Kuro no Maou

Tenth of the month of the pale moon. It is about that night, which also consolidated the concept of the formation Reverse Cross (Anti-Cross), which combines the protection of the three Element Masters.

"Hey, Chrono, I have a suggestion for you."

After dinner, while relaxing in the dorm lounge, Lily said yes.

She is the young girl in uniform like a shiny freshman in elementary school, but nevertheless, her remarks purposefully bringing adult consciousness back and, above all, the serious look on her face make her realize that it is a serious case.

"Okay, talk to me."

"Oh, wait a minute - mogmog...... that's enough, go ahead"

Fiona sitting face-to-face seems to have forced an end to the dessert time that had been extended. I guess I wasn't willing to keep mogging my apple pie for swallowing before Lily had a sloppy vibe on the boulder.

I appreciate that care, but I just wanted you to consider the appearance a little more, because I'm inflating my cheeks like a hamster only seems to be kidding from the side.

Anyway, now me and Fiona are ready to listen. Simon just left on a quest with a mysterious female adventurer named Sophie, and only three party members are in this dorm right now. No offense, it's possible to get into it.

Now, that's Lily's suggestion with such a wacky...

"I've come up with a way to defeat Sariel."

"What!?

There's not going to be anyone who can make a fool of himself for screaming, if it's overreacting. If you had the same experience as me, though.

"I'm only talking about possibilities, but I think it's okay for me to prepare it as a second measure, in case the reverse cross didn't work."

Did it feel like he was gently stabbed in the nail? Excessive expectations are forbidden.

Still, it's more than enough to ask.

"You mean there's more to it than Lily saying that you could defeat that apostle (the bucket thing)"

"Hehe, you trust me. Thanks, Chrono."

After smiling somewhere satisfactorily, Lily returned to a crisp and serious look and started explaining.

"First of all, the only thing this operation works for is Sariel. Unfortunately, no other apostle is expected to have an effect."

Does that mean you found weaknesses that exist only in Sariel?

I fought him twice, but I couldn't find any of that stuff. Instead, I think the Eighth Apostolic Eye or the Twelfth Apostolic Mass would still be easier to defeat.

In retrospect of those two words and deeds, there was so much emotion, that it was not an atmosphere such as a raw knight or warrior of war who made battle his business.

Of course, its power is certainly more powerful than it is naming the Apostle. Eye defeated me and Lily with one shot of "Light Arrow (Lux Sagitta)" that made him give (enchant) the mystery of "Holy Elements (Eye Tail)" that he had seriously shot, and Mass let 10,000 people, including vigilantes alone, and the Vulcans, a group of hand-worked adventurers, try to unilaterally kill them.

But as long as we have the power to fight on equal footing, there's going to be a gap in it when we climb the same mound.

In contrast, the emotionless Sariel would be the type to continue to fight calmly, exercising 100% of the power he could have no matter how cornered he was.

That's why you're so exclusive to Sariel. And I'm about to ask, but it would be quicker to ask what kind of operation it is first. Adults, listen to the rest of the explanation.

"So in the end, I said, what kind of operation is this?"

Gokuri and spit only, a moment of nervousness me. Fiona is going to get more and sleep all the time. It's like you know the story...

"- Destroy Saliel's Mental Protection."

I mean, I remember when I was worried about...

"... Speaking of which, Lily, when you ran into Sariel, did you try telepathizing her?

A second encounter for me. It was that time when I ran into Saliel unluckily on the walls of Daedalus.

At the time, I recklessly challenged Saliel only to win the "Basilisk Bone Needle." And the memories that were brilliantly in return can still be vividly remembered.

That's how I was unnecessarily stunned when Lily, a young girl, used a girl transformation from Life Absorption (Lifedrain), her proud back hand, to help me freshen up.

"Yeah, back then, I just thought I was consolidating my mental defenses, too"

Sure, I also didn't feel particularly uncomfortable when I heard about the hacking from Lily to Sariel. I think it was just a shallow feeling that Lily awesome to set up telepathically.

But now Lily seems to have uncovered the secrets that were hidden in that stiff 'mental protection'.

"Neither to prevent thoughts from being explored telepathically, nor to counteract illusions. It seals my memories."

The seal of memory came out - and I should have thought, intuitively, reflexively, an unpleasant hunch ran around. A chill runs on his spine, goosebumps all at once, and a creepy sensation surrounds his whole body.

"Of memory, a seal... no way..."

"Chrono will remind me of something I don't like, so I've been silent... but I had to say more than the Crusaders have moved"

Lily's care is appreciated, and the decision to stop doing that at this time is correct.

Even though I knew it, I couldn't contain perfectly the feeling of trembling from the bottom of my heart.

"The seal of memory is the same thing that Chrono once went through when he was experimented with human beings in The Secret of White."

The face of a family that could be seen. Conversation with a friend you don't love. An awkward time with that cute girl. I remember the feeling of a peaceful routine disappearing, little by little, but surely, beyond oblivion.

