Chapter 129
[Over there!]
He'd probably get mad if I put it this way, but Con was truly useful.
The moment an entity hiding stealthily in a corner seemed to glow faintly thanks to Con's Psychic Power, I lifted a carefully selected rock from the leather pouch I had brought from the Expedition Team.
Con would handle the aim correction anyway.
I threw the rock with all my might, and soon a sickening crunch of flesh was heard.
The crunching sound followed immediately.
Kieeeek!!
The Magic Beasts that had been under taming control let out vicious screams as they bounced up from their spots and rushed toward me.
The one that rushed at me like that turned into a lump of meat and fell to the floor with a single light punch.
[That's the last of them. There are no more in this vicinity now.]
"Let's move."
Con didn't even answer me.
[Because it's the Great Labyrinth... the range of my Psychic Power is ridiculously reduced. This is harder than I thought.]
"I'm counting on you."
[Damn it. I lost my body once, and what is all this, seriously. You really have to keep your promise.]
Even while grumbling, Con worked hard at what he had to do.
I trusted him and moved on to the next area.
Considering the size of the Followers of Pride collapsed on the Floor and the Magic Beasts they controlled, I wondered how many casualties there would have been if the Expedition Team's main force had entered this place as is.
I didn't even want to imagine it.
It was definitely a good thing I came in.
[Amael. We have to hurry. I can feel the burden on your body getting worse. We aren't outside. This is a place where the burden on your body is much more severe even if you use the same amount of authority. We need to finish this quickly.]
"I know."
Of course, not everything was perfect.
The mana concentration was so excessively thin that the authority scattered every time I used it.
Because of that, what would have only required 1 unit of authority outside required an investment of 10 or 15 units of authority here to achieve the same result.
Since I had to use more than ten times the authority to maintain the same Body Modification, the burden on my body had naturally increased.
Still, this was better.
If I could prevent people from dying by overexerting myself, wouldn't that be preferable?
I wonder how long I kept moving forward, continuously throwing the rocks I brought in my pouch and repeatedly crushing and smashing the Magic Beasts that sprang toward me.
[Amael, stop.]
I stopped at Con's words.
As soon as I stopped, the figures of the Followers of Pride moving in the distant forest began to appear faintly thanks to Con's Psychic Power.
The problem was that there were a lot of them.
"They changed their strategy."
[They probably did that knowing you have a Detection Ability. It looks like they plan to group up and face you together?]
The grouped-up Followers soon began to approach me at a terrifying speed.
Their attitude suggested that if they gathered in a group, they had a chance of winning even in a head-on clash.
[Going in head-on feels a bit risky. They definitely have something prepared. That's why they're coming in so confidently.]
Logically speaking, no matter how many Lucifer Followers grouped up, there was no way they could beat me.
Even though they clearly knew that, there seemed to be a reason for their confidence as they walked in so boldly.
My eyes narrowed.
"Let's change our strategy too."
[To what?]
"To this."
I explained my strategy to Con.
[...That's a really idiotic idea.]
"Is it possible?"
[Of course. Let's do it right now.]
The two of us were actually quite in sync.
Immediately.
Con began to precisely manipulate my body with Body Modification.
***
"...They're not there?"
"No, sir."
At the Team 3 Leader's report, the face of the Team Leader of Team 10, the person in charge of the Demon's Peak Ambush Team, contorted.
"There was clearly a reconnaissance report from Team 1 saying he was coming this way. But you're telling me he suddenly disappeared?"
"We searched everywhere. But he's still not there. He's nowhere to be seen."
The Team Leader of Team 10's expression turned toward the Team Leader of Team 1.
Team 1, which handled small flying Magic Beasts and Insectoid Magic Beasts, was taking on the role of the scout team.
But they also shook their heads.
"He's not there. We don't see anything even resembling a human."
"Try tracking him by scent."
"We tried tracking him by scent too, but... he vanished right in the middle of the forest as if he evaporated."
The Team Leader of Team 10 looked like he was going crazy.
"I think we need to scatter and search."
An opposing opinion flew immediately in response to one team leader's suggestion.
"If we scatter, we'll just be defeated one by one. We have to stay grouped up to catch that monster. Don't you all know basic tactics?"
"We have to find him first before we can hunt him or whatever, right? We need to scatter and find him for now."
"That's exactly what that Saint bastard wants! Why do you think he suddenly hid himself? He wants us to scatter!"
"If we're grouped as one, our search capabilities drop! We have to find him first. We scatter and search, but if we keep real-time Telepathic Communication open, even if he ambushes us, we can immediately run to that location and regroup!"
The opinions of both sides were in tight opposition, and the only one who could make the final decision was the Team Leader of Team 10.
For a long time, he silently racked his brain like crazy, but in the end, there was only one conclusion he could reach.
"The Team 3 Leader is right. Finding him is our top priority for now. We scatter. However, I will not permit anyone to step outside the range of Telepathic Communication."
The hierarchy was absolute.
Everyone obeyed the words of the Team Leader of Team 10.
Immediately, the Followers who had been grouped in one place scattered and began their search.
[Report immediately upon discovery!]
[Keep Telepathic Communication on at all times! Never turn it off!]
Listening to the communications going back and forth in real time, the Team Leader of Team 10 bit his lip tightly.
"What are you thinking, you monster bastard."
He muttered low.
