novelnext Chapter 243 : Chapter 243
Chapter 243 : Chapter 243
A cold sensation gripped in my pocket.I immediately threw it above my head.
Shadow’s currency, Eclipse, flew through the dark sky.
Twinkling as if it would suck in all the surrounding darkness, it gradually took on a reddish blood color.
In the infinitely stretched time, everyone looked up at it as if possessed.
Yuria, her father standing up with her support.
The Half-Moon Wolf cub next to them.
And Lorenz Edric, and even the mercenaries who had lost their reason after being encroached upon by parasitic magical beasts.
"......A gold coin?"
Looking at Lorenz Edric murmuring blankly, I shook my head.
"No. It is the moon, Four-Eyes."
At my words, the glasses-wearer looked up again.
Then, as if sensing an ominous energy, his expression hardened stiffly, and he raised his finger toward me.
Simultaneously, the mercenaries charged at me.
Uuuuuh!
'Wait, are they magical beasts?'
Whatever they became, it doesn't matter.
The gathering order formula has already risen into the sky.
"Call of the Blood Moon."
At that moment, blood-red pillars struck down from the sky.
In the order of time from afar.
One, two, three.
And four.
"Waitin' for ya, Boss!"
Dayle, who walked out of the pillar first, looked around and chuckled.
"Heh. Now it ain't even surprising!"
The next one to pop out was Rachel.
Upon seeing Yuria, her brow furrowed stiffly.
"Are they the ones, the Green Circle?"
"Yeah. But right now they've been eaten by parasitic magical beasts."
"Then do we have to subdue them?"
Well.
'Do we?'
They were criminals who poached anyway, traitors, and now they had become magical beasts.
Is there a need for that?
Reading my expression, Rachel’s eyes immediately flashed like a cold dagger.
"......Good."
Following that, Luis, who should be at Lunatic.
And even Reina arrived.
"Captain! We came too! Hehe."
"Master, your orders."
I opened the subspace.
Clatter popped out, and Raven was held in his hand.
Taking it, I said.
"Kill them all."
"Uwaaaaaah! He says kill them allllll!"
Dayle burst out a bizarre shout and pulled out muskets in both hands.
The Green Circle had rushed up close before anyone knew it.
Dayle thrust the muzzles crossed in an X shape toward those guys.
[Attribute Imbuement - Great Explosion]
Kiiiing!
Intense light sucking into the muzzles.
Soon.
Kaboom!
That was the signal flare.
The Shadow versus Green Circle all-out war began.
Thieves in black clothes, taking out their respective weapons, dug into the poachers without hesitation like lions jumping into a pack of hyenas.
"Reina. You know, right?"
"Of course! Leave it to me, Captain!"
And I went straight ahead.
Toward the Spirit Beast Slayer standing at the end of the open lot.
As I approached, the guy opened his mouth as if he had been waiting.
"You have many fascinating artifacts? A multi-gathering order. Isn't that an authority only the Emperor of Frey can use?"
"That's true, but I have good luck with people."
Answering like that, I cast my gaze somewhere.
There was Dayle, firing muskets madly and spraying magic bullets.
[Worship the Shadooowww!]
While spouting strange nonsense.
Bang!
Bang!
The glasses-wearer looked at me again.
"Are you saying that person made it? He seems like a madman."
His eyes were full of distrust.
......It was embarrassing.
"Ahem. Even if he looks like a madman, his skills are quite good. And the way I see it, you are more of a madman than him."
"Is that so? Come to think of it, I also had days when I researched artifacts. Spirit beast's teeth, spirit beast's skin, spirit beast's eyes, etc. Artifacts made with such byproducts. Then suddenly this thought occurred to me. Why must I use the power of spirit beasts through tools? Wouldn't it work if I absorbed it into my body? That question was the beginning. Research on human evolution."
"......."
"The result is exactly me. I am a completely new species advanced several steps from lowly humans, nonexistent in this world. A neo-human."
Proof of existence is the doctrine of the Beltus Cult.
Imprinting 'myself' on this world is the only path to perfection.
The Demon Council saw that direction in 'evolution', and Bishop Lorenz Edric achieved evolution by absorbing the power of spirit beasts.
