Chapter 146

Episode 146

Debris scattered in all directions. A low groan followed.

“Ugh.”

The attack landed.

The dust settled, revealing Arthur bathed in moonlight once more.

He was in a defensive stance with both hands, but his robe and clothes were mostly torn. The exposed skin bore the marks of the magical experiment.

Scars covered his entire body, remnants of the mana circuit transplant.

I wasn’t going to show any mercy. I was about to unleash a follow-up attack when the surroundings suddenly darkened.

*Whoosh—*

‘Subspace?’

I had experienced this once before. It was when I fought Nielsen, who had become a minion of the demon, in Cliff Territory.

It felt similar to the boss battle phase transitions I had seen in games.

In other words, Arthur had become a boss-like existence in this game.

If I hadn’t possessed this body, he wouldn’t have become a magical experiment subject and would have lived a life of luxury as a good-for-nothing.

‘No, wait. It’s entirely possible that he was designed to become corrupted in the actual story.’

At the time of my possession, he was already entangled with Lady Lucia through a marriage proposal. Perhaps my fate had entered the main storyline without me knowing.

‘Still, it’s a good deal. Entering phase 2 with one magic spell isn’t bad.’

Boss battles in games usually follow a formula. They become stronger as their health decreases. It’s often explained as “enrage.”

Being separated into a subspace was actually a good thing. Selendis wasn’t caught in it, and I could unleash magic freely in this space.

“A mere insect using magic… You tricked me, O’Brien.”

“I taught you during our duel. If you’re careless, you’ll lose a hand. If you got hit again, it’s your fault for being careless.”

“You were learning magic from the beginning? You hid it well.”

“Anyone can learn it if they try. I’ll make sure it becomes possible for everyone. This incident will be a good opportunity.”

“What do you mean?”

I infused my sword with aura. For the first time, the ‘Sword of Chaos’ glowed with a vivid purple light.

“His Majesty and Duke Kalisto are old friends. But his son attacked the Dukedom and tried to harm Princess Beatrice, so the repercussions will be significant. I’ll prove that you’ve become a magical experiment subject and lift the restrictions on magic.”

“Hmph. A lowly being with grand dreams. You’ll never defeat me…”

*Rumble!*

The ground shook. To be precise, the space itself vibrated.

My athleticism couldn’t withstand it. I immediately activated my aura to maintain balance.

*Boom! Crash!*

Arthur’s rage was evident in the intermittent explosions and tremors.

“You will die here.”

It was a line that could be perceived as a threat, but it only brought a slight tension to me. With ‘Automatic Combat,’ I could exploit his weaknesses.

“Bear with the pain. You’ll be at ease soon.”

I entrusted myself to ‘Automatic Combat.’

*Rumble!*

As I moved, a massive stone wall appeared before me. In this space, everything happened according to Arthur’s will.

*Crack!*

The ‘Sword of Chaos’ effortlessly shattered the wall. I charged again, aiming a strike at him.

*Clang!*

A sharp metallic sound and a dull pain in my hand.

My attack was blocked.

If it were an ordinary shield spell, I could have easily shattered it, but unfortunately, he was using hybrid power again.

The shield, which should have been transparent, was glowing gray.

“You’re a disgrace to the Empire and the Imperial Family. To resort to demonic energy… All beings on the continent will point their fingers at you.”

“It doesn’t matter if no one knows.”

*Boom!*

I blocked an invisible attack with my sword, but the heavy impact still reverberated through my body.

It hurt.

‘…This works?’

It was the first time I felt such pain since possessing this body.

If I hadn’t drunk the potion Jericho made, I might have lost consciousness.

Damn it. It felt like my insides were burning.

‘Automatic Combat’ blocked the attack, but some of the impact still got through. I needed to find the cause.

“If I eliminate you and that lackey without a trace, no one will know about me. Of course, I’ll take my dear sister with me.”

It was best to avoid attacks until I found the answer.

*Boom!*

I barely dodged. The space where I had been standing vanished without a trace.

“You rat! How pathetic. Just die! Die! Hahaha!”

*Boom! Crash! Crash!*

Invisible fists pounded the ground relentlessly. To be precise, they were trying to crush me, but my movements were slightly faster.

But there was a limit to how much I could dodge.

‘I can’t properly defend like this.’

Fundamentally, this space belonged to Prince Arthur. He was skillfully manipulating the terrain to restrict my movements.

Of course, I had ‘Automatic Combat,’ so I could dodge indefinitely, but that wouldn’t end the fight.

The longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became for me.

If this was phase 2, I couldn’t imagine what the next phase would be like.

‘I need to turn the tide.’

I chose to counterattack, even if it was risky.

‘Automatic Combat’ presented several paths, and I chose one and lunged.

*Clang!*

I was blocked by the shield, but I continued swinging my sword.

*Clang! Clang!*

*Thud!*

The sound changed.

It meant something was wrong with the shield’s composition. I dodged the magical fists that were trying to crush me from all directions and charged again.

