Chương 247: Chapter 29: “Feast of Puppets”

"Yu. Sorry. Sorry...!"

"My bad. My body... won't listen to me." Inea and Argus are staring at me painfully. Vitterweitz. You. Just how far will you...! No time was given to be bewildered. Moved against her will, Inea jumps at me and swings her Qi Sword. I quickly drew my Qi Sword and received her sword from the front. Heavy. I thought there was a difference in ability... but it feels like going back to when we first fought. He said "special make". If he strengthened them this unreasonably...

The figures of soldiers whose skin festered uglily and died like disposable goods float in my mind whether I like it or not. The enemy is not alone. Without a moment's delay, Bassania slashes from behind. Timing it with his swing, I land a back kick. The blade and leg collide, returning a dull impact. Suddenly, my body became heavy. Gravity Magic? Bad if left alone. I immediately use Anti-Gravity Magic. Tracing the source of Magic Power.

The one casting magic from a slightly distant range was Argus, who specializes in this magic. When the weight disappeared from my body, Inea and Bassania took distance simultaneously. What do they intend to do. Feeling danger, I jump sideways instantly. A lightning strike passed through just in the nick of time. There was no time to visually confirm Egliff who must have fired it. Before I knew it, I was pincer-attacked by Inea and Bassania again. The two unleash swords from left and right at the same timing.

Perfect coordination. Worthy of being controlled by him alone. I create a Qi Sword in my right hand too, receiving the attacks with dual swords. Qi Swords scatter sparks. Inevitably, my movement was stopped. There, a fireball as huge as a meteorite falls from above. That is Argus's—. Inea and Bassania don't leave. Does he intend to burn them to death along with me! Unlike Bassania who has turned into a hollow puppet, Inea still clearly retained her consciousness. Our eyes met.

"It's fine. Don't worry about me!" I can't return words. Before that, my body moved. Maintaining the posture of holding the sword, I forcibly kick Inea away. Bassania is... no good. I have no leeway to save this guy. Glaring at the approaching fireball, I cast 《Tilaura》 and solidify defense with full power. Terrifying heat and weight attacked. Hot. Stop breathing. The pressure of the sword disappears. The country's best warrior turned into cinders.

It might have been fortunate that he didn't have proper consciousness. I can't see the surroundings due to fire, but if I stay here, I'll take a follow-up attack. I must escape before the protection runs out. Kicking the ground, I escape the magic's attack range in one step. The moment I jumped out of the fire, numerous blades of darkness passed right by me. A close call—.

"Stop it!" I turn to the direction where the voice suddenly came from. Inea was already swinging her sword down. Can't dodge. I have no choice but to receive it in this posture. Spinning my body with Wind Magic, I add rotational momentum. At the very last moment the sword tip tore my flesh, my left Qi Sword barely shaved off the power of Inea's Qi Sword. My forehead was cut, and lukewarm blood drips down. Dripping into my breathless mouth, an unpleasant taste sticks to my tongue.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"I saved you. How cruel."

"U, a... Why, is this happening!" —Someday. I thought something like this might happen. That's why I tried to avoid getting involved more than necessary. I was naive. Is this the retribution for not being thorough! Continuing the sword locking. While regulating my breathing, I send a thought to him. No matter how skilled, one is down, only three left. Compared to the all-out attack of the army and Dragons earlier, it wasn't much anymore. Above all. 『Vitterweitz. Stop the useless things.

With these guys, you can't beat me anymore. 』 『I wonder about that. Try killing them. 』 Damn. I know. He sees through that I'm hesitating. It's impossible to prolong the sword locking any further. Magic is coming again. Do I have no choice but to do it. Pulling back power, I parry Inea's sword. Setting Egliff as the target for now, I accelerate at once with Space-Time Magic. To my movement that suddenly became fast, his reaction, who must be 'spectating' from afar, was delayed by a fraction.

Egliff controlled by him responds with Lightning Magic. Seeing through that attack and dodging with minimal movement, I stepped into close range. Pressing my hand against his abdomen. Sorry. I apologized in my heart.

"《Qi Severing Palm》" One-hit kill. The shock destroys the internal organs to shreds. Spewing blood from every part of his body, he became a silent corpse. 『Two left. Kukkukku. 』 『What's so funny. Why don't you come out already. 』 『Yeah. I'll come out as you wish. If you kill the remaining two, that is. 』 Two left. The battle became easier. But the problem was from here on. Argus in front, Inea in the back. What to do. How can I break this situation. Save the two. Think.

However, I couldn't find such a convenient solution at all. Just as he planned, the situation is stalemated. He is enjoying that I can't make a move. When I launched a mere formal attack while lost. Suddenly, Inea's movement stops dead.

"Ugh...!" Hurriedly pulling back my sword, I withdraw. I almost beheaded her. 『What. Even though she offered her neck to make it easy to kill. 』 Y-You...!

"Enough...! Kill me...! Kill me!"

"Me too. I don't think my life is precious! Before I do anything more, stop me...!"

