Chapter 297: Teaching
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 297: Teaching
“So, where are you right now?”
“Right here!”
“I mean your doll. You said it was guarding a throne or something. Is it wandering around nearby?”
“That’s right! It’s near the throne!”
As I ran, conversing with these pale white flames, I eventually reached a point far from where I had first been summoned.
The surrounding environment was still a plain of white flowers stretching endlessly, but I thought I could see something in the distance.
“Is that it?”
One by one, collapsed buildings began to appear. I wondered if the throne was in the first building I saw, but that wasn't the case. It felt more like abandoned ruins. However, the architectural style was different from the 4th Stratum.
These buildings were far more elegant and atmospheric, though they were now just piles of weathered stone overgrown with vines.
“I feel it! Over there!”
“That’s right! It’s right there!”
“Alright, let’s go take a look.”
Following the guidance of the two spirits, I arrived at a place where something was floating amidst the fallen buildings.
“You said it was a doll?”
“Yes!”
“That doesn’t look human at all.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
I thought the shape looked familiar, and sure enough, something like an enhanced version of an Evil Eye was prowling the area on guard duty. A normal person would have been terrified by its appearance, but having seen so many things like it, I felt nothing.
Compared to a standard Evil Eye, its gaze seemed almost gentle, and since it had wings, it was less grotesque than having tentacles. It even wore a crown-like ornament; it was like a 'fairy' version of an Evil Eye.
This was likely the 7th Stratum boss entity that was said to have been subjugated. It certainly looked the part. While a normal Evil Eye was about two meters in diameter, this one was massive, spanning roughly ten meters.
“This one is using a human-shaped doll, so why did you get stuck with that thing?”
“I’m jealous of that form! It can do so much more!”
“Ah, I see.”
From a Spirit Species’ perspective, I suppose that form was preferable. Come to think of it, these things weren't human. I’d momentarily forgotten because we could communicate.
“Alright, so I just need to avoid that thing and find the throne?”
“Yes! I’m going to attack! You have to dodge well!”
“Would you be sad if I broke your doll?”
“Break my doll?”
The Large Flame floated around in silence for a moment before finally speaking.
“You probably can’t. My doll is very strong.”
“Hmm.”
It certainly possessed a staggering amount of mana. More than anything, looking at it made one thing clear.
Three mana cores.
And they weren't just three mana cores crammed into one body. It was a monstrous specification—three synthetic mana cores installed to compensate for each other's weaknesses while generating maximum synergy.
If you asked if I could win in a fight... well.
“So it doesn't matter if I break it.”
After placing the Small Flame’s doll in the nearby ruins, I ordered the two flames to guard it well.
“Are you two affected by that doll’s attacks as well?”
“Yes! It’s dangerous for us too!”
“I suppose that’s why you haven’t been able to deal with it until now.”
“That’s right! We couldn't!”
If these spirits were exposed to the enhanced Evil Eye’s attacks, they could be harmed. That was likely a situation I needed to avoid, so I’d have to lure the doll away first.
“I’ll be back in a bit. Stay here and be good.”
“Okay! Got it!”
“Do your best! Don’t die!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
It was an incredibly sophisticated synthetic organism. The mana core embedded in the center of its body maintained a barrier with powerful magic resistance, effectively blocking magical attacks.
The wings were just for show. It was a monster that hovered rather than flapped its wings. In the second mana circuit connected to the wings, I felt a familiar pattern I’d seen somewhere before, but I’d figure that out as the battle progressed.
The third was the mana core located in the center of the eye. It was a mana core modified for devastating offensive power. I’d thought about replicating mana cores, but I hadn't yet considered modifying the cores themselves.
Since there was still so much room for application, I was pleased by the potential for growth.
“Shall we begin, then?”
Creeeeeak...
After swallowing my entire body into a sphere of muscle fibers, I completed the reconstruction within seconds and burst out.
Squeltch..!
Filling the space with amniotic fluid during the transformation made the process much easier; it prevented air from getting trapped between the muscle fibers as the skin flipped and the exoskeleton protruded.
If air pockets formed inside the exoskeleton armor, the bonding strength between the muscle fibers and the exoskeleton would drop, causing the body to creak.
BOOM!!!!
I closed the distance in an instant and threw a right punch straight at the center of the eye. The tip of my right arm, imbued with the Knight Lord’s powerful aura, instantly transformed into a drill-like awl and thrust forward at sonic speed.
Skreeeeee!!!
‘It’s hard.’
I hadn't put much power into it, but I didn't expect it to be blocked so easily.
:: Kiriririck... ::
Having detected my presence, the creature immediately turned its gaze toward me. Shortly after, a mass of powerful mana began to gather in front of its pupil.
‘It’s a Vel’Koz subspecies.’
True to its Evil Eye base, it seemed intent on firing a laser. It was an incredibly fast attack, taking less than 0.3 seconds, but with the thought acceleration of Adrenaline Break, it didn't matter.
The moment I thrust my right arm forward and tried to shape the exoskeleton into a shield—
‘What...!’
KABOOOOM!!!!!!!
