Chapter 132
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[Theres something Im curious about.]
Larze suddenly asked.
We were descending a dark and damp staircase.
I walked silently without bothering to answer.
Since the questions would continue regardless of my permission.
[Come to think of it, its strange. Youre not human, right? From a human perspective, arent you just a monster?]
Yeah.
[Having the heart of a human but not being human. A monster that must live by taking away and imitating the appearance of others.]
Larzes voice continued calmly.
[Your life must have been so unhappy. Why are you so devoted to humans?]
In truth, this was a question I had received before.
[Huh? Why do you love humans so much?]
Why are you so passionate about humans?
I shook my head, dismissing the overlapping voices.
Now the end of the stairs was gradually visible.
Soon, the floor.
There was no time to get lost in contemplation.
I reached the underground, lifted my head, and faced the scene before me.
The doll fluttered up once again.
[This is just what it means being a human, isnt it?]
What should I call this place?
A breeding ground, a hatching ground, a reproduction ground?
It seemed like there should be a more dreadful word.
A spacious underground common area, shabby cages lined up in a row.
Squelch-
I took a step through them.
Whooosh-
A swarm of flies buzzed annoyingly in response to my movement.
They were the ones that clung to the decaying food in the feeding bowls.
Plump flies hovered a bit in the air before settling on the tiny demi-humans that had collapsed beneath them.
The corpses were arranged as if with some intention.
Bones protruding under the skin, the smell of excrement, gruesome wounds, and sagging bodies.
They all looked like children, not even reaching the age of ten, and some were well past thirty.
Demi-human beings with a childhood much shorter than that of humans.
Perhaps their actual age was much younger.
Empty eyes gazed pitifully at those lives that had fallen apart, unable to shed tears.
I asked Larze.
Werent protecting the hostages part of the deal?
[Hmm, Doppelganger. Did sympathy and anger blind your eyes too?]
Larze claimed that the promise had been properly fulfilled with a nonchalant voice.
[Look closely. They were already dead before we arrived. I protected all the offerings who were still breathing. Theyre over there.]
In the thick shadows of the iron bars, I could see some of the demi-human children crouching late.
I felt the hand that was squeezing my heart loosen a bit.
I looked at them closely.
The doll shook again from side to side.
[There might be something you need to check before them]
It was just as Larze said.
It was supposed to be waiting for me here, but there was something I couldnt see.
I stopped and turned my head, staring at the opposite side of the chamber.
There was a secluded room.
And inside it.
I could distinctly feel the presence of a necromancer and a demon.
Are they trying to avoid a battle?
Wooooong-
A defensive barrier surrounded the door.
It looked similar to what Larze had broken just before entering the factory.
However, the magic constituting it was much denser and stronger, given the narrower range it defended.
Why arent they coming out?
[Wizards by nature burrow into their lairs when they sense danger.]
The necromancer sensed danger?
[Its only natural.]
The existence of me, who single-handedly annihilated the troops on the ground, and Larze, who neutralized the ritual at once.
She explained that it was natural for a magician in their right mind to try to sit in their own territory where various techniques were prepared, rather than come out and fight.
[Hmm, not just a siege perhaps assimilation? Fusion? Well, the followers of the Demonic Church are consistently insane as well.]
Ignoring Larze mumbling incomprehensible words, I approached the surviving demi-human children.
As I got closer, their trembling intensified with each step.
There were those desperately pretending to be corpses and others who defiantly stared at me with rebellious eyes.
Larze spoke with a somewhat fatigued voice.
[Did you confirm that they are all alive? Then Ill lift the defensive magic.]
Why dont you just leave it?
[Remote casting defensive magic on dozens of people through a medium is not easy, and my mana is exhausted.]
When you recover, cast it again.
[Youre using harsh human-like expressions too, huh?]
So, in front of the iron bars, they approached.
I drew out the Black Hope.
Lie down.
Clang-
I cut the iron bars that confined them in one go.
As I looked at their faces, which looked at me with expressions of disbelief, I uttered the name I had heard from Lev earlier.
Here you go.
No one moved.
Lev is looking for you.
Even though I said that, it was the same.
One, I could soon find her.
Kelloc, Kelloc.
A tuft of dirty fur rolled around on his tongue, letting out a shallow cough.
Thin breath, cloudy eyes.
I knelt down and made eye contact with the messed-up harefolk girl.
Her bright red pupils couldnt look directly at me and wandered in the air.
Her body trembled relentlessly.
Um, excuse me. Its, its cold Its too cold.
