Chapter 170
The battle unfolded in a typical manner.
Dozens of Extermination Squad Members charged at Sitri, who used the Villagers to block their advance.
Having naked Men and Women with vacant eyes, clinging to my body was quite a unique experience. Moreover, everyone was strikingly beautiful, making it feel as if I had stumbled into a real-life *Debauchery*. It was as if Sitri's Charm even affected their appearance, making it impossible not to stare. If only the women had rushed me, and not the men...
Of course, thanks to that, I was able to keep my wits about me. To be honest, I didn't really have the leisure to appreciate it.
The people inside the Village Hall were stronger than I expected. Their bodies were tough, making them harder to shake off than anticipated, and even the Villagers we had left behind were now catching up from the rear.
Time was on Sitri's side. The Extermination Squad was already short-staffed, and we couldn't possibly take on the entire Village. That's why we had no choice but to push through, even if it meant being a bit aggressive.
Which meant... cutting down the men and women in front of us.
Splat! Each time the Extermination Squad attacked, blood splattered. As they were wounded, the expressionless Men and Women in the Village Hall frowned slightly. Even though they obeyed the Demon's words without hesitation, their bodies still seemed to feel pain.
*...Tsk.*
Seeing that, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry. But there was no other way. We had to break through quickly to minimize casualties. Anyway, they probably enjoyed plenty of sex before being completely brainwashed, so it wouldn't be *too* unfair.
Still, we decided to attack non-vital areas to incapacitate them. After all, as long as the injuries weren't too severe, the Priests could heal them.
It seemed Sitri had used some trick to enhance their bodies, but even so, it was impossible for them to block powerful attacks with their bare skin.
Splat—! Splat—!
As the attacks continued, one of the Personnel finally reached the Demon. It was an unnamed woman who appeared to be an Adventurer.
The woman, standing before the fiend, swung her weapon. Unfortunately, it wasn't a very threatening attack. Too many men and women were clinging to her body.
It was practically a half-forced Strike. As such, her stance was unstable, and the Strike lacked proper power.
Although his appearance was no different from a male prostitute, he was still a Demon of considerable rank. Such a pathetic attack would surely be dodged without effort.
“Oh my.”
Whoosh! And indeed, he dodged it with a smile.
*Hmm?*
But I felt a slight sense of incongruity there. Even though he pretended to dodge casually, it was slow enough that I found it dangerously close. Even considering my excellent eyesight, I found it surprisingly slow.
Seeing that, I made a conjecture. Perhaps he was only good at brainwashing people, and utterly useless at physical combat.
Like the Demon Dantalion I'd met before, he might only excel in one area, with his Physical Ability being rather pathetic. In Dantalion's case, it was Magic, and this guy seemed particularly good at charming people.
Of course, I couldn't dismiss him just because his Physical Ability is low. Even in this very situation, I was constantly subjected to Mental Interference. It is the same now.
“Such a wild child.”
Thump—
After dodging the Attack, Sitri immediately embraced the Adventurer. As if a parent were embracing their child with a generous heart.
“Huh, huh?”
The Adventurer was flustered but didn't resist Sitri's touch. Her face flushed slightly, as if the sensation of his skin against hers felt pleasant. Soon, Sitri patted the Adventurer's back as if comforting a baby.
“How about now, are you feeling a little more at ease? Put down your sword, and rest comfortably in my arms.”
Just one embrace and one pat. It seemed like nothing, but it was enough to make the Adventurer succumb. In an instant, the Adventurer's eyes glazed over, and she buried her face in Sitri's chest.
“Sigh... Haaah...”
And then she let out a lewd breath! Despite this, Sitri merely patted the Adventurer with a benevolent smile, as if it didn't matter.
If Sitri had been in his female form like before, it might have been acceptable to watch. But in his male form, he just looked like a male prostitute working at a host bar.
Some of the Extermination Squad Members who saw this muttered things like:
“Ugh... Lucky bastard.”
“I want to be embraced too...”
It certainly seemed like his ability was at work. Honestly, it just felt like pure lust... but either way, they were definitely being affected by the Charm.
I briefly checked Hanbyeol's condition. Since she had already succumbed once before, she might be staring blankly at that scene.
However, instead of Sitri, Hanbyeol was staring blankly in my direction, mainly at my body... and quite explicitly at that. It was as if she was associating something with me.
“!”
Of course, as soon as our eyes met, she was startled and quickly averted her gaze.
*What the hell?*
I tilted my head in confusion but turned my attention back to the fight.
After all, there was no time to rest during the battle.
