Previously.To rescue Pink-Haired Lesbian, I had plunged into her mental realm, which was entirely under the control of the Succubus Queen.
But, the Queen I had been fighting turned out to be fake. The real Queen had hid within young Yuri, waiting for the perfect moment to strike—and she landed a devastating blow just when I dropped my guard.
With both my body and mind shattered, I was pulled deeper into this mental world. It was the Succubus Queen’s stomach, a space designed to digest her captured prey. The real Pink-Haired Lesbian, who had been captured earlier, was already trapped there as well.
Would I be able to escape from th⋯⋯.
“Stop standing around and fight!”
I was scolded for zoning out mid-flashback.
===============================================================
Benett’s Metamorphosis, 『Guardian’s Dream』, was⋯⋯ a boring ability.
The fact that it couldn’t break as long as one’s will remained unshaken made it extremely situational. I don’t know if it was a larger shield but.
Maybe it would be useful if you found yourself in a collapsing mine shaft that could be held up by a single sword or were under a star-destroying attack focused down to a blade’s edge.Otherwise, it was essentially just an incredibly durable sword with a built-in subspace storage function. This was why, lying in bed and tucked under a blanket, I occasionally thought about ways to improve it.
What if I built a railgun launcher that could fire unbreakable ammo using 『Guardian’s Dream』? With summoning and unsummoning mechanics, retrieving it would be simple as well.
Or maybe I could gift him a book on throwing sword techniques. But really, wouldn’t it =be more accurate to use bullets instead of a sword?
This concept evolved into what I called⋯⋯ 『Combine Metamorphosis』.
Metamorphosis transformations generally come with weakened or modified abilities. For example, Elaine’s burst attacks were adapted into something more versatile, and Roderus’s ability to materialize mana was also reduced.
But what if someone could retain their original Metamorphosis⋯⋯ while layering another on top? And what if those combined powers created a new synergy?
This train of thought led me to a hypothetical question:
‘What if Tara’s soul could coexist within Bennett’s body, allowing them to activate their Metamorphoses simultaneously?’
The result would be a combination of 『Guardian’s Dream』’s indestructibility, and 『Thorns of Lament』’s energy absorption ability.
Kang, Kaang!
Shadow Bennett struck both swords together, each clash producing bright sparks that ignited a dark, flame-like mana.
Using 『Thorns of Lament』, 『Guardian’s Dream』 absorbed power until it nearly shattered. But since 『Guardian’s Dream』 would never break as long as the user’s will held strong⋯⋯
It would spew out infinite power until his mind finally broke down—『Guardian’s Dream of Lament』.
It was the creation of a Demonic Sword with infinite energy.
Whooosh──!!
When Shadow Bennett swung his blade, the black flames flared outward, scorching a 30-meter radius. I rolled across the ground to dodge.
Pink-Haired Lesbian, also flattened against the floor, listened to my plan and then asked.
“⋯⋯Nice theory. So how do we deal with him?”
“Call Yuna.”
Overwhelming firepower was the standard approach to dealing with enemies that were like perpetual motion machine. Dragging the fight out would only be torture.
“She’s not here.”
“She’s not⋯⋯.”
But that didn’t mean we couldn’t win. This was still just a replica. If we weren’t stuck in this black tar, dissolving and having all our data stolen, we would have defeated him by now.
With her weakened, Pink-Haired Lesbian couldn’t take on Shadow Bennett alone.
And neither could I, in my current state.
We’d have to combine our strength.
“⋯⋯I have an idea. But it might be a little⋯⋯ unpleasant.
“It has to be better than dying, right? Just get on with it.”
“This might be worse than getting caught by the Queen out of sheer overconfidence, you know.”
“⋯⋯you know, until now, I’ve never really known what love was—.”
The fact that she immediately tried to get under my skin, it seemed like a sign of approval. It would look a bit awkward but⋯⋯I latched onto her back, wrapping my legs around her to secure my grip.
Since falling into this world, I had reconstructed Pink-Haired Lesbian’s legless body.
Here, in this mental world, Pink-Haired Lesbian was like a well-cooked piece of meat, and this allowed me to meld with her.
In short, we were merging.
“⋯⋯Isn’t this, dangerous?”
“Don’t talk to me.”
Of course it was dangerous.
Merging meant risking the fusion of our consciousnesses, with no guarantee we could separate again. If the process went too far, we would have to call ourselves “Crazy Yuri Lanster Wizard.”
So, we needed just the right amount of connection, and I was setting the framework carefully.
Swoosh-!
Shadow Bennett unleashed a devastating wave of fire in an arc, leaving no path for escape.
Taat. Tat.
Pink-Haired Lesbian carried me on her back, moving nimbly through the sticky swamp. She moved like a panther, fully tapping into her physical abilities.
