Chapter 236 – #53_The Night of the Homunculus (3)
#234
One.
– Squeak
The sound from the door of the hotel that was advertised as being remodeled recently was ‘squeak’.
It’s not even a funny story.
And Siwoo and Sharon realized why they had heard such a sound.
What changed with the appearance of the homunculus was not only the unidentified water that was spread under the silk floor.
Everything in the room was rusted.
The nightstand that had just been shining, the wall with the newly painted wallpaper, and each and every piece of furniture that hadn’t been touched much by human hands yet.
It was crumbly and rotting as if a very long time had passed.
The thick fishy smell that pierced the nose gave off the smell of the deep sea.
“…..Uh?”
But the door is open
Even if I see a hallway that has become gloomy like the scenery of the guest room at some point.
The enemy’s face was not revealed.
Looking again, there is only a picture of bad taste hanging on the opposite wall.
“Be alert! Balance!”
Sharon immediately swung the wand at Shiwu, who loosely put the sword in her hand.
In her hand, she was holding a stone-sized topaz.
Sharon, who has sublimated into an ‘altar’ with her body as an ‘altar’ and her topaz as an ‘offering’ to her fire element, wields her wand, and the area is covered in flames as if she had sprayed her flamethrower.
-Fury!
It is difficult to think of the flame that sucks in the surrounding oxygen in an instant and spits it out as just a hot fire.
If this level of high-quality sacrifices were used, the furnaces of most ironworks would emit ridiculously high-temperature heat.
Since he did not know where the enemy was, he removed his blind spot and attacked everything around him.
The fluttering flames turn everything in sight to ashes.
It wasn’t a sight you would normally see when you think of the word ‘burning’.
The bed where I had just spent the hot night seemed to catch fire as soon as it touched the fire and then disappeared as if it evaporated in an instant.
I couldn’t even see the enemy, but Sharon was already gasping for her breath.
It’s not because of magic.
My body froze with excessive tension and fear.
“Siwoo, I don’t have time to explain in detail, so I’ll tell you quickly.”
“Are you that dangerous?”
“The drowned witch. The most dangerous we’ve ever met. She’s notorious among the homunculus raised by the cowardly witch.”
Cowardly witch.
In general, a witch’s strength is governed by her hierarchy.
The higher the rank, the more colorful magic she can use, and if there is a difference of two or more ranks, she already has combat experience.
But there are always exceptions in the world.
The cowardly witch, Xochitl’s hierarchy was only 19th.
Nonetheless, Xochitl has killed one Witch of the 21st, one Witch of the 20th, and two Witches of the 19th, since becoming an enemy.
How could this be possible?
That’s because Xochitl’s magnetism magic is ‘acting a homunculus’.
Strengthening and dominating all kinds of powerful homunculus and putting them on the battlefield means that the range of strategic choices is greatly expanded.
You can force a one-on-one battle.
Based on the homunculus, which each have various characteristics, it is possible to create an advantageous battle composition.
You can unilaterally force a war of attrition without even showing yourself.
The cowardly witch is a witch specialized in the ‘battle of the great witch’ in a different sense from Siu.
– Woo woo woo
A deafening sound spreads through the room.
At the same time, the flames scattered around and burning were extinguished as if a candle had been blown out.
The water that had risen on the floor had risen up to my ankles before I knew it, and something similar to rust water was flowing from the walls and ceiling.
It feels like being trapped in a Titanic cabin sunk deep in the deep sea.
With the fate that will soon be submerged and died.
Siu looked around.
All of this is a product of magic anyway.
Then his blind faith that his left eye could see right through… Collapsed immediately.
“Oh, there’s no way…”
“What?”
“I can’t see the flow of magic. I’m sure I’m seeing it properly…”
Invisible
No matter how much I look around, I can’t find the flow of magic or the figure of the enemy.
It gave Siwoo, who always occupied an advantageous position during battle with the ability of his left eye, as if he had suddenly gone blind.
He really seems to be locked in a darkroom now.
– Chow ah
And it appeared tearing the water surface on the floor.
