Chapter 200: Your Eyeballs Are a Bit Disgusting (2)
Chapter 200: Your Eyeballs Are a Bit Disgusting (2)
Creeeak. Creeeak. Creeeak.
I lunged forward with all my might, but I was met with an intense physical force.
Unlike telekinesis that creates a wall or spatial manipulation, this was a natural force that wrapped around me as softly as air.
It was a far cry from the coercive force that had snapped my limbs on the way here, but its effectiveness was remarkable.
He stopped my charge?
Even if I wasn't at full strength, this wasn't pure physical force. This power was contained within his gaze?
Since he kept twisting bodies, I thought his power was specialized for destruction, but it seems his versatility is also top-notch.
Thinking that, I tried to release my power to break free from the restraint in mid-air, but—
“…Caught you.”
The Enemy was one step faster.
The gaze fixed on me intensified, and the force that had been softly embracing me suddenly shifted, beginning to compress me violently.
It was a force pressing in from all sides, like being crushed by a powerful hydraulic press.
Tsk. Aren't you a bit too versatile, Mummy Elder?
It wasn't enough force to crush me to death.
However, being able to block it was one thing; if I diverted my strength to defense to withstand this pressure, I wouldn't have enough power left for an attack.
In other words, it would just lead to a prolonged stalemate.
But that didn't mean I could just do nothing.
Bang!
As a shockwave erupted from my skin, power clashed against power, and I broke free from The Enemy’s restraint.
The moment I took a stance to move immediately, the mummy sitting in the chair blinked rapidly and instantly restrained me again.
…Let’s see who wins.
Just as I made up my mind to repeat the process—
“Go.”
Flash!
A black light flickered from behind me, neutralizing the force surrounding me.
“…You!”
The mummy reacted violently to the interference.
“What’s the matter? Did you think that if you blocked my arms, legs, and neck, I wouldn't be able to cast magic?”
A voice filled with a sly chuckle drifted from behind me.
Of course, by the time he finished speaking, I had already charged forward long ago.
The time Al’shel had bought me was short.
Perhaps because that mummy had also survived countless battles, he didn't panic at the sudden turn of events and immediately directed his gaze toward me again.
A gaze filled with immense power wrapped around me.
To stop my charge.
However, the distance was short.
Whether it was because his attention was split between Al’shel and me, or because there was a necessary interval between activations, I didn't know.
But the force applied to me was weak, and thanks to that, I covered the short distance in an instant and stood before The Enemy.
Within the range of my hammer.
At this distance, whether my movements were frozen or my limbs were twisted and torn off, I could still bash The Enemy’s head.
The moment I swung The Hammer with all my strength—
Whoosh. Thump.
My hammer cut through empty air.
My body was hit by some force and bounced backward.
Ah. I see.
Thinking about it, it was only natural.
An ability user capable of restraining and twisting wouldn't be unable to repel my body.
Since I had swung The Hammer in mid-air without a foothold to support myself, it was only natural that I would be pushed back by the force.
Now, what should I do?
Since there wasn't much distance left, should I just stubbornly charge…?
Just as I was racking my brain—
“Have you forgotten? This is the Otherworld.”
Al’shel’s words whispered through my mind, transcending space.
Advice that was perfectly suited for the current situation.
Right. This is the Otherworld.
A place where will becomes reality.
Therefore.
I kicked off the empty air.
With the belief that a foothold would exist there.
Thump!
My body, which had stopped for a moment, gained acceleration again and flew toward The Enemy.
“You’re saying you’ve surpassed my domination!?”
“There won't be a second time.”
A brief exchange.
The Hammer swung.
Stepping on the foothold created through my will.
The Hammer, filled with power, swung toward The Enemy’s head.
Crunch!
The Hammer connected with The Enemy’s head.
It’s hard.
Contrary to my expectations, a heavy sensation traveled up my arms, so I poured in even more strength.
Crack. Cra-crack.
The sound of The Enemy’s skin being torn away.
The sound of The Enemy’s flesh being crushed.
In that stretched-out moment where those sounds and sensations were transmitted—
The Enemy’s eyeball flew into the air.
It seemed the trait of this race, where eyeballs pop out easily, was no exception for the mummy.
And the moment my eyes met the eyeball flying through the air—
Ring—
“You let your guard down.”
Time stretched out, and as my vision turned gray, light erupted from the eyeball.
“Mental-type!”
Al’shel’s voice, which shouldn't have been audible, stretched out long.
‘A mind that has endured countless pains without being pierced… to think it would weaken upon striking The Enemy.’
The long voice embedded itself into my brain, not my ears.
‘O you who empathizes with the pain of others. Your inner self…’
My consciousness fades.
‘I shall take it.’
* * *
A place submerged in murky darkness.
An entity descended there.
An entity with countless eyes, boasting shimmering purple skin, and possessing muscular arms and a powerful body.
“…A dark inner self, indeed.”
I watched the opponent as he muttered to himself.
As if watching through a CCTV, from far away.
He walked slowly over the darkness.
“…There is nothing here.”
He evaluated his surroundings.
Slowly. And slowly again.
How long did that repeat?
In a world entirely black, the only entity with color began to look around.
Acting as if searching for something, he soon raised his head toward the void above and let out a loud cry.
“There is no way such an inner self exists! If you are watching, come out!”
A fierce voice echoing in the hollow darkness.
However, his gaze was not directed at me.
Even though I was watching, he couldn't find me and let out a roar while looking in a completely different direction.
