Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 149

149.

“Catch him!”

At that command, the masked men moved with practiced coordination. I felt a rough hand reaching for me, but before it could touch me, it was repelled. A bright blue wall of water blocked their advance.

“Kuh-ack!”

“……!”

I wasn’t the one who did it. Startled, I turned to see Undine floating in the air. Her face, usually so kindly smiling, was now set with fierce determination as she faced our attackers. It didn’t take long to understand what was happening: Isana had summoned a spirit.

“It’s a spirit!”

“That guy… he’s a spiritualist!”

The cultists of the Demon God immediately grasped the situation and halted their approach. I stared at Isana, dumbfounded.

“……Ly.”

“El, I’ll handle this. Leave it to me.”

Isana said calmly, gathering his energy. Then, as if conjuring a drizzle, water droplets rose into the air, and instantly, numerous Undines were summoned – exactly enough to match the number of people surrounding us.

‘Wow……’

The sight of multiple spirits appearing at once was both beautiful and intimidating. Even a highly skilled spiritualist would struggle to control so many. The Demon God cultists seemed to sense the shift in the atmosphere. Their relaxed demeanor vanished.

“……Indeed, he’s more than just an ordinary companion.”

“This is your warning,” Isana said, his voice chillingly calm, a stark contrast to his usual shyness. “Retreat quietly if you value your lives.”

“Hmph, arrogant fool! Just because you can control some spirits, you think you’re invincible? You’ll regret this! What are you waiting for? Attack him now!”

“Yes!”

The lull ended as the masked men surged forward with murderous intent. Focusing their attacks on Isana, they clearly aimed to eliminate the most immediate threat. However, Isana remained composed, calmly meeting their assault.

“Undine!”

At his command, the Undines, as if waiting for the signal, circled in the air and plunged into the masked men. Whoosh! Clang! Red blood splattered as men fell, struck by the force of the water. It was a new side of the Undines, whom I had only ever considered cute until now.

“Kuaaack!”

“Keheok!”

Against spirits whose forms were fluid and ever-changing, human weapons were useless. The man who gave the order shouted in agitation as his subordinates fell helplessly.

“Don’t stop! Don’t retreat! Attack with all your might!”

But despite his urging, the situation remained unchanged. Meanwhile, I regained my composure and watched the battle unfold. I had been forced into this situation, but seeing Isana fight so effectively was both amazing and gratifying.

‘Heh, Isana has gotten so strong. I might not even need to step in.’

Before long, most of the masked men lay on the ground. Only the man who had issued the initial command remained standing.

“Now, you’re the only one left.”

“Keuk…….”

He gritted his teeth at Isana’s words. All his subordinates were down. I expected him to either surrender or flee, but the situation took a completely different turn. He clicked his tongue, bit his finger to draw blood, and began to mutter an incantation. A chillingly dark energy began to emanate from his body.

‘Huh? What’s that?’

An ominous feeling washed over me, and I instinctively tensed. The energy felt similar to that of a demon, but far more eerie and unpleasant. The black energy spread across the floor, enveloping the fallen masked men. Rough groans escaped them as their bodies twisted in agony.

“Keok! Ugh…….”

My eyes widened at what followed. Their bodies began to swell grotesquely. The sight was so gruesome that I almost couldn’t bear to watch.

“Ugh… Kuaaaack!”

With a final scream, their human forms dissolved, replaced by something black and monstrous: giant centipedes with countless red eyes.

“Wh-what is that?”

Isana couldn’t hide his shock at the sudden transformation. His onslaught faltered. At that moment, a disgusting sound echoed as the monster centipede foamed black bubbles from its mouth. I instinctively sensed danger and shouted, “Ly! It’s dangerous!”

“Huh? Uwaack!”

Kwaaaang! Chiijijik!

I felt a wave of heat as something was launched toward us. By a hair’s breadth, I grabbed Isana and rolled across the floor, narrowly avoiding the explosion.

“Are you okay, Isana?”

“Ugh.”

Isana looked dazed. Turning back, I saw that the spot where he had been standing was now covered in black liquid, which was melting the floor and creating black pits. It was the substance the monster had been holding in its mouth. I shuddered, imagining what would have happened if Isana had been hit.

‘What is this? What’s happening?’

People turning into monsters! And judging by the magic power radiating from them, they were definitely real monsters, and powerful ones at that. I helped Isana to his feet, my face hardening. The transformed monsters began to surround us.

“Kieek!”

“Keeeek!”

“Keureureureuk!”

A bizarre, metallic screech filled the air, followed by a burst of mad laughter.

“Keuk! Kehahaha!”

The man who had been commanding them was laughing. Even though his companions had become monsters, he remained unchanged. I was certain he was behind all of this. He seemed thrilled by the sudden reversal of fortune.

“This is truly amazing! That person’s words were true!”

‘……That person?’

Hearing him rave, it seemed he was acting under someone else’s orders. It was only natural that there was someone behind such a terrible event. But for some reason, I felt strangely uneasy, as if I were missing something important. The thought was cut short as he issued the attack order.

“Now, go! Go and feed!”

At the commander’s command, the monsters, radiating murderous intent, rushed forward. Isana’s Undines responded, but this time the outcome was different. The moment an Undine was struck by the monster’s liquid, its form collapsed, a sign of reverse summoning [when a summoned creature is forcibly returned to its origin].

“……Ugh!”

“Ly!”

