MTLNOVEL Ch. 86
Chapter 86
"......Mental Manipulation probably won't work on that Archangel. Should I go for a direct approach, or is there another way...? Ah, if I use Mental Manipulation on the one who summoned the Archangel, could I control it indirectly? It might not work since they don't seem to have control over it, but maybe if I lend my power?"
There was no guarantee it would work. However, it seemed more plausible than trying to deal with the Archangel directly.
"Which means, I should head to the summoners. ......If I talk to that kid, maybe they'll surprisingly just call off the Archangel."
Yuurai, holding onto a sliver of hope, headed toward the church where the Blessed Child was.
The town was large, but with Yuurai running at full speed, it took less than a minute to arrive.
The church resembled those found on Earth, but there were no crosses. That was expected, as it had no connection to Christianity. Perhaps it was the Choir singing, but unpleasant voices could be heard leaking from inside.
"......That kid should be in here."
A girl supposedly from Japan. Yuurai didn't know what she was thinking, sacrificing tens of thousands of people, but if she knew Yuurai was also a reincarnator, surely she would be willing to talk.
"The church is protected by a Holy Magic barrier. But something like this is meaningless before me."
Yuurai held her hand over the church's large doors and activated Absorption. Holy-element magic was hard to absorb, and the more she absorbed, the more it drained her own magical energy, but it wasn't a problem given the amount of magical energy she possessed.
The magic protecting the church dissolved. Yuurai kicked open the double doors.
"Hellooo, the Demon King is here. Is the Blessed Child around?"
Inside the church... the chapel had a deeply serene atmosphere. It wasn't particularly ornate, but the pure white walls and stained glass were beautiful.
On the altar, people in white robes were singing. There were about fifty of them.
In front of them, a girl of about five years old was praying fervently. Her features were doll-like in their perfection, lacking human warmth. Her long blond hair seemed to emit light on its own.
Thump.
Yuurai's heart, which usually remained quiet, gave a sudden leap.
(...That girl is my enemy.)
That thought came to her instinctively.
She hadn't come to fight the girl, nor to kill her, yet she felt an odd sense of unease.
(What is this impulse? Could it be the Demon King's instinct? Is that girl not only the Blessed Child but also something like a Hero?)
Was there some rule that the Demon King and Hero must fight? In a world of swords and magic, maybe so.
Still, Yuurai didn't feel she absolutely had to kill the child. Just that, as an enemy, she needed to be cautious.
(But how does she see me? Maybe she feels she absolutely has to kill me.
I thought we could talk, but maybe that was naïve. If I'm under the Evil God's protection, then she's under Divine Protection?)
If that were the case, it wouldn't be strange if their instincts were completely different.
God likely viewed the Evil God as an enemy. Conversely, the Evil God didn't seem to view God as an enemy. Perhaps it even found it an amusing subject of observation.
To the Demon King, the Hero wasn't necessarily an enemy.
But to the Hero, the Demon King was an enemy.
It was just a theory, but Yuurai felt it wasn't entirely wrong.
"......Still, the Demon King herself shows up, and no one even greets me?"
Inside the chapel were the Choir, the Blessed Child, and a middle-aged man with a calm smile. He was probably a priest or something.
The Choir and the Blessed Child seemed focused on some kind of ritual. It might be fair to say they were in a trance. No wonder there was no response.
Yuurai turned to face the man who was staring at her with a creepy smile.
"......Hey, the one doing Angel Summoning is that little kid, right? And the Choir is amplifying her power. So, what about you?"
Yuurai walked through the chapel and approached the middle-aged man. The man sneered but still didn't reply.
"......Just my guess, but you're the mastermind behind this Archangel Summoning, aren't you? The others are just following orders. Did you really want to defeat me that badly, sacrificing tens of thousands of lives?"
Yuurai stood in front of the man. It would've been dangerous if he were a warrior, but she sensed he wasn't. A warrior would at least be armed.
"......So you won't talk? Fine. You're the provisional mastermind. You called the Archangel and the armored Angel. That means you hurt Gilka, you killed her subordinates, and you destroyed the town of Grimoire. Don't think you'll die easily. And don't think a civilian-level barrier can block my magic. ......Pain Infliction (Pain)."
Once she recognized the man as her enemy, Yuurai felt rage boiling up from deep within her chest.
As Yuurai activated her magic, the man spewed blood from his entire body and collapsed on the spot.
Pain Infliction (Pain) was originally a mental attack. However, the mental agony was so intense it seemed to affect the body, causing real wounds.
Back when she was just a Dark Lich, her enemies would only cough up blood. But now, the power had increased, leaving wounds all over the body.
Even so, Pain Infliction (Pain) couldn't kill someone outright. If used repeatedly, it could eventually kill, but not in ten or twenty casts.
Yuurai cast Pain Infliction (Pain) over and over. The man writhed in agony, but didn't scream or beg for his life.
"......I thought you'd at least scream a little. For someone who sacrifices tens of thousands, I expected you'd hate pain. Guess I was wrong."
The man, battered and broken, grinned and glared at Yuurai mockingly.
"......If you've got something to say, say it. Otherwise, you'll die like this."
"......I, who have offered everything to God, cannot be broken by mere pain!"
Rather than succumbing to pain, he seemed to see enduring it as a show of loyalty to God. Perhaps he even embraced that twisted belief.
That attitude reminded Yuurai of Fia. When they first met, even after Yuurai had hurt her terribly, Fia turned the pain into joy.
People who believed too fervently could turn even misery into happiness.
"......To me, someone who believes in God too much just looks pitiful."
"Silence, Demon King. For the enemy of God, there is only death. Burn in the Archangel's light."
"......Whatever. Suffer for a while. I've been wondering how long it takes for someone to break under continuous Mental Corruption."
Yuurai cast Mental Corruption on the man.
For the first few minutes, the man's face was full of confidence.
But whatever was flashing through his mind, his expression gradually darkened.
"God! I gave up everything for you! What did I do wrong!? Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The man screamed until his voice gave out. Within a few more minutes, his hair turned white, and his face became gaunt like an old man's.
"......Mental Corruption shows the hallucination that causes the greatest pain to the victim. It shakes the mind and multiplies despair many times over. If he's having a good dream, then I'm happy for him."
Yuurai left the man to suffer in Mental Corruption and turned back toward the Choir.
No matter how much the man screamed, the Choir still hadn't broken out of their trance.
"......Rather than saying they're focused, maybe this is just magical overload? They might not be able to escape this state on their own."
This Archangel Summoning was probably magic beyond their control.
They couldn't stop midway, and they couldn't properly command the Archangel either.
Feeling pity for them, Yuurai let out a deep sigh.