While she bought us time, I extended our bond, reaching beyond flesh and bone, down to the very soul inside her heart.
I transformed, becoming a black cape, wrapping her in darkness. I melted into her, and the merge was completed in moments.
It was the appearance of the dark-haired, golden-eyed mysterious woman, ‘Crazy Pink-Haired Lesbian’
“⋯⋯Euheueut.”
Pink-Haired Lesbian let out a sound as if she was creeped out, like a shiver, as if ice water had been poured down her spine. I maintained the connection, keeping her stable when she lost control a little.
Touch.
I guided her movements from inside.
Pink-Haired Lesbian must have sensed her body move against her will. She extended her arm, stepped forward, and pressed her palm against the scorching edge of Bennett’s sword and⋯⋯deflected it.
Since this was a mental space, the flames blazing from his sword were also just clusters of data. So if I concentrated, I could manipulate their flow and reduce the impact.
And⋯⋯ uh oh.
“This body doesn’t move that way. You need to adjust the center of gravity, keeping in mind the⋯⋯ two big lumps of fat on the chest.”
I was already focused on keeping us from fully merging and lessening the damage, so my mind didn’t exactly have room to consider that. Well, if you’ve got the feel for it, then go ahea d.
“Fine. Just tell me the patterns and keep the buffs coming⋯⋯ thinking about my younger days at a time like this—should I take that as you wanting to get scolded?”
All right. The link was stable.
This was teamwork based on seamless, instant communication. Pink-Haired Lesbian would move in response to what I noticed, and I would adapt to her instincts.
It took us a moment to find our rhythm, but once we did, we worked well together.
After fighting for quite a long time, we finally managed to ram 『Guardian’s Dream』 into Shadow Bennett’s mouth, putting an end to the battle.
Shadow Bennett reached toward us, as if grasping for his younger sister, before vanishing.
===============================================================
Some time passed. We were worn out but still holding our ground.
We had fought the Heavenly Demon (she struggled to recreate it accurately) and had taken down Namgoong Cheonghwi with relative ease. With each battle, our synergy grew, and we improved.
We refined this⋯⋯ merged state a bit more, forming a tail from Pink-Haired Lesbian’s backside that connected with my own, essentially creating a link between us to share information.
A full merge was far too risky.
Greetings, Mr. Crazy Wizard?.
Yeah. Although this link had the side effect of random thoughts slipping through to each other, the benefits for combat were undeniable, so we decided to keep it.
Since it wasn’t verbal communication, we didn’t have to worry about the Queen catching on either.
We spent our time in this connected state—talking as we melted down, fighting the respawning shadow enemies as they appeared, and slipping back into idle conversation.
And we waited for the right moment.
If anyone would notice my lifeline was severed, it would be Yuna. She’d wait for a while, get anxious, plan a rescue, and eventually rain down bombardments.
There was a connection to 『Nest』 left within the Third Prince’s mind.
The first strike would come through that route, and if the situation still looked grim.
She’d release the seal on my body in the real world, letting the ‘Thing’ in my head spill into 『Nest』. That was the promise we had made.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯?”
I don’t know exactly what that is, but isn’t that incredibly dangerous? Pink-Haired Lesbian conveyed her thoughts through our link.
It was. But isn’t it better than dying here? This was our failsafe—a self-destruct button in case we were stuck without any hope of escape.
Ideally, that ‘Thing’ would cleanly obliterate the Succubus Queen. Best case, we’d be able to recover it, but⋯⋯ things rarely go according to plan. It might slip free into the world.
And if it did, I had no idea what would happen. But given 7% Evil God-chan’s nature, it wouldn’t be a pleasant outcome for either the world or me.
So, what was our top priority?
We had to escape the moment Archmage of Purple Tower, Yuna Violetiris, began raining down her full-scale assault on the 『Nest』.
If we failed to escape, something dark and terrifying would be unleashed on the world.
If her headquarters was being bombarded with merciless fire, even the Queen would be too overwhelmed to act rationally. Since we won’t be at full strength either, it would be a tough fight, but⋯⋯.
How would we set it up? How would we lure her out, and would we attack? We formed plans, analyzed them, broke them down, restructured, and repeated the process over and over.
“Mr. Crazy Wizard.”
“Eung?”
Pink-Haired Lesbian, with parts of her body now partially melted, quietly said.
“Being connected like this, I can barely sense it. This might sound odd, but⋯⋯ it feels like you already have Metamorphosis.”
“If I did, I’d be using it by now.”
“Well, it feels like there’s only half of it. Incomplete, I suppose?”
Incomplete?
I scratched my chin thoughtfully with my melted, merged index and middle fingers.
The manifestation of Metamorphosis involves imprinting one’s soul with an emotional shade. And come to think of it, I’d been experiencing intense emotional swings like a person doing intense jump ropes.
