The Hero’s Party Members Treat Me Well for Some Reason - Chapter 85



The Suppression of the Puppet Master (3)

With the explosion of a massive shockwave, the creature’s flesh scattered.

Drops of blood sprayed in all directions like a fountain. Even the ribs, buried within the flesh, lay broken in two on the ground.

The puppet master had gained a hole the size of its own head in its side.

There was no need to say it was fatal. It was a wound that would not be strange to die from at any moment. Even if it were still breathing, it would soon perish from excessive bleeding.

The puppet master, lacking any significant regenerative ability, would surely meet its end as it was.

Boom!

“Cough…”

The creature collapsed helplessly to the ground. Bright red blood was flowing back from its mouth.

“It’s done!”

“We won!”

Joy spread across the faces of the party members as they witnessed the scene. They must have thought that this was victory.

Even I wanted to believe we had seized the advantage and feel relieved. If it were up to me, I would rush to Yulris and Lily to share a cup of victory.

But that was not possible… because I had a history of being blindsided.

It was around this time when we captured the King of the Beasts last time. After landing a significant blow, everyone was filled with joy.

Honestly, I desperately hoped that nothing like last time would happen again…

[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]

[Destiny (運命) Enforced!]

Not a chance.

A message announcing disaster loomed large over my retina. Three WARNING! messages, just like last time. A crisis that could annihilate the entire party.

It felt as if the whole world was being drenched in a bright red hue, like an alarm ringing.

But in reality, the world was painted black.

Wriggle…

Suddenly, black smoke erupted from the entire castle. The party members, sensing the anomaly, chimed in one by one.

“What is that?”

“Wait, something’s off!”

At last, the black smoke seeped into the puppet master, sealing the wound in its side. It wasn’t regeneration.

But it filled the creature’s lost body enough for it to act fully.

—

I hope this captures the essence and atmosphere of the original text!

The puppet master mutters blankly.

“…What is it? What’s going on?”

It seems he was just as flustered.

He scanned the surroundings to understand the situation. After a brief moment of observation, he let out a chuckle as if he had grasped what was happening.

‘…Damn.’

By that time, I too had realized what that smoke was.

“Cough, heh heh… Yes, I see. So this is allowed. Enen, that damn brat must have used up quite a bit of resources last time…”

That was the Demon Lord’s power.

Just like when we captured the Minotaur, the Demon Lord had intervened again. He had shared his strength and infused it into the Four Heavenly Kings.

But this time, the amount was on a different level. Unlike last time, when only a bit of smoke had risen from his body, this time, black smoke completely enveloped the entire room.

I cursed inwardly.

‘Damn it.’

On top of the Four Heavenly Kings becoming stronger, now the Demon Lord was involved? There’s a limit to how unreasonable things can get.

“Thank you, Demon Lord. I won’t waste this opportunity you’ve given me.”

Finally, he resumed his activities. The party members began to prepare seriously, their faces grave.

I too watched his actions with tension. What was he planning to do? Magic? Or some kind of ability?

The answer was an ability.

Whoosh!

The ability, enhanced by the Demon Lord’s power, began to manifest.

It was neither visible nor tangible, but I could feel that something had passed through.

I hurriedly checked if there was anything wrong with my body. Ironically, there was nothing particularly amiss. There were no twisted parts, and nothing was immobilized. I wondered if there was something wrong mentally, but it didn’t seem like that either.

‘What is this?’

Feeling puzzled, I lifted my head and looked around. And then I realized.

“Ah.”

The target of this attack wasn’t me. It was the party members.

All of them were ensnared in a brainwashing spell, like puppets on strings.

*

“Haah, ha, it seems it’s quite a stretch to brainwash you too. Is it because you’re a hero that it’s so difficult to control you…?”

With a blink, Lily, who had briefly lost consciousness, regained her senses at the sound of the puppet master’s voice.

Something seemed to have passed by. Though it was invisible to the eye, it was an overwhelming force that could not be resisted.

“So, in a hurry, I brainwashed your party members. It seems you care quite a bit for your companions.”

Lily tried to turn her head to look around.

“Huh?”

However, her body wouldn’t move properly.

Not her head, nor even her pinky finger. It felt as if someone had tightly bound her body, and she had lost control of it.

This was a sensation she was somewhat familiar with. After all, it was an experience she had endured for two long weeks in the past.

Thump, thump!

Her heart, triggered by trauma, began to race wildly. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

She had hoped this situation wouldn’t happen, but it had become exactly the same as before her return. Just like last time, everyone except the hero had been brainwashed.

Terrified, she called out to the hero in a panic. Fortunately, it seemed her mouth and mind had not been brainwashed.

“Luke? Luke!!”

“Huh?”

“…Hmm?”

