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Chapter 39: A Divine Artifact For This Puppet!

Part 1

"...So, what's our plan here, anyway?"

I asked my masters after we attacked the military base.

It was Serena-sama who answered,

"Are you asking what we plan to do from now on? Well, we're going to take it slow, attacking strategic locations like military bases and slowly acquiring more puppets."

"Ehh… Is that really such a good idea?"

"What do you mean by that?"

I gestured to all of the app-users with us in the base.

"You know, it's not like we were born with these powers. The app was the thing that gave us these abilities, so… Can't the gods who designed them just take the powers away? If you acquire the majority of the app-users, they might just decide to do that."

"I-Is that really how it works?!"

I shrugged and said,

"Well, not like I know. But I need to tell you if I think of something that will go against your plans, right?"

"...There's no need to tell us about speculations that might not even mean anything. That will just make us doubt our plans. Wait, is that what you're trying to do?!"

"Of course not… Why would I do that to my precious masters?"

"Why do you sound so sarcastic when you say that?"

Wolbach-sama eyed me for a few seconds, then said,

"We might need to give him some commands that he won't be able to sneak his way out of."

Serena-sama nodded and said,

"Oh, how about I make him worship Regina-sama, so he will become a follower as well?"

Wolbach shook her head before I could respond.

"...No, I know how a contract between a follower and goddess works. That will just backfire on you."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"If you make him a follower of the dark goddess Regina, you will just make it so that Regina's powers are split between him and you. Not only will you decrease your own power, but Regina's blessings will apply to him as well…"

"I see… That was a close one."

I nodded and said,

"Indeed… That was a close one…"

"You were going to take advantage of that loophole just now, if Wolbach didn't say anything, weren't you?!"

"No, of course not, Serena-sama."

"...I don't believe you. Well, are there even any commands we can give him that will ensure he doesn't betray us?"

Wolbach-sama rubbed her chin in thought.

"I'm not sure. If only the demon king's daughter were here, since she is an expert on geas contracts… Well, we'll just have to think carefully."

They then sat at a table, and I watched them as they tried to think of ideas on how to command me.

"...Let's see… Ah, what about if we command him to get rid of his morals?"

"Does he even have morals?"

"...I guess he doesn't."

After some consulting, they came up with a command.

"You are not allowed to scheme against us or the demon king army. All your hostile actions and intent shall be redirected to our enemies, which are the fighting forces of your world."

They really made sure that I couldn't misinterpret their command by being as specific as possible.

I nodded and smiled.

"Got it! That sounds good!"

"Wait, why does he sound so excited?!"

"Maybe we worded it wrong?!"

They were so paranoid around me, for some reason.

Even though I was just a low level scrub.

Speaking of which…

"Is there any way for me to train and level up, by the way? My master's enemies will only get stronger. If I, or the other app-users here, are going to stagnate, then your enemies will soon surpass us."

They blinked once I made that suggestion.

"You know, he's right…"

Wolbach-sama thought about it for a few minutes, then said,

"Then, I guess I'll try my hand at making my own dungeon…"

This was news to me.

Could Wolbach-sama make her own dungeon?

Then again, she did make a copycat version of the app for Megumin.

And being a goddess, although a dark goddess, should give her the same capabilities as the goddesses, I suppose.

"Well, then. I shall summon the Instrument of Creation…"

Just when I was wondering what this epic item was going to be…

A rather basic mid-ranged laptop showed up.

It had a sleek, black exterior and there was a logo of a demon with horns at the back of the screen.

With things like the app, and even the remote control that could view the material world in Eris-sama's realm…

Why were these divine creations so modern?

"Um… That's a laptop, isn't it?"

I asked Wolbach-sama, as she took out a pair of glasses and put it on, while sitting in front of the laptop and opening it.

"I'm not sure. I just stole the design from the goddesses, after all. Just like the app."

So she didn't even know what a laptop was?

And from what Aqua said, she just plagiarized the concept of the app and even Appuri-chan from the ancient civilization of Norse in the other world…

One that had a Japanese reincarnate in it.

…So this laptop was that guy's doing, huh?

I watched as Wolbach-sama brought out something that looked suspiciously like a word processor.

"...How do you do this again?"

She said, squinting her eyes at the screen.

Then, while using her two index fingers, like a granny, she proceeded to type.

"..."

I stared at those words.

"Um… Wolbach-sama?"

"What is it? Can't you see I'm focusing here?"

"Just for reference… What does html mean?"

"Oh, it stands for 'Heavenly Text Markup Language'."

"..."

Was she serious?

She then proceeded to make an href link to a CSS file.

By the way, apparently CSS means Celestial Style Sheets.

Are you telling me the dungeon system was made with HTML, of all things?

I continued watching her. She then made elements called and .

Then in the CSS file, she typed in:

wall{width: 3in; height:8ft; color: rgb(222,184,135);}

"..."

Wolbach-sama glanced at me again and smirked.

"What's the matter, Satou Kazuma? Are you impressed by the creation power of the gods? Trust me, I was overwhelmed by this technology as well, and it took me a long time to learn it."

I looked away from her.

"Um… I'm sorry to say, but this is pretty basic stuff, isn't it?"

"Hah?!"

The normally composed Wolbach-sama stood up from her chair, apparently offended by my words.

"What do you mean by that?! I bet a mere mortal like you can't even comprehend what's going on here!"

"Do you have a manual, or something?"

"I do, but I doubt you can understand the sacred text!"

She then snapped her fingers and a yellow and black book appeared in her hand.

'HTML and CSS Dungeon Design For DUMMIES'.