I loved young Yuri, only to be savagely betrayed.
It was as if I’d become one of my students, immersed in a session only to come out right now.
And yet, if I couldn’t manifest⋯⋯ maybe. Maybe there was an issue lying somewhere else—perhaps within my own soul, hidden in that enigmatic black box inside me. Something.
If she was right, this was bad news. I’d been counting on triggering the manifestation of Metamorphosis by firing the Stygian Arrow of Mind Destruction into my head. But if the issue was rooted in my soul itself, then even the most intense emotions—dozens of times over the threshold—wouldn’t make a difference.
No wonder I hadn’t been able to manifest it.
Then, Pink-Haired Lesbian suggested a wild idea.
And said, My soul is still fine.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
She hadn’t yet reached Sublimation, nor was she in a state of constant change. Her soul’s color would only alter upon her own Metamorphosis activation.
And right now, she and I were so closely linked, our boundaries so blurred, that a small nudge would be enough to merge us fully.
So, what if I infused her soul with my emotions⋯⋯ could that potentially create a unique Metamorphosis, or trigger her own Metamorphosis in a different way?
In other words, 『Metamorphosis Alternation』⋯⋯.
“Let’s call it 『Fusion Metamorphosis』 and keep it simple.”
Pink-Haired Lesbian grinned after saying that, and I couldn’t help but grin back. We were joking, but the thrill and danger were real.
We were absolutely on the brink of death, and it was entirely possible we could actually die here.
But we just chose not to think about that.
Splat. Pink-Haired Lesbian leaned her head on my shoulder. It felt sticky and gooey. We were both covered in that black tar. I pretended to be annoyed, even though I liked it.
“⋯⋯You’re sticky.”
“You’re no better.”
Looking back.
Since reincarnating into this world, I hadn’t really⋯⋯ given much thought to emotions. No, I had never faced them at all.
What did I do when I felt sexual urges? I just suppressed them with a Sexual Desire Suppression module.
Anxiety, anger—I had prepared countermeasures through all sorts of modules.
Love, well⋯⋯ The three of us just skirted around it.
I ignored my own desires and paid little mind to the emotions of others.
It wasn’t until I stood face-to-face with death, with my modules breaking down and my plans crumbling, only then did I recall a question that had been popular in my previous life.
If I were to die tomorrow.
So tell me, Crazy Wizard. If, this time tomorrow, you were given final notice that your life would end—and if you knew that to be true with every fiber of your being—
What should I do now?
“Se-⋯⋯.”
Ugh, idiot.
I smacked my forehead, trying to get back to serious thoughts.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Swoosh!
Pink-Haired Lesbian quickly backed away from me, a good distance. Her face was bright red. I slowly pieced it together and… understood.
The way she kept talking about wanting to devour me but holding back, and then backing away.
Did that mean that all of her boldness was just an act?
I just⋯⋯ didn’t realize. I was confused because I had been seeing everything from my own perspective, but if she hadn’t made a move, despite being a succubus with a man right next to her…
It meant she was scared.
“⋯⋯I’m not scared.”
“⋯⋯Then come over here.”
“Keep a safe distance.”
This was a battle I would win if I just pushed a little harder!
I made a bitter smile at this discovery of Pink-Haired Lesbian’s weakness. I was glad to learn about it, but it was a shame to think there might not be much time left to tease her about it.
I looked up at the sky. Though it looked like a black, unsettling pool of liquid, if I thought about it positively, it could almost pass for a starless night sky.
If I narrowed my eyes and blurred my vision, I could easily recall constellations from memory, sketching one star after another onto that dark canvass.
The patterns of those stars weren’t the same as I remembered.
In my early days in this world, I used to remember Earth’s constellations from Earth, like the Big Dipper, Arcturus, Spica, Denebola, which formed the Spring Triangle, and the sparkling Regulus and etcetera.
But the stars I was thinking of right now were not from Earth. They belonged to this world— the ones I had seen while I was researching at the Magic Tower and during quiet evenings at the Academy, sipping tea under the open sky.
It might sound a little weird, but…
In this moment, I could distinctly feel the divide between my ‘past’ and ‘present’ selves.
The calm before the storm. Preparing for a battle we might not survive, I quietly suggested to Pink-Haired Lesbian.
“Just in case⋯⋯ let’s leave some last words, Yuri Lanster.”
“Last words, you say? Here we are, barely clinging to life and practically picking out our grave sites, and you want to leave last words? For who, exactly?”
“For each other.”
It felt like something deep was waking up within me, almost tickling as it awakened. This act wasn’t a sad farewell. It was something I needed to truly complete me.
This was a chance to be truly honest—with myself, who hid my emotions behind magic, and with Yuri Lanster, who suppressed hers through Metamorphosis.