Chapter 222 : Chapter 222
Chapter 222
My Aura split the indigo will-o'-the-wisp down its center.
The bisected flame blazed furiously in midair.
As if it refused to accept its own death.
— Amamamama? Amama???! Ama?!?!?!!?!
Incomprehensible screams continued to fill the space.
I drew my breathing deeper and slashed several more times.
No—before I even swung, Aura imbued with my will was already shredding the flame to pieces.
SHAAAAAA—!
The sound of air being cleaved rang out as Aura hammered the will-o'-the-wisp again and again.
The flame, once the size of a human head, was soon shattered into finger-sized fragments.
The broken shards trembled, then faded one by one.
I watched the will-o'-the-wisp vanish slowly into the air.
Clink.
At last, all the Demonic Energy dissipated and a Fantasy dropped to the floor.
About the size of a thumbnail.
Predominantly an indigo gemstone, though here and there, bloodlike crimson glints shimmered across its surface.
"The Philosopher's Stone......!"
A few of the Alchemists' eyes lit up at the sight.
"Tch. It's a Fantasy. Anyone who touches it without permission gets expelled—forget your dissertation. You want to write your doctoral thesis on that thing?"
Sihan's bark brought them to heel.
For all their talk of dethroning their advisor, none seemed confident they could actually take on a 6th-circle Alchemist.
Thanks to that, I was able to approach the Fantasy safely.
"Okay."
"Now, now~ make way, please! I need to resurrect our Bonnie right away~!"
At Berlis's urging, I quickly stepped out of the space.
She channeled dark mana into the now-empty room.
The Holy Power that had filled it moments ago was gradually pushed out.
In no time the entire room was saturated with dark mana, and soon something began to stir on the floor, slowly rising into a human shape.
It was Bonnie.
"Mm-hmm. He's fine."
Berlis inspected Bonnie's body with meticulous care.
True to her word, not a trace of parasitic contamination could be found on him.
There was no acrid demonic residue, either.
A perfect success.
"Here~ new clothes for you!"
From somewhere—who knew where—she'd even produced an upgraded tailcoat adorned with elaborate lace trim.
Bonnie, now holding the garment, fixed me with what seemed like a reproachful stare.
Nah, surely not. Must be my imagination.
"Over here."
Sihan, who'd been checking Bonnie's condition alongside us, beckoned to me.
He'd want to implant the Doppelgänger Fantasy into the World Eater Fantasy and test the results.
As I started to move, a bang-bang-bang of fists on glass rang out.
"It's gone! It's gone, I said!"
It was Blue Light.
"This goddamn thing came off!"
His eyes were bloodshot as he let out a whoop of joy.
The stress that had weighed on him must have been immense.
"Good—deal's done! Let me out of here! I don't need a year of protection anymore!"
Sihan's and my gazes brushed past him.
As he said, protection was no longer necessary.
"Wait a moment. We'll be right back."
But we needed a different kind of payment.
Blue Light let out a heh and looked at me.
"Fine. Go handle your business and hurry back. I'll give you compensation beyond your wildest imagination."
I certainly hoped so.
I followed Sihan into the research wing where the World Eater Fantasy was stored.
At the center of the lab.
The World Eater Fantasy lay quietly on the experiment table.
It looked as though the researchers had run several more experiments since my last visit.
Untidied tools were strewn about in disarray.
"Hey, clean that up."
At Sihan's word, the researchers swarmed in and cleared the area in unison.
Meanwhile, I drew my sword, sheath and all.
This blade had been procured by Rozalin when she'd visited the Imperial capital.
Made by a master smith, she'd said.
The balance was exceptional and it fit my hand perfectly—I'd never once felt discomfort using it.
It seemed just right for copying with the World Eater Fantasy.
"All set. Then...... mm. Hold on."
"Yes?"
"You can use Aura a few more times, right?"
"Two or three more, maybe...... ah."