"...Um, it says it's for dummies."

"I-If that's true, then why don't you read it?! I bet you won't understand any of the sacred teachings!"

I nodded and took the book and read it.

About a half an hour later, I came back and took her place at the laptop.

"W-What's this…?! This wasn't the magic formula that was taught in the book?!"

I got the basic idea from reading that book, so I applied the little bit of Python I learned when I got bored during my NEET days.

It was just entry-level stuff I learned from random YouTube guides, but it was still better than this technologically clueless dark goddess.

And so, I managed to design my very own dungeon using heavenly code.

Part 2

With the laptop, I managed to make a simple dungeon.

However, since monsters were directly transferred from the other world, the dungeon didn't have things like goblins and kobolds.

Instead, it had animated constructions like golems and elementals.

"...To think you can actually make a dungeon in that short amount of time…"

Wolbach-sama said, impressed by the result, as she followed me inside the floating door that manifested inside our base.

"Wait, why is it just one long hallway?"

She was confused by my design choice.

I took out a foldable chair and sat in front of the dungeon entrance.

"[Smithing, [Create Trap]..."

I used the active and passive skill to create a pitfall in front of me.

"Eh? What's this?"

Wolbach-sama looked absolutely confused as I slouched against the chair.

Before answering her, I just showed her the true mechanism of this dungeon.

Soon, runes on the wall that made up the end of the hallway started glowing.

Then, the earth around the wall shifted and formed into golems.

Unlike regular monsters, golems had no mind of their own and only followed the directions given by the dungeon core.

And so, they mindlessly walked towards the pitfall trap I made.

"T-This is…"

Wolbach-sama watched as the golems fell one-by-one inside the pitfall trap.

Since the trap was part of the dungeon, the golems returned to the earth as the dungeon reabsorbed the materials, which it then reused to create more golems.

Furthermore, the trap was made with my skill, so I got all the EXP for all the deaths it caused.

I had been looking for ways to power farm in the original dungeon.

But there were so many hazards and special circumstances that prevented that.

However, now that I have my own dungeon…

I could do things my way.

With the [Solo-Leveling] skill, I also got some extra EXP whenever a golem died.

"Fufu… It's an AFK mob farm…"

"...I feel like this is cheating, isn't it?"

Wolbach-sama said, as she watched the endless line of golems falling to their doom.

"Hah? Who cares if it's cheating, as long as we win?"

"I know that I'm supposed to be a Demon King general, but that still leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

I thought that she'd insist on fighting honorably, but she soon shook her head.

"Well, this is fine. It's better if the war ends without any further conflict. If you become powerful enough to help us subdue the governments of your world, then that's all the better."

"...What's the real reason why the Demon King wants to take over our world, anyway?"

I understood that he had problems with the humans of his world, but what do we have to do with it?

Wolbach-sama seemed to consider it, then she said,

"I guess I can tell you. It's not exactly a secret, anyway. You see, a certain mage joined the Demon King army and introduced the portals to us. Once the secret of the portals were known to us, Vanir the all-seeing devil revealed the existence of other worlds…"

Vanir also suddenly confirmed the multiple-worlds theory to me, without even any warning as to how it would affect my perception of reality.

I guess that guy was a pain for both sides.

"The Demon King then concluded that if our world discovered the ability to hop between dimensions, surely, the many other worlds out there must have also done the same thing. Rather than risk invasion from a more powerful world, he decided to start conquering your world, in order to increase our chance of survival against other worlds."

So I suppose it was a matter of existential fear that drove the Demon King's actions, rather than a thirst for conquest.

…Vanir didn't mention this at all. That guy really couldn't be trusted!

"Do the goddesses know about this?"

Wolbach-sama shrugged.

"Even if they did know, what are they going to do? It's not like they can allow demons to invade your world. That goes against everything they stand for."

I suppose that made sense.

We were just unlucky that our dimension was the one they could access.

When I thought about it, would it be better to surrender to the Demon King after all?

From what Iris said, he seemed to treat the kingdoms he annexed in his world fairly.

And he did have legitimate concerns about more powerful, more hostile worlds with superior arcane knowledge and tech, possibly coming to invade not only the other world, but this world as well.

Perhaps having one centralized power based on the Demon King's mighty army, which had already conquered his world, was better than relying on the many governments of this world trying… and most likely failing… to come together to face a superior threat.

"Are you convinced of our cause now, Satou Kazuma?"

Wolbach-sama said, studying my expression curiously.

"Hmm… I'm not convinced."

I said this before, but the best scenario was humanity winning against the Demon King army.

Why? For the simple reason that I was human. Of course I'd prefer it if my side won.

And even if the current Demon King was fair and magnanimous, that didn't guarantee that his successors would be the same.

The next Demon King could be a tyrant hellbent on the complete submission, or maybe even annihilation, of humanity.

Even if the Demon King army were to install a democratic system which allows even a human being to run for the office of 'Demon King'...

Then why couldn't humanity helm that system of government from the start? Why let the demons dictate everything?

"...Ah, I think Serena-sama's control is slipping, Wolbach-sama."

I was beginning to think that humanity should win over Serena-sama's side.

"...! This isn't good… What should I do…"

In a panic, Wolbach-sama started unbuckling my pants. Then, she went down on her knees before me as I sat on the chair.

I looked down at her and whistled,

"...That was fast. You sure have gotten used to being on your knees, huh?"

She looked up at me warily as she took my cock out and started jerking me off.

"Who's really the one in charge here…?"

She was doubting if they were really in control.

I grabbed her horns and shoved her down, pressing my cock against her face.