If I hadn't woken up then by some kind of accident, by now...

"Chrono, are you okay?

"Oh, I'm fine...... no problem"

Hard memories, painful experiences, but not enough sweet situations to be shocked by that.

If in the past I don't even want to recall, there's a chance I could defeat that messenger, why don't we just put some trauma back on him?

"But yeah... that wasn't erased, it was sealed"

"The Chrono-based 'Divine Soldier Plan' is ultimately about creating dolls that allow for complete self-reliance. Keeping your memories in seal is the part you need to make yourself independent"

Treat other people's memories as parts? They're joking everywhere.

"But thanks to that, Mr. Krono kept his memory of his hometown."

"You're a lucky guy in misfortune...... or did you know that the mouthpiece was Fiona, the current story?

Oh, shit, and Fiona's mouth is so puckered that she's going to hear her heart.

"No, I'm not blaming you for anything. You've always cared for me, thank you."

"No, no... not enough to thank you..."

Fiona is cute with a turning rush and a little mozzy about whether she's lit.

"Anyway, it means there's definitely a sealed memory in Sariel's head!

Lily turns her voice back. I wonder why you seem a little grumpy.

"But does that mean Sariel's the same otherworldly summoner as me?

That is a shocking fact, but in the absence of such a wack, an immediate negative opinion is adopted unanimously in the brain conference.

Because such a beautiful albino girl with a face like a French doll can't exist as a Japanese. Compared to Shirazaki, my imaginary Japanese girl representative, it is obvious.

"I may have had a similar experiment with Chrono, but I'm not Gentile."

Again, or Lily categorically denies it. But the fact that we got experiments...

"There were rumours in the Republic that the Seventh Apostle Saliel was an artificially created Apostle by a secret organization of the Church"

"That's... that's your first ear"

"Because I only thought it was a rumor, too. Because rumours about the Apostle are as flowing as the number of stars in the Republic at any given time."

But now that Lily has uncovered one end of Saliel's secret, it's wacky to be sure the rumor was true.

"There were all sorts of theories in that rumor. Is that why you use Gentiles for experiments, like Mr. Krono? There are other things, like buying slaves and gathering conquered colonial heathens. The most credible of these was the use of Sinclair orphans, which also seemed to be a hassle."

Lily immediately gave me the answer as to who Sariel was.

"An artificial human being."

"Occasionally discovered in that ancient ruin or something..."

Artificial life forms created by ancient overtechnology. Human artifacts.

But in this other world, where beasts, goblins, golems, and vampires are real, I only get a degree of "is there such a thing?" I've never seen it before, but I'm very convinced it exists.

"I mean, Lily's me (Simobe) used an artificial human (Homunculus) too, right?

"Yeah, you're right - come out, one (Ein), two (Zwei)"

A radiant circular magic formation that instantly appears in the lounge as Lily shakes her little hand in a hollow, hilarious way.

It was Lily's me (Simobe) who brought the bed into the dorm the other day. The tall, disappointing physique remains the same in the same lacquered black surcoat as it was seen before, as well as the smiley iron mask.

"Show your face to the Lord"

At the absolute command of the master, the two of me (Simobe) react immediately. A hand in a black leather glove grabs the iron mask attached.

And the face I was exposed to...

"Wow, same face"

The face of an elaborate man like a deeply carved Westerner. But that only feels inorganic like a mannequin doll to be decorated on the display.

And its vibrant faceless expression is the same bright white skin and red eyes as Sariel's. The head does not swell as much as the turban, but the headscarf is tightly wrapped and the hood is also worn at the depth of the eye, but there is a faint peek from the ear of a white-haired mollusk. Again, the color of the hair is also white.

Two looks like that, lined up in front of me. Rather than twins, it makes you hold images like mass-produced dolls.

"The pigmentless albino is one of the most common features of the discovered humans (homunculus)."

I nod Lily's supplementary explanation that I do remember hearing it in class.

"Fiona told you the first time she revealed it, didn't she? All nine of my living corpses are human beings (homunculus) with the same flesh."

Yes, the reason I feel like I'm angry from this me (Simobe) was because the material is something special called an artificial human (homunculus), while Lily's necromancy (necromancy) is the original magic (original) and this is also something special.

But when I have to be shown the same face lined up like this...... yeah, don't be normally surprised.

"Nevertheless, you've often found something like this"

"Yeah, that was a good pick up."

I'm twisted, Lily with a sunny smile all the time. Maybe he dived alone into a dungeon of ancient ruins at his training destination Avalon. Well, it's a secret, so I won't ask, and you won't answer me if I do.

"But I see, now that we've looked into the artificial man (Homunculus), it's a wack to think of Sariel's identity as well."

Yeah, you're right.

In other words, "The Secret of White" succeeded in awakening the artificial human (homunculus) girl as an experimental material, as the Seventh Apostle. And the situation is that she, sealed with memories, is being fought as the hand of God in the name of Saliel.

