Chapter 43
Chapter 43
43
EP14 - Small Error Space (4)
Gray was not in a good mood.
Hic….
Her head was dizzy from the alcohol. Her stomach was churning. She still felt the lingering effects of the flu, and a periodic queasiness. Even the feeling that her surroundings were swaying from time to time. She didn't like any of it.
What she liked even less was how bright the engine room was. Someone had turned on the lights, and left without turning them off.
‘Annoying.’
What could she do?
She had no choice but to drink more alcohol…
She took out the fourth bottle hidden in the blanket. Then, glug, glug, glug… she poured it into her mouth.
“Haa….”
Cool. Intense. The slightly nauseating taste unique to cheap alcohol. It was all good. The irritation that had been creeping up on her subsided.
Thud….
Was it because she was even more drunk? The shaking of the building and its surroundings felt a little more intense.
Suddenly, a funny thought occurred to her.
So, this was the setting.
She was currently sailing….
She had run away from home for freedom and secretly stowed away on a merchant ship….
The ship was taking her to a utopia she had never been to….
There was no competition or conflict there….
There was no need to be desperately urgent….
The temperature was always a comfortable 23 degrees.
Cool breezes and fresh water, abundant fruits and grains grew.
The people were kind. And she, too, was kind and good there.
So what if a storm was raging while she was going to such a place?
Glug, glug, glug….
Hoo, a cool breath escaped her lips.
“Haa….”
Suddenly, she started to like everything.
A warm place. A cozy home. Kind people….
Ah, and everyone recognized her [Illusion Magic].
The lady on the left.
The old man on the right.
The cat standing in front of her.
They all gave her a thumbs up.
「 Gray is the best at Illusion Magic! 」
Isn't that right…?
At that, Gray's expression melted.
“Thank you… I love you…♡”
What a lovely street.
Then, when she suddenly turned her head.
A pink-eyed man.
…Uh.
…Professor Dante…?
「 Get a grip, Gray Habanero. 」
Huh?
“Hot, f*ck….”
Gray hugged the bottle and widened her eyes.
She snapped out of it.
Her mood soured.
‘What?’
Come to think of it.
In her hazy state, she thought she had seen Professor Dante?
‘Was it a dream?’
He came and tormented her relentlessly.
Pressing down. Crushing. Hurting. Getting angry….
‘……??’
No, thinking about it, it really felt like he had been there.
Why did Professor Dante torment her?
Small, cute, weak, and kind……. Her only sin was being good at [Illusion Magic].
…Illusion Magic?
‘Ah.’
She realized.
It seemed to be because of [Illusion Magic].
Perhaps Professor Dante had heard her words and become jealous.
Of course, she hadn't been able to implement some of his [Illusion Magic], but the overall picture was what mattered. Even Kaiser acknowledged it, so how could the professor himself deny it?
She didn't think he was like that. He had a narrow-minded side, it seemed.
“…If you're weak, you should learn to admit it…?”
It was absurd.
No matter how jealous he was.
How could a professor bully a Student with force?
And a man, bullying a girl?
“…….”
Then, a smile reappeared on Gray's face.
It was a complete sense of victory.
“…Loser♡”
He must have worked hard until his age?
But in the end, he was being pushed back by someone much younger than him?
Poor man…….
“Dante is a loser professor…. Right…?”
When Gray asked, the lady, the old man, and the cat responded.
「 That's right! That's right! 」
「 Gray is the best at Illusion Magic! 」
「 Loser meow…! 」
It was a pleasant answer.
Glug, glug, glug…. Taking another big gulp, she thought. So where was this again? It wasn't the hideout. It wasn't the engine room either.
“Haa…♡”
It was heaven.
* * *
Professor Vaiper circled high in the sky twice.
Shoooo-!!
Petrification Rays poured down haphazardly.
“Kugh!”
The finger he grazed began to turn to stone.
Following the [Petrification] response guidelines, he hurriedly clenched his fist. Then, his finger began to turn to stone while attached to his hand. This would reduce the risk of it breaking.
‘It's okay.’
The monster was only targeting him.
This was Dante's judgment.
His judgment was that if he struck first, one of the hands would definitely target only him.
At first, even the head professors questioned it.
Because generally, the characteristic of giant monsters was to chase the strongest target.
But Dante said.
Since that monster had seven hands, targeting only one object would result in damage loss.
He said that if the first striker continued to draw attention, one hand could be tied up.
‘I was half-doubtful, but…….’
Now he realized.
Everything Dante said was true!
Shoooo-!!
“Kugh!!”
While dodging the gray rays with another large movement, the battle unfolded rapidly.
Head Student Toy was placed under 『Domination』.
Collider was stabbed by Head Student Toy's sword and fell.
Assassination Defense Studies Professor Leo began to set up [Traps].
