Chapter 83

[Translator – Bob ]

[Proofreader – ilafy ]

Chapter 83

Battle God Style – Black Dragon’s Boulder Crushing Palm

The mind-boggling destructive power of the technique left the succubus in tatters. Eyes dyed red, she glared murderously at YuSung.

“C-cough! H-how dare you! Kak! Keuk… dammit!”

Her combat power was much lower compared to her fellow rank 5 boss monsters. The reason she was dangerous was because of her intelligence coupled with her Skills that sowed confusion amongst her enemies.

The match had been decided the moment that the Black Dragon’s Boulder Crushing Palm had hit her directly. Even so, a corner of her lips quirked up into a smile.

“Kuhuhu, my, oh my… is it really alright for you to kill me? Hm?”

The succubus looked up at YuSung and laughed before pointing at Sakura with a single finger.

“Even if you kill me… the bewitchment on her won’t wear off. That child… will definitely break.”

Seiji hurriedly tried to stop YuSung at those words.

“H-hold on! Wh-what are you…”

But YuSung didn’t lower his fist. In fact, a black aura began spouting from the Black Dragon’s Hide as he glared down at the succubus with cold eyes.

“Threatening me won’t work.”

“Fufu, this isn’t a threat, just the truth. She’ll turn into a corpse-like doll…”

Her eyes were blown open wide and glowing red as she glared the boy down.

“I bet she would rather die than stay like that.”

The situation was tauter than a tightrope. 

But right then, Sumire belatedly arrived at the scene, panting all the while.

“Y-YuSung-ssi! I-I’m also here… gasp, gasp… y-you’re too fast. I-I ran here so desperately th-that my stomach is hurting…”

Sumire’s physical capabilities, despite being a hunter, were close to zero. There was no chance of her matching YuSung’s speed. Even getting there at that moment in time was something to be grateful for.

The succubus stared at Sumire, who was catching her breath, with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

“…L-Laplace-nim?” she muttered.

An odd atmosphere rose up between the two. Sumire, not knowing anything about what was going on, scanned the area while taking stock of the situation. 

The succubus slowly approached the girl with wobbling steps. “N-no… you seem similar, but something’s different! Your mana feels similar to Laplace-nim’s, but it’s severely lacking compared to hers!”

She examined Sumire thoroughly, starting from her face and going down to her legs. Her eyes narrowed.

“You also… look somewhat similar to her, but…”

Her gaze stopped at Sumire’s hairband.

“There is no way… that Laplace-nim would wear such an unfashionable hairband!”

“Un-unfashionable…”

Sumire quailed under the inspection, fondling her hairband. Seeing that, the succubus’s voice grew even louder.

“And your expression! Laplace-nim would never make such an idiotic face like that!”

She suddenly began hurling insults at the girl. Sumire, shocked, turned towards YuSung. Her lips were wobbling.

“U, uu… Y-YuSung-ssi… she’s wrong, right? I-I! I’m not… am I unfashionable?!”

“Don’t go near her.”

YuSung moved next to Sumire in order to protect her.

‘Did she just say… Laplace-nim?’

Even while Sakura was being held hostage, he was calmly dissecting the succubus’s words.

The Wicked Witch, Laplace…

He had definitely heard that name from the Fist King before.

‘Just what sort of connection does the succubus have… with the rank 7 boss Laplace?’

YuSung tried to find a way to connect the succubus and Laplace using the information given to him. First off, the mana imbued in the objects all over the castle was oddly dense.

‘But that all makes sense… if Laplace is connected to this place.’

If the castle or objects were used by Laplace, there was nothing odd about the mana levels within them. 

Another thing was that the succubus and Laplace seemed to have a close relationship.

‘If the succubus isn’t a regular boss monster but… Laplace’s minion…’

Laplace was known for having an army full of undead and monsters as minions. It was a plausible possibility.

That train of thought naturally led to a reason as to why the succubus’s tactics were so advanced.

‘She must have gained a lot of experience while fighting alongside Laplace, after all.

While YuSung was deep into his deductions, a bright, purple light was beginning to seep out of Sumire’s right hand.

“H-huh?”

