MV – Chapter 146: The Depths of the Temple and the Minor Villain

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At the depths of the temple stood a golden door. It was so enormous that you couldn’t grasp its full scale without looking up, and it was entirely made of gold, with intricate designs carved into it. It was less of a grand door and more of an ominous sign that a powerful boss was waiting ahead.

“Hey, don’t you think there’s a strong sense of danger beyond this?” (Lanpeach)

“I smell treasure. Let’s agree to split it fifty-fifty, shall we?” (Mira)

“Don’t casually leave me out of this, Mira! You demon, little devil, greedy Spirit!” (Libra)

Libra-chan wailed, and Mira-san sighed, shrugged, and gently patted Libra-chan’s shoulder.

“What are you saying? I’ve been saving up Libra’s share properly. I’m managing it so you can withdraw it whenever you need it. If you need anything, feel free to ask.” (Mira)

“Really?! Sorry, I misunderstood.” (Libra)

“I get misunderstood often, so it’s fine. Just submit a request form with a reason when you want to make a withdrawal.” (Mira)

Mira said this with an angelic smile, and though Libra smiled back, Lanpeach could tell. In the future, Mira would likely nitpick the request form and deny approval. Mira’s shadow was sprouting bat wings and grinning evilly after all!

As this silly trio performed their comedy act, Lanpeach crossed his arms and composed his breathing, easing the tension. Enough joking around.

“This architecture looks surprisingly modern for a temple. Is there a reason for that?” (Lanpeach)

“It’s deliberately designed like a temple to enhance the ritualistic atmosphere. That’s because…” (Mira)

Mira placed her hand on the door, and it began to open, despite its enormous size suggesting it required heavy machinery to move.

“A sacred temple like this is ideal when using conceptual power in order to seal something.” (Mira)

—And beyond the door, on a cursed altar where ancient sacrifices seemed likely to have been made, two giants imbued with powerful spirit energy were bound in chains and sealed.

◇◇

“What’s this?” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach instinctively knew what the giants were. A Wind Spirit and an Earth Spirit. One had a translucent body wrapped in a constant breeze, while the other had a rocky surface, resembling a humanoid figure carved from stone.

“Those are the Wind Spirit King, Jinn, and the Earth Spirit King, Titan; both bound by a demonic seal. Because of their imprisonment, the world’s elemental stream was drastically distorted, and the spirits became flesh, only to be crushed and turned to dust.” (Mira)

Mira explained this seriously without messing around. It was likely an ancient forbidden technique. Her words seemed to be spoken with painful memories of the past.

“So, this was one of the causes of the ancient Spirit War that led to the world’s destruction.” (Lanpeach)

“I see~, so if we free those two, will the world go back to normal?” (Libra)

While it is fine that Libra seemed impressed, why didn’t she have the same knowledge as Mira?

“It’s not that simple. There are seven elemental spirits that make up the world. Freeing just those two won’t restore everything, right?” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach, grinning slightly, restrained himself from boasting and said this casually, as though it were an obvious conclusion for any gamer.

“There are actually 192 elements that make up the world.” (Mira)

This world apparently had far more elements than Earth. Still, it is embarrassing, so please don’t retort with a serious face.

“Seven elements are more fitting for a fantasy world! Don’t tell me there are 192 spirit kings sealed away, too? We have to free that many? I don’t wanna.” (Lanpeach)

Seeing Lanpeach’s reluctant expression, Mira covered her mouth and chuckled mischievously.

“It seems those who employed this technique had the same thought. They crudely divided the world’s concepts into seven. Nowadays, we wouldn’t allow something like that, but the technology back then was insufficient to prevent it.” (Mira)

Lanpeach sighed as he looked up at the pyramid-shaped altar. He now understood who was behind this crude division of concepts.

“Was it the Harkein Company who did this? Let’s ask those two hiding over there if it’s the truth. Even if you’re trying to hide, your presence reeks of malice, you damn demons.” (Lanpeach)

He pointed towards the Spirit Kings bound by the chains on the altar and…

“Kukuku, so you noticed us, even with your lowly human senses.” 

“Gahaha, to think a mere human could detect us.”

One of them was a man dressed like a hunter, with ears long and pointed like an elf’s. His elegant laughter was tinged with brazen arrogance as he revealed himself.

The other was a stout, barrel-like man with short legs. His limbs were thick like logs, radiating strength, and his face was covered in a thick beard. He too had pointed ears.

“An elf and a dwarf? No, the dark energy surrounding you isn’t from elves or dwarves.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach directed Haze towards the two, his eyes sharp. The pair briefly scowled at his stare but soon smiled smugly again.

“Exactly. I am Relage, one of the seven demons who evolved from a noble elf.” 