Hug me. Please hug me.
Harefolk are inherently less cautious and love humans very much.
I reached out and embraced Iriya.
And I whispered to her ears, which were more than half cut off.
Iriya. Lev is waiting.
At those words, Iriya seemed to regain a bit of composure.
The trembling subsided.
Le-Lev. Is Lev safe?
Of course. He should be in a safe place by now.
Thats a relief.
Inappropriate emotions surfaced in the current situation, so I suppressed them and put my hand into my embrace.
Connecting to the Key of Valber.
[Ho ho, key of Valber? Long time no see.]
I poured out the potions that I had prepared in the extradimensional space.
They were types that promoted wound healing and boosted energy.
I gave them to all the demi-human children, including Iriya.
And with a firm tone, I declared.
Get out of here. Go far away without looking back.
Although hesitant and stumbling, the children hurriedly left.
It didnt take long for them to disappear from sight.
Sigh
Calmness is needed in battle.
I took deep breaths, inhaling all sorts of foul smells that penetrated my nostrils to the point of pain, but I had to continue.
Suddenly, Larze seemed somewhat pleased for some reason.
[There it is.]
What?
[Its natural to have such doubts at least once.]
.
[Indeed, is a human a being worthy of protection?]
As soon as those words ended, a loud explosion echoed.
Kwaangg-!
The barrier surrounding one of the rooms dissipated, and dozens of tentacles rushed towards us.
Each tentacle was thicker and sturdier than a beautiful Andr tree.
An offensive move rather than a defensive stance?
Squish-
The iron doors and bars that blocked the path were torn apart like paper, flying in all directions.
The sight of it being imprinted vividly in my retina.
The speed and strength of those tentacles were beyond imagination, a fact etched into my mind.
Swish-!
It was a sudden attack, but my body responded promptly.
I swung my sword vertically to cut down the leading tentacle trying to wrap around my waist.
Hooong-!
Meanwhile, another tentacle coiled around the surroundings lunged towards me from above, trying to impale me.
Since I was still recovering my sword, I had no choice but to roll to the side.
Kwah-!
Due to the consecutive falling tentacles, there was no opportunity to correct my posture amidst the dust cloud.
Waves of dust and debris obscured my vision.
Six tentacles were wriggling like snakes, approaching me.
As there was no way to avoid the attack that was unfolding, Nova was reluctantly activated, pushing me backward against one side of the chamber.
Even though the tentacles were fast, they couldnt match the speed of Nova.
With a noticeable widening gap between us, I regained the composure to assess the situation properly.
The number of tentacles
Dozens of tentacles with red patterns were swaying in the air, released from the chamber.
Under the fiery light emitted by Nova, the shadows of the tentacles swayed like seaweed.
And right in the center.
Yo-ou-ou-ou. Foouullll beeeeinggggg.
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A man with only the upper half of his body and the rest buried under an endless sea of tentacles.
If it werent for the skeletal appearance, I might not have recognized him.
Beyond the broken half of the skeletal shell, a distorted face dominated by black veins was visible.
Larzes cheerful voice, which was out of place in the current situation, penetrated my ears.
[Swallowing the demonic energy obtained by sacrificing the offerings and then merging with the summoned demon. Somehow, they always exceed imagination.]
[Indeed, the demonic energy born from newly born lives seems to be purer. Their smell is even more pungent than regular demons, dont you think?]
Even without Larzes explanation, it felt dangerous just by the touch of his skin. It was clear that the demonic energy emanating from him was much more powerful than the Malekia tribe encountered in Lonkers.
The problem was that with each passing second, his momentum was becoming overwhelmingly powerful.
Larze warned.
[It will be dangerous for you once the digestion is complete.]
But charging in recklessly would be foolish.
For now, lets find a way to attack and evade.
I took a defensive stance with my sword raised at an angle to make it easier to escape.
There was a part of me that believed.
No matter how powerful that guy becomes, I will never die.
Larze, who needs to share Zeros memories, wont let that happen.
Above all, I felt at ease because the sacrifices had already been secured.
Lets endure while recovering mana and find an opportunity to finish him off with Halo.
At that moment, however, I felt something strange.
The tentacles that were about to charge at me didnt move from their positions.
Their cloudy eyes were clearly focused on the ceiling.
Ajeeek, Yaaandeega, Mookjas, Pooomuul, Bureoseeonaajii Anaatguuun, Wake up, Wake up!.
The pronunciation, clearer than before, made it understandable.
A flock and a shepherd.
I threw away all my previous resolutions and rushed straight towards him.
