Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Chapter 25: The Day the World Turned Upside Down
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“Nice to meet you, Prince Claude. And as expected, it’s you again. To think you’d bring every last one of those elves to their knees... How on earth do you manage to shatter the core of their sponsorship so utterly, and in such an unbelievable way?”
This guy must be the Sponsor. He matches the description Tolara gave me exactly.
Sponsor. The otherworld’s spy.
Should I call this thrilling?
I’ve regressed nine times, but this is the first time I’ve seen one in the flesh. Though judging by appearances, he looks scrawny and not particularly strong...
“You’re the Sponsor?”
“To think you’d recognize me at first sight. Yes, I am the Sponsor. Strictly speaking, since you’re not on the list, I shouldn’t even be talking to you.”
“The list?”
“There is such a thing. In any case, thanks to you, I’ve been put in a real bind. I managed to get special exception permission by taking advantage of this eclipse.”
Exception? What exception? The war’s already over.
More importantly, I want to kill or capture this guy right now... What’s wrong with me? My body feels stiff, like it’s creaking and won’t move properly.
“This was just a taste. Consider it a warning in advance. It’s to your benefit. You’ve gained time to prepare for the real invasion nine years from now. Congratulations.”
“What?”
“My apologies. Was my tone too stiff? It’s all by the book.”
He recited his lines like he was reading from a textbook, then gracefully bowed and vanished back into the darkness.
“It seems you’ve already caught on. Then enjoy it to the fullest. This humble one will take his leave.”
And then, beyond the darkness, it opened.
The reason my instincts had frozen me solid.
A harbinger of doom that shouldn’t exist at this point in time.
A gate.
That massive jet-black portal tore open, and soldiers from the otherworld, clad in thick, sealed armor, poured out.
“...Huh?”
No, soldiers didn’t pour out.
Instead, dozens of massive monsters boasting drill-like teeth surged forth like a storm.
Ddrdrdrdrdrdrdrdk!
Ahh.
I saw them just a little while ago, and here they are again. Aren’t we seeing these a bit too often?
The creatures burrowed into the ground the moment they emerged and vanished underground.
Kuoohohohoho!
Next came a horrifying monster with a spider-like lower body and a tall, cactus-like upper torso.
Berserkers.
Not the ones Jess turned into recently, but the original Berserkers I knew.
All three of them.
But that wasn’t the end.
Next, a creature identical to the Infection Lord we’d slain just days ago began lumbering forward, its grotesquely swollen body jiggling.
This one was an original too. No head.
Following that, octopuses.
Flanking the Infection Lord were four monsters, each about five meters tall, reminiscent of octopuses or jellyfish, standing rigidly upright.
This monster’s name was Terror Lord.
Not a name I gave it—I heard the otherworlders call it that.
True to its name, it spewed fear-inducing mist around it, and a single swing of its thick tentacles could snap a dozen knights like rotten logs and send them flying.
All four Terror Lords.
And one of them was different from the others I’d faced. It was gripping a massive sword with a single tentacle? A Terror Lord using a weapon? First I’ve seen of that.
Whatever... I have to stop them.
I don’t know why the gate opened now of all times... but I have to stop it.
But I couldn’t move an inch.
Not that I was frozen in fear, mind you.
While they crossed through the gate into our world, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the last three monsters lingering behind.
One was a Chimera.
A vicious beast with dozens of animal heads sprouting all over it—the same one that ended Dabi’s life in my ninth regression. About eight meters long.
Another was a Bomb Mine.
A humanoid monster covered head to toe in pitch black, hurling exploding rocks everywhere—a nightmare of an opponent.
Roughly ogre-sized. Left alone, it could wipe out an entire knight order single-handedly with its insane firepower.
And the last one...
“Hah, haha. Hahaha...”
A hollow laugh came before any sigh.
Corruption Lord.
A monster I’d never managed to kill even once.
The smallest of the three. About the size of a large adult male.
It had pitch-black skin and bat-like wings—the classic demon shape—and could alter its form depending on the situation.
The moment these three monsters emerged, the whole world fell silent.
The imperial army, the elves, and me.
Right then, the Chimera that had reached the surface first lunged at and began chewing on an elf who had been cowering in front.
Crunch! Cruuunch!
So naturally.
And screams erupted.
Uwaaaaaaaaah!
Of all places, the gate had opened right above the surrendered elves.
Over a hundred elves vanished in an instant to the otherworld monsters’ attacks and predation, and the survivors scattered in all directions, screaming despite their exhaustion.
Pandemonium!
But even as the massacre began, the imperial knights surrounding the area made no move.
“......”
“......”
“......”
No one could accept what was happening before their eyes.
Is this a dream?
What the hell is going on?
Is what I’m seeing really reality?
“This is reality.”
Muttering to myself where no one could hear, I moved on pure autopilot.
Gates flip my switch.
First, to the Bomb Mine twitching with craters all over its body—I unleashed Triple Magic: Ice of Tempest.
Kwaaahdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdduk!
The pitch-black Bomb Mine, frozen solid, glared at me with rigid eyes.
Bomb Mine.
Priority one elimination target on the battlefield. Weak to cold. Double Magic Ice of Tempest will take it down.
But why Triple Magic?
This one’s different from the usual Bomb Mine.
It shouldn’t have a face, but one distorted face has sprouted. Unknown cause, but possibly higher stats.
“Lukkar!”
Kwaang!
