LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 70
Erwin couldn’t believe what his eyes were witnessing.
Even after living a long life, he was only now realizing that humans could fight in such a way.
Crack.
The close-combat techniques using the left hand that he had often seen in the previous battle against the Sword Saint were being flawlessly demonstrated by Elliot.
The Mined Creature executed movements and combat techniques that were beyond any human’s comprehension. It moved without a care for its body breaking, not even feeling the pain, twisting its joints in outlandish ways and seemingly having eyes on the back of its head, mocking human vision with its transcendent senses.
If there was such a phenomenon with a Mined Creature equipped with two hands and two feet, how many more possibilities would there be with one that had eight arms and six legs?
Even Erwin couldn’t gauge how that Mined Creature would move or attack next, but Elliot was different.
“What the hell is going on?”
Elliot seemed to understand.
He was establishing the concept of fighting against that Mined Creature.
In some sense, he was skillfully unraveling a battle that was more complicated than the Fluid Sword of the Sword Saint.
Whoosh!
The Holy Sword swung like a whirlwind, severing one of the legs.
Evading the incoming attacks from above and below by performing a windmill roll with his palm on the left floor, he blocked the Mined Creature’s diamond-like forearm with the Holy Sword and launched a mana-infused punch with his other hand.
The Mined Creature with a hole punched through its shoulder didn’t feel pain, but it was forced backward by the impact.
Instead of merely admiring, Erwin seized the moment and randomly fired five arrows bound to the demonstration.
The arrows flew precisely toward the predicted target point with the help of Spirits, embedding themselves into the center of the Mined Creature’s body.
“Nice shot.”
As Elliot gave a thumbs up, Erwin snorted in response.
“So how are you planning to fight that thing?”
“Just rough it out; I’ll see it as I go.”
“Rough it out? Just fumble around? You’ve only fought a Demon for a few years, right?”
“Guess I have a good sense for it. Or maybe….”
Elliot lowered his stance and tilted his sword.
“Perhaps the original owner of this body was captured by the Demon King’s Army.”
It was merely a conjecture, but Elliot vaguely remembered what Dark Mage Jade had told him.
“Erwin.”
“What?”
“What does your older brother look like?”
“He looks a bit like me. Green hair, blue eyes. He’s quite handsome for an Elf, though a bit gloomy.”
“How does he compare to that Mined Creature?”
“Comparing them is an insult. Why do you ask?”
“When I asked for the name earlier, that thing answered ‘Mereba.’”
Elliot’s words made Erwin narrow his eyes.
Then she began to scrutinize the Mined Creature.
“No, it can’t be.”
“Erwin, even if you deny it….”
“If that thing has become a Mined Creature, it would be welcome news. But… that creature is human. If it were an Elf, the Spirits would have reacted by now. However, I don’t sense anything from it.”
“Is that so?”
Elliot nodded.
The Mined Creature charged in, snorting.
“It seems we need to subdue that thing.”
“Are you really considering attempting to talk? Are you insane?”
“It’s the first Mined Creature to answer my questions. It’s worth a shot.”
Elliot charged his sword with mana and struck the ground.
The ground cracked and trembled beneath them.
The Mined Creature hurriedly jumped, but…
“Erwin.”
“Yeah.”
Elliot didn’t miss the chance he had created.
She shot an arrow, and it struck the third eye on the Mined Creature’s forehead precisely with a bluish magical arrow.
*
Erwin’s support fire was truly phenomenal.
Wherever she shot, it was guided to the desired path, meaning there was no risk of missing.
The Mined Creature, having lost two eyes, seven arms, and four legs, could no longer maintain its balance.
Whether someone had modified it was unknown, but it surely wasn’t without its own grotesque artistry.
“It’s like a cuttlefish.”
I kicked the Mined Creature in the side.
It felt like kicking a brick, sending a jolt through my foot.
A true Mined Creature wouldn’t buckle from such an attack, but in this case, the excessive modifications worked against it.
“Are you really thinking of trying to talk?”
“I told you, it’s worth a shot.”
Though skeptical, Erwin sat beside me, watching silently as I uttered Mereba’s name.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
This time, the Mined Creature didn’t answer.
Instead, it turned its head toward me and began to twitch its lips.
Even after waiting for a while, the Mined Creature said nothing.
“Tsk.”
“See? I told you it’s pointless. There’s no meaning in what a Mined Creature says.”
Shrugging at Erwin’s words, I picked up my sword.
Anyway, it was certain that this creature was the murderer of eleven people in town. The other murderer could wait until I dealt with this one.
However, just as I was about to swing my sword, the Mined Creature spoke.
[Mereba….]
“…Did you hear that?”
“Clearly….”
Erwin’s eyes widened.
She nocked an arrow to her bowstring and approached the Mined Creature.
“What does that mean? Speak properly.”
[Mereba….]
The Mined Creature repeated, but this time another word followed it.
[Mereba is coming….]
“….”
Erwin’s face turned chaotic.
“Hey, Hero. It clearly said ‘Mereba is coming.’”
“Right.”
