Chapter 177: For the Stories Not Yet Known (8)
Chapter 177: For the Stories Not Yet Known (8)
After taking down Melonia, there was nothing left to stand in my way.
Ayla and the other Archbishops were still being held at bay by Iona, so the only remaining obstacles were the undead who hadn't fallen under Melonia's charm.
But for the current me, no matter how many of these undead there were, they posed no threat.
"Guaaaaah!"
Clack! Clack-clack!
"Kieeeeeee...!"
Banshees shrieked as they soared through the sky, Skeletons snapped their jaws threateningly, and Ghouls wailed, draped in rotting flesh.
These were the most basic types of undead monsters, which meant there were plenty of various evolved species among them.
Banshees with long, protruding tongues; Skeleton Knights clad in thick armor and wielding massive greatswords; and even Bloody Ghouls that incessantly leaked acidic blood.
Since these were the ones who had survived Iona's relentless suppression, the proportion of evolved species was overall quite high.
I looked down at my trembling right hand.
It was a blackened, charred mess—crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
I had downed a high-grade potion as a temporary measure, but unlike my other wounds, the recovery here was noticeably slow.
I’d heard that injuries like this required proper treatment from a priest; forcing a recovery with potions alone would leave significant aftereffects.
Regardless, I wouldn't be able to use it for the time being.
Using Telekinesis, I levitated the dagger I was holding. Since it was connected to me via magic, it still counted as being "held" by me, so it should be fine.
I raised my functional left hand and channeled my mana.
Thump—
My heart beat heavily, squeezing the core.
There was no pain. Just a massive chunk of mana draining away, accompanied by a slight sense of emptiness I had never felt before.
It was a relief that the Endless Mana trait was rapidly replenishing the deficit.
Exhaling a sigh of relief, I recited the incantation that would clear the path in a single stroke.
"『Paradise is in the heavens, and the origin is on the earth. The path to eternity is far and distant.』"
The ultimate counter to the undead is, without a doubt, the light attribute.
Perhaps the light gathering at my fingertips was too blinding, or perhaps the mana threatening to incinerate them was too irritating.
The undead, who had been swarming Iona, all turned toward me at once.
Feeling their gazes filled with hostility, I continued the incantation.
"『Yet, even so, we reach our hands toward the source.』"
A slightly longer chant. Unlike Thunder Calling, this was a one-shot spell, so it was better to be thorough.
Wooooom—
The mana saturating the surroundings followed my command, sublimating the mass of light into magic. The light, having consumed an excessive amount of mana, swelled in size.
What I visualized was the white downpour I had seen countless times while playing H&A.
"『...Shine bright. Starlight Rain!』"
With the activation word, the shot of light soared above the heads of the undead, trailing a long tail behind it.
The moment it reached the very center of their ranks—
Flash...!
The massive sphere of light split into tiny light bullets and began to rain down.
It looked like a localized meteor shower.
But despite its beautiful appearance, the light bullets of Starlight Rain had the brutal effect of triggering explosions upon impact.
Boom! Ba-boom!
Undead were blown to bits by the mere aftershocks, and the ground was flipped upside down, revealing its raw interior.
Watching the scene, which looked like a carpet bombing, I unconsciously swallowed hard.
"..."
Wait. Isn't the power a bit higher than I expected?
I had the Ghost Buster title, which gave a bonus against undead, and the Sun God's Blessing trait, which gave a bonus to light-attribute magic.
Even considering those and the fact that I used Mana Overcharge... wasn't this a bit too flashy?
...Well, the stronger, the better.
My left hand, which had manifested the magic, felt a bit numb, but it wasn't completely unusable.
I snatched the dagger floating in the air and gestured toward the thinning ranks of the undead.
"Force Hand."
An invisible hand gently gripped my body and hurled me forward with all its might.
Swish!
It was much faster than running on foot. The impact of hitting something mid-flight would be just as great, but...
Everything I might have crashed into had been swept away by the previous spell. I could throw myself forward without hesitation.
How many times did I repeat the process of grabbing and throwing myself through the air?
I passed over pockmarked earth, crossed hills strewn with broken bones, and finally reached an area so devastated it was unrecognizable.
The cause of the traces of the fierce battle left on the ground was right above my head.
All sorts of Authorities painted the sky, and blood-soaked magic barely managed to retaliate.
It was a battle far more spectacular than the one Melonia and I had just fought.
I raised my finger toward the sight of Iona and the five Archbishops, led by Ayla, trying to kill each other.
My hand was shaking a bit, but it should be enough to use Thunder Calling.
"『Divine thunder, lightning's glow, the flash of a bolt.』"
The surrounding mana began to boil, and black clouds gathered in the sky.
Naturally, all eyes turned toward me. Iona, spotting me, looked startled and hurriedly flew over.
Watching her, I continued the chant.
"『Strike down in a fleeting instant.』"
"You really, really came all the way here?! What were you thinking?! And that magic right now is..."
Iona, seemingly having much to say, hurriedly gathered the surrounding blood to form a shield.
However, if her vision was completely blocked, it would be difficult for her to use the magic she was preparing.
Since I was in the middle of a chant and couldn't speak, I tilted my head. Iona, catching the drift, poked a small hole in the blood shield.
Staring through it at the Authorities being fired toward us, I prepared to coolly deliver the final activation word...
"『Thun... urk!』"
...or so I intended, but a sudden wave of exhaustion hit me, and I collapsed forward, unable to support my own weight.
"Student Yandel?!"
A panicked Iona sealed the shield again and caught my falling body.
Squish.
My face naturally buried itself in Iona's chest. Perhaps because she was in the middle of a battle, her clothes were loose, and I felt the direct contact of her skin.
