120 Episode 60: Battle to Death 3/3: Epilogue of Arc 2 (1/2)
”Just let me see and find it out if I can't learn it or not! I am in a hurry!”
Blue sighed and reluctantly show the method on how to learn Manipulation magic. I didn't waste my time and immediately read all the words, processes, and instructions of the Manipulation Magic.
Apparently, the name of the magic for manipulation is called Puppeteering. The higher your comprehension of the magic skill, the more creatures or people you can control using it. Of course, the more you control, the more you mana consumed while using it which is why only those magicians with an almost infinite amount of mana in their bodies can use this skill without much undergoing the risk of losing all your mana in one go.
”Alright, this should do it,” I said as I close the app.
”Are you sure you have learned it?”
”More or less! I just needed to check if it is working for these monsters!”
”F*ck, you are out of your mind...” Blue cursed.
Even though Blue is cursing, I didn't mind it and headed straight around the tentacles still wriggling around the ground and some are still around looking for any person they can attack since they cannot even approach those people I have given the sigils that Anya has taught me.
Seeing one tentacle still in the legs of a female magician which is one of the survivors from the first attack earlier, I decided to check the Puppeteer power on that tentacle. Using the solidified mana that can be done by concentrating on mana manipulation, I throw it to the tentacle and used it to pry on the body for me to control.
Just like how a puppeteer controls its puppets with the strings, I am using the solidified mana to act as strings. I can feel that it started to attach to the tentacle and all the limbs and parts are now under my control. In a single swipe in my hands, the tentacle detached itself from the legs of the girl and followed my command.
After that, I helped her drink the potion to cure the wound on her legs and put her one of the marks so that the tentacles will stop attaching to her legs. She thanked me before retreating since she is very low in mana. There are still so many tentacles around me and most of them are trying to attach themselves again to the people I already helped but due to the mark that Anya taught to me, they were repelled and cannot even bring to touch them.
”Well, sh*t, I am still not sure how you did it but since you did it, I have nothing to say,” Blue mumbled as soon as she saw the magic was successful.
”See? I can learn it if I try!”
”It was the only plausible way and we can use them to fight against that monster. It seems the demon priest had some sort of magic repellant that allows him to block and repel the magic being cast on him.”
”Are you trying to be an upstart maniac or something? Only someone in an archmage caliber can pull that off and live to tell the tale without getting insane! Don't keep pushing your luck to the extent because it might become your downfall if you do so!” Blue retorted.
”I promise I won't overdo it. I just have to limit myself if I can't control any tentacle any longer. That should do it.”
After that, my mana started to flow in my fingertips and I slowly control them to move fluidly like threads. The first tentacle is still on my control and when I throw the second and third thread, I slowly felt that my control is now a bit different and not so fluid as before. So this is what Blue said to me on dividing my control to multiple targets.
Still, that was not enough to shake my thoughts. I can still control more so without further ado, the threads I am making are also thrown to the tentacles I saw. There are countless of them on the road but I don't mind how many there were at the moment and continue to produce thread mana and attach them to the tentacles that I meet.
”Kazuma? What the heck are you doing?!” Voltaire saw me gathering tentacles one by one in the surroundings.
”Don't mind me, please help the others while I am gathering all the tentacles out of here.”
”Stop doing everything on your own! We are here to help!” Catmod shouted.
”Ah, then can you gain control of these tentacles? I have to gather them all use them.”
”Huh? Control? Isn't that going to be on the level of Archmages to use it?! Are you saying you are doing the Control Magic to the tentacles right now?!” Catmod glanced at the tentacles that I have controlled using the thread mana. All of those tentacles are not moving from their spot unless I move them at all.
I don't have much control left and if I keep on speaking, I might release a few tentacles out of my control if I do so. Without responding to Catmod, I continue releasing more mana threads and attaching them to tentacles I see. Soon enough, I can feel my whole head hurting a lot like it was being bashed by some hard thing slowly and surely.
”Looks like this is my limit,” I mumbled.
But heck, I just realized I already controlled too many of them and they look creepy and cringe-worthy to look at. The way they wriggle will make many people creep out and they won't bother to get close to them. However, they are still necessary for the plan.
...
I am not sure whether I am seeing things or not. Kazuma has been showing us a lot of surprises. He has a deity familiar, he knows forbidden magic and now he is using control magic that only with the rank of archmage can handle. Even I who is a magician since I was a kid is not able to do the feats he has already done. It was like I am seeing a monster instead of a normal human.
”Hey, Voltaire...”
I look at my side and saw Nekoyama whispering at me.
”What is it?”
”When did Kazuma entered our chat group again and became a magician? I don't recall having a member capable of those feats. Are you sure he was a young fledgling and not a genius monster hiding his fangs?”
