Chapter 13: The Secret Battle
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"…Nice, there it is."
As I was rummaging through the box, I found a cylindrical object made of metal similar to steel and muttered.
"…Didn't they say that consuming this will restore my life force?"
According to the words of my ancestors mentioned in the prophetic book, the identity of this cylindrical object, one of the items contained as an Easter egg in the box, is a 'Caffeinated Beverage', is a preferred herbal drink of the 'Developers' who created this world.
In the game, it is said if you drink this beverage, you will continuously replenish some life force over a duration of a few minutes. If this beverage is combined with my ⟦Blessing of the Stars⟧ which maximizes the recovery of life force, I'll probably be able to endure this chaotic situation to some extent.
'…By the way, the ⟦Blessing of the Stars⟧ isn't all that great once you reach your limit.'
As the successor to my ancestor, who was the Star Hero, I can also use the ⟦Hero's Power⟧ and ⟦Blessing of the Stars⟧ just like my ancestor.
The ⟦Hero's Power⟧ is a skill that uses life force as a fuel, allowing me to burn my life force to generate explosive power against my opponent.
And when the life force depletes, the ⟦Blessing of the Stars⟧ is automatically triggered and it quickly replenishes the depleted life force.
Looking at it this way, it appears to be a fraudulent skill that allows the use of a powerful technique without any risk, but it's not the case at all.
There is no harm in using it once or twice. However, if you abuse this ability all the time, you will exhaust your body, and as a result, your life span will be reduced.
It is a natural phenomenon since you forcibly burn your life force. When life force is reduced, you need to take rest, absorb mana and slowly recover the depleted life force,
Of course, I'm already in a situation where I have overstrained my body by forcefully transferring my life force to Kania. Perhaps because of this, I can't properly exert my strength and my life span is considerably reduced.
Well, it doesn't really matter, since I'm destined to perish along with the Demon King.
"…Ugh, what's this?"
After I slit the bottle with a knife and took a sip, I frowned as I tasted the bitter flavor of the beverage.
As such, I reaffirmed my vow that I would definitely get the ⟬Stone of Domination⟭. I forcibly chugged the drink down my throat as my body started to heat up, I felt rejuvenated.
"…Phew, that's better."
After confirming that my body, which was severely wounded in the battle against the Succubus Queen, on top of infusing life force into Kania earlier in the morning, recovered to some extent, I immediately drove away the darkness which engulfed the whole auction house and forged ahead.
– Swish…
Then, as soon as I was detected as a person with his consciousness intact, the dark mana tried to attack me, but I waved it away with my hand as if I was swatting a fly.
The reason I can dispel such a dark mana that can make any ordinary person faint the moment they came in contact with it is because I have ❰Stellar Mana❱.
The ❰Stellar Mana❱ that has been inherited from the previous Hero by the direct lineage of the Starlight family, has ⟦Property of Light⟧ similar to ❰Solar Mana❱ inherited by the Imperial lineage, the ❰Lunar Mana❱ possessed by the Moonlight family to which my fiancée belongs to, and the ❰Holy Power❱ used by the Saintess of the Sun God.
Therefore, these four mana, which protects as well as represents the Sunrise Empire, are overwhelmingly effective in driving away the vicious dark mana.
"Hah!!"
As Clana stretched her hand towards the ceiling and unleashed her mana, she glowed with a dazzling and radiating aura, which effectively swept the dark mana surrounding her.
The ❰Solar Mana❱ used by the Princess burns the enemy with a radiating destructive force. However, it's so powerful that there is a risk of the caster being injured, and there are times when it fails to differentiate between a friend or foe.
"…Lord Sun God, give strength to this humble lamb."
As Ferloche closes her eyes and prays, she radiates with a pure white aura which dispels the darkness surrounding her.
The holy power used by the Saintess is specialized for bestowing blessing upon those who desire it, healing wounds and casting out dark mana. Therefore, her power is no less than a natural nemesis to black magic.
"..Aughh."
Meanwhile, Kania's ❰Black Magic❱, which is quietly approaching the ⟬Stone of Domination⟭ while fluctuating, is the power the Sunrise Empire is most wary of.
The Sunrise Empire worships the radiant light, as it is evident from the sun symbolizing the Imperial Family, the moon symbolizing the Ducal family of Moonlight, a meritorious retainer serving since the establishment of the Empire, and the stars symbolizing the Ducal family of Starlight, also a distinguished family serving the Empire since its founding.
