Chapter 46
Boom!!
The doppelganger, directly hit in the forehead by lightning, couldn't withstand the power and was slammed into the wall. Smoke spread thickly, and Quill thrust his spear through it. A sound of flesh tearing echoed.
An attack that seemed to have landed properly just from hearing. But Quill frowned and retreated greatly.
He stood next to Acel and spun his spear shaft.
"The flesh is soft, but the moment the spear enters the skin, the flesh moves as if it has a will. If I had stayed, the spear would have broken."
"Does it seem like the cells have consciousness?"
"...I'm not sure about that. Anyway, physical attacks aren't ineffective, but they're not particularly effective either. Your magic seems the same," Quill said, pointing to the doppelganger with his chin.
Acel nodded with a thoughtful sound.
The doppelganger revealed beyond the cleared smoke. Having shed the shell it was wearing, it was a monster writhing with a black, slimy, huge body.
It had no lower body, but six arms moved like insects, oddly twisted. A tongue protrudes where eyes should be, and dozens of red glowing eyes flickered inside the mouth attached to its abdomen. The teeth grew in a spiral shape, and two pairs of tongues flicked out of the mouth.
It was a completely different form from Warren's drawing. A terrifying heteromorphic existence that didn’t even have its original form.
The prediction was right. The doppelganger too has been completely assembled by someone's hand through synthesis formulas, leaving only its essence.
It was impossible to guess what it had been combined with. One thing for certain was that, judging by its intact forehead, it seemed to have considerable regenerative ability and magic resistance. Acel clicked his tongue and looked back at the group.
"It seems risky to send Quill alone to the front line. Is there anyone else who can take the vanguard?"
No answer came. Saya showed an embarrassed expression, and Warren seemed to ponder but eventually shook his head with a sigh.
It was expected. If pressed, Saya had abilities that cause confusion like a curse mage, and Warren was a spirit mage specialized in long-range support. Even if they forcibly took the vanguard, there was nothing they could do.
Then only one person remained. Acel stood next to Quill while rotating his shoulders.
"I guess I have no choice but to go."
"I hate to say this, but will you be okay? It's the first time I've heard of a mage taking the vanguard. This is a real combat situation too. You could die."
"If I don't go, you'll have to do it alone. Can you?"
"Huh? I didn't say not to go together?"
Acel burst into laughter at Quill's quip.
He said while imbuing Quill's spear blade with lightning attributes, "Let's go."
As he spoke, spears of earth flew towards the doppelganger from behind the two, and fox-fire shot out spinning in a spiral. Acel and Quill ran following these mysteries.
Boom!!
The spear pierced into the doppelganger's chest. The doppelganger opened its mouth wide and screamed at the pain it felt.
[Mother! Motherrrr!!!]
A voice that seemed to mix genders and ages chaotically. Acel heard the creature's voice with one ear and let it pass while putting his hands together in prayer.
Having taken the vanguard, he didn’t hold back on magic. Moreover, the opponent was equipped with magic resistance.
If he didn’t kill it, he'd die.
So he must killed thoroughly.
[Armed Steel Lightning]
As he put his hands together, countless weapons made of lightning rose behind Acel's back.
All kinds of spears, swords, and shields bloomed and rotated in mid-air, then began to pour down towards the doppelganger simultaneously. Quill skillfully grabbed one of the falling lightning spears and threw it like a javelin.
The lightning that distinguished friend from foe didn't burn his hand, but instead stimulated the electrical signals to amplify his muscle strength once.
"This is good!"
Quill charged at high speed with a cheerful laugh. One of the doppelganger's arms fell as if to crush him, but he avoided the attack with minimal movement and drove his spear blade into the doppelganger's flesh.
"Heya!"
In that state, he slashed upwards. Black flesh was torn away, and red acidic blood poured like a waterfall from the wound.
An acid so strong it would melt the body away if left alone. However, Quill didn't panic. Thanks to an earth wall rising from under his feet to take the blood instead. Quill grinned as he retrieved his spear and moved widely to the doppelganger's side.
His gaze met Acel's in mid-air. Instead of saying anything, Acel pulled back his arm wrapped in lightning and then thrust it forward strongly.
[Great Lightning Rush Kill]
Crackle!!!
A rush of enormous lightning with massive mass and energy bloomed and crushed half of the doppelganger's body. The black mass that was acting as its lower body disappeared as if evaporated, and before it could regenerate, Quill stabbed its tongue with his spear imbued with aura.
Boom!
