Chapter 65 - Kraken (6)
Maetel had used Record Divide to deliver magical energy to Artpe. It wasn"t her own magical energy. She had brought Sienna"s magical energy. In the process of experiencing the Record Link and Artpe"s Mana Link, she had perfected her unique skill!
Originally, it was a skill that allowed her to share spells and abilities with Artpe. However, she had brought along Sienna"s ability too. Something incomprehensible had happened.
However, Artpe didn"t ask how this was possible. He used that time to think about how to kill the Kraken using this new factor.
The conclusion was simple. He just had to Reinforce the fragments that were still falling towards the Kraken.
If the h.e.l.lfire Sentinel was intact, it would have been impossible. However, it had broken apart completely, and each fragments were basically akin to a high rank consumable artifact. This was why it was possible for him to pull this off. He would have to consume a ma.s.sive amount of Mana, but Artpe would be able to pull it off by squeezing out every ounce of Mana from within his body.
"Reinforcement."
Artpe activated his skill, and at the same time, he took out the Demite"s Gemstone. It couldn"t be used as it was originally intended, since it wasn"t completely refined. Despite this fact, it could be used in the manner he had used against the Slime. It could receive and amplify Artpe"s magical energy.
"When I made the resolve to retreat, I never expected to be pushed back into another risky venture like this……."
"This isn"t risky. Artpe can do this."
After transporting Sienna"s magical energy, Maetel clung to Artpe. She gave up her remaining magical energy to him. The two were clinging to each other, so they were falling faster towards the surface of the water. It was a desperate situation, yet she looked at Artpe with absolute conviction.
"We can do this."
"······yes, you really can"t help but be a hero."
The hero insisted on "we". It was as if she was scoffing at Artpe, who had thought about doing all of this alone. She truly looked like the hero he had seen in his past life. It made him laugh. The laughter was a mixture of admiration towards her, and the derision he felt towards himself. It was a fifty-fifty mix.
Until now, he had recklessly tried to do everything by himself. When he found himself unable to succeed, he had labeled himself as a "fake hero". He did as he pleased, and his thoughts were like a self-fulfilling prophecy. He had been ready to run away. Artpe had been under a misconception. Even in his past life, the hero had never tried to accomplish tasks by herself!
She had always had companions by her side. In his past life, Artpe couldn"t understand the reasoning behind it.
One plus one was always equaled two. Usually, conflict occurred when you put people together. There was a far greater chance of encountering a Dragon than to find people one was able to work synergistically with.
As a Demon, Artpe took no heed of others. He considered them to be hindrances, and he considered it fortunate if he wasn"t hurt by them. It wasn"t as if he liked being by himself. However, the situation, the era and the state of his mind at the time made him fly solo.
This was why he couldn"t completely discard his old habit even after his reincarnation. He was with Maetel and Sienna now. However, he had a.s.sessed their abilities, and he had put them in separate categories. He had acted as if he was being rational, and he had done everything his own way. This was why he had only thought about sending away Maetel and Sienna from the front line. He had considered their roles to be done.
However, that wasn"t true. Heroes had the ability to make the impossible possible. They made things that shouldn"t exist together to be able to coexist with each other. The proof was right in front of him right now. Sienna"s magical energy was being absorbed and amplified within the Demite"s Gemstone.
Sienna"s magical energy was being transferred through Maetel, and it was manifesting from Artpe"s hands.
"We aren"t a chimera. What the h.e.l.l is this? It makes no sense."
"Heh heh. I didn"t think it would work. However, when I tried really hard, it worked."
"How can you come here with such a mentality? You really are the worst."
She really was the worst. She was so ridiculous that he couldn"t get annoyed with her. He could only laugh. He was happy. He would have to question her later on, but it was fine for now.
"Go."
Artpe spoke in a whisper as he unleashed the magical energy. It was transferred to all the fragments of h.e.l.lfire Sentinel that existed in this world. He activated his Reinforcement skill to Reinforce all of them again. He coated Sienna"s magic around the fragments, and the flames were Reinforced. Their speed was increased, and a target was set.
His merciless eyes flashed as if he was the Demon King that would bring about the destruction to this world. In the next moment, his mouth opened once again, and he spat out fire with his words.
"Blow up the head of that d.a.m.ned squid!"
[Koo-ahhhhhhhhhh!]
Kraken wallowed within its pain as it roared, and it sent out its blackened tentacles.
Before they could reach Artpe and Maetel, white flaming comets. .h.i.t the Kraken"s body.
The attack was the complete opposite to the Kraken"s attribute. Unlike the previous attacks, this attack melted the body at a fundamental level!
[Kyahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhk!]
[Nyaa!? Nyaahhhhhhhhhh! Nyaa nyaa! Nyaa nyaa nyaah-ah!]