Two people responded. Luke and the puppet master looked at her simultaneously.

The puppet master spoke to Lily with a tone of curiosity.

“How strange. I had definitely intended to knock you out with the brainwashing… I suppose it’s because you’re a magician. Your mental barrier is quite thick.”

He continued speaking.

“Well, since I have control over your body, it doesn’t matter to me, but then, why don’t you all have a good fight among those sticky party members?”

Snap!

As the puppet master snapped his fingers, the fight began.

Camilla and Adele, having read her mind, rushed toward Luke as if pulled by a thread.

Just because she had lost consciousness didn’t mean magic couldn’t be used; even the saintess was casting debuffs on Luke.

The Mark of Sin and the Shackles of the Soul. Skills that designated a target to inflict additional damage and skills that lowered physical abilities. Luke’s movements noticeably slowed down.

But that wasn’t all.

Lily also began to prepare magic against her will.

A spear made of ice slowly formed above her hand. Despite her desperate resistance, it was a futile effort.

“No… No…!”

By that time, Luke was already fiercely fighting with his party members.

‘Damn it…’

The growth of the party members had now become a poison.

Fighting against two front-line members while under the saint’s debuff was a heavy burden for him as well.

That said, he couldn’t just slap a skill like ‘Pain Memory’ onto his party members…

He was using skills like ‘Blood Absorption’ to drain their strength, but there were limits to that.

Of course, it wasn’t all bad. Beyond the party members, he could see someone sweating profusely.

“Gah… Gah…”

The puppet master was also pushing himself too hard.

After all, brainwashing four high-level individuals at once was no easy feat. Even with the power of the Demon King, it was a tough job. He probably wouldn’t be able to dodge properly if he attacked.

‘The problem is how to break through this…’

Meanwhile, the attacks continued.

A spear made of ice flew and pierced Luke’s side. Blood erupted from Luke’s mouth.

“Cough!”

“Ahhh! Luke?! I’m sorry, Luke! I’m really sorry, sob…”

Seeing that, Lily shouted in tears. Her body was frozen, but her mind was clear, driving her to the brink of madness.

She was only being a hindrance instead of a help. Even if it was due to the puppet master’s abilities, this situation was too painful for her.

‘Maybe… maybe self-detonation would be better…’

Lily thought this. She couldn’t control her magic. But she could completely let go of it. She could explode all the magic within her and take the puppet master down with her.

Coincidentally, she was standing close to the puppet master to avoid being suppressed by the hero.

So now, it was possible…

So…

“It’s alright. There is a way…”

“…Huh?”

It was then that Luke spoke again.

As he said, there was a way.

Even if his magic was depleted, his limbs were severed, and wounds covered his body, even if he was exhausted to the point of collapsing.

No matter what anyone said, he still had his ultimate technique left.

And he had a rough estimate of what it would take.

‘…Just a few years of lifespan to sacrifice.’

With a bit of magic recovery and a significant boost in agility, he could break through the party members and take down the foe.

Compared to the last time he faced the dish’s jaws, this was much better.

‘But that can’t be the case.’

Yet Luke abandoned that choice.

He had thought for a long time that sacrificing his lifespan to enhance his physical abilities seemed like a loss.

If it’s only temporary, wouldn’t it eventually fade away? There must be something that holds value for a longer time.

From noble mtl dot com

“If I’m going to sacrifice, it should be more efficient.”

Even if it costs a bit more, it should last longer.

Fortunately, he had a good method for that.

He opened the system window and checked a skill with only a small percentage left.

[Completion: 88.9%]

It was the summoning circle of solitude. Luke felt that now was the time to summon.

“I sacrifice 5 years of lifespan to this summoning circle.”

[Completion: 93.9%]

[Conditions not met!]

[Summoning is still impossible!]

Whoosh!

As his lifespan drained, the familiar unpleasant sensation engulfed his entire body.

A profound emptiness that felt irreplaceable. It was as if a part of his soul had been gnawed away.

“Of course, it wouldn’t work in one go.”

To be honest, he hadn’t really expected it.

Thud! Thud!

Around that time, an arrow struck Luke’s left shoulder. It was an arrow shot by Adele.

Regardless, Luke continued with what he was doing.

“…I sacrifice an additional 5 years of lifespan.”

[Completion: 98.9%]

[Conditions not met!]

[Summoning is still impossible!]

The remaining percentage was a mere 1.1 percent.

He always thought about it, but the power of sacrifice wasn’t very efficient. Only 1% for a whole year of lifespan? Even if the amount of magical power required was enormous, the return was too meager.

It was, quite literally, a skill for a life-saving situation that had to be used in a pinch.

So now, what should he fill the remaining percentage with? It felt too precious to sacrifice his lifespan.