The succubus’s own right hand reacted in response. The same purple light could be seen seeping through the glove on her hand.

“Th-this power is definitely… Laplace-nim’s… J-just who are you, anyways?!”

Her gaze flew up towards Sumire, flabbergasted. 

Sumire, too, was similarly thrown off.

‘…I-I don’t know, either.’

Cold sweat dripped down the girl’s face as she found herself unable to mutter a single word.

It was then that YuSung noticed a way for Sumire to save Sakura.

“Sumire, can you make the succubus your minion?”

“I… I can’t do that, she isn’t a familiar that I summoned…”

Even if it was a rare request from YuSung, it was something beyond her ability. Of course, Sumire had received Laplace’s power from the fragment, but that power was sealed under the new Skill she had obtained.

‘It might be possible if I succeed at using the new Skill…’

While Sumire was pondering over that possibility, the succubus had shifted to sitting on her knees, staring up at the other girl with mournful eyes.

“If you really are connected to Laplace-nim… you know what my name, my true name is, right?”

A minion’s true name…

There was no possibility of someone who wasn’t the contractor themselves knowing it, and that included Sumire, but her right hand continued to resonate with the succubus’s own hand.

“Sumire! Please!”

Seiji shouted from afar, holding Sakura in his hands.

Sumire was the only one who could possibly salvage the situation. She bit her lip.

‘Laplace’s Crown…’

She felt an odd amount of trepidation from her newly-acquired Skill to the point where she suspected it was a warning. Laplace was a witch, no matter the fact that she was sealed in a fragment. There was no telling what could happen.

But Sumire stretched out her hand.

The reason she’d come to Japan was so that she could change from her previous self, who had done nothing but run away from trouble. And this time, YuSung was with her.

“D-deliver unto me… th-the Crown of wickedness.”

Sumire muttered the chant as if under a spell. 

The world froze, colors washed out to black and white. A black sphere began to form where Sumire’s hand was outstretched.

Kk, kkkk!

The sphere grew bigger, swallowing everything up in its path. 

And in the dark void, a flicker of light appeared, growing brighter and brighter.

‘Th-this place is…’

A dilapidated throne room was laid out before Sumire’s eyes. The inside of the castle was adorned with ripped flags and broken stained-glass windows. The pitch-black sky served to complete the dismal atmosphere.

Fwoosh!

The ominous, purple-tinged fog cleared, revealing the throne. The aloof beauty sitting upon it was muttering to herself.

– …A guest, here? Now I’ve seen everything.

The purple-haired woman turned her gaze towards Sumire and smiled.

Translator – Bob

“A-are you… the Wicked Witch, Laplace?”

The woman leaned her chin on her hand and nodded.

– My original form has been known to be called that.

Sumire took some time debating whether to open her mouth or not a food a good while until finally gathering up the courage to do so.

“P-please! lend me your strength!”

– …By that, you mean you desire my crown?

Laplace’s voice rang menacingly in Sumire’s head. The woman herself had a faint smile on her face.

Sumire’s body felt like it had frozen in place. Even still, she forced herself through her nervousness in order to move her body.

Nod nod.

Sumire stiffly gave her assent, her body trembling all over from nerves. Laplace’s smile grew bigger.

– …Very well. Though, fufufu, there’s no need to be so afraid of me.

Her attitude towards Sumire was surprisingly favorable. Perhaps the long time she had spent sealed away made the encounter a source of amusement for her.

– I am the manifestation of Laplace’s own thoughts sealed into the fragment. I won’t be able to do any harm to you.

Raise.

Laplace lifted her index finger, and purple mana began to gather in the air.

Woosh!

It eventually coalesced into the shape of a thorned headpiece—it was the crown that Laplace’s power was sealed in. 

The witch looked down at Sumire from her throne, face expressionless.

– …Since I’m not the real Laplace, I can give you this crown.

Tap tap.

Her fingers tapped against the armrest as she continued.

– In exchange, collect all of my fragments. You can do that much, yes?

Sumire carefully spoke up. “B-by the fragments, you mean… stone tablets?”

