Chapter 137
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: Power Enhancement Support (3)
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'They're not fighting as well as I thought.'
All five of them managed to dodge the Vampire Trolls' attacks, but none could land a proper counterstrike.
They had the numerical advantage, so one would stab at an opening created by another, but those wounds weren't lethal.
'Considering the Vampire Trolls' regeneration, they shouldn't be stabbing like that.'
I watched Lorella as she lightly pierced the Vampire Troll's side and pulled back.
Of course, the stabbed flank regenerated rapidly, returning to normal in just a few seconds.
'Ha Chae-jeong and Ga Se-yeon are doing a bit better.'
In the basement of my private villa, there were wooden training dummies.
Ha Chae-jeong and Ga Se-yeon, who sparred against them daily, were at least attacking aggressively.
'Compared to them, the three villains...'
Even at a glance, they looked like they had no idea why they had to fight Vampire Trolls.
It felt like they were just following my orders because they couldn't refuse, despite their reluctance.
'Plus, none of them seem used to fighting with swords in the first place.'
To put it simply, this was the first time I'd handed them swords and told them to fight.
Unlike Ha Chae-jeong and Ga Se-yeon, they'd been forcibly recruited, so they didn't follow me wholeheartedly either.
Kyaaak!
As the battle dragged on, the Vampire Troll roared angrily at the women who kept dodging every which way.
"Hey! Do something already!"
Ha Chae-jeong had slashed the Vampire Troll's body several times, but that was it.
Thanks to its unique regenerative ability, none of the wounds she inflicted left a trace.
"Can't even catch an S-rank monster."
"Where's an S-rank monster 'just' anything?!"
Even so, they were holding their own reasonably well thanks to the full-body blessings I'd granted them.
I'd brought Ha Chae-jeong and Ga Se-yeon here to give them real combat experience, so that goal had been achieved.
Krrrng...
'Hm?'
That's when I noticed the Vampire Troll facing the villain woman staggering like it was drunk.
The three villain women didn't miss the opening and unleashed a fierce barrage, finishing it off unlike before.
'She used poison.'
Della's poison combined with the power of the bracelets I'd given them seemed effective even against Vampire Trolls.
However, Della's poison could only be used in limited quantities she'd collected, so wasting it here wasn't ideal.
'What about when we fight the Geneva Cult bastards later?'
The reason I was supporting these three now was to weaken the Geneva Cult.
I figured Della's poison and Lorella's monsters could handle the Geneva Cult without much trouble.
'Maybe they have poison stashed at the Villain Alliance hideout.'
While I was thinking, Ha Chae-jeong and Ga Se-yeon were struggling against the increasingly berserk Vampire Troll.
Judging them still lacking for S-rank monsters, I decided to wrap things up by deploying the Destroyer.
Kwabang!
I charged out with the Destroyer and decapitated the Vampire Troll Ha Chae-jeong and Ga Se-yeon were facing in one stroke.
Ending the drawn-out battle like that, I looked at the two catching their breath and spoke calmly.
"You'll both need to work harder."
"I am working hard! How are we even supposed to fight an S-rank monster right now?"
"In a month, you should be able to hold your own."
"..."
Ha Chae-jeong had originally been a C-rank hero.
Yet with her limit breakthrough and my full-body blessing, she could now more or less handle an S-rank monster.
She seemed to think it possible in a month too, falling deep into thought without retorting.
Ignoring that, I spoke to Lorella.
"Lorella. Can you control dead monsters too?"
"I'd have to try to find out. I'm curious myself."
Lorella said she'd never controlled a dead monster before, so she didn't know either.
It made sense—there'd been no reason to try—so I nodded and told her to give it a shot.
"Then do it."
We confirmed afterward that dead monsters couldn't be controlled.
'Annoying.'
If she could control dead ones, it would've been convenient in many ways, but since she couldn't, we'd have to work harder.
Chwak!
First, I used the Destroyer to rip off the Vampire Troll's limbs and crush them underfoot.
Then, as a Healer, I used Complete Revival to bring it back, at which point Lorella took control.
'This is taking longer than expected.'
It took Lorella about two hours to control a single Vampire Troll.
Even controlling two at a time, that meant ten hours for ten trolls.
"Do you really have to control them like that?"
I said while watching Lorella, who was still in the midst of controlling a Vampire Troll.
She'd cut a nearby tree to a suitable sitting height, perched on it, and was controlling with just her toe.
"What's wrong with this? Should I have to touch these monsters with my hands or something?"
To control a monster, Lorella needed physical contact.
