episode_0046

Kwaaaaaang!!

The doppelganger, taking a direct hit from the lightning between the eyebrows, couldn’t overcome the lightning’s power, was pushed back, and slammed straight into the wall. Smoke spread thickly, and Quill thrust his spear into it. Then, the sound of flesh tearing and ripping echoed.

An attack that sounded, even roughly, like it landed properly. But Quill frowned and retreated far back.

As he stood next to Asel, he spun the spear shaft with a flick.

“The flesh is soft, but the moment the spear enters the skin, the flesh moves as if it has a will of its own. If I had left it, the spear would have broken.”

“Does it seem like the cells have a will?”

“……I don’t know about that. Anyway, physical attacks aren’t ineffective, but they’re not effective either. Your magic seems to be the same.”

Quill pointed at the doppelganger with his chin and said. Asel hummed and nodded his head.

The doppelganger appeared from beyond the receding smoke. It seemed to have shed the outer shell it was wearing, a monster writhing with a gigantic black mucous body.

It has no lower body, but six arms twisted strangely, moving like an insect. A tongue protrudes where eyes should be, and dozens of red eye-lights gleam within the mouth on its abdomen. Its teeth have grown in a spiral shape, and two pairs of tongues stick out of its mouth and flick.

Its appearance is completely different from Warren’s drawing. A hideous heteromorphic being whose prototype doesn’t even exist.

What was expected was correct. The doppelganger, too, was completely assembled by someone’s hand, leaving only its origin, through synthesis art.

It’s an appearance where you can’t even guess what was combined. One thing for sure, seeing that the spot between its eyebrows is fine, does it have regeneration ability and quite a decent level of magic resistance? Asel clicked his tongue and looked back at his companions.

“It seems too much to send Quill alone to the front line. Is there anyone who can step forward to the vanguard?”

No answer returned. Saya showed an embarrassed expression, and Warren seemed to be contemplating but eventually sighed and shook his head.

It was expected. Saya, if pressed, has abilities that cause confusion like a curse sorcerer, and Warren is an elementalist specializing in ranged support. Even if they were forced to stand in the vanguard, there was nothing they could do.

Then only one person remained. Asel rotated his shoulders and stood next to Quill.

“Looks like I have to go.”

“It’s a bit awkward to say this, but are you sure? It’s the first time I’ve heard of a mage standing in the vanguard. And this is a real combat situation. You could die.”

“If I don’t go, you’ll have to do it alone. Can you?”

“No? I didn’t say we shouldn’t go together?”

At Quill’s playful remark, Asel burst out laughing. He imbued Quill’s spearhead with lightning attribute and said.

“Let’s go.”

As soon as he uttered it, Earth Spears flew towards the doppelganger from behind the two, and fox fire rotated in a spiral and was shot. Asel and Quill ran following behind those mysteries.

Kwaaaaaang!!

The spear lodged itself in the doppelganger’s chest. The doppelganger opened its mouth wide in the pain it felt and screamed.

[Mother! Motherrrrrrr!!!]

A voice that sounded like genders and ages were mixed up. Asel heard the creature’s voice and let it flow out one ear while pressing his hands together.

Since he had stepped into the vanguard, he would not hold back on magic. Furthermore, the opponent even had magic resistance.

If he couldn’t kill, he would die.

So, he would just kill it thoroughly.

[Armed Steel Lightning]

Simultaneously with pressing his hands together, countless armaments made of lightning appeared behind Asel.

All sorts of spears, swords, and shields bloomed in the air and rotated, then instantly began to pour down on the doppelganger simultaneously. Quill skillfully picked up one of the falling lightning spears and threw it as a javelin.

The lightning, which distinguished friend from foe, instead of burning his hand, stimulated electrical signals and boosted his muscle power once.

“This is good!”

Quill charged forward at high speed, laughing cheerfully. One of the doppelganger’s arms fell as if to crush him, but he evaded the attack with minimal movement and plunged the spearhead straight into the doppelganger’s flesh.

“Uryaa!”

In that state, he sliced upwards. Black flesh was torn away, and red acidic blood poured from the wound like a waterfall.

An acid so strong that if left, his body would melt and disappear. But Quill didn’t panic. This was thanks to an earth wall rising from beneath his feet and taking the blood instead. Quill grinned, retrieved his spear, and moved widely around to the side of the doppelganger.

Asel and his gaze met in the air. Instead of saying anything, Asel pulled back his arm, which was wrapped in lightning, and thrust it forward strongly.

[Grand Lightning Rush Kill]

Pashishishishik!!!

Simultaneously with the blooming of a gigantic lightning rush leading with an immense amount of mass and energy, it crushed half of the doppelganger’s body. The black mass that had served as its lower body vanished as if evaporated, and before it could regenerate, Quill imbued his spear with aura and stabbed the creature’s tongue.

