CH 516

Oricule’s hair turned into sharp needles that flew straight at Pree.

To think that Oricule would throw those needles at her……and that he would do it without hesitation, she had never considered that would happen. Pree just stared blankly at the hair needles flying towards her……

「Master-!」

Along with that voice, the dolls around Pree jumped in front of her. The next instant, they were pierced by nearly 30 needles.

The difference between these needles and Byune’s needles was their power.

Unlike Byune’s needles, which could barely pierce through a single doll, Oricule’s needles, after turning into an abnormal human, didn’t stop there. The needles only stopped after piercing through the bodies of four dolls.

「M-Master……are you, okay?」

The doll, which Pree had created and loved with the utmost care and devotion, asked in a broken voice.

Pree finally regained her senses as she stretched out her trembling hand towards the doll, which had nearly 10 needles pierced into it.

「Yes, yes. ……You all protected me, so I’m safe. You did a good job.」

「Master is safe……that is good. Run away, Master……that thing……is dang……erous.」

With those words, the doll lost its will as its hand, which had been reaching for Pree, fell to the ground.

It was a scene as if someone had died.

Even though it was twisted in some ways, the doll had possessed its own ego and will. Considering that, it wasn’t that strange to say that the doll had just died.

「Hmm, I see. I don’t quite have full control of my body yet.」

However, as for the person who had just did it, he didn’t seem to care at all as he checked his own physical condition.

(……Wait.)

When Set glanced at Rei, Rei told him not to move with his eyes.

Normally, this would be a good time to catch them off guard and attack. However, fortunately, judging from the currently flow of events, it was clear that the relationship between Pree and Oricule wasn’t friendly.

(It’s true that they had been trying to use each other from the beginning, but……why is Oricule betraying Pree here? It would be better for them to work together to face us first. ……Is it the influence of become an abnormal human? The possibility can’t be ignored.)

Rei thought to himself, but didn’t take any actions……Set, who was stopped by Rei, Elena, and Byune, all started to take some distance from Pree. Vihera, who had dealt with the remaining dolls surrounding her, also watched the situation between Pree and Oricule.

In the midst of this precarious balance, Pree, who had completely lost her will, gently lowered the doll to the floor before speaking.

「Oricule, what do you mean? Have you forgotten your position?」

Her voice was filled with more hatred than her eyes, but Oricule didn’t seem to care as he just shrugged his shoulders.

「What is there to be angry about? You care if your toy gets destroyed, but it doesn’t matter if my strength is exhausted? Don’t worry. I’ll kill all of these people, Vosk and the Silva family will also be destroyed.」

「Quit joking around!」

At Oricule’s words, Pree shouted out with bloodshot eyes.

Originally, Pree had ordered Oricule……or more precisely, the Church of Holy Light, to not kill Rei and the others. It was to capture them alive. If they were killed, they couldn’t be used as sacrifices. As for Vosk, she had wanted to kill him here, but with the way Oricule was acting now, she wasn’t sure if he could be trusted.

Most of all……the fact that he had called Pree’s dolls ‘toys’ was unacceptable.

In her anger, she pointed the palm of her hand at the monstrous Oricule as she spoke.

『Fire, ice, wind, thunder, stone, appear.』

At her incantation, all five ring on her right hand were activated.

The magic held within was released, a fireball flew out, numerous sharp ice and stone arrows shot out, blades of wind were released, and lightning ran through the air.

However, Oricule didn’t make any particular response and just stood there, receiving the attacks.

As all the magic struck Oricule, it caused a chaotic explosion.

Under the cover of the explosion, Pree poured her magic power into a small gem less than 1cm in size at her chest……and muttered an incantation.

『Return to nothing.』

With those words, she quickly threw the small gem into the smoke from the explosion that obscured Oricule’s large body……and the next moment, the previous explosion was dwarfed by a massive explosion.

In a sense, that attack, which exploded all the sacrificed blood, flesh, soul, and magic power used to create the gem, could be considered Pree’s last resort.

Pree didn’t care too much for the process of the gem exploding, but for someone who loved gems dearly, she didn’t like this kind of attack that resulted in the loss of the gem itself.

However, her own dolls had just been ridiculed and many had been destroyed by Oricule’s act of checking his abilities. ……No, killed.

This was something unacceptable for Pree.

The explosion created from the self destruction of the gem less than 1cm across was so powerful that even Rei and Set, who had kept their distance from Oricule, felt a strong impact.

「Guru-!」

Set immediately stepped in front of Rei to use his body to block the force of the blast.

Luckily, the explosion was focused to a specific area, so Set didn’t suffer any injuries. But, even so, the blast was strong enough to move Set’s body several steps, despite him anchoring himself down.

「Rei-, are you okay!?」

After the blast had passed, Elena, Vihera, and Byune, who had held onto Vihera’s hand to stop herself from being blown away due to her small stature, joined up with Rei.

Essetus, who was the furthest away, could only do his best to hold down Naktuo, who was still unconscious, so that they wouldn’t be blown away by the blast.

「Y-Yeah. I’m fine. More importantly, Set, are you okay!?」

After replying to Elena, Rei hurriedly called out to Set, who had acted as a shield to block the blast.

