Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: vs Dream Demon Lord Liliet #Complete
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────!!!
Sirka's body began to scream. It wasn't Liliet's own scream, which only heightened her bewilderment.
Once the runes that had even faintly sealed away the succubus Sirka's existence were fully stripped away, the body—newly sculpted from human blood and flesh, infused with Liliet's power—could no longer hold together.
'It's turned into a real corpse golem instead of a succubus...!?'
Intelligence no longer dwelled in this body. If a lich or the Ghost King had crafted it, they might have refined it further and granted it some semblance of mind. But Liliet was never skilled in necromancy to begin with.
The question was whether this mindless husk of Sirka's body could buy time against them until the ritual completed. Liliet was skeptical.
'More than anything, that staff and this guy Kaiyen are way too annoying...!!'
A mage whose mana suggested a mere 3rd circle was wielding magic with suspiciously masterful skill. And Kaiyen wasn't just experienced—he was genuinely strong.
In the end, she had no choice but to keep possessing this meaty lump that wasn't even a succubus anymore and fight on. Realizing that, Liliet ground her teeth.
'This is the worst... the absolute worst! If I'd known, I'd have shoved it off on another legion commander!!'
Truth be told, the one meant to be summoned for this ritual was the legion commander Ghost King Alcarus III. His genius in necromancy would have paired perfectly with Rexton. But Liliet had hijacked the summoning ritual and descended upon the Rose Manor instead.
Why? Because it looked fun. She didn't want to let some dull half-ghost steal the chance to toy with a pitiful blond pretty boy thirsting for revenge. And it had been quite enjoyable... until tonight.
...And now? Liliet had squandered nearly a tenth of her true power. Interfering from across the continent had caused massive power leakage, and unleashing her demonic beasts upon the Rose Manor had consumed even more.
The power of transcendent beings was immense, but recovering what was spent through natural regeneration took an eternity. To reclaim even a tenth amid all that? She wasn't sure sucking the essence from thousands of men would suffice.
'...At this point, if I can't pull off the ritual for real, the loss isn't the issue—it's what comes after.'
As unforeseen misfortunes piled up into an impossible worst-case scenario, Liliet's mind cooled. Like Lich Harmon, she was one of the Demon King's Army's founding executives from the early days. She wasn't the type to lack crisis management skills.
Even now, the pretty boy and the unicorn's contractor were hammering Sirka's body.
"...Hehe, no helping it. This toy's done here."
A toy she was ready to discard anyway—she decided to smash it completely right here. Liliet flashed a sinister smile and began absorbing the corpses of nearby demonic beasts into Sirka's body.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "What the hell? Why's it suddenly team-killing?"
Right after fully capturing Sirka, Liliet's reaction turned bizarre. She let out a sudden scream, her movements growing oddly sluggish.
At first, it seemed like an opening, so Kaiyen and I coordinated a fierce assault. But then Liliet started absorbing the surrounding demonic beast corpses. I thought she was just recovering damage at first, but no—she was slaughtering perfectly healthy ones too.
"Finally lost it? Or trying to erase traces?"
At that moment, Kaiyen—who'd been holding the front line against Liliet—suddenly fell back. Wondering what was up, I glanced at him, and he shouted urgently at me.
"Partner! Cast corpse explosion right now!"
"Corpse explosion? Outta nowhere why?"
"Remember the Ghost King fight! That's the worst omen!"
Ghost King? Why bring up that corpse-hoarding bastard? I made a puzzled face, but soon recalled something ominous.
This situation mirrored the second fight with the Ghost King in my 2nd round. His death knight had absorbed corpses right before dying... and then...
"Ah, fuck! We're screwed!"
How'd I miss that? I frantically chanted corpse explosion, targeting the remaining bodies.
Boom────!!
"Hahaha! Too late~♡ I've already gobbled up a ton!"
The beasts' flesh and blood erupted spectacularly, burning away into mana. But Sirka's body—no, the corpse golem—had already absorbed dozens and began swelling grotesquely.
