MI181: Palpable (Patreon)

With Sayu still unconscious after Ganyu's treatment, Paul was passing the time by experimenting with his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

Unlike the Mystic Eyes from his memory, Paul quickly discovered that his own only applied to inanimate objects. Similar to how his X-Ray Eyes were incapable of seeing through a person's body, sufficiently dense Mana was able to interfere with his ability to perceive the Lines of Death.

Fortunately, while he couldn't see Lines of Death on living creatures, Paul could see them on items and constructs containing Mana. He tested this out by having Ganyu form an Intermediate-Ranked Barrier and stabbing a point where several Lines of Death intersected. He would ordinarily need to expend a significant amount of effort to cut through such a barrier, but the tip of his sword pierced through the junction as if it were awaiting his blade like a sheathe...

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Interrupting Paul's experimentation, Zhongli calmly informed everyone, "It appears our friend from before has returned. A group of powerful foes has begun to converge in the corridors joining the Great Hall."

As they had been expecting a counter-attack for nearly seven hours, Paul was more relieved than surprised by Zhongli's report, asking, "How many are there?" in a fairly calm and relaxed manner.

Without needing to double-check her findings, Zhongli adopted a faint smile as she confidently replied, "There are a total of seven with fairly powerful auras. There is also a battalion's worth of Anti-Magic Golems and Magic Armors."

Expecting a few dozen enemies, Paul's relaxed demeanor promptly faded away. He wasn't frightened, but the notion he would be forced to sit in the back immediately entered his mind...

Having heard Zhongli's report, Kishirika flew over in her prototype Golden Armor, asking, "You mentioned there are seven powerful auras? Can you see what they look like...?"

Nodding her head, Zhongli replied, "It's a bit difficult, but I can make out their general appearance. Is there someone, in particular, you're looking for?"

"Is this woman among them?"

Holding up her right hand, Kishirika demonstrated the versatility of her armor's amorphous properties by creating the figure of a catgirl in the palm of her hand. Unlike a typical Beast Person, however, this particular catgirl had a fairly 'modern' appearance that included short hair, a long-sleeved jacket, what appeared to be sunglasses, and a pleated skirt that extended to her ankles. She also had various weapons strapped to her lower back, one resembling a shortsword with a built-in revolver...

Recognizing the figure among their would-be assailants, Zhongli nodded her head and replied, "Indeed. She is presently seated atop a golem that resembles a large metal ball."

"I knew it..."

Exhaling a sigh, Kishirika pre-empted Paul's inquiries by explaining, "When we first entered the throne room, I initiated its lockdown feature, sealing it from the inside. Outsiders would need to complete a series of six trials to undo the lockdown, but the Master or Steward of the castle need only ask the Guardians to open the way..."

Holding up the figurine she had created, Kishirika continued, "This is Atena of Slaughter. Much like Fayde, she's one of the Spirits that sided with Demonkind after the collapse of the Demon World. If she's here, it's safe to assume the remaining auras belong to her fellow Guardians."

Since it was impossible for them to avoid a conflict, Paul decided to ask the most pressing question that came to mind, specifically, "Will you be able to reclaim your throne if we defeat them?"

Reabsorbing Atena's figurine into her palm, Kishirika turned to meet Paul's gaze, grinning as she replied, "Definitely. However, I would prefer it if your pet monsters didn't kill Atena. Summoning Ancient Spirits isn't particularly difficult, but negotiating their contracts is a pain in the ass."

Smiling wryly, Paul looked to Zhongli and Ei to hear what they had to say. He likely wouldn't be fighting on the frontlines, so it was ultimately up to them whether or not they would spare the stylish yet odd-looking catgirl.

Offering a smile of her own, Zhongli assured, "Based on my estimates, her power is around the standard for the King Rank. Unless she possesses a form of spatial movement or teleportation, capturing her should be a fairly simple matter."

Though it felt weird hearing Zhongli refer to King-Ranked individuals as if they were little more than children, Paul just nodded his head and replied, "Great. I'll leave her capture to you. There isn't much I can contribute to this fight, so I'll stay here with Kishirika, Ganyu, Yae, and Sayu."

Fearing that Zhongli would make the same mistake as before, Kishirika interjected to add, "It would be ideal if you could capture each of them, especially the one in black armor. If they're the same person you crushed previously, they should know the location of Laplace's spare vessels."

Nodding her head in affirmation, Zhongli replied, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind..." before shifting her amber-eyed gaze to Ei. 

Understanding the meaning behind Zhongli's look, Ei furrowed her brows and asserted, "Spare me your concerns. I am perfectly capable of holding back."

Instead of arguing or attempting to refute Ei's claim, Zhongli maintained her smile as she looked at Paul and said, "If there's nothing else, Lady Beelzebub and I will depart for the Great Hall. Please take Lady Sayu and relocate elsewhere. As unlikely as it is for the enemy to breakthrough, it's better to take precautions against any unforeseen circumstances."

As much as the notion of hiding away bothered him, Paul didn't hesitate to respond, "Yeah, yeah, I know." before half-turning with the intent to go pick up Sayu. However, before stepping away, he looked back at Zhongli and Ei, adding, "I believe in you both..." in a solemn tone.

Placing her hand over her heart, Zhongli offered a courteous bow as she replied, "And we shan't disappoint you." before raising her head to reveal a squinty-eyed smile...