Perhaps due to the shock of the mana being forcibly reversed, Isana clutched his chest and knelt, his face turning ashen. Puh-uhng! Another Undine was attacked and scattered, and Isana vomited blood. The monsters continued their assault on the remaining Undines. At this rate, all the spirits would be reverse summoned. I shouted urgently, “Send the spirits back! Quickly!”

At my words, Isana barely nodded and canceled the summoning of all the spirits. The monsters, unopposed, immediately swarmed us. They were faster than I anticipated, leaving me no room to defend. As I saw huge teeth lunging at Isana, I instinctively hugged him.

Kwajik!

“Ugh!”

A chilling sensation ran through me as fangs dug in from all directions. Red blood splattered from the crushed skin. It was a fake body anyway, but the vivid sensation made me tremble. Fortunately, the pain wasn’t as intense as I expected. Of course, someone else on the other side would be feeling it.

‘……Sorry, Lapis.’

I apologized silently. Since making a contract with Lapis, I had been maintaining my form using his mana. The shock I received was directly transmitted to him. A minor injury wouldn’t matter, but this level of damage would affect even a dragon like him. I couldn’t help but sweat, imagining Lapis spitting blood.

‘He’s going to be so mad later.’

Regardless, I needed to resolve this situation. I glanced at the monsters, relieved they were in monstrous forms. If they were still human, I would hesitate to kill them. I poured energy into the monsters biting me, freezing everything they touched. Then, with a burst of force, I shattered them. As expected, it didn’t matter.

‘Good.’

“Kieeeeek!”

The monsters seemed taken aback by the sudden counterattack and retreated. The man in charge gasped in surprise.

“Wh-what! Who are you!”

Meanwhile, Isana was completely unconscious. I clicked my tongue and shook off the debris still clinging to my body. Then, I neatly restored my tattered body and clothes. The man watching gasped even louder. It was no wonder he was surprised; I had not only healed my wounds but also restored my clothes perfectly.

“Y-you! You’re not human!”

“……Well, as you can see?”

I didn’t intend to hide it, not after coming this far (and not intending to let him live), so I confirmed it casually. The man took a step back, his face pale.

“Keuk! Th-this is ridiculous! What are you doing! Attack him, everyone! End him!”

At his repeated order, dark shadows loomed over me. The monsters rushed in. But this time, I had no intention of being passively attacked. I clicked my tongue and created a barrier of water to defend myself.

Kwaang! Kwaaaang!

The monster’s attacks slammed into the barrier, creating a considerable impact. There was no pain, but the shock was so great that my whole body shook. The attacks continued, and the pressure mounted. I sighed and prepared to counterattack. I could have responded much sooner, but my hesitation held me back. I was confident I could handle the monsters, but the man commanding them was the problem.

‘……Can I kill that person too?’

Even in this situation, I felt resistance to attacking a human. Of course, that didn’t mean I would let him live. Aside from the fact that he knew about me, he had crossed a line. He had turned his companions into monsters without hesitation or remorse. He was clearly insane, and letting such a being live would be a great danger to the world. Reluctantly, I closed my eyes, hoping it would be easier to attack if I didn’t see it directly.

Just then, I felt something strange – a sudden heat on my forehead. More precisely, heat was radiating from the circlet [a decorative headband] covering my forehead. If I, who was usually insensitive to temperature, felt it, it must be incredibly hot.

“What…….”

I was about to check the circlet when:

Shoo-oook! Puh-eoong!

“……Ugh!”

“Kieeeeek!”

A massive explosion erupted before my eyes. The shock was unexpected, and I rolled across the floor with Isana. The monsters were thrown back in the opposite direction.

“What… what was that?”

I couldn’t understand what had happened. Struggling to open my eyes, I raised my head. A strong wind and thick dust filled the air, the aftermath of the explosion. As the wind subsided, I tensed, spotting a flickering shape in front of me. It looked like someone was standing there.

‘Could it be……’

I hurriedly touched the circlet. The heat was gone. If that were all, I might have thought I was mistaken, but the feeling was different. The appearance hadn’t changed, but it felt like a completely different substance. I realized the circlet had lost its function. It was a difference I hadn’t noticed until it was gone. The seal inside it had been released.

‘Damn it.’

They said that if you get shocked, the prisoner who was trapped inside will appear? There was no direct contact, but it seemed to be affected by the pressure a little while ago. To think that the seal on the circlet would be released in this situation. I was burning inside because I didn’t know if this would be a good thing or a bad thing.

In the meantime, the smoke slowly cleared, revealing the blurry shape. I blinked blankly at the sight before me.

“Uh……?”

A groan escaped my lips. I couldn’t readily process what I was seeing. It wasn’t human, but it wasn’t a monster either. In some ways, it was quite familiar.

I swallowed hard and scanned ‘it’ from head to toe: a stretched neck, a pure white back, a brilliant silver mane, a long tail fluttering beneath gracefully seated four legs, a beautifully sculpted nose between almond-shaped eyes, and a long golden horn protruding from its forehead. I knew what to call this being.

“……Unicorn?”

That’s right. It was a unicorn. I looked at it from every angle, rubbed my eyes, and blinked repeatedly, but the result was the same. The only difference was the pure white wings on its back, making it seem even more surreal.

A winged unicorn… was I dreaming? As I stared blankly, the unicorn tilted its head slightly. Blue eyes, like pools of blue ink, stared at me.

“Pureureureu…….”

When our eyes met, the unicorn neighed cheerfully, as if in a good mood. At that moment, a clear voice echoed in my head.

『I finally met you, El.』

“Huh?”

W-what? Where did that voice come from? Startled by the low male voice, I shrugged. The unicorn’s blue eyes curved even more.

『I believed you would come.』