LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 257
Why is Droniel like this?
It’s sudden and perplexing.
First of all, there’s the mask on her face, and that magic circle carved into her lower abdomen, which overall resembles a ‘V’.
“It looks like she’s been brainwashed.”
“If only you were gone…!”
Droniel’s sword pointed at me.
I deflected it with Leviathan and checked the magical power dwelling within her.
“Wow, this is the worst.”
Two powers overlapped.
The two powers I found most troublesome to face.
“Die, die!”
Droniel swung her sword at me, not just aimlessly, but as if she truly intended to kill me—she was going all out to do so.
“This is… Hah. I—”
Bam!
The moment a golden trajectory shot out from behind, a golden wind burst towards Droniel’s face.
Crash!
Droniel was sent flying backward, rolling down the corridor, and Lucius, who came up in front of me, was catching his breath with his fist extended downward.
“Are you okay?”
“Did you just punch her in the face? With your fist?”
“I was trying to attack the master.”
“But it’s Droniel, though?”
“It might be a doppelganger or some form of Droniel.”
“You know what you’re talking about.”
Pooof!
After getting hit by Lucius, Droniel wobbled for a moment before exploding like a slime.
“This is the true culprit.”
What remained on the floor were Droniel’s clothes, the sticky liquid oozing out between them, and the eye mask she wore.
“Quite an interesting way to utilize power.”
Inside the mask were various magic circles, clearly connecting somewhere with magical energy.
“A clone made of mana. Ether. It was merely a fragment of Droniel’s consciousness.”
“The fact that Droniel ended up like this means…”
“Another next target might be coming up—”
Kabang!
I extended Leviathan in front of Lucius.
The flame-wrapped end deflected the mysterious cyan arrow aimed at Lucius’s forehead, and I lightly tapped Lucius’s back to ease his tension.
“Don’t worry. I can back you up. Not just behind you, but you can count on me in front as well.”
“That’s reassuring.”
“Of course.”
Step, step.
At the end of the corridor, someone began to ascend the stairs.
“This time, is it Rosmas?”
“I won’t forgive, I won’t forgive. Never…!”
Rosmas, aiming an arrow from afar, mercilessly shot it at us.
“You filthy scum who killed Lucius…! Die—!”
“What’s with her? Hold on.”
I lightly twirled Leviathan and dashed forward.
I stretched one leg forward, braced one end of Leviathan against my shoulder, and aimed the other end ahead.
Click.
I lightly pulled back the finger that was supporting the bottom of Leviathan and fired the magical bullets gathered at the tip.
“Give Lucius back—!”
“Crazy.”
Kaboom!
The arrows shot by Rosmas were instantly intercepted by my magical bullets.
Her eyes may have been obscured, but her astonished mouth was clearly visible.
And then—
“Ugh, ugh…!”
“Do you recognize who I am?”
“You, bastard…”
“Hah.”
Lucius grabbed Rosmas by the collar, but she was desperately trying to kill him.
As Rosmas weakened, the mysterious cyan magic circle on her abdomen began to shine brighter, and Lucius slammed her onto the floor.
“Is this the cause?”
“Ah, ahhh!!”
Crack, crack.
With a sound akin to forcibly tearing bones apart, Lucius ruthlessly ripped off Rosmas’s eye mask.
The scream filled with pain was truly hard to bear, but thankfully, the Rosmas being killed by Lucius wasn’t the real Rosmas.
Pooof.
As soon as the eye mask was torn away, Rosmas’s body burst out like liquid.
Her clothes remained intact, and I could quickly ascertain where they came from.
“These are the outfits transported via Mech Kraken. It seems these clothes belong to… the equipment here.”
“Don’t worry. Just tear them like before.”
“It might not just be one, though.”
Snap.
I took the eye mask from Lucius, placed it on the ground, and crushed it, then made my way down the stairs to the firmly closed door and smashed it with Leviathan.
“See? I was right, wasn’t I?”
“…….”
In the corridor heading to the bridge, numerous Yans awaited us.
The Yans were dressed in various outfits they usually wore, from swimsuits to underwear, and even a few without any undergarments, taking on forms typical of Ether—lacking important parts, they all clenched their fists towards us.
“You filthy ones who killed Lord Lucius.”
“Trash who killed Lord Lucius.”
“Lord Lucius…”
“Lucius.”
I signaled to Lucius.
“Aren’t you supposed to say, ‘I am Lucius’?”
“I don’t think they will be persuaded. I scanned the room, but there are no Yans here.”
“You caught on quickly.”
I had already scanned the area with magical energy as soon as I entered.
All those on this floor were clones made of Ether, and I waved towards the monitor in the ship that could be seen in the distance.
“Hey, hijacker. Not only did you steal the flagship, but you have taken our comrades too? And this way of brainwashing and using clones?”
[Don’t worry, they aren’t dead yet.]
Beep.
A figure in a black suit appeared on the screen.
[It seems challenging to handle both the Great Witch and the Hero simultaneously. I guess I’ll have to spread you apart.]
