Chapter 52

(Note) I posted this the day before as well.

34

A sharp blade pierced through flesh, and blood spurted out.

The dull sound of a life being cut short echoed low through the corridor.

"..."

I stood there, dumbfounded, as I heard that sound.

I hadn't even swung my sword yet.

A pitch-black sword, which had flown from somewhere, was embedded in the back of the prone Cross.

That sword, which looked like a shadow itself, had taken the life of the nearly dead Cross. The unexpected scene froze my thoughts.

"Lord Takahiro!"

Shiran stepped in front of me and shouted.

What attacked us were countless shadow swords.

"Ugh, ugh... ugh..."

Shiran deflected the incoming swords one after another.

But there were too many. Even Shiran, who was protecting me, would eventually be overwhelmed. Almost unconsciously, I jumped back, and Shiran followed.

Dozens of swords were now embedded in the spot where we had just been.

But that wasn't the end. More swords pursued us as we retreated—

"Master!"

"Fall back, my lord!"

—Lily and Gerbera, who had joined us, intercepted them.

The spider silk that Gerbera shot from both hands, like a wide net, entangled the shadow swords. The few that slipped through were deflected by Lily's spear.

This was a formidable defense. The attackers must have judged that further attacks would be futile, or perhaps they had a limit to the number of swords they could release at once. The attack, which had been like a passing shower, ceased.

"What...?"

I tried to assess the situation, pressing my racing heart.

The corridor was now a pincushion of shadow swords.

Beyond that, there was a large, human-shaped shadow, with only its upper body emerging from the floor.

I had seen this monster before; it was called a Doppleganger in this world.

However, the individual before me was somewhat different from the ones I had known.

In a word, it was large.

The shadow that formed the upper body was easily over three meters tall. Its belly was so swollen that it seemed to have swallowed a person, making it appear several times larger than a normal individual.

"Master, be careful. Something seems off."

Lily, who had readied her spear, issued a warning.

The change occurred immediately after—on the shadow swords that were embedded in the corridor like a pincushion.

"..."

The shadow swords began to collapse one by one.

The collapsed shadows merged in groups and reformed into new shapes.

Eventually, they took the form of dozens of Dopplegangers.

In no time, the corridor was filled with monsters.

One large monster had given birth to many. —It was a phenomenon I had never seen before, but fortunately, I had heard of something that fit this description.

"Monsters that produce other monsters... a 'Queen Monster,' perhaps?"

Monsters are creatures with magical power. And monsters that accumulate a certain level of magical power can begin to produce new individuals. We called such individuals with reproductive capabilities 'Queen Monsters.' The individual before me was undoubtedly one of them.

So far, so good. It was a remarkable phenomenon, but it was within the scope of my knowledge.

What contradicted my knowledge was what came next.

"Master, is this really a Queen Monster?"

Lily asked in a hoarse voice.

"If so, why isn't there a connection with us and you?"

As one of the Transmigrants, I have the ability to 'connect with high-magic-power monsters.' The target monsters are those classified as Rare Monsters or higher.

A Queen Monster is a higher-level existence. Yet, there was no connection between me and the monster before me, which could be called a 'Doppel Queen.' Even in the special case of Shiran, I could at least grasp a thread of connection, but I couldn't even sense that here.

In other words, the monster before me is an existence that falls outside the rules I know—...

"Who are you, exactly?"

When I voiced my question, it wasn't to receive an answer.

Since there was no connection, even if it were a Queen Monster, the monster before me would not have developed a sense of self. Therefore, it should not have been able to react.

It shouldn't, but—

"I didn't expect to break through Cross Takumi head-on."

—Indeed, there was a response.

It was the voice of a boy with a sharp impression. I gasped when I heard it.

Because the voice that responded was none other than that of 'Cross Takumi.'

Of course, it wasn't the real Cross. He was already dead.

What was there was a precise replica of 'Cross Takumi.'

The large crowd of Dopplegangers had all copied his appearance at once.

The reproduction was so perfect that it was impossible to distinguish from the real thing. However, there was one significant difference: the face of the copied 'Cross Takumi' had no expression at all.

Whether good or bad, the things that made Cross human—his selfishness that created countless victims, his arrogance that ignored them, and his thorough coldness towards others—were all absent.

Just that alone, more than any disfigurement, damaged the existence of 'Cross Takumi.'

These expressionless beings all turned their emotionless gazes towards us.

It was a bizarre scene that unsettled the mind.

"Well done, another king."

The one who spoke was the closest of the dozens of 'Cross Takumi' present. His voice was mechanical and devoid of any discernible emotion.

"I saw your power. You did a good job taming that vicious undead monster."

Another one spoke. Then another.

"Is it Gerbera? That giant spider is scary."

"The slime in disguise is also out of the ordinary."

"You're called Lily, right?"

"There are others too."

"Ayame and Asarina."

"You said there were others outside the fortress."

"Rose, I think."

They took turns speaking, but they were all the same 'Cross Takumi,' listing the names of my subordinates, including Rose, who was not present.

"Your methods are different from our king's."

"Your power is terrifying."

"You are a formidable threat even now."

"I've been targeting this one's life for a long time."

The individual who spoke the last words presented the real Cross's corpse to the Doppel Queen, who was still in monster form.

There was no time to stop it.

Cross's corpse was swallowed by the Doppel Queen's large, open mouth. The giant shadow writhed, and a wet, ear-blocking sound echoed as it chewed. The already large belly swelled even more.

Thus, Cross Takumi became the food of a monster and disappeared from this world forever.

...No, to be precise, his form remained.

And it was copied dozens of times.

One of them, the 'Cross Takumi' who had presented Cross's corpse to the Doppel Queen, rubbed his belly and turned around.