However, since black magic symbolizes darkness, which can dye anything to its own color, the Sunrise Empire has no choice but to firmly oppose such black magic.
"…Great, I got it."
As I watched the heroines ardently wade through the darkness, I immediately grabbed the ⟬Stone of Domination⟭ and smiled in satisfaction.
Since I had a head start, of course, I would reach it first. This is a fact that even a fool knows.
'…But, why didn't the Demon King's force attack yet?'
For some reason, the fact that the Demon King's force didn't launch a raid is a little concerning. Could it be Kania's black magic caused a variable, and as a result, they gave up on the raid?
Or, did something change because I killed the Succubus Queen?
'…No, that's not important right now. I need to take this ⟬Stone of Domination⟭ and get out of here quickly before the heroines get to this place…'
– Bam!!
"…..Argh!!"
Soon afterwards with the ⟬Stone of Domination⟭ in my hand, I flew with a bang when I got kicked by the Imperial Princess, who was airborne using the solar mana concentrated on her legs as propulsion to take flight.
"…You, what's your identity?"
"…Ugh."
"Answer me, right now."
After I flew away, I slumped when I collided with the wall. A moment later, The Princess approached me and spoke coldly.
[Stats]
Name: Clana Solar Sunrise
Strength: 7
Mana: 7
Intelligence: 7
Mental Strength: 8.1
Passive Status: Blessing of the Sun/Monarch's Aura
Disposition: Sovereign
"…Surely you're an entity that isn't supposed to be in the scenario, so why did you appear here?"
"..."
"If you don't speak, I will have no choice but to inflict pain on you, Mr. Irregular."
I was momentarily using my ⟦Inspect⟧ skill to gauge her combat capabilities, but then the Imperial Princess gathered solar mana at the tip of her finger and aimed at me.
"…Where shall I shoot the first shot? Arms? Legs? Eyes? Wherever it hits, I'm sure the pain would be quite horrible, wouldn't it? So, hurry up and open your mouth."
After staring at her for a moment, I concentrated my stellar mana around my throat and distorted my voice as much as possible and said.
"…down."
"Huh?"
"…Look down."
At those words, the princess looked at her own lower body with a stupefied expression on her face, and soon froze.
It was because she had concentrated the powerful Solar mana on her legs, the fabrics covering her lower body had disappeared.
Even her underwear. (TL note: Bruh…)
"…Kyaaa!?"
The Imperial Princess, who was looking down in a daze for a while, soon screamed and plopped down, covering her lower half with her hands. I didn't miss this opportunity, as I promptly got up and dashed for the exit.
"W-Wait! Wait, Stop!!"
Soon after, the Imperial Princess started shooting at me with bullets imbued with solar mana from her fingers.
"…Heup!"
While dodging her onslaught, I drew my sword and deflected her attacks towards the Saintess, who was blocking my path in front of me.
– Thump!!
A colossal white shield appeared in front of the Saintess, and the Princess' attack that collided with the shield disappeared with a rumble.
"…It's useless. All attacks are powerless in front of me."
When the Saintess said so with her hands held together in prayer, I was getting surrounded by white shields which appeared all around me.
"…You're trapped. Give up."
As the shields filled my field of vision without an inch of gap, the Saintess raised her hand with a triumphant smile.
"Divine Sun God, lend your strength to this lowly being, and help me vanquish the evil before me."
Before long, the Saintess recited her special chant.
"May these holy waves wash away your sins."
It's the Grand Purification Ceremony that obliterates all evil and is a counter to all evil beings except for the Demon King, who is an otherworldly existence.
– Swish!
The Saintess offered a prayer as she watched me properly greet the dazzling radiant waves of light that poured down upon me.
"Demon King's servant. May you repent your sins in hell and live a life of atonement."
"…I'm the Demon King's servant?"
"…Huh?"
The Saintess looked stupefied when I concentrated the stellar mana on my neck and responded to her bluntly.
"Ho-How come Demon King's servant… is fine even after confronting my powers?"
"...…"
I answered her question inwardly, because no matter how much stellar mana I used, if I continued to speak, I could strain my throat or my original voice might leak out.
'…How can a purification spell cleanse me when, in reality, I'm the Hero and not a servant of the Demon King?'
Her fatal spell obliterates only evil existences, not righteous and good ones. Therefore, only my vision was temporarily obscured when my eyes were stabbed by the flash of the radiant light.
Of course, that's not even a big deal, since now that the entire auction house is immersed in darkness because of Kania's spell, the Main Heroines can't see properly what's in front of them.
