Chapter 177: For The Yet Unknown Tales (8) |
After defeating Melonia, there was nothing irritating left.
Ayla and the other archbishops were still held by Iona, so what remained were only the undead not charmed by Melonia.
But for me now, no matter how many there were, these types of undead were not a problem.
“Grrr, grrr, grrr, grrr!”
“Click! Clack!”
“Screeeeech…!”
Banshees screamed as they flew through the sky, skeletons clashed their jaws threateningly, and ghouls cried, wrapped in rotting flesh.
These were the most basic types of undead monsters, and as such, there were many enhanced variants.
The ones that survived Iona’s relentless interference were mainly of the enhanced type.
I looked down at my trembling right hand.
It looked like a black charred piece, crisp on the outside and moist inside.
I hastily drank a top-grade potion, but unlike other wounds, the recovery was noticeably slow.
This kind of injury should be properly treated by priests; I heard that forcing recovery with potions could cause serious side effects.
Anyway, it was unusable for now.
I levitated the dagger I was holding with telekinesis. It was as if I were holding it myself since it was connected by magic.
I raised my healthy left hand and gathered magical power.
Thump.
My heart pounded heavily, squeezing the core.
There was no pain, just an unfamiliar emptiness as mana escaped in chunks.
Thankfully, the endless mana trait was rapidly replenishing my depleted mana.
I sighed with relief and chanted a spell to open the way at once.
“[In heaven there is paradise, and on earth there is a beginning. The path to eternity is a distant one.]”
The counter to undead was, after all, light attributes.
Was it the light forming at my fingertips that dazzled them, or did the mana burning them irritate them?
The undead, which were swarming around Iona, all turned towards me at once.
Feeling their hostile gazes, I continued the chant.
“[However, we still reach out towards the origin.]”
The incantation was a bit longer. It was a single-shot spell, unlike Thunder Calling, so it was better to make it solid.
Whoosh.
The mana engulfing the surroundings obeyed my command, transforming the lump of light into a magical form, and the overly consumed magic swelled its mass.
It resembled a white shower I had seen several times while playing H&A.
“[…Shine, Starlight Rain!]”
The released light, tracing a long tail, shot up above the undead’s heads.
The moment it reached the center of the group.
Flash…!
The large mass of light split into small, luminous bullets, beginning to fall like a localized meteor shower.
Yet despite the beautiful appearance, the bullets of Starlight Rain exploded upon impact—a deadly effect.
Bang! Boom!
The undead shattered in the aftermath, and the ground flipped over, exposing their innards.
It seemed as if a bombardment had occurred, and I inadvertently swallowed.
“……”
What’s this? The power seemed a bit too strong?
The title of Ghost Buster, which granted a bonus against the undead, and the blessing of the Sun God, which enhanced light magic.
Even with these and an overcharged magic power, wasn’t it a bit too flashy?
…Well, if it’s good, it’s good.
My magic-exerting left hand was a bit numb but not completely unusable.
After grabbing the floating dagger, I flicked it towards the undead that had been swept away.
“Force Hand.”
An invisible hand gently gripped my body and hurled me forward with all its might.
Sreeeeeeeeak!
It was much faster than running. The impact of hitting something on the way would be significant, but…
Everything collidable had been swept away by the previous magic. I could throw myself without hesitation.
How many times did I throw myself in mid-air like this?
I passed over cratered land like a pockmarked face, a hill littered with broken bones, and reached an area so devastated it was unrecognizable.
Traces of a fierce battle were left on the ground. The cause was above.
All sorts of powers embroidered the sky, and blood-laden magic barely countered it.
A battle several times more splendid than the one I had just fought with Melonia.
I raised a finger towards the sight of five archbishops, led by Ayla, and Iona, trying to kill each other.
My hand was a bit shaky, but I could manage to use Thunder Calling.
“[Trust, Lightning, Instant.]”
The mana around boiled, and dark clouds formed in the sky.
As eyes naturally focused on me, Iona, who had spotted me, flew over in shock.
Continuing the chant as I watched her approach…
“[Strike in the blink of an eye.]”
“Did you really come all the way here?! What were you thinking?! And that magic right now…”
Iona, seemingly having a lot to say, flusteredly gathered blood around us to create a shield.
However, if my vision was completely obscured, it would be difficult to prepare the magic.
As I was in the middle of chanting and couldn’t speak, I nodded slightly, and Iona, understanding roughly, made a small hole in the blood-formed shield.
Peering through it at the powers shot in our direction, I handsomely continued the last activation word…
“[Thunder… ugh.]”
…I intended to continue, but suddenly, feeling weak, I couldn’t maintain my posture and fell forward.
“Student Yandel, are you okay?!”
Iona, startled, replenished the shield and supported my collapsing body.
Squish.
My face naturally buried in Iona’s chest. Due to the battle, her clothes were loose, and her bare skin directly touched mine.
Even though my mind had been clear even under Melonia’s charm, it wavered for a moment.
“*Cough, cough. *You know we’re in the middle of a battle, right, Yandel? We can’t last long like this!”