"Thank you for the meal."

"Did... did it speak?"

Lily voiced the question we all shared.

"A Doppleganger, speaking on its own?"

The characteristic of Dopplegangers as monsters is to copy the appearance of their targets.

However, even if they copied a human, they would not be able to speak. They lack a sense of self.

Yet, the individual before us was speaking. This meant, in some form, that it had its own will.

"..."

There was one existence that came to mind, and I let out a small groan.

"Could the 'talking monster' that Sakagami mentioned be this one?"

It was an existence that Sakagami, who was cornered, had mentioned.

He said that he gave orders to other monsters through a monster with a will. If this was that monster, it would make sense why my ability didn't work.

I also have a cheat, but so does this one, and it's under the unique ability of another cheat user. The rules haven't changed; a new rule has been inserted. Therefore, my conflicting ability doesn't work.

Considering that Lily and the others don't seem to be significantly affected, this is most likely correct.

"So, you are 'Berta'?"

The many 'Cross Takumi'—all of them—laughed at once.

A smile... This is a smile, I suppose. For a moment, I couldn't recognize it as a normal smile.

When humans smile, even if it's a fake one, some emotion accompanies it. However, this smile looked like something stuck to the skin, and it only evoked a sense of horror.

The more human-like it was, the more the unnatural behavior created a strong sense of wrongness.

It made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I felt nauseous. It was like watching a swarm of centipedes writhing. The scene before me seemed unreal.

My head was starting to spin—

"...Don't be consumed, my lord."

A gentle hand was placed on my shoulder.

"Gerbera?"

"Using such a deceptive trick. It's called 'bewitchment.'"

...Bewitchment, Gerbera said.

Only then did I realize that a fog had settled over my mind.

I had heard about monsters with the power to bewitch during my time in the colony, but it was Kei who gave the lecture here at the Chilia fortress.

Bewitchment shakes the mind, not the body. It can be resisted to some extent if one can manipulate magic, but it becomes much more effective if certain conditions are met.

For example, in the case of some plant-type monsters, they bewitch their targets by captivating their attention with the beauty of their blooming petals or the rich fragrance they emit.

I had never heard that Dopplegangers had such power. This must be a unique ability of the Doppel Queen 'Berta.' And the condition for it to work—

"Stay focused, my lord. It seems that the more one is consumed, the more susceptible one becomes to bewitchment."

"...So, that's the condition for bewitchment."

I groaned. I understood that the series of abnormal events that unfolded in this scene were calculated.

In fact, even Lily and Shiran were almost consumed by the bizarre scene before them.

Among them, only Gerbera maintained her composure. Unlike the other two, she had no human experience. Additionally, her stance influenced her.

"Don't forget, my lord. You have me now. There's nothing to fear. Whatever this thing is, it is an enemy with malice towards us. If so, the solution is simple. Crush it. Isn't that right?"

Whatever it is, any obstacle in front of us can be crushed.

Gerbera's logic is simple. That's why it never wavers. For the Doppel Queen, this must be almost a nightmare.

"It seems that the only special one is the large one at the back, and the rest are just terminals without will. If we crush that one, it will be over."

The many 'Cross Takumi' shuddered as Gerbera's spider legs clicked.

"...I'm still scared."

"You're scary."

"I'm different from you in existence."

"I'm envious."

"I'm jealous."

The 'Cross Takumi' who said this with a hint of resentment made Gerbera wrinkle her nose in a displeased manner.

"Silence. The idea of a creature like you trying to consume me is laughable. You are a scavenger that preys on weakened prey. Know that your appearance here was a mistake. I will teach you which side is the predator and which is the prey."

A vast amount of killing intent erupted from the girl with the peerless beauty, filling the corridor.

Despite the injuries from the fierce battle that had not yet fully healed, the strongest white giant spider in the deep forest was still formidable. A mere Queen Monster is no match for her.

The shadow of a Doppleganger cannot penetrate her white. The overwhelming surge of killing intent, which seemed to carry a physical weight, even overwhelmed beings without proper emotions.

"Ugh, ugh..."

The Dopplegangers, still wearing Cross's mask, trembled. Though everything about them was borrowed, their fear was genuine.

That's why I was suspicious.

Thanks to Gerbera, the bewitchment had been dispelled. As the fog cleared from my mind, a sense of wrongness arose.

Unlike my subordinates, the Doppel Queen before me seemed to have a thin sense of emotion. Yet, the fear it felt now should have been significant.

Yet, why did it come out 'boldly'? It should have been clear that this would happen...

"...A scavenger, huh."

"Yes, that's right."

"I can't deny it."

In response to my suspicious gaze, the 'Cross Takumi' spoke.

"I can't win against you."

"But I don't need to win."

"There is only one way to deal with an opponent you can't defeat in battle."

"Just don't fight."

Gerbera frowned.

"Are you planning to run? Foolish. Do you think I would allow it?"

Despite the added pressure, the 'Cross Takumi' did not stop speaking.

"That's my intention."

"I have achieved my purpose."

"All that's left is to run."

"I can run far enough."

"Try to stop me if you can."

"By then, who knows what might happen."

There was something in those words that I couldn't ignore.

"Hold on. Gerbera."

I gestured to Gerbera to hold back and spoke.

I had a strong sense of foreboding.

"'Who knows what might happen.' What do you know?"

The expressionless faces of Cross turned towards me.

"I'm glad you understand."

"I thought we might be torn apart."

"That would be inconvenient for both of us."

"Fine, I'll tell you."

"To put it simply, it's like this..."

With their pasted-on smiles, the many 'Cross Takumi' spoke in unison