Kuro no Maou

Chapter 136 – Experimental Subject and Researcher

This was sometime after No. 49 had completed many maneuvering experiments.

“Do you not like No. 49?”

Cyprus was suddenly asked such words by the head of third laboratory and the commander of Holy Soldier Project, Bishop Judas. [ET: Holy Soldier project is in simple words the project of experimenting on humans to make them apostles and bastards.]

“No, something like that......”

He was wearing the white mask which covered his whole face, the『Filter Mask』, so his expressions couldn’t be seen.

However, Judas continued speaking as if he was convinced of something after seeing through Cyprus’s heart.

“There are rare cases for people to retain their consciousness.”

“No. 49 has already lost more than 50 % of his consciousness, it’s only a matter of time before that also is completely gone.”

“I’m not saying that. He will keep his consciousness till the last moment his ego vanishes and will not go mad till that time, you don’t like that, right?”

Cyprus replies with silence.

He looks below to see the figure of No. 49 going back to his isolation cell after defeating 3 golems.

After fighting to the bitter with golems which boast of power that can crush human in one punch, No. 49 had wounds all over his body.

However, in those black eyes, there was still the light of powerful consciousness and life residing.

(Yeah, you’re damn right, I don’t like those eyes)

Cyprus was obviously having irritation towards No. 49 who never went insane/mad, and was not depressed even though knowing that an experimental subject has no hope of being saved.

(The things like heart will always break, even resolution, decision too, pride too, in front of ‘pain’ of reality all those things are bullshit.)

That’s why those things are useless, it’s not good that you have to keep your consciousness even after reaching here. You asshole foreigners need to cry, scream, go mad, lose all hope and depress before your consciousness is vanished by『Angel Ring』.

I came to『White Sacrament』for seeing ‘that thing’. It ain’t good if you don’t get broken by the method I want.)

No. 49 by dragging his one leg had already disappeared on the other side of the dark corridor.

“—No. 49 is able to keep his consciousness because simple the ‘offerings’ of him were good, that also helped to enhance his spirituality.” [ET: Seriously don’t understand it.][SK: I think he’s talking about the offering used in the very first chapter to summon Kurono.]

He suppressed his true feelings, then replied to Judas while pretending calmness from the position of a single researcher.

“If you’re convinced with that, then just think like that.”

And then, Judas left as if he had lost interest.

Cyprus saw off Judas while he bowed his head,

(Stop bullshitting!, damn geezer. ‘People who can retain their consciousness’, to hell with that, it’s just that No. 49 has more endurance power in future he will also break without exception. That’s right, he can only bear it right now, but that doesn’t mean he is special than other foreigners.)

However, No. 49 was able to keep his consciousness without going mad till the time of completion of ego seal with the use of『Angel Ring』

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.

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Three steel bodies drilled with countless bullets fell on the ground while making sounds.

“He blocked with those Light Golems—”

The Bullet Arts fired from mid-air captured the man in it’s line of fire.

But the thing that blocked the rain of bullets was neither defensive magic nor martial skill but it was the Light Golem having the appearance of heavy knights

“—This guy is a summoner, huh”

“I’m not damn normal Summoner. I, the great Cyprus, am a High-Summoner. Don’t even think the peashooter will work one me.”

The man called Cyprus, reveals a calm and composed smile.

He summoned 3 Light Golems as a shield in an instant. From that ability it doesn’t seem like what he is saying is a bluff. [ET: POV changed to Kurono at some point.]

Most probably, this guy has a powerful servant which will be enough to kill me.

“Hey, No. 49, bastard, you thought you could kill me?”

“I am not only thinking, but I will kill you.”

I prepare the hatchet in left hand and call back the two blackened swords which I throwed to the two experimental subject behind me.

The two in behind are still not dead, for that reason, I have still the sword arts behind my back as precautions.

But still, the enemy, I, am standing in front of their leader but there is no sign of offense or anything from the two.

