LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 76
When I regained consciousness, the air was thick with an overwhelming heat.
Whew.
Whew.
‘What on earth…’
Bennett, the puppeteer and a member of Hades, struggled to rise, his body wracked with intense pain as he barely managed to take in the scene before him.
Crackle!
Crackle!
From all around, the sound of wood and grass burning echoed, and flames spread to the point that the majority of his vision was painted in crimson.
‘…Puppets, are gone.’
He tried to channel his magic, but there was no sense of connection anywhere. All of his puppets had been destroyed by that single attack.
‘No way, this can’t be happening.’
While there wasn’t a concrete standard, Bennett had enough skill to endure fighting against an A Rank top-tier Hunter, having surpassed the limits of a human.
For him to be brought to this state with just one attack? That was utterly impossible.
‘…That’s dangerous.’
He hadn’t heard any information indicating that his opponent had such power.
It was truly cunning of them to reveal their strength while Eric was away stabilizing his consciousness.
Bennett clung to his fading senses and tried to distance himself.
But then.
“You’re still alive, huh?”
“…Huh.”
“To think you couldn’t even burn this properly, how annoying.”
Step.
Step.
A girl who had approached him while he was lost in thought squatted down, scrunching her face in dissatisfaction.
“So, what on earth were you trying to summon in such a ruckus?”
“…I can’t tell you that.”
“You’ll have to eventually, even if you don’t want to.”
Thud.
As the girl reached out her hand, Bennett felt as though his head was spinning, and it seemed his soul was being sucked out of him.
Swooosh.
After that, his memory became hazy. He couldn’t even recall what he had experienced or what he had spilled out.
When Bennett finally regained his senses, he saw the girl’s cute face scrunching up in thought.
“…Wait, is that actually possible?”
“I… what are you…”
The girl seemed to lose all interest in Bennett from that point on.
Calling forth Trione, who had been lingering in the background, she began preparing to move while quickly discussing something.
“…Stop. Your consciousness has already passed the junction point anyway. Trying to stop it will be futile.”
However, the girl’s subsequent reply was completely different from Bennett’s expectations.
“Then, there’s nothing we can do.”
“……”
“I’ll have to take that fragment, then.”
As she flashed a bright smile, an inexplicable chill ran down Bennett’s spine.
Only then did he realize; perhaps the girl before him possessed beliefs more dangerous than their own.
Yet, such thoughts held no meaning for Bennett anymore.
“Things are starting to get interesting.”
Crack!
Creak!
Rumble!
Suddenly, with bizarre cracking sounds, the girl extended her finger, transforming it while wearing a significant expression.
“Sorry about this.”
“……”
“Unfortunately, it’s defective, so after using it once, it absolutely craves nourishment.”
Creeeak—!
That single line turned out to be Bennett’s last memory.
#
Joseph, held captive by Eric, felt the binding force disappear at a certain moment and regained consciousness.
‘Where am I…?’
All around was the forest, and a large fire was raging not far away. Eric stood in front of an altar, channeling his magic while engrossed in something.
His last memory was being incapacitated by Bennett’s ability, so it seemed that the ceremony had indeed begun in earnest by that point.
As Eric turned his gaze with a look of surprise at sensing Joseph’s returning presence.
“…It seems Bennett has fallen.”
“Fallen? What do you mean by that?”
He asked reflexively, but the meaning was easy to interpret. It clearly meant that either a national agent or a guild hunter was acting to stop the ceremony.
‘…The situation isn’t looking too bad.’
After the last rescue signal had failed and he had been in despair, Joseph hadn’t given up everything.
‘Bennett is at least A Rank level; therefore, those who took him down must have equivalent strength.’
If that level of power were to arrive here, the monstrous man before him might just reveal some openings.
As if Joseph’s wish had been conveyed, he began sensing someone’s presence approaching from a part of the forest.
“A guest is coming.”
As Joseph hurriedly turned his gaze, he saw a figure walking over without hesitation.
The figure was a silver-haired girl dressed as if she had just run out of a house’s living room.
‘What the…’
Joseph looked at the girl with a bewildered expression, and she, seeing him, spoke with a cheerful tone.
