The Spearmaster and the Black Cat

Chapter 196: A Mysterious, Armored Lancer Becomes a Spear

I explained the mirrors to my < Head Servant Leaders >.

By the way, Veronica left my house in order to join up with Kazun and the others. And Helme went on standby inside my left eye.

1st: A mirror set up in my mansion’s room, located in the Labyrinth City Pelneet.

2nd: A mirror located at the bottom of some shallow ocean.

3rd: A mirror located in the basement of 【Beltzam】‘s church in 【Hesliphat】.

4th: The witch dwelling in 【Saldia Wasteland】 to the far northwest, where the wilderness spreads.

5th: A buried mirror showing dirt and darkness.

6th: A buried mirror showing dirt and darkness.

7th: A buried mirror showing dirt and darkness.

8th: A buried mirror showing dirt and darkness.

9th: A buried mirror showing dirt and darkness.

10th: A buried mirror showing dirt and darkness.

11th: A mirror in a warehouse in the Underground City Da’Umezalan, Viine’s hometown.

12th: A mirror located on an empty island.

13th: A mirror set up in the house of either some merchant, a major dealer, or a high-ranking noble.

14th: A mirror overlooking snowfall.

15th: A mirror located at a rocky mountain or a cliff with something like a huge waterfall.

16th: A mirror located in the evil statue room on the fifth floor of the labyrinth in Labyrinth City Pelneet.

17th: A mirror set up in a room, where time seems to have stopped. It’s overflowing with armors, swords, and black frames filled with organs and eerie hearts.

18th: A mirror located in a place similar to a dark storehouse or a treasury.

19th: A buried mirror showing dirt and darkness.

20th: A buried mirror showing dirt and darkness.

21th: A buried mirror showing dirt and darkness.

22th: A buried mirror showing dirt and darkness.

23th: A buried mirror showing dirt and darkness.

24th: Seemingly has no mirror or some special conditions. The gate doesn’t activate.

I think first I will start with the fifth facet. Taking out the 24-faceted orb(Trapezohedron), I traced the fifth facet, activating the gate where one could see pitch black soil.

And then I took off my leather clothes on the spot, becoming stark naked.

“Master…” Viine and everyone else had entranced expressions.

There was one dude mixed in there, but I didn’t point that out.

I activated < Night Vision >, and touched the attachment at my right eye, booting up the Kaleidoscope. Then I touched the glass hemisphere on the item box’ surface, making the Dimension Scan boot up, too.

Inside my blue, framed field of vision with its increased resolution…something like a mini map was added.

Focusing on < Blood Path – Open First Gate >, I released blood from my whole body. Next I activated < Blood Chain Banquet >, then < Blood Path – Open Second Gate >.

Alright, time to manipulate the blood chains. While focusing on the inner clothes…I imagined the costume’s design in the style of a berserk…enveloping my whole body with blood chains. A blood chain armor similar to the one from the other day was completed in a flash.

“…You’re going to plunge inside the mirror that’s probably buried in the ground in that blood chain armor, aren’t you?” Mysty asked.

“Yes.” I answered.

My < Head Servant Leaders > looked pale, and I knew that it wasn’t owed to me having covered my body with a fiendish armor.

“Master, I’m slightly worried…what should we do if you can’t come back…?” Viine asked anxiously.

“Nn, it’s just as Viine says. I’m against it.” Eva opposed the idea.

Viine and Eva are against it, huh?

“Milord, it’s dangerous…” Kaldo was against it, too.

“You apparently tested out whether you can dive into the soil, but I still feel uneasy.” Mysty expressed her fears.

“I’m also against the idea. But, when Shuuya explained what he’s going to do, he said that he will definitely carry it out. Everyone, it’s better to give up on persuading him here.” Rebecca also objected to the whole plan, but she gave me the impression of accepting it as inevitable.

