Chapter 46
"Hmm. I'm in quite a bad mood since Lee Seonghoon isn't in the mist? Just die quietly. Don't be troublesome."
"That, that!! You crazy bitch!! You say such cruel things while smiling? Is something wrong with your head?!"
"Yes!"
"She answers well?!"
Though Raphael spoke as if dumbfounded, Silvia just smiled and answered. Her mind wasn't here from the start. She needs to quickly kill these two and go find Lee Seonghoon.
She's already started things. Releasing apostles all over the streets to paralyze Justitia. Her role ends there so the job is done.
What's left is taking Lee Seonghoon, but the two women before her are too annoying.
"I need to find him quickly but you're being troublesome! Die!"
With those words, a spear of red blood rose up. Magic without even a sign, silent incantation.
"?!"
But its power was strange. Ishia grabbed Raphael's nape and jumped to dodge.
"This is strange. It wasn't "Magic Chant Breaking"."
"Yeah. It was silent incantation."
"Huh?"
Silent incantation. Literally not chanting. To explain simply, it's a pure lump of magic power that doesn't go through the process of technique construction-magic chanting.
Not only making such a lump appear in spear form, but the power made no sense.
You can think of silent incantation as just shooting a magic bullet. Shooting out magic power as is without refining or processing it.
In other words, it's like shooting a branch instead of an arrow when firing a bow.
"She's strong. What should we do."
Yet with that power, there's no need to explain the power when using chanted magic.
"Ishia? When you say things like that it makes me a bit anxious─?!"
Ignoring the noisy blonde, she leapt forward. Ishia had a bit of confidence.
Her combat skills increased bit by bit fighting all day. Though she lost everything, she got a feel for it.
She runs.
Yet her mouth didn't rest.
"《Light's twins.》"
1st line. She advances while chanting. The magic she's trying to chant now is 5-line intermediate magic, "Black Crown".
"《But inferior, and weak.》"
2nd line. Silvia watched as if surprised. The fact she's doing parallel chanting seemed to stimulate her interest a bit.
But she doesn't know. What Ishia is doing now is even more interesting.
"What, you can do "Parallel Chanting" too? Interesting~ I couldn't watch the ranking battle at all today since I was busy, should have watched─?!"
Her words couldn't continue. What Silvia saw was that shocking.
"《Be jealous. Covet. Swallow the light─》"
She stopped while chanting. Since she was running the distance was very close. So Silvia could see all the changes in the magic circle.
Magic chant failure appears in two ways.
One is 'explosion' where the technique of the deployed magic circle malfunctions causing magic power to go out of control.
The other is 'technique conversion' where magic power is intentionally made to go out of control causing technique change.
"This is quite fun."
The magic changes.
Magic spewed from Ishia's hand as she ran. Not the "Black Crown" she chanted, but 3-line chant magic "Dark Baptism".
This was Ishia's "Parallel Chanting". To deploy 3-line magic she chants 5-line magic and intentionally fails. The height of inefficiency normal magicians couldn't think of even if reborn.
A method only Ishia who rolled around all day dropping to rank 21 could use.
"Can't dodge this~"
So it was enough to catch her off guard. The magic strikes Silvia who couldn't even defend properly from surprise.
Though it's 3-line chanting using a trick, it's chanted magic. No need to explain its power in words.
However.
"Wow. Fun! Today's ranking battle must have been really fun!"
Not a single wound. The magic clearly struck. As proof dust is still flying around Silvia. Yet she's just laughing cheerfully.
"Monster."
"That's right!"
How is she unscathed? Shaking her head vigorously at that thought, Ishia took a battle stance again.
This is inside a vampire's stomach. The possibility of Lee Seonghoon coming to save them is close to zero, and they can only get out by taking down that woman.
There's only one choice.
"Hm? Doing it again?"
She runs.
If magic doesn't work then explosion. If explosion doesn't work then hand-to-hand combat.
While having such thoughts and starting to chant to intentionally explode magic,
Grab.
Along with a sound that shouldn't be made, a floating sensation enveloped Ishia.
"Huh?"
"Not fun. Troublesome. You were trying to explode magic this time right? I don't know why magicians are so one-dimensional."
She dangled in mid-air with her hand where the magic circle was being drawn grabbed as is. Though no words came from Ishia's mouth in surprise, Silvia continued speaking.
"And you know. Tricks only work on friends of similar levels."
Grin.
Her smiling appearance was chilling. Goosebumps rose all over her body at the leisurely appearance as if saying she's an existence several levels above.
"Now there's nothing left right? At most buffing magic and hand-to-hand combat? Or blocking vision for surprise attacks?"
All the combat plans in Ishia's mind come out. Silvia clicked her tongue watching her face turn pale.
"Lee Seonghoon must have taught you, but this is all you can do?"
As if disappointed, Silvia threw Ishia away. Though it seemed like she threw lightly, the sound was strange.
BOOM─!!!!
After a sound that shouldn't come from a person, Silvia walked slowly without even looking that way.
Her destination was naturally the blonde.
However─
"Gone?"
She looked around in surprise, but gone. The blonde who should be there is gone.
Come to think of it she's been quiet for a while, disappeared.
How on earth? Disappearing inside a vampire's mist?
As if answering such questions a voice was heard.
It was a man. A playful yet manly voice.
"Ah shit. I'm late."
"Why are you so late!! Ishia has already become a flat dumpling!!"
"She won't die from that much. You heal her."
