Chapter 179
Chapter 179
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: Believer (3)
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Marie, dyed in a deep and pure darkness like the night sea, closed in like a flash of lightning and swung her long-grown nails.
The five slender nails, unlike their appearance, carried considerable power, creating gusts of wind with just a single swing. Thanks to that, Oliver's black hair—making its first appearance in a long while—whipped wildly in the air.
"Wow, that's impressive... A normal person would've been sliced to pieces."
Oliver's admiration was pure, neither mockery nor flattery.
Marie had indeed cast black magic on herself to strengthen her body, but after that, she hadn't used any further black magic.
In other words, she was producing that level of output solely with this unidentified black magic.
It was quite remarkable.
Black magic could indeed surpass firearms in power when enhancing the body, but it wasn't something to take lightly. No matter how it was phrased as "reinforcement," at its core, it was disease-based black magic.
It was merely artificially manipulating the body to forcibly draw out strength.
Thus, despite its relatively low entry barrier and intuitive effects, the usage conditions were inevitably harsh.
One needed skill in handling black magic to avoid burdening the body, along with vast life force and a sturdy physique to withstand disease-based black magic.
Even with those, a proper recovery environment was essential.
Otherwise, it was just a technique that devoured its user.
That was why disease-based black magic didn't suit people like Marie or Oliver.
Regardless of black magic prowess, it drained the body.
The fact that Oliver frequently used disease-based black magic only after developing the cheat known as "Black Suit" was strong proof of that.
But Marie was beyond that level.
She had clearly used it directly through her body as a medium, yet there were no apparent side effects on her physique. And moreover—
Slash! Slash!! Slaaaash!!
Even ordinary swings parted the air, sliced trees, and left deep scars in rocks—each of her attacks far exceeded normal levels, every one lethal.
Oliver dodged precariously while wrapping his body in three layers of Black Suit, but honestly, he wondered if he could endure it.
'Even a cost-free basic attack is faster and stronger than most black magicians... So it must be true that she repelled the auction house intruder. Huh?'
Marie adjusted her stance, preparing to attack Oliver again after he evaded her last strike.
She had read his evasion pattern.
Her rapid assaults and relentless pressure indirectly revealed how many battlefields she had survived.
It was truly regrettable. In just over a year and a few months—a short time if short.
Her black magic and combat skills had improved to an unrecognizable degree, yet she was fixated on something so pointless... Oliver felt more than just pity for Marie.
'Whatever it is...'
Oliver fired a Hate Bullet at the ground.
Papapang!!
With a cheerful burst, dirt and dust erupted high, momentarily obscuring Marie's vision.
It wasn't very effective against a black magician who could see emotions, but creating a sudden obstacle could halt her actions for 1 or 2 seconds.
Oliver used that gap to quickly widen the distance.
The unidentified black magic cloaking Marie's body produced top-tier output among the disease-based black magics Oliver had seen, and it might have additional effects.
There was no reason to maintain close combat against such an opponent.
'First, pull back the distance and probe slowly with firearm-type black magic... Huh?'
Having lost sight of Oliver, Marie tensed her nails, extending their length slightly before slashing at a tree.
Ping!!
It didn't seem like uncontrolled rage. Her emotions were calm yet radiated immense obsession.
Oliver could only furrow his brow again. Marie had caught the falling tree with both hands.
It wasn't a massive tree, but not a small one either.
It seemed to have reinforced not just attack power, but also raw strength.
It was unnaturally excessive. Even disease-based magic had clear limits based on baseline physical performance...
This surpassed the rules of black magic as Oliver knew them.
'Above all, it's similar to them... The puppets from the contaminated zone, the auction house intruder.'
Black magic that defied the rules of black magic. The aura of the black magic Marie was using now resembled theirs.
Bless
[Imbuing and manipulating the tree gripped in both hands]
Marie imbued the tree in her hands with black magic and manipulated it.
Another first-time black magic, like her elongated nails. Had Marie developed it herself, or...?
