Chapter 138

Three possible effects of the alchemical formula remained.

[Manipulation]

▶ The power to twist everything in existence, from the shape of objects to another person's memories and even space itself.

[Revival]

▶ The power to restore not only living creatures, but destroyed objects as well.

Both effects possessed extraordinary power. By comparison, [Growth], viewed in simple terms, was not particularly impressive.

[Growth]

▶ Instantly raises a living creature's stats to its innate limits.

It neither changed nor created anything, nor did it transcend anything.

But another effect lay hidden within [Growth].

[Time].

For a Primordial Sacred Spirit that took a hundred years merely to hatch—and might take hundreds more to reach adulthood—that was worth more than any other effect in their present situation.

[GROOOOAR!!!]

Kelduan's head protruded from the transmutation circle engraved on the wall. Every movement of its body shook the dragon's treasury.

CRUNCH!!!

One of the Dragonfang Soldiers surrounding Ruen stepped into Kelduan's path, as though trying to protect Juter.

CRUNCH...! CRUNCH...!!

But Kelduan opened its enormous jaws and swallowed the soldier in a single bite.

[BURRRP.]

Was it because it had grown so rapidly?

Kelduan smacked its lips hungrily as it eyed the remaining Dragonfang Soldiers.

"Eat all you want."

[ROOOOAR!!!!!]

With Woojin's permission, it raised its head and roared in apparent delight.

RUMMMBLE...!!!

The treasury shook violently once again.

"You crazy bastard...!!! An Azure Turtle's egg?! This is insane! This can't be happening!"

Juter screamed, unable to believe what was happening.

"Being called crazy by the craziest bastard in the world... Should I take that as a compliment?"

Woojin sneered, pleased with his reaction.

[SKREE...! SKREEE...!!]

[KRRRR...!!]

The remaining Dragonfang Soldiers abandoned Ruen and hurried to gather around Juter. They had seemed so threatening just moments ago, but before Kelduan, they looked utterly pitiful.

BOOOOM!!!

Kelduan's head descended upon the Dragonfang Soldiers.

[SKREEEE...!! KRAK!! KEK!! KA... KRR... RRR...!]

The soldiers thrust out their spears, only to be sucked whole into Kelduan's mouth with grotesque cries.

"You bastard...! I'll kill you..."

The bastard who had been spouting nonsense about friendship mere moments earlier finally began showing his true colors now that things had gone wrong.

BANG!!!

But before he could do anything, another arrow struck his head. This time, rather than lodging there, it went clean through.

CREAAAK...!!

Free of the Dragonfang Soldiers' encirclement, Ruen drew her bowstring once more.

"... Kik!"

He staggered with a strange cry.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH, WHOOSH!!

Ruen followed up with [Rapid Fire]. Every arrow in her quiver pierced Juter's body and embedded itself in the floor.

"You... fuu... ck..."

His jaw hung loose, shattered by an arrow, leaving him unable to pronounce his words properly. Glaring at Ruen, Juter reached into his pouch.

BOOM!!

At that moment, an explosion erupted against his body.

"Hands off, you bastard."

Juter grimaced at his blackened hand and looked behind him.

It was Irurin. Wiping the blood from her forehead, she raised her staff.

FWOOSH...!!

Flames sprang up around her once again.

"You...! You little...!! Worthless vermin...!!! I should've killed every last one of you from the start!"

Juter's face began twisting grotesquely.

But it was too late for regrets.

CRUNCH...!!

Kelduan had already devoured every last one of his Dragonfang Soldiers.

'We absolutely can't let him take any medicine.'

Irurin nodded, seemingly understanding the look Woojin gave her.

FWOOSH...!!!

At that same moment, the fireballs she had conjured flew toward him.

TAP-TAP-TAP!!!

Taking that as his signal, Woojin charged Juter as well, closing the distance in a single burst.

[Sprint].

At the same time, Setsuna added her [Mist Step].

WHOOSH!!

In an instant, Woojin appeared right before Juter. He raised his sword and brought it down diagonally.

CLANG!!!

But Juter's enlarged arm blocked his blade. Though Woojin had put all his strength into the blow, it failed to pierce that tough skin.

"... Die!"

Juter hurled a punch at Woojin.

"Khan!"

It happened then. At Goun's shout, Woojin hurriedly turned his head.

Something was flying toward him.

He reached out and gripped it firmly. What settled perfectly into his palm was none other than the Dragon Knight's sword.

A faint vibration ran through its hilt. He did not even need to look at the sharp aura emanating from the blue phosphorus to know.

He could cut through.

SLICE.

He heard not even a sound.

Juter's body was cleaved cleanly from shoulder to waist.

THUD...!!

His upper body slid along the severed surface and fell to the floor.

"Kr... AAAAAH!"

Despite being cut in half, he remained alive, flailing as he glared at Woojin.

The sight no longer even surprised him.

"Whew."

Woojin raised his sword over the upper body lying on the floor.

THUD!!

SLASH!!!

Without mercy, he began cutting through every one of Juter's joints.

"Gaaah...!! Sto...! Sto... op!"

Juter screamed.

"Quit acting. You can't even feel pain."

Ignoring his struggles, Woojin continued chopping him into pieces.

"... Wouldn't you say that's enough?"

After Woojin severed Juter's limbs and paused to catch his breath, Goun asked the question as though unable to bear watching any longer.

"Enough?"

Woojin's response was cold.

"Do you really think so?"

THUNK!!

He drove his sword into Juter's head, which had been rolling on the floor.

"Oh, you crazy bastard. I told you to stop."

Juter's closed eyes flew open, and he shouted at Woojin.

"Hah..."

Confronted with that grotesque sight, Goun could only shake his head, speechless.