"Can you defeat me, such as I am?"
His thought might not be in the wrong direction.
Certainly, something called 'status' exists in this world.
Beings standing at the end of that status are transcendent beings like angels and demons.
If he even absorbed the power of a Divine Beast comparable to them through Yuria, this guy might actually have become some being similar to the demon he desires.
"......So I feel guilty for no reason. Because this happened since I uselessly kept Yuria alive."
If I hadn't kept Yuria alive, he would have just absorbed spirit beast powers without greed like in the original work, lived longer than now, and made a cool exit by the Southern Knights.
"Yes? What does that mean suddenly?"
Did he hear my mumbling?
Looking at the guy tilting his head, I chuckled.
"You have good hearing? It's nothing. Even if I tell you, you won't know anyway."
I drew up mana and quickly completed and used a magic spell.
[Flame Surge]
Boom, with a sound, the ground where he stood exploded, and a massive flame soared.
Strike First to Win.
The immutable truth that the guy who hits first wins.
Is it cowardly?
It's fine.
For a thief, cowardice is a compliment.
'Huh?'
However, it seemed this truth did not apply to this guy.
The guy revealed as the flames disappeared only had his clothes turned into rags; not a single scorch mark was seen on his skin.
"It's useless, right?"
Looking now, his skin was gleaming smoothly like fish scales.
'Is it the power of a spirit beast with magic resistance?'
Then how about this.
I manipulated mana consecutively.
Inside the widely spreading mana field, mana moves according to my will.
Moisture spread in the air gathered at high speed.
At the center is the glasses-wearer.
In an instant, the guy became trapped inside a giant water droplet.
3rd Circle Water Attribute Magic, [Water Prison].
In that state, I cast the 3rd Circle Lightning Attribute Magic, [Thunderbolt].
Magic linkage using elemental compatibility.
Bzzt-crack!
Bundles of blue current created in the air struck down precisely onto the water prison where the guy was trapped.
***
Yuria blinked her eyes.
'How is that person here?'
The shock that continued from when he first appeared hadn't subsided easily until now.
"Do you know him?"
At that moment, Ianco asked.
"Ah, yes."
"How?"
"That is......"
Yuria hesitated for a moment, but since it wasn't something to hide, she told him the truth.
Hearing the explanation, Ianco widened his eyes.
"I cannot believe it. A thief being chased by the Academy. What. Then isn't he a villain?"
"Yeah. That is true."
"Naturally, he is an enemy to you too?"
"......For now?"
"For now?"
Ianco made a puzzled expression at Yuria’s somewhat odd answer.
"In Icata, the perception of those people isn't that bad. There are people who cheer for them too."
"Ho-oh, really? Quite an impressive thief...... No. Seeing him active like that even after fooling the Academy several times, he is already a great thief."
Ianco looked at the fighting Shadow with strange eyes.
Certainly, their individual skills were impressive.
Just looking at the female thief guarding them right now, she was a mage of considerable skill.
"Haaap!"
As she lightly waved her hand, two mercenaries who were approaching aiming for them soared into the sky and flew away.
"......I don't know what magic it is, but it is truly impressive."
Then a question suddenly arose.
"But why did they save us? You said they are enemies?"
"I don't know either."
Yuria shrugged her shoulders.
"Seeing that they came all the way here to the south, wouldn't it be because of the Green Circle, not me?"
"Hm? You mean with us?"
"Yes. They saved me and Dad incidentally without much thought."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so that's it. But I heard the name Shadow for the first time now. There's no way they were related to us."
"What would you know, Dad. When you didn't even know Uncle Johnny and his subordinates were having other thoughts."
At Yuria’s sudden savage remark, Ianco’s mouth opened and closed like a goldfish.
"......Ahem."
Everything he had shown so far was pathetic, so he had nothing to say.
Ianco seriously considered retirement.
"Anyway. Then isn't it dangerous? Once this matter is resolved, we are next, and we don't know how they will act then. Do you perhaps have any plan?"
Yuria shook her head.
"None. But...... I don't think the thieves will harm us."
"Hm? Why?"
"Just. I feel that way."
She said it roundly as a feeling, but actually, it wasn't that she had nothing to believe in.