Siwoo and Sharon couldn’t help but freeze at the terrible sight.
I think it’s basically a woman….
She had long, wet hair like seaweed and was wearing a dress.
But the appearance was no longer human.
The body that has been swollen with water disregards the proportions of the human body and has changed to a size like a blowfish.
The arms and legs stretched out from there were also swollen to the point of being comical, and wriggling unnaturally.
As if they would protrude from their pale faces, no, only the eyes that were already half-protruding from the eye sockets were staring at Siu and Sharon with a deep blue light.
“Fuck…”
“Oops…”
Seeing the drowned witch, as the name suggests, Siwoo swears and Sharon retches.
But now is not a leisurely time to frown upon her at the disgusting sight.
Siwoo immediately grabbed the spear he had created and flew forward.
Although she was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the homunculus, when she saw it, she felt confident inside.
That drowned corpse-like homunculus only had two eyes.
It has survived quite a few battlefields so far.
Furthermore, unlike the time when he used to move in a fist-pumping fashion, now Siwoo has a systematic fighting technique.
Instead of relying on the armor of the shadows anymore, you can directly strengthen your body through magical powers and maximize the power by using the techniques of foot mirroring.
Even Duke Tiphareth, who was renowned for his strength, praised Siu’s achievements.
It occurred to me that a ‘homunculus’ with only two eyes would be able to defeat it.
Tiphareth said that weapons are, after all, extensions of limbs.
Even if the movement of holding and stabbing the spear is the same, Siwoo’s stabbing, which has been polished and trained over the years, more delicately copies the image in the instinct drawn by ‘The King of All Byeongji’s Contract’.
Stronger, faster, more accurate.
Even for Siu, who had been wielding a spear quite a bit, it was the cleanest blow among all the attacks so far.
– Huung!
Right before the deadly air-cutting stab stabs the homunculus’ plump body,
Cut off without a hitch
“….What…”
Siu saw the window of shadow that he had vigorously thrown out.
Like sorghum cans cut by a very sharp scythe, the spearhead is cut off.
What was even more embarrassing was that the reason was unknown.
I felt like something was touching the tip of the spear, and I thought something gray was passing in front of my eyes, but before I knew it, the spear was cut.
Siwoo raised his eyes and looked at the monster.
A chill that froze the spine exploded.
Its expression was distorted.
The lips are up, the already large eyeballs are rolling around, and something like black seawater flows out from between the gaping mouths.
I couldn’t believe it, but that expression was a smile.
It was laughing silently.
While we are frozen in a scene full of hatred and fear.
– Kwaaaaang!
A sudden explosion sounded right in front of me.
“What if it suddenly jumps out! I told you to run away!”
Sharon grabbed the wand.
In front of it, a magic circle engraved with a rotating diamond appeared.
And with a deafening sound, the weapon of the homunculus that crashed into the magic circle stopped right in front of the two people’s noses.
The identity of the weapon was a large anchor tied to a chain.
However, it was clear that it was not only used to stop the ship.
Contrary to the heavy weight that can be felt at a glance, the anchor head was sharp like the tip of a harpoon, and the anchor branches shone as sharp as a well-sharp knife.
-Koo-gu-gu-gu-gung!
Belatedly, what was in the orbit of the swinging anchor collapses.
Because it was done at such a high speed, the aftermath of the destruction came half a beat late.
At least three of the walls of the room were demolished at the same time, and the iron doors and furniture between them were shattered like glasswork.
-Charleureuk!
With the sound of a chain winding, the anchor disappears into the water beneath your feet.
Siwoo, who was taken aback by the unexpected development, did not even have time to talk with Sharon.
Because the second attack came.
After raising his concentration to the limit, he managed to catch two faces rising to the surface like dolphins without any preliminary action.
Much faster speed, and possibly much stronger power than Siu wielding the sword with all his might.
“Kuk!”
Sharon, who consumed two corals to create two defenses, used them like a shield to block the anchor’s attack.
The whole body’s magic circuit is overloaded.