My mind, which had remained steady even against Melonia's charm, momentarily wavered and threatened to unravel.
"Ahem. You know we're in the middle of a battle, right, Student Yandel? I can't hold this for long!"
"...What are you thinking? This is just a side effect of being exposed to the Authority of Ugly Prosperity."
Reflexively using the dead Melonia as an excuse, I forced myself to stand up.
"Ugh."
But I collapsed again, burying my face even deeper into Iona's cleavage.
Soft.
"...It really is because of the Authority, right?"
"Hey now. I'm telling you the truth."
I spoke in a mock-serious voice to Iona, who had pulled me back to keep my chest from touching hers.
She let out a small chuckle and a sigh.
"Sigh... fine, fine. Let's say it is. Anyway, are you really okay? You can't even hold yourself up. Where are you hurt?"
Iona asked, looking worriedly at my blood-stained body.
I focused inward for a moment and quickly found the cause.
"Ah, don't worry. It's just because the 'meds' wore off."
"..."
Iona looked down at me with a strange expression.
But what could I do? It was the truth.
The various cuts and gashes had all been healed by the high-grade potions. The only wound remaining was my finger, which was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside due to the overload.
The reason I couldn't move my entire body, rather than just my hand, was simple.
The buffs that had filled my body and assisted my every movement until just a moment ago had all vanished.
The arms that could catch a heavy greatsword with one hand now dangled limply in the air.
The legs that had allowed me to kick off the ground like the wind were trembling as if I were having a seizure.
Above all, the familiar pain rising from my entire body... muscle aches.
The effects must have worn off right at the moment I was about to complete the spell.
"It's okay, Professor. Just by reaching here, I've already achieved my goal."
"Your goal... right. Let's hear it, Student Yandel. What on earth were you thinking, coming back? After I, Professor Iona, risked my life to send you away... you must have some kind of plan, right?"
"Of course. Would I come back without a plan when I'd obviously just be a hindrance?"
"You know, you've already been a hindrance, right?"
"..."
Thinking back to the Blood Rain she had risked herself to use right before I was about to be finished by Melonia, I had nothing to say.
I awkwardly avoided Iona's gaze for a moment.
Crack.
The sound of something breaking came from nearby.
It was a sign that the shield Iona had deployed would soon shatter.
"...We don't have much time, so I'll get straight to the point."
I craned my neck and offered it to Iona.
"Suck my blood, Professor."
"Ah."
If we just stalled for time, reinforcements would arrive. If they could just take care of the Archbishops, Iona's chances of winning would skyrocket.
The problem was that she couldn't hold out until the reinforcements arrived.
In that case, I just had to make sure Iona could hold out.
As it happened, vampires were a race that could recover both vitality and mana simultaneously through bloodsucking.
"So, suck my blood, Professor. Just don't accidentally turn me into your kin."
"Sigh... I wondered what you were going to say. Student Yandel, I may not look like it, but I'm a Lord-class vampire! Even if I drained every drop of blood from one person, I wouldn't even recover ten percent. It's not too late. If we prioritize escaping..."
As Iona let out a deep sigh, I pulled out a high-grade potion.
"We can just make more blood."
"Oh my goodness. You were serious?"
Recovery potions are strictly for healing. Therefore, no matter how many Iona drank, they would only heal her wounds, not replenish her vitality.
But what if I drank the potions to replenish my blood, and Iona sucked that blood from me?
Wouldn't she be able to replenish both vitality and mana at the same time? It was a truly efficient method.
"...Student Yandel. In the vampire industry, that's known by the technical term 'Blood Funnel.' Did you know it's been banned by treaty since before the Great War because it's a barbaric practice that was carried out in secret?"
"Yandel doesn't know about that! Just suck it!"
"No..."
Despite her gaze being fixed on my neck, Iona kept hesitating.
She seemed to be refusing for various reasons, but the real reason she was reluctant was simple.
In the past, she had sucked the blood of Ayla, who had preemptively swallowed poison, causing her mana to solidify.
Because of that, she could do nothing as she watched her clan members die before her eyes.
In fact, she had become such a burden that the previous Lord had sacrificed his life to rescue her.
The memory of that time was stuck in her throat like a thorn, preventing her from sucking blood directly.
Normally, I would have calmly persuaded her by explaining why it was necessary.
Creeeak. Crack—
But time was running out. The shield Iona had deployed was about to shatter.
Staring at the shield covered in cracks, I gritted my teeth.
I guess I have no choice.
Crunch.
I bit down hard on my lip, and blood welled up.
Narrowing my eyes, I glared at Iona, who was still rambling on about why she couldn't do it.
And then, seeing an opening—
Mwah.
"Mmph?!"
I kissed her abruptly.
The soft sensation of her lips met mine. Taking advantage of the moment her mouth opened slightly to say something, I quickly slid my tongue inside.
"Hmph..."
Her jaw flinched as if she were about to close her mouth, but she hesitated, realizing she would bite my tongue if she did.
Instead, she tried to push me away with her tongue, so I quickly entangled mine with hers to overpower her.
Then, I slowly let the blood, mixed with saliva, flow through my tongue.
"Mmph... mmph..."
Iona shook her head in refusal. But I couldn't back down now.
Drawing on my past experiences, I skillfully stimulated the inside of Iona's mouth.
Behind the tongue, the roof of the mouth, the gums, and even the inside of the cheeks.
As I meticulously tickled her, she finally couldn't resist and unconsciously swallowed.
Gulp.
"...Hngh♡"
The sweet moan tickling my ear brought a natural smile to my face.
Phew, mission accomplished.