Chapter 158 - 600
...It's over.
Deactivating my Light Sword, I slowly turned my whole body around.
To confirm my achievements. To confirm that I no longer have to kill my former comrades.
"Ah—!! Kitty!! Kitty!!"
The first thing that jumped into my field of vision was the sight of Philia, on all fours, wailing.
"Kitty?"
Even though she had just witnessed a human head being severed, why was she making a fuss about a cat?
A sense of foreboding washed over me, and I instinctively turned my eyes toward Erin's corpse.
However, what lay there was the lifeless corpse of a Black Cat.
Erin's remains, which should have been there, were nowhere to be found.
"...!"
An illusion?
Had Erin never come here to begin with, and that was just a Familiar transformed by magic?
Or had Erin herself come here, but exchanged positions with the Familiar the moment she was cut?
Is there some unknown technique I don't know about?
"Damn it."
I generated my Light Sword once more and entered a state of vigilance. Even though I was applying Concealment, the fact that I was right beside Philia should have already been communicated.
What I must do now... is observe Philia.
Since the Erin from moments ago had the objective of coming to collect her comrades, she must have surely dispelled the intelligence-lowering debuff.
But now that she also has a need to protect herself, she might deploy the debuff again.
If so, if Philia's words and actions become even more childish, that will be the proof that Erin herself is here...
"...The Hero is as dangerous as ever."
As I held my sword ready and scanned the surroundings, a girl's voice came from somewhere. A slightly nasal, youthful voice. It was Erin's voice.
I spun around on the spot, searching for Erin's form.
—There is no one.
Since I heard her voice, Erin shouldn't be using Concealment. And yet, I cannot see her.
Where?
How?
Why?
Question marks welled up in my head one after another.
Am I being cornered?
"...I can't see the Hero. But I was cut like this. ...She's hiding using Concealment. Her usual trick."
Erin spoke to me again.
I felt as though the distance was quite close. Moreover, I couldn't help but feel as if it came from near my feet.
From where on earth... my feet?
No way.
Feeling a bad premonition, I approached the direction where Philia was. At the feet of the sobbing Philia, the severed cat's head lay rolling.
"...What did you do to Philia? Her behavior isn't normal. She's gone mad."
Erin's voice was being emitted from the cat's mouth. From the cat that had become just a head.
"...Since when did you become able to play at being a Necromancer?"
—If you show yourself now, I won't treat you badly. A voice like a whisper came from above my head. It was Erin's voice.
Reflexively looking up, I saw a black Swallowtail Butterfly circling about.
"An insect spoke...? That's impossible for a Familiar's intelligence. What's happening..."
Moving its wings elegantly, the Swallowtail Butterfly approached Philia. That unwavering fluttering somewhat reminded me of the way Erin walked.
I could say it with certainty. The contents of this butterfly is Erin—
"...Philia, it's been a while."
Suddenly, it occurred to me.
I had assumed that either Erin herself or a Familiar transformed into Erin had come here, but what if it was both?
In other words, if these things are simultaneously Erin and Familiars...
"...Fragmented Soul, huh."
I stared at the butterfly before me with a sense of exasperation.
If this guess is correct, it means Erin has acquired a pseudo-immortality through a method different from Philia's.
Splitting the soul of a single human and making it dwell within other living creatures. ...As a result, as long as all the souls are not destroyed, that person will never meet death in the complete sense of the word.
However, having an increasing number of bodies to use is not merely a merit.
Since the fragmented souls share their five senses, it is said that everyone will experience the pain and suffering felt by multiple bodies.
Furthermore, Erin has fragmented her soul into short-lived creatures like Black Cats and Swallowtail Butterflies. When these reach the end of their lifespans, Erin will likely be tormented by the pains of old age as well.
...If she really was using Fragmented Soul, it is no longer a matter of sanity...
"...Hero, surrender. I have fragmented my soul into six hundred Familiars. It is no longer possible to kill me completely."
"What...!"
Six hundred.
If she has even fragmented herself into tiny creatures like insects, it is far too reckless to try and grasp which one is Erin.
If she has placed her ego into spiders, flying insects, or even invisible mites, she could do an infinite amount of mischief without me noticing.
"...Hero. Are you still not lifting your Concealment? Then I will handle things on my end."
Saying so, Erin trembled those tiny wings. ...It was a bluff. There is no way Erin, as a mage, could lift Concealment. Because only the Hero can learn Dispel magic among the priest classes.
"...What the Hero is thinking right now is surely this: 'Since I am a mage, I shouldn't be able to use Dispel...' That is certainly true. But, there are two users of Dispel here."
...Two?
"The Hero and Philia."
"—!"
Damn, by the time I stepped forward, it was already too late. The moment I tried to crush Erin, a small light flickered on Philia's shoulder.
This girl can use skills even in a butterfly's body...!
A dazzling light enveloped Philia. The next moment, Philia stood up with speed invisible to the eye and pointed her index finger toward me.
"Dispel."
A voice accompanied by clear intelligence.
Most likely, Erin's Brainwashing skill had activated. And Philia, who is a member of my party, can visually perceive me even while Concealment is active—
"Dammit! Philia!"
Because of the Dispel, my Concealment was lifted, and my form was exposed.
It's no good, I have to pull back for a moment.
I have to rethink the strategy...
But, my body won't move as I wish.
My legs are heavy as lead, and my thoughts are beginning to become fragmented.
The sensation of myself ceasing to be myself.
...Ah, I have surely already received the Brainwashing skill.
Surely, another Erin hiding somewhere has unleashed the skill toward me.
I messed up.
I failed.
I wonder, will Angelica save me?
What will become of me?
Within my fading consciousness.
The last sight I saw was Philia, screaming at the top of her lungs, crushing the Swallowtail Butterfly in her hand.
"Hero-dono!!!"
...Did I mishear?
I felt as if Philia had called me using a tone just like the old days.