Volume 1 – Following the Maze Drawn With Lines of Blood
The bones rushing out of Mary’s body started swelling up like when Dugan was transforming.
They created the shape of a giant skeleton.
Its height was around 40 meters, almost as tall as Majoram’s main office building.
Mary was inside the ribs.
Her body was buried inside the spine, with only the upper half remaining.
She was maintaining high mana by destroying her own body.
“Dugan, let’s end this!”
She bravely shouted, and the arms of the skeleton reached out to grab Dugan.
Dugan received it head on and started a strength contest with both arms.
Mary’s Sorcery Rating was 40,000, and Dugan’s was 80,000.
Dugan’s Sorcery Rating was twice Mary’s, and they could not compete under normal circumstances.
But this was a surprise attack.
So Dugan’s posture was insecure, and he could be pushed away, and his giant body would fall over if his feet were caught.
“Uaaagh!”
Dugan’s balance crumbled as he crushed a building.
He angrily shouted in unison with the mouths that grew from his center.
Mary grabbed Dugan’s body and lifted him up with both hands, then threw him towards the town.
“He is heavy, as I expected…… But! Aaaaaah! Hrrraaaah!”
His giant body went up and crushed an aristocratic estate to pieces.
Dugan rolled around on top of the town that he had created.
The first goal was to pull Dugan away from the building.
Mary watched out for his light rays as she approached her foe, and transformed her right arm.
“Burial Blade!”
She struck at Dugan’s head with her 15-meter sword while he was down.
“Uaaaah, ah!”
But, Dugan’s head, which was connected by tentacles, extended and bit Mary’s sword.
Then, his head bulged out and exploded.
The orange flames lit up the town, and the giant skeleton staggered from the shock while abandoned cars were blown away.
Then, Dugan stood up.
Mary could not surprise him again.
He was clearly cautious now, and turned towards Mary.
Flesh-colored petals bewitchingly swayed, and Dugan’s big head which grew from their center groaned in an uncanny voice.
“The more I look at that, the more unpleasant it makes me feel.”
Dugan’s eyes which were attached to the tip of the stamen and pistils were empty, his mouth was half-open and he was drooling.
His outer form used to be refined, but that was thrown away to form a vulgar and evil shape.
Straight away, Mary could feel the intention to humiliate Dugan.
It wasn’t as if Mary could not sympathize with that, but she deeply hated his method of pointlessly hurting people and doing evil things.
Dugan stretched his arms forward.
The tips of his fingers lit up, and he shot around 10 light rays at Mary.
The bone giant moved fluidly despite its crude form, leaped to the side, and rolled to dodge the light rays.
But the light rays changed directions while chasing after her, aiming at the ‘real’ Mary, and pierced through her chest area.
A red line ran over the surface of the skeleton’s ribs.
Before her severed arms dropped to the ground, Mary connected her wounds with bones and reinforced them.
“That was close…… No, his power is way too high. I’d like to avoid eating him, but……”
The light rays moved fast.
Even when Mary went around his back, Dugan’s arms had a wide reach and accurately came for her.
She could not make any progress by distancing herself from him.
She calculated the timing and grabbed at Dugan’s arms to stop his light rays.
But, since it was not a surprise attack, all Dugan had to do was to swing his arms, and the skeleton giant was knocked down.
Mary frantically tried to keep standing, but Dugan’s faces from the center of the flower stretched towards her.
The numerous faces bit her ribs, making sure she could not get away, and exploded.
A series of explosions echoed around the night Captis.
The shock blew Mary away.
Her ribs were smashed, and Mary, who had assimilated into the bones, became exposed.
Her body was exposed to the flames and was hideously burned.
“Guuh, guh, gaaah……!”
Her skin and bones burned and the bones on a part of her head were exposed as Mary groaned.
Mary slowly stood up using her arms until the giant skeleton’s wounds healed.
“Ahh…… Uh, ffh……!”
Perhaps Mary’s throat was burned as well, as she could not control her voice.
But her consciousness was fine.
She clenched her teeth in pain as her exposed flesh was scraped and she healed her damaged joints.
The crushed ribs slowly healed and became Mary’s walls again.
But Dugan made the first move.
He aimed at her using both hands and reached out to her with a new tentacle he grew.
“Siiis!”
Then, Mary heard the voice of an innocent young girl.
“Ami……?”
She called for her name in a hoarse voice that was still recovering.
Ami used wheels to speed herself up and approached Mary.
Considering the state Mary was in, Ami would probably be vaporized if those light rays hit her. But she was still coming without fear, and with a smile on her face.
She stood on her toes and climbed up Mary’s shinbones and her thighbones.
Then, she entered inside through a gap in the skeleton’s ribs, and worriedly peeked at Mary, who was buried in the skeleton’s spine.
“Sis, are you okay? You look like you’re in a lot of pain.”
Ami was not creeped out even after seeing Mary’s hideously burned figure.
Rather, she felt respect towards Mary for fighting until that point, and worried for her safety.
“I’m…… fine. More importantly, it’s dangerous here-”
“Mhm, let’s run together! Wheel of Fortune!”
Ami put her hand on Mary’s bones and wheels were created on the ground below the massive body.
They started spinning at high speed.
The bone giant, still on the ground, retreated while sliding.
Dugan frantically shot light rays, but they could not keep up.
“So fast……!”
“I’ll handle the movement, you give the instructions!”
“You really are amazing, Ami.”
“Ehehehe, you can praise me as much as you want. That’ll get me even more fired up!”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Alright then, let’s get my body up first.”
Her ribs finished healing.
The giant skeleton stood up again, and this time, roller skates were installed on the soles of its feet.
They slid and moved fast through Captis, lit up by flames.
◇◇◇
A giant skeleton moving on roller skates; it was a ridiculous sight.
Calaria watched it from afar and could not help but laugh.
“It’s like I’m having a nasty dream.”
“I wish it was a dream. The crazier thing is that this is reality.”
Cutie had grown wings from her back and was flying while holding Calaria.
Calaria was holding her sorcery rifle Machinaneus, in its rifle mode.
She got it ready and aimed at Dugan.
“Also, you’re pretty heavy, y’know.”
“There’s lots of stuff inside my clothes.”
“I can’t fly for long like this, so be careful.”
“That depends on Mary. On how long her fight with Dugan lasts.”
No matter how strong Calaria’s rifle was, the four of them had to work together to cut Dugan’s legs.
That limited their capacities.
On the other hand, however, that meant it was easy to determine one’s course of action when they found their role.
“We’re aiming for the weakest parts in that giant body.”
Calaria pulled the trigger after muttering.
“Cutie, can you turn us towards Dugan’s right arm?”
“Copy that. I’ll let you use me however you want.”
Cutie spoke sarcastically on purpose, and Calaria couldn’t help but laugh, ‘Heh!’
Then, Cutie flapped her wings while holding Calaria and flew towards the designated spot.