『Your Excellency, I’m actually against it, too. But, even if you were to be locked up in the soil for eternity, I will always be with you, not allowing you to feel lonely.』

Helme, you’re a really good spirit-chan.

“Rebecca, you might say that, but what are you going to do if Shuuya can’t get back…? It’s possible for him to get stuck inside the earth…” Yui exclaimed while being on the verge of tears.

“Yui and everyone else, I will definitely come back. It might take some time since I might end up exploring various things, but…I would be happy if you could understand that to be one of my hobbies.” I tried to soothe everyone.

“Eeh~,” yelled Yui.

“Not allowed!” Rebecca insisted.

“Nn――” Eva joined in.

Yui, Rebecca, and Eva immediately shook their heads, making their hair sway.

“Master, once it becomes possible to safely use the gate, please return through the mirror over here right away. And once you join up with us, we will set out on an exploration once more.” Viine offered a compromise.

“Nn, I agree with Viine.” Eva immediately supported Viine’s idea.

“It’s a really reasonable suggestion. As might be expected of a former dark elf.” Mysty shared the same opinion.

“Indeed. It should be possible to use the gate if you’re able to explore various things. Ah, don’t tell me! Shuuya, are you doing something like this because you want to cheat on us…?” Rebecca walked up to me with a suspicious look. Blue flames covered her fists and dwelt in her eyes.

“I haven’t planned anything like that at all. Just think about it. Helme is dwelling in my left eye.” I defended myself.

“Ah, I see…but isn’t spirit-sama always with you!? That’s sly!” Rebecca staged a comeback.

『I can understand how Rebecca feels, but I have no intention to separate from you. I will go together with you, Your Excellency.』

Helme, who had appeared as tiny version in my field of vision, announced while pointing at Rebecca’s face.

『I know, I know.』

While laughing, I replied, “…You are strong and great women who I can tell to wait and believe in me. Among my < Head Servant Leader >…isn’t there…”

At that moment the expressions of my < Head Servant Leaders > completely changed. As if having received an electric shock along their back, they straightened up. Eva was adorable after widening her violet eyes.

“Master, this Viine will trust and wait for you without the slightest objection!”

“Nn, I will wait for you, Shuuya!” Eva said.

“Shit, shit, shit, I-I believed in master from the very start, okay~? I’m going to continue my research.” Mysty added.

“Uuh, Shuuya, it’s cunning if you put it like that…I will wait.” Rebecca joined.

“I will wait for your return while obediently participating in the dark guild’s operations and polishing my katana skills.” Yui said.

My cute < Head Servant Leaders > quickly changed their attitude.

“Nyaon.”

“Rollo, this time you stay home, okay?” I told her.

“Nn, nya, nya, nya, nya~” Rollo’s meowing was different from usual. She tried to extend a tentacle towards me, but stopped on the way. Probably because of the grim blood armor I had equipped right now.

“Rollo, here, I have opened up the armor a bit. ―Feel free.” I manipulated the blood chains and detached them at the area from my face to the bottom of my neck.

Rollo moved the tip of the tentacle she had stopped before. She attached it to my cheek, and told me her feelings.

『Lonely』『Separated』『No』『Hunt』『Play』『Lonely』『Have fun』

“Rollo, I will play plenty with you once I get back, so bear with it for a while. I leave Balmint in your hands.” I replied to her feelings.

“Nn, nyao.” Rollo removed her tentacle, apparently acknowledging my words.

“You guys, if Mel and the others struggle in the dark guild’s battles, go and help them. Well, for you as my chosen bloodkin I think that will be at the level of a playful clean up, though.” I instructed them.

“Yeah, leave it to us. I will blow them away with my blue fireballs.” Rebecca answered while cladding her arms in blue flames.

Next to her, Viine’s dyed the silver irises of her eyes blood red while declaring, “Master, I will wait for your return here!”

“It might be impossible since I got my research and the job as lecturer. I think I can at least repair the metallic items of Yui and Kaldo, though.” Mysty partly denied my request. Although she didn’t use shit, it was very typical of her.

