Volume 5 Chapter 17 Rainbow Wings
As Elk spread his arms, Rosho moved.
Everyone had swords at their waists. They drew their swords and charged at Elk with the intent to kill.
Rosho was filled with joy.
"Hah! With the power of Lady Piasola the High Priest, I've evolved! I'm not the same me as before!!"
"......"
"Sword Technique, 'Slash───..."
Bang!! Rosho's right arm shattered.
Rosho turned pale, sweat pouring down his face as he screamed.
"Ugh! My arm, noooooo!?"
"Shut up."
"Blugh."
Just like that, he was choked by telekinesis, his face turning red, and he fell.
Elk didn't look at Rosho; instead, he glared at Takeru, the one who had stabbed Balthazar.
Takeru said something to the waiting boys and girls, and they started to move.
They ran to bypass Elk. Their target was───...Soara.
As Elk prepared to raise his arms, Soara spoke.
"Elk, I'm fine... you take care of them."
"...Yeah."
Elk extended the blades from his hands and ignored the boys and girls as he headed toward Takeru.
* * *
Soara wrapped a blanket around Balthazar's body and turned to face the boys and girls coming toward her.
Both of them held swords, and she felt an unusual 'pressure.'
The boy said.
"Sorry, but you're going to die... for Goddess Pipina!!"
Then, the girl added.
"I'll take care of you along with that dying one."
"...Are you guys, by any chance, students from the Royal Academy who were kidnapped?"
"That's right! But I was reborn after joining the Goddess Holy Church!!"
"Yeah!! We became apostles for Goddess Pipina!!"
"...Uwaa."
Soara was taken aback.
She picked up a few caterpillars that were lying next to Balthazar.
"I don't want to use this much, but it's different now. Elk is angry, and I'm angry too... So, I'll show you."
Fangs grew from Soara's mouth, and a symbol appeared on her tongue.
She put a caterpillar in her mouth and chewed... Soara was amazed. She was sure that now, anything would taste just as good as the finest sweets. The caterpillar was that delicious.
The boys looked at her with disgust.
"That's gross... what are you?"
"Ugh, what kind of skill is that... totally wrong."
"No."
Soara's eyes turned red.
Her skill, 'Gluttony'... the more she eats, the stronger her body becomes. There is no limit to this body enhancement. Because there is no such thing as levels.
It was a disgusting power. She had definitely thought that before.
But not now.
"It's not about whether it's gross or not... I use it because I can't forgive you."
As her baggy sleeves rolled up, the veins and nerves in Soara's arms stood out. Moreover, claws grew from her clenched fists, breaking through her skin with a squelching sound.
Metal claws. This is why Soara didn't carry weapons.
The girls turned pale as they spoke.
"Y-You're a monster..."
"Yeah. I'm a monster."
"Millia, let's do this!!"
"Okay, Thomson!!"
Soara thought about how Millia and Thomson were their names... but she found it unimportant.
Then, the two of them raised their swords and ran forward.
The first to attack was Millia.
She pulled a knife from her waist and threw it at Soara.
"Ugh!"
The knife pierced Soara's head.
Thompson smirked and charged in, raising his sword.
"That hurts..."
"Eh?"
But the knife fell out, and the wound quickly healed.
While the skill was active, all injuries healed instantly. This was one of the powers of 'Gluttony.'
Soara swung both hands and sliced into Thompson's body.
"Ugh!?"
"Thompson!! ──Ah!"
"You don't have time to scream."
Soara thrust out both hands. Suddenly, 6 claws, 3 from each side, pierced Millia's shoulders.
"Ah!? It, it hurts!?"
"Shut up. Fly."
"Ugh!?"
Soara's kick hit Millia in the stomach, sending her flying and knocking her out.
Then, Soara stomped hard on Thompson's head as he tried to grab his sword, causing him to slam his head into the floor and lose consciousness.
As the skill was released, the swollen veins and nerves returned to normal, and the claws retracted.
"That's it. The rest is up to Elk."
Soara held Balthazar's hand, who was barely hanging on, and continued to encourage him.
* * *
Elk used 'Telepsychokinesis' to charge at Takeru with incredible speed.
Takeru's weapon was a katana. He was stronger than Balthazar. He had a cheat skill.
So what? Elk thought.
"Die."
"Hmph..."
The blade aimed to stab Takeru's heart.
But the blade cut through the air.
"...?"
"What's wrong? I'm right here."
Takeru stood behind Elk.
Holding the sword, not even ready.
Before he knew it, he was behind him.
Elk threw a roundhouse kick─── but Takeru was already right in front of Elk.
"...Teleportation."
"Correct. One of my cheat skills, 'Divine Evasion.' It automatically dodges attacks aimed at me. Boring cheat skill, though."
"Then, don't move."
"Wha!?"
Takeru's whole body stiffened.
It was Elk's telekinesis binding him. Only Pipina had broken this before.
But Takeru was smiling.
Elk didn't care and stabbed the blade into Takeru's heart... but something was off.
"You feel nothing, right?"
"...What are you? Are you human?"
"Yeah. I'm definitely human."