Yuria looked at Rachel, who was traversing among the mercenaries far away.
She occasionally cast a glance this way, and in that gaze, emotions of worry and concern were contained that couldn't be hidden even if she tried.
"I think it will be okay."
"Okay. I think your feeling is right."
Ianco nodded while looking at Reina, who hadn't left their vicinity and was hovering since earlier.
That was a movement trying to help them no matter who looked.
"......."
Ianco, who was staring at that sight, suddenly stood up holding his sword.
"Dad?"
"Wait here with that baby wolf."
"Where are you going?"
"......I am an incompetent and foolish leader, but still, I should finish it with my own hands."
Ianco walked.
At the end, a hulking mercenary stood tall.
As if he had been waiting for him to come.
The mercenary was an executive who had been with Ianco since the founding days of the Green Circle.
And like Johnny, he was another younger brother to Ianco.
"Did you wait long, brother,"
Grrr.......
"Huhu. Yeah, I'm sorry. Then shall we start right away?"
Watching Ianco’s last fight begin, Yuria felt her heart tearing apart.
And the sadness immediately turned into anger toward someone.
Toward the cruel source that caused all this situation with the sweet temptation of power and money.
At that moment.
Boom! Boom!
An unusual tremor spreading through the ground.
And.
Shiver.......
Bandal was trembling madly while looking into the darkness-submerged forest.
"......Baby?"
Whimper...... Whimper.......
She didn't know at first, but the vibration was gradually getting closer, and now even Yuria could feel it.
Yuria turned her gaze to where Bandal was looking.
And she opened her eyes wide.
"The, the forest is collapsing?"
Something massive was approaching here.
***
'Damn it. Magic linkage doesn't work either.'
I spat out a curse inwardly.
His scales really possessed magic resistance.
Even so, I didn't know there would be no damage at all from electrocuting him underwater, so I immediately responded with a dagger, but what is this.
Clang!
'Clang?'
The dagger that dug precisely into his neck bounced off with an unbelievable sound.
Looking closely, his neck skin had changed into iron armor with spikes sticking out.
It cannot be a scene that doesn't make a hollow laugh come out automatically.
Scales combining extreme magic resistance and iron armor combining extreme physical resistance.
'He's a monster. A monster.'
I hate to admit it, but he really was a neo-human.
"Oops."
And his attack began.
His arms stretched out long like rubber bands and rushed at me immediately.
The fingernails were curved like those of a beast, and since the speed was quite fast, I, who was about to deflect it lightly with Raven, opened my eyes wide at the unexpected heaviness.
'Why is it so heavy?'
It felt like hitting a falling boulder.
So I hurriedly used [Ghost Step] to step left and right and quickly escaped the range.
Simultaneously, I shot the musket.
Bang!
Bang!
He wrapped iron armor around his hand-blade and lightly deflected the bullets with it.
I should have blown his head off instead of his shoulder with the first surprise attack.
"Tsk."
I racked my brain.
He said the absorbed spirit beast powers were twenty-five.
The abilities I've confirmed so far don't exceed ten...... Damn. It means the remaining abilities are at least fifteen.
'This will be difficult?'
To make matters worse.
Kuaaaaaah!
A horrifying roar bursting from close by.
It was definitely a Dragon Roar that froze the body automatically.
The calamity of the Ludain Mountain Range had arrived here.
"Huhu. It came."
The guy, who stopped attacking before I knew it, looked at me and smiled leisurely.
"......Haha. This is really."
I couldn't hide my awkwardness either.
Crazy Drake, Laiadon.
I intended to clear this place before that thing came.
'Too late.'
If the Bishop's unexpected strength was a variable, it was a variable.
Like this, I have to deal with a mad scientist and a crazy drake together, and I was just thinking if that would be possible with our power.
'......Huh? What?'
The gold coin, Eclipse, still twinkling in the air without falling caught my eye.
'What is that, still......'
It was the moment I was about to say, why is it floating in the sky without falling.
Whoosh──!
Another pillar of blood fell from the sky.
Looking at it, I.
And the rest of the Shadow kids all tilted their heads.
'What is it? Was there someone else coming?'