“Heh, is that so—-Oi!, you both can go to the place with brat and witch.”

The presence of the experimental subject is gone. Looks like they have gone towards Lily and Fiona, but just what is this guy thinking by reducing his allies?

Is he trying to imply that he can defeat me by himself.

“If you can then capture them alive. After I will ‘use them’ later on”(Cyprus)

“You......”

This is the first time I have ever felt anger to this extent with just some words.

Don’t you speak like a scum-bag towards my friends.

“Ah, What, did you snap? Do you love your women that much, huuh?”

my reply is not words but by sword.

I fire one blackened sword aimed at the glabella of Cyprus.

“haha—-”

The fired sword waves and it is sent flying away by the unsheathed sword blade which is glittering with silver glow.

The man draws a longsword with some light residing in it and block the attack of the blackened sword.

He ain’t only a summoner, he is also able to use martial skills like Knights.

“—It’s good No. 49. This will be needed to break you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m just talking to myself, don’t worry about it――أسود أبيض أسود يبتلع الثعبان المقدس السحر تأكل الأسنان”

Cyprus starts chanting by raising the white wand on his left hand.

Like always I don’t understand the meaning of those words, but going by the flow of chant it looks like he really is a high-summoner.

“Sword Arts, Pierce Through!”

I won’t let a guy who uses magic to complete the chant. I fire all 6 blackened swords.

3 from the front, 1 each from both sides and 1 is heading towards the crown of head. ALl of them are heading towards their targets while leaving a black line in air.

“Haa, too late!”

Cyprus takes the posture of fencing while holding the long sword in right hand.

But the thing that comes from that is not a pierce, but high-speed consecutive slashes.

The six blackened swords arrive at the same time, but the 3 swords in front get sent flying away with the sword fight.

The 3 swords coming from above and left and right dodge the deflected swords with minimum movements as if they are seeing their surroundings.

The two swords of left and right side come back to me but he sword attacking Cyprus from overhead stabs the ground due to him dodging it.

Before I could call back it, it was bisected by a single strike of silver color and lost the black magic power.

The sword technique of Cyprus who fended off the attacks of 6 swords is far surpassing than that of a normal knight.

But, that only is not the reason to why he was able to easily fend off the attack of Sword Arts.

“Is that made by Mithril?!”

“Fool. It should be obvious with a single glance.”

Mithril is a magical metal made with peculiar manufacturing methods and contains the purest of white magical power inside it.

The light inside the sword blade is not a joke. It’s overall weight is like that of a feather but it’s attack is more heavier and stronger than steel.

Only because he is using a sword made by Mithril, that he is able to swing it fastly and easily fend off against blackened swords easily.

The base of my blackened swords is a normal longsword which is coated by my black magical power.

On the contrary, the sword blade of the Mithril sword contains high concentration of purest white magic. There is a lot of difference in the amount of magical power which resides in both weapons.

Black magic simply increases the sharpness and hardness, but I don’t know which sort of effect does the white magic has on swords.

But no matter what, there is no doubt that it is enhancing something. The amount of magical power in a weapon is equally converted into attacking power, that’s why magic weapons are valued highly.

And in the magical weapons, those which give misfortune to the user are ‘Cursed Weapons’, but now matter how you look at it, the weapon of Cyprus is only filled with purest magical power and doesn’t has the least bit of curse or anything.

“Having a wonderful equipment, you son of a ......”

There is a possibility that the Mithril Sword will easily stop my『Curse Grudge Hatchet「HaraRetsu」』their compatibility is the worst of all.

“OiOi, it will be a problem if you evaluate me with just equipment? I will have to show you the splendid part of my high summoner position—『Crime Eater』”

THe effect of the chant from before is finally activated.

From behind Cyprus 4 white colored magical circle about 1 metre big rise up.

Looks like the words and pattern drawn on it has some meaning, but it’s impossible for me to decipher it.

