Chapter 196 - North Korean rabbit

Chapter 196

There was not a single person present who thought Gaspard would die just because his neck had been severed.

Arpad swung his sword again before the severed head could even hit the floor.

*Thwack!*

With a ghastly sound, the torso was split in half as well. A state from which no one could possibly survive.

Yet, Arpad did not stop. The moment he tried to swing his sword once more,

something suddenly shot out from between Gaspard's split torso and flew at Arpad.

Arpad raised his arm to defend against the object heading straight for his head.

*Thud—!*

The unidentified thing stabbed into Arpad's forearm.

"Kgh!"

Arpad let out a low groan and retreated backward.

"Arpad?"

It was strange. For Arpad to stop his attack just because he was slightly injured was uncharacteristic.

Right now, above all else, completely finishing off Gaspard was the top priority.

The reason he stopped attacking and retreated could not be trivial.

Only after checking the state of his arm could I understand the reason.

"This is...!"

Something bizarre was embedded in his forearm.

A blackish object, shaped like a giant leech, had instantly burrowed into Arpad's flesh and was wriggling beneath his skin.

From the point where the insect had burrowed, a black, bizarre magic circle began to spread.

I knew what this was.

'A Spell Worm!'

I had seen it when I was an experimental subject in my past life.

One of the special magical lifeforms Gaspard had painstakingly created.

"Cute, aren't they? Their function is even cuter. They burrow into a person's body, listen to my commands within the brain and nervous system, and control them."

"Isn't it amazing? That this little thing was created by applying the Dragon's Tongue. Of course, it dares not compare to a real dragon."

And I had even personally experienced its performance with my own body.

How painful it was for the worm to burrow in, and how horrifying the sensation of being controlled against one's will.

'Was that already completed too?'

Like the experimental subject in the tank, that worm's development speed is also faster than in my memory.

Originally, it would have taken until three years later to cultivate a Spell Worm of that form and size.

My actions must have had a butterfly effect, leading to this result.

A deep sense of self-reproach washed over me.

'I should have acted more carefully...'

If I had, Arpad wouldn't have been driven into such a corner.

I would rather be injured myself; it would hurt less.

The reason Gaspard shot that worm at Arpad was all too clear.

He clearly intended to dominate and control the weakened Arpad.

Even with his body in three pieces, his obsession with Arpad's physique remained unchanged.

It was disgusting to the extreme.

Though it must have been painful, Arpad muttered calmly.

"What a nuisance. You don't need to worry so much."

"I know very well how dangerous this is. And you're not really unaffected either, are you? You usually enjoy my attention."

"......"

The one small mercy was that, unlike my past self, Arpad was clearly resisting.

The Spell Worm that had burrowed into his forearm could not invade deeper.

The expansion of the black magic circle had stopped. I could see red magical power crackling and flickering at the edges of the circle.

Arpad's magical power and the Spell Worm's were antagonizing each other.

Arpad, to expel or burn out the worm.

The worm, to invade deeper and dominate him.

Fortunately, the Spell Worm was stalled, but it was a frustrating situation where Arpad couldn't expel it from his body by his own power either.

What made this worm so vicious was that simple physical force was utterly ineffective. It was impossible to just cut it out with a sword.

'If I could use divine power, it would be simple...'

Divine power, which repels magical power, could neutralize the Spell Worm in an instant.

But this time too, I couldn't draw out any divine power at all.

It was completely depleted within my body, making even an attempt impossible.

'If divine power won't work, then the only way is to suppress it with powerful magical power.'

Arpad, in his weakened state, couldn't manage that on his own.

Then, there was only one method left.

In the end, I had no choice but to retrieve the dagger embedded in Gaspard's back.

The dagger, which had been hindering Gaspard's regeneration, melted away and dissipated.

The red light gathered once more in my hand, forming the shape of the dagger.

Carefully, I stabbed at the Spell Worm wriggling as it burrowed into Arpad's forearm.

*Stab!*

I was extremely cautious not to accidentally stab Arpad.

'Since the Dragon's Tongue of Artanus is about me stabbing Arpad's heart, I suppose accidentally stabbing his arm wouldn't be a major issue...'

But I didn't want to risk even a one-in-a-million possibility.

Though it was a horrifying and annoying dagger, it was fortunate it was useful now.

Even though I only poked it with the tip of the dagger, the bizarre worm developed swollen blisters and then burst and died on the spot.