Kuung!

Like a mage’s mana, a warrior’s aura is also a power that creates miracles. Simultaneously with the explosion of the condensed aura at the tip of his spear, the doppelganger’s mouth was split in half.

He grabbed the spear with his strengthened, electricity-flowing arm and swung it widely horizontally. Torn flesh scattered in the air. And vanished without a trace upon contact with the incoming fox fire. Then the doppelganger squeezed and crushed its head with its hands as if wringing it out, and screamed.

[Mother!!! Mother will punish you!! I will punish youuuuuuu!!]

“Who’s your mother, you damned bastard!”

Quill shouted that and gripped the spear in reverse, throwing it as a javelin.

Pwack!

The doppelganger’s head, impaled by the spear, was shattered, and brain matter and blood sprayed everywhere. Quill activated the retrieval art he had inscribed on the spear shaft for a high price, using mana, and gripped it in his hand again. Asel approached his side, pushing away the spraying brain matter with a shield.

He grinned, looking at Quill’s right arm, where lightning was blooming.

“Do you like your new arm?”

“It’s the best.”

Quill answered, clenching his fist.

But the joking ended there.

The two simultaneously turned their heads towards the doppelganger and showed serious expressions.

At first glance, it seemed like an overwhelming battle, but the doppelganger had already regenerated all its injuries in that short time.

Its regeneration ability, much more outstanding than expected, was a stumbling block. If it were a normal doppelganger, it would have died long ago, its five body parts scattered. Just what kind of life form did they synthesize? Even if half its body is blown away, it regenerates in an instant.

“Seems like we have to kill it in one go.”

Quill said, clicking his tongue. Asel also agreed with his words.

The doppelganger’s combat power itself was terrible. So much so that overreacting felt embarrassing; its attacks were ridiculously slow, and besides destructive power, there were no outstanding aspects. Despite this, the battle wasn’t over yet, purely because of its regeneration power.

To overcome that, they had to blow away that gigantic body entirely.

“One big hit. Gotta get ready.”

“Is that possible? A magic that can blow away a monster that size in one go?”

“There are plenty of them. We just didn’t use them because most are high-level magic and we were afraid of getting caught up. Since the situation is like this, there’s nothing we can do.”

While they were talking, the doppelganger extended a pointed tongue towards Asel’s chest. Asel manipulated his shield to deflect the creature’s attack, then conversely sent lightning flowing back. Even the creature couldn’t help but feel the pain of its cells burning, and it screamed shrilly and thrashed its hands.

Quill watched Asel gathering mana and said.

“Honestly, the two people behind us. They’re not being much help. It seems like they’re first-time in real combat and can’t quite time their support properly. If you move and chant magic, I’m the only one who can protect you.”

“No need to protect me.”

Asel smirked and stamped hard on the ground with his foot.

[Lightning Wall]

Simultaneously with that, a gigantic lightning wall rose up as if protecting Asel. He opened his mouth, looking at the wall shimmering with dark blue light.

“Step back. If you get caught up with me, I can’t help either.”

“……Are you sure it’s safe?”

“We are safe.”

Asel formed hand seals and continued speaking.

“Conversely, that guy isn’t.”

That was enough. Quill patted Asel’s shoulder once and ran towards the companions who were retreating. Asel glanced at his retreating figure, then gazed at the doppelganger drooling profusely and chanted magic.

High-level magic that could be used without any prelude. He went through the process of forming hand seals and chanting the art to manifest its power beyond its limit. Thus, he completed the magic and manifested it without hesitation.

[Falling Lightning]

Pashishishishik!!

The lightning that bloomed from Asel’s fingertips surged upwards. And from a place without clouds, it became a giant lightning bolt and fell.

Kwaaaaaang!!!!

Lightning launched at supersonic speed. The doppelganger couldn’t possibly evade. The creature took a direct hit from the falling lightning and simply vanished, leaving only the part that had supported its body.

It was magic completed by pouring in half the mana from his core. No matter how synthesized the doppelganger was, it was impossible for it to withstand.

But remnants still remained. Flesh that was bubbling as if it would regenerate if left alone. Asel spread the lightning low and scorched and burned away all the remnants.

With that, the doppelganger subjugation ended. Asel let out a long breath, and the three people standing behind him approached him.

Quill was smiling coolly, but Warren and Saya’s faces weren’t so good. They felt a sense of debt about not having done anything properly in the subjugation battle. Asel didn’t think much of it, but they seemed to feel differently.

Feeling disappointed in oneself and guilty was a double-edged sword. Sometimes it helped with growth, but sometimes it was a sticky emotion that could sink one forever below the sea of self-esteem.

He didn’t know where they would head, but he hoped they would go in a direction that allowed for growth.

“More importantly, we need to collect the blood. What do we do since there’s no corpse?”

