Episode 35: Manageable, Right?
Episode 35: Manageable, Right?
'Fuck... There's too many.'
I sensed I was fucked.
I thought reporting the number of Doppelgangers was manageable, but I never expected Hwaran to be a Necromancer.
'Clone... Fly faster.'
I urged the clone to hurry.
Sword Queen had given me a suspicious look earlier.
Perhaps humanity's upper echelons had already noticed the Doppelgangers' existence.
Whether they'd follow after seeing the Yuche was uncertain.
They might abandon pursuit upon seeing it enter the middle zone.
I desperately prayed they'd follow.
The odds were low.
I'd only factored in the Duo, not the other Doppelgangers.
The Orc Zombies made things even worse.
"Groooaaar."
The Orc Zombies charged.
Their lifeless faces looked unsettling even as corpses, let alone when moving-utterly disgusting.
I channeled Mana.
Used my Authority.
Fire shot forward like a Flamethrower.
"Kreeeeek!"
The Orc Zombies burst into flames.
I swung my hand, igniting more zombies.
Burning zombies flailed their arms before collapsing.
Dark energy dissipated from their bodies.
The Orc Zombies became mere corpses again.
The fire's energy had burned away the dark Mana.
'This might be doable?'
I knew fire Mana was their natural enemy.
If I played this right, I could handle the Doppelgangers without external help.
"Y-you never said she could use magic too!"
One Doppelganger exclaimed in shock.
'Does that mean Hwaran's weak to fire Mana too?'
I condensed a Flame Sphere in my other hand.
Target: Hwaran, sitting back while controlling zombies.
Though dark energy shrouded her body,
One fireball could erase that energy.
I hurled the condensed Flame Sphere.
"Not so fast."
The Male Hunter blocked Hwaran's front.
His Mana-infused sword bisected the Flame Sphere.
But the heat proved unavoidable-his sword hand turned crimson from burns.
Lacking Magic Resistance was his downfall.
"Groooaaar!"
Orc Zombies swarmed in.
Hwaran raged at nearly dying.
"Argh! Fuck! That hurts."
My back stung. An Orc Zombie had attacked my blind spot.
A shallow wound marred the Blood Shield on my back.
Not deep, but accumulated damage would be dangerous.
"Fuck."
I swung the Greatsword horizontally. Orc Zombies in its path split in half.
The fire energy imbued in the blade burned away dark Mana.
The fallen zombies became mere corpses.
But more zombies trampled over them to advance.
When I regained focus, zombies surrounded me completely without gaps.
Killing them wasn't the problem.
The problem was after killing them.
Orc corpses became obstacles.
As corpses piled up, maintaining footing grew difficult.
"Fucking hell."
No choice. A forced breakthrough was the answer.
Muscles bulged as I tensed my arms.
I spun, using centrifugal force.
The Greatsword tore through zombie bodies, sending them flying outward.
Clang!
I'd thrown the Greatsword blindly, yet it miraculously hit its mark.
The Male Hunter deflected it.
Now unarmed, I grabbed an Orc corpse and threw it.
Broke free from the corpse barrier.
I picked up the Party Leader's fallen sword and shield.
Looted the Swordsman's sword from my back and swapped to a swordsmanship factor.
Shield forward, I charged.
Target: Hwaran. Kill the Necromancer in the rear.
Clang!
A blade blocked mine. A male Doppelganger intercepted.
Though he'd lost an arm, I'd also switched to a lower-grade swordsmanship factor.
Our blades clashed evenly-neither yielded.
"Mana retrieval."
Hwaran cast a spell.
Zombies collapsed like puppets with cut strings.
Black smoke returned to Hwaran's body.
She'd reclaimed the Mana controlling the corpses.
"Why?"
"Useless. We didn't inflict proper damage."
Only a quarter of the original Orc Zombies remained.
Fire Authority-their natural enemy-had burned them away.
"Raise corpses."
Dark energy coalesced.
Possessed the fallen management office staff's corpses.
The staff members rose.
"Corpse enhancement."
Their muscles swelled.
Dark smoke reinforced their bodies.
Hwaran pointed at me.
The enhanced staff charged.
Fast. Their ability seemed body-enhancement type.
Their speed increased as they approached.
I manipulated Mana.
Created a fireball.
"Not happening!"
A watching Doppelganger lunged.
Slashed at the forming Flame Sphere.
Mana scattered. Flames dissipated.
"Guh-!"
A fist buried itself in my gut.
I layered Blood Shields over my abdomen.
Protected Seol-hwa with the shields.
