Chapter 249: Bread and Wine (3)
Chapter 249: Bread and Wine (3)
Crack.
I landed a solid blow on Par’s body.
I saw their frame buckle once again.
However, the result was the same.
The sensation of striking something incredibly heavy.
And then, the follow-up attack that defied all perception.
Admittedly, when I was first hit by this, I couldn't even register it.
But now, I could tell.
This attack was unleashed regardless of Par’s own condition.
And I knew where that unnatural sturdiness came from.
…To think the Main Body wasn't this one.
With that thought, I looked up just as a twisted fist, which had begun to sprout skin, swung down.
An arm where pink and purple flesh mingled in a nauseating swirl.
Perhaps because I had grown accustomed to it, my eyes could track its speed better than expected.
That didn't mean I could dodge it, though.
I could only perceive it.
If I stayed like this, the previous scene would repeat itself.
But the situation is a bit different now, isn't it?
“Right?”
As I spat out that short remark—
Boom!
A white and blue Magic Circle instantly manifested above my head.
“Safe by a hair!”
Yes. Truly by a hair.
Even though I had coordinated with Un-ho beforehand to deploy a barrier the moment I moved in to attack, the shield appeared right above my head.
If it had been even a second later, my head would have been crushed this time.
For some reason, my regeneration was blocked; if I had taken that hit, I would have been taken out of the fight instantly.
However, this wasn't Un-ho’s fault.
Despite his bulkier size, Un-ho had intervened with the same nimbleness he had when he was small, and his timing was perfect.
It was as if he were proving that thirty years of experience hadn't gone to waste.
It was simply that Par was too fast.
And then.
“Get back.”
As I spoke, I threw myself backward.
“Eh? Oh, okay! Poyo!”
Un-ho didn't seem to fully grasp my words and leaped back a fraction later than I did.
But he wasn't too late.
Shatter.
The remnants of the blue barrier crumbled.
Thud.
Unable to kill its momentum, Par’s twin fists slammed into the ground where we had just been.
The impact was enough to shake the earth I had already compressed with my own attacks, carving out a small crater.
Even I, having retreated quickly to create distance, nearly lost my footing from the shockwave.
Fists of immense power, striking at speeds that pushed the limits of perception.
The purple entity performing these feats…
Remained motionless despite exerting such force.
As if it were fixed in space.
Of course, it moved whenever Par took a step, so it wasn't literally fixed, but seeing as my hammer only bent Par’s physical body while the purple figure above didn't budge, it was safe to assume it was virtually immune to physical interference.
Usually, this kind of nonsensical technique was a result of Otherworld Erosion.
But since that erosion wasn't composed of proper sentences, I couldn't analyze and counter it, nor could I grasp how to break it.
“…This is enough to make me sigh.”
I couldn't tell if that thing was completely immune to physical force or just immune to anything below a certain threshold.
To test that, the risk was too high since every one of its attacks carried enough weight to kill me instantly.
And for some reason, its flesh was filling in.
Until a moment ago, it was just a purple clay doll.
Now, it possessed a form resembling a human.
I couldn't spot any other changes yet, but…
“It definitely won't be good for us once it's complete.”
“What won't be, poyo?”
“That purple brute.”
“Hmm… even I think it looks bad, poyo.”
Since even Un-ho said so, it was clearly something grotesque.
I glanced up at the sky for a moment.
At Lina, who must be looking down on us from somewhere high above.
Does she still have no intention of intervening?
Even in this situation, which has veered far beyond the territory of 'non-lethal'?
I truly couldn't understand what they were after.
The blood and flesh. The Guardian Corps. Even Ronia.
What exactly was happening behind the scenes of this election, which I thought was just a civil war within a ragtag army?
With those doubts, I turned my gaze back to Par.
Ever since Un-ho appeared, they hadn't been aggressively attacking.
Of course, not attacking didn't mean they lacked murderous intent.
If I drew close, they would strike without hesitation.
And each of those strikes packed enough power to end my life.
Even now, they were walking toward us with agonizing slowness.
…But then, isn't there no reason to fight?
“Un-ho?”
“Yes?”
“You said you took down two adjutants earlier, right?”
“I did, poyo. But that was before I ran away, so Al’shel might have taken down more.”
“What about Ronia’s side?”
“They got swept away quite a bit because Lieutenant General Par’s adjutants went on a rampage.”
…Hmm. As I thought, there was no need to fight.
“You were running through the air earlier, weren't you?”
I didn't know exactly how he was doing it, but.
“Yes, it’s possible in this form, poyo. Some restrictions are lifted!”
I see. In that case.
“Let’s get out of here.”
“Huh? Run away, poyo?”
Un-ho let out a startled cry.
As if he never expected those words to come out of my mouth.
“Why are you so surprised? It’s not like we’re in a duel to the death with them. We’ve achieved our goal, haven't we?”
So, it was time for a strategic retreat.
I needed to discuss that bizarre entity with Al’shel, too.
As I said that, I shifted my weight to prepare for a quick exit.
“Uh… it doesn't look like Lieutenant General Par has any intention of letting us go, poyo….”
Un-ho spoke worriedly while staring at the Lieutenant General.
Following his gaze, I observed Par as well, but I couldn't see any significant change.
“Based on what?”
“…Instinct… I guess? I just have a feeling, poyo….”
Instinct, huh.
I acknowledged Un-ho’s abilities, but the risk of fighting that person was too great.
If my regeneration were working properly, it might be a different story.
“Even if it’s dangerous, let’s run for now. Staying here is just a waste of ti—”
I tried to make a break for it.
But before I could finish my sentence.
“FIGHT!”
Boom!
Closing the distance in an instant.
Par arrived right in front of us.
A flash of reddish-purple crossed my vision.
By the time I realized it, it was too late.
