182 – Blood and Kin (1)
The moment when Eve and Dante appeared and blocked Lucius’ path as if guarding him.
“…… “I’m embarrassed.”
This was the moment when something that could be called ’embarrassment’ appeared on Mine Jerome’s face for the first time.
He glanced back at Duke Blake, as if he hadn’t expected this situation.
He didn’t say anything else. A stare that started simply and ended briefly.
But Duke Blake seemed to hear his words.
-Did you come with a tail?
Duke Blake suddenly lost his head in contemplation at the pressure that seemed to be constricting his body.
It was a fact that he realized once again. He cannot stand against the young man in front of him.
The mana, realm, and hierarchy that a black magician has accumulated over nearly a hundred years of life cannot be used by beings outside the standard.
It may be possible to establish a fight. In other words, that was the duke’s best.
Duke Blake recalled the sight of himself being eaten by Jerome’s evil spirit, unable to withstand the harvest.
It is probably not just imagination. In a way, it is a foresight that can be called foresight.
“Hmm.”
Luckily for the duke, Jerome’s eyes were no longer on him.
Jerome lightly held his hand and turned his head. I look at Eve.
For him, she was a cute girl who would become his youngest child. The gaze was extremely gentle.
“Ugh… ….”
But Eve, receiving such gaze, had to feel a chill that she did not know why.
What is it? The formless pressure poured down like the terrifying gaze of a wild beast.
That alone made her feel as if her knees had dropped to her knees, but in no time, Eve was filled with blood energy all over her body.
A curtain was created as if to separate the body from external pressure. The effect was clear.
“…… Huh.”
As she felt her breathing becoming easier, Eve realized that the pressure she had just felt wasn’t just a matter of her mood.
There is something. It was so small that it couldn’t be seen with the naked eye, but it definitely existed.
Is it a musical instrument? Or black mana?
Is Jerome a demon or a warlock?
Both of those energies were infinitely terrible, so it was inconvenient to differentiate between them.
Perhaps the presence of Duke Blake standing next to him also contributed to the confusion.
“This is Mine.”
It was Dante’s words that gave Eve, who was so confused, the correct answer.
He handed the platinum-colored rosary to Lucius and then stood up.
As it contains a certain amount of Beatrice’s divine power, it is probably excellent at driving out the black mana remaining in the body.
Lucius’s gesture of gratitude is received with a short nod.
Soon Dante turned his head and looked at Eve, then glanced at Jerome again.
“At the time, I couldn’t recognize him because of the recognition-impairing spell, but it’s different now. I remember it clearly. “This presence, the strange man who stole Duke Blake from in front of us that day, is definitely the Crown Prince.”
“…… Is that so.”
Eve nodded, making a complicated voice. I heard quite a shocking story.
But we can’t help but admit it, isn’t there such circumstantial evidence?
At a moment like this, nothing would be achieved by denying the phenomenon.
Eve bit his lip weakly, calming his heart as it almost wavered.
The thing in front of her was clearly her first brother, Jerome Romania el Pale.
Because her sixth sense was not so shallow that she could not recognize the signs of familiar brothers.
Isn’t that why she was able to show her acceptance even more quickly?
In addition to the fact that that being was Jerome, the instrument was also clear.
The space was filled with the Duke’s black mana and Lucius’ blue mana. However, the devil’s power was imbuing a wider area than those two energies occupied.
Magic Man. In terms of ability, he is a being that can summon the level of the Three Kings of the Nine Heavens.
I heard the story, but… …. It wasn’t an easy thing to accept either.
Nevertheless, if that is true, the importance of this position will increase even more.
Eve didn’t know the detailed story about Yurin’s demon, but she heard that the threat of the reverse sky would come soon.
And the antagonist who appears just in time is none other than Mine.
How unfortunate is this situation? How heavy is this situation?
If Jerome is truly someone who can make a contract with the Three Kings -.
‘We have to stop it.’
No matter what it took, there was a need to subdue him here and now.
Soon Eve got control of her emotions. She organized her messy mind as neatly as possible.
She began to stir up the energy of her blood.
What is spreading in all directions is a bloody fog.
This was the first step to return this place, which had already become a battlefield between warlocks and demons, to its original state, and Dante also accompanied the work.
Pajik! There was a thunderstorm. A bolt of lightning rises from his fingertips and aims straight ahead.
Soon, the darkness under the night sky cleared, albeit briefly.
Quaaa!!
The lightning that flew through the air reached Jerome in less than a second.
Accurate targeting. It didn’t seem easy to avoid. Jerome raised his hand.