“That’s nonsense.”
[You’ll understand when you see it directly.]
The figure, wearing a fedora and bandaged in dark blue around its face, pointed to another screen.
[One side is the bridge. The other is the hangar of the Bride Ship. I have placed magical bombs in both locations. In 10 minutes, the Bride Ship will explode. Along with the hostages.]
Bam.
Another screen lit up, revealing three women lying on a bed.
[Droniel Odrone. Rosmas Terbation. Yan Diere. The women of the Hero Party are currently having pleasant dreams—dreams about killing the Witch Bel who murdered beloved Lucius.]
“Wow, what a terrible nightmare that must be.”
[Moreover, the Witch is conceptually controlling Lucius as an Undead.]
“I see.”
“So that’s why they couldn’t recognize me. To them, I’m already dead, an Undead.”
What an intricate setup.
“It’s me, Lucius! You know who I am! Such a claim would have zero effect.”
[Why are you so relaxed? The Bride Ship is under my control, and you’re currently trapped in a poison pit.]
“I can just leave if I want to.”
[…….]
The mysterious cyan seemed flustered, not expecting my response.
“As long as we regroup, we can beat them all without our party members. Right, Lucius?”
“…I won’t forget the three noble sacrifices.”
[Then what about these ones?]
The cyan figure hastily pulled out another hostage.
There were clones restrained at their wrists and ankles, overwhelmed in one location.
“Wow, how did they get subdued….”
I could only watch.
How they were overpowered.
“…Liriez betrayed us.”
[She brainwashed them.]
In one corner of the hangar, a Hero wearing an eye mask was fervently tormenting a purple clone.
[St-stop it! Please, Liriez! Come to your senses…!]
[Hah, hah. Witch! With me, forever…!]
[Aah…!]
The clone was desperately resisting, but with Liriez using the power of the Holy Sword to restrain her with water, there was no way to escape.
“……Hah.”
Lucius sighed deeply in genuine annoyance.
“What shall we do, Master? I’m prepared for anything.”
“This is madness. Our party got smashed before we even faced Lucifer and Zephar. How did it end up like this? Should we just blow everything up?”
[You may say that, but I know you’re worried about how to rescue the hostages safely. Witch Bel.]
“…….”
I was found out.
I had tried to buy some time, but it was pointless.
“Lucius, you need to go to the hangar. I’ll go straight to the bridge.”
There are three Holy Swords in the bridge.
If we lost them, it would create an even more serious situation than now.
“While I secure the Holy Swords, you suppress Liriez.”
“If I mess up….”
“I don’t care.”
[You mean you wouldn’t mind if Liriez died? How cold-hearted, Witch.]
“I’m not heartless. It’s for humanity.”
I brushed my hands lightly.
“The Hero of the Holy Sword brainwashed by the Demon King threatens humanity’s peace, so we have to take action. Maid Lili. No….”
[Wait a moment.]
The instant I tried to reveal her identity—
[Just five seconds.]
She hurriedly concealed her body beneath the screen, and I heard her rapidly tossing something away, never to appear again.
[Now’s your chance! Keep going.]
“…The flow is broken. Do I really have to?”
[Otherwise, I’ll kill all the hostages on the Bride Ship. Especially this one.]
Bam.
The screen focused on another hostage in the hangar.
[I’m going to use Liriez’s Spirit Device to destroy the earth’s Spirit Device. What do you think? You surely have to act, right?]
“This is insane.”
That lunatic.
The hostages are a bit too important.
I had no choice but to clear my throat.
“You really want to interfere with us. Back then, I didn’t notice, but now I realize who you are, Maid Lili.”
Here we go again.
“The power that controls people based on human desires. A power I know well, belonging to some Demon King, and the power of a certain Holy Sword combined to create a horrific force. Isn’t that right?”
[That’s correct. Indeed, it’s the Witch.]
“…Reveal your identity! Maid Lili! No….”
Even while yelling, I feel a sense of self-loathing.
As I momentarily turned to Lucius, he gave me a look as if to say, ‘Shall I say it instead?’
Nod.
I urgently nodded to Lucius, asking him to deliver the next line, and Lucius raised his fist forward.
“Demon King, Asmodeus—!”
[Yes!]
From below the screen, the mysterious cyan succubus made her appearance.
[This is it! That’s right! I am the Demon King, the master of lust and pure love, the lord of desire! Asmodeus!]
The last Demon King who had been hidden until now.
[Welcome to the world created by my illusionary Holy Sword, the Dream Garden of Lilith!]
…The holder of the Last Holy Sword.
[There are Demon Kings who steal others’ physical bodies, Demon Kings who corrupt Holy Swords into dark swords, and Demon Kings who transform Holy Swords into Divine Powers, so why wouldn’t there be a Demon King who is the Hero of the Holy Sword? Isn’t that right?]
That’s true.
But—
[Oh.]
Asmodeus smiled widely, cradling the flowers in both hands.
[Has already three minutes passed?]