While thinking, Quill scratched his head and said. Asel took his gaze off Warren and Saya and replied.

“Don’t worry. There’s always a way.”

“What is it?”

To his question, instead of answering, Asel lightly raised his hand. Then, the doppelganger’s blood scattered on the floor gathered in one place and formed a sphere.

Red blood that shimmered with acidity. It looked no different from ordinary blood, but it was a bizarre substance that melted whatever it touched and even spread poison.

Since he didn’t know what would happen if he touched it with bare hands, Asel floated the sphere into the air and kept it next to him.

Fortunately, there was no need to carry the blood around constantly. If it was stored in the reinforced glass bottle Saya had prepared beforehand, it was possible to sufficiently block both the acidity and toxicity.

The amount of blood gathered roughly was also sufficient, so perhaps Saya would be satisfied with this much.

Asel thought so and looked at Saya.

At that moment. Goosebumps appeared on his spine.

His activated mana was still operating, not having cooled down. Due to having spent most of his mana, lightning wasn’t blooming, but nevertheless, its momentum was still incredibly fierce.

The shield he was unconsciously deploying was also stacked in layers, and by adding magic on top of his already thick mental barrier, he had reached a level of immunity to most mental attacks.

That’s why he could tell even better.

Behind Saya. The passage they had traversed to catch the doppelganger.

He sensed the presence of a woman approaching from beyond it.

“Saying ‘Mother, Mother’ suddenly made me think something.”

A presence so faint it was almost undetectable. The mana that a human should naturally possess couldn’t even be measured. It felt like looking at an inanimate object. This meant only one thing.

That the opponent had reached a realm far higher than his own.

“So I came, and…”

Finally, piercing through the darkness of the passage, she revealed herself.

Messy hair. A woman whose tired eyes and listless expression were striking. Her appearance was enough to call her a beauty, but the companions said nothing to her. Instead, they merely glared at her, adopting a combat stance.

Conversely, Asel gritted his teeth and looked for an escape route.

This was not an opponent he could defeat in the first place.

At least equal to Zervil. Now, having consumed half his mana from pouring out high-level magic. If the opponent came out with full power, even buying time was impossible. If he didn’t want to die, he had to leave quickly.

But how? The only escape route was the passage leading behind that woman?

“I can hear your brain working from here. Young mage.”

“……!”

Her voice echoed in Asel’s mind. Asel instinctively grabbed the mana being transmitted to him and twisted it. The telepathic message he was hearing was cut off, but the backlash from the art being destroyed returned to Asel, not the woman.

“Cough!”

Blood burst from Asel’s mouth. He had grabbed and extinguished the opponent’s mana, not his own, but he had suffered greater damage. Asel couldn’t even think of wiping away the blood flowing from his mouth and glared.

As far as he knew, there was only one type of art user on the continent capable of inflicting the repercussions of art destruction on the opponent like this.

“Necromancer……!”

“Hoo, did you find that out from that backlash just now? I was deliberately hiding my mana, but you have great talent.”

Interest surfaced in her listless eyes. She smiled faintly, staring intently only at Asel, as if the others besides Asel were invisible.

“I thought it was just some rats that came in, but unexpectedly, a golden mouse was hidden among them.”

“…….”

“Oh dear. It was a joke I hadn’t made in a long time, but nobody’s laughing.”

“How did you learn necromancy while dealing with synthesis art? Necromantic art and synthesis art should be completely opposite in nature.”

Ignoring her words, Asel asked. She replied with an unconcerned expression.

“Dual attribute. A talent newly created by grinding souls.”

“……Created?”

“Why are you so surprised? Grinding ‘living beings’ like sacrifices or souls to open a new horizon of possibility. It’s the path of the apostle made possible since the birth of the Demon of Possibility, and its effectiveness is renowned. Seeing that you don’t know such basic things, it seems they don’t teach it nowadays.”

“…….”

“Well, never mind. The situation itself, exchanging words with you like this, is funny in the first place.”

Saying that, she thrust her hand into her pocket.

“It was research I attempted to confirm if synthesis art could be combined with necromancy, and thanks to you academy students, the lab is completely shattered. The child I raised with great care also died.”

“…….”

“But honestly, I don’t feel much about it. It was research I was going to abandon anyway because I wasn’t getting results, so even if you hadn’t turned things upside down, I would have swept it away myself. However, that doesn’t mean I can just let you go from here, does it? I don’t act based on interest like Zervil does.”

“……What?”

An unforgettable name suddenly popped out of her mouth. But she ignored Asel’s voice and continued speaking.

“So, just die peacefully. I’ll make it as painless as possible. You see, I’m not the kind of person who kills people that easily.”

Saying that, she burst out laughing by herself.

“Even saying it makes me utterly disgusted. It’s actually a lie.”

-Kieeeeeeeek!!

Behind her, a legion of evil spirits arose.