"Ah, whoops. Wolbach-sama, I can't remain as your slave unless you entertain my sadistic tendencies… You better start sucking me off like the good little goddess you are…"

"Are you really our slave or what?!"

The line started to blur at some point.

Part 3

After AFK farming golems, I gained a new level.

I thought this would be efficient, but the process was slow, since golems were pretty low level monsters.

Still, it was a good alternative for the real dungeon.

I went to a separate location again and turned on my phone.

"Kazuma-san! You keep turning me off!"

"...I gained a level, right?"

"Are you ignoring what I'm saying?! And, yeah. Also, you qualify for the 'Thief' class now. Would you like to change your class?"

I did gain a lot of 'Speed' since the last level-up.

"Hmm… Sure, I guess I might as well."

I changed to the 'Thief' class.

"By the way, what are the exclusive thief skills?"

"Let's see… There's [Treasure Detection, [Wire Trap, [Skill Bind, [Lockpick, [Disarm Trap] and [Catfall]."

There was quite a lot.

It made sense, since thief was a skill-based class.

As for the skill point I gained from leveling up…

More and more, it was apparent to me that [Smithing] was an incredibly useful skill.

It certainly helped me out a lot in the past.

You have upgraded the [Smithing] skill to Rank 2!

[Smithing] Skill Rank: 2, Passive Skill

You are proficient in creating and repairing items! The success rate of this skill is determined by your 'Creativity' (76). At Rank 2, you can create, combine and repair items of the 'Uncommon' variety. Combining compatible items of the 'Uncommon' variety might yield an item of 'Rare' variety.

I turned off my phone went back to the base and gathered some app-users.

Then, with Serena-sama accompanying us, I took them to a separate area.

"...Hah? You want me to attack you with a skill? Are you sure?"

An app-user said, once I made my request.

My goal was to unlock those thief skills.

"Well, you asked for it… Fireba…!"

"Oh, look, Serena-sama is naked!"

"Eh?! Really?!"

The guy turned around and cancelled his attack.

"...Why are you using me for this? And why did you look?"

Serena-sama said to me and the app-user, who actually fell for my bluff.

I took out my phone to see if I unlocked the skill.

You unlocked [Skill Bind]!

[Skill Bind] Skill Rank: 1, Active Skill (15 mp)

Prevents the activation of an active skill. This skill will cost more mana when used against magic-based skills, starting at 5 mp for Elementary Magic. This skill also has a cooldown of 1 minute after it is used.

…This was a pretty powerful skill, especially in terms of debuffing the opponent.

The thief class was full of skills like that.

The extra mana requirement for magic skills was a shame, but I suppose that some restrictions were expected.

As for the other skills…

"Do I seriously have to do this?"

Another guinea pig, I mean, app-user said, staring at the wire I tied to a tree.

"Yeah. Serena-sama, tell him he has to do it."

"...Please do it."

With Serena-sama ordering him, he had no choice but to do it.

"W-Why did you raise the wire?! You could have decapitated me?!"

He said, when I made adjustments as he ran to the wire.

"Well, I didn't think I'd learn the skill if I didn't move the wire. It's supposed to be an active skill, after all."

"That doesn't excuse you almost killing me! That's a steel wire, right?!"

I ignored his complaints and checked my phone again.

[Wire Trap] Skill Rank: 1, Active Skill (5 mp)

Lay a series of wires between two points, preventing passage. Your 'Cunning' (85) determines the effectiveness of the blockage.

All the other skills I intended to unlock in the dungeon, so I went to work on unlocking [Catfall].

I climbed up a tree, then, when I was at the top…

I jumped down and deftly landed on my feet.

The rank 2 [Versatile Entertainer] helped me in that regard, since it amplified my acrobatic skill.

You unlocked [Catfall]!

[Catfall] Skill Rank: 1, Passive Skill

You are adept at landing on your feet after falling from a great height. If you are to take fall damage, reduce it by 10%.

This was the kind of skill I'd usually avoid in RPGs.

Mostly because dying from fall damage was pretty rare.

Also, save scumming mechanics kind of makes the skill redundant.

But in real life, there was no such thing as quicksaves.

And I didn't have Aqua around to revive me.

…Aqua.

Her blue hair and her smug smile flashed in my head.

I wonder how she's doing?

I thought about her jokes, the banter we'd have.

The intimate moments, the feeling of her skin on mine…

"..."

What am I doing here?

Isn't it obvious? I have to learn skills to serve Serena-sama.

Serena… You mean that Demon King general who tricked you? Why am I serving her?

…Because you owe her a favor! She gave her body to you!

Hah…? But I can do that anytime with Aqua! Not to mention Rin…

I miss them…

…The control is slipping.

Quick, I have to tell Serena-sama…!

"Serena-sama… I…"

Wait! Don't tell them the effect is slipping!

But… I can't scheme against them. That was one of the commands.

Do something! Even if it's insignificant! Small enough that you don't have to tell them what you did!

I looked at my phone. It was still on.

Normally, I'd turn it off by now, but…

"Serena-sama, I'm ready to return to the base."

She nodded, sighing in relief.

"Good. Everyone, let's head back."

We headed back.

Part 4

We headed back and I kept working on the laptop, making adjustments to the dungeon.

On the back of my mind, I thought about the phone I left on.

I knew Appuri-chan was working.

She was communicating with them.

An hour later…

No one sensed what was about to happen.

The door was kicked open.

Then military personnel came in, laser-sights sweeping the room.

"Freeze! Nobody move!"

