dark-gold hall…
"Gotta hold these monsters here."
"Chanting magic… can't, no time. Retreat first."
"But where do we retreat to?"
…
In the span of a few sentences, the camp's southernmost area was being gradually encircled by the Scorpion Splinter Units.
To the north, the escape route shrank proactively.
And on that very route…
CLANG~
The massive Scorpion Splinter Units zeroed in on the exposed backs of adventurers and soldiers.
At that instant, both Renjiro (Aether) and Lumine, sharing the view via Paimon's vision, immediately understood what to do.
"Take out those 'cannons' first."
The priority was a quick, decisive strike.
With this in mind, there was no need to consider mana regeneration efficiency.
Currently, if Renjiro fought at full power, he could maintain combat for over ten minutes.
Those "cannons" had to be eliminated within tens of seconds, or allied casualties would skyrocket as time passed.
At this moment…
BUZZ~
Within mere seconds of Lumine, Hedin, and Riveria evacuating the dark-gold hall, Renjiro (Aether) used the teleport anchor set in a nearby tent of the Freya familia members to instantly arrive on the battlefield.
Then…
=============
140+ Advance Chapters Available on Patreon! Patreon.com/Veltoria