nucmednet Chapter 188 Demonic Particles? Invisible Suction!
Chapter 188 Demonic Particles? Invisible Suction!
Chapter 188 Demonic Particles? Invisible Suction!
According to the information provided by the old village chief, the demon egg is located in the underground altar in the very center of the village.
Chess and his companions had to navigate through the black fog, traversing a maze of village paths, entering an underground stone gate from the activity square, and finally reaching the final altar after passing through an underground tunnel.
The whole process doesn't sound complicated; to put it simply, it's just about blindly moving forward.
Even with all his might, Pakas, the four-headed hound, could only make it halfway through the underground passage before he had to abandon his mission and never even saw the Demon Egg!
Not long after entering the village, Chess guessed the root cause of Pakas's failure.
The black mist that permeated the surroundings was not a natural phenomenon. It seemed to contain some kind of magical element. As long as it was inhaled, it would continuously invade the body, causing the body's magical power to fall into an uncontrollable disorder!
That's the feeling; it's very similar to the demonic particles produced when a demon self-destructs in the book Zeref!
Although there was no direct confrontation with the Gates of Hell, Chase immediately thought of that word.
Thinking about it carefully, this isn't surprising, since the villagers' demonization is clearly influenced by the demon egg.
Since they are both demons, the things Zeref created must have been based on native demons to some extent, so it's not surprising that they would have similar abilities.
"Master, the black mist around us feels very strange." The black magic girl also noticed the anomaly and frowned slightly.
The magical particles (for lack of a better term) also seem to have an effect on her when she uses black magic.
"Huh? Is it a problem with the black mist?"
Lucy blinked belatedly, "No wonder it got hard to breathe once we got into the village!"
With all her attention focused on the demon that might burst out at any moment, she thought it was just her mind playing tricks on her, thinking, "Let's give it a try."
Chase stopped in his tracks, light intertwining at his fingertips to form a card. "Magic Card Whirlwind, activate!"
Metaphor!
A black tornado, accompanied by lightning, roared out and moved forward along the village road.
The powerful gravity stirred the surrounding black mist violently, pulling it into the eye of the storm and carrying it directly away from the village.
The view suddenly opened up, and along the clean village road, you could clearly see the central square at the end!
As the black mist was cleared away, Lucy immediately felt a surge of relief as she breathed, and the oppression in her chest vanished.
"As expected of Chess, he's amazing!"
Looking at the houses collapsed on both sides of the road due to the impact, she was stunned and couldn't help but exclaim, "But... isn't this a bit too much?!"
She had a strong, albeit vague, intuition that the reward she would receive for this commission would be far less than she had anticipated!
Yes, this accurate sixth sense was all honed by teaming up with Natsume and Erza.
"In order to fulfill the commission, such sacrifices are necessary," Chase said with a smile, scratching his head.
The presence of lingering black mist in other parts of the village suggests that he had actually held back a considerable amount of force.
If we really use all our magic cards to dispel all the black mist, this village should be cleaned up by now.
Of course, the main reason was to avoid affecting the demon villagers who roamed the village.
Roar!
As soon as he finished speaking, hoarse, low roars immediately rang out from all around.
Pairs of scarlet eyes lit up in the depths of village roads, side streets, and alleyways; they belonged to monsters with horns on their heads, dark purple skin, and ferocious faces with sharp claws and fangs!
This is the downside of clearing away the black fog: visibility and breathing become clear, but the resulting commotion will attract a large number of demon villagers!
"They've appeared! The villagers have been demonized!"
Lucy was initially startled, but after recognizing the "monsters" surrounding her, she looked suspicious. "Wait, they really look like those people from Karuna Island!"
Aside from their menacing crimson eyes, the demon villagers are virtually indistinguishable from the demons of Karuna Island in both demeanor and appearance.
Remembering the friendly and kind residents of Karuna Island, Lucy mustered her courage and stepped forward, trying to communicate with them: "Um, hello there."
Roar! !
Her response was met with the claws of the demonic villagers who rushed forward first.
Fortunately, after yesterday's training in the forest, Lucy had developed basic conditioned reflexes and leaned back with considerable flexibility, barely managing to dodge the demon villagers' attack.
