Volume 2 Chapter 31 Release the Bestowal, and Then Penetrate
"...Huh? What is it...?"
As I carried the soldier and raced towards where Lene was waiting, I felt something unpleasant behind me and picked up the pace.
But that presence was stuck right behind me.
"Mr. Ryuuji! Behind you!"
Lene, who had been attacking the main body of the 'Arm,' seemed to notice something behind me.
Her expression was tense.
"What's there!?"
"A black dog!"
...A dog?
It wasn't just a stray that had wandered in, was it?
The presence was clearly sinister, and I felt hostility towards me.
I couldn't do anything even if I turned around, as my hands were full, so I had no choice but to keep running────
Suddenly, everything around me darkened.
The sun behind me seemed to have been hidden.
...Hidden?
The sky was so clear, how could it be?
"Whoa!?"
With a CRUNCH, I barely understood what had happened.
The 'Great Absolute's' barrier had been bitten by a massive jaw.
That meant the dog behind me was enormous.
No wonder it could hide the sun.
"Ryuuji! Stop there! Don't let the dog get closer to the outpost!"
"Y-yes, understood!"
Obeying His Excellency's command, I turned around while still carrying the soldier and saw that, indeed, the rough shape was that of a black dog────but it had no eyes, 6 legs, and stood 3 meters tall.
Could this creature really be called a dog?
Instead, the 'Arm' that had existed until just now had disappeared.
Had it transformed into this creature?
The arm-transformed dog is furiously gnawing at the Great Absolute's defenses, but there's no way our combined effort──Lene and I's masterpiece──could be so easily broken.
"Well, what to do now... It's so big and vicious, dealing with it is going to be a pain..."
I lowered myself to the ground and kept my eye on the persistent dog.
It's fine now that it's fixated on me, but if it turns its attention to Your Excellency or the soldiers, it could be a disaster.
But there isn't an effective attack I can use.
It might look like a dog, but would an attack on its vital points even work?
"Mr. Ryuuji, when the Evil God's arm transformed into that dog earlier... for a second, I saw a Magic Core!"
"...Where was it!?"
"Probably, the heart area!"
Lene probably said "probably" because she hasn't actually dissected a dog to confirm.
That means the heart area, somewhere around the front of the belly.
If the Magic Core is there, we might have a chance to defeat it.
The Magic Core is literally the core of a demon, and if this thing is a 'demon,' destroying its core should stop its activity.
"〈Magic Stone of Sigmund〉... but it's unusable because of 〈God Slayer〉"
As long as 〈God Slayer〉 exists, any 'gift' magic stone bearing a god's name will be ineffective.
Come to think of it, that's why I'm lacking countermeasures against Dark Mages and Evil Gods.
──No, wait a second? Are 'gift' magic stones truly unusable?
At that time, yes, when I faced Ferron...
'As a Dark Mage, I can distinctly feel the power of the gods. I can clearly sense the power of Fyrel, Sigmund, Aurele, and Cashunat emanating from your chest.'
..........
Indeed, Ferron, the Dark Mage, had correctly guessed the 'gift' magic stone I possessed at that time.
But there was one magic stone he failed to discern.
For some reason, he didn't notice the 'Magic Stone of Elmusca.'
"...Could it be, that's right. The one thing he overlooked was that Elmusca..."
The 'Magic Stone of Elmusca' was undoubtedly a 'gift' magic stone, adorned with a divine name.
However, I don't know the name of the god 'Elmusca.'
Such a name of god, I've never even heard of it.
"So that's how it is..., I feel like I'm starting to understand why I'm being targeted by the Dark Mages."
As I muttered to myself, I turned to Lene behind me and channeled magic power into the 'Magic Stone of Elmusca.'
"Lene! Aim for the area around the Magic Core with your alchemy gun! Only you can pinpoint the Magic Core's location!"
"Eh, y-yes!? But, I can't destroy it with lead bullets!? Without Mr. Ryuuji's empowerment────"
"I'll empower it from here! ...Ah, I'll explain how later!"
The effect of the 'Magic Stone of Elmusca' allows empowerment from a distance, and moreover, it drastically increases the effect of the empowerment itself.
This means I can empower Lene's alchemy gun even from here.
"Ahh, alright! I understand!"
"Wh, what is that gadget!?"
As Lene took out her alchemy gun from her magic bag with a reckless air, His Excellency and the soldiers were buzzing with excitement.
Come to think of it, this was the first time the alchemy gun was being revealed to them.
Now, it's time to enchant the bullets of the alchemical gun.
Enchanting them with <Sharpness> should do the trick.
All that's left is to believe that the enhanced effects will pierce through the <Dog>'s body and Magic Core.
Lene, having steadied her breath, quietly takes aim at the position of the <Dog>'s Magic Core, readying herself.
She imbues the bullet within the alchemical gun with <Sharpness>.
"In the name of Ryuuji, become a blade that pierces all──<Sharpness>! ────The enchantment of <Sharpness> is complete! Fire!"
Lene responds not with words but by pulling the trigger of the alchemical gun, maintaining her stance.
Instantly, a burst of smoke rises from the gun with a loud crack, and the <Dog>'s body shakes violently.
The <Dog>, trembling all over, collapses to the opposite side of where it was hit.
Then, its body disperses into black mist, leaving only a completely shattered Magic Core and a flattened bullet tip behind.
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