And after some seconds, the servant called『Crime Eater』appears from inside the magic circles.

SFX: Kishaa-!

It is a big serpent with white colored scales. [ET: Do big-serpents love me!]

It’s more thicker than my arm and it’s overall length is 3 metres. It’s smaller when compared to Anaconda, but when a snake of this size does come out in front, the pressure it gives out is no joke.

It is looking at me with red eyes and is waving it’s tongue which is split at front. Do I look that tasty?

The animal called snake is able to instill fear in people, but this snake with white body, red eyes like an albino with close remembrance to Sariel is giving me the thought that this guy is a troublesome thing to deal with.

However, the strange thing is, the 4『Crime Eater』only wrapped around Cyprus with their tails slightly, but are still floating in air.

If they are that big they should have that much amount of weight, right? Still, Cyprus is standing in a calm and composed manner as if he is not feeling an weight.

“What happened, don’t be scared for anymore and come. I am giving you the opportunity to fight the serious me?”

I’ve got no intention of getting angered on his obvious provocations, but it will be me to attack first as I don’t have much time.

I don’t know the strength of servant called『Crime Eater』, so it will be dangerous for frontal attacks, for the time being,

“Bullet Arts”

I’ll wait and see its strength with long-ranged attacks.

The several hundred bullets that appear in an instant are fired with just one swing of the baton.

There is no way to escape from this barrage unless he blocks like before and leaps out of the range of fire.

Cyprus is still smiling and shows no signs of landing on ground.

So he chose defense, the moment I thought that all the bullet arts disappeared.

“......What?”

They didn’t waver, or get repelled, but simply disappeared. Yeah, the several hundred bullets vanished in thin air before reaching Cyprus.

Neither did he move nor the snakes too.

What was it, what is happening? Complete Magic Nullification? Does that technique exist?

“Hey, come on fast No. 49”

“Wh—-Sword Arts”

Instead of thinking of thinking, it’s better to attack right now.

I throw the 2 blackened swords and once again fire the bullet arts.

Cyprus is still standing without any signs of moving, but,

SFX: Sha!

This time the snakes moved.

The 2 snakes move as if they are his new arms and sink their teeths in the two blackened swords coming at him.

The sound of metal resounds and at the same time the black magic covering the sword blade is nullified as if it evaporated.

The snakes spit out the wreckage of the smashed swords with an attitude saying ‘Don’t make us eat this crap.’

By the time they are doing that, the barrage of bullets are once again vanished after reaching a certain distance near Cyprus.

“I see, I now understand it—”

I drop the baton down and stop the rapid-fire of bullet arts.

I understood that it’d be useless to use it any longer.

“—-So the ability of those snakes is to drain black magical energy, right?”

“As expected, even an idiot could understand that much! But, just because you understand doesn’t mean you can do anything about it, do you understand that as well Eeh No. 49??”

I finally understood why this guy had been acting so confidently in front of me.

Since he was a researcher as well, he should know that I can only use black magic only.

Then by draining black magical energy, if he could nullify black magic attacks, I would be nothing more than a slightly enhanced human.

The fact that I was the one who went to attack him was a mistake from the very start, but I can’t switch with Fiona or Lily now.

Fuck, as expected of a researcher, he has all the things needed to subdue a rampaging experiment eh?

“Since I ran away, you hurriedly prepared that to catch me, is it?”

“That’s right. The moment I found you, I didn’t think I’ll be able to capture you peacefully but I still didn’t actually expect to use these! Hiyahaha”

How long is this bastard going to play around.

But still, it’ll be difficult to defeat him now that my black magic is sealed.

Those snakes weren’t just a shield against black magic, but could also normally attack and bite as well. They’re dangerous even without the draining effect.

In the worst case, They might be able to even use some white magic as well.

On top of it, Cyprus has a mithril sword as well and is skilled with it too.

“This is bad, I can’t really find a way to win. What should I do?—-”