Chapter 53
Franz arrived before Belphegor. Even from a distance, it had been quite grotesque, but up close, it was even more so. Franz, having seen such sights countless times, could remain unfazed, but any ordinary person would have surely fainted.
“Oh? You came to me on your own? Did you lose your mind or something?”
Belphegor seemed delighted. It appeared to think of him as mere prey.
“Well, if you want to die, I guess I have no choice but to oblige.”
As soon as the creature finished speaking, the mass of flesh surged like a wave, rising high like a monstrous wave.
It was as if it were going to swallow Franz whole.
However, it wasn't particularly threatening. Facing the World Tree had been a bit more tense.
Franz was about to snap his fingers, thinking he'd just put up a suitable shield.
Yuna, who was beside him, swung her sword first. Countless thin lines appeared on the flesh, which was then sliced into tiny cube-like pieces and rained down.
“Yuna, thanks.”
It wasn't a situation where he particularly needed help, but since she had saved him, he offered a polite thank you.
“Franz, what’s the plan?!”
As another wave of flesh surged, Yuna swung her sword and asked.
“I’ll analyze its magic, so buy me some time.”
“How long?”
“About ten seconds?”
“Huh?”
Yuna made a dumbfounded sound and stared at Franz.
Franz shrugged.
He knew what Yuna was thinking, but he couldn't very well lie, could he?
And honestly, he felt a bit wronged. He'd had the Monster snatched away just as he was about to finish analyzing its magic. Whether it was intentional or a coincidence, the timing was impeccable.
However, Yuna, unaware of the full context, seemed to interpret it differently.
“Ten seconds is all you need. Hmm, for Franz, I guess that’s right.”
Yuna muttered to herself.
*What exactly was “right” about it?* She seemed to be making a strange assumption on her own, but he found it too bothersome to correct her point by point. Besides, it was more important to finish this quickly.
“Yuna, I’m starting.”
Saying so, Franz placed his hand on Belphegor’s mass of flesh. He channeled Mana, continuing the magic analysis he hadn't been able to complete.
The Mana flowing through his body transferred through his hand, and he began to analyze the magic that formed the creature. The final page of incomplete information began to fill in.
At that moment, as if sensing an opportunity, Belphegor’s massive mass of flesh began to writhe violently. It surged from all directions, as if to engulf Franz whole.
But Yuna wasn't about to stand by and watch.
Hmph—!
With a short cry, she swung her sword, tearing the surging flesh into shreds.
Thus, five seconds passed. Franz hindered its Regeneration with magic, and another three seconds passed.
“I told you it’s useless, didn’t I? It’ll be easier if you just quietly accept death. I’ll make good use of you. Especially you, girl, your face is pretty, so you can replace this body.”
Unaware that its magic was being analyzed, Belphegor remained complacent.
In the meantime, another two seconds passed, making it ten seconds.
Having finished the magic analysis, Franz removed his hand from the mass of flesh.
*‘Impressive.’*
The Magic Structure was complex yet intricate, clearly showing the effort put into its development. Enough that he would gladly give him or her a high position if someone from the Magic Tower brought such a result.
However, it seemed this magic could no longer be called a Unique Magic. Because it was no longer exclusively its own.
*‘Wait... no?’*
Come to think of it, if the creature died, wouldn't he be the only one who knew about this magic? In that case, it might still be appropriate to call it a Unique Magic.
Thinking he had completely taken it without much effort, he felt a little sorry as a fellow Mage, but since its crime of joining the Cult was far greater, it was ultimately a justifiable action. Still, for a Cultist, it was a rather helpful individual. leaving behind a Unique Magic it had researched for a long time.
They say people leave their names behind when they die, so do Mages leave their Unique Magic behind? Perhaps it was a rather romantic thought. Anyway, since the magic analysis was complete, it was time to put an end to this grotesque situation.
Snap—!
Franz snapped his fingers. The magic he used was Anti-Magic.
Mana flowing from Franz's body acted upon the creature's magic.
The magic, intricately woven with incantations and characters, began to unravel in reverse.
At the same time, the creature reacted.
“W-what, what have you done—!”
The intertwined mass of flesh could no longer maintain its form and began to melt away. Soon after, the Belphegor creature hidden within revealed itself. The sight of a small girl emerging from within the flesh mass felt grotesque in a different way.
But something was strange. The body of the small girl, who he had thought was Belphegor, was melting away just like the other flesh.
“N-no...! My most precious body...! You, you damned bastards...!”
Belphegor tried to pull up its melting skin with its hands, but unfortunately, its hands fell off first.
“N-no...! I don’t want to...!”
Its voice was so horrific it could no longer be considered human. Flesh melted away, revealing bones, and then one leg collapsed, causing the creature to lose its balance and fall.
“Franz? Is it over now?”
Yuna suddenly asked.
Certainly, what was happening before their eyes signaled the end of this situation. Since the girl, the Master of the Monsters, was dying.
But Franz couldn't easily give an answer. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't understand.
‘There is no magic that can revive the dead.’
Neither magic nor even divine power could revive someone who was already dead.
The magic used by necromancers awakens the dead as literal zombies or ghouls, without consciousness.
But when observed, this Belphegor creature clearly retained consciousness. It was natural enough to hold a conversation and smile, almost indistinguishable from a normal human, even though its body was created by magic, just like the other monsters.
Perhaps.
*‘Is there someone else controlling it?’*
It was indeed possible. Even the necromancers of the Magic Tower controlled each individual entity separately. Only, this one's level of mastery was incomparably higher.
Having reached that conclusion, Franz immediately used Mana Detection. As he meticulously scanned around the almost completely melted Belphegor, he surprisingly discovered something. A thin thread of Mana, like a strand of silk, was connected somewhere.
Following that thread with his gaze, he found a familiar mansion at its end. It was none other than the mansion Yuna had liked.
It was truly puzzling. Even though he had checked all the rooms during the day, there wasn't a single person, not even a strand of hair. Perhaps there was a hidden secret room.
If he had known this, he would have tried Mana Detection. It was a mistake to assume it was a normal house and only check the facilities.
Anyway, that wasn't what was important now. If there was a Cultist in that house, and that Cultist was very angry, what would happen to that house...?
It was at that moment Franz thought that.
CRASH—!
Something massive burst out, shattering the mansion. It had a human form, but it rattled and was white, seemingly made of bones. As expected, there was indeed another culprit.
“Y-you bastards...! You defiled my daughter—!”
Looking closely, he saw an old man with a head of pure white hair amidst the bones. From his words about defiling his daughter, the girl who had just melted before their eyes must have been this man's daughter.
The moment he realized that, Franz was immensely shocked.
Belphegor had clearly displayed feminine gestures, speech patterns, and a voice. It was hard to believe a corpse would perform actions beyond simple commands, so it must have been controlled separately by that man. While it was heartbreaking that he couldn't forget his dead daughter and was putting on such an act, Franz felt a strange sense of unease.
But in truth, none of that was particularly important.
Franz's gaze slowly turned to Yuna.
Yuna was simply staring blankly at the ruined mansion and the man. Fortunately, she didn't seem particularly angry.
“Yuna, are you okay?”
Yuna didn't react to Franz's words. As if her mind had gone blank.
But honestly, it was a situation that would make anyone furious. She had been looking forward to moving day for a very long time, and had personally gone around diligently choosing a house, only for a Cultist to ruin it all.
Sure enough. A golden shimmer began to emanate from Yuna's body.