On top of the Magic Bullet, the flickering light did not dissipate because of Iyue’s curses… instead it grew brighter and brighter.
“Cough…!”
That light even overwhelmed the pitch-black Soul Color surging out from Waletidina, dyeing the nearby forest purple.
Under the illumination of this light, Iyue felt all the Magic Power in her body rapidly draining away–exactly the same feeling as the First Time she had nocked it in arrow form onto the bowstring.
‘This thing is absorbing my Magic Power? But I don’t have any device on me that can fire it!’
In order to prevent the Magic Bullet from having even the slightest chance of harming Yi Yue’s Sister, while unloading her sidearm, Iyue also tried to avoid coming into contact with every ranged weapon she saw that could fire arrows or bullets.
But she obviously had not expected something like this… this thing was now, without any intention of use from her at all, entering the firing process on its own!
With terrified eyes, she watched the bullet that had been slowly rotating gradually stop, then point its warhead toward Waletidina’s forehead.
Two options flashed through her mind in an instant.
The first was to endure the risk of Magic Erosion and severe injury to stop guiding the rampaging Magic Power inside Waletidina, and use all her energy to operate, taking back the Magic Power absorbed by the Magic Bullet to stop it from firing… but if she did that, everything would be wasted.
This powerful Magic Power, comparable to a Magus, would very likely break through Waletidina’s body, and while causing her to explode and die, it would spread out and cause Magic Contamination to the natural Magic Power of the entire forest.
The other option was to let nature take its course. You knew very well what kind of consequences would arise after this ominous Magic Power spread into the forest, didn’t you?
A silver bell-like laugh seemed to ring by Iyue’s ear… she suddenly raised her head and saw that the dark purple light seemed to condense into a phantom–
It was a girl dressed in a black dress. She leaned against a tree and smiled at Iyue.
“…Demon King?”
The circulation of the two people’s Magic Power that Iyue was desperately guiding nearly collapsed completely due to the appearance of this phantom… fortunately, she ultimately suppressed her violently shaken mind.
“Detected a sharp rise in the User’s heart rate. The probability that the cause is the simulated image is 97.6%… judging that image correction is necessary. Comparing data in the database…”
The voice of the girl who had the appearance of the Brave’s Party’s mortal enemy suddenly became completely flat.
And the words she spoke intermittently were all vocabulary Iyue could not understand.
“It can’t be the Demon King. The Demon King was killed by Lian En with his own hands… I saw it with my own eyes that day. What exactly are you?”
Iyue tried her best to keep her voice calm.
“Detected a suitable target. Executing image correction, synchronizing virtual personality–“
“…Lian En?”
The appearance of the black-clad girl changed in the blink of an eye… Iyue saw Lian En from the Hero era leaning against that tree.
‘Is this some kind of Illusion?’
This was the first thought that came to Iyue’s mind. Neither the Demon King nor Lian En could possibly appear here.
Because the Demon King was already dead… and Lian En had turned into a cute girl.
But the image shown by this phantom she saw was so real, and that soft laugh belonging to the Demon King still made her hair stand on end and her soul tremble–
“I am not the person you know, User. This is a simulated image and personality constructed to make it easier for you to recognize me.”
Lian En seemed to see through her thoughts and spoke.
“I still don’t understand… what exactly are you? Why do you take the forms of the Demon King and Lian En? Are you trying to confuse me?”
“You do not need to try to force understanding. I am merely offering a suggestion to the User as a support program: please execute the second option.”
“Wait… could it be [Magic Bullet]?”
Although those never-before-heard words still left Iyue completely confused, she nevertheless deduced the correct answer from the only word that repeatedly appeared and whose meaning was close to what she knew: “User”.
“Your understanding is correct, User. Repeating the suggestion: do not interfere. After the bullet is fired, this unstable target will be eliminated.”
“Eliminated… you mean kill Waletidina?”
“In terms of the result, yes. Number 0014–the Reality Interference Calculation Bullet–was designed precisely to eliminate the residue and Magic Contamination produced during and after the use of items under the same number category. The creature before your eyes is a product remodeled by Number 006–the Spirit-Flesh Reorganization Device–under an erroneous operation mode.”
“Magic Contamination… eliminate…?”
Iyue at least understood a few of the words… and those two numbers.
She remembered that the Demon King had once said the Magic Bullet she used was exactly the “Number Fourteen” Relic, which corresponded perfectly with that Number 0014 whatever-bullet.
And that Number 006 whatever-device… perhaps it was the “Number Six” Relic.
But what Iyue cared about now was not these questions. She glared fiercely at Lian En and said in a low voice:
“You mean to make me just watch as you kill my comrade?”
“This creature has already been completely subjected to Magic Contamination. The probability that it will explode and release Magic Power sufficient to mutate surrounding organisms is as high as 72.4%. Under this probability, terminating this item’s autonomous firing process is not recommended.”
“This can both ensure the User’s personal safety and eliminate the Magic Contamination. Moreover, this creature’s mind is also in a state of collapse. The program judges that she should be processed, allowing her to be freed from suffering–“
“Shut up!”
Iyue furiously interrupted the phantom that spoke in a tone imitating Lian En.
“As long as there is even the slightest possibility, I will absolutely not give up on saving her! If you really care about my safety, then stop the firing immediately and return all the Magic Power to me!”
“…This is a foolish act. Your death rate at the center of the explosion is as high as 92.5%, and the organisms on the island will also mutate because of this Magic Power tainted by Magic Contamination.”
Compared to what Lian En had said before, this sentence was very easy to understand.
Organisms mutate under the Magic Contamination of powerful Magic Power–this is how those monsters crowned with the name Magical Beast are born.
And how powerful was the Magic Power surging through Waletidina’s body at this moment… if it were allowed to dissipate just like that, then even Humans and Elves, as intelligent beings, would be affected by it.
This Magic Power would temporarily transform the surrounding environment into a Magic Realm similar to the Demon Realm’s environment–those with slightly poorer adaptability to Magic Power would, upon entering it, immediately bleed from all seven orifices and fall dead.
People with powerful Magic Power like Milin and Senia might be fine, but what about Lian, whose Magic Power is currently Sealed and who is no different from an ordinary person?
What would happen to Yi Yue’s Sister, who is unconscious?
And those Servants, young Knights, and officials on the island…
“Besides her, there should be many people on this island who are very important to you. Sometimes it is necessary to make choices. Abandon one to save many… in terms of efficiency, this action is worth advocating.”
As the conversation progressed, the incomprehensible words in Lian En’s speech seemed to become fewer and fewer.