How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 193

193. The Best Strategy is Annihilation (8)

A cadre appearing here?

‘Was a cadre really involved in this?’

I even hoped it wasn’t the case.

Perhaps sensing my feelings, Cadre Pemalt tilted her head, seemingly surprised, and asked,

“Oh? You’re not as shaken as I expected? Have we perhaps met before?”

“Not really. You’re a stranger to me.”

I retorted bluntly.

“More importantly, you popped out quickly, didn’t you? Were you perhaps timing your entrance?”

“I can answer that much. I was nearby from the start. That man over there is a bit careless, so I was worried.”

Pemalt looked down at the trembling lord, who seemed to have regained his senses, and smiled.

Unlike her gentle tone and demeanor, her gaze and aura were chilling.

Recently, I could sense the level of my opponent to some extent, so I vaguely noticed.

‘She didn’t just pop out here to chat.’

I chuckled and kicked the lord I had dragged out.

“Hey, lady? Do you want this pitiful lord back?”

“……Well? What should I do?”

“Then you’ll need to pay a ransom. I have a lot to discuss with this guy.”

The magic barrage she unleashed earlier could have easily killed the lord as well.

It’s obvious.

She’s trying to silence him.

That means this guy has information to leak.

“Then I’ll have to take this guy with me.”

“That would be troublesome. Hehehehe. Isn’t that right, Premel Illanat?”

As she called out the lord’s name, he suddenly flinched and convulsed.

As if he were having a nightmare.

“……Hiek?! Wait! Please wait!”

For some reason, he seemed terrified.

I guess he’d be punished if he went back like that.

“I don’t like this guy, but I don’t plan to let him die outright, you know?”

I’m ready to react to any attack and escape.

“Hehehehe…… You won’t be able to. Well…… I’m sorry, but you’ll have to close your eyes there.”

She muttered something.

“Your role ends there.”

Considering the magic she used earlier, that cadre must be a high-level mage.

Whether it’s attack magic or something else, I was prepared to use any means necessary.

The problem is, nothing noticeable appears.

Instead.

“Keuheoeoeoeok?!”

Suddenly, the lord grabbed his neck and began to writhe in agony.

“What?”

Surprised, I turned around and saw his neck pierced, spewing blood as he slumped over.

“…….”

The intention to silence him is obvious, and there’s no reason to be surprised by the action.

It’s common for villains to discard other villains.

What I was nervous about was the method used to eliminate the lord.

‘What did she attack with?’

My first suspicion was that she compressed the surrounding air and fired it like a bullet.

There are plenty of such spells.

But she didn’t control the surrounding air, nor did she show any signs of using magic.

‘She killed him with an attack I couldn’t even detect?’

It’s possible.

My magical ability is on par with the 3rd Circle, so if she far exceeds that level, she could easily bypass my awareness.

Moreover, I only know of the cadre’s existence, not her specific abilities.

That woman isn’t the cadre who fought Sylvester directly.

I met her, but she left behind only a few cadres and ran away, and her tracks were later dealt with by someone else.

This doesn’t feel good.

I quickly retreated from the lord’s corpse.

Constantly pondering what means she used to attack, I never stopped thinking.

‘……Should I test it first?’

I summoned a Salamander and launched a Green Flame, which would be the most troublesome to deal with.

A convenient flame that sticks to any substance.

The green flames flared up! Violently swirling and trying to engulf her.

“Oh? This flame is…….”

Pemalt frowned.

I guess she noticed the characteristics of the flame.

‘Then she knows it’s troublesome to deal with.’

Whether she defends with an artifact or extinguishes it with magic, the fire will definitely catch once.

How will she respond to the heat that ignores all defenses?

Like it or not, she’ll have to use magic.

I’ll pour in additional attacks while she’s distracted.

However.

“I don’t want to touch that flame.”

She chuckled lightly, and a strange phenomenon appeared.

The flames seemed to stop for a moment.