"Is that what you say after coming late!!!"
Then what should I say? Silvia calmed her trembling heart while turning her head at the heard voices.
One thought dominated her brain.
No way?
"You came to meet me."
As expected the red thread of fate really exists.
A black-haired man wearing a black robe arguing with Raphael.
Seeing him, Silvia thought.
***
"From the start this wouldn't have happened if Seonghoon didn't separate from us. Why alone─"
This one's making a fuss even when I came to save her. Ignoring the blonde chattering noisily beside me, I looked straight ahead.
Some red-haired woman is twisting her hair that's similar color to her face.
What is that?
"It's Silvia."
"Who's Silvia."
Don't know such a woman. I have no memory of becoming acquainted with a woman over 17 since coming here.
"You don't know? The little girl who was lost last night."
"Huh?"
I know that Silvia. I took her to the lost child center well.
"Hmm~?!"
When I looked closely at the one now starting to twist her body too, I could certainly see the face of the little girl I saw yesterday.
It's a face like that kid grew up, the outline but.
"No. Wait. Then what I took yesterday─"
"Yes. It's what you're thinking."
Goosebumps rose all over my body. What is that? What did she do well to be twisting her body like that?
"You came to meet me."
What nonsense is that now. Question marks floated above my head unable to understand a single thing she's doing.
"Did you understand a single thing she said?"
"I've been here since before Seonghoon came and haven't understood once."
Really? Then it's one. My instinct is telling me. I ran into something bad. She's clearly insane.
"Huhu. Coming to meet. As expected we're destined to love each other."
"I'm really sorry but we just properly met right now?"
Click. Click.
At the approaching sound I hid Raphael behind me while speaking.
"Hey. Go take care of Ishia."
"Are we running away?"
"No. Not running away."
Huh? Then what are we doing? Ignoring such voices. I look at the approaching red hair straight ahead.
Originally the plan was to run away. I was planning to escape into darkness using [Grim Reaper Robe]. But coming here I met someone and the plan changed.
"We endure."
"What are we enduring? Ishia couldn't even endure 3 minutes before becoming a flat dumpling?!"
"That sounds a bit off."
I opened [Inventory] while gesturing to Raphael to go quickly.
Then I settled [Mana-infused Skull Mask] in my hand.
"My. What's that? Are you going to party with me? So thorough in preparation. I'm delighted."
Is she crazy? Ignoring Silvia whose face turned bright red, I put on the mask.
A bit stuffy, but as soon as I put it on it automatically adjusts size and sticks perfectly to my face. Then a blue window blocked my view.
[You have equipped Skull Mask.]
[From now on all abilities including skills, authorities, and magic based on visual effects will be nullified.]
[When nullifying abilities based on visual effects, there is a certain probability of inflicting status ailment "Fear" on the opponent.]
After confirming it works perfectly. I looked at Silvia. She's approaching saying things like 'You look cute in the skull mask too~' but I don't know when she saw me.
I wonder why she approached in a young form in the first place. I don't know.
From the start she's an unknown character. In the novel settings there was only a mention that about 5 true ancestors exist in the world.
Only 2 including Sophia actually appeared so I hadn't even made settings for the other 3. Unfortunately an unknown true ancestor attacked.
The cause of attack is something other than Sophia. I don't know where things got twisted.
But what's certain. Everything will be resolved if I catch this one. Can know everything from the apostles rampaging outside to the reason for attack.
And catching isn't my role. My role is─
"Shall we talk for about 10 minutes?"
"My. A date request? Then let's go to my house."
That's troublesome. When I jumped back avoiding approaching Silvia, she stuck right in front of me in an instant.
"Whoa?!"
The difference in physical abilities was unavoidable. Maybe if I had Raphael's blessing but. There wasn't even time to receive it.
Silvia snickered at my meager scream then grabbed my face. With a bright red face she made our eyes meet, then eventually.
Her eyes shine. Eyes redder than blood stare into my eyes through the mask.
"Don't resist."
Who wouldn't do something when told not to. Unfortunately this isn't my will.
[You resisted "Enchanting Demon Eyes" due to Skull Mask's effect.]
[Resistance successful. Status ailment "Fear" inflicted due to Skull Mask's effect.]
[Failed.]
"Hm? Something just tingled for a moment."
Silvia tilted her head then said 'Well whatever.' and smiled brightly at me. She looks at me like looking at a beloved, which was a bit chilling.
"First take off that mask. I can't see your face."
Saying that she put her hands behind her back and gradually moved away from me. A pose like a girlfriend playing tag but not exciting at all.
I opened my mouth grateful to Silvia who voluntarily moved away.
"Sorry. If I take it off I won't be able to see you."
"What?"
She's surprised as expected. This is the problem with true ancestors. Thinking their evil eyes are invincible. Sophia was caught like this too.
"When you say things like that it's a bit... embarrassing... As expected we were liking each other!!"
"What?"
You're surprised about that part? Shouldn't you normally be surprised that the evil eyes didn't work here?!
"You overcame the evil eyes with the power of love! As expected! How can you fall in love again when you're already in love!!"
She's crazy. She's definitely crazy. Before this crazy woman I saw for the first time in my life pounced again, I tried to take out my trump card [Holy Water Touched by Raphael] from [Inventory] but.
Before that a voice was heard.
"Seonghoon!! Something's wrong with Ishia!! She's muttering strange things? Isn't this a brain hemorrhage?!"
What's that noise now.