"It seems these guys don't understand human language." Chase's gaze narrowed slightly as he carefully observed the demons that were gradually gathering.
Some of them still retain human characteristics, while others have completely transformed into demons, with even black bat wings growing from their backs!
As predicted last night, the final demonized forms of these people are very close to the demons of Karuna Island!
There might actually be some kind of connection between the two. Thinking of this, Chase crossed his arms and stood to the side, looking like he was watching a show.
"Just like we agreed before, Lucy, I've cleared out the black mist, so these guys are yours now."
"Huh?!" Lucy's eyes widened in disbelief.
The demon villagers didn't give her much time to react. They bent their legs slightly, gathered their strength briefly, and charged towards the location of the three.
"Open the door to Virgo, Baluko!"
Lucy had no choice but to quickly summon the Celestials to fight.
"Princess, please punish me," said Baluko, her face blank with confusion, as she began her speech.
Lucy ignored her masochistic request and pointed at the charging demon villagers, saying, "Valug, incapacitate those people!"
Be careful not to hurt them; they are all villagers here.
"learn!"
Knowing the situation, Barug nodded and began to burrow vertically into the ground, starting with her legs clad in white stockings.
Bang bang bang!
Vertical caves appeared one after another on the surrounding ground, trapping the unsuspecting demon villagers inside.
Having lost their human reason, they screamed and frantically scratched at the walls inside, but could not find a way back to the ground.
In just a few seconds, the mobility of most of the "monsters" was completely restricted!
From this perspective alone, Lucy's judgment of the situation is quite excellent: Baloo is the celestial spirit that best fits the criteria of protecting herself without harming the villagers.
Characters like Talos and Aquarius, who are violent, are really hard to control.
Of course, Lucy's flaws are also obvious: she's too easily carried away. "Hehe, as expected of Baruka! Although she looks scary, this way we can get there without any obstacles—."
Before she could finish speaking, several dark figures suddenly entered her field of vision—a small number of winged demon villagers who easily broke free from the cave's confinement!
Metaphor!
In the critical moment, a dazzling golden light flashed, transforming into a streak of light that repelled all the demon villagers who flew towards Lucy.
"Just as expected, this is the time for the prince to come to the rescue!"
A golden light descended in front of Lucy, revealing a figure dressed in a sharp suit with a lion's mane hairstyle.
"Loki!" Lucy called out his name with some surprise.
"This outfit suits you very well. Did you wear it specifically for our date?" Loki noticed the pink robe Lucy was wearing.
"Don't be so self-important! Who would want to go on a date with you!" Lucy's expression immediately changed, and she retorted fiercely.
"Hey Loki, long time no see." Chase and the Dark Magician Girl, who had been watching the whole thing, walked over.
"Long time no see, Chase. I hope I didn't steal your thunder?" Loki laughed.
"It's already been stolen, though the master doesn't seem to care." The dark magic girl waved her hand.
"Haha, after all, Lucy was originally meant to do hard labor, and your words are a manifestation of her power, so it doesn't really matter," Chase said.
Lucy:
"...Is it really okay to say this, Chess?"
So this was your real purpose!
I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. They wanted me to come and split the commission for the SS service!
"Because I've always believed that Lucy can definitely do what she says," Chase replied with an unwavering look.
Upon hearing this, the incredibly gullible Lucy was immediately moved. She promptly closed the Virgo Gate, used her magic to change into the Taurus Star Spirit Robe, clenched her fists with great enthusiasm, and declared that she would definitely give it her all.
In her Taurus Star Spirit Garment form, her physical strength was greatly enhanced, and she lashed out with her whip, clearing the way at the very front of the group.
Each time the whip was lashed out, a demon villager who attempted to attack was sent flying.
Even the demon dog that was passing by was not spared; it was whipped twice for just one glance and howled in pain!
This ferocious appearance vaguely resembles Natsu's—
The demonic villager, tears streaming down his face: What happened to showing mercy?
"When Caesar told me about it, I found it hard to believe. I never thought that Lucy would actually master such advanced celestial magic so quickly."