"Wonder how strong an upper demon's composite beast is after swallowing forty mid-tier ones?♡"
Shrrk! Bladed tentacles sprouted from the corpse golem's back. The once-beautiful succubus form was now covered in thick hide and scales, resembling a reptilian horror from a monster flick more than a succubus.
Only the head retained Sirka's face, but when it gaped its maw, rows of piranha-like fangs made it utterly hideous.
"The spinster succubus's true form revealed, as the demon controlling her perishes!"
[I'll make sure you die right here!]
The corpse beast's eyes flashed demonically as it roared and lunged at Kaiyen. He swung his sword desperately, but the shifted weight class overwhelmed him, forcing him back instead.
"Unicorn! All the beasts are dead anyway—cover Kaiyen at full power!"
"Just leave it to me! I'll send this freak flying in one hit!"
I urgently buffed Unicorn and Kaiyen with support magic. As physical stats across the board—strength, speed, and more—surged, Unicorn charged confidently to kick the corpse beast's torso.
[I told you—I'd make sure you die!]
"Kyaaak?! Those aren't just for show?!"
In that instant, dozens of claw-tipped tentacles lashed out at Unicorn simultaneously. He frantically batted them away, but their sheer number pushed him back like Kaiyen.
Seizing the gap, Al'Miraz and I unleashed a barrage of attack spells from the rear. As the corpse beast faltered under the magic's onslaught, Kaiyen covered Unicorn, slicing through the bladed tentacles.
Splat! Filthy blood splattered the walls, new tentacles sprouting from the stumps. But we were steadily piling damage on even this transformed corpse beast.
'This is manageable. No matter how many mid-tier beasts it absorbed, a corpse golem made by Liliet—not even a lich—we can take it...!'
Hated to admit it, but with Kaiyen joining and me wielding my sword, the party's stability skyrocketed. If I was a jack-of-all-trades support now, Kaiyen was a versatile all-position player.
He silently filled whatever role my orchestrated party needed without me barking orders, making my support gig a breeze.
Plus, he judged risks himself and backed my calls. No wonder he was the hero. His early-game inexperience was patched by regression memories—barely any weaknesses left.
'Seriously, if he weren't a guy, I'd hug him tight and plant a kiss for being so reliable...!'
How'd the heavens make Kaiyen gay? As I grimaced in dismay, the corpse beast's movements shifted oddly.
[Mm~ You're Kaiyen, right? You're different from the other pathetic mortals—so strong, and an absolute stunner♡]
"...?"
Liliet—controlling the corpse beast—suddenly addressed him, leaving Kaiyen puzzled.
[But it's such a shame? I wonder what lewd dreams a hunk like you harbors...♡]
"...! Stop! Don't say it!"
[Oh? Was it a secret?♡ But come on? Fantasizing about turning into a girl and getting ravaged by that unicorn's contractor over there...♡]
"...What?"
What the hell did I just hear? TS? And me topping him?
The trust I'd just felt for Kaiyen shattered. I shot him a look, and he frantically shook his head at me.
"N-No, Partner! I didn't dream that—the succubus forced it on me..!"
[My power stimulates the deepest desires in one's heart, you know? The guy who smashed it himself couldn't possibly not know that, right?]
Kaiyen denied it vehemently, but knowing Liliet's patterns, her words rang true. If only he'd claimed it was fake, forced vision? No way.
"...Kaiyen? What's this mean? Lusting after your lord's partner with filthy thoughts?"
"TS? Talk about tastes. Master's hot, sure, but still..."
Unicorn and Al'Miraz chimed in, visibly flustering Kaiyen. No way, for real? So the reason he eyed me like that wasn't just fondness... he wanted me to ravage him?
"No, Partner! It's... hard to explain now, but it's not something sleazy like..!"
[Such a huge opening? Jealous yet?♡]
As Kaiyen desperately excused himself to me, mid-sentence, a tentacle whipped his side, smashing him into the wall.
"Kaiyen! Idiot, watch your front!"
"Uh, whoa?! I'll block—save Kaiyen!"