And he didn't know, not even in his wildest dreams.
The Saint was listening to every single word he said from point-blank range.
***
[This is a truly idiotic idea. Even thinking about it again, this is an idiotic idea.]
The Lucifer Followers were brushing past me one by one, completely unaware that I was right in front of their eyes.
Watching that sight as if it were absurd, Con was quietly speaking into my head using his Psychic Power.
[But it seems to be working because it's so idiotic. No one is expecting it.]
“Right? I told you it would work. I was right.”
One Demon Follower walked by, placing a hand on my shoulder.
He seemed completely unaware that he had just touched me.
What did I do, you ask?
It was a very simple thing.
[I never thought you'd use Body Modification to disguise yourself by taking on the exact same form as tree bark.]
It was a method I could never have executed if not for Con's Precise Modification ability.
My body was currently giving off the exact same shape, texture, and scent as tree bark.
Naturally, it wasn't a human form, and it was an extreme Body Modification where who knows what would happen the moment Con lost even a little bit of focus, but fortunately, Con's Precise Modification ability was disguising me without any issues.
[That guy was the last one just now. You can return to your original form now.]
As soon as he finished speaking, I detached myself from the tree.
My body, which had been in a squishy jelly-like form, gradually changed into a human shape and soon returned to my original body.
I hurriedly put back on the clothes I had stashed between my body and the tree beforehand, and then smiled.
'Where's the closest one?'
[It is 200 meters away. Should we move?]
'Let's move.'
I began to traverse the forest quickly.
And it wasn't long before I saw the figure of a single Lucifer Follower searching alongside a Magic Beast in the distance.
He was accompanied by a massive tiger-shaped Magic Beast.
[You take care of the Follower. I'll use my Psychic Power to put mind control on that Magic Beast.]
I nodded at those words and quietly used the Absolute Hypnosis skill.
[Range is reduced!]
[The Absolute Hypnosis skill can only be used on targets with whom you have made physical contact!!]
The stronger the authority, the faster it scatters.
Compared to the Goddess of Life's Authority, Con's mediocre Psychic Power could be used remotely from a distance of about 20 meters.
On the other hand, my Eroge Skills, which were overwhelmingly powerful cheat-level skills, had their range reduced to the point where they could only be used through physical contact.
'I'll subdue the Follower and subdue the Magic Beast immediately too. Just hold on until then. Keep the Magic Beast at bay.'
[Understood.]
After finishing our conversation through mere thoughts, I slowly gathered strength in my legs.
And soon, I began to sprint forward rapidly.
"This is Leor. Nothing to report."
Just as the communication ended.
Having dashed in at incredible speed, I reached my hand toward the Follower's head.
The Magic Beast, possessing reflexes vastly superior to a human's, noticed beforehand and turned its head toward me, about to let out a fierce roar, but Con's Psychic Power struck it a step faster.
The Magic Beast's eyes glazed over, and it soon stopped moving.
"What the, what's...?..."
My hand touched the Follower's head.
[Skill Absolute Hypnosis is Cast!]
[All skills have been leveled up to their final stage!]
[Absorbing desired memories from all of the target's memories.]
As soon as the memory absorption was finished, I squeezed my hand.
Confirming that the Follower's head was crushed and exploded just like that, I simultaneously reached out with my other hand and touched the Magic Beast's body.
Once again casting Absolute Hypnosis to take full control of the Magic Beast, I then issued a suicide command.
The Magic Beast raised its sharp claws and plunged them into its own neck.
Blood spurted out, and after twitching for a moment, it soon went limp.
[Did you confirm it? How do they plan to deal with you?]
Con asked.
I nodded.
Feeling a chill, I had to calm my mind for a moment.
After distancing myself far enough that the Followers wouldn't be able to hear, I slowly opened my mouth.
"To use an authority, you have to store mana inside a mana stone. In the case of Demon Followers, it's the Demon King's magic power. Those who serve the Gods have to store divine power."
[I know.]
"To neutralize that, you usually have to use one of two methods. One is to completely empty the mana stored inside the mana stone."
[Then they wouldn't be able to use their authority, so they'd be neutralized. What's the other one?]
"When the opponent's mana stone is full of mana, you actually pump more mana into that mana stone, creating a sort of Overcharge State. Then the mana stone will break."
[Wait a minute. Don't tell me those bastards...?]
I looked down at my body.
*Inside my soul resides the Goddess's Authority.*
And my body, which fully contained that authority, was no different from a mana stone.
"Those guys have a large number of spare mana stones. The moment I appeared, they planned to simultaneously consume all the mana inside those mana stones to cast Enhancement Magic on me."
[If it were outside, it would have just made your body stronger and that would be it, but if it had done that here where a huge burden is already being applied...?]
"My body wouldn't have been able to withstand the overload and would have broken down. That's how they planned to neutralize me."
If I had just gone in without knowing anything, I might have been subdued and lying on the ground by now.
It seemed it was a good thing I didn't ignore that ominous feeling.
I let out a long sigh.
"...What should we do about this?"
The two of us were silent for a moment.
Then, suddenly.
Con began to laugh.
[Hey. Amael. I just came up with a truly idiotic idea. Wanna hear it?]
Con told me his idea.
"...That really is an idiotic idea."
[But it's also a way to effectively counter their tactics. How about it?]
"Let's do it right now."