“Nn, if you say so, Shuuya, I will help them.” Eva affirmed while releasing violet mana.

“Fufuu, leave it to a former assassin.” Yui said.

“Milord, I will proceed with matters while consulting with the vice guild master and supporting Yui.” Kaldo added.

Yui and Kaldo got used to the work in the dark guild. I might need to pity the opponents who will face them.

While smiling to my trustworthy comrades, I said, “Alright, once I secure the mirror, I will let you know with a blood message. See you later,” and manipulated the blood chains to close the visor.

I blocked my field of vision, leaving only the three-dimensional frames and the simple map of the Dimension Scan in my visual field.

It feels as though I’m controlling my body from within a robot.

“Shuuya, come back without fail!” With Rebecca’s shrill voice as background, I plunged into the fifth gate with the mood of being a superhero who wore a steel armor.

There was no feeling of heaviness, but I couldn’t move about.

However…I immediately manipulated countless, small blood chains that protruded out of the blood chain armor across my whole body, and finally started to move forward.

The Dimension Scan showed no response besides me.

First I dug around the mirror. Finely operating the blood chains while paying attention to not break the mirror, I broke, broke, destroyed, destroyed to disassemble the soil in front of me. I moved the dug earth to the soil layers on the sides as if pushing water aside with my arms during a breaststroke. I continued the work of breaking soil and sand, and shifting it away for nearly one hour.

Let’s change my manner of doing this as it takes too much time.

I made a part of the blood chain swarm transform into shapes similar to shovels, allowing me to head upwards right away.

While creating a huge hole, I carried a huge amount of earth and sand higher and higher. As if creating a small undersea tunnel, I kept going with a method similar to hardening the surroundings with concrete using a great number of blood chains.

I should feel the pressure of dozens, no, several hundreds tons, but…I didn’t feel any of it. I could grasp the sensation of penetrating the soil through the tips of the blood chains, though.

The chains spit the transported soil out all at once. With this they could easily carry the soil. The sand and soil was transported by the blood chains like an automatic conveyor…all I had to do was to wait.

While at it, I could burrow through the vicinity of the mirror, and succeeded in creating a small space surrounded by blood chains.

With this I have secured the fifth mirror of Paredes.

Having lost the pressure of the soil, the 24-faceted orb disconnected from the mirror’s upper part, and floated over to me.

Great!

I grabbed the orb, integrated it into the palm of my right hand by creating an air pocket with the blood chains, and stored it away in there.

And then I released the countless blood chains that had stopped their rotational work from my feet. I entwined the excavated mirror with blood chains, and after dying the mirror red…I was ready to transport it to the surface.

I used the blood chains, which had pierced upwards, and created a loop with the chains. After hooking my armored feet into it, I got carried up with a feeling of Tarzan in one go.

『Your Excellency, you have been able to safely move the mirror.』

The mirror, which was entangled by the blood chains connected to my feet, was transported alongside me even while bumping against the surrounding earth.

『It looks like it’s going to work somehow as long as it doesn’t break.』

『Yes. But, being capable of destroying earth while obviously exceeding earth spirits; you’re dreadful in this blood chain armor.』

The tiny Helme became pale in the middle of her words.

『I can imagine that it will be a disaster even for spirits if they were touched by the countless blood chains while they are rotating.』

『Yes…』

Helme seems to think that it’s not unlikely for the chains to destroy even water.

Certainly…I understand when imagining it.

『…Don’t be scared. I don’t think I will use it much when you are in your human shape.』

『Yes, it’s frightening, but I trust you, Your Excellency.』

Once I advanced while talking with Helme, I protruded out of the ground, appearing in a room.

I manipulate the blood chains at the visor part, securing plain sight. I could see since I had activated < Night Vision >, but it was a pitch dark space.

I feel a heat similar to my skin being gradually steamed…I’m pretty sure that this is an underground cave.