If I had used the same magic as usual with water in a plastic bottle, my body would have been torn to pieces.
The Drowned Witch was as powerful as its notoriety, and will become stronger in the future.
The attack did not follow immediately.
The hideous homunculus tilted his head without making a sound.
Siwoo could tell from the half-melted mirror behind him that his judgment was premature.
The back of the homunculus that is reflected in the mirror because it flowed at an angle.
There are 17 red eyeballs stuck in it like boils.
In the first place, the core of the homunculus protruded from his back, not his face.
How many eyes did the mother dog you caught last time by squeezing all the strength and tearing down the building?
Was it 8?
It seems to be a bit of an unusual case, but what about the white knight who won through hardships?
It had 4 eyes.
But a homunculus with 17 eyes.
Siwoo, who always faced opponents stronger than himself.
Back then, he always recognized and acknowledged his own weaknesses and his opponent’s strengths.
Therefore, even if you see an overwhelming gap, you can struggle with a heart that does not give up.
However, the self-confidence that grew out of clumsy conceit is quickly crushed by an unexpected threat.
“Siwoo. Listen to me carefully.”
For a very brief moment, Sharon murmured calmly.
Details about her drowned witch were streaming through her head.
The Drowned Witch wields powerful physical-type magic like Ea Sadalmelik.
This in and of itself isn’t much of a threat.
The real danger is in ankle-deep sea water.
This is proof that the homunculus scattered its magical energy and ‘eroded’ the entire space.
Corrosion, which is no different from a wide-area debuff, lowers the efficiency of magic and the function of the spiritual body, as well as the will and courage to fight.
Just like a human who is caught up in the rapids struggles and eventually sinks to death due to loss of strength.
The mind is consumed by fear.
No matter how much you try to resist, the magic gradually becomes powerless, and the person who ends up dying in a state of weakness to the point where they can’t breathe.
This ability to drag opponents down to the bottom of the swamp is the reason this homunculus is called the Drowned Witch.
“You run away.”
“It’s a matter of my own accord, so I’ll take care of it.”
Siu barely resisted the growing fear and tried to step out again holding the newly created spear.
But Sharon doesn’t even look back, she bangs on Siu’s breastplate and says in a trembling voice.
It was a desperate, trembling tone.
“Run away. Please, I beg you. Ask the Duke for help while I buy time. It’s the only way we can live.”
Sharon worked her magic as she spoke to her.
She unfolds a large-scale magic ceremony by generously consuming the sacrifices invested in a large amount.
The element of emptiness that annihilates and harmonizes water, fire, wind, and earth.
The round sphere created with the highest power possible by Sharon of the 18th rank rotates in the air.
Everything in the universe that comes from nature will disappear the moment it comes in contact with this sphere.
Will it work?
I couldn’t be sure.
It’s magic that even ‘erodes’ the mind.
When I saw it in text, I thought it was just that.
However, when she faces her directly, a different level of fear comes through.
As if she was trying to shove her hand into an industrial grinder that was making a terrible noise.
She feels the strength go out of her legs just by standing in front of the drowned witch.
Scary.
Afraid.
My heart, which seemed about to break at any moment, made a dangerous noise like a bent bow.
“Siwoo.”
But Sharon didn’t run away.
Don’t back down
Siwoo is behind you.
The city, which was thrown into nothing with a great failure, always seemed to be covered in cold rain.
Even if you pretend to be confident, even if you pretend not to give in…
Actually, I was lonely.
It was painful, and sometimes I wanted to give up.
Then I met you
In a world where I was alone in the rain, I liked the hand you extended.
I still remember the warmth of the fingertips that you handed over without hesitation.
That warmth.
Sharon Evergreen’s most precious treasure.
Sharon opened her mouth, suppressing her urge to run behind her.
Because it might be the last word.
Have to tell
The words she was sure to say when she stood next to him one day.
“I really love you…”
Sharon’s words did not carry on to the end.
Despite her rust, the sharp harpoon lightly pierced Sharon’s delicate body.
A crimson flower bloomed behind Sharon’s back.