Either way, some of the emotions dwelling in Marie's body swept over the tree, trimming the branches, shaping it to a throwable length, and sharpening the end to a point.
A bizarre yet fascinating sight.
Oliver wondered what she planned to do with it, and soon found out.
"Nice throwable design, but to actually throw it..."
Oliver remarked as the tree trunk flew toward him.
He wasn't caught off guard. Far from it—Oliver focused not just his eyes but his mind on how to respond.
Given Marie's emotional state, dodging would lead to an immediate follow-up attack.
She was indeed watching his next move while preparing her assault.
Even if he didn't dodge, she was ready to adapt.
Dodge or not, same situation.
The difference was merely whether Marie was slightly off-guard or even more so.
After much deliberation, Oliver chose the latter.
Bam—!!
Oliver swung his Black Suit-wrapped quarterstaff.
Even enhanced by black magic, it was still just a tree.
His strike shattered it into countless wooden shards that scattered through the air.
His vision was momentarily obscured. He had immediately adapted the trick he'd just used.
"Impressive."
Oliver admired as he smacked away the incoming Hate Bullets with his quarterstaff.
A dozen or so flew at once, but it wasn't too difficult.
Surprisingly, though, they weren't plain Hate Bullets—they were infused with emotions and hair.
Puppet. More precisely, akin to the "Finger Gun" used by the corpse doll possessed by the puppet.
The power was similar too; the Black Suit at the tip of his quarterstaff peeled away two and a half layers in one go.
Continuing to take hits would be dangerous. But this wasn't the real attack.
The true intent was the silent, instantaneous approach.
Regaining favorable distance with her unique mobility, Marie silently swung her nails without a word.
An attack that seemed ready to shred even three layers of Black Suit in one go—Oliver concentrated half his body's Black Suit onto the quarterstaff to block her strike.
Kaaang—!!!
A deafening roar tore through the midnight forest. Truly fortunate.
Holy knights were still searching the city; fighting there would have drawn interference for sure.
That would have been problematic. Above all, Oliver wanted to settle things with Marie.
"I'm sorry, Master! Please forgive me!!"
Marie, silent until now, seemed to judge the fight decided as she raised her opposite arm, sharpening her nails.
She was targeting Oliver's right arm and leg, clearly intent on dragging him off by force.
"It's fine."
As Oliver replied, he focused the remaining Black Suit into his right fist and smashed Marie's left shoulder with all his might.
Crack!!!!
"—!?!!"
The low, heavy sound signaled not just a break, but a shattering.
Indeed, wracked by immense pain, Marie couldn't even scream properly and recoiled like a hand from fire.
"Your black magic power is real, but you haven't trained close combat, it seems. Learn it. Firepower isn't everything."
Oliver pressed the retreating Marie, swinging his quarterstaff.
Marie wrapped her elongated hair around her arm like a shield, but Oliver burrowed deeper, stabbing the gap with his opposite arm and ramming his fist into her shoulder.
Snap—!
With a clean breaking sound, both her arms went limp.
Jo's teachings echoed in his ears.
'If you're just scaring without killing, break the shoulders. It hurts like hell, and they can't lift their arms, so they learn helplessness real quick. Then beat 'em down.'
"Kuh...!"
Marie channeled black magic into her long hair, wrapping it around her like a cloak.
Even at a glance, it wasn't ordinary defense.
-Thud!
Oliver thrust his quarterstaff into Marie's hair cloak.
The strands blocked his attack with individual intent, and not content, clung to the quarterstaff like thorny vines, creeping toward his hand.
At this rate, starting from his hand, his whole body would be ensnared.
Wrath Boom
[Concentrating emotions on the quarterstaff to detonate]
Oliver concentrated emotions on the quarterstaff and detonated it.
Not enough to explode Marie fatally, but sufficient to blast away the annoying hair.
With a massive explosion, the hair gripping the quarterstaff burned and scattered.
Judging by the shock on Marie and her subordinates' faces, it was completely unexpected.
Oliver ignored it, diving into Marie's now fully open guard.
"Sorry. This'll hurt."