“Did I not tell you to come out! I have encountered many mental defense mechanisms! This too must be a technique to hide your inner self!”
He shouted, but I did nothing.
Yes. I did nothing. I was simply watching him.
“I will say it again. I know you are listening! Whether it be subconscious or conscious, if you intend to stop me, show yourself fairly!”
Once again, his voice echoed hollowly.
However.
The darkness.
And I.
Returned no reaction.
I was simply watching.
The hollow darkness was simply existing.
Thus, the thunderous voice reached nothing and quietly faded away.
“…If that is how you will play it… I have my own ways.”
Looking up into the hollow void, he took a stance.
Boom!
Did it come from those massive muscles?
Just by stomping his foot, a shockwave rippled through the dark world.
Having found his balance, he began to pull shining spears out of thin air.
One for each arm.
Four spears emitting light that drove away the darkness.
“…If you will not come out.”
Crack.
Immense power gathered, and his giant muscles began to swell even further.
“I will simply destroy your mind.”
With those words, just as the four giant spears of light were about to strike down into the darkness—
Creak. Snap. Crack.
Along with the sound of something breaking.
“Hey.”
“What’s going on?”
“It never goes over smoothly, does it?”
“What? Was the Mental Barrier pierced?”
Four blurry-looking Magical Girls rose from the darkness and caught the spears of light intended for the darkness with their hands.
“…Finally, you show yourselves.”
The purple entity watching this looked quite satisfied that what he wanted had finally happened, but he did not withdraw the spears of light.
Instead, he poured even more strength into his arms.
“But you are too late. The fact that you only reacted now means you have no intention of speaking with me.”
As if to prove his words, the spears held by the four Magical Girls moved forward a bit more.
Close enough that the tips of the spears, which were already in front of their heads, touched their skin.
However, the Magical Girls seemed indifferent, showing a lukewarm reaction.
“Wait, why don't you listen for a second?”
One of them spoke up.
“What is it?”
The purple entity replied.
“I know you’re pissed, but you probably shouldn't do that. I’m saying this for your own sake.”
“Nonsense. To say that only now. Do you think I will fall for such sweet talk just because it seems you are about to lose?”
With a voice full of indignation, he pushed even more strength into his arms.
Because of that, the tips of the spears pierced their foreheads, but—
“I try to tell him, and he doesn't listen.”
“Strength?”
“By the way, what’s the situation here?”
“I don't know. This is something that happened in the Otherworld. How would we know?”
Even as blood flowed down from their heads, they simply chatted among themselves without any sign of panic.
Was he flustered by the strangeness of it?
“…What are you things?”
The entity pointing the spears seemed flustered for the first time and did not move the spears.
“Even if you ask what we are…”
“I am me?”
“And we are us.”
“I am Lee Ha-ram.”
“…Multiple personalities?”
“It’s a bit…”
“Different…”
“From that, right?”
“No, it’s very different.”
Hahahaha.
The four of them simply laughed at his question.
Returning a meaningless answer, they just laughed.
“You have no intention of talking.”
“We did talk. I don't know how you ended up here, but stop this and get out.”
“I want to use The Hammer.”
“I agree with that. I want to go back to sleep too.”
“Yeah. I don't know why you’re fighting, but why don't you just go back and make up?”
The four Magical Girls, as if they were different people, laughed and threw out strange remarks one by one.
“I see. I understand now.”
“Oh, you understand?”
“That you are mocking me!”
Crunch!
The stationary spears struck down, and the voices of the four were cut off.
With their heads pierced by the spears of light while still wearing laughing expressions.
The laughter they emitted was silenced.
Instead.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
From the spot where the spears of light struck, cracks of light began to spread.
An immense light that drove away the darkness.
“As I thought. It was a defense mechanism. To think memories and emotions would overflow like this.”
Satisfied with that light, the purple entity reached out toward the surging radiance.
Just as the Pillar of Light was about to touch his shimmering purple skin—
The world transformed.
The white light vanished.
A bizarre space appeared, where everything was consumed by a crimson light.
“…What is this?”
The moment he said that and turned his head—
My vision, which had been fixed, moved along with him.
And I locked eyes with a giant red eye.
A massive pupil, dyed in red.
It stared at the purple entity.
“——-!!”
At the same time the purple entity let out a silent scream—
My vision was also cut off.
* * *
“…What did you do?”
“Huh?”
When I opened my eyes at the sound of a voice.
The red world had disappeared.
What I saw was the room where I had been fighting Al’shel.
The only thing that had changed was—
The state of the mummy sitting in the chair.
His head was slumped forward.
His eyeballs were falling out, and saliva was dripping from his dry mouth.
As if he had fainted.
“…He’s not dead, is he?”
“Yes. It’s a simple faint. He suddenly just collapsed.”
Al’shel, speaking as if he wasn't afraid of the mummy who possessed immense power, approached and poked at him.
“Hmm. I definitely confirmed that he used a Mental-type Technique on you, Lee Ha-ram… but why does it look like the user himself was the one who took the hit?”
As if he couldn't understand, Al’shel muttered and poked around the purple mummy.
“Did something happen inside your mind? Did you have some kind of life-or-death struggle?”
Al’shel asked while continuing his work on the mummy, but—
“…I don't know.”
That was the only answer I gave.
I didn't know how to explain what I had experienced inside.
And because I was seized by a single question.
Inside me.
Just what…
Is in there?