Level Eater

Chapter 116: Unleashed Beast

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Level: 50

Skills: [Contract Assistance], [Multiple Obedience], [Empathy]

[Tame Contract Lv.11: Upper Limit Release], [Concentration Lv.5],

[Magic Power Quality Rise Lv.4]

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(Seems like most of the SP [Skill Points] are invested in "Tame Contract." If this runs out, it could cause trouble. If exposed, I'll have to escape far away. Well, no choice.)

Tatsuro, somewhat recklessly, continues to absorb Gregory's levels.

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Skills: [Contract Assistance], [Multiple Obedience], [Tame Contract Lv.0]

[Concentration Lv.0], [Magic Power Quality Rise Lv.0]

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(Huh, [Empathy] seems to have disappeared. Oh well.)

As Tatsuro swallows the black sphere, changes occur on the surface.

"What are you doing!?" (Gregory)

"Oh?" (Ai)

{Ai, Gregory's levels are all absorbed. How about over there?} (Tatsuro)

{Well, for now, Ennio seems confused, looking around his body. The monsters around Gregory are fleeing. By the way, the slime Gregory was riding is also trying to shake him off and go somewhere else.} (Ai)

{I see. Well then, I'll retrieve the Bald (Hairless) teapot and come back there. Since Gregory has skills that cannot be absorbed, let's catch him after making sure to join forces.} (Tatsuro)

{Bald teapot? Well, whatever. Okay okay.} (Ai)

Ai, unaware that she has also shaved the head of the heir Bertram, interprets it as an insult to Bertram and lets it slide.

Meanwhile, Ai watches intently as Ennio, unsure when he will act, and Gregory, who is desperately trying to stop the escaping monsters, continue their actions.

Ignoring the noisy spectacle of Gregory struggling above, Tatsuro connects the tunnel directly below the Bald (hairless) teapot, opens a hole, and drops it down.

The hairless teapot groans with a terrible sound.

"Agh, ugh~ it hurts! What's going on!? It's pitch dark! What the hell!?" (Bertram)

"Shut up, Bald (hairless) teapot." (Tatsuro)

Tatsuro, annoyed, punches him in the face to silence him, then uses earth magic to bury everything except the nostrils in the soil, making him unable to move or make a sound.

Though he seems to be saying something, Tatsuro ignores him, magically assisting while dragging Bertram back along the path he came.

They climb the stairs leading to the hole behind Jeanne while quietly inflicting minor damage on Bertram.

"Yo!" (Tatsuro)

"Oh. Wait, is that Bertram?"

"Yes, it is. I'll give it to you as a souvenir." (Tatsuro)

"Oh, that's very polite—wait, no, it's not."

While Tatsuro marvels at the splendid retort, Vice Commander Joaquin approaches him, leaving the souvenir behind, and asks.

"I knew you dug a hole and went over there. When you did that, the enemy's camp fell apart. What did you do?"

"It's a secret. Besides, there's still something I have to do at the end." (Tatsuro)

"That guy…"

As the two gaze ahead, Ennio, who suddenly lost contact with Gregory's orders through the contract, is still in disarray, uncertain when the command will come.

The magical power of Gregory's contract still lingers in the blood within the body, but the authority to command it cannot be invoked without the "Tame Contract." Therefore, at present, no one can command Ennio.

It's only a matter of time until someone realizes this. Although Ennio has little thinking ability, the instinct of a beast allows him to understand whether he can be controlled or not.

So, before trying to knock off his consciousness with life magic, it's crucial to avoid getting too close to Ennio, as Tatsuro is in danger of being minced immediately.

Even if Ennio were confused, he would naturally counterattack against any attacks on himself. While Tatsuro is contemplating this, Ennio realizes that Gregory no longer has the power to command him.

A while ago, he was in a state where he would obey even if told to self-destruct. However, now, despite some lingering restraint, the unpleasant sensation of having his brain forcibly invaded is completely gone.

Having realized his freedom, Ennio howls into the whitening sky, "Gugaaaaaa!"

"If that kid goes on a rampage, it's definitely troublesome, isn't it?" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"It's not just troublesome, it's a big problem!" (Ai)

"That's true." (Tatsuro)

The plan to induce sleep with hunger seems to be rejected. While pondering what to do, Marikka approaches.

"What do you intend to do with that child?" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"For now, I plan to put him to sleep or make him faint." (Tatsuro)

"Can you really do that? Besides, maybe it would be better for the child if you killed him. What about after that? Can you two take responsibility and take care of him for the rest of your lives?" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Well…" (Tatsuro)

"You probably can't. Besides, the child's lifespan is likely longer than yours." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

With those words, Tatsuro is reminded that not wanting to kill alone is not a sufficient reason. Despite everything, he's still a high school student. He couldn't discard his naivety.

While Tatsuro is in low spirits, Marikka looks at him seriously and then smiles, a complete change from her stern expression.