Stab—!!!
Oliver thrust the quarterstaff deep into Marie's body.
From such close range with full force, a normal person would've been split in two.
Unable to withstand, Marie's midsection crumpled grotesquely as she flew far away.
Not satisfied, Oliver fired two Hate Bullets into each of her limp legs.
Time to lie in bed and think for a while.
Thud-! Thud-!
With two wide holes in her thighs, Marie sprawled on the ground.
Her limbs twisted in unnatural directions, resembling a broken doll.
For a moment, Oliver wondered if he'd overdone it, but he shook it off and approached her.
"Looks like I win."
"Guh... Guh... Kek!"
Marie made grotesque doll-like noises. She might die if unlucky.
Well, if so, no helping it. Oliver resumed his duty.
"I've honored your request, Marie. You said to take me by force if you could. But you failed."
Unable to speak from her crushed abdomen, Marie looked up at Oliver.
Not that he had room to talk, but her emotional state was bizarre.
Despite this much pain, she harbored no ill will toward him. Instead, her admiration deepened, worship intensified, and she blamed her own inadequacy.
Her emotions were pathologically obsessive, rekindling Oliver's initial unease.
"...You once told me, Marie, that nothing in the world is free. Back when you first helped me."
"...Y-, yes."
Marie barely rasped a reply in her mangled voice.
"So now that I've won, I claim my price. No more calling me savior or god. Live the life you wanted. Forget me too. You can do that, right?"
Marie shook her head.
"N-, no... I c-can't."
Faced with clear refusal, Oliver didn't know how to react.
Irritation flickered.
Maybe a beating per Jo's advice would make her listen... That was when it happened.
Suddenly, Marie's subordinates attacked Oliver.
Not exceptionally skilled, but solid fundamentals yielded stable casting speed as they fired Hate Bullets at him.
Black Suit could block them easily, but sensing their loyalty to Marie, Oliver retreated.
Marie's protective subordinates glared at Oliver with extreme hatred, preparing more attacks.
"What are you doing?!!"
Marie rose, shouting in fury unlike any Oliver had seen.
Her enraged subordinates faltered in fear.
They cowered like frightened dogs, but Marie grotesquely flailed her limp arm, slapping a nearby subordinate's face.
The impact sent him flying far. Survival was pure luck.
Still unsatisfied, she elbowed another's face, then raised her nails toward the first attacker.
"Marie!"
Oliver raised his voice uncharacteristically. Marie halted.
"Master..."
"Stop it. It's for your sake."
"B-, but these—"
"—Please. Just stop."
At Oliver's plea, Marie finally lowered her hand.
Suppressing her rage forcibly, she ordered them to withdraw.
Her subordinates bowed deeply like vassals to a king and retreated.
A truly absurd scene.
Fuming at the subordinates who saved her, stopped by her enemy.
Oliver pondered once more why their relationship had twisted so.
"...Your body's recovering."
Observing Marie's wounds emit tiny threads for self-repair, Oliver asked.
Amusing, but less so compared to puppets or auction intruders.
"Yes."
"How'd you develop it?"
"...I don't really know. I just suddenly could use it. Sorry."
Sincere. Utterly sincere.
"No need. That happens... Anyway, glad you're better. So, as I said—stop calling me savior—"
"—No. I can't. Truly, I'm sorry, but I can't obey that. Please forgive me."
Her bloodshot eyes conveyed no room for negotiation.
Her emotions churned like a massive tidal wave, spilling out and dyeing her body even blacker.
The excessively proliferating emotions, now with physical force, spread around her. Suppressing the air, corrupting the area with black light—Oliver watched silently.
"......."
"...Please... don't take this faith from me, Master. Without it, I'd revert to my past."
"...What past?"
"Just born. Alive. A mere... beast like that."
"......."
"Meeting you, believing in you—that's when I gained value. The reason I was born, the reason I live...! Better kill me than take this!!"
Marie screamed her raw truth, black tears streaming.
With that, she pulled eight vials from her bosom. Each brimmed with pure faith, religious devotion.