Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Liliana
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"A strange being... Your appearance is similar to a human's... but you can't exactly be called human... You have research value."
"Are you a witch?"
"Witch? Such rude fools... Call me Lady Liliana."
She said with an arrogant expression.
"Ahem, I'm sorry for barging into your home uninvited."
We had trespassed, so I apologized first.
Above all, since she was pretty, my words came out softer.
"Too late for that now."
"Where are the women who came in with me?"
"Your elf companions? Of course, they're captured. Elves—such rare research material has come my way."
"Release them."
"Why should I?"
"If you release them, I'll leave quietly."
This space made it impossible to probe her magic circles or anything.
With hostages taken...
I tried negotiating for now.
"How absurd... You should be begging on your knees, yet you make such bold demands... I wonder where your confidence comes from. Are you in any position to say that?"
Liliana said with a look of disbelief.
"Didn't I apologize? I think it's too harsh for unauthorized entry."
"Hmph. You should have heeded the warning. You and the elves will both serve my research."
"No choice then. I'll spank that butt of yours until you tell me where they are!"
"How dare you threaten to spank me? You'll be licking my shoes clean. And then serve as my chair."
Rather good...
A man has pride—even being sat on by a beauty doesn't make him a chair.
I kicked off the ground and charged to spank her.
"Fool. This is my domain. Here, I am like a god."
Liliana folded her parasol and stomped the floor.
Then, bizarre black monster-like things endlessly rose from the ground, blocking the path between her and me.
Their forms varied.
From four-legged beasts to hulking humanoid monsters.
The monsters rushed at me en masse.
The monster blocking my path was crushed by my giant hammer.
The monsters struck by the hammer scattered into black particles.
'Not illusions?'
The monsters were strong, but weak compared to my abilities. They shattered under the massive hammer, their wild punches and kicks no match.
No matter how many, they couldn't block me.
I smashed through the monsters rapidly, charging toward Liliana.
Judging the distance right, I stepped on a monster's head and leaped.
I soared over the monsters toward her.
"Gravity."
With her incantation, I felt a powerful force pulling me down from midair.
I landed steadily, using the momentum to lunge at the witch again.
Gravity still pressed down, but it didn't hinder me much.
"...Brute."
The witch vanished after those words, reappearing far away.
'Damn... teleportation...'
Cheat magic.
...No helping it.
I mindlessly chased her again.
She stomped the floor with her parasol once more, and monsters rose like a tidal wave to overwhelm me.
The monsters colliding with me flew off like bowling pins.
"Like an angry bull."
Before I reached Liliana, she was already elsewhere.
I conjured my only ranged skill, the mana spear, and hurled it at her.
"Useless."
Liliana opened her parasol toward the incoming mana spear. The patterns etched on it glowed.
The mana spear failed to reach her, blocked by a translucent barrier before the parasol.
'Shit...'
I'm about to get dog-trained.
I chased Liliana, smashing the monsters in my way.
She endlessly summoned monsters and escaped via teleportation.
"Your brute strength is at least impressive..."
She uttered words that could be praise or mockery.
'Fucking mage.'
Even I, a magic layman, could tell her spells were all high-tier.
She should be tiring after this, yet showed no signs.
"Are you waiting for me to tire out?"
"..."
"Fool. Didn't I say I'm like a god here? My mana is infinite. You're doing something pointless."
"Cut the crap. If you're a god, kill me with a flick of your finger."
"..."
And infinite mana...
Nothing in the world is infinite.
Even the sun burning in the universe is finite.
Its lifespan is just... long...
Her words mixed bravado, but they indicated she still had plenty of leeway.
No choice at this point.
I gave up catching her.
Even a fool could tell this space was the issue.
I'd roughly figured the space's weakness.
The floor.
'Is that the weak point?'
Not sure if it was, but when I struck the floor, the witch appeared.
It was the only place I could damage this space.
'But first, something to check.'
I opened the door to the Hero's Sanctuary and slipped inside.
The scenery turned pure white in an instant.
I stood on a small white star.
I felt my depleted mana recovering rapidly.
'The Hero's Sanctuary's mana recovery seems faster than outside...'
It felt like discovering a new feature of the sanctuary.
"I'll head out in one hour."
I spent about an hour in the Hero's Sanctuary before exiting.
I looked around.
Monsters still charging at me.
Liliana standing in the same spot.
'Almost no time has passed.'
The Hero's Sanctuary flows at the same time as my world.
But not here.
This space had completely different time control from the outside world.
"Wh-what was that just now?"
"What."
"Your presence vanished for a moment."
"Must be your imagination."
"I don't imagine things. What did you do?"
"Even if something happened, do you think I'd tell you? Me, the clever Lady Liliana?"
"...You're truly an intriguing research subject. That just now, and all your secrets... I won't stop until I capture you and pry your mouth open."
Having confirmed the time discrepancy between spaces, I had no qualms.
I changed plans, emitting mana to gigantify my body.
"Brutely inflating mana for gigantification... An absurd mana pool. I admit your mana quality is unique, but it's a wasteful use of power."
I kicked away the small monsters charging me and slammed my fist into the floor.
I planned to break the floor with gigantification.
"Trying to damage the space by striking the floor? Not brainless. But it'll take you ages to destroy it. And you think I'll just watch?"
As her words ended, a black giant matching my size rose from the floor.
It charged at me as I struck the floor.
My plan to smash the floor in giant form was disrupted by its tackle.
'Damn. She can make big ones too...'
A giant brawl ensued.
But the giant Liliana made shattered instantly under my fist.
It was laughably inferior to me.
Giants sprouted around like bean sprouts.
Gigantification made floor-smashing tricky.
It would take more time than expected.
"You wanna go? Let's go all the way?!"
"Oh... Your spirit appeals to me. I like you. Decent build, sturdy-looking. Surrender, and I'll make you gatekeeper of the mansion."
From chair to gatekeeper—a status upgrade.
Not satisfied, of course.
Lover maybe, but not servant.
"I'm no servant!"
Fighting Liliana, I first realized I could maintain gigantification this long.
'Never used this much power before...'
It felt like over half a day had passed.
In that time, I'd occasionally struck the floor and smashed her giants.
"Liliana, you smell like sweat."
"Hmph! Nonsense. I'm fine. You're the tired one."
First prolonged fight like this, so I was a bit fatigued.
Couldn't show weakness, though.
"I can fight another hundred years."
"Such bravado."
Not bravado—truth.
I released giant form.
"Hm... Given up now? I admit it. You fought better than expected. How about my bodyguard?"
Another status upgrade.
Not satisfied.
"Now I won't hold back. Let's see how long you can keep that up."
"What?"
I warned Liliana and entered the Hero's Sanctuary.
Knowing time barely passed here, I had no worries. No idea how long it'd take, but I'd win eventually.
Cheating? Victory is victory.
Plus, she didn't know, so not cheating.
No need to struggle.
"Time for a nap first."
In the Hero's Sanctuary, I pulled a bed from my inventory, laid it on the floor, and lay down.
I fell into a deep sleep.