Art is an Explosion
'What the hell...?'
The other split bodies melted away the moment their brains were pierced, so the weakness had to be the brain itself. Even in the game, the Homunculus boss fight had that gimmick—you had to destroy the brain to finish it off.
The differences from the in-game Homunculus were probably just its level of evolution and appearance. Invincibility Duration: 0:11
The skill's time was running out. The hole that had been punched through the Homunculus's head had already closed up, restoring it to its original state.
The reason it was still alive had to be... 'Its brain is located somewhere different from the other split bodies.'
It probably hadn't evolved to the point where it could regenerate even if its brain was completely destroyed. After all, we'd discovered it earlier than the event in the game, and its overall power level was lower too. In the game, it had absorbed not just alchemy students but even named characters, unleashing an absurd variety of attacks.
If I'd been a mage, I could've wiped them all out with an area spell. Unfortunately, all I had were a spear and a shield.
'Should I have beaten Luden senseless and learned that technique...?'
If I'd mastered Luden's Tenpokken, this would've been much easier... but everything had spiraled into chaos right after, so it never crossed my mind. I roughly understood the principle, but applying it in actual combat was another matter entirely.
—Shuuuuk!
While I was lost in thought, the Homunculus's tentacles shot toward me. They came faster than before. I barely managed to knock them aside, but its rate of evolution was no joke.
'It's evolving even while fighting...?'
Without Invincibility, I couldn't even get close. The entrance was blocked, so reinforcements weren't an option either.
...Honestly, this was the worst.
The Homunculus's faces let out that grotesque voice again. The girl's face staring straight ahead remained eerily serene, which only made it more unsettling.
—Boom!
—Kwaang!
—Kwa-gwang!
The tentacles had grown stronger, as if it had cast some kind of enhancement magic. The walls crumbled like sand.
'Damn it...'
Who would've guessed the brain wasn't in its head? If it was mimicking a human form, it should've at least gotten that detail right.
...Maybe it had learned from watching the split bodies die when their heads were pierced.
Cursing under my breath, I charged straight at the Homunculus. If I wanted to take it down, I had to get in close somehow.
Countless tentacles rained down on me. Magic spells activated simultaneously. Blocking everything with my shield was impossible, and shallow wounds began accumulating across my body.
The one silver lining was my abnormally high stamina stat—I wasn't getting winded. ...But the damn thing showed no signs of tiring either, so it wasn't much of an advantage. And with my pathetically low mana, I couldn't even reinforce my body properly. This body of Logue's really was a disappointment.
I reinforced my legs with what little mana I had left and leapt toward the Homunculus with all my strength.
Shuuuuk!
I knocked aside tentacles, then more tentacles. I sliced off the mutated arms flying at me and simply endured the spells pouring down. The closer I got, the fiercer the resistance became. My body, covered in wounds, felt as heavy as if I were swimming through water.
Thud!
"Kuh...!"
A tentacle I couldn't dodge slammed into my side. The impact rattled my insides and made me want to collapse. Even in the middle of this violent fight, drowsiness crept in—pure exhaustion weighing down every inch of me.
'Why am I even fighting...?'
...Why else? For the happy ending.
—At last, I reached the Homunculus.
'Where the hell is the brain...?!'
It wasn't in the head. It definitely wasn't in the arms that were currently transformed and attacking me either. I had no idea where it could be. ...It might be in the chest, the abdomen, or even the legs for all I knew.
While I hesitated, the Homunculus's tentacles moved to eliminate me.
'No choice but to try...!'
I drove my spear straight into its chest. Unfortunately, it seemed I was wrong—the Homunculus didn't fall. ...But it did react, its body stiffening slightly from the impact.
I let go of the spear and recited the only spell I knew.
"[Fireball]"
—It had happened not long after I'd possessed this body. Once I learned people reinforced their bodies with mana, I borrowed a basic magic textbook from the library. Sensing mana had gone smoothly enough.
'So this is what it feels like...'
Reinforcing my body with mana had been easy, but that was it. I couldn't use flashy skills like the characters in the game, and I couldn't even cast simple magic. Part of it was my body's pitiful mana stat, but the real problem was that whenever I tried to pour mana into a magic circle, it would explode. ...And quite violently, at that.