Wolbach-sama glanced around at all the soldiers surrounding us. She said,

"...How did they find us?!"

A certain blue-haired girl came out from behind the soldiers, waving at me.

"Appuri-chan! Good girl! Thanks for sending us his location!"

"Ehehe! Thanks, mama!"

Serena-sama heard the voice coming from my pocket and took out my phone.

"...You left this thing on, huh? I guess I'm starting to lose control of you."

Before I could respond, Chris suddenly appeared at our blind spot.

"...!"

She must have used [Lurk, because I didn't sense her at all.

I couldn't warn her in time as she stabbed Serena-sama with her dagger.

"Nghk…?!"

Chris let out a shocked grunt of pain as a stab wound appeared in the same place she stabbed Serena-sama.

Serena-sama lifted her hand, and I thought she would strike back at Chris, but…

"[Heal!]"

I didn't know why, but she healed Chris.

I sighed in relief, seeing the wound on Chris's body close up.

…Oh, wait.

She planned that.

The gratefulness I felt to Serena-sama for healing Chris made that familiar feeling of losing control fill my mind once more.

"Serena-sama! Let me heal you!"

I hurriedly came to Serena-sama's side and healed the wound.

"Tsk… Kazuma-kun is still under their control, huh?"

Chris said, backing away. I was surprised she was able to shake off the control, since she was also healed.

Did she have some kind of protection against mind-control?

"Everyone! Serena has some kind of ability that reflects damage! Don't attack her recklessly!"

The enemy knew about my master's ability now.

Hearing the commotion, Arnes-sama and Wolbach-sama soon arrived. Not only that, but Hoost-sama also came with them.

"Oh? Everyone's here, huh?"

Arnes said, looking around until she saw a girl with glowing red eyes pushing past the formation of soldiers.

It was Megumin.

"...Arnes… Wolbach… Not only did you trick me, but you even took Kazuma!"

I took out Chunchunmaru and stepped in front of my masters.

"...Don't come any closer, Megumin. I won't allow you to hurt my precious masters!"

"Hah?! What are you on about?! I don't care if you're being mind-controlled or whatever, step aside, Kazuma!"

Soon, the others made their way past the soldiers, who pointed their guns at the converted app-users and soldiers on our side.

For the first time in several days, I saw Mitsurugi and everyone else. Mitsurugi looked at me with a concerned expression.

"Satou… It must have been tough, huh? Don't worry, we came to rescue you."

"...Hah? Why are you talking like I'm some kind of damsel-in-distress?"

He blinked at me.

"Excuse me? I'm just saying that we're here to rescue you."

"I don't need rescuing! I'm happy to serve Serena-sama and the others!"

"That's just the mind control working!"

Rin stepped forward, followed by Yunyun.

"Please, senpai! You managed to break free from the control earlier, right? Please try to do that again!"

"Surely the strong Kazuma-san can do that!"

Darkness smiled as she stepped forward as well.

"Come join our side again, Kazuma!"

"Everyone…"

Serena-sama pulled me back, then reached around and grabbed my junk. I also felt her chest on my back.

"...Oho?"

I looked up to see a blushing Serena-sama.

"P-Please don't leave my side, Kazuma. I need you… Um… Y-You're my favorite follower, after all!"

That didn't seem genuine at all.

Still, the pleasure I felt from her hand was pretty enticing.

Aqua pointed at us.

"Ahh! Kazuma, I can't believe you're actually falling for that kind of low-level seduction! Hurry up and come back home with us, already! If you just want to do lewd stuff, I can do lots of lewd stuff with you at home!"

Lewd stuff with Aqua…

I did miss that…

Arnes latched onto me as well, hugging my arm. Naturally, I felt her breasts brush up on me.

"Ohooo…"

What a pleasant sensation.

"D-Don't listen to your previous lovers! H-Hey, um… like Serena said, I've really grown to like you! So stay with us!"

That didn't really sound that convincing.

Should I just go back to Aqua and the others, after all?

"Arnes… The control is slipping!"

"That's because your act is so fake!"

"You're telling me that?! You're the one who's a bad actress!"

So they were just acting, huh?

Just as I was about to start walking back to Aqua…

Wolbach wrapped her arms around me from behind.

Of course, her big breasts smooshed against my back.

"Ohohoooo…"

This sensation just can't be beat!

Then, she whispered in my ear.

"...Remember, I can just cast explosion and teleport. I can wipe out all your friends in an instant… Aren't you grateful to us that I'm not doing that?"

I let her words sink in.

"Yes, Wolbach-sama…"

More than seduction or anything else…

That was what I was most grateful for.

Mitsurugi glared and took out Gram.

"Tsk… Talking isn't working. Let's just use force!"

The soldiers nodded and aimed their guns.

Then, they started firing.

"[Tornado]!"

Only for the spell-casting app-users on our side to summon a huge tornado around us, which not only deflected the bullets but blew back the enemies.

Once the tornado was dispelled, we made our retreat.

"Don't let them escape!"

We knew the layout of the base better, so we all headed to our escape route.

Then, to prevent them from chasing…

"[Wire Trap]!"

I released the wires and created a barricade before they could pursue us down the hall.

Then, we took the exit and left the building.

"I think we should cut our losses. Let's teleport and leave behind the others."

Wolbach-sama said, grabbing my hand.

"We can't afford to lose our whole fighting force!"

Serena-sama said, looking at all the controlled app-users and soldiers.

"...There's no choice, then. We'll have to stay and fight."

Outside of the base, there was an open field that led up to a hill. We tried to get as much high ground as we could before the others emerged from the base.

