Chapter 353: The King Who Kills Others, The God Who Kills Himself - 9
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 353: The King Who Kills Others, The God Who Kills Himself - 9
The homunculi controlled by Tyr couldn't use the powers of the Primarchs. Instead, a sinister, dark red aura coiled around their bodies. Empowered by Tyr's darkness and Bloodcraft, they overwhelmed the Golden Lord's homunculi with sheer physical strength.
The homunculi, attacked by their own kind, were thrown into disarray. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Golden Lord's forces failed to stop them, allowing them to get right in their faces. Dark red fists flew at their faces like meteors.
Blood splattered and steel scattered. The homunculi whose heads were violently snapped aside looked dead to anyone watching. But then, the dark red aura seeped into them, and the homunculi with broken necks rose again, their eyes glowing red. Back from the dead, they joined Tyr's forces and attacked the Golden Lord's homunculi.
A dark red mist gradually spread, signaling the turn of the battle. Tyr watched the homunculi fight with a relaxed air and said, "How curious. Even with the blood inside their bodies, I can sense it. It's as if their blood is outside their bodies, even without any wounds. My power may have weakened considerably, but I can still control beings like these."
Control? Blood? You mean vampires can control the blood of homunculi?
No, that's not it. I had to think about it differently. The only blood a vampire can perfectly control is human blood. In other words, the blood of a homunculus is completely identical to that of a human.
Hearing Tyr's words, I realized the truth.
"He's caught in a dilemma!"
"A dilemma? You mean the Homunculus' Dilemma?"
"Yes! If the Golden Lord can control the homunculi, so can Tyr. Even though they're homunculi, their blood is identical to human blood! Their bodies must be the same as human bodies, too! The only difference is, they have no self-preservation instinct, so they can't resist Tyr's power!"
Homunculi have no will of their own. They may seem to think and act for themselves, but their bodies are all creations of the Golden Lord.
In short, those homunculi are tools. Both the Golden Lord and Tyr can use them as they please. Their function just changes depending on who's using them!
...Setting aside the question of whether a human body is really this easy to create.
It had been a while since I'd figured something out on my own without reading someone's thoughts. My brain's still got it!
"Alright! Let's use this chance to escape!"
"Escape?"
"Yes! With your power, Tyr, we can create a stalemate, but there's no point in getting into a war of attrition with the Golden Lord!"
A very strange battle was unfolding over there. The homunculi under the Golden Lord's control belatedly alchemized steel to attack, while those under Tyr's control took the hits with their bodies and swung their arms and legs.
Factoring in the Primarchs' powers, the Golden Lord's side was superior overall, but in terms of physical ability, Tyr's homunculi had the upper hand. Made of materials far superior to the dirt pawns, the homunculi picked up whatever they could find as weapons and went on a rampage.
The Golden Lord faltered at the sudden betrayal and brawl. Hector, who had at least heard the story from Peru, understood the situation instantly.
Control through blood is the Progenitor's power...! To think it could even control homunculi. I knew we should have been more careful! Too late now, though!
In contrast, the Golden Lord was still struggling, unable to properly grasp why his homunculi were fighting each other. With a little basic knowledge, he would have realized that Tyr was a vampire and was controlling the homunculi with Bloodcraft... but the current Golden Lord showed no sign of figuring that out.
"...My... Golden Empire... why, this is strange..."
Was the Golden Lord stupid? He was one of the Divine; that couldn't be it. His ability to react had simply deteriorated.
His ability to instinctively sense danger and react flexibly to it was gone!
"Your Majesty! It's a vampire! A vampire is controlling them!"
Only after Hector's clear report did the Golden Lord belatedly recognize the fact. The Golden Lord replied haltingly.
"A vam... pire? Nothing like this has ever happened. How."
"It's happening now! In any case, it's using blood to control them! We need countermeasures!"
"Countermeasures. Devise."
Having received Hector's 'report', the Golden Lord muttered tonelessly.
"Wirearch."