Good luck!
An instrument that bloomed like a flame was wrapped around the blade of his white hand.
What are you aiming for? Soon Jerome waved his hand and ‘dispelled’ the lightning.
Errr!!
“…… !”
Dante’s eyes opened wide for a moment and then returned to normal.
The defense was not successful. The path of the lightning itself was distorted.
‘Flame.’
Dante stared at Jerome’s instrument, which was quickly dispersing, with narrowed eyes.
The form was a flame, but the external form was not very important.
What you need to check is the nature. Jerome’s skill in dodging the lightning bolt from a moment ago by twisting it to the side was foreign in every way.
The moment he finished thinking, Dante immediately kicked the ground and threw his body away.
Cow!
The dragon’s eyes, which are torn straight apart, even perceive the passage of time slowly.
Dante’s speed was objectively very fast.
At least in the case of Eve and Duke Blake, they were late in recognizing his movements by about half a beat.
‘What.’
But Dante had to let out a voice filled with astonishment.
They are chasing me. What? Jerome’s gaze, his own movements.
I didn’t miss a single moment. The moment Dante stamped his foot, Jerome’s red eyes were following Dante’s movements themselves.
The moment Dante’s fist filled with lightning reaches Jerome’s face.
“──Swallow it up.”
Jerome’s low voice echoed quietly in the space.
Whaaah!!!
Dante’s body twitched greatly. It could be said to be an instinctive sense of crisis or intuition.
The jet-black eyes looked downward, and soon they looked upward.
A shadow extending from Jerome’s toes. No, it was an instrument shaped like a shadow.
Before Dante’s attack even reaches Jerome, a shadow engulfs Dante.
It becomes a rough storm, like a typhoon or a tsunami.
From top to bottom, a dark red shadow fell vertically.
Dante’s response itself was not too late.
She stops her outstretched fist and raises her head.
At this point, spiral-shaped lightning bolts had already formed on both of her arms as if they were spinning.
The thunderbolt surged upward to crush the pouring shadows.
Quarrr!!
The thunderbolt stretched high into the sky, trying to claw at the shadow like the claws of an animal.
No matter how much it was Mine’s instrument, it seemed like it could be destroyed without difficulty.
Chaaa!
In a split second, the lightning passed through the shadow. A sharp noise bursts out.
And the shadow continued to fall without losing its strength.
“What?”
It was a moment when Dante let out an instinctive voice without even realizing it.
“You have a long history of bad blood with the duke, right?”
Jerome’s smile was etched into the outskirts of his vision, covered by shadows.
Dante immediately tried to cause lightning, but it was too late.
At this moment, Jerome’s shadow was trying to push not only Dante but also Duke Blake into one place.
The gloomy look on Duke Blake’s expression instantly turned into murderous intent.
“Dante Ruiz el Pale.”
“You-.”
“I hope for an amicable resolution of the matter.”
Chaaa!!
Dante’s call to death never reached Jerome.
Before that, the shadow banished them from reality.
“…… Junior!!”
Eve called to Dante with a pale complexion, but perhaps her voice did not reach him in the end.
Dante disappeared. It was a change in composition that occurred literally in an instant.
Eve looked dumbfounded and stretched out her hand in front of her.
Her hands were in vain as she waved the air helplessly.
Eve, who was in heavy silence for a moment, immediately raised her gaze.
I chew my lips and look at Jerome.
The battlefield of 3 to 2 suddenly became 2 to 1.
We still had the numerical advantage, but-.
Actually, I know that it doesn’t mean much.
Nothing changed.
The Duke and Dante disappeared.
The only one left is Jerome.
What was his intention? As you said, did you really hope for an amicable resolution of the Duke and Dante’s favor?
“Ha.”
Eve, who was looking at Jerome’s single expression, burst out with cynicism for the first time.
Her gaze at her eldest brother became even more ferocious.
The reason was nothing special. This is because I caught a glimpse of the emotions in Jerome’s eyes.
The murderous intent toward Eve and Lucius was clearly evident there.
He planned to kill his brothers on the spot.
I was able to recognize it easily, and thanks to that, I came to my senses.
Eve’s blood-red eyes began to sink with a cooler look.
Because she realized that ‘that’ was no longer the Jerome she knew.
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I guess that’s nature. It’s been hidden all this time, and it’s only now revealed.
The true appearance of the demon Jerome.
Eve gritted her teeth. Just before going into battle, there was no tension…….
Nevertheless, confusion still persisted. Jerome, why, why?
“…… Eve.”
It was around that time that Lucius came to her side.