How dare you! Do not interfere!
Kugugugugu-
Some of the tentacles formed a sturdy barrier in front of me.
Skk-!
Without slowing down, I ran towards him while slashing vertically to cut through.
One by one, I kept slashing relentlessly, not stopping even when one shoulder came off.
The tentacles continuously regenerated, blocking my path.
However, I couldnt afford to let my guard down. I continued to move without giving him a chance.
In the meantime, he pulled the remaining tentacles close to his body.
It seemed like he was preparing for a powerful strike.
Wuuuu-
As the tentacles contracted, the crimson magic covered the entire area.
Faster!
And finally.
Just as I overcame all the tentacles blocking my way and reached the entitys core.
Kwaaaang-!
In the nick of time, the tentacles struck the ceiling of the chamber.
At an unimaginably fast speed, massive tentacles with tremendous mass were launched.
The hastily constructed underground space couldnt withstand it.
Kuguguguguqu-!
With an ominous vibration, dust and debris rained down.
Before I could even look up, the collapse had begun.
-!
Rocks of various sizes poured down like rain.
The shapes were so massive that one could crush a person without leaving a trace.
Huuuuung-!
I swiftly swung my sword.
[You reckless fool!]
Larze unusually raised her voice.
My sword wasnt aimed at the falling rocks but at the creature crawling between the collapsing ceiling.
As if a spider, it crawled through the collapsing ceiling.
I had to somehow prevent it from reaching the surface.
Kwaaaaah-!
Just above my forehead, boulders narrowly slid aside.
It was Larzes protective magic.
She scolded me with a tone of annoyance.
[Youre quite clever.]
However, there was no time to respond to her dissatisfaction.
The rocks kept pouring incessantly.
Larze only blocked them, neither breaking nor clearing them away.
If this continues!
Dealing with the collapsing terrain was proving to be a futile effort.
The arm swinging the sword grew increasingly sluggish.
Despite receiving wounds from my attacks, the creature managed to exploit the opportunity and vanished from sight.
And soon after, heavy rocks and soft soil poured down uncontrollably.
In just a few more seconds, everything would be obscured from view.
I stood silently in the dark center of the chamber.
.
.
.
Larze, with a tone suggesting she thought I had given up, scolded me.
[Quite clever, Doppleganger. You fought very efficiently.]
Perhaps even she didnt have enough remaining mana to teleport me remotely at the moment.
Having depleted my mana significantly, I had to block those colossal falling rocks myself.
[You said youd continue Teds legacy to save humanity. But to be held back by such lower beings like them.]
[If you fight like this without any standards, I will have to worry about when you will die rather than getting Zeros memories.]
Saving humanity.
I looked at the ceiling before its final collapse, and its structure was engraved in my eyes.
In doing so, I realized one definite fact.
To escape from here, the physical strength of the Hero alone wouldnt be enough.
Suppressing my boiling breath and mana, I spoke.
You asked me earlier.
[What?]
Why do I love humans so much, especially when I am a monster? Why am I trying to protect them?
[Is that important now?]
Im not unaware that humans can be evil.
Like the demi-humans on the surface.
I too saw the shadows of humans clearly.
Evil deeds and all sorts of wickedness.
Yet, there was light.
Yes.
There was light in any pit.
Wise, kind, strong humans who laughed, shouted, fought, loved, and lived fiercely.
I learned about humans through them.
I learned from them, enduring in any pit, that there was warmth and radiance.
I had expectations.
To protect that light, and if I pursued it, wouldnt that warmth and brilliance eventually pour down on me as well?
That expectation made me chase Ted Redymers back.
Larze. They are not all just lower beings like those Demonic Church bastards.
[]
The target I wanted to protect.
The true target I and the Hero wanted to protect wasnt only humans.
Human.
Every existence that shone brightly during its finite life was human to us.
And those humans, now in the cold and dark shadows, were waiting for me.
But how could I step back?
Larze fell silent.
Or rather, she made a somewhat pleasing remark.
[You resemble him.]
Preparations were complete.
I closed my eyes while taking a deep breath.
Concentrate.
I had already thought about what to do.
The path I had walked.
Under that path, there was an answer.
I stopped replicating the essence of the Hero and, in the midst of my innermost thoughts.
I grasped the essence, emitting a cold presence.
Replicating Cuculli Evans.
Thus, I replicated Cuculli up to the limits of polymorphs capacity.
Jweeeeeong-
A massive ice pillar erupted from the ground, supporting the collapsing ceiling just before it collapsed.
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