– Kaching!
As I frowned and swung my sword with force, the shields surrounding me shattered all at once.
The Saintess, who stared at the scene in a daze, opened her mouth with a smile.
"I see. This is an ordeal."
"...?"
"The ordeal bestowed upon me, who once doubted the existence of the Sun God, to overcome this adversity with my own strength."
"....."
"Both the Grand Purification Ceremony and the fact that the unbreakable shield was shattered are also his deep intentions to develop my own strength instead of blindly relying on my abilities."
'The shields were shattered because I'm that strong…'
I wanted to deny her allegations as ramblings of a lunatic, but I decided to remain silent, afraid my voice would leak out. A moment later, the Saintess raised her fist and valiantly declared.
"Then, c'mon. Servant of the Demon King."
I don't know why, but when I saw the Saintess in a ridiculous battle stance calling me the Demon King's servant, I burst out laughing and tried to ask her why in the world would I be a servant of the Demon King…
"May the Blessing of the Sun God be with me." (TL note: Bruh..)
Soon after, when I recalled the fact that she has ⟦Blessing of the Sun God⟧, I made a run for it.
'…Crazy bitch. You said you would fight with your own strength? But isn't the Blessing of the Sun God gained from the Sun God after all?'
"Don't run away!"
Eventually, Saintess chased after me when I made a run for it. I pushed myself harder to speed up, not wanting to die in such a place.
"…Stop! Irregular!"
But this time, the Imperial Princess blocked my way.
"…That?"
"D-Don't look down!"
The Imperial Princess, who made simple luminous trousers by gathering the solar mana to her legs and vital parts, began approaching me, exuding a golden aura from her hands.
"…Damn it."
I broke out in a cold sweat when I realized I was caught in a pincer attack between the Imperial Princess wearing luminous trousers in the front and the Saintess, who could tear me apart to death at a moment's notice in the rear…
"…Huh?"
"Eh!?"
Suddenly, the two women screamed as they examined themselves.
"Wh-What? Why is my solar mana…"
"M-My holy power…? Why…"
"…..?"
As I absent-mindedly watched these two women stretch out their hands and swathe their bodies in maximum power, I froze in shock at the voice from behind.
"…Frey Raon Starlight, what the hell are you doing here?"
"…Huh?"
Because the eccentric collector I was competing with earlier whispered my name in my ear. Soon afterwards, I turned around to question his identity.
"…W-Who!?"
"It's me. Eucarious, subordinate of Your Majesty, the Demon King."
"…Ah."
The moment I heard his introduction, I immediately knelt down on the spot to offer my greetings.
"Frey Raon Starlight greets the esteemed Demon King's subordinate, Eucarius the Great Demon."
"…Haha, the Great Demon? That's an exaggeration. Don't flatter me too much."
"But, isn't Lord Eucarious the right person to be the next Executive?"
"Hmmmm, it seems you're even more well versed in the art of flattery than the demons of Hell, don't you think?"
I used my ⟦Inspect⟧ skill while I was buttering up the demon, who suddenly took off his mask and revealed his dignified face.
[Stats]
Name: Eucarius
Strength: 2
Mana: 8.5
Intelligence: 7
Mental Strength: 8
Passive Status: Transformed State/Mind Control
Disposition: Con Artist
He is one of the members of the Demon King's inner circle and is proficient in mind manipulation and hypnosis magic. He is also the relay connecting me to the Demon King's side, as I pretended to be in a cooperative relationship with the Demon King since long ago. By the way, why is this guy here?
"…Lord Eucarious, what brings you here?"
"That's right… I've been ordered to investigate what happened in the back alley."
"…Investigation?"
"Yes, apparently, the Succubus Queen has been killed."
"...!"
When I turned my gaze away, Eucarius tapped my shoulder and continued speaking enthusiastically.
"Don't worry! The Demon King's army won't collapse just because she is dead! And the force that was originally planning to raid this place is investigating the place where she died… The culprit will be identified soon!"
"Ah… that's fortunate… haha…"
"By the way, why are you here?"
"…Yes?"
Eucarius suddenly tightened his grip around my shoulder and opened his mouth while tilting his head.
"…And you were even forcing yourself to purchase the ⟬Stone of Domination⟭ that is going to be offered to the Demon King?"
"Ah, that's…"
"It was quite a refreshing experience to be called a 'Newbie' by a newbie like you. I'm really grateful to you for giving me such an experience."
"…I-I apologize!"