“I’m not sure how skilled its language ability is, but if I take it at face value….”
That meant her older brother was coming.
At the same time, I sensed a presence. So did Erwin, as we lifted our heads.
“Are you trying to kill T-800? That’s such a waste, after all.”
There stood an Elf male, clad in robes, laughing with a creepy smile.
With a bow on his back and a mysterious jeweled staff in his hand, the Elf man observed us before breaking into a chilling grin.
“You are….”
“Brother?”
Erwin spoke first.
Hearing her words, I scrutinized the man’s appearance.
Green hair. Blue eyes. It perfectly matched the description Erwin had given for Mereba.
However, the being that was presumably Mereba simply shook his head with a grin.
“No, the name Mereba is no more. Now I am Daniel. Just a huge fan of games with a childlike heart.”
“What the hell are you talking about, Brother?”
Erwin stepped forward, but I stopped her.
I had a rough idea of what was going on.
He clearly referred to the Mined Creature as T-800.
In this world, with such name sense, there was only one lunatic who would have ever named his pet that, and that was Yurede.
In other words.
“You’re a Possessor.”
I could make that conclusion.
It was said that former slaves became Possessors, but it seemed not to be the case.
Seeing an Elf who had lived for over a hundred years like that made it all the more evident.
“Hahaha! You’re sharp! The title of Possessor Slayer wasn’t given for nothing, Hero!”
Mereba, no, Daniel laughed uproariously.
Erwin looked at him in disbelief, shaking her head.
“That’s impossible. I’ve never heard of a previous person becoming a Possessor….”
“You wouldn’t have, little sister.”
“Don’t use my sister’s name like that….”
Erwin gritted her teeth, raising her bow.
“The Willow Branch is yours, after all. So you better….”
“I know you. I heard it from Mereba.”
“….”
“We killed together, didn’t we? We washed our hands in blood together?”
“Shut up!”
Erwin, furious, drew back her bowstring.
“Hey, wait! Something feels off…!”
Before I could stop her, Erwin’s arrow struck Daniel’s forehead.
And then.
“…Damn.”
I watched as he dispersed into thin air in mid-air, clenching my lower lip.
An illusion made of Magic, or rather a clone.
The stronger the Dark Mage’s sensitivity toward magic, the broader the range of actions they could perform. Clones could become as intricate as the real thing and communicate as well.
So Daniel was the most formidable Possessor I had encountered so far.
In an instant, the surroundings filled with magical smoke. I covered my mouth. If I delayed even for a few minutes here, I might become a Mined Creature due to Magic Addiction.
“Erwin, let’s go. We need to get out of here!”
Mined Creatures use magic as fuel.
Naturally, the Mined Creature we had just defeated began to rise slowly.
Erwin stared blankly, gazing at the spot where Daniel had just been.
“Let’s go.”
After tapping Erwin on the shoulder a few times, she finally seemed to regain her senses and looked at me.
Of course, I hadn’t forgotten what Daniel had said earlier.
It didn’t seem like Ophelia had shared the full story with her. But it was more important to leave than to press for details.
We briskly retraced our steps.
I was confident in sensing magic, but I wasn’t skilled enough to distinguish the arrows flying in this high concentration of magic.
Thud!
“Ugh.”
I broke the arrow lodged in my side.
The miasma of magic obscured my vision of the arrows.
It was surely that bastard who shot an arrow at Ophelia.
Unlike what the Sword Saint had described about the characteristics of Possessors, Daniel was also utilizing skills from his original body, making him a bothersome opponent.
Simultaneously, Erwin collapsed to her knees.
Veins snaked across her forehead.
The early symptoms of acute Magic Addiction. Being an Elf made her more sensitive to the air quality, which meant she was succumbing to the effects faster than I was.
“Damn it.”
I scooped her up and smashed the ground.
The arrows flying from all directions were dodged just barely, or I raised my arms to block them.
One arrow that slipped between my muscles seemed to be coated in poison, dulling my senses gradually. I felt the symptoms of Magic Addiction creeping up on me as well.
“Tsk.”
I raised my left hand and activated the Hero’s Divine Mark.
Strength filled my entire body, but it didn’t change the dire situation.
Thud.
An arrow lodged itself again. But this time, my movements weren’t constrained as before.
I just needed to push a bit more.
Just a little more.
Swish!
An arrow pierced between my ankles.
My body tipped over, but I drove my sword into the ground to brace myself.
I trudged forward.
The magic was beginning to clear up, but the poison was unavoidable.
Even the enhanced physical abilities from the Hero’s Divine Mark couldn’t withstand extreme poison.
Just like with Benedict, I realized again that I needed to build resistance against poison.
“….”
Exhausted, I bent one knee and dragged my foot as the sound of arrowheads slicing through air reached my ears.
But there was no shock.
The golden barrier protected me completely.
Fwoosh.
Magic and arrows could no longer reach us.
In my hazy consciousness, someone grabbed my collar and pulled me up.
“You dumbass, what the hell is this situation? A love escape? That’s not going to satisfy me!”
In front of me stood Ophelia with a mischievous expression, looking down at me.