Chapter 178
Chapter 178
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 178
Chapter Title: Heroine
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A sensation like her field of vision had risen high up.
Overlooking the ground where lives as tiny as ants scurried about, from a vantage point far above—an overhead view.
And a feeling like dozens of arms, legs, and unknown appendages had sprouted from her body.
The Succubus Queen felt confusion amid these bizarre, mystical sensations, but when she moved her hand to dodge a fist slowly flying toward her face...
"...?!"
Yuri Lancaster's eyes whipped around, and the fist's trajectory veered off in a strange direction.
Oh my, what's this? What power did I just use?
It wasn't physical force at work. This had acted on Yuri Lancaster's mind. Piercing through those terrifyingly thick chains... and hijacking her movements at will.
Yuri's sublimation True Desire Binding was undoubtedly the Queen's perfect counter. The pheromones she'd been spreading since earlier hadn't worked on her at all.
Again. Let's try it once more.
Let's experiment on that fierce, frightening beast wrapped in chains.
She lightly twitched her fingers. Bow down, Yuri.
"—Gasp!"
Clangclattercrash—whipcrack—!!
Ignoring the Queen's command entirely, the chains swept across the ground like a whip. The Queen flinched in surprise and used Seris—still serving as her chair—as a shield to block the attack.
Splat—!
The chains struck the Queen along with Seris. With a grotesque crunch, the Queen's right arm bent in an unnatural direction and flew off, spinning away.
So that's not how you use it... It's not an 'Absolute Command.' More of a detailed ability, it seems.
Let's try it a bit more. I don't know what effect it'll have, but let's swing it around. Grinning like a child who'd found a new toy, the Queen unleashed her authority in all directions.
Clickclackclick.
The sound of gears meshing and turning echoed.
Yuri Lancaster's eyes darted left, then to the far right, jerking sharply. Her vision tangled chaotically without her intent, so Yuri simply shut her eyes.
She attacked relying on sensation. Her sharp instincts targeted the Queen, swinging the chains, but it was clumsier than when her eyes were open.
The Queen shaved off damage with the still-useful Seris shield a few more times, calmly sorting her thoughts.
Good. I can seize her gaze... capture her line of sight. Then what about this?
The Queen painted the air as if with a brush.
Clatterclangclash—!! Yuri Lancaster charged, leading far more chains than before. Five strands on each arm, like the claws of an iron beast.
It seemed the sublimation's power grew stronger over time...
Grindcrash, boomblast—!!
The chains literally tore up the ground as they swung wide. With her gaze out of control, she'd switched to an easy-to-land area attack, it seemed.
The chains swung with enough force to cleave the world apart...
"...Insane sorceress...?!"
They veered off course midway, wildly shaking from Yuri's hallucination.
Squelch—!!
To the Queen, relatively lacking in physical prowess, even chains whose speed and power had dropped from the deviation were threatening. She got tangled in a single strand and flew like an insect swatted by a flyswatter.
Yet the Queen was laughing. No tension at all. This didn't feel like... a crisis. Because it truly wasn't.
Now she understood.
This power... this ability, Cogwheel: Heroine, she finally knew what it was!
Clatterclatter—!!
The number of chains wrapping Yuri increased further, now resembling a lion's mane... or flickering heat haze. A sinister creak came from Yuri's arms, bound in chains.
She was pushing too hard. Increasing the strain on herself to amplify the sublimation's power. One worried she might end up crushed like a tomato gripped too tight.
In other words... sublimation overload.
An irrational method. Considering the backlash when the sublimation ended, it was practically large-scale self-destruction.
Getting caught in that wave of chains would leave no form behind. Shredded to pieces amid the grinding clatters.
But.
"But... can you really grind up the one you love with that?"
Clattercrash, boomblastblast—!!
Facing the approaching storm of chains, the Queen lightly pushed a gear. It meshed and turned.
Click.
Then she closed her eyes. If she erred in using the authority, the Queen would die. In that case, she'd scatter into ash with a single regret. Let's see the result.
It approached. Approached. Approached. Drew near...!
The chains grinding all around halted right before the Queen's nose.
The Queen gently opened her eyes. The chains were close enough to brush her eyelids.
"Heh, hohoho... hahaha..."
She couldn't help but laugh. Laughter bubbled unbidden past her lips.
The Queen trembled with the terrifying euphoria of omnipotence. Her waist heaved with excitement, her tongue parched with exaltation—she could scarcely control her emotions.
Yuri Lancaster's face was filled with confusion. She didn't understand why she'd stopped her attack.
"Shall I tell you? Why... you can't attack me."
"..."
"Because I'm your Heroine."
The stage opened. Characters appeared, roles assigned. The scriptwriter dominating this play cast herself as the heroine. Layering justification with every directorial flourish.