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While looking bored atop her personalized golem, the Great Ballmaru-san, Atena lazily inquired, "Are you sure they're going to come out? They can't be that stupid, can they...?"

Scowling beneath her helmet, the Black Knight version of Kishirika turned to the bored-looking cat girl and replied, "They were able to react to and dodge the Longsword of Light. If you don't take them seriously, you'll lose more than just your head."

Rolling her eyes, Atena fearlessly retorted, "You're not even a swordsman. Someone being able to dodge your attacks isn't even remotely surprising."

"Atena..."

Interjecting before the argument could get out of hand, a tall, lean, and muscular man with bronzed skin, brown hair, and tribal garments adorned with large feathers stated, "Even if she ceded her power and authority to Master Laplace, you should not speak ill of our former Mistress."

Raising her right middle finger, Atena replied, "Bite me, Brahm. Nobody asked for your opinion."

Narrowing his eyes, Brahm, also known as Brahm the Primal, gripped the archaic-looking spear in his left hand. It resembled a simple bone spear, and while that's precisely what it was, the materials used to assemble it were harvested from the bodies of extinct, calamity-class monsters.

Though Brahm made no indication he was about to attack, Atena leaped away like a startled cat, her fangs and claws bared as she shouted, "Huh, huh!? You want to go!? Bring it on...!"

Instead of responding to Atena's challenge, Brahm directed his gaze to the double doors separating the Great Hall from the throne room. He was unable to sense their auras directly, but his instincts told him there were a number of powerful enemies on the other side. In other words, he didn't have time for Atena and her nonsense.

Realizing that Brahm was ignoring her, Atena's right eye twitched as she reached behind her to grip the hilt of her self-created weapon, the Killer Roscoe Mk 3. Brahm was a lot stronger than she was, but she also knew he wouldn't fight back seriously unless she genuinely tried to kill him.

Before Atena could make up her mind about whether or not she wanted to attack Brahm, a petite figure using her distinctly mechanical tail as a sort of perch chimed in to say, "Give it a rest, Atena. It's not like you have any pressing matters to return to."

Looking toward the person that had spoken, Atena's expression morphed into one of conflict as she retorted, "I was in the middle of drafting a new name. As someone who nags me about new releases, I figured you would be more understanding, Azura."

Dropping out of her suspended, cross-legged posture, Azura landed on the blade-like tips of her clearly mechanical feet as she looked toward the Black Knight and proposed, "I'll lure them out. They might run out of food and supplies if we wait, but we didn't gather here to just idle about in the Great Hall. Our duty is to supervise the six trials, not assist in sieging the throne room."

Gritting her teeth, the Black Knight quietly muttered, "Damned turncoat..." before looking to the other Guardians to see their reactions. Brahm only really cared about confronting powerful foes and hunting large game, so she looked toward the remaining three, a drunk-looking woman with red skin, red eyes, white hair, and pointed horns, a marginally more petite woman with matching skin, fluffy white hair, blue eyes, and elf-like ears, and a burly, 318cm tall man that resembled a Magic Armor but with a far more regal appearance.

Noticing the Black Knight's gaze, the towering figure stated, "I will fight." in a deep, bone-chilling tone. He was the Commander of the Magic Armor Division, so he would never forgive interlopers who exorcised his brethren and attempted to claim the castle for themselves. As for his name, people simply referred to him as Legion, as, rather than a single person, he was the amalgamation of countless tortured souls.

Following Legion's example, the scantily-clad drunkard, also known as Vahka, made a peace sign as she assured, "I already came all this way. No way am I going to return before I've had a bit of fun."

Exhaling a sigh, the similarly red-skinned woman gave her markedly more lascivious counterpart a narrow-eyed stare as she appended, "If my sister is going to fight, I'm obligated to at least collect her corpse..."

Amused by her younger sister's remark, Vahka promptly pounced on the annoyed-looking woman, shamelessly groping her from behind as she laughingly mused, "Oh, Vashti, I knew you cared~!"

Though it was difficult to see due to her complexion, a slightly darker shade of red colored Vashti's cheeks as she extricated herself from her sister's clutches and groaned, "You're embarrassing yourself in front of our allies..."

Before Vahka could respond, the Black Knight firmly stated, "It's fine. So long as she does her job, I don't care how she behaves."

Following her words, the Black Knight returned her attention to Azura and asked, "Are you sure you wish to act as bait? We no longer have the ability to fabricate replacement parts. Once your current reserves run out, you'll have no choice but to inhabit the body of an Anti-Magic Golem."

Exhibiting no fear or hesitation, Azura replied, "So long as I can continue to fulfill my duty, it doesn't matter what form I possess."

Grabbing a device from her hip, Azura held it out to her side and allowed it to transform into a futuristic three-pronged spear. At the same time, an audible whirring sound began to emanate from Azura's body as lights at the tips of her artificial horns, feet, and tail began to pulsate with vibrant, azure-green light.

"I'm go-"

As if to mock Azura's conviction, the doors to the throne room began to open of their own accord. Then, despite just a single person appearing, even the Magic Armors and Anti-Magic Golems felt a strange tension as Zhongli emerged from within, a 'friendly' smile on her face as she calmly remarked, "I will give you one opportunity to surrender."

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