Chapter 108: Shh! I’m In S.M. (4)

After running back for a while, I arrived at the battle scene.

Benny and Morgana were nowhere to be seen. The only thing present was a large white cube.

I swallowed hard as I looked at the cube, which seemed to ripple like a separate space.

At a glance, it seemed dangerous to enter it. In that case, I should hide my body first.

“Phew.”

My breathing slowed, and my every movement lost its sense of discord. It felt natural just to be there.

At first glance, it seemed like I had blended in with the surroundings, but my senses felt a strange isolation from the environment as I threw myself into the cube.

“…Shadow.”

And there, with the unique cold gaze of someone prepared to die, was Benny.

I knew it. It’s lucky I arrived just in time.

Letting out a sigh of relief inwardly, I instinctively kicked off the ground. If I approach quickly like this, deploy the Sanctuary, and stab the heart from behind….

“Hmm? An assassin?”

Morgana frowned and pointed her staff directly at me.

As expected. This entire white space is her domain.

Grasping the fully upgraded Goddess Statue, I prayed to the Goddess of Love who would be watching over me from the deepest part of the Labyrinth.

“Help me.”

Paaat-!

In response to my short plea, the statue burst forth with intense divine power. By the time I passed Benny, my entire body was enveloped in a pink radiance. And then.

Fwoosh.

The translucent bullet was caught in the light and vanished.

Simultaneously, the concealment that had been cloaking me began to unravel. With this much divine power scattered around, it was natural that I couldn’t remain hidden.

I quickly racked my brain within the radiant glow of divine power.

I don’t know the exact principles, but Morgana’s spatial magic is nullified within the Sanctuary. It’s probably due to the power that fixes the Labyrinth’s space-time in a ‘normal form’.

Spatial Magic, after all, twists ordinary space according to the caster’s will to produce the desired result.

However, this only applies to the small Sanctuary spread around me. Even if I’m safe, Benny might not be.

And that translucent guillotine-like shimmer behind Morgana. The pressure emanating from it was no joke.

In short, I have to draw her attention.

I have to scratch and irritate her so much that Morgana can’t even think about targeting Benny.

I had never detailed the settings for Morgana, so I didn’t know what kind of character she was…but I did establish that the elders of the Magic Tower took great pride in their magic.

At a glance, it’s a natural setting. However, given my past experience, where any explicitly stated setting I created was strictly adhered to, it was worth trying.

In my mind, I conjured up the most infuriating character type I knew.

As the radiance scattered by the Sanctuary began to dissipate, I had already become the character I imagined.

“Pa~thetic. Pa~thetic. You call this magic?”

Though I should have been looking up, I cast a condescending gaze.

It didn’t end there. I lightly bowed my upper body, as if leaning in. Though I covered it with my hand, my twisted smirk was clearly visible.

Morgana’s eyes widened at the rude behavior that seemed to take adults lightly. Hmm. That’s why her wrinkles look even more pronounced.

Nodding to myself inwardly, I added a bit of nuance here.

That absolute certainty that even if you’re pissed, you can’t do anything about it! In other words, an atmosphere that calls for some serious schooling.

“Lousy formula! Premature mana ejaculation! Apologize! Apologize to the God of Magic for using such trashy magic!”

“You damn fucking brat…!”

The reaction was immediate.

Well, how many mages wouldn’t get pissed when someone nullifies their magic in their own domain and taunts them with ‘You have no talent, you can’t use magic’ in a bratty tone?

Benny, who was standing behind, clenched her fist tightly, unable to resist my wide-area provocation, but that’s not important right now.

“Oh yes. Let’s see if you can handle this too!”

Tap tap.

Morgana tapped the floor twice with her staff. At the same time, a translucent wall surrounded me. I was trapped inside a cubic box.

Tap tap.

When Morgana tapped the floor again, the walls began to close in rapidly. It looked as if the space itself was tightening, trying to crush me.

If this continues, I’ll end up as 100% Jonah juice.

That is, if the Goddess of Love hadn’t backed me up.

Wooong-

With a faint resonant sound, the walls of space disappeared without a trace. Morgana, whose magic was fundamentally negated, squinted.

“The first time, I thought it was a hidden trick. But now I see. The Goddess of Love is using her power directly. However, the Goddess no longer has the strength to interfere….”

“Hey, hey.”

Morgana’s words were interrupted as I approached. The figure did not lower its guard towards me nor did it retreat.

I openly waved my hand at Morgana. It looked like she was holding something and shaking it up and down.

It seemed like she was tapping the floor with the staff a moment ago, but it also appeared to have a slightly different meaning.

“What was that knock just now? Nothing happened… Was it the sound of dentures clattering?”

“Wh-what?”

I giggled blatantly at the figure who seemed startled by the mention of dentures.

“Or…was it the sound of you getting off with the staff because you have no man?”

“Scoundrel! I understand that Spatial Magic does not work! Can you overcome even this with the Goddess’s radiance?”

