Chapter: 50. DD Sauce’s Full Power
Toxic gas, lethal to humans, was continuously pouring out from the vents on both sides of the ceiling and the floor, rolling along the ground like a writhing snake, slowly closing in on Alice and Professor Tiancheng in the center of the corridor.
The red alarm lights painted the already dim corridor a bloody hue, flashing on and off, casting fragmented shadows.
“Miss Crimson?”
Alice called out again.
In the next second.
Suddenly, a metallic explosion echoed from behind the isolation door, as if claws had viciously torn through steel.
In the next moment, the alloy door that sealed the entire passage was violently ripped open at the center, a scarlet light seeping out from the fractured seam, like corrosive cracks writhing on a smooth metal surface.
Maria, with her eyes shimmering with magical arcs, summoned a blood raven, forcibly breaking through the isolation door to stand before Alice and Professor Tiancheng.
However, the crisis was not alleviated.
—Click!!
A sound of the isolation door falling down echoed again from a distance behind them.
Clearly, the space they were in had once again become a sealed chamber.
At that moment, both Alice and Maria could be sure that this was no accident; someone was trying to use the isolation door and the gas to kill them—or Professor Tiancheng.
A traitor had appeared within the organization?
The thought flashed through Alice and Maria’s minds for the first time.
However, they quickly set it aside.
What they needed to prioritize now was how to escape safely.
“Alice, can you use Dragon Breath now?” Maria asked anxiously.
“No, I can’t, my magical power hasn’t recovered yet…”
“Then this is troublesome.”
Maria looked up at the ceiling; the entire corridor was made of special alloys, designed with consideration for external attacks from the beginning, making it extremely sturdy against both magical and physical assaults. It would be difficult to breach without high-purity magical power like “Dragon Breath.”
“Can Miss Crimson not break through physically?”
Alice observed the approaching white gas in the distance and quickly inquired.
“It requires some time, and there’s no guarantee that you won’t die from the gas during that period, nor whether the resulting vibrations will harm you—”
Maria hadn’t finished speaking.
Alice suddenly threw something to her.
Maria caught it and froze, as if she hadn’t expected Alice to suddenly hand this to her.
“Get to work, at least you won’t have to worry about us dying,” Alice said softly with a smile. “It’s a pity I don’t have enough magical power to activate it.”
In Maria’s hand was the Authority of Dusk.
—————–
Above the surface.
DD Sauce led the esper users of the Star Council, along with the former vessels of extinction known as the “Replicas,” in blocking the invasion into their stronghold.
These replicas, originating from the old Star Council, appeared as youthful versions of “Yoko Mana,” with platinum hair, blood-red eyes, and cute faces.
Though these “Replicas,” resembling clones, could only replicate and use one type of esper ability at a time, and could not generate the corresponding ability authority like the “Supreme Master – Yoko Mana,” they could collectively produce unimaginable effects if their numbers increased.
Magic fireballs flew everywhere, exploding in the woods and igniting patches of dry branches and leaves. In addition, sweeping beams of magical energy formed a dense web of light, forcing back the team members attempting to launch a surprise attack.
This was enough to temporarily suppress the esper team advancing on this small island.
In this special operations team targeting “extinction,” every member was an elite esper led by Sou.
They had fought countless battles and frontlines, possessing ample practical experience and strength.
However, at this moment, most of them were still temporarily suppressed by these purely aggressive attacks, trapped in the forest, unable to advance a single step.
Even so.
DD Sauce’s expression was still grim.
The reason was the one— the only esper who had not been suppressed.
At this moment, Shirou had completely shed his usual frivolous demeanor.
He moved like lightning among the fireballs and beams, dodging each attack with precision and speed, as if predicting their trajectories.
Holding dual blades, he sliced through the air, carving sharp arcs that severed the specters summoned by DD Sauce.
Naturally, Shirou, who had joined this elite team and became the right-hand man of the S-rank esper “Lord of Black Flames,” was not an ordinary individual.
Hailing from the Special Circle SEMA, before becoming the vice-captain of this team, he was already among the top ace esper users.
Some even believed his strength could surpass that of an ace.
At the moment the Star Council was nearly collapsing, he was still able to skillfully approach the enemy stronghold.