I opened my mouth as I hastily knelt in front of him, who had his eyebrows scrunched up.
"Actually, I recently got information about the ⟬Stone of Domination⟭ from the Intelligence Guild…!"
"… Isn't that the information that no one besides the Demon King knows?"
"However, the information I received from the Intelligence Guild matches with what Lord Eucarious explained to me a while back! Did you know they claimed that it will be put up for auction today."
"…And?"
"Well, that's why I bought it with my own money and was going to present it to the Demon King. I never imagined that my competitor would be Lord Eucarious!"
Hearing my impassioned words, Eucarius stared deep into my eyes and asked a question again.
"…You couldn't see through my illusion?"
"…But isn't Lord Eucarious a master in the art of disguise? Really, I was inadvertently fooled!"
"…Hmm, yes, indeed. That's right."
After momentarily fiddling with his beard, Eucarius smiled and said.
"As expected, you're really good at flattery…"
"Yes, yes…"
"…That's why I like you!"
Having said that, everyone was subjected to Eucarius' hallucination of being swallowed by the darkness as a result of his mind magic. Soon after, he opened his mouth while looking briefly at Clana and Ferloche, who were swinging their arms around with all their might.
"…The Imperial Princess and the Saintess. Isn't it an intriguing combination?"
"Th-That's right…? Haha…"
"I would like to kidnap them… but if I do that, the Demon King's plans will go awry, so I'll have to endure the urge."
"…Yes."
"Why? Are you disappointed?"
"Ah, no!"
As I refuted while sweating, he opened his mouth with a smirk.
"…If you wish, I can alter the hallucination magic so that you can have them both now."
"...…"
My expression almost turned cold at his remark, but soon I spoke with a frightened look on my face.
"Well, if you do that, my life will be over!"
"Haha, indeed… They are women who will destroy your three generations if they ever find out you held them in your arms! But how can a man not have any desire?"
He giggled as he patted my back, and then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he grabbed my arms and led me somewhere.
"…So, that's why I've prepared these women who won't cause any problems, even if you hold them."
".....!"
Eventually, I arrived at a place where I found Isolet holding a sword with a vague expression on her face, and Kania kneeling before her, gasping for breath.
"…These two women suddenly attacked me, so I hypnotized the sword-wielding woman to attack that fierce warlock."
"...…"
"I was a bit preoccupied after that… but it looks like it's settled, isn't it?"
"Perhaps the magic you used on the woman holding the sword is the magic that Lord Eucarious loves to use?"
"Yeah, that's the ❰Seal of Slavery❱ magic spell you know so well. Now, as long as I don't die, that woman will be my slave forever."
Having said that, Eucarius made a covetous face and started licking his lips.
"…I hate warlocks, so you can have that warlock. If you wish, I can even stamp the seal of slavery on her."
"...…"
"Well then, I'll have some fun…"
– Schwing!
"…Keuk."
I drew my sword and cut Eucarious' head with one slash, who was approaching Isolet with a lustful expression. As the severed head rolled on the floor with a bizarre sound, I spoke in an apathetic voice.
"…Have fun watching the Succubus Queen to your heart's content in the netherworld."
When demons die, they go to the netherworld, the designated underworld of the demons, instead of their native realm 'Hell'.
'There, suffer alongside the Succubus Queen and pray that your soul can be cleansed.'
I sheathed my sword and headed towards Kania.
"…Wh-Who are you?"
"...…"
Kania, whose life will be in danger if I don't infuse life force into her immediately since she engulfed the entire auction house in darkness and also fought with Isolet, asked a question in a trembling voice as I approached her.
'… I'll have to live with depleted life force for a while.'
I reached out to her to share some of the life force I recovered earlier by drinking the beverage from the ornament box…
"…Be-Behind!"
I had no choice but to stop and turn around at her urgent cry as my expression changed to that of astonishment.
"…Kill!"
I don't know why, but Isolet, whose hypnosis still had not been undone despite the fact that I killed Eucarious, suddenly drew her sword and charged at me from behind.
"…Haa!"
In such a desperate moment, I…
"…Ugh!"
I made the choice to hug Kania, who was in front of me.
– Shluk!!
And so, while I was shielding Kania from Isolet's sword, I began infusing my life force into her with my eyes closed. Soon I felt an excruciating pain in my back and muttered inwardly.
'Dog… Shit… Game…'
I'm slowly starting to hate everything now.
You can read 505 chapters.
the fee for a certain period is $20 instead of $45. p.*atreon.com/Astrid02