Indeed, Elk's blade was piercing Takeru's heart. But there was no feeling of flesh being pierced.
No blood was coming out. He didn't even seem to feel pain.
"'Unbreakable.'"
"...?"
"That's my second cheat skill."
Elk released Takeru's binding and took a step back.
Takeru brushed off the dust and said to Elk.
"'Unbreakable' nullifies all attacks. It dodges everything and makes everything ineffective. Even if it's a cheat skill, you can't hit me!! Hahaha!! What will you do, 'Scarecrow'... crush me with your favorite telekinesis? Or destroy my heart? Well, it's pointless."
"......"
"And, the strongest sword skill related to my name, 'Aerial Emperor Warrior'... give up, you're already checkmated."
"......Can I say one thing?"
"What's this? I do want to enjoy a conversation with you. You can ask me anything."
"Why Balthazar... aren't you guys supposed to be allies?"
"Allies? Sure... in the sense that we're both Apostles. But do you really think I would let someone as ugly as that stand before the Goddess? I was planning to deal with him when the time was right."
"......"
Elk let out a laugh.
Takeru laughed too.
"Haha! You really are funny, Elk. Someone as ugly as that──"
"You're the ugly one! ...What?"
Elk glared at Takeru.
Takeru tilted his head, not understanding.
"I can't let a jerk like you meet Pipina. Well, it's not like you could meet her anyway."
"...You."
"I'll tell you. Well, you're probably just a 'doll' too."
Elk spread his arms and glared at Takeru again.
Then, Takeru's whole body stiffened and floated lightly.
Takeru said.
"It's useless. I can nullify any attack. Crush me? Twist me? Or slam me down? ...Go ahead. The moment your skill judges it as 'attack,' all attacks will... mmm, and... na..."
Takeru's face turned pale.
He opened his mouth, trying to say something, but no sound came out.
Elk spoke gently.
"What's wrong? I'm not attacking you, you know?"
"...uh, uh."
"I'm just completely erasing the 'air' around you. I have no intention of attacking you. I just want to erase the air for some reason, and you're just there."
"uh, uh............"
Takeru's arms dropped weakly.
At the same time, mist rose from Takeru's body, transforming him into a figure like a sketch model.
Once again, it was 'puppet magic' for remote manipulation.
Elk released his telekinesis and, as if to vent his frustration, he punched the drawing mannequin with all his strength.
The mannequin shattered into pieces.
Then, he glared at the last person who hadn't moved, who was with Takeru.
"'Retrieval'─── well then, excuse me."
The girl pointed her hand at Rosho, Millia, and Thomson, and the 3 disappeared in an instant.
Then, the girl's figure also vanished in a flash... from the start, they had deployed someone specialized in escaping.
Elk spat out his words.
"Cowardly bastards... a bunch of losers who don't even have the guts to face me."
* * *
Elk went to Balthazar.
Soara quietly shook her head... it was already hopeless.
But there was still a glimmer of hope.
"Not yet. If you die in the dungeon, you can be revived."
"...Huh, Elk?"
"Balthazar. It's okay, I'll save you soon."
"...Huh, heh."
Balthazar was smiling.
Then he said,
"Ah, you see... we, the Apostles, have... already died once, so... we can't be revived anymore. It's not just dying in the dungeon; we're beings who have overturned our destined death, so we can't come back to life."
"Eh..."
This was the first time Elk had heard this.
Dying in the dungeon meant you could come back to life. That was a given for adventurers.
But the Apostles of the Goddess Holy Church were different.
They die when they are supposed to die. A life that has overturned that fate cannot be revived, even in the dungeon.
"Hehe, hehe... I finally made a friend."
"Balthazar..."
"U, uuu, ugh..."
Balthazar let out a small caterpillar one last time.
A small, charred caterpillar. He gently stroke it with affection.
"Please, this little one... be like me."
Then, something changed in the caterpillar.
It cracked open, splitting vertically... and from inside the caterpillar, a beautiful bug-human with butterfly wings, about 20 centimeters (8in) tall, appeared.
A girl bug-human with long pink hair and transparent, rainbow-colored wings.
Balthazar was also surprised.
"Papa?"
"......"
"Hehe. Papa, Papa."
"───...Hehe, your name is Sylphid."
"Sylphid! I'm (Atashi), Sylphid! Thank you, Papa!"
"Yes... Sylphid, from today, you will be with Elk. Got it?"
"Elk, got it. Together with Elk!"
Sylphid flew around Elk and sat on his shoulder.
Elk held Balthazar's hand, looking satisfied.
Soara also held his hand, tears streaming down her face.
"Warm... Hehe, hehe. I, I..."
"Balthazar..."
"...Ugh."
Balthazar closed his eyes, tears flowing... and quietly murmured.
"I, I'm happy... eh, hehe."
Then, quietly, he took his last breath as if falling asleep.
Balthazar's body turned into particles and began to disappear.
"Papa, Papa, bye-bye! See you again!"
Only Sylphid smiled and waved goodbye.
Elk watched Balthazar's particles fade away... and quietly murmured.
"Goddess Holy Church... I will definitely destroy you."
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)