Then, when we gained enough distance…

Arnes-sama and Hoost-sama flew up into the air.

They started chanting together.

"[Inferno]!"

They released a large, fiery blast at the building, just as the others were starting to come out.

"[Sacred Create Water]!"

Only for Aqua to put out the flames.

And with that, the battle started for real.

Part 5

Magic and gunfire filled the battlefield, with shields, both magical and physical, blocking the damage, while those who were heavily-armored merely tanked the hit and charged forward, seeking the enemy backline.

Even more so than the war in Shibuya, it was a violent affair, as it was a battle between app-users and soldiers with dungeon-enhanced weapons.

As for the two with the most powerful magic at their disposal, Megumin and Wolbach stared at each other from afar, the both of them reserving their powerful explosion magic until the very end.

"Satou! Aqua-sama wants you back! Don't make her sad anymore! [Overwhelm]!"

Mitsurugi charged through the frontline of app-users, and continued his rush towards me.

"Tsk… That guy's pretty strong, huh? [Black Lightning]!"

A black lightning bolt emerged from the skies and moved to strike Mitsurugi.

"[Rune Thief]! [Rune Control]!"

When I maxed out my bond rank with Mitsurugi, I gained the [Rune Warrior] skill.

[Rune Thief] was the skill he obtained.

He absorbed the black lightning fired by Arnes-sama. Black sparks of energy zapped around his body, as his hair started to turn a deep black, his eyes gleaming purple.

He then disappeared in a blur of black and appeared directly in front of Arnes-sama, even as she was flying in the air.

"[Black Lightning Slash]!"

"Gack…!"

He struck Arnes-sama down with Gram, which was infused with the black lightning.

Serena-sama moved right away, running to heal Arnes-sama, as Hoost-sama came to attack Mitsurugi to keep him away.

"[Decoy]!"

Hoost-sama turned his attention away from Mitsurugi and turned to Darkness.

She held her spear in front of her and struck the end of it on the ground.

"C-Come here and violate me, you big, muscular demon!"

She was as masochistic as usual.

Hoost-sama flew towards Darkness instead, using his razor sharp claws to try and cut her, but she kept him at bay with the range of her spear.

With Hoost-sama occupied, Mitsurugi had a clear path towards me.

"I'm gonna beat you out of that mind-control, Satou!"

"That's not how it works! You're just gonna be beating me up for no reason!"

"I'm fine with that!"

This bastard just wants an excuse to kick my ass.

"[Rune Control]!"

He disappeared in another blur of speed. I couldn't react as he used the hilt of Gram to hit me on the stomach.

"Gack…!"

He attempted to grab me, but Wolbach-sama moved just in time to intercept.

"[Crimson Laser]!"

Mitsurugi was forced to back away from me, as a deadly red beam shot out from Wolbach-sama's finger tips. It created a deep crevice on the ground between Mitsurugi and me.

She was about to use another spell, but Yunyun teleported behind Mitsurugi.

"[Light of Refraction]!"

They disappeared from view, making Wolbach-sama snuff out the flames forming on her hand by closing it.

"Where did they go…"

Wolbach-sama said, as she looked around.

"I'll find them! [Tracking]!"

Their footprints appeared in front of me, as if they were highlighted.

"Over there! [Wind Blade]!"

I created a sweeping slash of razor-sharp wind in the direction where I tracked them.

"[Rune Thief]!"

Mitsurugi used that skill again. Even as the invisibility dropped, his hair and eyes started glowing green.

"[Rune Control]!"

Then, wind formed around him and he started to fly in the air.

"[Wind Blade]!"

He started slashing Gram, sending multiple wind blades my way.

"[Lightning]!"

Wolbach-sama tried to strike him down, but he just moved out of the way.

"Tsk…! He's just gonna keep flying away from my spells… Is Arnes healed already?!"

She called out to Serena-sama. When we turned to look, I saw that they were fighting against Chris and Rin.

"I'm healed, Wolbach-sama! But we're busy here!"

Hoost-sama was also busy with Darkness, while the rest of our forces were engaged with the other app-users and soldiers.

I took out my bow and loaded it with an ice arrow.

"I'll deal with him! [Snipe]!"

Only to see the arrows bouncing away from the wind he created around himself.

He grinned and called out to me.

"Oiii, what's the matter, Satou? Don't wanna fight me up close? [Wind Blade]!"

We were forced to dodge again.

I didn't want to fight him in close combat, but he could shift the flow of the battle attacking us from afar.

"[Wind Blade]! [Rune Warrior]! [Control Spell]!"

I absorbed wind magic as well, then I controlled the wind around me and flew up to reach Mitsurugi.

He grinned as I took out my spear of thunder to attack him. He swept it aside with Gram.

"You've used up quite a bit of spells now, haven't you, Satou? Running low on mana, right?"

I didn't have the element of surprise, like I did with my opponents so far. Mitsurugi knew most of my strengths and weaknesses.

He slammed Gram into the spear, then rammed me with his shoulder, sending me back. Before I could react, he attacked me again, this time hitting my wrist with the flat side of Gram.

"Ahh!"

I was forced to drop the spear as I screamed out in pain.

He was overpowering me, and he wasn't even trying to really harm me. He could have killed me if he really wanted to.

"What's wrong, Satou? Can't use [Drain Touch]? Oh, right, you can't fly anymore if you do that, right?"

That smug smile of his…

He was really enjoying this.

"...Is this payback for the Aqua thing?"

I said, as I barely managed to dodge a vertical slash.

"Nah, we already settled that."

I couldn't dodge this time, as he feigned an attack with Gram, only to knee me in the gut.