"Yeah. I understand that Tatsuro-kun seriously wants to help that child, so let big sister propose a solution. Whether it works or not, you won't know until you try." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"… Will that be a salvation for Ennio?" (Tatsuro)

"Who knows? It's something the child has to decide for himself." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Is that so? Still, if there's a way other than killing, I'd like to try. Could you tell me, Marikka-san?" (Tatsuro)

After thinking for a moment, Tatsuro looks at Marikka with determined eyes.

Marikka stares back at him and begins to explain the method.

"As a basic premise, we must capture the child alive without killing him. Is that okay?" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Yes." (Tatsuro)

"Then, you can use nullification magic, right? I noticed it when we were linked with Yorn." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"… Yes. Is that necessary for this plan?" (Tatsuro)

"Yeah. Without it, it won't work. What I'm planning to do is overwrite Gregory's contract, replacing me as his master." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

Tatsuro's eyes widen at her words. Can such a thing be done?

Anticipating his expression, Marikka smiles at him, and she starts to define the details of the plan.

What Tatsuro will do is analyze and eliminate Gregory's magic power with Dispel magic. During that process, instead of completely erasing the magic power, the magic power of Marikka who can use the same Tame Contract is injected as soon as you eliminate it.

This method was impossible to achieve when Gregory was in control as simply resupplying magical power (mana) was enough to prevent the contract from being severed.

If successful, Ennio will be under Marikka's control.

"But this requires quite advanced skills. So, both Tatsuro-kun and I have a high chance of failure, and it's a one-shot deal. The odds are low. And if it fails, there's only the worst-case scenario left… What do you think? Will you still do it?" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Yes. If that's the only option, I want to give it a try." (Tatsuro)

"Understood. Let's do something about Ennio-kun as soon as possible then." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Yes." (Tatsuro)

Tatsuro responds firmly and communicates the same information telepathically to Ai. Confirming the details of the plan:

{So, you understand, right?} (Tatsuro)

{Yeah. Put Ennio to sleep once, and during that time, make Marikka the new contract holder. Is that correct?} (Ai)

{Yeah, you got it. Now, it's an all-out battle. Ennio's attacks will mostly be directed at you, but are you okay with that?} (Tatsuro)

{Yeah. Cardina-chan is assisting at a good time, so I think we can handle it.} (Ai)

{Okay then, let's get started.} (Tatsuro)

{Got it!} (Ai)

And now, Tatsuro officially joins the battle. First, if he can use life magic directly on Ennio, he should be able to knock off his consciousness. Therefore, that should be the focus of his actions.

To do that, he needs to somehow deal with that troublesome speed. So, Tatsuro transforms the ground into a muddy swamp with a mix of earth and water magic.

Ennio notices it and tries to change into mist to escape. However, Ai's jewel sword, infused with all her energy, attacks.

"Haah!" (Ai)

"─────Guaah!" (Ennio)

At that moment, Ennio returns to his flesh-and-blood form, manipulates the blood stored in the depths of his wounds, turns it into a bullet-like projectile, and shoots it into Ai.

"Ugh!?" (Ai)

She's surprised by a bullet made of blood, not energy. However, Ai stops and deflects it calmly.

Meanwhile, Ennio has moved away. But, it's within the mud swamp created by Tatsuro. Ennio gets his legs trapped and can't kick the ground effectively.

If Ennio transforms into mist, he might be able to escape, but in that form, he can only be attacked unilaterally and can't counterattack. Ennio realizes he can't easily step into that trap.

At that moment, Tatsuro attempts to fly towards Ennio with wind magic. Ennio raises a roar and manipulates his blood, spreading it like a spider's web. He jumps onto it, escaping and smoothly ascending along the blood web.

The height is about ten meters from the ground. Ennio looks down from above and showers blood bullets.

However, there is a reliable ally in the sky.

"Pewee!" (Cardina)

"Guaa!?" (Ennio)

Ennio, who was only looking down, notices a sudden descent from even higher up a split second too late.

Cardina, with wings as hard as steel due to [True Form] imbues dragon power into them and activates [Dragon Wing Blade] as she passes by Ennio.

She successfully cuts Ennio's left shoulder, tearing through the blood armor and inflicting a wound.

Just cutting the wound is not a significant blow, as Ennio can manipulate blood to prevent it from escaping. However, things don't stop there.

Cardina's anger turns toward Ennio, and without paying attention to anything else, she follows the direction of her attack. This makes her oblivious to the fact that another force is descending.

Her name is Jeanne. A twelve-meter giant soaring into the sky, and now she's free-falling towards Ennio.

The descent speed of that colossal body is not inferior to Cardina's rapid descent. Guided by gravity, Jeanne lands a kick on Ennio, sending him crashing to the ground from the blood web.

Having witnessed this, Jeanne, with dragon power wrapped around her arms and wings, gently lands on the ground.

"I knew Jeanne could fly, but it's quite a spectacle with that giant body in the sky." (Tatsuro)

"Yeah. Once she lands, I'd like to ride on Jeanne too." (Ai)

"Yeah. Let's finish this quickly for that too." (Tatsuro)

"Agreed!" (Ai)

While Ennio is in chaos above, the two who had stealthily joined the fray run towards the mud swamp where Ennio was thrown. Their goal is to give the final push to Ennio, who is now stuck in the mire.