Though it was invisible to the eye, it was indeed a rather important resource. In a hurry, I poured all the remaining mana into it, but it barely amounted to 0.1%.

Rustle!

“Cough…”

“Luke!”

At that moment, another attack came his way. Camilla’s sharp blade sliced through Luke’s right arm.

The deeply cut right arm dangled grotesquely. Damn it, now that my mana is running low, regeneration isn’t working well either.

‘It can’t be helped.’

The dangling right arm was useless anyway. I decided to just let it go while it was still connected.

“I offer my right arm to the summoning circle.”

[Completeness: 99.3%]

[Conditions not met!]

[Summoning is still impossible!]

It wasn’t a matter of hastily offering in a desperate situation.

With a hazy mind, I was meticulously calculating and paying the price.

Now, the remaining percentage was a mere 0.7%.

Nearby, Lily, triggered by trauma, shouted something, but Luke ignored her.

Instead, Luke calmly thought about what to offer next. It would suffice if just one or two more arms temporarily disappeared.

‘…Appendix.’

They say a person can live without an appendix without much trouble.

Let alone if it’s just for a moment, I could easily give that up.

Additionally, I sacrificed one of my left legs. Even so, when the percentage still fell short, I had to offer a part of my own blood. Finally, the percentage barely reached its limit.

[Completeness: 100%]

[Conditions met!]

Now, I was a cripple missing limbs.

[Beginning the summoning of Solitude (蠱毒)!]

But that was fine. At least the casting was successful.

Whoosh!

An intricate purple summoning circle emerged in the air.

A massive amount of mana surged into the summoning circle, attempting to summon an ancient calamity. The ominous purple hue even made the puppet specter hesitate.

“Wait, what is that…? No, how do you have that!”

—

Yes, being one of the Four Heavenly Kings, he would know this spell as well. But it was already too late.

In a distant past, before the empire even existed. Before the birth of the Shikigami.

Just a bit more into the future than when the sun still rose from the earth.

In a nation that loved war, a small slime was born.

In a color ominously dark red.

It was a slime that was harmless except for a bit of intelligence and the ability to slightly alter its form, but simply being a monster was reason enough to be killed.

Mercenaries and soldiers came from all over. There was no bounty placed on it, but everyone who saw it wanted to kill it. Each time, the slime had no choice but to flee.

During the height of its fleeing, the nation where it was born waged war.

It was a great war. A war so large it nearly covered an entire continent.

Once battles exceed a certain scale, no one can stop them. The intensely gathered power crashed everywhere as if it were bursting forth.

The entire plain was stained with blood. Countless people died, and many emotions clashed. In the torrent of emotions were desires to live, hatred towards the enemy nation, and sorrow for the death of comrades.

Many strong warriors perished, and countless techniques were created only to fade away.

The slime wandered through such a battlefield. Paradoxically, it was perfectly suited for its survival.

In that massive war, no one paid attention to a slime the size of a fist.

The slime saw and learned many things there. It understood what countless weapons like spears and swords looked like. It realized how those things killed living beings.

With a talent for imitation, it decided to mimic many things with its own body.

With each imitation, its proficiency gradually increased.

Eventually, when it imitated something, it could even freely set its size and mass. The thoughts gathered on the battlefield made that possible.

Being intelligent, it naturally learned to apply the weapons as well.

A single spear is strong, but dozens of spears are even stronger. It is far more efficient to slash with hundreds of swords than to cut once with a single sword.

The things it learned and studied were used to take revenge on the nation that tormented it.

It didn’t take long for the nation that dreamed of conquering the continent to fall.

That’s how it was created. Born merely as a slime of an ominous color, it transformed into a true monster by accepting the thoughts of tens of thousands.

Among the three solitudes confined in the world, the second.

It cannot imitate the nature of all things, but it can imitate the forms of all things.

“…Come forth, Metamorphosis.”

Wriggling…

As Luke murmured, a thick liquid oozed out. Its size was not very large.

At most, it was about the size of his fist. But it was something that could swell to dozens of times that size at any moment.

Perhaps due to the effect of the summoning, he felt a connection with Metamorphosis.

—

I hope this captures the essence and atmosphere of the original text!

I felt as if I could ask him anything, bound by our souls. An alien sensation lingered, as if something had invaded my body.

Luke did not reject that feeling and issued a command to him. He pointed at the puppet master with his finger.

“…Go and kill.”

At last, he was unleashed.

The black, amorphous entity dodged the party members and arrived in front of the puppet master.

Then, it transformed itself into a sphere and trapped the puppet master inside. Countless spikes began to emerge.

From the spherical prison, thorns shot out, attacking the puppet master.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

“Gaaahhh…!!”

Inside the dark red sphere, screams echoed for a while.

The being, struggling until the end, met a futile demise.