Chapter 250: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (43)
Chapter 250: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (43)
I survey the scene from above.
My gaze drops for a moment. Below is a blood-soaked shambles, and the only colors burning into my retinas are black and gold.
Because she is hidden by a hood, I cannot see her features clearly.
Nevertheless, I can guess what lies beyond the shadows cast over that face. Black hair and golden eyes are the symbols of a specific family; the probability of such genetic traits overlapping by mere coincidence is not high.
She likely has a face similar to mine.
Or perhaps she resembles Ria.
Judging by the voice drifting toward me, the opponent is a woman. Hearing her playful giggling, she seems to be on the younger side.
As I stand there dazed, Seria lets out a scream.
“…Senior Ian!”
Only then do I snap back to my senses, realizing a test subject has already closed in on my side.
There is immense physical strength in the arm it swings blindly. Even so, it is nothing compared to me, but if the blows were to accumulate, even I would find myself in a difficult position.
A sword strike, launched like a bolt of lightning, bursts the test subject’s skull.
A spray of blood erupts, announcing the death of a living being. Even then, I fumble at the ground in a state of bewilderment.
My hand closes around the fallen hand axe. Only then does it feel like my thoughts are clearing slightly.
As I stagger to my feet, Mitram bursts into a delighted roar of laughter.
“Ahahaha! You certainly look surprised, Ian Percus.”
“…Who are you?”
“Hmm,” Mitram hummed, narrowing her eyes.
In her shadow-veiled face, only her golden, burning eyes float like lanterns. The lips revealed beneath them curve into an alluring arc.
“Who else could I be? Naturally, I am Mitram—a faithful servant of the Evil God and your friend.”
Even though she must know exactly what I’m asking, Mitram merely plays innocent and talks nonsense.
I cannot stomach that mocking laughter.
The hand axe is launched, tracing a silver trajectory.
Its speed is terrifying. The sonic boom tearing through the atmosphere reaches my eardrums a beat too late.
Despite this, Mitram merely swings her arm with an air of utter composure.
Clang! A noise rings out, one that is hard to believe came from metal clashing with flesh.
But it isn't over yet.
The spinning hand axe turns its blade downward. As the edge falls again like a guillotine, Mitram speaks in a bored voice.
“The secret of Stillness in Motion, is it…?”
The woman leans her upper body back slightly and reaches out with a lily-white hand.
She positions it to meet the hand axe’s point of momentum.
It is a scene that looks like an act of suicide.
However, the result brought about by that slender hand is astonishing.
Tak. The axe blade is caught in the woman’s hand.
Her hand isn't severed. Instead, as faint droplets of blood form, Mitram lets out an exclamation and bursts into laughter.
“…Oh, blood? Your skills have improved in the meantime, Ian Percus. Of course, the secret of Stillness in Motion is an excellent technique, but it seems you haven't mastered it yet. To think it only had a single transformation.”
With that, the woman gives a smirk and returns the hand axe to me.
I tuck the hand axe, which dropped right in front of me, back into my waist, and direct a fierce glare at Mitram. Even so, the woman shows no sign of tension.
“Are you curious about my identity? This jet-black hair, these golden eyes that shine even in the dead of night… Ah, how beautiful. The Percus family truly possesses excellent genes.”
“Do you even intend to tell me?”
At my retort, Mitram claps her hands and laughs.
“Pffft! O-Of course… but there is a condition.”
As Mitram spreads her arms like a conductor, the rampaging test subjects stiffen.
They form ranks once more, glaring at me, Seria, and the rest of the party behind us.
Though only half of them remain, their momentum is even more sinister.
It seems Mitram has done something to them.
“Why don’t you play with my masterpieces for a bit? It would be a waste not to use them after I went through all the trouble of making them.”
These are the words of someone who committed horrific crimes using innocent civilians.
It is brazen and disgusting.
I let out a hollow laugh and say, “You aren't a Percus… You’re just a common criminal. Do you really expect to get away with a sin like this?”
“Well, we shall see, won't we?”
Her tone remains as leisurely as ever.
I immediately point my sword forward and take a breath. Before I know it, Seria is by my side again.
Seeing my confusion, it seems the rest of the party has also sensed the suspicious atmosphere.
Seria asks me cautiously, “Is it someone you know? The hair and eyes…”
“No, she’s a dark priest. We’ll clear out the victims first, then take her down together.”
Seria nods without further question.
I spoke loudly enough for the rest of the party behind me to hear. Celine still looks confused, but she eventually steels herself and grips her sword.
The Saintess grants her blessing as if giving a signal.
“…Lord, have mercy on us!”
As a pure white radiance envelops my body, I immediately kick off the ground and lunge forward.
The lined-up test subjects charge again, erupting in monstrous shrieks. I channel the momentum of my charge into a kick, sending the lead test subject flying.
With a heavy thwack, the test subject is sent sprawling by the kick. As two more subjects rush in, my sword flashes.