The twisted flesh lunging at my face.
The long, drawn-out noise Par made.
The wind pressure generated by Par’s sudden stop right before me.
Everything felt slow, yet.
My body wouldn't follow.
It was as if my entire being was trapped in a massive vat of slime.
Come to think of it, I’d heard of this phenomenon before.
Was it a flashback?
Or the final spark of life?
Does this mean I’m dying?
In a mere mock battle? Me?
Is this the price for failing to focus until the very end?
If only I hadn't let my guard down.
If only I had stayed on that razor-sharp edge, as I always did.
…Guard down?
…Why did I let my guard down?
Why did I choose to run away here?
Me? In this situation?
Since when?
Since when was I swept up in the atmosphere of this Magic Kingdom?
The moment that thought occurred.
My consciousness accelerated.
As if everything had stopped, I began to look back at the past.
Captain Af.
It wasn't then.
Back then, I had maintained my tension.
I gripped my hammer, leaped before The Enemy, and expressed the emotions that would destroy everything.
The Dining Hall afterward.
They were enemies.
I didn't kill them, but the urge to break a few of their bones welled up within me.
After that… Ronia.
Ronia…. Right. I was definitely strange then.
My emotions had become far too calm.
Did Ronia pull some kind of trick on me?
No, that was impossible.
At that point, Ronia was my enemy. No matter how relaxed I had become, there was no way I wouldn't notice him doing something to me.
Then, it was before that.
Between leaving Captain Af and meeting Ronia.
The Dining Hall.
The waiter at the Dining Hall.
The grimoire.
The moment Al’shel became docile.
…I looked up.
Strangely, my head wouldn't move.
But my gaze drifted toward the sky beyond.
And I found the one floating up there.
Lina, looking down at me with her arms crossed and one hand supporting her chin.
And beside her, a new figure.
Wearing black evening wear and white gloves—a different face, but in the exact same pose.
A waiter I had seen somewhere before.
A laugh… bubbled up.
Because I realized what had been done to me.
Right, if you stack small things like that, of course I wouldn't notice.
Since I’d notice a single big blow, they layered minor spells and techniques to bypass my defenses.
Wasn't that exactly what Al’shel had warned me about?
Yes, everything was in the palm of their hands.
There are no coincidences.
The fact that we were attacked then.
The fact that we went to that restaurant.
The fact that we left Al’shel alone.
The fact that Al’shel found that nonsensical law book.
The fact that Ronia designated that specific location.
From where did the manipulation begin?
It wasn't Af.
She was far too efficient to bother with such things.
Then, was everyone we met, including Un-ho, an actor?
A massive stage prepared by the Magic Kingdom just for this moment.
Perhaps that was a leap in logic.
The ordinary citizens might not know.
The nameless field officers participating in this battle might truly believe this fight is real.
I learned something during my spy training.
Among the techniques of a magician: The Force.
The subject believes they are choosing of their own free will.
But in reality, every choice was guided by the magician.
And I knew how much preparation went into that single choice.
So, lacking information, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't know the reason I was placed in this situation.
Only that a fist was flying toward me.
And that there was no one who could help me.
Because everything I had done since coming to this world was nothing more than a puppet show.
Why? I couldn't know.
I hadn't even met The Queen.
And I was about to die at the hands of a mediocre powerhouse like Lieutenant General Par.
So, I closed my eyes.
Because I thought this was the end of my story. I closed. My eyes.
Pop.
A sound of impact, unfitting for such a collision, reached my ears.
The sound of something bursting.
Usually, I heard this sound when a balloon popped, or when an enemy exploded under my hammer.
Perhaps my head or my stomach had burst.
I felt no pain.
Maybe it was because my brain was already destroyed.
Then, a warm heat settled over my body.
The thick scent of iron wafted through the air.
The sensation of a warm liquid.
Is it blood?
I’ve been drenched in it many times.
But that was usually The Enemy’s blood, not mine.
And now, I’m covered in my own.
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
To confirm that everything was over.
And I saw my vision stained red.
Countless bits of flesh and blood.
And the purple entity that had created them.
“AAAAAAAAARGH!”
Sprouting from the back of Par, who was still letting out a desperate noise.
An entity made of flow, clad in purple fluid.
Could that flow be called a bloodstream?
A single vortex created by swirling purple blood.
Was that Par’s true form?
To congratulate the victor, I reached out my hand.
As I always did for those I defeated.
Even if I couldn't move. To show the etiquette of the loser.
I raised my hand.
An arm that felt no pain, no discomfort.
Squelch.
A clump of flesh slid off my arm.
And then, my entire body came into view.
A smooth body, without a single wound.
A smooth body, with not even a thread of clothing damaged.
“…Huh?”
Then, whose blood was this?
Whose flesh was this?
These entrails…
Isn't it obvious?
Don't run from reality, Lee Ha-ram.
This is.
“…Hah… hahahahahaha.”
It belongs to my partner.
To protect a partner who had given up on everything.
It belongs to the blood-soaked white ferret who blocked the attack with his own body.
“PARRRRRRRRR!”
Boom!
The Hammer instantly manifested in my hand.
And my body began to regenerate.
My mangled left hand.
The minor scratches sustained throughout the battle.
Feeling all of it, I leaped toward The Enemy.
“… %#Blood %#Resonance…!”
Toward Par, who spat out broken words.
Now, nothing matters.
The Magic Kingdom doesn't matter.
I will simply carry out my revenge.
For my other half as a Magical Girl.
* * *
“Yes, the resonance has begun. As expected, pure blood and flesh were the catalysts.”
A voice could be heard.
A voice that shouldn't be heard.
“…And it seems you’ll need to send one more from the Guardian Corps. The script has gone off-track.”
The voice of The Enemy, looking down on us, speaking in a calm, detached tone.