In that instant, the tide of battle turned. The homunculi, who had been moving to destroy the traitors, all took strategic action at once. Using alchemy, they created long wire snares to bind the feet of the traitorous homunculi. No matter how physically superior they were, they couldn't tear through the flood of steel snares without tools. Tyr's homunculi struggled like trapped beasts.
Having created a momentary stalemate, the Golden Lord placed a hand on a nearby farmer-homunculus and muttered.
"Mirrorarch."
After a flash of Alchemical Glow, the doll that had been a farmer transformed into a Primarch wearing clothes that seemed to melt into the scenery. The homunculus, wearing glasses and adorned with dangling magnifying glasses and lenses, spread wings made of lenses and flew into the sky.
The faith of the Sky God may call sunlight a symbol of righteousness, but as with any religion, the methods are rarely so pure. Dozens of lenses refracted the sunlight, focusing it on a single point.
The light, condensed enough to form a visible shape in the air, looked just like a giant spear. The Mirrorarch swung the spear of light, launching it at the dark red homunculi.
Fwoosh. The homunculi's bodies caught fire. Tyr's dominion, which used blood and darkness as its medium, lost its power against the concentrated sunlight. A true vampire might have been able to resist it somewhat, but the homunculi weren't even alive. They couldn't even writhe or try to hide; they simply died where they stood. Without so much as a scream.
Soon, all of Tyr's homunculi had burned and fallen. The 'countermeasure' had been devastatingly effective. The Golden Lord looked at the charred corpses and muttered.
"I will not... let you defile... my Golden Empire..."
But the homunculi had already served their purpose. We had already broken through the encirclement and reached the border of the Golden Palace.
He'd been forced on the defensive not once, but twice. Unless he had an ambush waiting, catching us now would be impossible.
"You were too busy with that, so now it's too late! So long, you idiots!"
I shot them a mocking grin and leaped over the boundary of the Golden Palace. For a moment, the surrounding scenery distorted as if I had crossed into another world. The clearing where we'd just been fighting a fierce battle with the homunculi was gone, replaced by a vast, dense cornfield in every direction.
Just as I was sighing in relief, thinking we made it, a figure clearly distinct from the cornstalks appeared before me.
Overalls that looked like work clothes. An ashen ponytail with a reddish, rust-like tint. It was Peru, the Witherarch of the Fallen Dominion, staring at us with wide eyes.
...How did she get here?
It was Peru. She had come with Hector, but for some reason had been waiting outside the Golden Palace. And now, at this unexpected moment, she had run into us. Unfortunately for her.
Behind me, the Regressor and Tyr emerged one after the other. Beyond the shimmering space, I could see the homunculi chasing us. Far behind them stood Hector, the Golden Lord, and Elric.
Peru stood there, clueless. It was only natural. How could she possibly know what had happened inside the Golden Palace, a place where anything could be created and common sense was shattered?
Just then, Hector spotted Peru and shouted.
"Wither! Stop them!"
Still, she could guess what had happened. Hector's urgent expression. The bloodied, rampaging homunculi. And the towering figures of the Golden Lord and Elric.
Taking in the sight of us fleeing, Peru easily deduced the outcome.
...The ceasefire negotiations must have failed.
Was it because of her Unique Magic? Instinctively sensing the prelude to collapse, Peru bit her lip.
...Everything I do ends up like this. This time, too.
Her efforts had been in vain. No, it was worse than that; she had ended up putting both us and the Fallen Dominion in great danger. Including herself.
"Even if you have to use your power!"
Peru likely had no way to stop us, but she still remembered her duty. A Primarch of the Fallen Dominion, granted a Juggernaut, must be loyal to the Golden Lord. Their power, wealth, fame, and even their great deeds all came from him.
However.
"No! Stop!"
Elric's bloodcurdling scream drowned out Hector's urgent voice.
That scream wasn't directed at me, the Regressor, or even Tyr. Elric, forgetting all dignity and decorum, screamed at Peru. As if terrified.