Their exploding heads spray blood like popping champagne.
The attention of the test subjects focuses on me after I take down three in an instant. They are mere small fry, but with Mitram there, the story is different.
Black mist begins to billow up from the ground, and the test subjects' eyes gradually turn blood-red.
As if mocking us, Mitram reminds me of a fact I had forgotten.
“There’s a priest on this side too~”
A dark priest was still a priest.
It wouldn't be strange for her to use the power granted by the Evil God.
The troublesome part is that even the headless corpses are beginning to twitch. It seems the black mist is granting them some kind of power.
Now, I have to count even the fallen test subjects as part of the enemy's strength.
However, in a battle of many against many, the ones who hold the key to victory are not the swordsmen.
I immediately shout someone’s name.
“Senior Elsie!”
At my shout, Senior Elsie finishes the chant she had been preparing, as she always does.
“…The logic of heavenly thunder that connects the stars, the moon, and the sun! Wandering light and flames, come forth! The winds call upon you!”
The mana in the atmosphere is sucked into a single point.
Silence descends upon the forest like a small bird. It doesn't take long for the peace before the storm to crack.
In that split second when the test subjects instinctively look up at the sky.
The gale, already dragging dark clouds with it, is crackling with the omens of disaster.
A clear shout erupts from the small girl’s mouth.
“Gale and Thunderbolt!”
It is a death sentence of sorts.
Rumble! Immediately after that ominous sound echoes.
Lightning pours down, crushing the air.
My ears go numb from the successive explosions. My vision, which had been glowing orange, is soon dyed white until I can see nothing.
The spell Senior Elsie prepared over a long period is just that destructive.
Under the pouring thunderstorm, the test subjects burn up without even being able to scream. Even if they try to flee, the blue electrical charge already blanketing the ground does not let them go.
The mere remnants are enough to electrocute a living body.
Normally, it would be wise to wait in a prone position until the carnage ends.
No matter how precise Senior Elsie’s mana control is, there are limits. If one enters the heart of that thunder and lightning, they cannot remain free from its influence.
That is, if I hadn't reached the Expert level.
I kick off the ground and sprint through the middle of the battlefield where the lightning is striking.
The surrounding test subjects have already been cleared out. A few remain, but they merely collapse from electrocution as they try to approach me.
Of course, I am not unscathed.
Every time an explosion erupts, the ground gouges out and electrical charges scatter in all directions. Every time those blue particles touch me, my muscles twitch faintly.
A stinging pain sears my brain.
At least I haven't been hit directly by the lightning. If a spell of that level were to strike me directly, even I wouldn't be safe.
At the end of that path, gritting my teeth as I weave through the thunderstorm, my ill-fated enemy stares at me with wide eyes.
She looks as though she never imagined I would charge in while the magic was still being cast.
It was worth taking the risk on purpose.
Because I had been wanting to land a punch on that overconfident face.
Of course, Mitram doesn't just stand idly by.
Arms suddenly sprout from the ground.
Staggering, several test subjects surround Mitram. Whether they were a reserve force kept for emergencies, their equipment and the aura radiating from their bodies are extraordinary.
But I have no intention of standing idly by either.
I immediately hurl the sword I had kept in its sheath.
The sword, which had been devouring the surrounding electrical charges with a crackle, serves as an excellent lightning rod.
The blade glides through the slowly flowing time.
The signal is when Mitram’s bewildered gaze meets the blade. Soon, my vision flares white.
Boom! An explosion rings out, and a gale sweeps the area.
I force my way through the shockwave. The woman, staggering backward, is now right before my eyes.
In that split second when Mitram looks at me in panic.
My fist slams into Mitram’s face.
It is a single blow carrying all the momentum of my sprint. Mitram’s body is instantly sent flying through the air.
“…Gah?!”
It is a surprisingly frail scream.
Hard to believe it’s a sound made by a devil.
I don't miss the opening and pin down Mitram’s body as she lies sprawled on the ground. Since lightning is still striking, it is dangerous to take out the hand axe.
Instead, I intend to finish this with my fists.
It is then that Mitram’s hood naturally slides off.
And the moment I see the face revealed beneath it, I can't help but freeze.
She is a girl whose black hair and golden eyes suit her perfectly.
Her skin, white to the point of being pale, seems to testify to a childhood illness. Even that slender, seductive smile resembles someone far too much.
I hear the sound of my heart thumping to a halt.
“…Hello, Brother.”
The woman who resembles Ria speaks with a smile in her eyes.
Thud. I don't snap out of it until a short blade sinks into my abdomen.
Gasping, my hand fumbles at the spot where I was stabbed.
Blood coats my hand, thick and sticky.
At the very least, it isn't a minor wound.
“How does it feel to be stabbed by your beloved younger sister?”
The girl bursts into laughter along with her mockery.
It is the laughter of a madwoman.