"Then before we implant the Fantasy, could you give it a couple of swings? If the shape changes after the Fantasy's implanted and we can't reverse it, we'll have nothing left to research."
The researchers all turned to stare at me, nodding vigorously in unison.
I obligingly swung the sword a few more times.
"Ooh, minerals! Minerals!"
"Now we can burn and blow up the old samples!"
"We can run dummy tests!"
"Let's melt one!"
While the researchers made a fuss, I took a moment to catch my breath.
It felt like I'd been sprinting at full tilt.
"You okay?"
"This much is fine."
Once the researchers cleared out, I approached the now-clean experiment table.
I lifted the Doppelgänger Fantasy and brought it close to the World Eater Fantasy.
As the two drew near, they hummed and resonated as if in harmony.
"Wait."
Sihan stopped me and stared intently at the phenomenon.
Several researchers focused on the resonance occurring in that space as well.
"Ha. What an absurd set of laws."
"Can you see something?"
"I can see it, but I can't. No—I shouldn't be able to, but I think I can. This is maddening."
Sihan said only that much, then scratched his unkempt hair.
His words trailed off not because he didn't want to explain, but because he genuinely couldn't find the language.
"Enough. If I peer any further, something bad will happen. Get to work."
He said that, then strode over and chopped the researchers on the backs of their necks.
With pained grunts, the researchers who'd been peering into the demon's principles collapsed to the floor.
"You idiots. Those are wicked laws. Stare too long and that teacher over there will have to take your heads."
"B-but even if it's demonic knowledge, if it gets us to 5th-circle......"
"Then go become a lich. The pinkhaired professor will just love you for it."
While Sihan dealt with them, I placed the two Fantasies together.
'Like this?'
An instinct told me I needed to lay my sword nearby.
It was as if the Fantasy was teaching me how to use it.
I placed my sword on the experiment table alongside the others.
WOOONG—!
The resonance swelled until it shook the entire research wing.
The black flame that had once clung to Blue Light's arm began undulating and, like a slime, enveloped both the World Eater Fantasy and my sword.
'Most doppelgänger legends end with the doppelgänger devouring its target.'
Having gorged itself on the World Eater Fantasy, the Doppelgänger Fantasy squelched and writhed like clay.
Whether it was the translucent membrane rippling, or actual work being done inside—
The World Eater Fantasy, which had seemed so unyielding and hard, began to warp and reshape.
"Oh, ohhh!"
Exclamations erupted from the graduate students.
The World Eater Fantasy lost its eerie, bewitching glow and gradually transformed into a sword of exquisite, delicate luster.
And about five minutes later.
"......Is this real?"
Where the World Eater Fantasy had been, a single sword now rested.
I re-sheathed my original blade at my hip, then picked up the new sword that had been the World Eater Fantasy.
The moment my hand closed around it, a weighty yet beguiling energy flowed from the tips of my fingers.
It felt like gripping a shard of cold ice.
"Hey, test it!"
The instant Sihan spoke, a researcher brought over a mineral roughly the size of a person.
Under the light, it threw off prismatic, rainbow-colored reflections.
"That's Iron Eater mineral. Try cutting it."
They must have stockpiled it from the Belmein Kingdom's capital.
Sihan had been the one who handled the Iron Eater Fantasy back then.
Storing a portion of the mineral would've been trivial for him.
"This mineral alone boasts a hardness that puts most ores to shame. It's comparable to Orichalcum."
Listening to Sihan's explanation, I raised the sword.
Why was it—
The sword in my hand seemed to whisper to me.
A mineral of that caliber.
Is absolutely.
No.
Problem.
'Am I losing my mind?'
In ancient legends, there existed swords that possessed souls.
They were called Ego Swords.
Ancient knights, curious fairies, dragons sealed within blades.
Such beings spoke to their wielders and lent them power.
Those swords never ended well, though.
Would you be the same?
WOOONG—!
The sword answered as if to say don't worry, perfectly channeling my will.
"Holy shit."
An exclamation burst from Sihan, who'd been watching.