「Gururu~」

However, as expected of a Griffon, Set just gave a brief cry to say he was fine.

「Guru~, Gururururu~」

As Set gave more cries, he took some distance from where Oricule was, obscured by the smoke.

Rei glanced at Pree as they moved.

Not to mention Rei and Set, Pree didn’t even seem to care about Byune, who she had been obsessed with until just a little while ago, as she glared into the smoke with hatred.

If there was any movement, she would immediately follow up with another attack. In her hand, she was holding multiple gems, similar to the one before that had caused the massive explosion.

(It’s true that it would be best to take advantage of this opportunity and seize Pree, but……)

The thought popped into his mind, but it was also treu that Oricule’s abilities after turning into an abnormal human were unknown. It was best to wait and see.

「……Mmm……」

Next to Rei, Byune gave a soft murmur as if to suppress her urge to run at Pree.

Elena realised that Byune’s voice wasn’t her usual 『Mm』 but she didn’t have any time to ask about that right now. It was best to understand Oricule’s abilities more, even if only a little. Making the same judgement as Rei, she didn’t say anything as she turned her gaze to where Oricule was.

「This……what kind of behaviour is this? Weren’t we supposed to be cooperating?」

As the smoke cleared, Oricule appeared without any sign of injury.

Using his hands to clear away the dust, he tapped his armour and cloak, that had become as large as his body for some reason when he turned into an abnormal human, as he tilted his head and asked.

(Up until now, they should have been cooperating in some way. From what I can see, his overall speech and behaviour doesn’t seem to have changed much from when he was a human, but……is that the influence of becoming an abnormal human? If that’s the case, that could be exploited.)

When Oricule had been guarding the magic circle where Tivia was, it wasn’t because he had wanted to do it, but because it had been an order from Pree. However, the current Oricule was different.

「Don’t joke around with me! Those dolls that I created with great care are just toys? You will regret what you have said and done!」

Turning her left hand towards Oricule, Pree spoke another incantation.

『Thunder Cage.』

The bracelet on her left wrist, where a large amethyst was seated, was activated, creating a cage of lightning centered on Oricule.

Even Vihera had been badly injured by it, so although Rei and the others didn’t think Pree could use it to win the fight……there should be some sort of damage.

However……

「You think you can do something to me with an attack like this?」

Oricule slashed out with one of his newly grown arms from his shoulder blades.

With that, the Thunder Cage was easily destroyed, as if it had never existed.

「Wait, could it be that……he’s repelling the magic power itself?」

Vihera voice her thoughts bitterly as she watched the series of events.

Because she was a battle maniac, she always searched for formidable opponents, but tone seemed disgusted, as if saying ‘give me a break’.

That wasn’t without reason. If Oricule could repel magic power, that meant that no magic would affect him.

That mean Rei’s fire magic, backed by his enormous magic power, as well as the magic Elena specialised in, wind and Dragon language magic, would be completely useless.

「The question is, we’re pretty sure he can repel magic……or rather magic power, but we’re not sure if other attacks will work.」

Rei glanced at his Death Scythe, which was the weapon that had been created alongside Set.

By channeling magic power into the Death Scythe, it’s quality could be greatly increased, but he wondered if that would even work……

(It probably works……but that’s just my intuition. Unless I actually try it, I won’t know for sure.)

From Rei’s point of view, Oricule’s skin, which had turned blue from his transformation, seemed to be what was repelling magic power.

In that case, what about the Death Scythe, which just had magic power flow through it instead emitting any?

「What-!?」

Contrary to Rei and the others, who were investigating Oricule’s abilities with Pree efforts, Pree herself was clearly shocked that her attack had simply been nullified.

It wasn’t an unreasonable response. After all, Pree was a mage, not a warrior. If the magic she relied on had no effect, that would mean she had absolutely no way of fighting against Oricule.

……No, that was what the situation had been. Certain death with no way out. But that was quickly changed……

「Protect Master!」

Along with that voice, nearly 10 dolls stepped forward in front of Pree.

The dolls moved in front of the dead dolls that had protected Pree as they leapt off the ground and ceiling, jumping at Oricule.

It wasn’t just those 10 dolls either. One after another, various magic circles appeared in the room, from which dolls came out endlessly.

This was the main reason why the dolls’ numbers didn’t decrease no matter how many Byune and Nakuto destroyed.

From the fact that this was were Tivia was being sacrificed, this room could be considered the most important room in the Marschel family residence.

Naturally, a corresponding defense mechanism had been installed. The summoning of dolls was of those mechanisms.

Dolls came out one after another from the magic circles, which were connected to the Marschel residence’s doll storage.

It was because Pree was a descendant of the mage who had found Exil’s dungeon that, after applying many years of research by the heads of the Marschel family over successive generations, she was able to replicated the spatial magic used by the the dungeon’s transfer device in the form of summoning magic.

But, even so……it was completely pointless in the face of absolute power.

「HAHAHAHA, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!」

The two arms at his shoulder blades swung at the dolls that attacked him one after another.

Their sharp tips pierced and destroyed the dolls as it struck them.

Even so, the dolls Pree had been making for many years continued to appear as they were destroyed by Oricule.

While watching the situation, Rei and the others continued to analyse Oricule’s strength.