Chapter 279 - Chapter 278: The Unbinding of the "Cursed Child"
From the holes that had pierced through the stone walls and barriers Mika had created, the crowd continued to pour in.
Mika created massive stones, crushing the invading crowd beneath them.
He piled more stones on top, matching the height of the stone wall.
"Phew... That should plug it up for now."
Having sealed all the holes drilled into the barrier, Mika took a brief rest.
Soldiers deployed atop the new stone wall Mika had constructed, resuming their attacks.
Somehow, they had managed to regain their footing.
The feared resumption of the laser attacks did not occur.
He had killed the man believed to be the "Cursed Child," but perhaps it took time to repossess a new host, or perhaps he was deliberately hiding.
It would be troublesome if he went into hiding, but they did not know what form he originally took.
If he could not be defeated now, they had no choice but to make him keep quiet.
At that moment, Fee suddenly began to flicker intensely.
"What's wrong?"
When Mika called out, Fee directed a beam of light toward the crowd.
Following the light with his eyes, he saw something approaching at the end of the beam.
"What the hell is that!?"
It was running atop the crowd.
It was rushing toward them with tremendous momentum.
"...Could it be a curse?"
As Mika muttered this, Fee emitted an even brighter light.
Apparently, this thing was the "Cursed Child."
Well, it was certain just by looking that it was no ordinary entity.
Trampling over the crowd, it approached at an impossible speed.
There was no way someone capable of such a feat was a normal human.
"Can you follow me?"
If he fought on top of the stone wall, there was a risk that the wall would be damaged and break again.
Repairing it while fighting was difficult, so he wanted to fight in a separate location if possible.
While moving above the crowd, Mika fired his "Laser Cannon" at the approaching figure.
However, the creature dodged Mika's "Laser Cannon."
It had dodged the laser while on unstable footing.
"...Damn, it really is a monster."
Muttering while continuously firing "Laser Cannons," Mika moved away from the barrier.
■■■■■■
"Huh? What are you doing?"
"Ignis," who had been blending into the crowd and steadily absorbing "Voluntas," asked "Lumen," who had appeared unexpectedly.
Nodding with an "uh-huh, uh-huh," he turned his gaze toward the barrier.
"Oh, he's there? Let me see, let me see."
He strained his eyes to look, but it was too far away to see clearly.
"Wouldn't it be better to kill the 'Dispel' user while we have the chance?"
"Ignis" muttered this, but suddenly shuddered.
He puckered his mouth into a distorted shape, making a strange face.
"Fu-chan says no? ...Well, I suppose wanting revenge for U-chan isn't incomprehensible."
It made no sense.
They were just playing house.
"Ignis" sighed in exasperation.
"Humus" and "Ventus" were originally just strangers.
It was merely a game they started because their mutual desire to "have siblings" coincided.
Well, in the sense that they hit it off, they might be considered close.
But "Ignis" could not understand why they were getting so worked up.
"So, what shall we do?"
Should they continue the plan as is, or change it?
Nevertheless, they would have no choice but to change it.
The plan had been for "Lumen" to open a hole in the barrier and let the crowd flood in, but he had been suddenly killed.
Those infected by the [Puppet Strings] were not suitable for repossession.
To find another host and completely take over would take some time.
If their minds were sufficiently weakened, the time required for takeover could be shortened.
Furthermore, the "Vocabulum" of "Ignis" and "Humus" was not quite up to the task of opening a hole in the barrier.
Of course, it was not impossible, but it was somewhat inefficient.
Suddenly, "Ignis" raised the corner of his mouth.
His eyes filled with a ferocious light, and he wore a smile that chilled those who saw it.
"...I like that. So, you're going ahead? Ah... I understand. I'll do the same. At an appropriate place. ...Crossing a mountain range is no trouble at all."
Thus, watching something depart through the void, "Ignis" muttered.
"It has become even more interesting..."
Unable to contain himself, "Ignis" chuckled "ku ku..." in his throat, his shoulders shaking.
■■■■■■
Mika dodged the raining boulders while counterattacking with his "Laser Cannon."
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
"Screaaaaaam!"
"Gyaaaaah!?"
Rocks with a diameter of at least one meter rained down one after another, falling into the crowd.
Crushed people raised death throes, and screams echoed throughout.
