Chapter 150 - Medium Fight

The Sixth Prince of Niosebuk, Teracoas.

His 'Divine Calling': [Medium].

By allowing the spirits of past heroes and legends to possess him, he can wield their powers to their fullest. He’s a terrifyingly gifted ability-user. By setting different spiritual "loadouts" within himself, his capabilities boast incredible scalability. Whether it’s martial arts, magic, or survival in extreme environments, as long as he has the right soul in stock, he’s invincible in any scenario.

He is, in every sense, a multi-role, all-purpose class.

"He's got powers like some kind of era-hopping Masked Rider...!"

Grumbling to myself, I maintain a set distance and counter with my [Expansion] skill. I make my rod lengthen and retract at the speed of a thunderbolt. It’s a skill that functions like a sniper rifle, blowing targets away at high velocity, but—against this possessed brat—the skill that has repelled every enemy so far is failing?!

"He's reacting to and dodging every single strike...!?"

"Teracoas has now raised his Possession-Fusion level to 50 percent, allowing three spirits to manifest simultaneously," explained Princess Shinseniza, directing the Prince. "They are the [Holy Paladin], the [Grappler], and the [Frog Knight]."

"Through the [Grappler]'s combat sense, he perceives your movements; through the [Frog Knight]'s jumping power, he evades; and through the [Holy Paladin]'s beam attacks, he incinerates his foes. This is the strongest combination in Teracoas’s current stock. I wonder if you can keep up?"

"He can possess multiple spirits at once...!?"

That’s basically his final form.

If it were just one 'Divine Calling', he wouldn't be able to handle my [Expansion] skill, but by layering multiple classes and maximizing their strengths while covering their weaknesses, he can react even to lightning-fast movements and launch counterattacks.

I’m busy on the defensive, dodging beam attacks at the last second or parrying them with my rod. I’ve never experienced such a breathless back-and-forth.

"Sir Sao! Let me help!"

"Stay back! You can't take the brunt of this onslaught!"

His attacks are beams, which means they move at the speed of light. In terms of velocity, they easily surpass my [Expansion] skill. Theoretically, outspeeding them is impossible; I have to rely on "pre-reading" to dodge. So far, the beams have been fired from each of the Prince's ten fingers. As long as I read the line of fire and stay out of those trajectories, I can evade them, even at the speed of light.

Of course, there’s no guarantee he can only fire beams from his fingers. If he suddenly shoots a beam from his eyes, it's game over.

Meanwhile, he’s using the [Grappler] skill to read my moves in advance, cleanly dodging my [Expansion] rod, which moves at the speed of sound—which, for a human, is effectively "untouchable speed."

Tamagushi's [Valkyrie] is a powerful 'Divine Calling', but I didn't think she could keep up with this ultra-high-speed combat.

"What a terrifying 'Divine Calling'...! He can basically borrow anyone’s skills as long as they’re dead!"

"Depends on how many souls he can actually handle."

Can he possess anyone who has ever lived and died? Or are there limits to the spirits he can summon to the mortal plane? It’s unclear, but for now, I’d better fight under the worst-case assumption: no limits.

"How do you like it, Sir Sao? My protégé Teracoas’s ability. Quite a spectacle, isn't it?"

Fourth Princess Shinseniza. As usual, she stands there with her magnificent naked body exposed, taking pride in her scheme. Even in the middle of a frantic battle, she’s a breathtaking sight in the buff.

"...Yeah, it’s so scary it’s making me tremble."

She let me bed her earlier to win me over, but was that just a demonstration too? A way of saying, "I have such a powerful trump card. Wouldn't it be better to be on my side?" Well, I’ve seen enough to know your value, so could you please back off?

"No, this situation is perfect. This is the moment where you become useful to us."

"What?"

"I showed you my value by letting you ravish me to your heart's content, didn't I? Now, show me your repayment for that pleasure through your labor."

"In this battle?!" How does fighting this shaman-prince count as repayment?!

"Now, Teracoas! Today’s enemy is tough! A 50 percent Possession-Fusion won't cut it! You must go higher!"

"Guh... uuuuugghh...!"

"Possession-Fusion Level: 70 percent!!"

"GWAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

The Sixth Prince let out another roar. In response, his body began to change even further. He’s going to "form up" again?!

"Possess even more spirits and absorb their power! Otherwise, you cannot defeat that man! He is stronger than any enemy you have ever faced!!"

Wha...?! His actual skeleton is starting to look like something else entirely...?! Horns are growing, wings are sprouting... can "possession" really explain that? Isn't he just turning into a demon?

"GBAH!"

The Sixth Prince, now looking like a devil, swung a punch. I had a bad feeling and backed off just in time. The ground where I’d been standing was gouged out and disintegrated the moment his fist touched it. The dirt turned to dust...

"Disintegration... that’s...!"

"Gangastra’s skill, [Molecular Decay]!?"

Well, I did just kill the guy, so his soul is fresh and ready for use... or maybe it's just another person from the past who had the [Destroyer] 'Divine Calling'?