The black magic circle that had appeared on Arpad's skin also vanished cleanly.

"...Thank you."

Without batting an eyelid, Arpad grabbed the neutralized worm, pulled it out, and threw it to the floor.

Then, trampling the remains, he glared at Gaspard.

"A disgusting creature, just like your master."

In the meantime, Gaspard had been reattaching his head and body, which were in three pieces.

At that point, it was confusing whether he was human or an amoeba.

A cackling laugh, feeling like insects crawling on our skin, responded to our disgusted reactions.

Unable to contain my revulsion, I grimaced and muttered.

"Disgusting."

At that, Gaspard laughed obnoxiously.

"The highest praise. Thank you."

Seeing him throw Arpad's words right back at us, it seemed he wasn't entirely indifferent to our sarcasm or insults.

"What a pity. That little one was the first completed work, painstakingly made."

Twisting his body grotesquely to look at Arpad, Gaspard grinned.

"...How irritating."

"What's truly irritating is us. You were the one who messed with us first."

At my rebuke, Gaspard shook his head back and forth.

"That's not what I'm talking about."

Along with his words, a desperate scream echoed from the wall behind Gaspard.

"Kyaaaah!!!"

It was the voice of the Black Serpent.

While we were distracted by Gaspard, the chains binding the Black Serpent had melted into a black liquid form, taking the shape of grotesque tentacles.

And several of those tentacles began stabbing into the Black Serpent's limbs.

"When a tool I mercifully spared bites its master, I don't get angry. I just get annoyed."

Even while screaming in pain, the Black Serpent didn't yield a single word.

"Merciful, my foot! From the start, you captured me to use my magical power and body as materials, and now this nonsense... Kgh!"

The Black Serpent's words were true. The experimental subject was stabbing with tentacles, sucking out magical power from it.

Gaspard's body, which had been in three pieces, was haphazardly reattached, but the red tissue beneath the epidermis was fully exposed.

It looked like a hideous burn scar. The damage was evident at a glance.

'The dagger of Artanus and Arpad's attack were effective.'

To recover from this, Gaspard had begun draining the Black Serpent's magical power and life force.

"Kgh! Uwaaaah!!!"

A wretched scream began to resound loudly through the basement.

* * *

Gaspard's actions were clearly ostentatious and sadistic.

He behaved like a wicked child delighting in plucking the legs off a captured insect one by one.

Yet, Gaspard's gaze remained fixed on me. He was observing, anticipating my reaction to his actions.

"A cold woman, aren't you."

"...What is?"

"A man who tried to save you is suffering, and you're just hiding behind your husband, watching."

"...Don't be ridiculous. You're the one who kidnapped and are torturing him, so why are you blaming me?"

The corners of Gaspard's mouth stretched upward.

"No, I'm not blaming you. I'm admiring you. It's a clever and natural action."

That felt worse than when he sounded accusatory a moment ago.

I laughed as cynically and openly mockingly at Gaspard as I could.

"Thanks for the compliment. You... might be smart, but you're an idiot."

"What, are you used to hurling abuse and curses? You're doing it rather weakly, though?"

"Not really."

I replied with a soft smile.

"And though I don't have much interest in the one you're tormenting now, seeing you enjoy it makes me want to interfere."

Gaspard observed me with eyes that somehow seemed a bit less interested.

"It seems you're just an ordinary woman with a weak heart, after all."

"...Think what you want."

My target had not been Gaspard from the moment Arpad arrived.

Nor was it the Black Serpent.

Behind Gaspard.

That giant glass tank, protected by the most powerful magic here.

The experimental subject writhing inside it.

That was the culmination of Gaspard's research and magic, the very essence.

To shatter the plan, to destroy Gaspard's soul...

To properly take our revenge on that bastard...

'I have to destroy that!'

There were a few crises in the middle, but the preparations were finally complete.

The long wait was not boring in the least.

Smiling broadly, I declared to Gaspard.

"I'm going to smash everything you're trying to achieve. Why? Because what you did to me was too horrifying."

"What did I do, and how..."

Gaspard looked at me as if I were an incomprehensible being.

At that moment.

*Crash—!*

The upper part of the barrier enveloping the tank shattered.

*Crack—!*

Immediately after, a crack appeared in the giant tank.

The complexion of Gaspard, who had almost no color to begin with, instantly turned ashen.