Chapter 171

Translator: penny

Chapter: 171

Chapter Title: Doll (2)

'What the hell is this shit.'

Roughly speaking, it seemed like she'd killed the previous owners of Vivian's magic tools, stolen them, and then turned their corpses into these 'dolls'...

'What kind of corpse is this.'

Whether from its speech or what my own two eyes were seeing, the figure swinging a sword at me right now was undoubtedly a dead being, yet it came at my neck like it was alive.

I easily parried the sword, and this time an arrow flew in from the side, aiming for my flank.

'Tch.'

I twisted my body urgently to dodge the first arrow, grabbed the spear thrusting toward my side from another doll by the shaft and yanked it, seizing the spearman's throat and using him as a shield toward the direction the arrows were coming from.

The incoming arrows embedded in its body, but they made only a feeble sound like pricking a balloon, and the spearman, pierced by arrows without so much as batting an eye or spilling a drop of blood, tightened his grip on the spear.

'Damn it.'

Instead of holding onto the spear, I hurled the spearman away spear and all, then dodged the dagger of an assassin-type doll lunging at my neck with a quick tilt of my head, grabbed the assassin's throat, and snapped its neck with a squeeze.

'Fuck.'

Even with its head lolling, the assassin doll moved its body according to the mana threads attached to it, persistently gunning for my life. Clicking my tongue, I kicked its ribs to peel it off and condensed mana into my sword, firing it toward Beatrice.

And that attack was blocked by a shield-bearing dwarf-type doll.

'This is insane.'

"Come on, wouldn't it be nice to become a doll obediently? For wrapping paper like you. Kee-hee♥"

Treating people like mere 'gift wrapping' at her whim, she mercilessly manipulated the mana threads to increase the number of dolls gunning for me.

"This is mine, you crazy bitch! Treating people like fucking wrapping paper!"

"Kee-hee-hee♥ Vivian's so shy, isn't she? It'd be even better if she handed it over herself♥ Kee-hee-hee♥ Though unwrapping the gift is fun too♥."

'Fuck.'

The 'gift wrapping' she was talking about was me. Meaning she intended to unwrap me. No conversation was getting through.

'For now, I can hold out, but...'

The dolls' movements were monotonous, and there were no magic-using ones, so I was fending off attacks fairly easily, but I had no idea how long this balance would last.

"Kee-hee♥ Shall I add one more?"

Beatrice swung her hand through the air, and mana threads extended to attach to one of the dolls standing idly in formation. The orc-type doll with the thread connected lit up with life in its eyes and charged at me wielding a massive double-headed axe.

"Urk...!"

Like the other dolls, its movements were simple, but swinging a double-headed axe didn't require finesse. Blocking the threatening axe with my longsword, I couldn't withstand the momentary impact, and one knee buckled.

'Damn...!'

My body broke through its limits. My arm swelled massively, and with enhanced strength, I rebounded the descending axe, then tore the orc-type doll in half. From the torn cross-section, purple mana rose like smoke, enveloping the wound as if to seal it and repair the doll.

I hurriedly infused more mana into my sword to ignite flames, halting the regeneration. But as I ended [Limit Break] and fell back, two new dolls charged at me.

"How many of these damn things are there, urk!"

I'd already smashed at least five dolls, but Beatrice didn't care and pulled out more. On a whim, I tried the trusty Rice Line skill.

'[Sensory Block]!'

'Damn it!'

The [Sensory Block] skill that had worked on undead didn't work at all. They moved like undead, but were they somehow different?

Instead, I targeted Beatrice herself with [Sensory Block] to go for the main body.

'Fuck.'

[Sensory Block] bounced off powerlessly. It worked on Alensia and Gloria, so was this woman stronger than both of them?

'No, more likely she has some kind of defensive measure.'

Her magic tools looked anything but ordinary.

'Playing around with these dolls forever won't end this. I need to target the main body.'

"Getting tired already? Kee-hee♥"

Ignoring Beatrice's taunt, I took a small breath. Then I pulled a smoke bomb from my inventory and smashed it on the ground.

"Oh? Trying to run?"

Not running. I hadn't even expected to be able to. The smoke was just the prelude to activating [Stealth].

'Catching a mage is an assassin's job anyway.'