But she clearly hated touching their bodies directly, so she was using just her toe.
"If you lay on the ground and used your hands and feet, you could probably do four at once."
"Lay on the ground...? No way I'm controlling them like that."
Lorella immediately shook her head at the image of herself sprawled on the dirt with limbs splayed.
"Shouldn't we hurry and finish controlling them so we can head to the Villain Alliance?"
"You think the Villain Alliance will collapse if I'm a day or two late?"
As Lorella said, the Villain Alliance wouldn't crumble in a day or two.
It was one of only three [world-class] criminal organizations, after all.
'Well, the Geneva Cult is [world-class] too.'
Right now, the Geneva Cult and Doomsday Cultists hadn't surfaced, so it was just the Villain Alliance in the public eye.
At least, people only knew of the Villain Alliance as a [world-class] criminal group—Lorella probably included.
'I hope this brings the Geneva Cult to the surface too.'
For that, the Villain Alliance would have to do well.
The problem was, being the Villain Alliance, the Geneva Cult could deny any evidence presented.
'Or I could settle for weakening both the Villain Alliance and Geneva Cult.'
Reducing both their strengths might make my future plans a bit easier.
'Anyway, I can just add these three to the online game guild system and send them off.'
The control time was longer than expected, but even at worst, it'd be done in 3-4 days, so we'd tough it out until then.
A certain region in the United States.
Thud—
There, people clad in armor white as snow etched with red lines and symbols had surrounded a building.
"Is this the place?"
"Yes. It is."
They were Heresy Inquisitors, who only moved for Geneva Cult matters.
While the Villain Alliance prepared for war, the Geneva Cult had finished their own preparations separately.
They'd first negotiated with various nations, promising a set number of Healers for their heroes, and obtained the Villain Alliance's location in exchange.
"A fitting place for criminals to hole up."
For reference, the deal with the US was for 30 Healers.
The US wasn't about to pass up a chance to dismantle the Villain Alliance eating away at their country and bolster their Healers.
This also meant the Geneva Cult had properly concealed that converting to Healer required sacrificing one's abilities and growth potential.
"Paul and Joseph come inside with me. The rest of you, make sure not a single rat escapes."
The one who said that was Ornella, who commanded the fourth of the eleven Heresy Inquisition organizations.
She was renowned for her exceptional talent and skill at a young age, and for doing anything for the cult.
"Do we need all three?"
When Paul asked Ornella's words, she replied with a cold stare, saying nothing.
"We need to capture them all alive, so three is appropriate."
"Ah~ Capturing them all alive sounds like a hassle."
Ornella put on her white mask without further reply.
"We're going in."
Paul and Joseph followed Ornella's lead, donning their white masks and entering the building, at which point—
Kwaaang!
A trap seemingly set by the Villain Alliance side exploded, engulfing them.
But despite the blast, the three strode casually into the building.
"Damn it! Why the hell are Geneva Cult bastards showing up here?!"
"Less yapping, more attacking!"
The Villain Alliance criminals unleashed all sorts of abilities and even bombs.
Kwabang! Kwa-kwabang!
The building shook as if it might collapse, but it couldn't stop the three intruders.
"Crazy, what the hell kind of armor is that?!"
The armor worn by Ornella, Paul, and Joseph was infused with Geneva Cult power.
It was armor imbued with indestructible might, requiring 1-2 thousand lives to create just one.
"..."
Pop!
Ornella then kicked off the ground at full force to grab a Villain.
"You think I'll go down easy?!"
The Villain deployed a barrier to prevent approach, but Ornella instantly drew her sword and wrapped it in destructive power.
Kwabang!
That destructive force shattered the Villain's barrier with ridiculous ease.
Ornella then swung her sword again, smashing the Villain's limbs to pieces.
"Kaaaaak!"
The Villain screamed in agony as his limbs exploded on contact with the sword, the cry echoing through the entire building.
Ignoring him, Ornella reached out and regenerated the burst limbs to seal the wounds and prevent death by blood loss.
Kwang! Kwabang!
"Die, you heretics!"
On the other side, Paul and Joseph rampaged freely, massacring the Villains.
Heresy Inquisitors wielded combat techniques along with powers of destruction and regeneration, so ordinary Villains stood no chance.
"Nineteen in total."
Ornella planned to send all the Villains here to the Punishment Chamber once defeated.
It was a place where the target's will was destroyed with destructive power, all information extracted, and finally offered as sacrifice.
"Too few."
Ornella left those words about the scant Villains for sacrifice and moved again.