"Mr. Krono, are you sympathetic to Sariel?

"You're in the same situation as me, I have sympathy."

If this is true, then Saliel is just a poor girl who was used by them. I doubt that she would have lived her daily life with family and friends just like me. Still, I'm pretty sure I've had some harsh human experiments.

I managed to escape along the way, but Saliel ran that crazy experiment through to the end. I can't imagine, it must have been terrible.

"- But I won't forgive you"

I remember. It's not a wack I forgot, but still, I might have unconsciously thought about going out of sight, behaving in a backward past.

"I've already killed many of the same subjects. Even during the manoeuvre experiment, even the guys from the experimental unit (Handred Numbers) who showed up on the streets of Galahad did not hesitate"

"Chrono wasn't wrong, none of it had to be done."

"Yeah, it was impossible to save them"

The two warm follow-ups also have a concomitant aspect as fact rather than mere consolation.

Yeah, totally. Really, there was nothing I could do. If I hadn't killed him, he would have killed me. I have no regrets for making that choice - if I don't think so, I won't be able to do it.

"I killed them. I don't want to kill you, but I did. But I regret it's a sin, and I never swear I'll kill you again, I'll always help you. If you need me, I'll kill you again..."

Beautiful things alone can't save anyone.

Things have priorities. To a man's life. We need to be prepared to sacrifice the second and third to protect the most important things.

"Sariel is the Commander-in-Chief of the Crusades. If you don't kill him, the fight won't end. So I will not forgive him, no matter how pathetic his past may be. I'll kill him myself."

"Well, if it's to kill Sariel, then you're prepared to use it with any dirty hands?

"Naturally. Now I know what Lily's operation means."

Break Sariel's sealed memory.

It awakens the memory of an abominable human experiment, that is, poking at the trauma that Saliel would have in his heart. Roughly humanitarian, it's a shitty operation.

"I don't know what kind of memories, how far they're sealed, but if you release something that's only tightly closed to you, you're definitely not going to be able to stay sane."

"And then you stick that gap and stab the todome,"

To put it into words, what a shameful operation.

But I can understand how difficult it is to create a definitive 'gap' between the apostles. Well, if that calmly settled Sariel's opponent, it's all the more awkward.

"But how do you actually break Saliel's mental protection (Mind Protect)?

"That's the biggest problem. Of course, just my telepathic interference. Then I won't be able to break it, so I'll need another means."

"Another means... for example?

It's a magic device.

Even naturally, Fiona answers. In addition, "Mr. Lily will already have athe, won't she?," he continued.

"What is required is the effect of strong mental interference. It's not convenient... if it's just material, it's there."

Materials that have the effect of acting on a person's spirit. So there was a monster with that kind of special ability.

"Slowsgill!

Correct, and Lily punches her hand with a cute fairy smile.

"It's Slowsgill who boasts so much parasitic (parasitic) ability. If you use it, you can always create powerful magic pieces of mental destruction."

No way, Mia prepared a third trial for this. Unexpectedly, so much so that I take it for granted.

Either it's really just a coincidence, or they're pulling threads in the back.

"Isn't this cute?"

"It's not easy, but I think it's quite possible."

It makes no sense if you destroy the magic equipment (magic items) you have prepared before you use it, or if the effect itself is physically avoided.

"So you need to make sure you hit it."

"So if we're going to use this means, we need to let it drain a little bit with 'Reverse Cross (Anti-Cross)'"

Still, it's a good enough win. Without this, we have to get to the point of killing off Saliel with only the volatile formation 'Reverse Cross (Anti-Cross)', which relied on protection.

But if you just manage to drain there enough to hit one shot, it's still realistic.

"Reverse Cross (Anti-Cross)" is unknown what it is because we're going to experiment with rich opponents, and even if it works as expected, the time limit will definitely be on. There are many anxiety elements.

"So, I've thought about some candidates for what to make of this magic device (magic item), but the best thing I recommend is a bullet."

Telepathy seems to interfere with invisible magic wavelengths. Distance weakens, and it can be prevented by a shield.

Conversely, it means that if you are physically in contact, you will have the greatest interference effect.

"The Apostolic Body doesn't have to be pierced, as long as it can just be hit by the body, it should certainly work"

Lily says it would be easier to hit it if it were a bullet and shot at the speed of the demon bullet (Barrett Arts) than if it were in the form of a blade or needle poorly.

Absolutely, you're right.

"But it's not necessarily that Chrono after he finishes" Reverse Cross (Anti-Cross) "leaves as much room as he can definitely shoot... I think we should insure him"

"... insurance?

"Yes, for example - ask someone who's good at hitting bullets, or something?

That's how the operation against Sariel was decided.

All you need is an element master, protection and magic equipment (magic item), and one well-armed sniper.

He said he was sorry... and all I could do was ask him to keep his head down.