Chapter 224
Chapter 224
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 224
Chapter Title: Souls, and Souls (24)
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“Ugh, uwaaaaaah!!!!”
Dawood let out a guttural roar as he spread his arms wide, expanding the sphere even further. Red light leaked from his heart like a spill, mingling with the sphere. It was the power of the Fragment.
“…….”
I took a quiet breath, then drew back the bowstring with all my might. And.
-Twang!
I released it.
-Whiiiiiirrrrrr!!!!!!
The spiraling arrow flew...
-Thunk!!!!
“……!”
...and missed Dawood.
“Ha... haha...! Fool! You fool! Hahaha!!!”
Seeing the arrow veer away from him, Dawood burst into mad laughter and raised his hand high. The now even larger sphere spun above his head, radiating red light.
“I’ll kill you right here!”
That was when it happened.
-Crack, craaaack....
-Craaaackle....
“You’re the fool.”
“……!”
“My arrows always hit their mark.”
-Crash!!!!
The mirror shattered.
* * *
-Crack, craaaack....
-Craaaackle....
A woman in a deep black hood, chanting spells before the mirror, opened her closed eyes at the ominous sound and looked at it.
“……!”
A crack was forming in the mirror.
“N-No way...!”
This mirror, forged by melting down a pure virgin’s soul, was no ordinary object. Thanks to Fabio’s painstakingly carved intricate shamanic spells and infused profane magic, it could reflect the Void—a truly special mirror. As she said, there was no way this could happen. To shatter it would require power surpassing Fabio’s blood magic...
-Crash!!!
“Kyaa, kyaack!!!!”
Before she could even grasp the situation, the mirror shattered with a deafening crash. No, exploded would be more fitting. Sharp shards burst forth viciously, scattering through the air and emitting a brilliant rainbow light.
-Fwoooosh!!!
The light was too intense to block even with her deeply pulled hood. The shock hurled her backward into the wall, where she tumbled to the floor.
“Guh!”
Propping herself up with her hands, she barely lifted her torso before vomiting black blood. Her dizzy head couldn’t comprehend what was happening. All she could do was stare blankly at the radiant light now shining through from beyond the mirror. As she gazed at that pure light, which twisted her guts in agony, she ground her teeth.
“No...!”
Recovery of the Fragment was within reach. Though Fabio had met his end, his loss didn’t mean failure for the Crows. Even with the rat’s interference throwing things off, as long as they completed the mission Fabio had steadily advanced, obtaining the Fragment was only a matter of time.
-Fwoooosh!!!!
...Until just moments ago, that is.
The woman crawled on all fours toward the mirror emitting bright light. Her black robe dragged across the floor, smearing the blood she’d spilled. With the mirror destroyed, she had to pull Dawood out right now...
“……!”
...Or so she thought, desperately reaching for the mirror. And at that moment.
-Squelch!
Her hand was crushed under something heavy. Aaaah! Pain like her arm was breaking surged through her, and she screamed again. Looking up, she saw the body pinning her hand and arm. Gaudy, ridiculous clothing—she knew it well.
‘...Dawood!’
Yes. It was Dawood, bursting from the mirror and flattening her body. And...
-Plop!
“Phew...”
Following him out of the mirror was someone plainly, even shabbily dressed, unlike Dawood...
“...You’re finally back!”
A Druid.
* * *
Dealing with Dawood wasn’t that hard. Unlike Griselle or Aquila’s father, Dawood had only served as the vessel holding the Fragment until now and didn’t truly know how to wield its power. His way was just brute force, spewing the Fragment’s raw energy.
The real key was severing the link between Dawood and the ‘Crows’ controlling him.
Namely...
The ‘mirror.’
‘It bugged me from the first sight.’
Now I knew exactly what that otherworldly strangeness was. It was a tool for peering into the Void. Just as I’d pulled their hidden box through the mirror, the Crows had planned to retrieve Dawood the same way when the time came.
Of course, I had no intention of waiting that long.
The arrow that missed Dawood—no, accurately, hit the mirror—pierced through the shattered glass fragments and fully penetrated it. By normal physics, the mirror should have exploded into pieces, wrecking Dawood’s bedroom too... But the arrow passed straight through the mirror and into the Void beyond.