"This is no time for idle speculation, Sir Sao! [Molecular Decay] is a skill boasting the ultimate offensive power! If he uses that, all defense becomes meaningless!!"

Right. I forgot.

Furthermore, he fired beams from his fingers again, but now everything the beams touched began to turn to dust as well. Is he adding the effect of [Molecular Decay] to the beams?! Light-speed attacks that are hard to dodge, combined with unblockable attributes. That’s a nasty combo.

"It’s too much! I can't hold out anymore!"

Tamagushi had been naturally swept into the prince’s offensive. If we stayed on the defensive, she would be in danger. I couldn't just leave things like this. Time to counterattack.

"Here we go!"

As I willed it, the surrounding area was covered in white. Thick, rising mist...

"I decided to use the power of the [Aqua Stigma] I just got from the Water Spirit."

"A new Spirit’s power?! When did you...!?"

Mist, being a mass of tiny water droplets, has the effect of scattering and neutralizing light. The Prince's light beams were effortlessly blocked by the wall of fog.

"And—then—"

Using the power of the [Air Stigma] granted by the Wind Spirit, I channeled compressed air. From above, straight down. A massive area-of-effect downward pressure. No matter how good your instincts are or how fast you move, there’s no dodging this. As expected, the Sixth Prince tried to evade, but he couldn't escape the range; he was crushed by a giant hammer of air.

"This power is...!?"

"That’s right! Sir Sao doesn't just have the power of a 'Divine Calling'! The Emblems he received from the Spirits allow him to wield the power of the natural world itself!"

Exactly. Against someone who can pull infinite skills from the spirit realm, I’d be at a disadvantage. I’ll rely on powers outside of traditional 'Divine Calling'.

Crushed by the mass of compressed air, the Sixth Prince was pinned down, unable to move like Sun Wukong under the mountain. Not satisfied with that, I used the power of the [Earth Stigma] from the Earth Spirit to turn the ground beneath him into sand. Because of the air pressure pushing from above, his limbs were shoved deep into the quicksand.

"Now you're really stuck."

And for the finishing touch, I used the [Pyro Stigma] from the Fire Spirit for a flamethrower attack. The air I gathered to crush him was compressed, which means the oxygen concentration within it was incredibly high. If you throw fire into that... well, it burns real good.

Fwoooooooooooooooooooosh!! I’m burning it even hotter than usual today.

"GWAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

The Sixth Prince was right in the middle of the fire; he should be coming out well-done. Even if he had some anti-fire skill, he was in a situation where the oxygen was being violently consumed by the flames. He shouldn't even be able to breathe. If I keep roasting him like this, whether he burns or suffocates, he’ll be incapacitated. Then it’s my win.

"But Sir Sao... did you really have to go that far...?"

Perhaps disturbed by how ruthless the method was, Tamagushi spoke with a trembling voice. Yeah... I didn't mean to go that far, but he was just so tough.

I roasted him on high heat for about three minutes.

Thinking that should be enough, I extinguished the fire. Left behind was a single boy, lying limp on the ground. The possessing spirits must have left; he had returned to his frail physique, not moving an inch. However, he seemed to be alive. The fact that he hadn't burned to death—or even suffered major burns—after that inferno was terrifying. His collapse seemed to be due to oxygen deprivation or extreme heatstroke.

"But I did it... he’s down!"

Man, that was exhausting. Why do I, whose goal is a non-stop sexfest, have to act out such a hardcore battle? This isn't the vibe I want; someone needs to fix the world-setting.

"Magnificent, Sir Sao. To so perfectly shut down my Teracoas."

Shinseniza walked over, having watched the whole thing. I really don't know what she’s after.

"Sister... it’s time you revealed your intentions. I understand Teracoas is your trump card, but why did you set him on Sir Sao and start such a pointless fight...!?"

"It wasn't pointless. It had a very clear meaning." Shinseniza brushed it off with a cool face. "Besides, this boy isn't my trump card. The one who truly uses him as a final hidden hand is... someone else."

"What?"

"However, the finishing touches were lacking. Teracoas still hadn't fully drawn out his potential as a [Medium]. Until now, 50 percent Possession-Fusion was his limit..."

Come to think of it, she was shouting something about that during the fight.

"For Teracoas to grow and advance to a higher fusion level, a confrontation with a powerful enemy was essential. It’s only by hitting an wall he can't overcome at 50 percent that he can draw out a higher fusion."

"So I was just a training dummy?"

"Even 70 percent wasn't enough to defeat you; you truly were the ideal 'Strong Enemy.' After all, the target was an unwavering 100 percent Possession-Fusion..."

Well, if you're using percentages, 100 is "perfect," I guess... or does he go 100 percent of 100 percent full power?

"Your goal was to pull out Teracoas’s full potential as a [Medium]...?"

"No, that's not my goal. The one seeking Teracoas in his perfected state as a [Medium]... is someone else entirely."

Wait. Who? Another new character appearing this late in the game?

"It’s our father."

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