Thus, she couldn't attack.
Moving the world to enthrall—truly the pinnacle of Charm...
Yes, incomprehensible, right? Even I'd think so. Sublimations and exaltations are random, after all. Souls take myriad forms, so pinpointing specific abilities is impossible.
Even the grand magic-user assassin forged by relentless effort in Despair-Engraving Snare hadn't precisely targeted 'Mana Materialization.'
Thus, impossible...
Such a refined, reliable cluster of abilities aligned for one purpose—impossible. One could only think that.
The Queen recalled words once overheard from the Lamb.
—It's said the evil god of this era, who vanished without trace, had the power to dominate fate unnoticed by any. He toyed by creating heroes, disasters, tragedies, comedies.
A tale beyond common sense... dizzyingly profound. Manipulating the world, staging puppet shows with countless people?
Clouding perceptions, immersing protagonists, preparing plausible trials, timing entrances, deciding outcomes, making them laugh and cry, concluding the tale.
How many sublimations layered to wield such power?
Thus, the evil god's ability we black mages chase must be not one great power, but many intricate ones. If we must name it...
—We'd call it the 'God's Toolbox'...
Aha.
Indeed—this was truly the 'God's Toolbox.'
"Don't make me laugh—!!"
Creak. Yuri Lancaster bound herself tighter. Skin mangled by the cinched chains, blood streaming down. She moved bit by bit. Screeek.
Thud. Yuri Lancaster's fist touched the Queen's left eyelid.
"...Ah, oh dear. Resisting, are we...? You couldn't possibly defy this great power, so perhaps I was... a bit clumsy."
"Ugh, ah, aaah...!!"
"Sorry, Yuri. I'll make it comfortable soon."
The Queen admitted her inadequacy. Her own power was far too lacking to fully utilize Heroine's functions.
So humbly accept it. Use just one tool. Narrow the scope to one, and she could handle it.
Its name was.
Heroine: Heart-Melting Poison.
Her knees buckled, thud. Yuri Lancaster toppled forward like a puppet with cut strings.
The Succubus Queen, cradling the Evil God Statue, gazed silently at the beast's corpse like a predator. Realizing she was combat-incapable...
"Heh, hehehe..."
She laughed.
"Ha, haha... ahahaha, ha, ahahaha...!!"
Fun. So much fun.
If asked where, how—it was the process of puppeteering Yuri Lancaster like a doll. Dizzyingly delightful. Yuri, spewing rage, confused by surging affection!
Her proficiency low, unable to wield the Evil God Statue's power unlimitedly. She'd dragged it out until Yuri self-bound in sublimation backlash...
Next time, more fun ways. Ideas sparked.
This time, hijacking Yuri's existing fondness, projecting onto herself.
With time, Yuri would truly love the Queen. Then mold her into a loyal guard knight.
Nights boiling with hatred to kill the Queen, tormented by love clutched to her chest.
Or make her love a mud-rolling pig?
Definitely fun. Disgusted, uncomprehending why affection for such filth, yet unable to deny... laughably loving it!
Oh my. How far could she go? Endless possibilities.
Torture more.
Break and toy with more people, more escalated ways!
The Succubus Queen summoned minions from the Nest. Drag surviving annihilation squad members, implant hypnosis in their heads, turn them into mana batteries.
Meanwhile, she gave the unconscious Yuri Lancaster a lap pillow. Stroking her hair, extracting info.
How'd they find the Nest entrance? How'd they burrow this deep? Must check thoroughly.
"...Oh my?"
Intriguing info in her memories. Violet Magic Tower Master at the Academy. Over three cadets already achieved sublimation.
And.
About the Violet Magic Tower's illusion mage at the Academy.
Curious, the Queen delved deeper. Learned of TRPG. Indirect memories, not full details.
...The perfect form was there.
Shiver. This is it. This is how.
The mad sorceress's tales looked like a perfect manual for using evil god sublimations. Unnoticed by victims... masterful life-crafting!
Greed stirred.
If she cracked open that mage's skull, drank deep that knowledge? She'd wield evil god sublimations more naturally than any.
The Queen gently patted Yuri's head, whispering.
"Yuri, I planned to use you... as a test subject. Could I make you love inorganic things? Alter city walls? Torment you in diverse ways."
They were close. Sorceress and Yuri Lancaster.
Dig a trap. Carefully in Yuri's mind, gift it to the sorceress. Kindly.
Then seize the mage's mind, delving deep to save her friend... enthrall, wring dry, devour. All knowledge mine.
Set the bait.
She likes crafting tales, so prepare the trap similarly.
Yes. Strange word, but that's it.
"The session... I've prepared. Hohoho."
The Succubus Queen prepared her mastering.
"...Pingbalrez?"
Seeing her after days, she slept soundly. As if she'd never wake.