And finally.
“……!”
The original world appeared beyond the mirror. Now, just to cross over. I slung my bow and turned to Dawood. Above his head, the red sphere still spun, menacingly glowing.
“Come on, Dawood. Playtime’s over. Time to go home.”
“Shut up, you vermin! Even without ‘His’ voice, I, I...!”
“You still haven’t come to your senses.”
“......Die, die! Die!”
Dawood roared and hurled the sphere at me. A pure mass of energy with no finesse charged straight at me, colliding with a massive explosion.
-Boooom!!!!!!
My vision went white like broad daylight.
I closed my eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them. In the center of the blinding white, a tiny speck floated.
-Purrr....
Tweet.
Pippi, wings spread wide, hovered in the air as if embracing the red sphere. Far larger than Pippi, the red sphere still blazed intensely, but its light no longer felt violent. With each flap of Pippi’s wings, the sphere’s edges blurred. As if merging with Pippi. And...
-Piyoooooo...!
In a flash, a clear, resonant cry echoed out. I blinked, and in Pippi’s place floated a massive, beautiful being with vast wings spread and a long tail trailing. Iridescent feathers... and two distinct purple and white tail feathers.
‘That’s Pippi’s true form...’
Before I could admire it longer, intense light enveloped us again. When I opened my eyes, the beautiful being was gone, replaced by a plump—no, extremely plump—sparrow flying toward me.
“Pippi!”
-Tweet!
With a belly bloated like it had overeaten, Pippi wobbled through the air as if about to crash but safely landed in my palm. I placed it on my shoulder and approached Dawood, shoved into the far wall of the bedroom. Having expended that massive energy and taken the full brunt of the shockwave, he was already unconscious.
“…….”
What a headache from start to finish. I grabbed the scruff of his neck and dragged him over. Alright, time to head back. I approached the shattered mirror and tossed Dawood’s body through. For a second, I thought I heard a scream-like sound from beyond... but no time to worry about that.
-Ta-dah!
I jumped through after him. Instantly, my stomach churned like a massive hangover. As if I might even vomit my soul. Some strange resistance made my body stagger, but I gritted my teeth and stood firm.
“Phew...”
Beyond the mirror was, identically, Dawood’s bedroom.
“...You’re finally back!”
I dusted off my hands and looked around. There was Dawood, whom I’d chucked through the mirror. And pinned beneath him...
“Oh ho.”
Someone wearing the same black hood as Fabio. Judging by the build, a woman? As expected, Fabio wasn’t their only agent. So this lackey had been handling contact with Dawood.
‘...Perfect.’
A live Crow. If I play it right, I can squeeze out all sorts of info. I shoved the fallen Dawood aside and grabbed the woman’s wrist beneath him, pulling her up.
-Sliiide...
...Or tried to.
But her body slipped away like it had no bones. Like slime, viscous secretions oozed from her skin, dripping and making her slide. I gripped her wrist hard to hold on, but with each pull, her skin peeled away like banana skin.
“Damn it!”
A bad, very bad premonition hit me.
-Gloop...
Her melted, liquid-like body spread across the floor. No way, is she, just, dying like this? Melting away. An utterly ominous sight. So surreal, chills ran down my spine, and at the same time...
-Gloop, gloop...
-Grrgle...
The thing—worm-like, slug-like—rushed toward Dawood at tremendous speed. Before I could yell ‘No!’, it poured into Dawood through his mouth, nose, and ears. A massive volume of ‘black’ liquid.
-Bubble bubble...
-Blorp...
Soon, Dawood’s body began swelling like it was boiling. Round bubbles rose under his skin, then sank, repeating. His one forcibly open eye dilated and contracted endlessly. Horrific.
‘What the hell is this...!’
I figured a Crow wouldn’t be some ordinary woman, but melting and entering Dawood’s body? I never saw that coming! Even as I reeled in shock, Dawood’s body kept inflating, growing larger. The skin on one shoulder couldn’t keep up and looked ready to burst.
-Gurrgle...
With boiling sounds, Dawood’s grotesquely swollen face turned to me.
‘Son of a b...’