Chapter 109
Chapter 109
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Chapter 32: Beyond the Invasion
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Dimensional gate.
Gate.
Whatever you called it, space suddenly tore open, connecting a tiny passage.
At the same time, dazzling light poured in from the other side.
An arena.
Beyond the dimensional gate was an arena.
There was no other way to describe the space.
Waaaaaaaaaah!
Tens of thousands of spectators cheered from the stands.
Living flesh was nowhere to be seen—just beings woven entirely from all sorts of "flows," including mana, covering their entire bodies.
Were they even alive? It felt like some philosophical debate was in order.
Anyway, they were going wild over the massive rectangular pillar screen erected in the center of the arena.
How immersed were they that they hadn't even noticed the dimensional gate opening right next to the screen? Was some World Cup match going on?
I turned to look up at the screen myself...
Hmm...
Zectbaya was on it.
Zectbaya stood tall in a vast plain, blood pouring from the massive hole in its chest.
The spectators went berserk at the sight. Wait, so they'd been watching my fight with Zectbaya all this time? Like it was some sports event?
Why?
Hang on—Zectbaya wasn't the only thing on the many screens displayed on the giant display.
Some showed a village utterly devastated, as if it had been carpet-bombed.
A village where everyone was dead.
No—most were dead, but some survivors writhed in agony.
"Uwaaaagh! Uwaaaaaah!"
"Mom! Mom! Somebody please help!"
"S-save me! I'm trapped under my house! Please get me out!"
"My baby! My child is still under there! Please! Somebody!"
They were all suffering on the screen right in front of me.
Ah. So that's it.
That was the village hit by Zectbaya's initial breath attack.
They were all watching the traces of death and suffering in real time—and enjoying it.
-How much possession time is left?
-1 minute.
I asked and answered myself. Staring at the dimensional gate just big enough for one person, I posed another question.
-How long will this gate hold?
-About 1 minute.
Right. This one will last a minute too.
1 minute is plenty.
Of course, ending the possession right now would bring an enormous wave of damage. I'd die on the spot without question.
Naturally, if it forcibly ended after 1 minute...
I'd die.
Even with the dryad and life link, I might still die.
Sure, the dryad would take 90% of all the damage I suffered, but reducing a cannon hit to a rifle shot wouldn't change the fact that I'd still die.
But what could I do? My eyes were already rolled back in rage.
* * *
I threw myself through the dimensional gate.
Did the sponsor call this the Psyche dimension?
A brilliantly clear sun shone down on the massive circular arena.
The Psyche folk looked like wooden puppets twisted from intangible, multicolored wires.
They were still cheering at the screen—even though I'd just set foot here.
Fine. You bastards. Let's see if you enjoy it when death comes knocking.
I charged at full speed toward the spectator stands.
Fwoooooosh!
A massive blaze erupted where I crashed in.
Over a hundred Psyche folk "evaporated" in that single strike. No form, no trace left.
The cheers that followed were even louder, pouring in from all directions.
Uwaaaaaaaaaah!
Screams?
Or cheers?
Who knew. So just die.
Slash!
I ran along the stands, swinging my sword left and right.
Red lines trailed the blade as the colorful puppets vanished with screams.
Weak.
These guys were weak. Or was I just too strong?
Slash!
Fwoosh!
Broad flames surged after my swings, like waves.
Psyche folk who survived outside the red lines were swept up, raising both hands.
Surrender?
Or hailing victory?
The Sovereign's Eye showed intense excitement and stimulation. So even as they died... they were thrilled!
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaagh!"
I couldn't hold back. I had to scream.
Screaming like a madman, I raced through the stands.
Die.
Die more. Die all!
-20 seconds left.
Was that my voice?
No, it was closer to the Queen's. I snapped to my senses and looked back at the carnage I'd wrought.
Half the stands.
In that time, I'd circled half this huge arena, slaughtering thousands of Psyche folk.
Whew.
Felt damn good.
The only regret was that half the arena's spectators still remained.
I wanted to kill them all too, but time was up. I leaped toward the arena floor where the screen stood, then sprinted full-tilt toward the barely open dimensional gate.
"Kill him! Kill that guy!"
"That was real! It just happened here! In our dimension!"
"Uwaaaagh! Run! S-save me!"
"Insane! What the hell is this?!"
Yeah, you lunatics—finally grasping reality?
The Psyche folk, late to catch on, started screaming and fleeing en masse. Damn, that pissed me off again. No good.
Kwaaaaaang!
I hurled one final Tempest at the spot where they clustered to escape, then dove through the gate just before it closed.
Sizzle!
Beyond was still inside Zectbaya's body. Seeing the pooled liquid on the ground evaporate, I immediately ejected myself from its corpse.
Right then—the possession ended.
* * *
"..."
I came to under a blue sky.
The sun hadn't set yet, so I must not have been out as long as I thought. About a minute?