Thankfully, I'd practiced in an empty lot. Otherwise, it could've been a real disaster. I'd probably miscalculated the amount of mana or fed it unstable mana in the first place.
After that, I gave up on magic entirely. With Logue's talent being so mediocre, I figured magic was simply impossible for this body.
—I recalled that sensation now.
The moment I recited the incantation, a strangely distorted magic circle formed at my fingertips. Then I poured every last drop of my remaining mana into it.
What followed was an explosion wreathed in flames.
—Kwaaaang!
A deafening blast and shockwave engulfed me. Searing pain spread across my entire body, and my ears rang as if they'd burst.
"Mom..."
With what sounded like the Homunculus's death cry, my consciousness sank into deep darkness.
'Art really is an explosion....'
Along with that ridiculous thought.
***
"Attention. A fire has broken out inside the Alchemy Department building. All personnel in laboratories or classrooms, please evacuate the building immediately."
Good. That should do it. Saying there was a fire would sound far more believable than claiming a monster had appeared.
Since the broadcasting room was on the top floor, Sane and I had been able to check for people along the way. ...Fortunately, aside from a few graduate students on the fourth floor, we hadn't found anyone. Or those monsters.
"Where exactly did the fire start?"
"Right... I still have experiments to finish today...."
The graduate students who'd followed us into the broadcasting room questioned us.
"Haha... They said it started on the second floor. There was a ton of smoke."
"...Really?"
They stared at me with suspicious eyes. But when Sane fixed them with a cold glare, they quickly looked down at the floor.
'If you glare at people like that while holding a dagger...'
It's terrifying.
Sane spoke up.
"Alright, everyone. We're moving to the first floor now. We need to move quickly."
As she spoke, she glanced out the window toward the entrance. She was probably watching to make sure the monsters didn't escape outside.
"If there's a fire on the second floor, can we even use the stairs? Wouldn't it be better to wait for rescue on the roof—"
"There's a fire on the roof too."
Sane cut off the questioning graduate student and started moving. The others had no choice but to follow.
Luckily, we didn't encounter any monsters on the way down to the first floor. The evacuees looked doubtful about the fire, but they soon scattered to their own destinations.
"There probably aren't any people left, right...?"
"Shouldn't be. We searched from the first floor to the fourth. ...Where did Logue go?"
Now that I thought about it, Logue had headed somewhere while we were searching the building.
'He said he had an idea where it might be.... What was he talking about...?'
"We should block the entrance just in case the monsters try to get out. Liana, stay right next to me."
Sane patted my head as she spoke. Startled by the sudden skinship, I looked up at her. Her expression was still stern... or was it? Her cheeks seemed a little red.
"O-Okay..."
Sane kept stroking my hair.
—Kwaaang!
—Boom!
'What was that sound...?'
A strange impact echoed, and the ground trembled slightly. ...It sounded like it was coming from underground.
"Sane, that sound..."
"Something's happening down there... It's probably Logue."
Sane seemed convinced the source of the noise was Logue. If he hadn't fled the building, he would've gone underground. We hadn't run into him once while searching.
While I was thinking, a female student walked toward us. She looked far too relaxed for someone evacuating during a fire.
"That bastard... It's a monster."
The moment she said it, Sane hurled a dagger at the girl. The blade flew in a perfect arc toward her head—only to bounce harmlessly off the moment it touched her, as if striking an invisible wall.
And behind the girl stood another male student who looked like the same kind of monster.
"Liana! Get back!"
—Kwaaaang!
Just as Sane drew the dagger from her coat and moved to engage the monsters, another massive tremor and explosion erupted from underground.
"Huh... Why are they doing that...?"
The monsters that had been about to extend their tentacles suddenly began to melt away. We stared at each other in confusion.
"Logue said they were split bodies... He must've taken out the main body somewhere. When the main body dies, the split bodies usually disappear too."
Sane added that the sounds we'd heard from underground were probably the fight against the main body.
"Um... Do you think Logue is okay...?"
The thought of him fighting that thing made my chest tighten. ...I had to admit it. Logue's presence had taken up a much bigger place in my heart than I'd realized.
"He should be fine, but just in case, want to go look for him together?"
At Sane's words, I nodded. Then the two of us sprinted toward the stairs leading underground.