Chapter 13: Clark’s Impetus
WITH nothing else in our way after the Lylish swarm, we finally arrive at the inner sanctum where the Demon Lord’s magic circle awaits.
All things considered, we did that fast. Clark hasn’t shown himself, either. Maybe he’s too scared of Shining Flash inflicting the ultimate blow on his homunculi to come out now!
“The magic circles drawn all over this room are the Demon Lord? Incredible. I don’t know much about magic, but even I can tell this is an amazing piece of work,” Guido marvels.
I understand how he feels. I was awed when I first saw the room, too. Though my awe quickly turned to sorrow when I learned that this magic circle was all there was to the Demon Lord.
“The Demon Lord can’t revive if we destroy this room, right?” Golem asks, gazing up at the biggest circle on the ceiling and the walls.
Julius shakes his head. “Not quite. We have to disperse the magic stored in the circles first. Destroying the room before we do that will stir up an enormous amount of power and runs the risk of causing a magic malfunction throughout Analia.”
“A magic malfunction…?” Golem echoes.
“Yes. You have seen firsthand how an emotional sorcerer loses control of their magic, causing storms or freezing things by accident, right? The same applies to large-scale magic circles: losing control of the magic stored inside causes huge accidents. And this room is full of magic circles with powers beyond our understanding. The destruction it will cause will be on a whole different scale.”
I, along with the rest of our group, gasp at Julius’s grim warning.
“I see. How long will it take to release the magic accumulated in them?” Prince Guido asks.
“Not too long,” Julius tells us. “Can you guard the room while I release the magic? The central circle is deeper inside. I will do it there—”
Instead of advancing farther inside, Julius stops. I look ahead of him. There, a despicable person stands in the dark with a sneer.
“Clark!” I shout. Nervous tension courses through the others.
“Oho? Everyone came together. How cute. I was waiting for you. Well, if things went how I wanted them to, I was hoping everyone would die on the way, leaving just Elle and Aela. Oh well.”
“Too bad your plan failed. We don’t play by your rules,” Guido says, drawing his magic sword. Golem is right there at his side. Aela stands behind them, anger simmering in her obsidian eyes.
“Going to fight here? You’ve lost your mind. The Demon Lord’s magic circles are all around you. Accidentally destroying the circles will cause a magic explosion,” Julius warns in a tight voice that only widens Clark’s crooked smile.
“Yes, it will. It’s a big risk. But the greater the experiment, the greater the associated risk. I am quite all right with forfeiting my life to develop magic to new heights.” No sooner does he finish speaking than Clark doubles.
There’s two Clarks? No, three? Four…? He’s multiplying!
“It’s easy with the homunculus magic circle active,” he explains as if it’s no big deal. I thought this back with the Lylish swarm, but it’s super creepy seeing a bunch of people with the same exact face surrounding you!
“I’ll get rid of him with the magic sword’s power…!” Prince Guido steps forward, but Julius throws out his hand to stop him.
“You can’t. Your power is immense but affects too wide of an area. There’s no going back if something happens to the magic circles.”
“Damn it…!” Prince Guido scowls.
“Were you waiting here to make it so we couldn’t fight you at our full strength?! You piece of shit!” Golem curses, drawing his sword in a screech of metal and bringing it down on the multiplying Clarks. His sword slices through the homunculi like butter. Golem raises his sword.
“But you’ve looked down on the wrong person! I am Royal Guard Captain Golem in service to Gaea’s third prince, Guido! I don’t use flashy skills to fight! I’ll cut down your multiplying homunculi the good ol’ fashioned way!”
Oh my gosh, Golem, you’re so cool!
Golem has no magic, which is exactly why he can fight without holding back in this room of sensitive magic circles. We might be able to win if we support Golem until he can take down Clark’s real body with his sword skills…!
“Oh, yuck. I hate the hot-blooded type. So stifling,” I hear Clark’s breezy voice say, and his homunculi suddenly change directions. They are running over and gathering around his true body…?
“Golem, behind you!” Prince Guido shouts.
Golem pivots out of the way.
The homunculi he had sliced in half melted into some sort of gelatinous substance and surged into the spot where he was just standing with tremendous force.
At first I thought it was trying to attack Golem, but it’s not. The gelatinous blob is rushing over to Clark as well.
The heck? What once took human form melts and covers Clark’s body. To put it lightly, it’s freaking disgusting, but what’s the point of it?
“What are you trying to do?!” Prince Guido yells.
A small chuckle comes from Clark, who has become who-knows-what after so many homunculus blobs have grown over him. “Haha. What, you ask? These homunculi are, well, for my defense.”
“Your defense?” Aela’s nervous voice rings clearly through the noise.
“Yes. I need to protect myself because I am about to cause the greatest magic disaster in Analia’s history.”
“You can’t be serious!” Julius shouts.
I haven’t quite digested what Clark is planning. But the second I see something like a hand reach out of the indescribable monster he has become for the nearest magic circle, it clicks.
Clark is gonna force the magic circles to implode?!
“Noooooooooooo!” I shout, but it’s already too late. Clark’s blob hand shines on the magic circle.
“Elle…!” I hear Julius call my name. His arms wrap protectively around me. “Please don’t miss the true nature of your power.”
I hear his voice near my ear, and then the world whites out.