Volume 1 Chapter 50 The Screams of the Grotesque Tear Us Apart
Fiend Marie's golden eyes locked onto me.
Unlike Elmer, vestiges of her original form remain, giving the impression she might be savable, but that's unlikely.
Her self-awareness is already shattered, evident for all to see.
"AAAAAAA!"
A piercing, high-pitched scream rips through the air, slamming into our eardrums.
Is it a lament for the monstrous form she's become, or a ferocious roar as she hunts her prey?
"Gah!"
That scream, whatever its reasoning, was tearing our bodies apart.
Blood splattered everywhere, but thankfully, our vital points seem to be spared.
But getting hit repeatedly like this is dangerous.
We have to do something.
"Hmph!"
Dodging a large swing, Minori's <Sharpness>-infused <Pierce> cleanly severed one of Marie's 2 right arms.
She then followed up with a swift <Resist>, slicing off her remaining right arm as well.
"Mr. Ryuuji, Minori, get back!"
"Roger that!"
"Understood!"
We didn't react in surprise to Lene's voice, which had appeared without warning.
We took back steps to put some distance between us and Marie.
At that moment, a bottle filled with medicine was hurled towards Marie, engulfing her in a raging inferno.
Marie's 2 remaining right arms were burned, halting her regeneration.
"Whoa! Close one!"
With flames clinging to her right side, Marie lunged at me, her remaining 2 left arms swinging wildly.
I narrowly dodged her claws, which raked across my face.
But even though I dodged, I was blown away the next instant and slammed against the ruined building's wall.
It felt like I took a kick to the gut.
It hurts.
"Wait, what!?"
I dodged Marie as she charged at me, rolling out of the way.
Was she trying to catch me in the flames too?
I didn't catch fire, but the abandoned house ignited.
If this keeps up, the whole place will burn down, but I didn't have time to worry about that.
"O great god of magic, grant me a fragment of your power, and give me the strength to pierce that pitiful abomination, <Gungnir>!"
As Suzu recited her incantation, a beam of heat shot out from behind, striking Marie directly in the chest.
However, did she lose focus on her Magic Core?
The creature turned its golden eyes toward Suzu.
"Not so fast!"
Minori stepped in between Marie and Suzu, expertly deflecting Marie's claws with her dazzling swordplay.
Occasionally, she would leap and dodge the kicks as if she were dancing.
Now, the flames that Marie was wearing have gone out.
I'll get to work.
"In the name of Ryuuji, I will give my body a part of the power that will crush anything, "Smash it!"
Temporary Enchant Magic (いちじふよじゅつ) boosted the power of my next strike.
I dashed in from Marie's right side—the side missing an arm—and drove a straight punch low into her body.
Crack!
Her right thigh bone shattered under the blow.
Marie's balance gave out, and her body tilted awkwardly.
At that exact moment, another sharp bang rang out.
A perfect shot—straight to the forehead.
Lene must've fired that alchemy gun of hers again. Clean. Precise.
The impact snapped Marie's head back as she crumpled to the ground.
"Did that finish her off...?"
"...Nope, Big Bro Ryuuji," came Lene's voice. "She's still hanging in there."
Minori stops me from getting closer to confirm.
As my sister said, Marie is practically vibrating, grinding her teeth and moving her jaw like she wants to say something.
"...Ple...ase..."
"What?"
"Ple...ase...kill...me"
"........."
...And because of this, Evil God's power has manifested, transforming her into a monster, and she still has a little bit of her self left.
What a strange feeling.
It seems like I'm not the only one who feels uneasy.
Minori sighs and shakes her head.
Just as she hoped, this is the only way to save her.
To kill her here.
"Ah..."
Minori takes *Pierce* in her right hand, which has no arms, and aims for Marie's heart, who is still grinding her teeth.
And then—
"AAAAAAA!"
"Kyaaa!?"
"Gah!?"
Because we were careless, we were once again cut down by her screams.
I got a pretty bad wound, but Minori seems to have lost consciousness and collapsed.
I rushed over, pulled her away from the monster.
"Ugh... Ugh..."
"...Bad... The wound is deep. Lene! Medicine──"
"Mr. Ryuuji!"
As I was about to take my sister to Lene, Lene yelled and pointed behind me.
When I turned around, Marie, who had somehow regained consciousness, was raising her fists.
Oh no!
"Gah!"
The powerful blow to my left ribs sent us flying.
But, I have to protect my sister.
I changed my posture in mid-air while holding Minori, and crashed into the wall of the house.
This is the third time!
"Mr. Ryuuji! Are you okay!?"
"Looking at it... you're... okay... No, you're not..."
As Lene approached, I handed over Minori and gave her that response.
I might have cracked a couple of ribs on my left side.
Marie still seemed to have trouble with her legs, repeatedly trying to stand up only to collapse again.
Could we buy some time like this?
"How's Minori doing?"
"Not well, but we're managing with medicine. However, she might not regain consciousness soon."
She's clearly bleeding badly from various places.
Could the shock be part of the problem?
"I see... Suzu! I need you for a moment!"
"Mm."
Ignoring the pain in my side, I called out to Suzu loudly, and she immediately started casting magic like a rain of spells.
With no vanguard, we might as well go all out with our attacks.
"Lene, can you shoot through Marie's Magic Core with your alchemical bullets?"
"...I think it's difficult. They're made of lead, so they probably won't penetrate the Magic Core."
"I see..."
While continuing to tend to Minori, I asked Lene, but it seemed it wasn't that simple.
The Magic Core becomes harder the stronger the creature, so it's understandable that soft lead won't penetrate it.
If we could use the 'Magic Stone of Sigmund,' it would be ideal, but it takes time before it can be reused.
No, wait.
It's too soft because it's lead, so it can't penetrate.
Then, maybe we should do something about its hardness.
"...What about this?"
I shared an idea with Lene.
Even though I don't understand the mechanism of the alchemical gun, my suggestion should be correct as long as it's about the bullets.
After finishing Minori's treatment, Lene handed me some recovery medicine, looking thoughtful for a moment before nodding to show there was no problem.
"Yeah, I think I can do it. However, I need to team up with Mr. Ryuuji to take aim."
"Understood. Then let's stop Marie one more time. We'll take our shot there."
I fixed my gaze on Marie, who was trying to regenerate her leg, and made up my mind.
Come on, let's go for round 2 of the reshuffling.
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