“Long time no see?”
“What?”
Joseph was bewildered at her incomprehensible words, and the girl began to speak words that were utterly hard to believe while sporting a mocking smile.
“While you were doing well outside, without me, you would have been caught by that useless guy and met a tragic end?”
“…What on earth is that supposed to mean?”
“How embarrassing. Getting caught while sneaking in and then asking for rescue, what kind of information is that supposed to be? You would be better off just being a supporter in the back.”
Joseph couldn’t comprehend the situation at all. Her words were disjointed, but somehow, they felt oddly familiar.
However, that wasn’t something that could emerge in a place like this.
“Who are you? Do you know who I am?”
As if to deny Joseph’s confusion, the girl jeered at him and revealed her identity.
“What a foolish question. You summoned me. Just the other day, through a message.”
At that statement, Joseph’s expression blanked for a moment.
#
“Such an unnecessary detail. What happened to Bennett?”
“He became an excellent source of nourishment. He might have mixed in a bit.”
I said that while pointing to the remnants of magic being absorbed into the ground under the influence of the ceremony.
Even with such blatant mockery, Eric’s expression showed not even a hint of change.
“An unexpected event, but it doesn’t matter.”
“…You’re really overconfident.”
“The ceremony will no longer be halted, and it’s also impossible for you to win against me.”
Such hubris was truly astonishing, but it wasn’t entirely unfounded. Eric was indeed that strong.
– Master, I apologize, but due to the ongoing ceremony, it’s challenging to gather power. We may need to withdraw for now…
I had anticipated this, but Gordon was also in a situation where displaying his strength was difficult.
I gazed thoughtfully at my aching right arm.
‘…I overdid it in a fit of anger. I need to resolve this quickly.’
Earlier, I couldn’t see clearly because I was enraged, but at this point, pulling out the Dragon’s soul was honestly crossing a line.
There was no room for doubt. I quickly made a decision.
‘……’
The only method I could think of right now was just one.
“Book of Death.”
Pwoosh!
A grotesque tome filled with thick death energy emerged in the air, and I quickly opened one of its pages.
Swoosh.
‘Honestly, I’m not confident in controlling this…’
Bringing forth Chae Hwa In, who lay dormant in a corner of the Book of Death.
If it were her, who had easily pressured even Gordon, she should be able to face Eric right in front of me.
“Undead Call.”
Swoosh.
Swoosh.
As I chanted, black mist billowed from the Book of Death, beginning to fill the surroundings.
As the eerie death energy swirled around, I imagined the appearance of her I had seen last time and called out her name.
“Death Knight, Chae Hwa In.”
Wooooosh.
Crunch.
The mist that engulfed the area suddenly concentrated in one spot, bursting forth to signify the completion of the spell.
However, no one stood where the mist coalesced.
Only an empty space remained.
JP, Trione, and even Eric were all staring at me with expressions filled with doubt, and I was in utter panic, shaking the Book of Death.
Swish!
Swish!
“This, this isn’t how it was supposed to go…”
I felt that it should have been successful, yet I was close to going insane.
I felt the blood rush to my face and quickly recited the spell again.
“Undead Call!”
Wooooosh.
Crack.
“Uh, Undead Call!”
Wooooosh.
It was not until I chanted the summoning spell for the third time that I finally began to get a proper response.
Pwoosh!
Click.
Crack!
Clad in black armor, with a mask partially covering her face, pale skin, and long hair flowing past her shoulders.
Finally summoned, Chae Hwa In approached me with a somewhat dissatisfied expression.
Click.
Click.
Thud.
“Why did it take you so long to come out? I definitely completed the spell earlier…”
Then, with a fist raised, she suddenly gave my head a light thump.
Thud!
I reflexively covered my head with my hands, turning away, shocked by the unexpected pain.
“This, this is madness…”
Thud!
Before I could even respond, pain struck me once more. I shrank back, staring blankly at Chae Hwa In.
Chae Hwa In, looking displeased with the sudden summoning, slowly spoke with a sinking voice.
“It felt like I was supposed to remember something, but…”
“……”
I felt sorrowful and wronged, but not wanting to take any more hits, I had no choice but to swallow my indignation.