Then, they changed course and swept away, burning only irrelevant places.

‘……Could it be.’

Just in case, I tried to attack again, but.

“Please stay still there.”

As she muttered again, my body crashed into a hard wall.

“Ugh?!”

I was simply blocked.

As if everything couldn’t pass beyond this point according to her words.

Did she use a method to fix space itself like me?

Certainly, there are high-level magics that touch space itself.

But there were no signs of magic being used, no magic circles.

Not even the flow of mana.

‘What trick is she using?’

Thinking about the worst-case scenario, I carefully pondered how to fight.

“I won’t give you time to think.”

Cadre Pemalt started to act again.

Is she planning to launch an offensive right away, taking advantage of my confusion?

“First. I don’t like things moving around distractingly, so I’d like you to stay still for a bit.”

As she muttered, my movements suddenly became sluggish.

It was as if I had weights tied to my arms and legs, making it difficult to move.

“……Ugh?!”

In an instant, my movements slowed down.

She must have cast a debuff of restraint and slowing.

But again, there were no signs of magic being used.

When did she cast magic on me?

I can’t react because I didn’t notice.

“Hehe. You’re listening well. But you seem to have a rebellious streak, so shall I discipline you a bit harshly?”

This time, she clapped her hands.

At that moment, a large physical impact struck my front directly.

“Keuak!”

But I still don’t know what hit me.

The impact is real, and the wounds I sustained are definitely real.

But I can’t detect the prelude to the attack, nor what she did.

“Now, are you ready to be obedient?”

“Hmph, sorry, but I have no intention of listening to such nonsense.”

I mustn’t be intimidated.

That’s clearly what that woman is aiming for.

There’s definitely something.

Where did she set the trap? What is she aiming for?

I have to think.

‘Should I try to create as much distance as possible?’

Long-range combat against a mage may be disadvantageous, but staying like this won’t change anything.

I immediately teleported into the sky.

Rising to about 800 meters above in one go.

‘I don’t know what tricks she’s using, but I’ll find out if I attack indiscriminately.’

Let’s overwhelm everything in sight with force.

I immediately summoned Undine and created as many Water Spears as possible.

-Many! More many?

“Yes! Pour them all out!”

-I’ll make many!

I created roughly 10,000 of them.

But it’s not enough.

“More!”

Undine exerted more power and created up to 20,000.

The sky was densely filled with Water Spears.

With a single gesture, I signaled them to rain down.

Papapapapapapapat!

The Water Spears followed gravity, striking the ground indiscriminately with a refreshing force.

“And…… one more.”

In addition, I randomly unleashed thick lightning strikes, not allowing her to use any strange power.

Let’s bombard her without giving her a chance.

When you don’t know what it is, overwhelming it with force is one way.

‘Anyway, if I create this much distance, she won’t be able to hear my words or anything…….’

Just as I was about to conclude and continue the attack.

“Hehehe…….”

I definitely heard it.

Instinctively, goosebumps rose on my arms.

“The distance is far. If you’re going to be so far away, I’ll be a little disappointed, so why don’t you come down?”

At that moment, my body was forcibly falling down.

‘I’m caught by something?!’

I quickly used Gravity Control to try to float my body, but it didn’t work properly.

I’m caught by something?

“Ugh?!”

Only then did I realize my mistake.

She had already calculated that I would create distance.

“……Looking back, it’s a lack of experience.”

I’ll reflect later, but I have to do something before I hit the ground like this.

I won’t die, but I’ll get injured.

I might be cornered in the meantime.

I quickly took out the Fairy Staff and poured as much power as possible into it.

A large amount of mana sublimated into spirit energy and surged wildly.

Doo-oong!

I felt a heavy hallucination from all directions, and I was freed from the suppressing energy.

It was a half-accidental action, but it worked properly.

My body became free.

And thanks to that, I caught a glimpse of them in my vision for a moment.

‘Could it be…….’