The rosary around his neck gave off a shallow glow.
Most of the damage caused by Duke Blake’s energy has been recovered.
A significant amount of mana was consumed, but it was still worth holding on for a bit longer.
Lucius could not help but be embarrassed.
The development of a situation that is literally embarrassing.
Jerome’s intervention in the battle with Duke Blake.
At that moment, Lucius was certain of his death.
But somehow, his two younger brothers, who should be at the academy, come after him and block his way?
To be honest, there were many things I wanted to ask and many things I needed to say.
“…… You.”
But first, Lucius pushed all those thoughts to a corner of his mind.
The situation is not relaxed enough to have such a sad conversation.
Lucius closed his eyes tightly just once and opened them, gently holding his sister’s shoulders and spitting out his words.
A serious, subdued voice.
“Take charge of the vanguard, Eve.”
“…… !”
“I hope to create enough space and time for me to freely use my magic.”
Eve was startled for a moment and turned her head. The reason was that it was the first time she had heard something like this from Lucius.
It may be because the two siblings have never had a battle like this on the same battlefield…….
At least at this time, Lucius’ words of trust toward Eve helped her drive away her confusion and fill its place with motivation.
A bitter smile that did not suit the situation appeared on her lips.
Immediately, her eyes were blood-red and she nodded her head with a serious expression on her face.
And he responds with a short word.
“Please leave it to me, brother.”
Eve’s blood began to drive out the devil’s power more violently than before, and Lucius used the collision of that energy as a starting point to push her body back.
Generates mana. He spun the circle and deployed his magic as quickly as possible.
[Chain Lightning.]
8 Circle annihilation magic. It was a quick completion, and it was a casting that went beyond that.
Pajijijijijik-!
Thunderbolts flowing through eight pairs of rings shoot toward Jerome.
Powerful enough to easily defeat dozens of large monsters.
“hahahaha.”
However, Lucius’ dark prediction was not wrong.
Wow!!
It had no effect at all.
The chain-like baptism of lightning could not even reach Jerome’s body.
Just as he did against Dante’s attack just before, Jerome very lightly destroyed Lucius’ magic with his instrument-clad hand.
Jerome smiled slightly and soon began to lift his body into the air.
Jerome’s neatly folded eyes turned to his two younger brothers.
“Lucius, Eve. And Dante, and finally me.”
The entire body covered with musical instruments seemed stronger than any castle wall, and seemed to contain a deeper danger than any powder keg.
A streak of cold sweat ran down Eve and Lucius’ cheeks.
Jerome was enjoying their reactions.
Continuing the conversation as is.
“Almost the entire current royal family has gathered here in one place. hahahaha, this is it. “I didn’t want to enjoy a family gathering in such a dark place.”
“… ….”
“What… …. Great. It’s not too bad. “Although my double life was discovered in unexpected circumstances, is this also ‘fate’ in some sense?”
There was no answer, but Jerome didn’t care and just smiled.
Soon he clapped his lightly raised palms together.
Wow!
Was it to focus attention? Or was there another intention?
It was an unknown matter.
“I have decided.”
Jerome just looked at Lucius and Eve and continued his words in a low voice.
“At first, I was planning to manipulate Lucius’ soul a little and manipulate it to my own taste, but now that Eve has come here, there is nothing I can do.”
And the terrible stories that follow.
In some ways, it was like a kind of sentence.
Jerome’s smile deepened with a fresher look.
“We will both have to die. “Right here, in my hands.”
Eve’s reaction was quick. She moved while holding a rapier made of blood, and immediately fired a bloody slash.
Swae-ae-ae-! Quaaa!!
An explosion occurred in the air.
No surprise there really.
Jerome reappeared with not a single hair on his face injured.
“I’ve collected enough offerings so far, but I was feeling like the last few drops weren’t enough… ….”
With a dark laugh, Jerome stretched out her hand.
The instrument swirls. Rise up as a giant.
The giant closed his fist.
I immediately swung downward.
“…… !”
Kwahahahahahhhhh !!!
Dust rose up along with a huge explosion.
“Because the blood of the imperial family is special.”
Nevertheless, Jerome paid no heed and gave instructions.
The giant’s movement continued without stopping.
“Don’t worry. I love you guys. Lucius and Eve. “I will keep that poor body by my side and cherish it forever.”
The heart of the empire, and the outskirts of the road not far from the imperial castle.
“hahahaha…… !”
Jerome burst into laughter.
“The advent of the heavens is not far away!”
It was a fight between blood relatives that started in the middle of the night when most people were asleep.