Part of me wished I'd stayed unconscious longer. Then I could've forgotten this pain.
"Guh..."
Couldn't even breathe.
I'd passed out from the pain, only to wake from more pain.
But I couldn't pass out again. I dumped every holy spell I could on myself and barely managed to stand.
"Arghhhh! It hurts! Gonna die from the pain!"
Holy magic couldn't cover it all. Should've grabbed a pain-null elixir.
"Good work, Contractor."
Before me, the utterly wrecked dryad bowed its head. Holy crap—that huge tree was reduced to less than half.
"You've got the real hard job. Ugh, look at that trunk. Branches all torn off... Did it hurt?"
"I feel no pain."
The dryad shook its half-missing face.
If it hadn't taken 90% of my damage, I'd have died and revived a hundred times over by now.
"Sorry anyway. You really suffered."
"No need. It was an honor to help you, Contractor. Then..."
The dryad smiled and faded away.
Yeah, goodbye dryad. Thanks for everything. I'll never forget you.
Though I could resummon it good as new in a few days.
"Found you!"
A voice called from the sky then.
"Prince! You're safe!"
It was Tolari. He landed and pointed at the dead Zectbaya's corpse.
"But what's that? It's huge! I spotted it from afar and flew over."
"That's Zectbaya."
"Huh? What?"
"Zect and Baya fused or something. But anyway..."
My legs gave out suddenly, and I collapsed. Tolari reacted with surprising speed for a mage and caught me.
"Got you! You okay, Prince? You look like hell! And why do you smell burnt?"
"Uh... I'm fine for now. Didn't die. Lucky."
"Yeah. Real lucky. Didi freaked out and my heart skipped a beat."
"Didi?"
"Didi came running and said Regall went after you—fly to help the Prince."
"Regall? He caught the scent?"
"Probably. I overtook him midway..."
Tolari sighed in relief and brushed the soot off me.
"Should arrive soon, I bet. Man, I suffered. Pushed super acceleration midway to get here faster."
"Super acceleration? That guzzles mana."
"Used almost all my mana. But seeing that monster from afar scared me shitless. What happened? Explain?"
"Well..."
A massive screen flashed in my mind. Ugh! Right! That village!
"Fly me there right now."
"Huh? There?"
"A village got wrecked there. Gotta save who I can. Quick holy magic could save some."
"No way—you're stumbling around like this? Prince, aren't you at your mana limit?"
Worry, pity, joy, gratitude, deep affection.
All those emotions poured from Tolari toward me. Feeling oddly reassured, I gently closed the Sovereign's Eye.
"Thanks for worrying, but I'm fine. Still got mana to spare."
"Spare mana, but you can't even fly yourself?"
"Saving it. Need it for holy magic at the village. Might have to clear rubble and rescue people. So listen to me?"
Grateful for his feelings, I asked calmly and politely. Tolari shuddered, looking shocked.
"Eek, scary. You talking all soft like that creeps me out. I'd feel better if you yelled."
"......Cut the nonsense."
"Got it. Here goes!"
Tolari spread his arms wide and suddenly hugged me tight, soaring into the air.
"Ugh, Prince—you're heavier than I thought. Expected you light as a feather."
"Not heavy—you're just scrawny. Work out more."
"What workout for a mage? Oh, eating a core would fix it, right?"
Tolari grinned at me. Pitching cores even now—guy's mental was no joke.
That's when Zectbaya's corpse whisked by on the right.
Never had anything like this before.
You damn bastards. Shrinking my time to one year wasn't enough?
So you cooked up a monster I'd never seen in nine regressions? Huh? Overkill much?
Jess turned berserker, Talisman Count into Infection Lord, Trombone Uncle into bomb mine.
All at least turned into wave monsters we'd seen before. But what was that? Zectbaya? Name's a mess!
At least give it a proper codename.
Sigh...
Fine, whatever.
This time, I got payback equal to what they dished out. Pleasure matching the grudge.
I recalled the brief massacre in the Psyche dimension.
Heh heh.
Just thinking made me grin. Never dreamed I'd cross into their home base. First in ten regressions.
Historic moment.
And I didn't just peek—I turned thousands of those misfortune-gloating Psyche folk to ash.
In a mere ten seconds or so.
Bet that woke them up.
Dimensional invasions aren't your privilege. I can hop over and wreck shop too if I want!
Yeah. If I could just find a way over there...
Counterattack might be possible.
"Prince. Down there."
Tolari shook me lightly then. I turned—smoke rose from a distant village.
No, not a village anymore.
Shattered ruins. The screaming survivors from the screen still haunted my eyes.
Were all Psyche folk insane?
How could they cheer at that? I only visited briefly, but their civilization seemed advanced—unlike here. So why attack this place?
Wait—those bastards...
All that talk of rules and grand events was just posturing? Really, it was all entertainment for them?
Just to watch us suffer and enjoy?