“AHHHHHH!!!!!”
“LET GOOO!”
“MY STOMACH, PLEASE.”
The Wild Boys cultist wails and screams.
After all, their body is melting into slime.
“Since when did Slime demon this dangerous?!”
“How did he combine himself with a Slime demon?? Why is it so strong??”
Two of the archers are raining down arrows on the man in front of them while talking to each other. They are desperate and confused.
Their comrades are mercilessly drenched by the extremely quick and corrosive slime burst. Watching someone familiar have their impacted body turned to the same slime, and it’s sticky, which means their entire body eventually turned into just a slime.
In just a dozen seconds, half of their close combatant are out of the fight, either outright dead or in the process of one.
Sword slashes, spear stabs, arrows, and magics, including fireball spells, didn’t do anything to the man, who seemed fused with a Slime demon. It’s like the thick and sticky slime is indestructible.
Morales among the cultists is hitting rock bottom.
Those who accepted the fact their leaders embraced the Demons willingly are now regretting it. The last remaining of the Wild Boys started to despair over their current situation.
In just a few months, their tightly knitted but enormous group was gone.
The main base in the South district is besieged by the Duchess of Valoy people and an unknown gang not from the Heart City. One of the Twin Knights cleaved through their base and split it into two, creating a huge crater.
From thousands of direct members, they have now been reduced to a few hundred. Possibly less, as it’s their highest estimated count of their scattered members all over the Heart City if they are still alive.
Their attempt to lower the qualification to enter the Wild Boys and regain their strength in the past two weeks is futile.
Most of the new patrolling members who collected the protection money as per agreement with the South and West District residents went missing.
Definitely killed by the Duchess of Valoy people.
Then, the matter with the Ghost of the Heart City, which was one of the reasons their leaders were interested in the Demon’s incitement. The persistent ghost who always hunted their members in the West district and the cause of moving the base from there to the South district.
This evening, it is now able to move beyond just the West district, despite its activity seemingly being contained in that district for five years.
Their last base in the Central district, this mansion, is attacked by the Ghost. Killing all but the people in the east wing. They survived because of the presence of Demon items that are used to order a Demon ghost they had just summoned.
The sole remaining leader who didn’t escape the mansion starts making connections. The Ghost and the Demon they summoned are under the same type of Demons.
It means they have a chance to bounce back.
Until this unknown man fused with Slime demon comes and breaks the shield generated by the Demon item.
Behind a small wall between the east wing and the inner courtyard, a man’s voice could be heard.
“Everyone! Hold your ground!”
The leader, Third Boss, shouted his command. His voice and existence in this battle were the sole reason they didn’t break and run away.
“The Ritualist class will soon restore the shield. We will retreat back to the public road to avoid this wretched Demon!”
It is ironic to call a Demon wretched when he and his men are turned to demons themselves, either by changing class or fusing with a Monster Demon. Especially him, who had just sacrificed humans to summon a high-ranking Demon from the Demon World.
“Third Boss, what about the Ghost? We ca-”
One of the Ritualists asked the Third Boss. They could have retreated much earlier since the shield from the Demon item is mobile, even if it’s active, but no, they didn’t do that.
They had been standing around the east wing to lure the Ghost in so they could capture and turn the Ghost into their own.
With the Ghost and the Demon they summoned, they should be able to turn the table back against the Duchess of Valoy.
Then they could flee from the Heart city in time before that happen.
“You fool! Do you have no eyes? We wou-”
Third Boss hadn’t finished his sentence before a stray slime somehow managed to hit him on his head from above.
Seeing their respected Third Boss’s head slowly melting right in front of their eyes, the Ritualist unintentionally stopped their spells. The wobbly shield is immediately gone since the Ritualists are distracted.
The two archers near them noticed it. Turning their head, they also see the Third Boss’s body slumped to the ground.
One of them can’t help but shout.
“Third Boss is dead!”
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His shout could be heard by every Wild Boys member. In seconds, everyone turned around and tried to escape.
The one who shouted ran to the Third Boss’s body and cried while holding the remaining flesh that hadn’t melted yet.
“Uncle! No! Please, no!”
After all, the Third Boss was his last close relative alive and raised him since his parents died.
Meanwhile, the other archer and his partner just watched. She then leaves him behind.
She didn’t want to die. She wanted to live. There is still her family and desires that she can’t die in this place.
With her Scout and Thief class, she passed the Ritualists, who ran away first.
A few steps away from the window into the first floor of the east wing, she felt a chill from inside.
A woman with her face hidden by pitch-black hair appeared right on the window sill. The runaway Wild Boys see the Red Eyes shining through the black hair.
~~~~~
“Ah…”
She finished off the last escaping demons. Fortunately, Kunti is in her incorporeal form, as she won’t have the slightest attraction to drink the Demon’s blood.
Now that all of the demons are dealt with, she looks back to the inner courtyard.
Rivan had also just finished his part of Demon killing by stepping on a melting crying man beside the remains of their leader. Kunti can’t help but smile when she watches a vase near Rivan also melting.
It was, after all, the Demon item that generated the shield. The last threat for her in this place.
She didn’t consider Rivan as a threat despite seeing the effect of the Slime firsthand because…
*Whoosh*
A piece of the slime flew through her face.
Well. It’s because she is incorporeal.
“That’s quite rude.”
She speaks as she floats closer to Rivan. He didn’t stop throwing slime from his hand to her body.
“Hey, it’s me.”
Stopping about five meters from Rivan, Kunti raised her hand to her face. Making sure she still has her face hidden.
They still are.
“Can you not recognize my voice? We talked together this morning.”
Rivan stopped for a few seconds.
Staring at his eyes from a much closer distance, only now did she notice his originally clouded grey iris eyes changed. It’s now turned into flowing, dark, slimy eyes.
