Chapter 64: Anomaly (6)
Chapter 64: Anomaly (6)
The path to the Giant Evil Rabbit’s lair was remarkably smooth.
Though several students had been killed or severely injured by the clones' surprise attacks… we now had nearly twenty Class A students gathered together, each capable of clearing a practice dungeon single-handedly.
Moreover, they were using my potions and scrolls—and in some cases, even borrowing my magical tools—allowing them to display power far beyond their usual capabilities.
They were in peak condition and moving in a large group. Naturally, their morale was sky-high.
However, once we arrived in front of the massive rabbit hole that was our destination, we froze.
Chunks of flesh and bloodstains were scattered everywhere. Corpses were torn apart as if a massive predator had discarded its leftovers.
The guards who were supposed to be stationed here—to prevent the boss from escaping and to ensure no one killed it prematurely—had all been brutally slaughtered.
"Ugh..."
Vincent, who already had a weak stomach, clutched his mouth at the sight.
The others seemed equally shocked. Even if they didn't vomit, the confident atmosphere from moments ago vanished without a trace.
Perhaps they finally realized that their opponent was an Archbishop of the Evil God.
If we made one wrong move, we could all end up sprawled on the ground just like those corpses.
But it was fine.
7,000 hours of playtime.
It wasn't quite at the level where the game became my life, but it was more than enough to be called a veteran.
While I hadn't fought him in person at this specific point in time... I had taken down Edmerec countless times in the game.
Naturally, I knew his patterns by heart.
After weighing our odds from every angle, I could confidently declare:
We could win this.
I gave Vincent a reassuring pat on the back and stepped forward.
"There's nothing left in your stomach to throw up anyway. Let's go."
"Urgh... Right. We have to go."
Vincent wiped his mouth and drew his sword. Helena and Elisha took their places beside me without a word.
Since we were essentially the ones who had led the group this far, our move prompted the other students to steel their resolve and follow suit.
With that, we stepped into the cave that loomed like a giant, gaping maw.
*
The tunnel was longer than expected. Naturally, the sunlight stopped reaching us after a certain point.
"It's too dark."
"Shall I cast Light?"
"It's alright, Glenziel. No need to waste your concentration."
I pulled five Light Scrolls from my inventory and tore them one by one.
Flash!
Successive clusters of small lights appeared, beginning to hover around us.
This should be enough.
With the light source secured, we headed deeper without hesitation. I didn't forget to periodically use Telekinesis for pseudo-detection.
However, such vigilance proved unnecessary.
There were no traps or obstacles at all until we reached a large cavern at the end of the path.
Instead...
"Kieeeek!"
"Shaaaaak!"
"Grrrrrr."
The cavern was packed with countless clones.
Did he bring all the clones he recalled back here? Just as I expected.
The clones radiated a murderous aura as if they were ready to pounce at any second, but they merely growled at us without leaving their positions.
Before long, a distinct human voice rose above the snarling of the various hybrids.
"Ugh...! I'm hungry. I suppose it's only natural, since I vomit everything back up no matter how much I eat... blegh!"
The voice was thick with the sound of retching.
Reflexively, I aimed my staff toward the source of the sound.
There stood a man draped in black robes.
Not just me, but all the other students aimed their weapons at him simultaneously, yet he continued to speak with an air of nonchalance.
"Do you know? The Confused Unity... ugh... granted my wish to eat my fill... waaaaagh!"
Splat.
A gray mass spewed from the man's mouth.
Though it had clearly come from a normal-sized mouth, the vomit was eerily larger than the man's own physique.
The gray mass squirmed for a moment before rapidly shifting into the shape of a giant.
Of course, it wasn't an ordinary giant.
Instead of a head, a mass of wriggling tentacles sat upon its shoulders.
He must have turned the area boss, the Giant Evil Rabbit, into his clone.
I knew the Evil Rabbit was a monster related to the Confused Unity, but I didn't realize he could keep it alive while recreating it as a clone.
Whether it was vomiting something larger than himself or that vomit instantly taking the form of a monster...
Either way, these were phenomena impossible by natural means.
But then again, it made sense.
This was an Authority. The power of the Confused Unity, who, despite being an Evil God, held a seat among the gods.
So, this man really was Edmerec.