"Don't fall for it. He's not human. He's a monster."

Instead of answering, Juter blinked the dozens of eyes covering his face, his jaw hanging in tatters.

"Then... what do we do now?"

Goun asked Woojin with an uneasy look as he watched.

TAP.

On the off chance it might work, Woojin placed the [Pilgrim’s Cross] on Juter's forehead, but nothing happened.

Alchemy was not a curse, after all.

"First I'll shut him up. Then I'll think about it."

Woojin tore Juter's cloak and covered his head with it.

"Wh-what're you do... ing! Mmph...! Mmmph...!!"

He protested through a mouth that could barely form words, but Woojin only bound his head more tightly to keep any sound from escaping.

"Aren't you going to kill him?"

Irurin asked Woojin.

"Can you kill him?"

"Yes. Probably."

She told him about [Spatial Distortion], the spell she had found in the treasury.

"Hmm... Erasing space, huh? A spell like that certainly might be able to erase his head."

THUD.

But Woojin tossed Juter's tightly wrapped head into a corner and shook his head.

"But it's too dangerous. We have no idea what might happen to you."

"Still..."

"I'll handle it. He still has something left to do anyway."

"Something left to do?"

Irurin tilted her head at his words. She could not understand what more there could be for such a hideous monster to do.

[GRRRR...]

"It's nothing important. Let's deal with this one first."

Woojin stroked Kelduan's head as he spoke.

It had been an outright gamble.

What would have happened if the alchemical formula had failed to awaken Kelduan...?

'I did have something in mind in case Manipulation or Revival activated... Either way, thank goodness.'

But they had only just cleared one hurdle.

As he had seen at the lake, an adult Kelduan was so enormous that it registered as a location. The array was far too small by comparison.

Kelduan had barely managed to get its head out. Its body was still trapped within the formula.

There were two options: shrink it, or summon it outside the labyrinth entirely.

"Is there anywhere nearby where Kelduan could stay?"

"I'm not sure. Kriemhild is nearby, but... it's no place for a living creature."

It seemed they would have to abandon the idea of using Setsuna's [Cloud Step].

"Then we'll have to make it smaller."

"All right. I'll look through the treasury's spellbooks and tools for anything we can use."

"I'll go as well."

"Goun, take care of yourself first."

"Yes. Miss Setsuna cast healing on me, so I'm fine."

He answered bravely, but those were not injuries Lesser Healing could mend.

"Take a look, and use this if you need it."

Woojin tossed him his last remaining potion.

"Sorry I couldn't give it to you sooner."

"Please don't say that."

At Goun's response, Woojin nodded quietly.

"Could you eat that one too, by any chance?"

Woojin pointed to Juter's head, but Kelduan shook its head.

A monster that even a Sacred Spirit wanted nothing to do with.

That monster existed inside the game as well.

'I don't know how far along he is in the game... I'd better pray he's at least reasonably human.'

Still, the game was set eighty years before the present. He could only hope that, at least, cutting off his head would be enough to kill him.

"Perhaps we can find a way for you to return sooner than we thought."

"... Hmm?"

"I told you we needed a Sacred Spirit's power to send you back to your original world, didn't I, Khan?"

Woojin's eyes widened at her words.

"That's right."

Since Fensir had not reached adulthood, they had tried to find a way through Setsuna. She had been born with Camilla's power, after all.

But Setsuna could not be considered fully grown either, and her Sacred Spirit powers were incomplete. That was what had made the research so difficult.

Now, however, the fully mature Sacred Spirit they had hoped for, in the most perfect form, was right before their eyes.

"I'll start right away."

As though reading Woojin's mind, Irurin decided to find a way to use the Sacred Spirit's power before working on turning the dungeon into their base.

"But... must you go back?"

Taking spellbooks out from the treasury, she hurriedly shook her head as though denying her own words.

"Never mind. That was a silly thing to say."

She smiled awkwardly, holding the spellbooks in her arms.

"I suppose I've grown soft with age."

Woojin felt a lump in his throat.

Until so recently, he had remembered her only as a child. Seeing her older than him had certainly thrown him, but thinking back, what terrible hells must she have endured since the childhood he remembered...?

He could scarcely imagine her life.

"Sorry I'm late."

Belatedly, Woojin said what he had failed to say when they first reunited.

"Oh, it's not as though you wanted to be late."

Irurin turned to look at him.

"But will you promise me one thing?"

"What is it?"

"If you ever come back, please come before I'm a bent old granny."

"... Huh?"

"Lady Ruen is an elf, so she won't even age. But I'll be an old woman covered in wrinkles."

She covered her face and shook her head, as though she could not bear even imagining him seeing her that way.

She looked like a bashful child.

She had been a nineteen-year-old girl when she first met him.

"... I'll try."

Taken aback by her unexpected words, Woojin soon let out a small laugh.

"Not try. Promise."

"All right."

Woojin nodded slowly.

"I promise."

Irurin smiled happily at his answer.

FLUTTER...!!

Dozens of spellbooks began floating around her, their pages fluttering like wings.

HUMMM...!!

The great spells within the dragon's treasury began piling up, one after another, in her mind.

'I can go back.'

Watching her, Woojin felt certain.

"Setsuna. Take a look around the treasury too. There should be plenty of useful artifacts."

-Can I really?

"Of course."

With Woojin's permission, she flew happily in the direction Ruen and Goun had gone.

"Now, then..."

Irurin was concentrating on her magic, and the other three were busy exploring the treasury.

That left only him.

"Mmph...! Mmmph...!!"

Woojin picked Juter's head up off the floor and walked farther inside.

Somewhere his companions could not see.

What came next would be rather cruel.