Dante destroyed the Totem, even dropping Head Student Toy.
‘Good, Dante!!’
Head Student Toy, who had been the most daunting, disappeared.
Around that time, Leo deployed his main [Trap Arts] Superpower, which he had been fidgeting with since earlier, to the fullest extent. The 'Domination Hand's' finger was bitten by a tiger-shaped Trap that suddenly appeared, and it bent backward, sticking to its wrist.
Now it was unavoidable.
Above it, Angela aimed with the Death God's Scythe.
Finally, a strike with overwhelming power flew in. 『Death God Flash』—
Kwaang ──── !!
An enormous impact exploded! The entire forearm, protruding from the crack, shook. The shockwave contorted Vaiper's face. At the same time, the flow of Mana in the air was devastated.
< Hit! It's a hit! >
The effect was certain. Half of the hand, which had hundreds of eyeballs, was smashed and disappeared.
In that instant.
A fragment of Jinxite's flesh flew in, and that rock-like thing struck Professor Vaiper's head.
Thwack -
Right after feeling like his head had exploded.
A few seconds later, when he regained consciousness slightly.
Vaiper realized he had made a mistake.
‘……I shouldn't have allowed a hit.’
< Hey! Vaiper, you bastard!! >
It was at the same time as Leo's shout.
In the shaking world.
The 'Hand of Petrification' pointed at Angela, who was stunned after the strike. Then, it tore the center of its palm into six equal parts and fired a giant ray.
Shooooooooo―!
The gray ray covered the head professor.
Angela was a Black Path, and Vaiper's former teacher. Even as blood gushed out, Vaiper used [Footwork] in the air to regain his balance and fly up again.
However, Jinxite's hands were not just decorations that shot Curses.
Above Angela, who had been half petrified and hardened.
A giant hand flew in.
As if swatting a fly to death.
Thwack ―
A sonic boom spread out in concentric circles. Professor Angela was blown away as she was.
< Head Student Angela─!! >
Vaiper was horrified, but the next moment, Head Student Angela's body shattered and disappeared with a clang!
Ah!!
Was it [Illusion Magic]??
So when he looked for the real body, she was currently falling gently. A 「Parachute」 was even deployed below.
It was clear that Professor Dante had switched her with [Illusion Magic] right after she was petrified. Even deceiving the eyes of his ally, himself.
Vaiper was horrified by such a level. How could a person's [Illusion Magic] be so delicate…….
‘This is not the time to be relieved.’
The problem here was that, even so, only five out of the six fingers of the 'Hand of Domination' had been blown away.
One index finger still remained.
And.
It was pointing at Professor Leo, who was nearby.
Even though he could no longer use 『Blink』.
At this time, Professor Leo gritted his teeth and flew.
‘Damn it!!’
Stepping on the finger. He tried to escape the range by stepping through the air with [Footwork].
However, Leo's Footwork, whose main focus was [Trap Arts] and whose auxiliary was [Combat Type], was not that excellent.
No matter how hard he tried to dodge, he couldn't escape the trajectory of the finger.
It was as if a giant gun barrel was pointing at him.
And he was just a kitten in front of it.
‘Damn it! Damn it!!’
He jumped dozens of steps left, right, up, and down in a few seconds, but in the end, he was still within the Buddha's palm.
Finally, Leo was completely caught in the trajectory.
< Help me! Please!! >
Knowing that everyone was exposed to the attack and it was difficult to help, Leo shouted.
< Please!! >
The eyeballs in Jinxite, the Hand of Domination, began to close.
It was simultaneous.
── .
A miraculous thing unfolded. Thousands of mirrors appeared from the floor in all directions.
In an instant that was impossible to follow with the eyes, something like a tower stretched out from somewhere and wrapped around the 'Finger of Domination'.
The next moment, an intense light burst out, bright enough to illuminate the world even in broad daylight.
──── .
The light of 「Bright Star⁺₊⋆」 shot out like a ray.
‘Professor Dante!!’
The light, poured out through thousands of refractions and amplifications, completely blew away the remaining part of Jinxite's 'Arm of Domination'.
< Good!! >
A thrill rose from below his chest.
Feeling such a sensation, Leo pulled back for now.
He grabbed the bleeding Vaiper and returned to the Airship's deck. Behind Professor Dante.
“Thank you. Thanks to you….”
At that moment, Professor Dante widened his eyes and jumped off the deck.
Why?
He realized belatedly that the 'Hand of Petrification' could still target them.
And here was the Airship!
< Get out of there! Leo, Vaiper! >
Dante shouted. 'Damn it!' This was his mistake. He also hurriedly picked up Vaiper and flew up, but he was a little late.
Shoooo―!