“Stop spacing out and attack! His ability is annoying, but he himself is nothing special!”
Indeed, it seemed I wasn't the only one who noticed his slowness, as Odelia shouted in a booming voice. As if annoyed by her words, Sitri's expression furrowed for the first time.
“You need to be taught a lesson.”
Then he activated his ability even more powerfully.
Swoosh! Demonic energy subtly spread, and the Men and Women inside the Hall began to charge even more violently. Even the Adventurer who had just been embraced by Sitri was among them.
Clang—!
I frowned as I blocked their attacks. The pressure I felt had intensified. It was enough to be buried by that wave of flesh-colored bodies.
He could perform Physical Enhancement on anyone he had Brainwashed.
“Ugh... The unholy aura is too strong.”
“The Charm isn't easily shaken off. I apologize, but our Divine Power is reaching its limit...”
To make matters worse, as more time passed, the Priests began to show signs of exhaustion. Even Divine Power had a finite amount, after all. Constantly Purifying the ongoing Mental Interference had depleted the Divine Power of several Priests.
At the same time, those Priests' eyes also glazed over. As the Divine Power protecting their bodies waned, the Demon's Charm began to take effect.
Seeing that, I muttered to myself.
*This isn't good...*
Only one person had completely succumbed so far, but the Demon was gradually gaining the upper hand. The Charm he was spreading felt increasingly potent.
Yet, retreating was also awkward. If it were truly Hopeless, we might have made a clean escape, but this precarious situation only drew us in further.
It felt like we *could* catch him if we played it right, but reaching him wasn't easy. It didn't seem like he was intentionally aiming for this precarious balance, but it was clear we were gradually losing ground.
Squish. It was while pushing through the clinging bodies, that I was trying to break through. Suddenly, I felt a strange gaze from behind me.
Wondering what it was, I turned around and saw the Extermination Squad Members staring at me with sticky eyes.
“...”
Every single one of them had vacant eyes. They weren't completely brainwashed, but they were clearly in an intermediate stage. In other words... they seemed to be in a state of rampant lust, just like Hanbyeol. Seeing that, I felt a chill run down my spine.
*Surely these bastards...
They wouldn't try to *take* me first if they got Brainwashed, would they? It was terrifying, but quite possible. After all, I was the only man in this Extermination Squad. If things went wrong, I could be forcibly *taken* by dozens of Humans!
*Oh, for fuck's sake.*
Honestly, I was a little curious, but even so, it was still quite frightening. And I didn't want to succumb to the Demonic Temptation like this.
That's why I moved even more diligently, if only to prevent such a future. Still, thankfully, it wasn't all bad news.
Splat—!
After a little more time passed, an attack finally landed on him. Bright red blood flowed from his chest where the spearhead had passed.
“Ugh!”
He took a step back, letting out a groan. Judging by his frown, he seemed to be in considerable pain. As expected, it seemed he had dumped all his stats into his power of fascination ability, as his Defense and Evasion were abysmal. Seeing that, I inwardly brightened.
He's actually doable.
Many attacks weren't needed. Just one hit. Just one solid hit was all it would take! Unlike other demons, there was no need to exchange blows multiple times; just one proper strike would be enough to smash his skull.
But to do that, I first need to clear away these things in front of me...
But people were still the problem. A proper opportunity to Attack simply wasn't presenting itself because of the Puppets in front of me.
Not only was I unable to put power into my blows because of them, but constantly bumping into them also made it hard to maintain a good stance. Yet, it was also awkward to just kill them all and finish it. Even though they had succumbed to Sitri, they were still civilians.
Taking a life carelessly could lead to bad dreams.
Therefore, I decided to enlist the help of others, specifically the Extermination Squad Members who were slowly losing their minds. It seemed like they could clear the way, and I could land the Attack.
“Hey.”
“Uh, huh?”
So, I called Hanbyeol first. It was easier to get the closest person on board before trying to convince everyone else.
“...I'm thinking of a plan like this. Can you cooperate?”
“Alright. Yes.”
When I briefly explained the plan, Hanbyeol nodded. However, her words weren't finished yet.
“B-but, I have one request...”
“Hmm?”
She said this suddenly, averting her gaze. Now that I looked, her face was quite flushed. Her breathing was also subtly ragged. After all that trouble to Purify her, she had fallen under the Charm again during the battle.
Finally, after hesitating, she looked at me with a determined expression and spoke. Her eyes held a look where instinct seemed to override reason, just like last time.
“C-could you perhaps hug me just once? Just for a moment, a brief moment...”
“...”
I stared at her for a moment with half-lidded eyes, then... I quietly embraced her.