Since Mika could not dodge everything while flying in the air, he used the crowd as footholds to jump around here and there.
More rocks fell, aiming specifically at Mika.
"Stop darting around, you insect! How dare you!"
The dark-skinned woman, her eyes bloodshot, relentlessly chased Mika, causing rocks to rain down.
She completely read Mika's "Laser Cannon" shots, dodging them while pursuing him.
(Why can she dodge the "Laser Cannon"!?)
There was no way she could move faster than light.
She was likely reading Mika's movements and taking evasive action in advance.
"Gaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
The dark-skinned woman closed the distance in an instant, closing in on Mika.
Mika gave up on finishing her off for the moment and jumped into the sky.
He wanted time to think about how to defeat her.
As Mika rose rapidly, a large number of pebbles similar to "Stone Bullets" were fired at him.
"This guy!? Is it me!?"
He was struck by a sensation as if he were fighting himself.
Mika changed direction to escape the swarm of pebbles, but the pebbles continued to be fired in the same direction.
Presumably, she had lost sight of Mika.
Mika breathed a sigh of relief.
"What is that woman?"
Her presence was reminiscent of a wild beast or a magical beast.
He felt as though he were being chased by a black panther.
Mika used his "Telescope" to search for the dark-skinned woman.
By tracing the source of the pebbles, he found her immediately.
The dark-skinned woman seemed to be screaming, her expression still possessed by madness.
"Now, what should I do?"
If he shot down from here with his "Laser Cannon," he could certainly kill her.
But this woman was likely the "Cursed Child."
Simply killing her would not truly defeat her.
"I don't know if this woman has the same essence as the arrogant man from before, but I can't defeat her without dispelling the curse."
Since she had attacked with such bare hostility, she must be quite enraged.
It was probably safe to assume they shared the same essence.
If one considered that she came to finish off Mika, who had destroyed the barrier, rather than just destroying the barrier itself, her actions made sense.
Or perhaps it was the young man who had released the Chimera?
Perhaps she was here to repay the debt of being defeated back then.
(Well, the motive doesn't matter. The problem is how to defeat her.)
If he defeated the body she had possessed, the troublesome stone attacks would stop.
If the one who released the Chimera was the "Cursed Child," it would not be strange if they shared the same tendencies.
Well, if she could still use the so-called "Vocabulum" even if only the cursed state remained, he would need to think of another method.
"Knock her down. And dispel the curse at the same time."
In that case, only one method came to mind.
"Well, let's give it a try."
Mika created a large stone.
It was a cone with a diameter and height of five meters.
However, since the base had a thickness of about one meter, it was actually shaped like a cylinder attached to a cone.
Then, with the narrower end facing down, he dared to charge.
Mika hid on the bottom surface of the stone and fell together with it.
As he fell, he conveyed the strategy to Fee, who slightly intensified her light.
As Fee moved, Mika also moved toward Fee.
Crash, crash, crash, crash, crash...!!!
Shortly after beginning the fall, the pebbles that had been fired in random directions began to hit the stone Mika had created one after another.
Noticing the incoming objects, she must have corrected her aim.
Stone and stone collided at tremendous speed.
However, since Mika's stone had a slope, it merely deflected the impact of the pebbles rather than absorbing it.
Boom boom boom boom boom ......!!!
The sound of collisions was incessant.
"It huuuurrrrr......!?"
Fragments scattered by the collisions circled around and struck Mika, who was hiding, repeatedly.
Mika lowered his body and pulled his hood deep over his eyes.
Then, he raised his [Physical Enhancement] by hundreds or thousands of times, preparing to leap out toward Fee at any moment.
Naturally, Mika, who was hiding, could not see the position of the dark-skinned woman.
Therefore, he had Fee check in his place and tell him where she was.
From the scenery visible around him, Mika grasped that he had descended sufficiently.
"Anytime is fine, Fee."
Even though Mika said this, Fee did not move.
But soon, Fee flashed brightly, and at that instant, Mika leaped out from the stone without hesitation.
Protecting his face with his arms, he plunged into the rain of pebbles.
At that moment, five pebbles struck Mika.
One hit the arm protecting his face.
One hit his chest, two hit his stomach, and one hit his leg.
Crack, crack...!
The impact, which even the "Orichalcum" robe could not fully absorb, broke the bones in his arm and chest.