I activated [Stealth], hid briefly, then maxed out [Footwork] to boost my speed and close in on Beatrice. It was too embarrassing to call assassination—just a frontal charge—but even that silly move met the conditions for [Assassination].

'Die!'

In case [Assassination] might fail, I silently slashed at the woman's throat as she cackled carefree, not even wary. It was still hard to wield properly, but adding intent to the sword I'd dubbed 'Will,' I swung sharply.

"...!!"

"Kyak♥ What are you aiming for?♥"

My sword sliced emptily through the air.

'Blink?!'

I'd definitely targeted her properly. But just before the sword reached her neck, the necklace Beatrice wore glowed faintly, and her position swapped instantly.

'Fuck. Once more!'

[Assassination] had already failed. But I had plenty of means left.

"Giving up now? First, release that bracelet..."

They said even thrown objects could hold will—I couldn't utilize that yet. Still, my mana-charged longsword, brimming with potent force, spat flames like a missile and flew straight at Beatrice mid-sentence.

And it too was futilely blocked.

'Barrier? No time to cast...'

"Ahh♥ Vivian♥ Did you protect me?♥"

I caught my rebounding longsword from the air and observed Beatrice; one of her rings was gleaming purple. Pride surged, and I unleashed every means I had.

I released demonic energy, disrupted her vision with familiars, then tried approaching under [Illusion Magic]. Her earring glowed, and the illusion vanished entirely.

I pulled my long-unused bow from inventory and fired. One ring glowed, reversing my arrows back at me.

I synthesized poison in my body and scattered it everywhere with [Poison Arts]. The poison smoke hit a transparent barrier and couldn't advance. Even the dolls ignored the poison.

Curse with the cursed dagger. Failed.

Close in while off-guard and topple with [Martial Arts]. Failed.

Pull traps from inventory, set simple snares to lure her. Failed.

Failed. Failed. Failed. Failed...

"Fucking gear advantage..."

Every attempt invalidated, now over ten dolls targeted me. Dodging their attacks alone was overwhelming; targeting Beatrice grew harder.

"Kuugh...!"

While twisting to dodge attacks, as I raised my guard against an incoming flail, my left arm—which had felt off since being severed once and regenerating—reacted a split second late.

The flail crushed my arm and sent me flying. As if waiting, the dolls swarmed expressionlessly to restrain me.

"Get... off!"

The solo level 7 [Regeneration] skill shone. Blood flowing from my head stopped instantly, regenerating overworked muscles from [Limit Break] in real time, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with superhuman strength, I peeled off all clinging dolls. And now, blood pouring from the flail hit, [Berserker's Gauntlets] greedily absorbed it, further amplifying my strength.

'This might do it!'

The sure-kill combo that had saved my life before. [Limit Break] + [Berserker's Gauntlets] + body enhancement from mana, repeated for one strike. Pouring everything into that slash.

'Yes! This sensation!'

Firing the sword loaded with all I had, with the eerie elation from the 22nd-floor ruins, it pulverized blocking dolls just like the cursed knight back then and surged toward Beatrice.

"...Castling!"

With a simple spell, Beatrice swapped positions with one doll, rendering the attack moot.

'Even this doesn't work...?'

"...That surprised me a bit. Not bad for wrapping paper."

But as I wore a hollow expression, Beatrice dropped her leisurely face upon seeing the doll she'd swapped with torn to unrecognizable shreds.

As if everything until now had been play, she drew out far more threads than for controlling dolls. They flew to connect to all remaining dolls and bore down on me en masse.

"This wrapping's a bit tough to undo?♥ Kee-hee♥"

"...Fuck."

Dozens of dolls advanced expressionlessly, staring at me. Lifeless, with mana threads trailing from their backs, slowly.

'...Corpses?'

A thought flashed in my mind. This crazy bitch called them dolls or whatever... but to me, they were just corpses. Preserved by some magic, manipulated by those mana threads.

And for corpses... wasn't there a skill—no, a spell—more reliably superior than puppeteering them like dolls?

'Not sure which is superior, though.'

Better than sitting here taking it; might as well thrash to the end.

"...Hoo..."

"Hmm? Giving up? Great for me. Kee-hee♥ Time to fetch the gift, fold the wrapping nicely into a doll..."

'All or nothing.'

"[Necromancy]"