MV – Chapter 104: Mana Eaters and the Minor Villain

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Tentacles sprouted from the two men’s backs and began absorbing the surrounding lumps of flesh. Not only did they wrap around and destroy the broken bio capsules, they also reached intact ones, ripping them open to pull out the contents.

It wasn’t quite like eating. Instead, the parts they touched fused, erasing any boundaries. “Assimilation” would be the right word. The lumps of flesh were sucked in with a gurgle and absorbed into the two men’s bodies.

“Fuhihihi, this is awesome! I won’t die even with a broken neck! Heck, I’m healing right up!” (Masakatsu)

Masakatsu grabbed his broken neck with both hands and wrenched it back into place with a series of cracking noises, grinning like nothing had happened. 

Kogari, too, wiped away the blood from his burst body and began repairing it.

“Did you see that? This surpasses Element Powder. I’ve named it Demon Powder! It grants limitless regeneration and infinite mana! A revolutionary breakthrough! The world will praise me when I reveal this!” (Kogari)

“I doubt anyone would praise you after seeing you fuse with chunks of flesh.” (Lanpeach)

“Hmph, there will always be fools who don’t appreciate great inventions, no matter what world you’re in. But I guarantee people will line up for this discovery.” (Kogari)

Lanpeach clicked his tongue internally after hearing Kogari’s deranged joy. As absurd as it seemed, people would indeed want this kind of immortality. It would be great if the victims at those instances are monsters, but of course, it would probably be humans -with an extremely high chance it would be people from the slums.

“Not if I can help it!” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach launched himself toward the two with a kick, resuming his attack. His equipment changed to the Sword Saint’s Garb.

[Enchant Psychic]

[Psychic Body]

[Sword Saint]

His body strengthened with supernatural power warping the air, moving like the wind.

Masakatsu couldn’t react at all as expected. Lanpeach stomped down on the metal floor, making it cave in, and, instead of throwing a punch, pressed the muzzle of the BD to Masakatsu’s head with speed that even a master would have a hard time perceiving, and pulled the trigger.

The rapid-fire shots echoed, and Masakatsu’s face was riddled with holes. He staggered backward, almost falling but managing to stay upright.

“T-Twying to kwill mwe—” (Masakatsu)

Even with his mouth torn apart, making it hard to speak, his intent was clear. His flesh scattered around, but he didn’t seem to feel any pain. Eight tentacles swung like spears, each hardened to a degree stronger than most metals, their sharp tips ready to pierce through a human with ease.

“I wonder what happens if I burn you to ashes?” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach twirled and switched to his Flame Magnum with a smirk, and fired at the tentacles. The bullets of flame incinerated them instantly, rendering them powerless.

“Gyahhh!”

It seemed that losing the tentacles had finally hurt Masakatsu, as he stumbled back, screaming in agony.

“Impressive. But you see, I can do this with a little thought.” (Kogari)

Kogari directed his own tentacles toward Lanpeach from behind, forming mouths at their tips. Lanpeach frowned, wondering what he was trying to do here. 

Kogari smiled and began manipulating mana.

[Element Nine Magic]

Various spells -fire, ice, lightning- were launched from the mouths of the tentacles. They crisscrossed, converging on Lanpeach from all sides.

[Soldier! It seems he’s creating tiny brains in his tentacles, allowing him to control multiple thoughts at once!] (Libra)

They were in the middle of battle, so Libra turned invisible, and her voice echoed in Lanpeach’s mind.

[So troublesome!] (Lanpeach)

Explosions engulfed the area, and Lanpeach disappeared into the smoke. 

Seeing this, Kogari let out a triumphant laugh, his smug superiority showing.

“Did I get him? Fuhaha! How’s that?! I’ve increased the power of my spells by absorbing mana, and with sub-brains, I can cast multiple spells simultaneously. No mage has ever reached this level!” (Kogari)

“Yeah, you’ve done pretty well.” (Lanpeach)

“Huh? You’re still alive?” (Kogari)

Kogari’s face darkened, his grin vanishing as a voice came from within the smoke.

“There’s no way you can harm me with attacks like that.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach reappeared as the smoke cleared, his silver hair flowing to his waist. He wasn’t the usual minor villain. He had transformed into a slightly cool character.

[Divine Spirit Fusion]

[Hehe, with Soldier and me fused, that kind of attack won’t work. Finally, it’s my time to shine!] (Libra)

Lanpeach brushed off the dust and struck a confident pose while Libra, with a telepathic grin, basked in her moment of glory. She had finally become a useful support character again, instead of a near-useless, overly human-like one.

[Well, the Space Library’s ultra-computation abilities are a huge help even without skills.] (Lanpeach)

Evading all those spells normally would’ve been impossible. He realized that they would deal significant damage if they landed, so he used Divine Spirit Fusion. Lanpeach predicted the spells’ trajectories with ultra-computation, and minimized the damage.

[Yarita Masakatsu: Level 6: [Super Regeneration], [Mana Eater].]

[Doctor Kogari: Level 7: [Super Regeneration], [Mana Eater].]

[Beep beep, analysis complete! They’re pretty tough, Soldier.] (Libra)

[Yeah, I’ll probably need some offensive skills soon.] (Lanpeach)

These were tough enemies. Defeating them would probably require high-powered attacks for nuke damage.