The geothermal heat of magma or a hot spring, huh?

It’s not Murphy’s law, but I have a slightly bad hunch.

I felt the responses of magic sources at distant places all over. The mirror I had secured also appeared from the hole after being properly transported by the blood chain conveyor belt. I released the mirror, and stared at it, wondering whether it hadn’t been broken――

There are no cracks! Alright, it looks fine.

Only traces of the frame having been scratched were left behind. Hence I checked whether I could actually use it.

I let the 24-faceted orb, which had been stored in a gap of my palm, surface on my palm. Then I erased the blood chains around the fingers of my hands. I traced the geometric symbol that had been carved into the fifth facet of the orb with my thumb as if fiddling with a smartphone, causing it to activate.

A light that was folded into layers took the shape of a gate. And then the excavated Paredes’ mirror shone in front of me. The scenery of the gate’s destination was reflected.

Yahoo! It booted up.

I entered the newly appeared gate, and was able to leave through the fifth mirror which I had dug out just now.

The 24-faceted orb that was attached to the upper part of the mirror as usual disconnected itself, and floated around my head. I seized it from below.

『Your Excellency, congratulations. You have recovered the fifth mirror.』

『Aye, it succeeded easily.』

While speaking telepathically to Helme, I stored the mirror and the orb in my item box.

Given that I achieved my objective for the time being, I sent a blood message to all < Head Servant Leaders > at once, 『I retrieved the fifth mirror. But, since I’m going to explore, I will come home late』.

I didn’t send one to Kaldo, though.

『You retrieved it already? Come back as soon as possible, okay? Otherwise I will monopolize Rollo-chan』, Rebecca answered.

『Master, you’re quick. Please have fun exploring since I will be waiting for you. -From the < Head Servant Leader > that loves Master the most.』

As expected of Viine. She’s my number one < Head Servant Leader >.

『Nn, fast. Shuuya, do your best at exploring, I’m rooting for you』, Eva’s angelic smile crossed my mind.

『So you retrieved it already. Then come back…and finish off the hostile dark guilds together with us.』

Yui…I’m going to hug you once I get back. Crushing dark guilds sounds fun, too.

『Enjoy the exploration. Ah, these blood letters are interesting…please keep in touch frequently since I’m going to sketch them to study them later. Also, if you find any unknown metals and ores clad in mana, I’d like you to bring them with you』, Mysty replied with words befitting a researcher.

At that point, I contacted Helme telepathically, 『…Now then, I contacted everyone for the time being. Let’s explore the vicinity?』

『Yes!』

Right now I’m in an exploration mode. I will fully enjoy an adventure and travel to the depths of the planet after a long time.

I hurried to the place with magic source responses.

Releasing < Chain > from both my wrists and blood chains from my whole body, I stabbed many chains into the cave’s ceiling and walls, and while reeling in the chains as if using them as anchors, I moved comfortably at a high speed.

The owner of a magic source response came into sight, a huge monster possessing many legs which could be described as a rock dragon.

Seemingly sensing me swiftly moving through the air, the four-eyed dragon raised its big face, and widely opened its mouth with red and black fangs growing within.

“Gyuuoooooo――” It raised an alerting roar.

『Your Excellency, shall I come out and support you?』

『No, it’s unnecessary.』

I shot two < Chains > towards the dragon’s face, easily piercing its tough-looking forehead.

“Gugyaaaaaaa.”

The two chains extending directly towards the dragon’s head looked like laser sights. While reeling in those two chains towards the factor mark, I imagined my whole armored body from the head to the toes as a huge spearhead, and made the blood chains transform. I, who looked like a single blood chain spear, plunged through the air while performing a transcendental, spiraling rotation similar to the Choudenji Sp〇.

Being guided by the normal < Chains >, I directly hit the dragon’s head within milliseconds. Breaking through it without any resistance, I penetrated its huge torso.

Once I plunged through the dragon’s trunk in a straight line as if burrowing through jelly, the blood chain spearhead reached the ground.

