Chapter 180: For The Yet Unknown Tales (11) |
Naturally, the enemy took advantage of this moment and launched a desperate attack.
But…
“There will be barriers set up around us, so don’t move unnecessarily. Instead, send out your most powerful attack towards the front as much as possible.”
Most wouldn’t even get through.
Just a few steps more, and this long battle would finally end.
Both Iona and I would be able to face the outcome alive.
That was enough.
While indulging in such sentimental thoughts, Iona scattered a massive amount of mana around.
“Ihoa Pwechi!”
Her pronunciation was muffled as she was biting my neck… but I could still understand her.
An “Iona Punch”? Last time, it was a kick…
Despite my disbelief, the ferocious “Iona Punch” flew with deadly force.
Anything in its path seemed ready to shatter, but suddenly, a large hole burst open in the center.
Boom!
A giant tooth mark that seemed large enough to swallow a whole house. The Archbishop of the God of Tainted Unity seemed to have also been aiming for a decisive blow.
But… the hole was smaller than the “Iona Punch,” rendering the attempt futile.
The Blood Wall was so massive that, as a follower of the God of Tainted Unity with limited mobility, he couldn’t avoid it.
All the spells Iona had used were powerful, but none had been as massive as this from a distance.
Had she been preparing this all along?
If things continued like this, it seemed like we would be killed without a chance to resist. The barrier that had restricted our movements disappeared, and we are now focused on the Archbishop of the God of Tainted Unity instead.
Taking advantage of this, Iona blinked away to distance herself. At first, I was worried if it was really okay, but she fought well even while sucking blood.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
Right after our teleportation, Ayla’s demonic eyes fired all at once, exploiting our momentary vulnerability.
It was too sudden to respond perfectly.
“Well, I guess there’s no choice! Yandel, be mentally prepared!”
“That’s what people usually say right before they die, you know?!”
Despite my retort, Iona, laughing, threw herself towards what seemed to be the least harmful glow.
And then the world turned upside down.
The ground, battered by the battle, turned into a black sea like tar, and the sky broke apart, with meteors falling through the gaps.
The smell of filth grazed my nose, and something seemed to crawl on my forearm.
It must have been a hallucinogenic demonic eye.
Hallucinations of hearing, sight, smell, and touch…
Reality was covered with falsehoods, making it hard to discern what was real and what was fake.
While I might have been weakened by the aftereffects, it was more likely that Ayla’s demonic eyes were just that powerful.
“Uh… Professor Iona, are you okay? I think I’ve been affected by the hallucinations.”
“Eub? Eubeub.”
I couldn’t understand her exactly, but her tone didn’t seem negative, so that was probably fine.
As long as I kept my sanity intact here, I’d be okay.
I wanted to drink another Mind Defense Potion, but I was already suffering from mixing too many drugs in my stomach.
Drinking an enhancement potion now would probably be the end of me.
So, I just had to endure this.
It’s okay. I felt alone in this other world, but it wasn’t the first time I’d been through something like this.
Above all, there was something vividly remaining.
The touch of Iona on my nape and the spreading pleasure of her bite like venom.
I focused all my senses on this and turned my eyes away from everything else.
No matter how terrible the sights and sensations, this made it somewhat bearable.
Well, there were moments when the biting on my neck lightened up after she had sucked blood… but embracing Iona tightly and burying my face in a fluffy cushion quickly calmed me down.
It was only after being bitten a few more times that Ayla’s hallucinations dissipated.
When I opened my eyes, all the remaining archbishops were dead.
“…What? You’ve already defeated them all?”
“Ehem, ehem. With so many archbishops gone, I managed without needing Yandel’s help!”
“Heh. No need to thank me for taking my blood, right?”
“Ugh… Thanks to you, Yandel, we managed to win smoothly! Isn’t that enough?”
“Hmm. That’s good.”
While it sounded like I was getting acknowledgment, a good thing is still a good thing.
Both Iona and I laughed together, seemingly having a light conversation in the face of victory, but even so, I was still keeping an eye on Ayla.
Though now alone, Ayla was still a powerful cardinal.
Relaxing now could quickly turn the tables against us. We must do our best until the end.
Ayla, keeping guard, said,
“No… this is strange… I’m losing? It’s all because of my sister! If only she didn’t exist! Then I wouldn’t have had to grovel miserably under that old man! I wouldn’t have killed the prince with my own hands! Why?! I’m not bad! I’m a victim! But why…?!”
She shook her head violently, denying reality.
Her words… well, they were certainly from a very biased perspective.
Knowing their backstory, I could guess why she felt this way.
Ayla truly believed that her misfortunes were because of Iona.
Because Iona escaped, she was kidnapped and used as a pawn, and because Iona didn’t find her, she had to crawl in a basement for over ten years, even losing the prince who saved her to Iona.
Her normal life, her happiness as a woman, and the ray of hope she saw from the bottom of the pit—they were all taken away by Iona.
She’d blame everything—her twisted life, her mistakes, and her current peril—all on Iona.
Because for Ayla, Iona was the root of all evil.
…But now, it was hard to tell if these words truly reflected Ayla’s heart.
The power of the Evil God grows stronger the more it’s used, stimulating the follower’s emotions and driving them in the desired direction.
That’s how followers become capable of receiving greater powers, and the Evil God prepares them to be his apostles.
Perhaps once, Ayla liked Iona.
Maybe Iona cared for Ayla as well.
Maybe… there could have been a different ending.
But it was too late now. Neither seemed willing to stop.
What remained was for them to clash until one side would break…
“…Huh?”
Just when I thought the final showdown was about to begin, I was abruptly brought back to reality.
Ayla’s eyes, which had been glaring at us with countless pupils, suddenly started turning green.
“That…! That’s the awakening pattern! Professor! Do something now! Anything, just smash it!”
Although it sounded like awakening, it was more like a self-destructive mechanism.
A technique that only cardinals could use, sacrificing themselves… they would lose their human form and identity, becoming terminals of the Evil God.
Not quite apostles, but something between a cardinal and an apostle?
Whether they would win or lose, they would surely lose themselves, so even cultists rarely use it.
But the solution was simple. Kill her before she could completely transform.
Iona’s particularly destructive magic should be enough.
Desperately, I patted Iona’s arm, but for some reason, she just stood there blankly.
“Professor? Professor Iona?! We’re all going to die here, you know?!”
Not only the original eyes on her face but also the eyeballs that protruded in the form of arms were dyed a deep green.
Now, starting from around her shoulders, the eyes were crawling up, beginning to consume Ayla’s body.
If it continued like this, she would become something akin to a giant monster made only of eyes.
If it went that far, not even the shining lion dagger would be of any use. Naturally, it was uncertain whether we could win even if reinforcements came.
Without bringing the chairperson tied to the academy or an elite extermination force gathered from across the continent, it would be impossible to deal with her.
She would self-destruct over time, but… the potential damage in the meantime was the concern.
In H&A, there was a case where a whole country was destroyed because they couldn’t win and retreated.
“Aaaargh! Get a hold of yourself, Professor Iona! Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for a hallucination without realizing it?!”
Out of frustration, I tried to slap Iona’s cheek.
Slap.
“Stop, stop! I’m sane, so don’t rush me!”
“What? You’re sane and just watching this? I’m not planning on a joint suicide, you know?!”
“Eeh! That’s not it. Look there, Yandel.”
Extending her hand, Iona pointed to a place she had been blankly staring at.
“…Eh?”
Suddenly appearing behind Ayla were six magicians, cloaked and masked, emitting a suspicious presence… somewhat familiar.
“Ah.”