The shape of my right arm, which I had molded into an awl, didn't change. To be precise, it felt as though the commands being sent through the mana circuits had suddenly stopped.
It was as if...
‘It didn't stop my body, but the movement of my mana...!’
There was no problem manifesting aura. Other organs that used mana were also functioning fine.
Sssssss....
A sound like searing meat came from my body as it took the hit head-on. Queen Arachne’s exoskeleton was extremely heat-resistant, but the problem was the muscle fibers inside; they couldn't withstand the accumulated heat, and the proteins began to denature.
But if heat was building up inside, I just had to cool it down. If I pulled out the Frost Core I had stored and cooled my body while fighting...!
‘Damn it..! Mana control again...!’
The creature’s ultra-high-heat biodegradation ray surged toward me once more. I immediately slammed my leg into the ground to create a massive hole, then used saliva ignition for propulsion to burrow deep into the earth.
The powerful beam pierced through the rising cloud of dust. Once I was out of its line of sight, the stiffness in my mana circuits vanished.
To think it could block the movement of mana itself rather than the body. As one goes deeper into the labyrinth, it’s far more effective to stop the mana circuits and prevent the use of skills than it is to stop physical movement.
By the time one reaches this depth, combat is impossible without the help of powerful skills.
Even thousands of Evil Eyes couldn't stop my body. But seeing as my mana circuits seized the moment its gaze landed on me, its mana grade must be far superior to thousands of ordinary Evil Eyes combined.
‘I can’t keep changing my body as I fight like before. I have to keep fighting with the body I’ve already made...!’
While essential for combat, the brain that controlled my entire body and all mana circuits was protected by a skill.
To prevent damage from powerful impacts, I had been fighting by repeatedly storing and regenerating it the moment an impact occurred.
For now, I’d use summoning. Its attacks were powerful, but they were linear beams. I just needed numerous entities to attack simultaneously from all directions.
Creeeeeak..!!
Before the dust could even settle, a massive number of monsters poured out of the crater like a spawning pool. A swarm of hundreds of Evil Eyes began to hover toward the sky.
From synthetic Horuses clad in powerful aura and exoskeletons to the creatures I had used during the Southeast Subjugation War.
And...
‘I should use this myself.’
I didn't know if it applied to this thing, but an Evil Eye’s paralysis attack usually targeted only one subject at the center of its vision.
A Megido Serpent modified to crawl underground. This would do.
ROAAAAAR!!!
Contrary to my expectations, the crown-like object on its head began to diffusely reflect the biodegradation ray, devastating the surroundings. The ruins nearby were instantly sliced as if by a laser cutter, boiling and collapsing under the intense heat.
Fortunately, the area where the Small Flame’s doll was located was safe. I had to quickly lure the creature away.
:: Kirick..!! ::
A synthetic Horus drew its attention by firing bio-missiles from high above. Fortunately, the creature’s movement speed wasn't fast. The living synthetic monsters moved toward the Horus before they could become an eyesore.
The corpses of the synthetic monsters already sliced in half by the beams were being salvaged from below the ground, as I began to recover usable parts.
‘This should be far enough.’
A powerful barrier that couldn't be pierced by most attacks. On top of that, its offensive power was top-tier, and most importantly, I couldn't use my skills properly.
If I coated every synthetic monster I created with the Knight Lord’s aura, the time each entity could endure would increase significantly.
However, that would only accelerate my own depletion. While mana cores could be replicated infinitely, they weren't created in the blink of an eye.
Skreeeeee..!!
Fortunately, several knight-type synthetic monsters were dodging the creature’s reflected beams with exquisite skill, accumulating damage. All I had to do was obstruct the doll’s vision.
The bio-missiles pouring in from a distance were also playing a significant role. But the greatest factor was Iris’s mana.
Whooooosh—!!
My proficiency hadn't yet reached the point where I could perfectly replicate Iris’s mana core. But I had already consumed Iris.
‘I’ll borrow this for a moment...!’
The blood dropped by the synthetic monsters began to float in the air, turning into powerful bullets that surged toward the doll.
Clang! Cl-cl-clang..!!
The mana barrier wasn't infinite. It was gradually, albeit slowly, decreasing. In terms of mana exchange, I was at a slight disadvantage, but my absolute mana capacity far exceeded its own.
From deep underground, I drew upon Amelia’s mana and synthesized it with Iris’s high-grade mana, deploying it around the area to delay the creature’s magic usage as much as possible.
:: KIIIIIIII—!!!! ::
An eardrum-shattering ultrasonic wave radiated outward. But since I was outside its field of vision, I could heal my eardrums at any time.
As for the synthetic monsters I created, I had them detect sound through fine sensory hairs on their exoskeletons rather than eardrums.
A massive number of enhanced Evil Eyes simultaneously poured their beams toward the doll. I didn't know if it would work, but those capable of using magic via the Lich’s mana were also firing necro magic.
Crack....
‘There, it’s finally cracking.’
Cracks began to appear in the creature’s barrier.
It was a creature capable of handling dozens of my synthetic monsters at once. To think someone created such a thing.
“I’d like to receive a few lessons. Emperor of Sinew...!”