“…What are you thinking? This is a side effect of being exposed to the power of Grotesque Proliferation.”
Reflexively, I used the dead Melonia as an excuse and forcibly lifted myself.
“Ugh.”
But then I collapsed again, burying my face deeper into Iona’s chest.
Squish.
“…Is it really because of her power?”
“Hey, I’m telling you it’s real.”
Iona, pulling my body so that our chests wouldn’t touch, replied with a dead serious voice.
Iona chuckled and sighed in response.
“*Sigh… *Okay, let’s say that’s the case. But are you okay? You seem unable to stand. Are you hurt anywhere?”
Iona, worriedly looking at my blood-soaked body, asked.
I concentrated internally for a moment, and soon, I knew the reason.
“Ah, it’s just the potion wearing off, so don’t worry.”
“……”
Iona looked down at me with a strange expression.
But what could I do if it was true?
All my injuries had been healed by the highest-grade potion I drank earlier. My only remaining injury was a finger that turned crisp on the outside and moist on the inside due to the overload.
The reason my whole body, not just my hand, was immobilized was simple.
Until just moments ago, the buffs that had been aiding all my movements had disappeared.
My arm, which could catch a heavy greatsword with one hand, dangled powerlessly in the air.
And my legs, which had been kicking off the ground as if riding the wind, now trembled uncontrollably as if in convulsions.
Above all, the familiar pain rising throughout my body… muscle ache.
It just had to wear off right when I was completing the magic.
“Still, it’s okay, Professor. Just by making it here, I’ve already achieved my goal.”
“Goal? Yeah, let’s hear it, Yandel. What made you come back? After Professor Iona went through the trouble of saving your life…”
“Of course. Do you think I came back without any thought when I’d just be in the way?”
“But you did get in the way, didn’t you?”
“……”
I had no response, remembering the Blood Rain she had risked using just before Melonia caught me.
I avoided Iona’s gaze awkwardly for a moment.
Crack.
Then, there was a sound of something breaking nearby.
It was a sign that the shield Iona had put up had just broken.
“…It looks like we’re out of time, so I’ll speak bluntly.”
I stretched my neck forward towards Iona.
“Drink my blood, Professor.”
“Ah.”
If we just stalled, reinforcements would arrive. If they could take care of the archbishops, Iona’s chances of winning would significantly increase.
The problem was surviving until the reinforcements arrived.
Then why not make it so Iona could hold out?
Vampires, after all, could recover both vitality and magic power through drinking blood.
“So, drink my blood, Professor. But don’t accidentally turn me into a thrall.”
“Ha… I was wondering what you were getting at. Yandel, you do realize I’m a Lord-level vampire! Even if I drank the blood of one person entirely, it wouldn’t recover even 10% of my power. It’s not too late to prioritize your escape…”
In front of Iona, who sighed deeply, I pulled out a top-grade potion.
“Blood can be made.”
“Oh my. You were serious?”
A recovery potion was for healing. No matter how much Iona drank, it would only heal her wounds, not replenish her vitality.
But what if I drank the potion to replenish my blood, and then Iona drank that blood?
Wouldn’t that replenish both vitality and magic power? It was a truly efficient method.
“…Yandel, in the vampire industry, this is technically called a ‘Blood Funnel,’ and it’s a bad practice that’s been secretly carried out since before the Great War, banned by the treaties, you know?”
“I don’t care about that! Just drink!”
“No…”
While Iona hesitated, despite her gaze fixed on my neck, she kept bringing up various reasons to refuse. However, the real reason Iona was hesitant was simple.
Past. She had once drunk blood that had been laced with poison by Ayla beforehand, causing her magic power to solidify.
Because of that, she couldn’t do anything while facing the bodies of her clan members.
Rather, she became a burden, and the previous lord had to risk his life to rescue her.
That painful memory was like a thorn, preventing her from drinking directly.
Originally, I had intended to calmly persuade her if necessary.
Crackk. Crack.
We were running out of time. Iona’s shield was about to break soon.
Staring at the shield full of cracks, I clenched my teeth.
Was there no other way?
Crunch.
I bit down hard, feeling the blood surge.
Narrowing my eyes, I glared at Iona as she rambled on with reasons why it couldn’t be done.
And then, seeing an opening…
Chomp.
“Umm?!”
I pressed my lips to hers unexpectedly.
The soft touch against my lips. Taking advantage of her slightly parted mouth, I quickly slipped my tongue inside.
“Hmmmm…”
As she tried to close her mouth, her jaw twitched, but the thought of biting my tongue made her hesitate.
Instead, she tried to push with her tongue, so I quickly entangled it and overpowered her.
Then, through our tongues, I slowly sent the blood mixed with saliva.
“Hmmm… Hmmm…”
Iona shook her head in denial, but there was no turning back now.
Using my experience, I skillfully stimulated the inside of Iona’s mouth.
The back of her tongue, the roof of her mouth, her gums, and even the insides of her cheeks.
Finally, unable to endure any longer, Iona involuntarily gulped.
“…Hmmmm♡”
A sweet murmur tickled my ear, and I couldn’t help but smile.
Phew, the plan worked.