Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: The Saint's Inner Thoughts
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Before heading into Oblivion's underground, there was something I first needed to discuss with my comrades.
"If we go like this, the same situation as when we entered the museum will play out. We need some kind of countermeasure."
"Why do you think so?"
"Because that bastard Memoria can inflate its size enormously. Have you forgotten it engulfed an entire territory last time?"
Oblivion's underground is a pitch-black place where not a single ray of light enters, so a situation akin to being swallowed by its mouth would unfold.
Magic or sharp weapons are useless against Memoria. Something like a potion explosion with massive physical force or poison might be a different story.
"That does seem likely. Even if we know its exact location, Memoria has the power to move or dominate a space."
Victoria wore a slightly uneasy expression as she continued walking forward. She believed I would find a way to win, no matter how unfavorable the fight.
"Even if I use Idea, I don't think it will be a size that can be caught, and using any other magic seems entirely impossible…."
"Wouldn't the problem be solved if you used the Idea employed by your other personality? It looked different from sealing someone away—more like scraping away or grinding them down."
"…The opponent probably knows that too."
Memoria was an enemy who knew our accumulated actions and abilities better than anyone.
Since it enjoyed toying with us like playing with toys, the probability of a tactic it's seen before working was low.
"Then, how about trying to infuse my Mystery into Idea this time?"
Taryon, who had been silently listening to Victoria and me, made a suggestion, but it was still beyond my current ability.
To infuse another power into Idea, its size and intricacy must increase proportionally, and a balance must be maintained so it can meld into the magic circle.
"That's still too difficult. Magic isn't something that just pops out, poof, because you say so."
"Wouldn't referencing the Idea created by your other personality work?"
"…I hadn't thought of that."
I suddenly realized something I'd overlooked at Taryon's advice. Because the magic created by the red-haired me felt somewhat alien.
No matter that it was another personality hidden within me, the fact that Idea could be used twice because it was treated as a different person was, upon reflection, filled with too many strange aspects.
"The Idea that person created seemed perfect in a different way from yours."
Taryon seemed to have noticed this point using an archer's unique insight. He had to discern who was who among enemies disguised as allies or terrain features.
"Could you explain with an example?"
"Well… If the current Astal-nim's 'Idea' was made to safely protect us or others… The one the other person made felt closer to something created to survive alone."
I couldn't help but feel a bit surprised that Taryon still remembered the incident at Durahan's arena.
Perhaps because elves have different lifespans and values from humans, they don't miss even these minor details.
"Hmm, why do you think that?"
"Because I judged that the Idea created by Astal-nim's other personality was for attacking, not for sealing or defending against enemies."
Taryon stroked his chin and let out a small sigh. He seemed to feel an awkwardness that something didn't add up.
"Isn't that function originally absent from Idea? No matter that it's your other personality, I think there are too many strange points."
"That's right. Even when I see the other personality's Astal-nim, it's hard to feel they are the same person."
Victoria interjected into the conversation between Taryon and me, expressing her opinion.
Just as I distinguished the fake Victoria, she also maintained a certain distance when dealing with the other Astal's personality.
"Somehow, I'm starting to think that transformation isn't about summoning another personality. Otherwise, wouldn't something that can only be used once per person be usable multiple times if treated as different people?"
A chill ran down my spine. Upon reflection, transformation was about another personality taking dominance over one person's body.
"What on earth are you talking about? Do we really need such difficult words when we're going to catch Memoria…?"
Anima, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, added a word. She seemed to think devising a method to subjugate Memoria was the top priority.
"Memoria is an opponent against whom Anima's spirit arts, Astal-nim's magic, and even Kyle's holy sword are ineffective."
"So, referencing the other personality's Idea might reveal an answer?"
"That person seemed to use Idea by their own power alone, without borrowing our strength."
"The power must have been lower, then. Instead of creating a giant sphere to imprison the opponent, it was only wrapped around a fist or the body."
As I said this, I compared the Idea created by the other personality and the one I created, looking for differences.
Magic circles of bold choices that my original self wouldn't make were visible. Tangles densely packed with various explosion and attack spells alone felt like viewing the curse of loneliness passed down among dark mages.
"…So that's how it scraped away Memoria's surface."
This method of leaving only the strongest magic among spells was far too dangerous.
While the resulting recoil could be used as armor or a barrier, the likelihood of causing harm to others was high.
"Even if Dispel blocks it through contact… If it swallows us all like before to create an advantageous space, there's no method."
I then regretfully ground my teeth. Last time, we barely managed to create a gap with a potion explosion to escape.
I didn't believe the same method would work again by chance, and Memoria would also employ schemes to absorb all our memories and abilities.
"…This is my personal speculation, but might what you call 'transformation' be summoning and invoking another route's Astal-nim into your body?"
"It's not entirely impossible."
The Idea created by the other personality differed so much in structure and nature that it didn't feel like something another me had made.
It felt as if it were made by someone who lived a completely different life, sending an eerie sense of otherness crawling over my hands.
"The Demon King Ergothum's movements have been suspicious from the start. He hasn't shown himself even though we've killed all his subordinates."
Even the fact that the Demon King, whose goal was to annihilate other universes, hadn't responded since we entered the Demon Realm was starting to feel strange.
Was he aiming for something else, or… did he want us, who had grown strong enough to subjugate all his Four Heavenly Kings?
"We'll only know that answer when we meet and kill the Demon King Ergothum. He might be a pleasure killer who murders humans for no reason… or a madman obsessed with fighting strong beings."
Kyle, who bore the mission as the chosen Hero to kill the Demon King, spoke in a calm voice.
"Right. No matter what circumstances he had, the sin of burning my parents and hometown people to death won't disappear."
I nodded at Kyle's opinion, reaffirming our goal once more.
I could do anything to save my comrades and others, and I needed to analyze the Idea created by the other personality.
Even if this was made by another route's me, this world and its people were far too precious to me now.
"…To infuse Mystery into this, I probably need to twist the inside of the magic circle to create a new space."
Looking at the other Idea, I could see how much its creator had agonized and how they compensated for its weaknesses.
How much effort and loneliness one must have chewed through to create such magic—I couldn't help but let out a wry smile in disbelief.
"Thank you, Taryon. With this, Idea might work against Memoria too."
I briefly discussed with Taryon and the other comrades, devising a plan to subjugate it.
If Victoria hadn't lost her memory, things wouldn't have unfolded this way.
"…I'm the one who should be grateful. Thanks to you, I was able to spend personal time with my lover."
Taryon readily smiled at me, saying he would lend me his Mystery.
Unlike the Idea created by the other personality, this magic I created contained all my comrades' strength and hope.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Hurrying our steps to the location where Oblivion was, we soon began executing the method we had planned in advance.
"About five paces northeast, then three paces south, and six paces west—it has created clones and is guarding there."
Taryon placed his hand on the ground, using his Mystery to read Memoria's movements.
"Good, then I just need to use my Spirit King to wipe them all out, right?"
At Taryon's words, Anima widened her eyes and tried to summon the Earth Spirit King to flip the ground over.
The place where we were currently standing was outside Memoria's sphere of influence.
"Terra, please! Pull these guys out of the ground and swing them to beat them up!"
If we first lure it into a trap, we'll have a decent chance of winning.