"Ugh... Hrk. Where...?"
Seol-hwa briefly awoke from her drugged sleep.
But the Miasma's effect was strong-she fell unconscious again.
"Groooaaar!"
The zombie gave no respite.
Grabbed Seol-hwa's head and slammed it downward.
A good move against a human-too bad I was the real target.
I shielded her head with Blood Shields.
"Drop dead."
Two Doppelgangers attacked my opening.
I activated Berserk.
Enhanced stats.
Moved my sword arm.
Parried the Male Hunter's blade.
Overpowered, he retreated to create distance.
With my other hand, I grabbed the enhanced staff zombie's arm.
Pumped fire energy inside. Dark smoke within ignited.
The zombie weakened as energy vanished.
Broke its arm. Crushed its skull with a punch.
Necromancer-controlled zombies don't die from this.
Only after ripping out its spine did the zombie find peace.
I created Tentacles.
Entwined the punching Doppelganger's arm.
Felt its pulsing heart and blood beneath the skin.
Somehow, I could stop its heart.
Manipulated blood.
Stopped the heart momentarily.
The Doppelganger staggered.
Opening.
Climbed up its arm.
Reached its head past the shoulder.
Tentacles crushed the skull and devoured the Doppelganger inside.
All actions happened simultaneously.
My Core nearly shattered from untested Multicasting, but I somehow succeeded.
Thud.
Cleared the staff member's corpse.
Four Doppelgangers remained.
The Male Hunter, Hwaran, and two later-arrived Doppelgangers.
"Stop! I'll kill this bitch if you come closer!"
One Doppelganger pressed a blade to the Party Leader's throat.
A powerless hostage situation.
"Don't care. Kill her."
I answered immediately. The Party Leader's life meant nothing.
I wished they'd just kill her.
"Y-you... Monster..."
Apparently not intending to kill, the Doppelganger kept the blade ready.
I struck during their emotional turmoil.
Stomped the ground. Split the hostage-taker's skull.
Pierced the adjacent Doppelganger's head too.
"Just three of us left now?"
Discarded the broken sword. Drew the Swordsman's blade from my back.
Now only the Male Hunter, Hwaran, and me.
Only three remained.
I swallowed a pill from my case.
My Mana was nearly depleted.
Pills refined from Magic Stones functioned like potions.
Minimal Mana gain, but better than nothing.
My body itched.
Something transmitted through senses shared with Seol-hwa.
Beyond blood manipulation, another path seemed possible.
Problem was not knowing what it was.
To grasp the sensation, I extracted blood from corpses.
Condensed it into spherical shapes.
I understood. Charged forward to test my newfound ability.
The Male Hunter blocked me-expected.
Threw a prepared blood sphere at him.
Splat!
The sphere burst, binding him in blood.
Weak restraints he'd break quickly, but bought me moments.
Those moments let me reach Hwaran.
"Fireball!"
Hwaran hurled a Flame Sphere.
Trying to buy time.
I punched the fireball away.
It exploded beside me after deflection.
"Damn Magic Resistance."
Hwaran sensed her fate. Closed her eyes.
I placed my hand on her chest.
Felt her fiercely pounding heart beneath squishy flesh.
Dominion over her blood.
Absolute Authority defied natural order.
I condensed blood.
Filled her heart to bursting.
Boom!
Flames erupted from Hwaran's body.
Seol-hwa's Fire Affinity existed for this moment.
Convert blood into fire.
A Mana-efficient ability activated through a medium.
"Just two left now?"
Picked up the fallen Greatsword.
Spoke while looking at the last one standing.
Seeing him alone after all allies and zombies fell looked pitiful.
"Y-you damned..."
He ground his teeth.
He couldn't beat me even with numbers-alone, victory was impossible.
Silently, I raised my sword.
The Doppelganger closed its eyes, sensing fate.
"Stop...!"
A Mana-infused voice shook the chamber.
I lowered my sword mid-swing.
A group had arrived.
A woman stepped forward from their midst.
Her face was familiar-even Seol-hwa, oblivious to worldly affairs, knew her.
"Spare me! This crazy bitch slaughtered our party members!"
He immediately rushed forward, kneeling before the woman.
Convincing enough to deceive the uninformed.
The woman silently drew her sword.
Walked past him.
"Th-thank you. Please kill that cr-"
His voice faded as his skull split.
The Doppelganger's true form peeked through the fissure.
"How..."
"Your pathetic acting was obvious."
She answered.
Sword Queen. Isia's mother.
Her appearance-expected to show age-remained strikingly youthful.