"You must not use your poweeeeer!"
...Just as I thought.
She had no means to stop us and no will to do so, but now even her duty was being denied. Peru retracted even her Unique Magic and instead stood with her arms spread wide. As if to block us with her body.
It was like trying to stop a waterfall with the palm of her hand. How could a woman with no real power besides her Unique Magic possibly stop the Regressor or Tyr? I could handle her myself, and I'm nothing special.
But unlike me, the Regressor couldn't read the Witherarch's mind.
A Primarch blocking her path. She even showed a slight hint of aggression. Peru's threat level skyrocketed.
Even if she was friendly to us before, an enemy is an enemy...! I have to kill her!
They had grown close, but the Regressor was quick to cast aside such feelings. The Regressor coldly assessed the situation.
Getting surrounded in the middle of enemy territory is dangerous. Especially now that I have comrades with me! I can't leave even the slightest risk!
There was regret in her killing intent, but no hesitation. The reason for killing was simple necessity; the Regressor honed her killing intent like a blade and severed her attachments. Chun-aeng was drawn from the Regressor's grasp.
Ugh. No. Killing her isn't the problem, but she's a card the other side is wary of. I can't just throw her away like this!
"Shei! Watch out!"
I was in the lead, and I quickly shifted my body. The Regressor, who had been about to cut Peru down, hastily stopped Chun-aeng when I appeared in its path. Caught by surprise, the Regressor couldn't avoid me in time and slammed her head into my back with a thunk.
"Gah! What are you doing?!"
"What about you?! That was dangerous!"
It really was dangerous. Her head hit me, and my back hurt like I'd been struck by a shot put. Thanks to me, Peru was alive, but I was starting to regret it a little.
"Anyway, the person in front! I'll take care of her!"
Shouting that, I strode toward Peru. With no will to attack, Peru just stood there with her arms spread, as if to block me with her body, completely ignoring her own defense.
Her unguarded abdomen came into view. I can't resist an opening that blatant. Right in the middle of her overalls, I drove my fist into her defenseless stomach without any hesitation. The full-force blow sank deep into her gut with a soft thud.
"...!"
Unlike the other Primarchs, Peru had no means of protecting herself. Even if she did, it would just rust away in no time. That's why my single punch was enough to neutralize her. Losing her balance, Peru's body collapsed onto me.
I lifted the fallen Peru onto my shoulder. From encounter to takedown, it didn't even take a second. A truly perfect victory.
Hah. This makes me feel like I've actually gotten strong. Power really is relative. Even an ordinary guy like me can go on a rampage if the opponent is weak enough.
What do you think? Pretty cool, huh...?
"To hit a defenseless woman so hard... Sigh..."
Oops. I think I just made a bad impression.
What was I supposed to do? When you think about it, I saved her. Now that we're enemies with the Golden Lord, knocking her out like this is actually safer for her!
Seeing Peru go down in one hit, the Regressor sheathed Chun-aeng. She had only intended to kill her to eliminate any potential risk; now that Peru was subdued, the Regressor saw no need to press the matter.
"Still, I doubt the Witherarch is going to help us."
"We'll just hold a knife to her throat and threaten her!"
"...Well, if that works, great."
She took the hit without resisting. I guess I have no reason to kill her then... If it weren't for Hughes, there would have been needless bloodshed. He hit her in the stomach pretty mercilessly, but in the end, he saved the Witherarch.
At least the Regressor gets it. Yeah, others might not understand, but you, the one who was about to swing your sword, you have to admit I was right.
Ugh. But... running while carrying a person... my stamina isn't really...
"Shei-ssi. Peru is pretty heavy. Would you mind carrying her instead...?"
"...Hand her over."
So much for looking cool...
I think I made another bad impression.
Let's just say it was an accident when Peru kicked me as I was handing her over.
In any case, whether my brilliant strategy paid off or not, our pace quickened considerably once Shei took Peru. We left the Golden Palace behind and quickly made our way out of the cornfield.