– No, all of the fragments imbued with my power are in different forms. But you, you can differentiate them. You are similar to me in some ways, are you not?

Sumire laughed bashfully at the statement. How could someone as timid as her be similar to Laplace, who looked like a queen? 

The witch, in response, began to complain.

– See this! This place may just be a construct for Laplace’s thoughts to reside in, but is it not too shabby for anyone’s liking?

It seemed as if Laplace did not like the dilapidated, worn castle.

– …Even if I want to create something here, I don’t have the strength to. All I can do at the moment is maintain this worn-down castle and this throne.

Sumire nodded at her explanation as if convinced by the other woman’s appeal.

”Ah, yes! Th-then I’ll do the best I can to…”

– Very good. …If you collect my fragments, I’ll treat you to some tea next time.

Laplace snatched the crown from the air and walked towards Sumire with it. As she did, she whispered a warning.

– However, this power is too much for you. Do not overuse it.

She placed the crown on Sumire’s head, and as she did so, purple light began to emanate from it, bathing her surroundings in a bright glow.

Flaaaash!

The Castle of Phantasms came back into view.

Laplace’s Crown was placed on Sumire’s head—it was definite proof that she had inherited the witch’s powers.

“Th-that crown! S-so you are… you really are…”

The second coming of the witch.

Flare!!

The technique used to perform a contract flared up from Sumire’s right hand. Sumire had inherited a power that only Laplace had.

‘This is Laplace’s Crown…’

Sumire looked down listlessly at the succubus. The succubus, in turn, bit her lip. A flush crept up the monster’s face.

‘Those domineering eyes that look down on the opponent. That queen-like poise… I… I’m sure of it!’

Sumire felt odd as she wore the crown on her head. Her chest felt cold, and a sense of superiority was beginning to well up inside her.

She spoke something she should not have had knowledge of: the succubus’ true name.

“…Lilith. Remove the curse, immediately.”

Sumire no longer stuttered with the crown on her head.

“I-I’ll do anything if you order me to… Master!”

Lilith, her expression filled with joy, began to approach Sumire’s feet. But the girl’s eyes were full of contempt as she stared down at the boss monster like a bug.

“…Stay away from YuSung-ssi.”

“Eh? N-no, I-I was approaching you, Master!”

Even as she said that, Lilith backed off the slightest amount.

Sakura, regaining her faculties, clutched her forehead to stave off her headache.

“Argh, I’m gonna dieeee… my head’s going to split open… hurgh…”

“Sakura! Are you okay?!”

Seiji elatedly welcomed her return. Sakura herself, however, was busy looking at both the subservient Lilith and the domineering Sumire.

“What’s going on here?”

Asking that was a bit of a moot point, considering the fact that the situation was somewhat impossible to explain.

Amidst the confusion, Sumire casually linked her arm with YuSung’s own. Her grin stretched from ear to ear, but there was something wicked buried under it—rather unlike the usual Sumire.

“…YuSung-ssi? I took care of everything.”

YuSung, noticing something was up, used his free arm to lift the crown from Sumire’s head.

Poof!

Laplace’s Crown reverted back to mana and disappeared as soon as it stopped touching her. 

It seemed like the crown was the source of Sumire’s personality change. As soon as it disappeared, her face immediately turned scarlet. Quickly, she put distance between her and YuSung.

“Uu, uu… I-I’m so sorry! Wh-what on earth was I…”

Whatever the process taken had entailed, Sumire had managed to complete the rank 5 dungeon raid by turning Lilith into her minion. YuSung looked at the embarrassed Sumire and smiled at her.

‘…I suppose it’s fine if everything turned out well.’

The girl in question was staring at her arm, still hung up on the memory of what had just happened earlier.

‘I linked arms with Y-YuSung-ssi…’

Even after turning a rank 5 boss monster into her minion, Sumire’s mind was entirely taken over by thoughts of YuSung.

Lilith looked up to watch Sumire’s antics. Her mouth curved up into a smile.

“Then… I’ll return the treasure that Laplace-nim left with me.”

The treasure belonging to a rank 7 boss, not a rank 5 boss…

Even YuSung’s interest was piqued at her words.