"I already told you, I'm gonna beat the mind-control out of you!"

He charged at me again, however, this time, I managed to get a hold of him.

"[Drain Touch]!"

I was forced to undo the effects of the wind-empowered [Rune Warrior, as I focused on absorbing his mana.

He grinned as I desperately tried to hold on to him as I drained his mana.

"I know for a fact that [Rune Warrior] takes a bit of time to cast, right? It's a transformation, after all! Like how the Saiyans transform! You taught me that, remember?!"

So this guy was reading manga like I told him.

He was doing a good job of predicting my moves so far, but…

"Appuri-chan! I need the gator gloves!"

"Uuuu… I don't want you to fight against Mitsu-san, but I have no choice but to obey!"

The brutal alligator gloves appeared on my hands.

I punched Mitsurugi in the face with it, then kicked away from him.

"What are you doing?!"

I heard his voice trail off as I quickly fell away from him.

"[Smithing]!"

I used my shirt to create a parachute that would slow my fall.

Then, using that time…

"[Wind Rune Warrior]!"

I flew towards Mitsurugi again after getting rid of the parachute.

"It's just gonna be a war of attrition at this point, and I got a couple gifts from someone!"

He took out some manatite crystals and absorbed the power within.

"A gift…? Don't tell me…"

"Aqua-sama introduced me to Wiz-san! She's so nice, she gave me these for free!"

"WHAT?!"

That same Wiz who charged me an insane amount for magic items?!

Giving things away for free?!

Is the ikemen factor really that big of a deal breaker?!

"Unforgivable!"

I attacked Mitsurugi as rage took over my mind.

Part 6

Mitsurugi flew away from me as I yelled while pursuing him.

"H-Hey, what's your problem?! Why are you so mad all of a sudden?!"

"Death to normies! Death to pretty boys!"

"I think you have the wrong idea here!"

"You get it for free just 'coz you're a bit better looking than me, huh?!"

"...You're gonna run out of mana at this point, yanno? Well, that works out for me!"

He took out another manatite crystal.

"Steaaaal!"

I was trying to steal away the manatite crystal, even undoing the effect of [Rune Warrior] to do it.

But instead of the crystal, his sword, Gram, appeared in my hands.

"Hah! Obviously the cheat item would have more value!"

I put away Gram in my inventory, then took my bow out.

"[Rapid Shot]! [Snipe]!"

I quickly shot down the manatie crystal he was about to absorb.

"Gahhh!"

Now we were both out of our rune forms and were quickly falling down.

I thought he would have some problems, until Yunyun came in and teleported him down safely.

I thought about using my pants as a parachute, but I was already close to the ground.

So instead, I used a supercharged wind breath to slow my fall, then relied on [Catfall] and [Versatile Entertainer] to safely break my fall.

I didn't think that Mitsurugi would attack me without Gram, but he charged in and tried to hit me with a haymaker.

I raised my gloved fists just in time to block. The Brutal Alligator Gloves gave me some defense, but I still felt the force of his strike.

"[Drain Touch]!"

The next time he punched me, I blocked and grabbed his arm, draining his mana.

He took out a manatite crystal to replenish his mana while I drained it, then formed a fist over the crystal and managed to connect a right hook into my gut.

"Ackk…!"

I almost felt like vomiting. This guy was seriously strong.

Next, he threw the depleted crystal at me. I was momentarily distracted and couldn't block another punch that hit my chest.

"...I'm just gonna have to knock you unconscious and bring you back."

He said, as Yunyun watched in concern behind him, ready to support.

It was fortunate that I had my own support.

I did my job, bringing Mitsurugi to the ground.

"[Dimension Hell Break]!"

A dark sphere of energy flew from behind me, which made Yunyun teleport Mitsurugi away.

"Good job getting him down."

Wolbach-sama said, walking to my side.

"Kazuma, get away from that traitor!"

Megumin moved in for the first time, taking this opportunity to attack. She raised her staff, swinging it at Wolbach, but I raised my gloves to block the attack for Wolbach-sama. I endured the explosive knockback of Megumin's enchanted staff.

"[Heal]!"

I healed myself, as I already took a lot of damage.

I looked at the battlefield.

Our side was slowly losing, as their side had Aqua supporting their troops with her magic.

Meanwhile, our own heavy-hitters were too occupied to help.

"...We don't have a choice. I will have to make sacrifices to take them all out."

Wolbach-sama said, making her final decision.

"Use [Drain Touch] and give me the rest of your mana."

I nodded and did as she said, transferring my mana to her.

"Oh, no you don't!"

Megumin held out her staff, the red orb at the end glowing as she charged up her mana.

"Don't tell me she's planning to…"

"W-Wait, both of you… You'll kill all of us if you do this!"

Wolbach-sama chuckled and said,

"I'm a dark goddess. I can always just reincarnate. But taking out all of the enemy in one spot is a good deal for the Demon King army."

Megumin smirked, her eyes glowing even brighter than her staff.

"Oh, yeah? Well, we have an Arch-Priest that can just take her time resurrecting all of us later! Oi, Aqua, start running!"

Aqua peeked her head out from the crowd.

"What?! Are you serious, Megumin?! Oi, don't tell me you're actually serious?!"

These two lunatics!

Are all explosion magic users damaged in the head?!

"W-Wolbach-sama… Surely you don't mean that? W-Why is such a great dark goddess like you even so loyal to the Demon King army, anyway?!"

Going so far as to blow herself up… This is beyond what is expected of a general, right?!