Freed just before barely colliding, I used Gravity Control to minimize the impact and rolled on the floor.

“……Oh dear.”

Cadre Pemalt’s eyes sharpened as if she hadn’t expected this either.

A reaction that she hadn’t anticipated.

‘Well, thanks to that, I saw a way to deal with her.’

I could somewhat guess the identity of the trick she was using.

“Undine.”

I summoned Undine again and gave an order.

But with my eyes closed.

I don’t recognize.

“Attack on your own. Find it on your own, and get rid of it on your own.”

Basically, I instruct the spirit with my eyes and gestures, firmly solidifying the image and giving the order.

But there’s no need to do that now.

-Okay!

Undine answered energetically and pulled out spirit energy from me at will, firing Water Spears like a machine gun.

Among those sounds, I faintly heard the sound of tearing flesh and blood.

“As expected…….”

As soon as I opened my eyes, I muttered with conviction.

What I saw in front of me was the still intact cadre.

But I turned my head away from there.

Again, her figure faintly disappeared.

“Undine. One more time. Aim on your own.”

Again, Undine indiscriminately unleashes attacks.

But not in the direction where the cadre is, but in a completely different place.

But that’s right.

What’s wrong now is my eyes and senses.

Finally, the cadre’s figure reappeared.

Instead, faintly, like a mist, I saw her with a torn shoulder, injured.

“So that’s the real one.”

This is the identity of the tactic she used.

“The entire scenery you see is all an illusion…….”

Thinking about it, it was strange.

“She spread a wide-range illusion.”

There’s a similar magic.

5th Circle mental interference magic, Mind Illusion.

It’s a troublesome magic that interferes with the opponent’s brain and manipulates all kinds of senses.

However, it’s much more effective and has a more nasty nature than the one I know.

She probably modified the basic formula in her own way.

‘Even so, to break through my magic resistance and cast such a seamless illusion…….’

When did she cast the illusion?

I guess it’s highly likely that it was when she made the first surprise attack.

Perhaps the lord suddenly died because she hid her appearance and secretly launched an attack.

But that’s not necessarily a trivial trick.

Depending on the situation, it can be the most troublesome type.

Instead of a flashy illusion, she creates a landscape that is indistinguishable from reality, hides her appearance, and aims for your life.

She’s a type that thoroughly hunts enemies.

“My little prank was discovered. I should have finished it with the first surprise attack.”

She shook her head obediently, as if she was disappointed.

“Then I’ll show you the rest as a reward.”

The illusion is dispelled in an instant.

She deliberately dispelled it.

This…….

Seeing that, I gritted my teeth.

All sorts of magic circles are densely packed around, on standby.

She deployed them all.

‘Is it an installation type?’

If I pick up a stone and throw it as a test, one of them will immediately deploy a binding formula and tie it up.

That must be the reason why I was pulled down from the air a while ago.

“That’s unfair.”

“I’m just playing a few tricks. Unlike other cadres, I’m not confident in fighting?”

“……Is that a few?”

A cadre-level expert’s specialty is fighting with all sorts of tricks…….

As she gestured again, all the traps disappeared again as if melting into the landscape.

She cast an illusion again.

Even though I was on high alert, determined not to be caught again, I couldn’t resist.

‘Even if the opponent recognizes it, the illusion is still unfolding…….’

How much mental interference technology does she have?

I got an item that resists mental interference technology a while ago, but I was still caught, which means that if I didn’t have it, I would have fallen for a more terrible prank.

‘Come to think of it, if you get caught in a high-density hallucination, your heart can stop just from that delusion, right?’

It’s creepy.

But it seemed that I wasn’t the only one who was impressed.

“You’re no ordinary person…… I was originally going to show you something more nasty, but all I could do was disguise your sight and some senses. Could you be a factor from the Selbas royal family…….”

She’s firmly mistaken, but there’s no reason to correct her.

I ignored her unilaterally.