I landed with one knee on the ground while releasing a part of the squirming blood chains from my entire body like a rising aura or smoke.

Because the bloodstained chunk of meat that used to be a rock dragon collapsed in my direction at that moment, I pierced the inclining dragon corpse with my blood chains, entangled it, and flung it away to the side.

A rain of blood poured down from the flung corpse.

――Just the right time.

Since I had used up great amounts of blood, I opened my mouth and resupplied myself by gulping down the shower of dragon blood. The wall of rock shook due to the impact of the dragon corpse crashing into it.

There’s probably no magic stone in that corpse…but, since it’s a dragon-like rock monster, its materials might be profitable.

Well, who cares.

『Tremendous…』, Helme muttered, but I didn’t answer.

I shot < Chain > towards a tall wall located diagonally above my head. After affixing the < Chain > by stabbing into the bare rock, I pulled the < Chain > slightly, checking its sturdiness.

Once I made sure, I reeled in the < Chain > towards the factor mark on my left hand. When I arrived at the tall side wall, I shot blood chains extending from my left shoulder towards the rock surface at the ceiling, and affixed them by penetrating the rock, obviously destroying a part of the dome, to stabilize my body.

With my feet against the side wall, I gazed ahead of the cave from a high spot.

…This cave seems to be quite wide in all directions. It might be connected to the underground place where I wandered around in the past.

Something like a lava flow…a bright red liquid similar to magma could be seen streaming in the far distance. So that’s the source of the heat, huh?

In addition I could spot several rock dragons of the same species as the one that I had just defeated. They seem to thinly inhabit this cave.

『Helme, lend me your eyes.』

『Yes!』

I grabbed Helme who had appeared in my field of vision.

『Ahn.』

At the same time as Helme vanished, my sight turned into a thermographic view.

In the far distance there were countless, small, red responses different from the rock dragons.

Is something gathering there? I guess I will aim for that place as I don’t know the answer. However, the magma is so brightly red…that it dazzles my sight. Since the rock surface is black, the contrast is terrible.

If I were to fall into that magma, even I might melt away. Though, I don’t think it would happen if I covered my entire body with blood chains, but if I were to melt, a revival might be impossible.

But, assuming the blood chains were to be evaporated, I am…the true ancestor of the abnormal Light Demon Lucival. I might turn into blood vapor or dust, but I feel like I would still be able to revive.

Since I haven’t experienced something like that yet…honestly said, I’m slightly interested in the feeling of reviving from vapor, but I won’t run such a scary, painful experiment.

Now then, I guess I will proceed while running across this rock surface.

I made my blood chain armor transform a bit. Changing it into a short sleeved version by imagining summer clothes, I had it grow many, small spikes at the soles of my feet.

I tried touching the wall of rock with those spiked soles. It gave me a bumpy, pleasant sensation I could get addicted to.

Just like that I ran across the wall while ignoring gravity. Because the small blood chains that served as spikes properly pierced into the wall and didn’t come loose, I didn’t fall down.

After running for a while, I discovered bat-like birds that were different from monsters, but apparently startled by the sudden appearance of an armored monster, they all flew away at once while pooping.

Yeah, it’s inevitable. After all it’s the appearance of an alien, blood chain armored, mysterious person running across a wall…anyone would be scared.

And then, I left the rock dragons’ cave area by passing through the magma area.

『Your Excellency, you seem to have fun.』

『Yeah, somehow the sensation of the spikes growing at my soles is, well, not that of health sandals, but still feels nice. Running across a wall is also fresh and fun.』

『Certainly, it looks interesting! But, it’s impossible for me…』

『Well, isn’t that fine? After all you can watch from the special seat called my left eye.』

『Yes!』

While holding a carefree conversation with Helme, I enjoyed running a wall marathon. Once I sensed many magic source responses, I looked at the thermographic responses of the owners. Do I have to fight them one way or the other?