Relage bowed with refined, noble gestures as though he were a nobleman. Yet, his arrogance erased any beauty the elven grace might have had.

“My name is Gusion, one of the seven demons. As a dwarf, my weapon is creation itself. Allow me to show you the prowess of my craftsmanship.”

The two demons introduced themselves, glaring down at Lanpeach and his group from the altar. The miasma they exuded smelled worse than rotten sludge and was filled with malevolence.

“So, there are seven demons to match the seven Spirit Kings? I see. The people that remained on the surface must be the survivors of Harkein.” (Lanpeach)

It clicked in Lanpeach. There were originally seven Armed Families, including elves and dwarves, after all. The numbers fit too perfectly.

“Well, that was a long time ago. It doesn’t matter if your family summoned these demons. I’ll just defeat you now.” (Lanpeach)

“Kukuku, hahaha, it’s been a while since I’ve heard something so amusing. Should I clean my ears, Gusion?” (Relage)

“Gahaha, don’t laugh at him so much, Relage. Just look at that face of a pathetic minor villain. He must have completely forgotten the meaning of this facility after 1,200 years. The outside world must be in shambles and it must be taking their all to just survive. They probably came here for a bit of looting, right?” (Gusion)

The pair laughed loudly, leaving Lanpeach feeling indignant. His Minor Villain skill was doing big work here and it wasn’t making him happy at all.

“I’ll enlighten you. Long ago, this place was a battlefield. Even if we could summon Spirits infinitely, humanity had powerful soldiers. Do you think just Relage and I could defend the final stronghold alone?” (Gusion)

“In games, sure. The Demon Lord and the hero’s party always handle things by themselves.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach responded seriously.

“…N-No, this isn’t a game. It would be more practical to attack with an army, right?” (Gusion)

Gusion was clearly taken aback, stepping back in disbelief. Still, he seemed excited to have a conversation partner after so long and continued.

“Many soldiers came. ‘We must kill them and free the Spirit Kings’, they shouted.” (Gusion)

Gusion raised his hands with a look of ecstasy, and then let Relage take over, who smiled coolly.

“Every enemy fell without leaving a scratch on us. The battle was dull, as no magic or weapon could reach us.” (Relage)

Something felt off as they spoke like actors in a musical.

Lanpeach didn’t sense that much strength from them. At least, it seemed impossible that the colony soldiers with top-tier equipment would have failed to even scratch them. 

He sent a thought transmission to Mira while keeping a calm face.

[Hey, didn’t the colony have powerful weapons? Could it be true that they weren’t harmed at all?] (Lanpeach)

[They are demons, Pla-san. Do you understand what that means? They’re immortal. This room also amplifies their immortality, allowing them to choose a convenient fate where they remain unscathed and undying.] (Mira)

[Fate? They can choose that?!] (Lanpeach)

What kind of cheat is this? That should be banned! 

[If it weren’t for this hall, their revival would take quite a lot of time after being defeated. But here, they were invincible. The enemy was unbeatable, so there was no way to conquer this place.] (Mira)

[I see. But since you led me here, that means they can be beaten, right?] (Lanpeach)

[Of course. What do you take from defeated enemies?] (Mira)

[Experience and…fate energy! Does that mean I have the power to fight demons?] (Lanpeach)

[It seems you do, by coincidence.] (Mira)

Lanpeach couldn’t help but grin at this ‘coincidence’ of hers, however, this was his chance.

“O-Our attacks won’t work on them? T-That’s just bluffing! There’s no way that could be true in real life. Hehe, I’ve got an ancient weapon! With this, any enemy goes boom, boom!” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach swung Haze around as if to show it off, playing the role of a minor villain who got carried away after accidentally obtaining a powerful weapon. The performance was so convincing that it could only be taken seriously.

Relage and Gusion spread their arms wide with mocking, sneering smiles.

“Kukukuku, watching a clown is always amusing no matter the era, isn’t it, Gusion?” (Relage)

“Indeed, Relage. Well, I suppose I could show him how powerful his prized weapon really is. Go ahead, I won’t move an inch, so fire away.” (Gusion)

The minor villain silently pumped his fist in victory at their expected overconfidence. This was exactly the pattern he had been waiting for.

“Hehe, I’ll take you down with one shot just like the Spirits that tried to block my way here. Take this!” (Lanpeach)

[Piercer]

[Rain Snipe]

Laughing inwardly with a villainous “Gehaha”, he pulled the trigger without breaking character. He added skills to unleash his most powerful attack right from the start.

Sulfur energy bullets shot forth, splitting in midair like thin threads, raining down on the two like a torrential downpour.

The two stood there without dodging, showing their composure as they took the full brunt of the energy bullet storm, which culminated in a massive explosion.

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