The Kraken let out a desperate cry. The Greed Beast was taken aback. If it continued to be greedy, it might die alongside the Kraken. It quickly retreated. A twisted smile appeared on Artpe"s lips when he heard the Kraken"s roar and scream. It was a horrible shriek filled with a curse towards him.
"It is done. We won."
When he was sure his Reinforcement was successful, he was dominated by the feeling of delight and accomplishment. They hadn"t retreated. They had won. He didn"t want to help those d.a.m.n humans, but he was thrilled that he was able to finish all of this without holding himself in contempt.
It felt as if the parts that he felt deficient about himself was made whole. The one to fill that deficiency was the hero, who was falling with him.
[Koo-ohhhhhh, koo-ahhhhhhng!]
All the Mana within Artpe was emptying out, and he was steadily losing consciousness. He wondered if he was going to die after achieving victory. If he was. .h.i.t by an errant tentacle, it would be the end of him. There was no way he could be that unlucky. At the very least, he wished Maetel to be safe…..
Countless thoughts crossed his mind. Even as they were plummeting towards the ocean, he caught sight of the hero. She refused to let go of his hand. He wasn"t thinking anything. He instinctively called out the name of the hero.
"Maetel······."
"Huh?"
Maetel had also exhausted all her Mana, so she was in the same boat as Artpe. She was close to losing consciousness. There wasn"t a single ounce of energy within her voice as she responded to the tired voice of Artpe. He extended his hand to hold her lightly, and he spoke as if he was in a dream.
"Hurry······."
"Yes······."
He was moments away from losing consciousness. It was the moments after the victory. He wasn"t of sound mind at that moment. Artpe spoke words that he would regret for the rest of his life.
"Grow faster… You…. "
"Huh······ Huh!?"
Maetel was also losing consciousness like Artpe, but at his words, she instantly regained consciousness as she replied to his words.
He wanted her to grow faster? Why? Of course, there was only one reason why he would want this!?
"Ah. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaartpe? Wait a moment. Can you say that again! Say it one more time!"
"Hooo······."
However, Artpe couldn"t finish his words as he lost complete consciousness. His body became slack. There was a good chance he wouldn"t be able to remember his words even after he woke up.
"Eeeeek······ All right, Artpe! I"ll grow up as soon as possible!"
However, Maetel had clearly received his words, so Maetel didn"t care what happened!
"Faster… If I grow up faster······! Artpe will….!"
Her eyes were burning with resolve and determination. It wasn"t up to her as to how fast she could grow, but such a small problem wouldn"t get in her way. It would be of no problem to her!
She"ll grow up fast. Artpe said he wanted her to grow up fast, so she would grow up fast! She would grow up fast, and…..
"Ooh-ahhhhhhhhht!"
She used her transcendent will and the power of love to regain full consciousness. She clutched Artpe"s unconscious body to her. In the next moment, the two plunged into the ocean together.
[Koo-ahhhhhhhhhng!]
"Oooh-ohhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Artpe"s worries hadn"t been unfounded. The Kraken did execute a final attack, but it couldn"t scratch the burning will of Maetel. After squeezing out its least strength, the Kraken died in vain.
Maetel had used the power of her will to transcend everything. As she watched the end of the Kraken, she felt a ma.s.sive and overwhelming amount of EXP flow into her and the members of her party. She was finally able to let go of her consciousness. It was the moment where the hero"s party had achieved complete victory against the Kraken.
[Nyaa······ Nyahhhha!]
The only one conscious until the end was the Greed Beast. It let out a roar of delight as if it owned the world.
As if it wanted to prove its own existence, it let out an evil cry that was filled with greed.
When Artpe opened his eyes, he saw two girls clinging onto him as they slept.
"This again?"
It was something that always happened, so he wasn"t surprised. He let out a sigh as he raised his hand towards his head. However, he realized something was there. He felt soft fur that flowed dowards. He felt a warm sensation, and he felt a head rubbing against his palm in a cute manner.
[Nyaa.]
"It was you?"
Artpe gripped the Greed Beast by the back of the neck, and he brought it up in front of his eyes. It looked like a cat, but its fur was black as ebony, and it possessed purple eyes. No matter how one looked at it, it looked similar to Artpe.
"Did you get influence by me during your birth?"
[Nyaaa.]
"Yes, I see. You protected us while we slept? Thank you."
[Nyaa, nyaah-ah. Nyaaah!]
"That"s right. I did say I"ll give you a name…..."
Artpe thought about it for a brief moment before he opened his mouth.
"All right. How about Amethyst?"
[Nyaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!]
It answered by saying it would rather be called the Greed Beast if it had to answer by that name. It seemed the cat wouldn"t allow him to half-a.s.s this. Artpe clicked his tongue as he spoke the next candidate.
"How about Roa?"
[Nyaa······ Nyaa, nyaah!]