The summoned rock spirit’s strike shattered the frozen Bomb Mine.
But the fragments of that face looked strangely familiar.
Trombone? Arch Wizard Trombone?
“Thanks...”
The crumbling face muttered something, but that wasn’t important right now. I can’t let emotions sway me. Gotta eliminate the next target fast. Ignore the distractions.
Next, the Chimera.
Priority one monster elimination. Drop to two if there are allies nearby to protect.
No particular weakness. Reacts to magic with a sound barrier that blocks Tempest.
Best: Wind spirit Silence + Chaos Elixir combo.
But I don’t have either. No good.
Next best: Spear of Lightning into its back, then Lightning of Tempest from above.
But no Spear of Lightning. No good.
Last resort: Overwhelming firepower to break the sound barrier...
“Ignis!”
Fwoosh!
The summoned Queen of Fire hurled fireballs from both hands.
“Leave it to me!”
Kuoohohohohoho!
At the same time, the Chimera’s numerous heads resonated with sound, blocking the fireballs.
That’s the sound barrier.
But the Queen of Fire didn’t stop. Like a snowball fight, she kept hurling Tempest-grade fireballs endlessly.
Throwing, throwing, and throwing some more.
Like a snowball fight.
Finally, the sound barrier shattered, and the Chimera melted away in agony amid the scorching flames.
But in that same instant, I was flung back by something.
“Urk!”
A body slam from the black-winged demon.
I’d put up two Shields of Light beforehand... It smashed through both in one hit, pierced the wind wall I’d layered behind, and slammed into me.
What kind of monster is this?
The switch making me move on autopilot flicked off, and my mind snapped back.
Whoa! I almost died for real just now!
If I hadn’t pre-accelerated in the opposite direction at the last second, what then?
This is a Corruption Lord.
In the ninth regression, I couldn’t take down a single one by the end. I’d comforted myself that it was because it was the very last, with almost no strength left...
Was that true?
Only one way to find out.
“...!”
First, Reverse Gravity on the pursuing flyer.
Wooong!
I sent it soaring high—not natural fall (it has wings)—then hit it with Reverse Gravity again to slam it into the ground.
“Lukkar!”
For this freakishly tough thing that wouldn’t even scratch from a direct drop, I’d positioned the rock spirit at the crash site beforehand.
Kwaduk!
Just before impact, it slashed the rock spirit with long claws, so I fed it Double Wind of Tempest.
Whiiiiiing!
The decompressed wind formed a barrier with the sharp shards of the shattered Lukkar, trapping the enemy temporarily.
“Queen! Dump everything you’ve got left into that!”
“Everything? Sounds fun.”
The Queen of Fire who’d just roasted the Chimera spun like she was dancing and unleashed a barrage of Tempest-grade fireballs at the wind barrier.
A hell of fire and wind.
Scorching flames flowed like waves along the wind currents, enveloping the Corruption Lord.
Add the flaming shards from the wrecked Lukkar courtesy of Ignis, turning them into blazing stone blades that shredded the Corruption Lord.
Perfect. Proof complete.
Its durability and magic resistance were insane—the Corruption Lord in the ninth regression was a true nightmare.
But how about now? Taste my special whirlwind cocktail, made just for you?
“Pretty electrifying, right?”
Kyaaaaak!
With a final screech, the Corruption Lord’s form shredding inside the barrier dispersed like smoke.
Shape-shifting.
That’s how it evades critical moments.
Without that, I’d have gotten a kill in the ninth regression.
But where’d it go?
It can’t last long like that. It’ll reappear nearby soon...
The problem is shape-shifting fools life detection magic, so I have to spot it with my eyes.
“......”
In that moment, I saw hazy energy leaking from the left side of the whirlwind.
“There you are!”
One blast of Flame Tempest at the gathering energy.
Fwooooosh!
But the scorching flames merely swirled through empty air.
A feint?
Even amid that, it sent some smoke the opposite way to fool my eyes? What kind of monster are you? Well, obviously not human.
At the same instant, it revealed itself on the right side of the whirlwind, coiling to charge.
“...Got you.”
As if I’d known all along.
The Queen of Fire, waiting there in advance, snatched the Corruption Lord’s nape barehanded.
“A new creature to me. So pitiful in appearance.”
Pitiful? That monster?
Sure, it was torn up and charred all over... but the Queen smiled and pulled the thrashing Corruption Lord straight into her embrace.
Then she became a pillar of fire herself.
Fwooooosh!
Her body erupting in flames as a fire pillar, she refused to let go of the convulsing Corruption Lord.
Whoa, seriously. This must be that fiery embrace.
The intense hug lasted exactly five seconds. The Queen tossed the charred corpse heap onto the ground and turned her gaze to me.
“Why that look, contractor? Jealous? Want me to hold you too?”
“...I’ll pass. Just surprised to see a technique like that for the first time.”
“How long since we met, and you say that? I still have endless secrets you don’t know.”
She struck a pose emphasizing her hips, running her hands down her body. Whoa, hot. The heat from sending off that Corruption Lord is radiating all the way here.
“So we should make time for communion often. See you next time.”
Then she blurred out of sight, becoming a small flame and vanishing.
“She’s different, alright.”
The Queen of Fire acts so much differently now.
Does the contract method affect that?
Before, she’d just hurl fireballs until her power ran out. Immensely helpful, sure... but this time, she used techniques I didn’t know—automatically, without special instructions?