*Thud!*

*Crack!*

I heard a cracking sound for the first time. But Arthur’s expression was full of mockery.

“Do you think anything will change if you break the shield? You’re as pathetic as your thoughts.”

He waved his hand, and the translucent shield disappeared.

I felt like I was being toyed with.

I sheathed my sword and cast the ‘Energy Ball’ spell. A large, non-attribute sphere exploded against him.

*Boom!*

A blinding flash of light, like a nuclear explosion.

I couldn’t assume he was defeated. It was a classic cliche for the enemy to emerge unscathed.

Arthur was unharmed. He simply brushed off his palm with an indifferent expression.

‘What’s his weakness?’

He had high resistance to both physical and magical attacks. It meant he was practically invincible…

For the first time, I felt the limitations of ‘Automatic Combat.’

‘Automatic Combat’ provided optimized attack options. But it didn’t seem to guarantee their effectiveness.

‘It’s been too easy until now. Maybe there’s a level restriction on the Automatic Combat skill itself.’

But I wasn’t going to give up here.

Not because I was afraid of dying, but because I couldn’t close my eyes before seeing the mastermind’s true form.

I had to hear her say that was actually a history book and a prophecy.

— My lord!

I heard Selendis’s voice. It was the ‘Voice Transmission’ technique Jericho taught me.

I was glad to hear her voice, but I didn’t miss the fact that I could hear her voice transmission.

‘Could it be?’

I saw a path.

— Are you alright? The subspace rift is pulsating irregularly!

As expected.

Pulsating meant it was beating periodically, like a pulse.

But being irregular was a bad sign. It was like an irregular heartbeat being diagnosed as arrhythmia.

In other words, this space itself was imperfect.

That’s why Selendis’s voice transmission could reach me.

‘Mr. Experiment Subject, you’re actually pushing yourself quite hard, aren’t you?’

I found a clue.

Since I had already received Selendis’s help, I decided to ask for more.

— Selendis, can you enter the subspace? I’ll strike the wall where the voice transmission is passing through. Gather all your aura and launch a sword energy at a single point.

— Understood. Give me a signal.

I prepared the ‘Energy Ball’ spell again, opening all my circuits.

— Three, two, one…

Arthur was smiling at me, but when I fired ‘Energy Ball’ behind him, he frowned.

“What are you doing?”

*Boom!*

A powerful explosion. The rift collapsed. At the same time, Arthur vomited black liquid.

“Ugh…?”

With a path to the outside open, the subspace was meaningless. Selendis dashed through the smoke and stood beside me, assuming a fighting stance.

Had she ever felt this reliable?

“You seem injured. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine compared to him.”

Arthur was vomiting black blood, staggering. Of course, I wasn’t going to show any mercy.

“Let’s finish this quickly.”

“Yes!”

As I gathered my magic, Selendis swung her frost sword.

*Clang!*

Arthur blocked the attack, emitting black energy.

But it was just a distraction.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

He blocked my magic with his other hand. It seemed to be a significant burden, as he coughed up more blood.

“I’m ashamed I was momentarily caught off guard. I should have realized sooner that you’re an incomplete experiment subject.”

*Boom!*

This time, it wasn’t Selendis but Arthur who was sent flying. He crashed to the ground, vomiting blood.

I unleashed pure magic upon him.

*Boom! Crash! Boom!*

“Gah! Ugh!”

He resisted frantically, but he couldn’t completely block my magic.

*Slash! Thud!*

Selendis’s frost sword started to inflict wounds on Arthur’s body. He was completely cornered.

“I’ll tear you to shreds! You damn bastards!”

With a roar, a deafening sound echoed from all directions. The subspace completely shattered. A spectacle unfolded, as if the world was collapsing.

And then, an ominous voice.

『I’ll show you my true power.』

Yes, I’ve been waiting for this!

Arthur’s human form disappeared, and his body swelled rapidly. Soon, he transformed into a multi-legged monster.

A red gem, which I had seen before, was embedded in its head.

It was about the size of a fist, larger than Nielsen’s.

If I destroyed that, this fight would be over.

Just then, ‘Automatic Combat’ reacted, and an unexpected thought crossed my mind.

‘…Is that possible?’

It was ‘Automatic Combat’ that sent the message to my mind.

For the first time, it presented a clear option, as if it were a living being or an AI.

Until now, it had only moved my body on its own or shown me possible paths.

But this time, it seemed to be asking for my intention, displaying a single word in my mind.

The system’s first interactive experience.

‘You’ve realized something too, haven’t you?’

I didn’t have time to be impressed.

‘There’s no harm in trying.’

I spread my hands and gathered my magic. Then I quietly chanted the option presented by Automatic Combat.

『Double Casting.』

‘Fireball’ materialized in my left hand, and ‘Ice Spear’ in my right.

A powerful force pulled at both my arms. If I relaxed, they would be torn apart.

I endured the opposing forces and brought my hands together.

*Rumble…!*

The two opposing magical projectiles engulfed the monster.