The Ray of Petrification flew in. He somehow dodged it, but some of it covered the Airship. Among them, it touched some of the propellers and the Levitation Stone exposed to the outside. Everything, including the frame metal, wood, and some of the Levitation Stone, began to turn to stone.
< Ah, damn it, damn it!! >
The Airship, having lost its thrust, began to fall.
* * *
I frowned.
The situation I wanted the least had arrived. The situation that had been on my mind ever since I recognized that one of the Curses was [Petrification].
Because the Ray of Petrification completely covered the Airship, the engine room could not be separated. And since the Levitation Stone had turned to stone, it had lost its thrust.
As a result, the giant Airship began to fall.
Whoo-oong…
While hurriedly diverting the 'Hand of Petrification's' attention with [Illusion Magic]. I checked my Mana and turned my gaze downward.
< [MP] : 612 / 1,299 >
At this time, I was gliding with invisible wings created with [Illusion Magic], but this was only enough to slowly lower me, who weighed 85kg. Even that was a wing that had been delicately made to the point where its durability was about to break.
Not to mention that Airship, which weighed 1.7 tons according to its specifications and had two people inside…….
At that moment, someone jumped onto the deck.
It was the captain and Gray.
At first, I thought it was fortunate,
But it wasn't.
[Petrification] was progressing on some of Gray's forearms, and the captain's lower body was the same.
That meant that the 「Parachute Magic Tool」 that I had forcibly put on them had also been petrified.
As the Airship tilted, Gray stumbled as she jumped out. Along with the captain. As the captain slipped and was about to fall over the deck with a 'Uh-oh!' sound, Gray grabbed his wrist.
The problem was that 『Petrification』 was still in progress. One of the fallen captain's legs hardened and stuck to the floor. Gray's arm, which was holding onto the vertical metal pillar of the deck wall, was also doing the same.
At that time, Gray cast [Illusion Magic].
As expected of the daughter of a prestigious Illusion Magic family. She knew exactly what she had to do at this point. In order to somehow slow down the falling speed, giant gliding wings over 5m long popped out on both sides of the Airship.
However, there was a problem. She was drunk, and the Airship was too heavy. Whether it was because wings of only 5m could not withstand the weight and atmospheric friction, the [Illusion Magic] shattered.
Clang!!
The wings broke and scattered.
As if all the glass windows of a giant building had been shattered, as if a giant wave had broken, it shattered and disappeared.
While Leo and Vaiper's shouts were heard through <Communication>, I calculated again at this time. No matter how much I calculated, I could not stop the Airship with my Mana. It was a clear physical and magical limitation.
Then, another thought occurred to me.
Did I really need to do this alone?
I released the glide slightly and fell.
Above the Airship.
When I got closer, Gray was dazed, pouring blood from her nose and even her eyes. One of her arms was now completely turned to stone.
After pulling the captain up and throwing him onto the deck, I called Gray.
“Gray Habanero!”
When I approached, her dazed eyes turned to me.
As if she didn't fully recognize what was going on.
“Try again. Just one more time.”
“…I can’t.”
“You can. You can do it. You can do it.”
“…….”
“Let’s try one more time. This professor will help you.”
I said, kneeling next to the child. Gray staggered. Even while pouring blood from her nose, she nodded.
Then she cast [Illusion Magic].
I was nervous.
If it was even a second late, if Gray's wings broke first, it would be a meaningless struggle. Gray and the captain would surely die.
But at the same time, I believed in my proficiency in Illusion Magic. I did not doubt that great and transcendent level.
Gray's Mana moved, Magical Imprints burst, and the form of Illusion Magic began to materialize—
Right now.
"World Fabrication: Shape Fabrication [Sky Thousand Transformation Wings]"
My Superpower spread out, covering the sky.
It was almost at the same time as Gray's 5m wings unfolded. I unfolded my wings in succession to her wings. It was overwhelmingly larger than the size of the Airship, reaching almost 20m.
Even the wingspan of the pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus, which was as large as a giraffe, was said to be 10m. How huge the 40m wingspan that Gray and I unfolded was, I myself was amazed.
The wings, which stretched out enormously, firmly grabbed the Airship and began to catch its falling speed.
< Professor Dante!! Are you really crazy-!? >
< You did well! The Airship is gliding!! >
While the two professors, who were falling in the distance with 「Parachutes」, shouted.
Indeed, the combined form of the two wings was enough to glide this giant Airship as I had calculated.
Meanwhile, in the midst of a nosebleed and the excruciating pain of [Overload] rushing in and burning my brain. I felt a gaze.
Gray was looking up at me with dazed eyes.
As if she couldn't understand something at all.
She soon lost consciousness.
Immediately after, an amazing reward popped up.
┃ Relationship Stat Increase : Gray [30] (▲30)
┃ Reward : Star Fragment × 30
EP14
Small Error Space
END