”I am quite sure. When I met him before, he was just a newbie and he didn't possess that much magic skills. He can barely use magic even before without relying on the two items that were given to him. However, now is different. I don't think he is someone who I should just ignore, he is someone who I should watch out from due to his abnormal growth.”
”Once this is over, we should go and tell this to the Oracle. We have to tell her a new genius of magic has appeared after the first appearance of one, 100 years ago,” Nekoyama said.
”We should focus on this demon first. We have to help Raigaki or he will lose his mind and his berserk self might remain instead. Most of us are now recovered and the mana we lost are also ready to go too.”
”Then rally up everyone and go into an all-out attack! We can't let the chance go to waste!”
...
The situation is getting hectic. Erina and her mother are busy healing the wounded, while Titan and Moonlight are defending them in case something will happen once the demon priest goes berserk. Anya and Maple are helping the wounded and helping to get rid of the tentacles. The rest are now locked on to the demon priest.
”Foolish humans! You dare challenge me?!”
His voice reverberated throughout the place and the air is filled with a foul smell. But the magicians are not perturbed by the threat, instead, they keep on fighting the demon with all their might.
Raigaki is still howling mad while punching the demon priest without stopping. They were quite strong punches but it was clear that the punches almost did nothing to the body of the demon priest.
I am slowly controlling all the tentacles simultaneously despite the difficulty. It was quite a trouble but I can slowly get used to it and do it properly. Waving my hands, synchronizing the movements to the tentacles, and giving commands, it takes a little bit of time before I can properly execute it.
Moving my fingers that are attached to the mana thread and slowly ordered the tentacles one by one. It was easy commanding one, but it's another thing when commanding countless tentacles. But it was a matter of practice.
While the others are busy trying to injure the demon priest, I keep on trying to control the tentacles. After a few more practice in a few minutes, my grasp in controlling the tentacles started to rise. It is not that hard anymore and giving attack commands is now much easier.
After a while, I can almost control all of them in one go. Just that I have to just give them out with the same commands, not something complicated that only intelligent creatures can understand. These tentacles are simple creatures, making them perfect for people who can control other creatures.
It didn't take me long to get ready, I just have to organize the tentacles and extended the length of the mana thread. Mana is not a problem, only the tenacity of my mind is the problem. I have to hold on and damage the demon priest before I fall.
Lifting my hands and focusing my eyesight to the towering demon priest, I opened my mouth and gave out a command.
”KILL!”
All at once, the tentacles moved swiftly to the demon priest and attached their tentacles to his body. It was so fast that even if you have fast reaction and reflexes, as long as a tentacle managed to attach itself, it will never detach itself whatever happened unless a repellant like what Anya thought to me was applied.
The demon priest who was busy trying to damage and kill Raigaki was surprised when a sticky and slimy tentacle attached itself to his legs. He was also caught off guard when all of a sudden, dozens of tentacles started to gather. A few dozens of tentacles managed to cover his left leg and not all of the tentacles I have commanded have attached to his left leg alone. The others attached to his body and arms. I just realized that they work like an octopus too even though they don't look similar to an octopus and more similar looking to a spider with tentacles replacing its legs.
”Yaya-san! Please take Raigaki away from here! He might get caught up from the tentacles assault!”
Yaya who was now riding a new teddy bear that is now made from metal grinned and gives a thumbs up.
”Leave that pervert to me!”
Her metal teddy bear immediately made its move before Yaya can give out command and grab the thrashing Raigaki and knocked him out. I don't want to know if it hurts being slapped by a metal robot or not. That is not something I want to happen to me.
Now that Raigaki is out of the scene and the other magicians are on standby, I have to deal with a huge amount of pain and wounds on this demon before I will lose my sanity completely.
”Secrete!”
The demon priest who was trying to get the tentacles out of his body stopped and smoke started to appear in his body though I think that was not smoke something like some sort of steam after melting something out.
”GRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!”
The demon priest started to thrash around and tried to use force to remove the tentacles but just like how the magicians were having trouble taking them, the demon priest can only pull them but can't take them off completely from his skin. It can be seen that the skin on his body is currently burned and the skin is just hanging and ready to be removed by a slight movement.
”Bind!” Closing my fists, I released the command.
Bloodlust starts to fill the air as the tentacles started to tighten their grips to his skin, making the melted flesh and skin on his body to also tighten. If a normal human experienced it, they would suffer a very painful experience. It wouldn't be an exaggeration that someone would want to die instead of experiencing it.
Still, this demon is not someone who will just surrender after being tortured by the tentacles. His eyes started to wander around and landed his gaze to me.
”So it was you who did this... IT WAS YOU!”