A warrior's aura was a power that caused miracles similar to a mage's magical power. The aura condensed at the tip of his spear exploded, splitting the doppelganger's mouth in half.
He gripped the spear with his arm enhanced and flowing with electricity and swung it widely horizontally. Torn flesh scattered in the air and disappeared without a trace when hit by the incoming fox-fire.
Then the doppelganger shouted while crushing its own head with its hands as if squeezing it.
[Mother!!! Mother will punish you!! I will punish youuuu!!]
"Who the hell is your mother, you damn bastard!" Quill shouted and gripped his spear in reverse to throw it like a javelin.
Thwack!
The doppelganger's head, pierced by the spear, shattered, spraying brain matter and blood everywhere. Quill activated the retrieval formula he had engraved on the spear shaft for a hefty sum through mana and gripped it in his hand again. Acel approached his side while clearing away the falling brain matter with his shield.
He grinned looking at Quill's right arm where lightning was blooming.
"How do you like your new arm?"
"It's the best," Quill answered while clenching his fist.
But that was the end of the jokes.
The two simultaneously turned their heads towards the doppelganger and showed serious expressions.
At a glance it looked like an overwhelming battle, but the doppelganger had already regenerated all its wounds in that short time.
Its regenerative ability, far superior to expectations, was holding them back. An ordinary doppelganger would have long since died and been dismembered.
What kind of life form was synthesized that it regenerates instantly even when half its body is blown away?
"Looks like we need to kill it in one go," Quill said, clicking his tongue.
Acel agreed with his words.
The doppelganger's combat ability itself was terrible. Its attacks were ridiculously slow to the point of being embarrassing for making such a fuss, and apart from destructive power, there was nothing particularly outstanding. Yet the battle wasn't over solely because of its regenerative ability.
To break that, they needed to blow away that huge body entirely.
"One big shot. We need to prepare."
"Is it possible? Magic that can blow away a magic beast of that size in one go?"
"There are plenty. Most are high-level magic so I didn't use them for fear of getting caught up in it. But given the situation, we have no choice."
While they were talking, the doppelganger extended its pointed tongue towards Acel's chest. Acel manipulated his shield to deflect its attack, then conversely sent lightning through it. Even the doppelganger couldn't withstand the pain of its cells burning, screaming and flailing its hands.
Quill said, watching Acel draw up magical power, "To be honest, the two people behind us aren't much help. It seems they can't properly match the timing for support, probably because it's their first real combat experience. If you move while chanting magic, only I can protect you."
"No need to protect me."
Acel smiled slightly and stomped the ground hard with his foot.
[Lightning Nature Wall]
Simultaneously, a huge lightning wall rose as if protecting Acel.
He opened his mouth while looking at the wall flashing with dark blue light, "Step back. If you get caught up in it, even I can't do anything."
"...Is it safe?"
"We are safe."
Acel continued speaking while forming hand seals, "Conversely, that thing isn't."
That was enough. Quill patted Acel's shoulder once and ran towards the group members who had retreated. Acel glanced at his retreating figure, then stared at the doppelganger drooling profusely while chanting magic.
High-level magic that could be used without any precursors. To manifest its power beyond the limit, he went through the process of hand seals and formula chanting. After completing the magic like that, he manifested it without hesitation.
[Falling Lightning]
Crackle!!
Lightning bloomed from Acel's fingertips and shot upwards. It fell as a massive lightning bolt from where there were no clouds.
Boom!!!!
Lightning fired at supersonic speed. There was no way the doppelganger could avoid it. It was directly hit by the falling lightning and disappeared, leaving only the parts that were supporting its body.
It was a spell completed by pouring in half the magical power from his magical core. No matter how synthesized the doppelganger was, there was no way it could withstand this.
But remnants still remained. Flesh bubbling as if it would regenerate if left alone. Acel spread lightning low to completely sear and burn even the remnants.
With that, the doppelganger subjugation ended. Acel exhaled deeply, and the three people standing behind approached him.
Quill was smiling refreshingly, but Warren and Saya's faces weren't so good. They felt indebted for not having done anything properly in the subjugation battle. Acel didn't think much of it, but it seemed they did.
Feeling disappointed in oneself and guilty was a double-edged sword. Sometimes it helped growth, but sometimes it was a sticky emotion that made one sink forever under the sea of self-esteem.
He didn't know which way they would go, but he hoped they would head in the direction of growth if possible.
"By the way, we need to collect blood. What should we do since there's no corpse?"
While thinking, Quill said while scratching his head.
Acel answered, taking his gaze off Warren and Saya, "Don't worry. There's always a way."