The scene was so similar to the cutscene that played at the start of the boss fight that I recognized him immediately, even though his face was hidden by a hood.
The other students, seeing the manifestation of an Authority for the first time, began to falter in shock.
Edmerec, however, seemed indifferent to their reactions, his gaze fixed solely on me.
"Thanks to Him, I can now eat my fill every day. I can eat things I never could before, and the world looks different to me now. I am truly grateful to Him."
"Even though you throw it all back up? You just said it yourself. You're hungry."
"Ah... you misunderstand. He never forced anything upon me. The reason I vomit everything I eat each day is solely because I exercise His Authority of my own will. My clones killed you all because I wished to be of use to Him."
Having said that, Edmerec pushed back his deep hood and looked straight at me.
He had coarse brown hair. His eyes were sunken, his face was pale, and his lips were parched.
He was so emaciated that his cheekbones protruded sharply.
To think that the Archbishop of the Confused Unity, which symbolized gluttony, looked like he was on the verge of starvation.
How ironic.
Edmerec wiped the vomit from his scraggly beard with his sleeve and glared at me with piercing eyes.
"However, there is one thing He commanded me to do personally recently."
"I think I know what that is."
"Indeed. He said some insolent brat interfered with His grand plan... that he twisted fate."
"I saw a cultist, so I killed him. It's a common occurrence everywhere. Fate, my ass—you lost one measly Bishop-class. Besides, aren't you the ones who usually twist the natural order?"
At my sarcasm, Edmerec broke into a chilling, twisted grin.
"Listen well, you arrogant brat."
Gueeeegh.
This time, Edmerec vomited a clone made from a regular Evil Rabbit before continuing.
"What He does is the natural order. His plan is fate. If anything, you are the ones disturbing the world."
His tone suggested he believed his words to be absolute truth.
As the clones began to shift into combat stances, Edmerec, who was still incessantly retching, raised a withered hand.
"But there is one truth even you are well aware of."
His nails, sharp as a predator's claws, glinted in the air.
"The providence of the law of the jungle."
Edmerec growled like a beast, drool dripping from his chin.
"So, submit to your fate this instant."
His fist clenched tight.
Recognizing the telegraph for a pattern I knew well, I immediately dove to the floor.
At that exact moment, a pair of translucent jaws manifested in the air and snapped violently at the spot where I had just been standing.
Boom!
Even though I had dodged it, a chill ran down my spine.
It was an attack that bit through space itself. If I hadn't noticed it in time, even if it didn't kill me, it would have shattered my shields and everything else.
"Grrrr-ah!"
"Kaaaaak!"
"Gueeeegh!"
Using that attack as a signal, the clones charged forward with ear-splitting shrieks.
And in the midst of them was Edmerec, still dry-heaving as if he had more to spew.
Vincent, who had also been gagging, pulled me up as I was trying to scramble to my feet.
Simultaneously, Helena, radiating a more intense Holy Power than ever before, charged toward the clones.
"Listening to you makes my ears feel like they're rotting! How dare a wretched madman speak of the natural order!"
She slammed her fist into the elongated nose of the first clone to reach her.
Crack!
With the sound of something shattering, the creature stumbled back.
As the lead clone collided with those following it, a wave of Holy Power surged forth as if it had been waiting for that moment.
It wasn't an offensive spell. She had simply erected a massive barrier.
It wouldn't hold for long, of course... but a few moments were enough.
Whoosh... Boom!
A barrage of various spells flew over our heads.
The mages, having finished their chants while I bought them time, had joined the fray.
The front line of clones was wiped out in an instant.
To buy time for the mages to prepare their next spells, the students from the Knight Department joined Helena in engaging the clones head-on.
"What...?"
Edmerec’s expression wavered violently, clearly not expecting us to fight this well.
Looking at him, I let my lips curl into a taunting smirk.
"For something made with a god's power, these are pretty pathetic. Or is it just because your god is a total joke?"
"You insolent brat...!"
Good. Everything was going according to plan so far.
Edmerec always opened the fight by using Void Feast while simultaneously sending his clones on a charge.
If you know what's coming, you'd be a fool not to prepare for it.
But the real fight was only just beginning.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The massive clone made from the Giant Evil Rabbit began to move. And Edmerec glared at me with bloodshot eyes.
Neither of them had truly joined the battle yet.