The cat said it wouldn"t give the name a 100 points. It was mediocre, but it decided to accept the name. It nodded its head as it licked Artpe"s cheek. It seemed the Greed Beast was fully mimicking a cat. Its rough tongue licked him, and it wasn"t a bad feeling.
"How long have I been out?"
[Nyaahhh.]
"Two days?"
[Nyaa.]
After expending a ma.s.sive amount of Mana, he had fallen unconscious. Even if he had experience multiple level ups, he had been prepared to be unconscious for a week. However, the answer that came back from Roa was encouraging. A slight smile formed on his lips.
"Maetel and Sienna….. Good. It seems they will wake up soon too."
Maetel and Sienna probably pushed themselves more than he did. Still, the level 267 Kraken held ma.s.sive amounts of EXP. It was divided into three... no, it was divided into four if Roa was included. Their levels had increased in a crazy manner. This was why the aftereffects of the fight had been reduced by an overwhelming amount.
Artpe felt truly relieved when he realized the girls weren"t hurt. He was surprised at this emotion, but he accepted it. He brushed the head of the girls, who were acting spoiled.
"Ooh-mmm······ Artpe. Artpe."
"Still, level 215 is a bit much, Maetel."
He spoke such words, but Artpe"s level was 216. It seemed his role in this venture had been much larger than Maetel, so the share of the EXP was skewed more towards him. He wondered if there had been a time when his level had been higher than Maetel"s level. He realized this was the first time it had happened. Once Maetel finds out about this, she probably would be incredibly happy.
"Sienna is also at level 199. When she regains consciousness, I"m sure she will progress into her level 200 high rank Cla.s.s."
In killing the Kraken, she surely would have gained her Achievement. If she wasn"t able to acquire her high rank Cla.s.s, no one in this world was qualified to get it. He was sure of it.
[Nyaa! Nyaa nyaaa!]
"Yes, yes. You were born not too long ago, yet you are level 150. How much curse did you eat?"
[Nyaa!]
"It isn"t just the curses? ······Uh?"
It spoke the truth. The Greed Beast or Roa hadn"t just eaten the curse energy like the curse of madness. It had eaten all the evil thoughts of other beings, and it even ate the Demonic gene of the Kraken. It had eaten everything in a greedy manner!
"Nothing is wrong with your body, right······? If you suddenly become a thrall of the Demon King, I won"t hesitate to kill you."
[Nyaa! Nyaa nyaa nyaa! Nyaa nyaa!]
Roa spoke out in anger at Artpe"s cold words. It said there was no way it would be controlled by such trivial energies. Still, there was a limit to how valiant one could be.
"It seems that wasn"t the only thing you ate. Can you spit them back out?"
[Nyaah-ah······?]
"You can digest anything I don"t need. You just have to give me the important stuff."
[Nyaa······ Nyaa. Nyaah.]
"Yes, you are a good girl."
She was a smart beast that knew the reality of her current situation. She had no choice, but to obey Artpe"s words. Artpe scratched the back of her neck at her praiseworthy act. It seems it was quite pleasurable. She purred. She was completely a cat.
"You are awake, Artpe-nim!"
He was enjoying a rare moment of peace when the door suddenly opened. Mycenae charged into the room. Her ears were trembling with anger.
"If you are awake then please hear me out, Artpe-nim! Those a.s.sholes outside are talking about how they should divvy up the Kraken"s corpse!"
"What? They want to divvy up the Kraken"s corpse?"
Artpe answered with a dumbfounded voice. Mycenae vigorously nodded her head in anger.
"That"s right! They claim they had contributed in killing the Kraken by donating their Magic Stones. They are claiming they have partial rights to the corpse…. They only cooperated, because they had no choice if they wanted to live. They are being shameless!"
"First, calm down, Mycenae."
"Ah-ooh-ooh."
When Mycenae heard Artpe speak her name, she reflexively calmed down. He waited until the fluttering of her ears lessened. Then he nodded his head as he spoke.
"So they looted the Kraken? Did anything of significance come out?"
"No, if someone dared to touch it, a fight would have broke out. Therefore, no one has touched it yet…. No, that isn"t the important part! They are talking about divvying up the corpse when the person responsible for killing the Kraken isn"t present! It is unacceptable…..!"
"I see. They haven"t tried to loot it yet. That is why everyone is still excited."
"What······?"
Normally, Artpe would have been hopping mad, but his expression was as calm as it could be.
Mycenae had no idea what was going on, so her ears drooped. She had a dumbfounded expression on her face. Artpe petted the Greed Beast Roa, who was clinging to him. He nodded his head.
"Sure, they can divide it amongst themselves. It"s all right. It isn"t much."
"Artpe-nim······ Did you perhaps do something before you lost consciousness?"
"Me? Nope. I was unconscious, so how could I have done anything?"
Artpe smirked. Roa, who was nestled against Artpe, also smirked.
"I didn"t do anything. I didn"t."
[Nyaaaaaaaaaa.]