"...I rule over the aspects of Destruction and Sloth. The Demon King not only wants to rule other worlds, but even lets me relax and laze around in my favorite bath houses whenever I'm not working. Even if humankind can offer me peace, they can't satisfy my craving for violence and destruction as well as the Demon King can…"

So it was a simple matter of nature.

I took my hands away from her, stopping the effect of [Drain Touch].

"T-This is crazy! I'm out!"

After hearing that she intended to blow up everyone around here, I felt Serena-sama's control over me completely fade away.

Not to mention I didn't even have enough mana to do anything.

Instead, I ran away to Megumin's side.

"Oi, Megumin! I'm back to normal now! You don't have to blow everything up!"

Her eyes never left Wolbach.

"...She's gonna use explosion no matter what we do. It's better if I make sure they're all dead, too, right?"

This girl really is crazy!

But it was true that there was nothing we could do, since Wolbach was fully intent on destroying all of us. And if Megumin stopped chanting, then that would mean that some members of the Demon King side might be able to get away.

So the only thing to do was stop Wolbach-sama from using explosion.

"Oi, Chris, get over here!"

I turned to Chris and Rin, who was still fighting Arnes and Serena.

"...Are you back to normal now?"

She said, looking at me doubtfully.

"Yes, just come here, quick!"

"I'm not letting you go!"

Arnes said, trying to chase Chris.

"[Escape]!"

Chris dodged Arnes's attack and made her way over to me.

"[Light Arrows]!"

Then Rin stopped Arnes and Serena from pursuing Chris with her light magic.

"What do you have planned, Kazuma-kun…"

"Do you know [Skill-Bind]?!"

"Yeah… But I don't have enough mana to stop something like what she's charging!"

And I was all out of mana, too.

"Oi, Mitsurugi! Got any more crystals?!"

"Sorry, I don't…"

We were screwed.

The only reason Wolbach hadn't fired the spell yet was because…

"Arnes! Hoost! Take Serena and fly away!"

"Yes, master!"

She was waiting for her key members to run away.

Meanwhile, Megumin was holding her explosion because she was trying to convince Aqua to run away as well.

"Just leave, Aqua!"

"You think I can just let everyone here die?!"

"We'll all be dead permanently if you can't resurrect us! Just go!"

"F-Fine!"

Aqua started running as well.

The others also heard what was going on and were trying to leave the area.

But there were so many.

It was only thanks to the soldiers' discipline that they were able to stay behind and make a path for Aqua, but the app-users were already stampeding away.

Especially the ones who broke out of control.

"Eeek?! I'm not dying here!"

"Move, move!"

"Gahh! I fell down! Ow, don't step on me!"

It was complete chaos.

I couldn't think of anything to do, and that was when I heard Darkness's voice.

"[Decoy]!"

With Hoost no longer fighting Darkness, she was free to move.

She put her armor away in her inventory and we saw her using her excellent physical stats to work, running away in her bodysuit.

In a moment, I saw what she was trying to do.

Wolbach took her eyes away from us to look at Darkness sprinting away. She pointed the magic energy gathering in her hands at Darkness.

"Wait! Darkness, what are you doing?!"

If she takes Wolbach's explosion head on, there will be nothing left…

Nothing but ashes.

Nothing to resurrect.

"Heh… Let me be cool for once!"

She gave me a beautiful smile.

"Oiiii, your name is Wolbach, right?! You wanna blow something up so bad?! Look at me! Look at this degenerate, masochistic Crusader over here! Go ahead and blow me up!"

"Darkness…!"

I tried calling out to her, but it was too late.

Wolbach released all of the mana she gathered.

"Explosion…!"

I stared in horror.

"[Teleport]!"

I heard Yunyun's voice.

Then I saw her grab Darkness, and they both disappeared.

Wolbach stared in disbelief as her explosion hit nothing but an empty field, creating a large, smoking crater.

"[Teleport]!"

Wolbach teleported away, seeing her explosion miss.

As for the explosion Megumin had been gathering…

She pointed her staff at the sky, where Arnes and the others were flying away.

"EXPLOSION!"

I could sense the anger in it.

The anger at the way they tricked her, from the way they hypnotized me…

Angry flames covered the sky, fiery flumes of expanding violence that withered away into black smoke.

When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left behind.

Part 7

"Wait, Megumin, the damage reflect!"

As soon as I spoke, Megumin's eyes widened.

She must have forgotten in the midst of the battle.

Not to mention how angry she was.

We waited, but nothing happened.

"Huh… Maybe they got away?"

Arnes shouldn't have enough mana to teleport, but maybe Hoost did.

"...There's no way explosion magic would ever betray me."

She said, after collapsing soon after.

It left her paralyzed everytime she used it, though.

"I'm glad to have you back, senpai!"

Rin said, wrapping her arms around me.

"I was so lonely without you!"

Yunyun did the same, tearfully embracing me.

I chuckled and hugged them back. I really did miss them.

It was my memories of them that eventually helped me slip out of my control from Serena.

…No, it wasn't out of fear out of my own life. It was surely the power of friendship.

Yeah, let's go with that.

"Hey… We said some hurtful things in the heat of the battle, but no hard feelings, right?"

Mitsurugi said, smiling weakly at me.

"..."

"Oi, just to let you know, Wiz-san gave me those crystals because she wanted to help you!"

So it was like that.

I smiled and shook his hand.

"I forgive you, pretty boy."

"...Never call me that again. Well, good to have you back."

I looked at Darkness, who was watching us. I gestured to her to come over.

I patted her head.

"W-What's this for? Aren't you gonna scold me for not doing enough in the battle?"