“Uraaah! With my regeneration, no one can beat me!” (Masakatsu)

Masakatsu, whose head had been blown off, quickly absorbed nearby flesh chunks and regrew his head from his neck. He bent low with a grin. 

“Fuhihi, no need for magic to slowly chip away at you. I know a much easier way to take you down!” (Masakatsu)

“Oh? Care to share?” (Lanpeach)

“All I gotta do is grab you and fuse you with me!” (Masakatsu)

Masakatsu’s body swelled to twice its size as he leaped at Lanpeach, arms outstretched to capture him.

(I see. So he can absorb you if he touches you.) (Lanpeach)

The room is small, so they are already close. For someone like Masakatsu, who didn’t fear damage, grabbing Lanpeach would be simple.

Indeed, Lanpeach couldn’t completely avoid him, and his arm was caught.

“Gotcha! Now I’ll absorb you, assimilate you, and, and… huh?” (Masakatsu)

Masakatsu had been certain that merely touching Lanpeach would allow him to absorb him. But despite his attempt to invade Lanpeach’s cells, they were repelled.

“Sorry, but I’ve got a special breathing technique. You can’t absorb me.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach grabbed Masakatsu’s face calmly and, with his overwhelming strength, hurled him into the air. Masakatsu crashed into the ceiling, and got embedded in it. 

Lanpeach pointed a finger at him with cold malice.

[Acquire Supernatural Power up to Level 7. Specialties will be: [Spatial Isolation], [Psychic Laser].] (Lanpeach)

[Acquired.]

Lanpeach quickly acquired the new skills. The knowledge of how to use them was instantly implanted in his mind.

“One down.” (Lanpeach)

[Spatial Isolation]

With a crack, the space around Masakatsu sealed off, isolating him.

[Psychic Laser]

A brilliant beam shot toward the trapped Masakatsu from Lanpeach’s fingertip. The laser wasn’t very powerful for a level 7 ability, just about the width of a human arm, and was initially criticized as a weak skill.

“But it turns out it shows high firepower when used in combos.” (Lanpeach)

The laser pierced Masakatsu inside the isolated space and began bouncing off the sealed walls.. The light filled the space as Lanpeach continued to fire, crisscrossing into countless beams that overwhelmed the area.

[A Fusion Art has been activated with the casting of Spatial Isolation and Psychic Laser.]

[Fusion Art: Spatial Destruction] 

“Goodbye, Masakatsu.” (Lanpeach)

“Waah, w-what’s going on here?!” (Masakatsu)

Masakatsu’s confused cries went ignored as the space filled with light, and his body was completely vaporized, leaving not even a single cell behind.

There was no explosion or loud sound since the space was isolated. It was quiet, but the overwhelming power of the move was undeniable. That was Fusion Art: Spatial Destruction.

“What…? Impossible… Even if it was a prototype of Demon Powder, he was defeated so easily? This can’t be… No, this mustn’t be…” (Kogari)

“Accepting reality is also part of being a scientist.” (Lanpeach)

Kogari muttered in disbelief, shocked by how quickly Masakatsu had been defeated. He glared at Lanpeach, eyes filled with hatred.

“The first fight using Demon Powder must be spectacular! You will die here, without fail!” (Kogari)

Kogari didn’t rush in unlike Masakatsu. He spread out his tentacles.

[Element Nine Magic]

The tentacles began casting magic again. Lanpeach dashed forward just before the spells were released, almost vanishing, closing the distance between him and Kogari. 

The magic shot toward Lanpeach, but with a slight shift of his body and a tilt of his head, he dodged all the spells. For someone with Lanpeach’s ultra-computational ability, this level of attack was basically child’s play.

“Kuh! What unbelievable speed.” (Kogari)

“You’re just too slow.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach brought his palms together, exhaled once, and struck Kogari’s abdomen with concentrated energy.

[Double Palm Strike]

“Bupe—!”

Kogari’s body burst like a balloon under the shockwave, with chunks of flesh flying around.. His high level of immortality prevented him from dying despite the intense pain.

But Lanpeach had anticipated this. He pointed his index finger at Kogari, preparing to seal him away.

“Argh, you think…this is enough to kill me?!” (Kogari)

The space around Kogari crackled as it was sealed off, seemingly ending his fate.

“Sub-brain formation!” (Kogari)

However, at the last second, Kogari managed to sever a part of his body. His main body was incinerated by Lanpeach’s [Spatial Destruction].

[Soldier, there’s still a bit of him left.] (Libra)

[Yeah, I’ll burn off the rest… What is he doing?] (Lanpeach)

Kogari had formed a small brain in the remaining piece of flesh, trying to escape death. However, it was impossible for such a small brain to hold all his knowledge. You could even say he is just a lump of instinct at this point.

Still, Kogari’s survival instinct kicked in, and realizing he couldn’t defeat Lanpeach in his current state, he opted to absorb the remaining Demon Powder and everything around him.

“I want live… Must survive…” (Kogari)

Kogari formed a mouth, absorbed the hidden stash of Demon Powder from a drawer, and began consuming everything around him like a slime, swelling rapidly.

“You should’ve followed the correct dosage and usage.” (Lanpeach)

“Kill! I kill you!” (Kogari)

The mass of flesh filled the lab, and the now gigantic slime-like Kogari, with rows of sharp teeth, roared loudly.

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