Is he still the Rivan she knows?
Else, why did he seem… Insentient?
“Who are you?”
Rivan just answered only with a creepy artificial smile.
~~~~~
The Reference Essential to be Archived and Distinguished (READ) is a string of alphabet and number identification given to books that can be ‘used’ by the librarian. They also contained the historical retrieval of the book and its effects.
S8BQKtDQjN.
It was retrieved from an unknown Irregular without numbers or type yet as it was dying from Space Oddities hours after it was born.
A book of READ that I chanced upon reading before giving it to my fellow librarian due to my dislike of its effect.
Having your body taken over by the unknown Irregular last will before it died. It wishes to propagate itself by infecting other biological species into Slime.
Unless your current mental state of mind fulfills a certain requirement, you will never be able to attempt to regain control of your body.
A requirement that is impossible for me to fulfill.
I didn’t wish for this book to be Reprinted, but somehow, the Grimoire chose the book due to the ritual ingredients perfectly matching the price of Reprinting the book. At least that’s what I thought.
It means I can’t choose which book of READ I want to Reprint at all.
“I wonder if I can do something about this.”
A woman’s voice can be heard beside him.
My arms involuntarily swiped at her. It’s futile.
“What would happen if I pulled out your Soul and stuffed you back? Will it fix this?”
Once again, my body tried to attack her. This time, by moving the Slime on the floor toward her. All of them just passed through her.
Gazing at the barely visible Kunti, I sigh in relief. When my body was going wild, infecting everyone, I spotted her touching a slime that sprayed too far.
I can feel I regain my body for a moment.
Fortunately, she seemed unaffected by the Slime, and upon seeing that, I lost control again.
“Hey, Rivan. If you are hearing this, what should I do? A little bit of movement as a sign is fine.”
Now, I just need to wait for the book effect to wear off. It should be gone in about one hour if I don’t do anything from now on.
“Speaking of fine, I wanted to say than-”
Kunti stopped mid-sentence as her body went completely invisible for a moment, and dozens of sharp, small sticks passed through where she was previously.
She wasn’t the only one who got attacked. I am, too.
Like the people I killed, the attack did nothing to my body.
When Kunti reappears, we look toward who throws the skewers.
There, a woman with skewers floating around her faces us with an annoyed expression.
“A tier four Vengeful Spirit type of Demon and an unknown type of Demon, possibly tier four too.”
The woman has lustrous yellow hair and brilliantly bright eyes of the same colour. Her white dress complimented her figure well enough that people might mistake her for a noble who voluntarily becomes a nun.
That mistake would be buried as her transparent body meant she was a ghost similar to Kunti, who was beside me.
She bowed slightly to me and said.
“Thank you for helping me trace and find the so-called Ghost of the Heart City. Although, I am greatly disappointed.”
Behind her, a stream of blood and flesh drifted toward her back. They possibly come from the corpses that are left behind all around the mansion. All of it seems to be consumed behind her back.
“I thought the Imposter would be sixth or at most fifth tier to be worthy of inheriting the title the Ghost of the Heart City. Yet, she is a mere fourth tier. Presumably newly leveled up too.”
I can sense something is brewing from the unknown female ghost. My hand twitches by itself. Even the Slime Irregular didn’t try to attack her like it did to Kunti.
“Such lowly ghost ended up inheriting the prestigious title… I can’t think of enough punishment to deliver upon you.”
Her previously spotless white dress darkens. Swiftly, they turn to the darkest black that seems to devour even light.
The skin opened as wounds from slashes and self-inflicted nail marks came out from every part of her. Blood and pus flowed down from the wounds.
In mere seconds, she turns into a monstrous ghost.
“I, Susan Gremory…”
From around us, the cries of infants can be barely heard. The stench of decay overpowered the stench of blood.
“As the successor of the Gremory clan, I will reclaim the title that is rightfully mine.”
I move and hide Kunti behind my back.
How did I move my own body? Is it because the Slime somehow felt afraid, or did I just fulfill the requirement?
It doesn’t matter, I instinctively know we are in great danger.
I glanced at where my bag was located, but it was too far away. I can’t use my trump card.
Unless I buy enough time for Kunti to take it.
Forming the plan in my head, I whispered to Kunti.
“Kunti, you have observed me for a while, right? You know where my bag is located?”
“… Yes.”
“Bring it to me as I distract her attention. It’s the only way we can survive.”
I can’t see what’s behind me, but a reply comes.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. If you know the rectangular silver item in my bag, I just need that.”
While we were talking, the woman called Susan just stared at us with utter disregard. It’s like a child seeing a nest of ants for the first time before drowning them in cold water.
“Master would like me to keep a new type of Demon to be alive, yet you seem to want to help the Imposter. Although, I would kill you regardless because you destroyed my vase.”
We prepared ourselves as Susan did the same. More of the skewers come out of her body and clothes. This time, they are coated in dark red blood.
“Well then, I shall give you the true meaning of why the Ghost of the Heart City is feared in this kingdom…”
~~~~~
“Daniel, are you sure that’s what they are saying?”
“You are doubting my skill now?”
“I am just surprised the current Ghost of the Heart City is different from the one in twenty-five years ago.”
“Didn’t we tell you the possibility it might be a new ghost when it first appeared five years ago? Danny, you remember it, right?”
“Yes. It’s because its power is greatly different, and there is a lack of reaction from the King and the Church. To the point, the Saintess willed the Church to not exorcise it. My Lady, should we help them now? The Saintess order…”
“Hmm… Alright. Let’s go, I don’t want the Saintess to be angry again.”
“The three of us should be enough to subjugate Susan, the Little Sister of the Demon King.”