The ambient mana shuddered as if caught in a tempest.
The sword was ravenously devouring every scrap of mana in this wing—no, the entire research complex.
And yet the gathered mana felt warmer than expected.
A world of difference from the overload I'd suffered when absorbing powerful mana before.
'It's because the sword absorbs the mana faster than my body does.'
The sword was draining the excess mana before it could damage my Mana Road.
So that's what high Conductivity Rate meant.
On top of that—
'It doesn't even feel a tenth full?'
An enormous volume of mana had poured in at once, yet the sword felt as though it could accept infinitely more.
I raised my Sword Intent and unleashed Aura.
SHAAAAAA.
A spine-tingling sound ran through the air.
The released Aura crawled through the air like a living thing, slicing as it went.
Then, in an instant, it cleaved the mineral.
"......Wow."
Was "cleaved" even the right word?
It felt less like cutting and more like a monstrously strong creature had gripped the mineral at both ends and torn it apart.
The cross-section left by the Aura was flat and smooth, but something about it felt uncanny.
"Wait."
I moved closer and tapped the cross-section with a fingertip.
In that instant, the ore shattered into thousands of granules.
I could feel Sihan and the graduate students behind me reeling in shock.
I turned to them and asked:
"......Anyone want to take these for research?"
Every single person raised their hand without exception.
Sihan included.
***
"According to Blue Light's intelligence, that cabin in the woods is Dark Moon's base of operations."
Zelta gathered the group and began his briefing.
"Dark Moon, the head of the Dark Moon organization, is said to be skilled in interception. Fundamentally, a trained assassin."
"So there could be concealment at play."
"And she might strike with her killing intent completely suppressed."
"That's nothing."
Rozalin snorted, brimming with confidence.
No matter how skilled an assassin, they couldn't regulate their vital signs.
At the extreme, no one could move with a stopped heart.
With mana-enhanced senses, detecting all but the most exceptional assassins' concealment was child's play.
"The creature rushes toward whoever enters with the most power."
"Rozalin, as a Sword Master, takes the rear. Pan in the mid-to-rear, then the Spear God and the Duke in front of him. Hati takes the lead. That way, if the parasite makes a move, there's at least some delay in its approach, and we exploit that window. Yuria stays in the very back and watches for buff and heal timings."
Beyond that, the operation was planned in meticulous detail.
Spacing between individuals.
The student formation for the initial push to neutralize Dark Moon.
Formation placement and multiple contingency strategies for reading the target's responses.
The tactical briefing alone took an hour.
Every point mattered enormously, so everyone focused with nerves taut, determined not to miss a single detail.
"That's all."
By the time Zelta's briefing concluded, the entire force had wound their tension to its peak.
The freshmen facing their first field combat had palms slick with cold sweat.
"Don't worry too much. This big sister will take care of everything."
Rozalin thumped her chest with her fist, as if to say trust me.
"Let's go!"
At Rozalin's signal, the operation commenced.
The group advanced toward the cabin in their pre-arranged formation.
The knights at the vanguard raised shields and drew spears.
"Breach!"
With a CRASH, Aura struck the door.
Dust billowed, and students behind fired flaming arrows into the interior.
Simultaneously, other students pulled back and locked their formation against a counterattack.
The mentors who'd accompanied them all drew their weapons and raised their Aura.
"Come out......!"
If the creature emerged, they'd tear it apart in seconds.
If it emerged......
'Is it holding out?'
'It couldn't have known we were coming, could it?'
'It's not already dead, is it?'
'This is strange. Why isn't there any sign of life inside?'
If it emerged.
Ten minutes passed.
"......Huh?"
Inside the cabin, there was nothing but a corpse long reduced to bones, collapsed on the floor.
"Whaaaaaaat?"
The air seemed to deflate out of everyone at once.
"I-it must be a trap! Search! Scour every inch of the area!"
Students and soldiers scattered in groups to begin their search.
Naturally.
They found absolutely nothing.