She was still looking for rough treatment, huh?

"...How can I do that? You were the MVP this time, weren't you?"

If it wasn't for her, Wolbach would have killed all of us by now.

And if she had enough time, she could have even teleported away and still survived.

"You did an amazing job, too, Yunyun."

"Ehe… Thank you!"

She had some clutch teleports.

Everyone fought together well, in general.

Maybe those MMO training sessions actually helped with team cohesion.

Even Rin, who was the most inexperienced, managed to stall Serena and Arnes along with Chris.

"Geez… You sure gave us a lot of trouble this time. Well, you always do that."

Chris said, after I finished giving Darkness and Yunyun their due praise.

"Don't worry, I gave them even more trouble than that."

"Is that even possible?"

She couldn't even picture it.

Then I saw Aqua running over to us.

"Kazumaaaa! It sure took you long enough to break out of their control! You sure enjoyed the way they were touching you, huh?!"

I guess she didn't forget about that.

"...Let's forget about the past and focus on the future."

"Oi, you can't just make us forget what you did with lame platitudes!"

Mitsurugi sighed and said,

"...All that matters is that it all worked out. Just leave him alone for now."

"Well, if you say so."

And so, they didn't bring up my mind-control treachery.

For now.

We decided to head back, after sorting out the situation with the app-users who also escaped the mind-control.

But before heading back, I went into the former base of the Wolbach group.

"Ah, there it is…"

Thankfully, the laptop was still there where I left it, before the fighting started.

I grabbed it and placed it in my inventory, making sure Chris didn't see me with it.

She'd probably insist on taking it away.

I looked around the base for more useful things, but I didn't find anything else.

…

…

"Welcome back, Kazuma-san. It's good to have you back with us."

A smiling Sena greeted me when I got home.

"Thanks. I tried my best to get back to you…"

"Kazuma-san… That would be a lot more convincing if it didn't take a whole week."

She didn't believe me at all.

"Onii-sama! I'm so glad you made it back in one piece!"

Iris said, running up to me with a big smile.

"It was all so I could see my cute imouto again…"

"Oh? Even if it took you a whole week?"

I guess no one wanted to believe me.

I looked at the table and there was quite a feast waiting for us.

We were all starving after that battle, so we wolfed down the food.

After that, the exhaustion started to hit. I went up to my room, not even bothering to take a bath. I was ready to crash.

When I opened my room and got in, I thought that I was just seeing things when I saw a young girl sitting on my bed, kicking her feet.

She had long purple hair and eyes, with a lock of hair falling across her forehead. She wore a black dress with one strap hanging down past her shoulder.

She smirked and raised a hand in greeting.

"Yo. Nice to finally meet you, boya."

I looked around the room.

"Um… Is Hansen-san gonna come out?"

"Hah? What are you talking about?"

I thought I ended up in a certain foreign show.

"...Are you one of Iris's friends, or something?"

"No. Don't let my form fool you, I'm a grown woman."

"OK, who are you, then?"

She chuckled, then crossed her legs.

"I am the dark goddess of puppetry and vengeance, Regina. I believe we've been introduced before by my former follower, Seresdina. Well, you know her as Serena."

She noticed me backing away. She held up her hands.

"Don't worry, I mean no harm."

That was when I noticed what she said.

"Wait, former follower?"

"Yes, Seresdina unfortunately died in battle."

So she didn't get away.

"But… If the explosion hit her, then Megumin should be dead by now."

"That's because I rescinded her blessings at the last moment."

My stomach dropped once I realized what that meant.

I tried to fight it, but it was impossible not to feel gratitude after she saved Megumin from certain death.

However, the feeling of losing control never came.

"Relax, I don't want to control you. I don't have any real allegiance to the Demon King army. I just wanted to use them for one thing."

"...What do you want?"

Depending on her answer, she could be worse than the Demon King.

At least the Demon King had a somewhat logical goal.

Meanwhile, this Regina was a completely unknown factor.

However, her eyes softened, as a hint of melancholy filled it.

"...I want you to help me restore my kingdom of Norse."

Norse… That was the name of the kingdom from the other-world, a technologically advanced civilization that led to the creation of the app system.

A civilization that was eventually ruined by one of the first Japanese reincarnates.

And his failure led to the abolishment of the reincarnation program, which led to the Demon King army taking over the other world.

"Restore the kingdom… But it's not like I can influence the other world in any way."

"That's true, for now. But I've seen what you're capable of. I'm willing to bet on you. It's not like I have any more followers, after Seresdina died."

Rather than take Megumin out and potentially ruin ties with me, she tried the diplomatic approach.

She was even showing good faith by not outright controlling me.

Serena was one thing, but this was the dark goddess herself, Regina.

If she really wanted to, she could make me a true, mindless thrall, forced to follow her bidding forever.

I was still suspicious about this whole thing, but I also didn't want to sour relations with Regina.

It was a reasonable request, considering everything.

"Alright… I'll do it."

She smiled and said,

"Excellent. I won't force you to worship me or anything, but just know that you can't break a promise with a goddess… Especially one who rules over puppetry."

"Yeah, I get that."

She nodded, before her bottom half started sinking into the shadows.

"Well, then, I will contact you at another time. I will let you rest now, boya."

I watched her disappear.

You have established a new bond!

Regina (Fallen Goddess), Bond Rank: 1

You have accepted Regina's request to save her ruined kingdom of Norse. She seems to hold you in high regard due to your skills, and how you were able to beat her former follower, Seresdina. Taking steps to restore her kingdom will deepen your bond with Regina.