Loki, who was walking behind, didn't have a chance to fight. He looked at Chase and sighed deeply, "You're terrifying."
While speaking, he didn't forget to use light magic to assist Lucy in knocking out the demon villagers who couldn't be dealt with in time.
"I just threw her into a dangerous environment; the main thing is the complete training guide for black magic."
Chase looked up at Lucy, who was advancing with unstoppable momentum. "Besides, her magical talent was originally very strong, but it was overshadowed by Nazgre and the others."
"That's true." Loki deeply understood this.
Compared to the other members of the guild, as a Celestial, he was more aware of the hard work and effort Lucy had secretly put in during this time.
In the short time it took to talk, Lucy in her cow-print outfit had already "stormed" the central square of the village.
In the open space, a square platform with ancient runes on it came into view.
In front of the stone platform is a stone door leading underground. Even from a distance of more than ten meters, one can feel the chilling aura emanating from the depths of the dark doorway.
"That place feels a bit strange—" Loki stopped in his tracks, his serious gaze fixed on the stone door.
"A commission that can be upgraded to SS-level is definitely not that simple."
Chase shook his head slightly, not particularly surprised.
He could notice the anomaly in the black mist, and other mages who had carried out this commission must have noticed it as well.
At least someone of S-rank status like Packas wouldn't be so careless as to do nothing.
However, they still ended in failure!
Chess had sensed something was wrong as early as when he was dispelling the black mist of the demonic particles.
Although the oppressive feeling had disappeared, an invisible, hidden force was greedily devouring the magic power within him.
At first, the suction was very weak, and Chase couldn't make a judgment, but as they moved towards the central square, the suction became more and more obvious.
This solidified his suspicion: the black mist of the demonic particles was merely a disguise to conceal the suction force!
What's hiding in here seems to be quite extraordinary.
"Lucy doesn't seem to have noticed yet." The dark magic girl raised her hand and pointed at Lucy, who was fighting the demon at the door.
"I'm sorry, but please get some sleep!"
Seeing the gatekeeper demon grip his whip in the backhand, Lucy was full of confidence, ready to throw him away.
Underneath her Taurus Star Spirit Robe, her strength was an absolute advantage; she had just used this method to take down many demon villagers blocking her path.
However, this time, things clearly took her by surprise.
Roar! !
The demonic villager, who should have been thrown away, actually suppressed her power, roared to the sky, and pulled her over instead!
The powerful force sent Lucy flying, about to crash into the demon's bared fangs.
Boom!
Chase acted decisively, delivering a punch from the sky that knocked the demon villager to the ground. The villager lay foaming at the mouth on the broken ground, his head lolling to the side as he fainted on the spot!
Why wasn't it Loki this time?
Because Lucy's magic could no longer sustain her in the mortal world, she was forcibly sent back to the Celestial Spirit Realm.
Lucy bumped into Chase's arms, where he caught her steadily.
"Chess, what's going on?" Lucy, who had survived the ordeal, blinked and looked up at Chess in confusion.
It wasn't until the Taurus Star Spirit Robe uncontrollably turned into specks of light and dissipated that she finally realized that the rate at which her magic power was being consumed was abnormal.
Based on yesterday's training results, neither the opening gate nor the Star Spirit Robe should have disappeared so quickly!
Perhaps she was too preoccupied with it, she didn't even notice that she was about to expose herself, which was a very important matter.
Chase sighed softly, rolled up his cloak, covered her, and slowly lowered it.
"The situation is much more complicated than we imagined. Let's stop exploring for now and leave this place."
If his guess is correct, forcibly entering the underground passage closer to the magic egg will only result in more magic being drained.
Although it hasn't been severely affected yet and magic can still be used normally, it's hard to say what might happen if we rashly bring Lucy in.
More importantly, doing this without even knowing what the specific scene inside is like is a huge waste, it's like giving away magic power for nothing!
That Chesgo, he actually chose to retreat, even though he'd already come all this way—
Lucy tightened her cloak. Although she was shocked and confused, she had absolute trust in Chase's judgment.
And so, the three of them retraced their steps and left the village.