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Chapter 61 Part 4 – The power of the God of Combat pierces through the darkness. And Alisa starts to move.

It is a fact that heredity exists. Parents, children, and siblings look alike. The nobles often leave behind portraits, so it is very apparent when looking at the faces of that family from generation to generation. Of course, the environment in which they were raised in is also a factor, but it is a well-known fact that those from warrior families tend to have excellent physical abilities, while those from musician families tend to have a high level of musical talent. The combination of bloodlines can to some extent increase the probability of obtaining the desired appearance and abilities.

But …… can a human with six arms and a tail be created by human hands?
That should be impossible even for Solomon the Great Scholar, one of the five heroes who slaughtered me in the previous 「108 times」.
Life is not like a clay product.
I have seen unicorns and chimeras presented to me by various kingdoms when I was a queen in the previous 「108 times」, but they were all corpses. To be more specific, it was the corpses of multiple animals skillfully joined together.

「…… Princess, you have seen it as well. The blue diamond you saw earlier is a cursed thing that can distort life. They used that cursed jewel and drugs to perform the procedure on embryos before it even took human form. The four oldest families kidnapped countless pregnant women and used them as test subjects. Most of them could not survive the procedure and both the mother and child died. We are one of the few survivors.」

…… I reflexively clutched my lower abdomen.
The story was too sickening for a woman.
They should be called the psychotic four families. I shouldn’t have asked about it.

「…… Hey, your master, that monstrous woman, has taken control of the four oldest families, right? That should be the only reason why the four families have not contacted Scarlet, the successor of the True Emperor. That woman is probably behind this attack as well. Answer me.」

At 「his」 sudden question, Phantasma stiffened.

Eh? 「He」 knows the boss of the Seven Phantoms!?

「…… The four families have recognized that our master is the most suitable successor to the True Emperor. Therefore …… we now look up to that person as our leader. For us, the Seven Phantoms, her orders are absolute …… Addis and I …… we were ordered to test your strength.」

Phantasma stammered and reluctantly affirmed 「his」 speculation.
The respect and fear he had of their master was evident in his expression.

I gasped. The story has expanded again!!

First, the human experimentation done by the four oldest families.
And now, there is another successor of the True Emperor other than myself, whom those four families unconditionally follow!?
I have never heard of such an existence even in the previous 「108 times」!?
On top of that, that Blue Diamond that Mr. Queer Witch wears around his neck is capable of distorting life!?
And the Seven Phantoms were created by it!?

I don’t even know where to begin!!

「Tell me. Who is stronger? The current monstrous woman or me?」

「He」 asked Phantasma a follow-up question.
Phantasma breathed heavily.

「I want to know whether I can beat her or not while she’s still young.」

「He」 was overflowing with the presence of lightning. The pressure that 「he」 emitted was suffocating.

I can’t believe it. The other successor of the True Emperor is just as strong or even stronger than 「him」?　
Moreover, from the way 「he」 speaks, the other person is still in the process of growing up.
And that person is a woman ……!! Who in the world is she ……?

I waited with bated breath for Phantasma’s answer.
Sweat broke out on Phantasma’s forehead.

「…… That’s ……!!」

「…… Ugyaaa!! Gigigiii!!」

Suddenly, a shrill sound pierced through my brain.
It may sound silly when written in words, but hearing that scream at close range was such a shock that my heart nearly jumped out. The insides of my ears hurt.

Addis was swinging his six arms around while screaming and rolling on the ground.
He looked just like a victim who had been poisoned and was thrashing about.

Ehh, did 「he」 do something!?
「He」 noticed my gaze and held out 「his」 hands in a gesture that said, 「It wasn’t me」.

Meanwhile, Addis’s screams continued unceasingly.

「Kyaoooooouu!! Ugyaaaaa!!」

In fact, his voice was even more indescribable.
It was not even a word. It sounded more like a monkey’s scream.
He clawed at his white dress suit and tore it to shreds.
His fur was revealed from under the clothes.

The top hat that Addis never took off no matter what happened slipped off his head.
I shuddered.
Although he was still wearing a mask, there was no way to hide his bizarre appearance.
His head was covered with fur instead of hair and his ears poked out in a vivid manner.
It was the appearance of a monkey itself.
It suddenly occurred to me that his strange accent might be due to the fact that his vocal cords are slightly different from those of a normal person, rather than a character trait.

After losing his sanity and acting like a monkey, Addis clawed at the trunk of a nearby tree.
It wasn’t such a light blow.
With the second blow, the tree that seemed to be able to withstand an elephant’s charge had snapped off.

Illuminated by a blue light coming from behind him, Addis snarled and looked at us.
Drool overflowed from the crevices of his mask and danced in the night air.
There was not a trace of the unique beauty of a wild animal. Rather, he looked like an incarnation of atrociousness and destruction.

「…… The Witch …… of Doom ……!!」

Phantasma grunted.

Behind Addis, who was breathing heavily, there was a figure approaching slowly.
From the pendant on his chest, a dazzling and ominous blue light gushed out.
It was the Blue Diamond.
That light is the cause of Addis’s transformation.

But that’s Mr. Queer Witch …… No, it’s not ……!!
The body is the same, but this is a completely different person.
It was faintly visible that there are no more vines on her face that are obscured by the hood.
Her rich blond hair spilled out.
I have a hunch that this time it was a girl.
Somehow it feels like I’ve seen that silhouette somewhere before.
But the light of the Blue Diamond was so strong that I couldn’t look directly at her face.

Strangely enough, despite the intensity of the light, I could clearly make out an eye that was wide open in the center of the Blue Diamond. An eye pattern in a jewel!? What is going on!? That’s just like the Ruby of God’s Eye!!

「Don’t tell me she’s the other successor of the True Emperor ……?」

「…… No. That’s not the monstrous woman. But that abominable diamond is dangerous. I’m going to destroy it right here and now. Stay back, Scarlet. I’m going to get a little serious.」

Understood!! According to 「your」 words, I, Scarlet, will do my best to get away.
I obeyed 「his」 words as quickly as possible and fled the scene.

「His」 eyes turned red and a cloud of blood rose up on 「his」 back like a wing.
It was the activation of the 「Blood Atonement」 technique that enhances 「his」 physical ability.
Even in normal circumstances 「he」 has a strength far exceeding a human being, it was frightening to think of how much strength 「he」 has now.
If I were to get caught in the middle of this, someone like me would be dead in a single blow.

I immediately looked for shelter.
I quickly hid behind Phantasma’s huge body, who had already retreated with the unconscious mother and Seraphy in his arms.

「…… Please excuse me for disturbing you.」

People are castles, people are hedges, people are moats.
With the title of the Phantom Castle and the ability to nullify physical attacks with muscle vibrations, Phantasma would be the strongest shield.

Phantasma smiled wryly and nodded slightly.

Ohhh, you are such a nice guy.

「Why don’t you quit the Seven Phantoms and come to our side as a bodyguard? Your salary will be great!!」

「……!! …… Buhahahaha ……!!」

After hearing my invitation, Phantasma’s eyes widened and then he burst out laughing.
He looked at me with a big smile.

「No thank you. You are very bold. To be honest, I’m afraid of that great warrior. To the point that I want to run away right now. But you’re not fazed at all. I have to admit that my heart was shaken by the invitation. …… Just look.」

……? Something fell from the treetops of the forest?
It’s too dark to see clearly ……