"Don't say it. Such a request... I don't want to hear it!" I've had enough. Enough of killing people I know with these hands! Damn. Damn! Why. I've been trying to recast [Domination] many times since a while ago. Is the original stronger? No effect at all! For the umpteenth time, Inea's sword injured my skin shallowly. 『Hey, hey. What's wrong, brat. Your movements lack brilliance quite a bit. 』 Shut up. Scumbag.

"Haa... haa..." At this rate, my stamina will run out first eventually. If I'm killed, it's the same in the end. There is no way this guy will return these two safely. What should I do. What should I do. 『... Hmph. It seems you are more naive than I thought. Quite a letdown. 』 It was an overly cold tone. I felt a chilling premonition. 『Hey. 』 『Enough. I'm bored. 』 —The light of reason vanished from Inea and Argus's eyes. 『Hey. What... 』 『You see. I could have disposed of someone like you easily from the beginning.

』 Such rubbish— 『Why do you think I didn't? Because it's boring. 』 The moment those words ended, Inea had disappeared from in front of me.

"Wha!?" Before I knew it. She had gone behind my back and grappled my shoulders. What brute strength. I'm locked firmly and can't tear her off! To me struggling desperately, his sneering voice echoed gangan in my head. In front of me, I feel a rapid rise in energy. At its abnormal density, I even felt fear. At the source position, Argus is—.

"Ah, ah..." An abnormality was happening to him. From his fingertips, his flesh is melting away visibly. His tight muscular body took on a strange redness, and began to swell bubbling from the surface. To the figure of a person changing hideously, to his familiar figure. I felt like something inside me was breaking together. I didn't want to believe it. The scene in front of me. I wanted to think it was a lie. 『Convert all Mana filling the body into energy. 』 Stop. 『Then what happens? 』 Stop!

I don't want to hear any more! 『A Human Bomb is ready. Power comparable to a nuclear weapon. 』 Finally, even his face swells up uglily. The body discolored, turning into a grotesque green mixed with red flesh. Argus is turning into a "monster" that is not human...! 『At this distance. There is no way to defend. 』 『Stop it! Don't do this to him anymore! 』 『Do you think I'll listen? 』 Close to my ear, I heard a sound like bubbles popping.

"I-Inea...!?" Her proud blond hair burnt and festered, a roundly swollen face. Eyes that had fallen out and become hollow were peering at me gyorori.

"U, a, a...!" Such a thing...! These guys, always. To me. Yet, this, this...! Can't move! The more I struggle, the more Inea emitting immense heat digs into my body, scorching this flesh. 『You! You...! I won't forgive you! I'll kill! I'll kill you! 』 Damn! Damn it! 『See ya. Brat. 』 Green light overflows from inside Argus. It began to spread with explosive momentum—.

"Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh!"! —Sound disappears from the world. Wind disappears. I had activated Time Stop Magic. It was a trump card I "ended up using" frantically. Since the restraint is gone, I escape with brute force. At the same time, her arm, which had been melting, was torn off. Thus, I was forced to face it directly.

"What used to be" Inea and Argus. Lumps of green flesh and blood swollen spherically. Lumps of energy. Inescapable reality was there.

"A, a... uagh...!" Unable to bear it, I leaked a short groan. Again. Why does it happen like this. Hesitation produced the worst result. It just ended up making them suffer more and letting them die. That time, I could do it, couldn't I? I could kill, couldn't I? I just had to do the same thing again. It was just that. 『Inea, Argus... I'm sorry. 』 I—couldn't save you. No time. I can keep it stopped with this magic for only a few seconds. If I leave it like this, Sacris will be blown away along with me. Only that.

I use Gravity Magic toward the two. Far up in the sky—surely outside the range where the explosion would reach Sacris, I repelled them. While feeling a chill at myself who could do it calmly.

"Goodbye." With an unbearable feeling, I tried to release Time Stop. At that moment.

"Hoh—you can use Time Stop." The moment I realized with a start, I received a tremendous impact. The sound of violently slamming into the ground. It was after dull pain attacked my whole body without gaps that I recognized it was myself who created that sound.

"A, a, gu...!"

"Here. I came out as promised." I hear his voice. Where!?

"What's wrong. Your enemy is here, you know?" Looking up, there was his figure looking down at me at a slightly distant position.

"Ga, gaa...!" Damn it! Move! Move! Contrary to my will, my body doesn't keep up at all. Every bone in my body seems to be broken. Just one blow and this. The difference in ability is too much. This is no different from before!

"Hahahaha! Didn't I tell you! It won't be a fight between me and you!" Vitterweitz! You, you...! Like hell I'll forgive you. With these hands...! Clenching my teeth, I glare up at him. Trying to thrust my arm with obsession. He was mocking such me.

"Actually, I can use it too. You see."

"What, are, you...!"

"Since we're at it. Let me teach you, you who don't know your place. The power of further [Domination]. The difference in rank." And he said.

"《Space-Time Ruler》"