"What is it?"
To his question, Acel lifted his hand slightly instead of answering. Then the doppelganger's blood scattered on the floor gathered in one place to form a sphere.
Sloshing red blood with acidity. It didn't look different from ordinary blood, but it was a strange substance that melted what it touched and spread poison.
Since he didn't know what would happen if he grabbed it with bare hands, Acel lifted the sphere into the air and placed it beside him.
Fortunately, there was no need to keep carrying the blood around. It was possible to sufficiently block both acidity and toxicity by storing it in a reinforced glass bottle Saya had brought in advance.
The amount of blood gathered was enough, so this should satisfy Saya too.
Acel thought this and looked at Saya.
At that moment. Goosebumps rose on his spine.
The activated magical power was still operating without cooling down. Due to shaking off most of the magical power, lightning didn’t bloom, but still, its momentum remained overwhelmingly violent.
The shield he was unconsciously deploying was also layered multiple times, and with magic added on top of his originally thick mental barrier, he had reached a level immune to ordinary mental attacks.
That was why he could tell even better.
Behind Saya. The passage they had rushed through to catch the doppelganger.
He read the presence of a woman approaching from beyond it.
"I wondered why it was suddenly calling 'mother, mother'."
A presence so faint it was almost imperceptible. The mana that humans should naturally have couldn’t even be gauged. It felt like looking at an inanimate object. There was only one thing this meant.
That the opponent had reached a realm overwhelmingly higher than his own.
"So I came to see..."
Eventually, she revealed herself, piercing through the darkness of the passage.
Disheveled hair. A woman with impressive tired eyes and a languid expression. Her appearance was sufficient to be called beautiful, but the group didn't say anything to her. Instead, they just glared at her while taking battle stances.
Conversely, Acel gritted his molars and looked for an escape route.
From the start, she wasn't an opponent they could win against.
At least on par with Jerbil.
Now, having consumed half his magical power to unleash high-level magic. If the opponent came at full power, it was impossible even to buy time. If he didn't want to die, he had to leave quickly.
But how? The only escape route is the passage behind that woman?
"I can hear the sound of your brain working from here, young mage."
"...!"
Her voice echoed inside Acel's head. Acel almost instinctively grasped and broke the magical power being transmitted to him. The telepathy he had been hearing was cut off, but the recoil from destroying the formula returned to Acel instead of the woman.
"Cough!"
Blood burst from Acel's mouth. He suffered greater damage despite grasping and annihilating the opponent's magical power, not his own. Acel glared without even thinking of wiping the blood flowing from his mouth.
As far as he knew, there was only one type of mage on the continent who could inflict such formula destruction backlash on the opponent.
"Necromancer...!"
"Oh? Did you figure it out from that recoil just now? I was deliberately hiding my magical power, but you have remarkable talent."
Interest rose in her eyes that had been languid. As if she couldn't see the other people except Acel, she stared intently only at Acel and smiled faintly.
"I thought some mice had come in, but unexpectedly there was a golden mouse hiding among them."
"..."
"Oh my. It was a joke I made after a long time, but no one laughed."
"How did you learn necromancy while handling synthesis formulas? Necromancy formulas and synthesis formulas should be completely opposite in nature," Acel asked, ignoring her words.
She answered with an unconcerned expression, "Dual attribute. A talent newly created by pouring in souls."
"...You created it?"
"Why are you so surprised? Opening new horizons of possibility by grinding up 'living things' like sacrifices and souls. It's the path of an apostle that became possible after the birth of the devil of possibility, but its effectiveness was famously certain. Seeing that you don't know such basics, it seems they don't teach this nowadays."
"..."
"Well, never mind. The very situation of exchanging conversation with you like this is ridiculous to begin with," She said while sticking her hand in her pocket.
"It was research I attempted to see if synthesis formulas could be integrated with necromancy, but thanks to you Academy students, my laboratory was completely wrecked. The child I was raising with such care also died."
"..."
"But honestly, I don't have much feeling about it. It was research I was going to abandon anyway because it wasn't producing results, so I would have swept it away myself even if you hadn't turned it upside down. However, that doesn't mean I can just let you go from here, right? I don't move based on interest like Jerbil."
"...What?"
An unforgettable name suddenly popped out of her mouth. But she ignored Acel's voice and continued speaking.
"So die obediently. I'll make it as painless as possible. Because I'm not the type to kill people so easily," She said and laughed alone.
"It's utterly disgusting even as I say it. Actually, that's a lie."
-Kieeeeek!!
A legion of evil spirits rose behind her.