While slowly chanting the spell for [Heal], Mika searched for his target.
The dark-skinned woman had taken evasive action to avoid colliding with the huge falling stone.
It was the perfect direction and timing.
Mika chased the woman while rapidly descending.
Then, he tackled the woman, hugging her body with all his might and rolling around.
"Guh, gizamaaaah!?"
As they rolled, the dark-skinned woman resisted.
But Mika gritted his teeth and desperately held her down.
While Mika and the woman rolled for hundreds of meters, they inevitably swept up the crowd that was there.
"Gwaaaaaah!?"
"Gyaaaaah---!?"
Rolling around, Mika activated [Heal] when the momentum weakened, restoring himself to full health in an instant.
The dark-skinned woman's bones seemed broken all over her body, with various parts bent at strange angles.
Mika began the strategy he had devised in preparation for the "Cursed Child."
"Absorb Wing - Double!"
Flash!
As Mika added another pair of wings, making four in total, Fee glowed.
At that instant, the massive curse enveloping the dark-skinned woman revealed its form.
Fee's visualization of curses was convenient, but it had one troublesome point.
That was, if the curse was too powerful, the object harboring the curse would become invisible due to a black mist.
Therefore, instead of visualizing it recklessly, if a "Cursed Child" was present, Fee would first notify Mika.
They had established a rule: Mika would restrain the target first, then have it visualized, so that even if it escaped, he could pursue it.
Mika reduced his [Physical Enhancement] to forty times and started "Auto-Dispel."
The young man who had released the Chimera had not been fully dispelled even after a considerable amount of time.
Therefore, as a simple method, he decided to increase the magic power allocated to "Auto-Dispel."
This was because the processing speed of "Auto-Dispel" increased according to the amount of magic power.
He did not know if the amount of magic power gathered would simply double, but his brute-force logic was that if the area for absorption increased, the amount would increase accordingly.
He created another pair of "Absorb Wings" to increase the amount of magic power absorbed.
And, naturally, he also modified "Auto-Dispel."
Mainly the Search Task.
The problem with the Search Task was simply that the target to be searched was too large.
With the previous search task methods, the "Cursed Child" would take too long.
The curse was so huge that searching meticulously made it difficult to find a place to interfere.
Therefore, he decided to activate multiple tasks by utilizing the increased magic power.
He activated four search tasks simultaneously, whereas previously he had only operated one.
To put it simply, he advanced the search from both ends of the range toward the center.
Also, he advanced the search from the center toward both ends.
If one took a long time, he would just increase the number; it was a brute-force technique.
To speak extremely, if he increased the tasks further, it might become even faster.
However, since each task consumed a considerable amount of magic power, he was at his limit just pouring magic power into the four tasks.
If he increased the tasks further, the amount of magic power allocated to each would decrease, and it seemed it would反而 become slower.
If the location to interfere with was found quickly, the Unlock Task would do the same thing regardless of whether the curse's power was large or small.
If the curse was strong, the interference points might be hard, but if he poured in magic power to increase the output, it would be fine.
Therefore, he had strengthened the Search, which had been the biggest bottleneck.
Mika grasped the black mist with his four wings and dispelled the curse at once.
The dark-skinned woman seemed to be on her last breath, but just in case, he grabbed her neck and snapped it.
Then, crouching on top of the woman, he curled up like a pill bug and concentrated quietly on dispelling the curse.
When dispelling the young man who had released the Chimera, Mika had moved significantly, causing the curse he had captured to escape.
During dispelling, one should not move as much as possible.
Although it could not be helped before, the current Mika had the "Orichalcum" robe.
With his current state, he could probably withstand even if a Chimera tackled him.
He could probably withstand even if he was breathed on with Fire Breath. ...He thought.
Although there was a crowd around him, unless they were exceptional masters, he could probably withstand even if they slashed at him with swords.
Well, it might hurt, though.
As expected, the crowd gathered around Mika and began to assault him.
They were mainly just kicking him.
However, this level of attack was nothing to worry about.
(...Still, they keep coming at me.)
The current Mika was inside a huge, pitch-black mist.
Anyone with normal judgment would not enter such a mist.
Yet, these people assaulted Mika as if they could not see the mist at all.
(Remember this later, you bastards...)
Especially the guy who just kicked my head!