Morgana shouted furiously, swinging the staff widely. A long crack followed the trajectory, and a large golem crawled out from within. However.

“Shadow?”

-Kishaaa!

On this side there is Shadow.

Shadow, looking even more horrific than the last time I saw it, swiftly attacks the dashing, knight-like golem.

Shadow swells up and devours the golem whole. From inside, the sound of something breaking can be heard.

Crack. Snap.

When Shadow returned to its original size, only a few scattered fragments remain on the ground.

“How, how did that immortal beast…?”

Morgana is astonished. I clasp my hands in front of my chest as if in prayer, smirking.

“Chicken coop♡ Old fart♡ Despite all their techniques and knowledge, you’re but a pathetic mage who can’t do anything in the face of a true miracle♡”

A deliberately sweet voice squeezed out. But for Morgana, who was filled with pride to the extent of seeking immortality through her magic, it was the most irritating voice in the world.

“Why learn magic? A single prayer can undo everything.”

“…I will kill you!”

This time, Morgana raised her staff high. From the gem at its tip, a pure light emanated, and countless cracks formed behind her.

Golems that looked significantly smaller and weaker than before, and magic devices that began to resemble cannons.

These were not spells that twisted space directly, but ones that invoked pure physical force and destructive power.

Naturally, such things couldn’t be blocked by a Sanctuary. However.

“I’ll handle that with Shadow! I don’t know what’s going on, but Jonah, you take down that bitch in the meantime!”

“Aha!”

A smile not meant to provoke or lull Morgana into a false sense of security, but one born from genuine intent.

“I planned to do that from the beginning.”

From the start, I provoked and lulled her into a false sense of security, all to close the distance.

Agility gained from the Pickpocketing Skill. The physical abilities developed over time. Buffs received within the Sanctuary. And the recent acquisition of a pinky nail-sized aura for momentary enhancement.

Taking all of this into account, the result was a single step.

With just one step, I could bridge the gap between Morgana and me.

Above all, Morgana was only wary of the Goddess’s power, not me as a person, so I could definitely reach her at least once.

I lean my body as if to fall. The center of gravity rapidly shifts forward. Stretching my leg as if to brace myself, I unleashed all the aura in a single kick.

Bang!

I was surprised by my own speed. Morgana’s eyes widened as she found herself within arm’s reach.

However, she was undeniably a mage who had reached the realm of superhumans.

The mana within her body strengthened her just by existing. Though she couldn’t be compared to a knight of the same rank, she was more than capable of killing a second-floor adventurer.

Yes. If it were an ordinary second-floor adventurer.

Swish!

The staff swung at a threatening speed. I reached out with my empty hand.

My fingertips moved so quickly they became a blur. My fingers, long idle in their primary trade, naturally pickpocketed the staff from Morgana.

“Huh…?”

Morgana was flustered. If I stabbed her in the heart with the Unicorn Dagger, it would end here…but, unfortunately, that was impossible.

Because I was discovered before I could draw my dagger, I deployed the Sanctuary first.

Since the Subspace Ring is also a space magic, it cannot be opened until the Sanctuary’s duration ends.

So this time, he had no choice but to use another weapon.

He raised his heavy left hand and aimed at Morgana’s chest.

“Die.”

A crossbow fired with a flick of the wrist.

Shoo-shoo-shoo!

The arrow flew through the air. At the same time, Morgana’s robe shone brightly, but only shone and did not generate a barrier.

As expected from seeing it block Shadow’s teeth… It seems the magic enchanted on the robe is also Spatial Magic.

In the end, Morgana was defenselessly pierced through the heart by an ordinary arrow.

“Ugh…! I-I can’t believe this….”

Morgana muttered in disbelief. Soon, her eyes filled with malice.

“I can’t die like this…!”

Morgana clenched her fist tightly and mimicked pulling something.

The blade of the translucent guillotine, which had been standing silently behind her, fell.

Slice.

There was a sound of something being cut, even though nothing was placed on the guillotine.

I don’t know what it was, but something just happened. And if given more time, she will continue her final struggle.

Those with high realms have tenacious vitality, prolonging their time before death.

So what is needed is a finishing blow.

“Stop doing useless things and just die!”

I struck Morgana’s crown with the staff I had taken.

Smack!

“Even if you succeed in using Benny and Shadow as test subjects, you will fail anyway, so just die!”

Smack! Smack!

The transparent jewel at the end of the staff dented Morgana’s crown.

Seeing the upturned eyes, she seemed dead… but just in case, I kept striking her.

Wasn’t she the one researching immortality? She might have some insurance.

Thud! Thud! Splat!

There was the sound of something breaking. As the sound of impact started to mix with wetness and the splattering blood began to warm my cheeks, I finally stopped my hands.

Alright. With this much, it shouldn’t be able to come back as a Dullahan.

Smiling with satisfaction, I kicked what used to be Morgana once more and turned around.

“Benny! We won!”

“…Ah, yeah.”

Benny, with a somewhat disgusted expression, avoided my gaze.

How very harsh.