The Realm of the Black Goddess
This is the best news of the day. My attacks are effective against Kuromel. That black water and those tentacles possess a terrifying ability to degrade anything they touch to the lowest possible state. Kuromel herself declared it with absolute confidence. It’s likely not a lie, but the truth. However, that power doesn’t take effect instantaneously. The chastisement beams of eradication, which I had greatly amplified in both power and speed, reached Kuromel—that is solid proof. If I can finish the attack faster than the degradation by her abilities, or if I can disengage immediately even if I touch her tentacles, I can eliminate the threat in both offense and defense. What’s scary is the gradual decline, but that can also be managed with effort and ingenuity. Or rather, if I don’t manage it, I’ll lose.
“To continue to overexert Mana Overload even now… it’s nothing short of astonishing! It’s also a mystery, a great mystery! I wish I could unravel the reason your magic never runs out!”
Kuromel, who had previously refused close combat, suddenly changed her strategy and approached me at tremendous speed with a smile. She held no discernible weapon, only her bare hands. Yet, a swarm of tentacles still swirled around her. Caution is paramount, but let’s have some fun!
“As thanks for teaching me about your abilities earlier, I’ll teach you one too!”
“Oh, in that case, I would love to hear it!”
While parrying Kuromel’s flying kick and relentless punches with my staff, we continued our conversation. The image of the beautiful Goddess mainly associated with spears and magic is strong, but close combat is her forte as well. I can attest to this, having received numerous joint techniques like the knee cross from Melfina during my training to handle S-Rank magic. She’ll break your limbs without any hesitation or consideration. The white Mel was like that, so the black Mel must be the same! Still, I can’t take back my words, so the conversation can’t stop!
“Do you know the power of the Gauntlet of Gluttony I equip?”
“Of course! How close do you think I’ve been watching you!? It’s a gauntlet that can copy the skills of those it touches and use them as its own! Each hand has one slot!”
Kuromel kicked up a tentacle I dodged, forcibly altering its trajectory towards me. While impressed by her all-out approach, I foresaw that I would be hit if this continued. I quickly repelled it with a shockwave.
“Ah, that’s precisely the ability of the Gauntlet of Gluttony! And as for the copied skill, after much trial and error, I decided to bring ‘Gluttony’ here! Now we’re matched, eh!”
“Matched—! N-no, rather, could it be with that skill…?”
“Yes, it’s the ability to chug MP recovery potions that Melfina excelled at!”
Let me be clear, I’m not joking around at all. Rather, this is the result I arrived at after seriously considering and planning for my battle with Kuromel. The top-class Mel-brand recovery potions, which I had accumulated in Kuro’s storage, can restore my magic power to its maximum capacity when consumed. The only drawback of recovery potions, their large volume, is instantly resolved if I have this skill. That gluttony applies not only to solids but also to liquids has been proven by Mel’s mealtime. In other words, in this fight, I can recover MP limitlessly!
“In the fight against Kuromel, I really wanted to utilize Mel’s power. I’m relieved that things are proceeding as planned.”
“I’m a little displeased with you treating Gluttony as your main power, but I’ll accept it for now. I see, so that’s what you’ve done… However, I should have taken all the skills my golem possessed. Where did you copy that Gluttony skill from?”
“Didn’t you just say it yourself? If Mel’s skill was passed to you, then all I had to do was copy it again from there, right?”
“…When did you touch me? It’s as lecherous as ever, touching me secretly.”
“That’s not the kind of objective I have! I protest!”
In actuality, it was possible to copy skills simply by exchanging magic power, even without direct contact. There were quite a few opportunities, such as when we sat next to each other at the Illusion Dining Hall, or when I confined her in the prison. Currently, the Gluttony held by the Gauntlet of Gluttony is Kuromel’s, but as a backup, I had prepared the alternative of copying it from the Gluttony that Kuro newly acquired. My preparations were thorough, and still, I wanted to counter with Gluttony, which originally belonged to Melfina. When the copy succeeded, I almost made a victory pose.
“Well, whatever. So, I’m making full use of your Gluttony. Now that the false accusation has been cleared, shall we continue!”
“It hasn’t been cleared?”
“…Shall we continue!”
“In this form, your perversion increases even more.”
You, who are about to kill me and reincarnate the world, why do you cling to this so much? No, I can tell from Kuromel’s face that she’s enjoying even this conversation.
“—Now, you who have tampered with a maiden’s pure heart will require a harsh reprimand.”
Rather than a reprimand, you’re already continuing your tentacle attacks. Furthermore, you didn’t stop the tentacle attacks even while I was revealing the truth about my magic power.
“Embodiment of a mortal wound.”
Some of the newly generated tentacles gathered towards Kuromel. Once they converged on her small limbs, the subsequent tentacles pushed them, compressing them with a creaking sound. They condensed further, increasing their density, or rather, fusing and mixing together—but since I was just dodging her tentacles, I sent a Great Scythe slash flying towards Kuromel while she was occupied.
“Such clumsiness during a costume change, you’re clearly doing it on purpose, aren’t you?”
Kuromel turned around nonchalantly and, as if it were an afterthought, deflected the slash with her hand. …Deflected? Wait a minute, that slash was from the Great Wind Demon God Scythe, no less. A slash that would undoubtedly bisect any monster, even a god, without question. And you, you deflected it with your hand?
“You can do whatever you want to me, but don’t go targeting other women. That would displease me and cause unnecessary misunderstandings, jealousy, and sin. Oh, you’re not even bothering to put on a facade anymore?”
“It’s because you’re constantly exceeding my expectations…!”
Her arms and legs are stained pitch black. It resembles the magic used by Sera and Bel, but her arms and legs aren’t transforming. The skin of her white limbs is simply dyed black.
Did she imbue her hands and feet with that ability by solidifying her tentacles? Probably not, it’s unlikely to be such a simple application. By condensing her abilities, it’s likely become a more powerful and immediate force. In the instant of contact with the Great Scythe slash, it degrades its power, speed, and characteristics, and then sweeps it away. That’s the only possibility I can think of.
…Hmm. The more I think about it, the more unmanageable it becomes. To be cornered by Kuromel’s speed and forced into close combat with those limbs? What an impossible demand, this is the best!
“Is this the time to be spacing out?”
“No, I’m raging!”
Kuromel’s attacks rained down on me, tracing irregular trajectories. Evasion is impossible, and even defense is dangerous, but preventing all of them is extremely difficult. If I make the wrong choice, I will undoubtedly die.
“It’s a little early, but I don’t have time to play coy! Kuro!”
Kuro, my companion with whom I’ve spent the most time in this world, and now reborn, emerged from the black robe I wore.