As he thought this, he felt a distinct response.
At that instant, the black mist dissipated.
(I did it!!!)
Finally, he had dispelled the "Cursed Child"!
It succeeded so easily that it was hard to believe he had spent so much time before and let it escape.
Throb.
Thump, thump, thump...!
Just as Mika tried to jump up, he suddenly felt a severe headache, palpitations, and something tightening his chest.
"Ugh... kuh...!"
Mika endured the pain while remaining curled up.
This was likely not the effect of the curse.
It was the recoil from using "Absorb Wing - Double."
It had also occurred before when he was improving "Auto-Dispel" at the Adventurer's Guild.
Probably, it occurred when handling a large amount of magic power.
It had not been this severe before, but he had felt palpitations when he used a large amount of magic power to annihilate seventy thousand soldiers on his first battlefield.
This was likely a stronger version of that.
When he practiced at the guild, the curse itself was not significant, so the recoil had not been this large.
While being beaten up by the crowd, Mika waited patiently for the palpitations to subside.
After enduring it for a while, his body felt a little easier.
Mika slowly stood up and manifested "Thousand Edge."
"Ugh!?"
"Bufu!"
"Gofu!?"
People within a ten-meter radius of Mika vomited blood and collapsed one after another.
Mika switched from "Absorb Wing - Double" to "Absorb Wing" and flew up toward the barrier.
He had been told not to leave, but he had ended up leaving anyway.
(Well, if I had fought at the barrier against the guy dropping those rocks, it would definitely have been breached.)
He wanted to be praised for making a good judgment.
"For now, I need to confirm the barrier is intact."
Muttering this, Mika hurriedly returned to the barrier.
■■■■■■
"Excuse me, please inform me of the situation!"
'...Apostle-sama!? Are you safe!'
When Mika returned to the top of the stone wall, he called out to the communication command room.
The communication officer replied in surprise.
Apparently, contact with Mika had been suddenly lost, and he was presumed Missing In Action (MIA) during the battle.
"Are there any locations where holes were opened?"
'Yes! Several explosions occurred at Two-Three, Two-Six, and Three-Two, breaching the barrier!'
"Understood, I will head there immediately!"
Explosions meant it was likely [Explosive Flame] by a mage?
'Apostle-sama, I apologize, but please hurry! Over a hundred thousand of the crowd have already invaded!'
"That is terrible!? I am heading there immediately! The closest is Two-Six! I will repair it from there."
'Understood!'
When Mika arrived at the stone wall collapsed by the explosion, he immediately created stones to seal it.
During the previous laser attack, the hole was about five meters wide, but this time it exceeded twenty meters.
It must have been a [Explosive Flame] of considerable power.
"At this rate, it will take several minutes to repair each location! Please assume this one will also take sufficient time."
'Understood! I will convey this to the operations department!'
Mika created huge stones and lined them up side by side.
First, to stop the inflow, he created the lower section first.
Then, he proceeded to the upper section.
Just as Mika finished repairing and was about to move to the next location, an explosion occurred in the distance.
Explosions occurred three, four, five times in succession.
"Damn, doing as they please! ----Communication Command Room! Wouldn't it be better to strike down the mages using [Explosive Flame] first!?"
'Please hurry to repair Two-Three! The Kingdom Army holding back the inflow cannot hold on!'
Hearing this, Mika inadvertently clicked his tongue.
If it was a location where a hole had just been opened, the soldiers stationed behind the barrier would hold them.
However, even that had its limits.
Locations where a large crowd continued to flow in seemed to be nearing their limit.
Mika flew around to seal the holes opened in the barrier.
While Mika was sealing the holes, explosions occurred in other locations.
This continued several times, but eventually the explosions stopped.
On this day, a crowd exceeding five hundred thousand crossed the barrier.
However, the Kingdom Army, which had been prepared behind the barrier for the inflow, managed to prevent further invasion.
The casualties of the Kingdom Army and the Domain Army were about thirty thousand.
Most of the deaths were caused by lasers and explosions.
They were knights and soldiers caught up in opening holes in the wall.
By early afternoon, the barrier was completely repaired, and since no further explosions occurred, no one was able to cross the wall.
Afterward, they simply shot arrows and simply used [Explosive Flame].
Thus, an estimated three million people of the Empire died in just one day, and the battle of this day ended.