⟨ Rite of Sacred Protection ⟩ I urgently deployed the holy rite to block the bladed tentacles aiming to end Kaiyen. But in that moment, I realized the situation had gone straight to hell.
If Kaiyen dropped now, the party's balance collapsed. Unicorn alone couldn't hold the front. That vile Liliet's mouth had succeeded in distracting us.
"Al'Miraz! Catch the staff! I gotta save Kaiyen and take the front!"
"Nyat?!"
I tossed the staff to Al'Miraz, then dashed to Kaiyen—still embedded in the wall, out of it—while Unicorn bought time.
[Oh? Can't just let you eat me up that easy♡ Weaponless? Dangerous~]
Of course, Liliet didn't let me off. It pinned Unicorn with a forelimb and unleashed tentacles at me—bare-handed and charging.
"Do I look that much like a moron?!"
[Kyaaak! Where the hell do you even pull that from?!]
Whoom────!!
As my inventory explosive potion incinerated the tentacles, I conjured a mana sword and slashed the rest.
'Tough enough that mana sword won't cut deep...!'
First, I yanked Kaiyen from the wall. The hit was worse than thought—he was barely conscious, looking apologetic up at me.
"S-Sorry, Partner... Got shaken without realizing.."
"Shut it. Your body's tough—focus on regen."
Dumbass. I lightly healed him with Unicorn's holy power. If a normal person took that, it'd bisect them easy.
'This... might be tough to win.'
After laying the patched-up guy down, I raised my Orconhail longsword and pulled a vial from inventory.
'Dragon blood. Was saving this.'
No choice now. I uncorked it and doused myself head to toe in dragon blood.
[..That smell? Dragon blood? Why dump it on yourself?]
"You'll see."
⚔ TITLE: ACADEMY'S RED MADMAN ⚔ Your blood-smeared fists have spread far from the academy. Combat power rises based on the quality and quantity of blood coating your body. This title? Cost-performance king. Been milking it all regression.
"Huuu...."
I inhaled deeply, endless strength and mana surging through me. This Kaiyen's baseline? Wish I had a cheat body like this.
"Alright, round two then.."
[I'll kill you before more stupid tricks!]
Kaboom────!!
As I struck a pose, Liliet's chanted attack spell slammed me hard.
[No way I'd let your tricky ass live! Seven lethal spells—definitely dead now!]
"Ah, Arthin?! Partner okay?!"
"Eyes front, moron!!"
Through the billowing dust cloud, I burst out sword-first, aura blade cleanly severing the corpse beast's arm. It wailed in agony like a living thing.
[Kyaaaaak?! Why?! Why aren't you dead?! More tricks..!!!]
"Villain with no sportsmanship—monologuing mid-fight,"
Dragons' biggest traits: overflowing mana, magic resistance. Human? Maybe dead. Me? No.
Drenched in gushing blood from the stump, I sneered at Liliet.
"I'll shove a bulb up your pussy and smash it."
[Hah..!! We'll see if you can—]
Splat!!!
Mid our cool exchange, the corpse beast's head exploded without a death cry.
"...Huh?"
Boom!! Crunch!! Crackle!!
[W-Wait?! What?! What the hell is this?!]
Suddenly, the corpse beast's body detonated in real time. Tentacles, limbs, tail, wings—regrown head—all burst again. Not enough; crushed like in an invisible giant's grip, it pulped into chunks and ignited.
[Impossible! Shredding an upper demon's body this easily—who...]
Liliet's telepathy screamed injustice, but cut off mid-sentence. No more mental waves. The pink mist began dissipating.
...What the fuck?
"...Arthin? What just happened?"
Unicorn stared bewildered; I had no answer. No clue what went down.
"──Sorry, overslept, Arthin."
"...Violet?"
Violet's gentle voice from behind. I whipped around.
There she stood, risen from bed, holding the Dragon Heart staff in Al'Miraz's stead. The Dragon Heart glowed fiercely from the spell just cast.
"I'm back, Arthin."
Violet's pink hair had taken on a faint purple tint.