To be honest, if DD Sauce hadn’t appeared on the surface in time, deploying the Mist Authority to stop him,
Shirou could have reached Professor Tiancheng in under a minute using only the strength of the “Replicas” and other esper users.
“Seriously troublesome~ I’ve never encountered a fantasy creature like you—though I’m not a beast master, I still want to ask, would you be willing to form a contract with me?”
Shirou, having pushed to the front line of the Star Council, was once again intercepted by DD Sauce.
He couldn’t help but express his admiration.
“Sorry, you’re not qualified to be my contractor yet—” DD Sauce coldly rejected.
A burst of powerful magical energy erupted from its body, pushing Shirou back several steps, staggering, but the smile on his face deepened.
“If it weren’t for this occasion, I’d really like to have a proper fight with you.”
As he spoke, Shirou took out the necklace he was wearing, his eyes glowing with even more brilliant silvery magical energy.
“If I’m not mistaken, you haven’t fully revealed your power yet, have you?” Shirou was stalling for time while activating the authority contained in the necklace.
A whole new domain was silently unfolding, covering DD Sauce’s Mist Authority.
“I hope you’ll show your true abilities; don’t let me defeat you too quickly, that would be boring…”
Upon hearing this, the corner of DD Sauce’s mouth also slightly lifted.
It knew this was the other party’s provocation.
As long as he could hold it back, the other team members could attack the stronghold once again.
However, DD Sauce understood it had to be cautious.
Because the magic fluctuations emanating from the man before it were indeed beyond what an ordinary self could handle.
So, DD Sauce signaled to its “Replica” sisters behind it to leave first.
As a dense mass of white mist enveloped their petite bodies, sending them out of the domain, only DD Sauce and Shirou remained.
“You think… you’re the only one who hasn’t used all your authority?”
DD Sauce also reached into the pocket of its doll uniform and pulled out another authority.
This was an authority that even the members of the Star Council, including Alice, were unaware of—
The Authority of Azure Thunder.
This caused Shirou to reveal a bitter smile: “…Really? I wish I could go back and slap the earlier me for this…”
Meanwhile.
Lightning and mist had enveloped DD Sauce’s doll body.
The two types of authority granted DD Sauce unimaginable power—
This caused its status as a fantasy creature to change.
Just as some powerful fantasy creatures exist in forms akin to humans, such as Garuda or Loki… or even Extinction.
Now wielding dual authorities, DD Sauce revealed its new form.
Lightning tore through the heavens with a thunderous roar.
At the edge of the dark forest, magical energy waves surged, smoke and scorched earth merging into a blurry battlefield.
And at the center where thunder and mist intertwined, a tall figure slowly walked out of the fog.
With each step taken, the surrounding mist seemed to be dispersed by an invisible force, revealing parts of its figure.
A head of snow-white hair fluttered in the wind, glimmering with a faint bluish-white sheen under the reflection of the mist and lightning.
At the tips, a hint of azure highlighted its contrast, resemble the residual starlight in the night sky.
It lifted its head, its blood-red eyes reflecting the figure of Shirou, the gaze cold and serene, as if it could pin his soul to the spot.
At this moment, standing here was no longer the wicked spirit Dokidoki Sauce, but the ghostly master wielding dual authorities.
……
……
“…How rude of me, I didn’t even know you were a man; isn’t that form a bit cunning?”
Shirou fearlessly returned the icy gaze, though he was slightly surprised at how a palm-sized doll suddenly transformed into a handsome man.
“Is that so?” The tone of the ghostly master was calm.
“And… doesn’t that voice sound a bit too refined? Is that bubble sound intentional?” Shirou couldn’t help but comment again.
“To be honest, you are the first person to see me in this form.” The ghostly master chuckled lightly.
This made Shirou shudder: “Can you please stop speaking to me like that? It always makes me feel like I’m playing some digital character in a female-oriented manga… Truly, that face of yours is quite cunning.”
“Actually… I have another form, but it seems you won’t have the chance to see it.” The ghostly master tried to move its new form’s arms, feeling the enormous magical power syncing completely; it finally decided to stop stalling for time.
“Then, let’s get back to the fight.”
As the words fell.
A stern smile appeared on the exquisitely handsome face that would make women fall in love at first sight, but instead of resting at an appropriate spot, the corners of its mouth twisted upward, forming a crescent-like grotesque grin.
