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Karindou 4 Koma Extra Story Pseudo Short Story [Ghostrick Live] 14
Due to her body strengthing, she quickly ran to avoid the red hot ball. As she felt the air around her getting hotter, as she started chanting without slowing her pace one bit, and started the spell.
"Water Sphere!"
Holding onto Aeri=al, the moisture in the atmosphere began to condense and form a ball of water at Aeri=al's tip. The surface began to shake, and countless tiny streams of water shot out at the drake like a shower. However, the majority of them evaporated from the high temperatures surrounding the drake, and even those that barely reached him didn't have enough power to pierce his scales, and splashed off of him. Reversing direction by kicking off the wall, hair fluttering in the still hot air, she continued chanting.
"Aqua Serpent!"
Ignoring as the ball of water that had become a cannon, the drake fought against the serpent that appeared beneath with his whole body, using his claws to fight while trying to crush it underfoot. Turning away from Aeri=al, and stopping her own speed enhancement, Elza came to a sudden halt, as his tail came crashing down right in front of Elza like a giant tree, obliterating the floor. It was an attack that knocked her body aside, spinning. Even though Elza protected herself with an invisible magical shield, she couldn't brace herself from the shock from such a massive object, and her body went flying.
In an instant, controlling Aeri=al, it shot straight up before slamming into the wall, and moving above the drake's head, she began to cast a spell, the 3rd one in a row.
"Ice Javelin!"
Three pairs of sharp ice lances shot out, but they were chomped down on by his giant jaws full of countless fangs. Elza had dodged the flames spewed from his nose by suddenly diving downward, and got to location where she could target his throat and tried casting a spell, but it wasn't effective. Gliding inches over the floor and barely able to stomp down onto it, she then dodged the deadly claws coming from overhead.
"I don't know if it that's due to your ability, or support from that broom-looking rod, but for a mid level mage, you have a good magical energy focusing rate. But it's too bad, as long as you're so worried about your sister, you can only use low level magic. And with a drake as your opponent, it just goes from bad to worse. Even though you're not even related by blood, you still show your love for her. But you know, right? Even if you used your most powerful magic at full power? Either way, you won't be able to save your sister!"
She clicked her tongue once at the blatant provocation.
(Tch! He might just be a fake, but his drake transformation isn't just for show... Even when I tried to stop his movements, he broke the binds with physical strength, and he has high resistance against ailments and mental afflictions, and non-full powered attacks don't work on him. Anything that has the power to be effective against him will also encompass the surroundings too, and if I do something like that now, it's obvious what would happen to Ran. And not only that, but if too much time passes, then Ryuuto will also be in danger. I must hurry!)
Like a scornful laugh in anticipation of what will happen, the drake's hard scales treated Elza's attacks like it was nothing. He didn't seem to realize that the spell name was the same as the effect, but Elza was already using sorcery, not magic. The difference between magic and sorcery that had the same effect was, for example, the difference in strength between a match and a blow torch. Basically, the sorcery Elza used exceeded the strength of high level magic. And yet, the most it did was damage the surface of the scales, and even if it was effective, it would only be the slightest of damage to the drake itself, who didn't even seem to feel it.
There was a reason why the sorcery didn't pierce through. The situation wasn't right to use high class sorcery yet, and she was only using mid or lower class sorcery as a feint.
The box that Ran was in had a magical shield, like she was using to on herself, and probably could protect even against high class sorcery, but that wasn't Elza's only problem. If a forced shutdown of the system would cause Ran's mind to go crazy, if that part of his statement was true, then it would be dangerous to destroy not only the box, but all the rest of the aparatus as well. And naturally, that was all of the things placed all around. Each and every thing around would be easy to destroy, and she had no idea how many of the machines she would have to protect, and the protection would have to cover a large area. Without it, the extremely high destructive power of high class sorcery, which would destroy things not targetted by it, was not a possibility. Inevitably, the only sorcery she could use was attacks focused on a single target, which limited it to mid class or below sorcery. And even though she could increase the damage, she couldn't overcome the gap in firepower between the classes. on top of this restriction, she had to contend with the drake, a wingless dragon. Dragons naturally have a resistance against magic/sorcery, and their resistance increased the higher class of dragon it was. Drakes as a specifies were violent and somewhat lacking in intelligence, and were not able to reach high class, but they retained the traces of their primal appearance and were close to high class in their enormous strength, and had a corresponding resistence. An average wizard would not want to get into a 1 on 1 fight with one, and if they had to fight one, they would "pray that they can prepare a shielding spell, get plenty of distance between them, break through their high magical resistance with high class sorcery, and target their elemental weakness."
During the eternity that was 2000 years, Elza had experience dealing with drakes. However, this was completely different. She was fighting a drake, as an average wizard who isn't using necromancy, in close combat, with only a theoretical shield spell, and a poor elemental affinity and unable to use high class sorcery, and having to worry about a hostage and a wounded person, and no time to spare.
(Based on his body, he probably copied this from an immature being. A mature body would have a giant overwhelming body like a mountain, so I'm glad for that. But on the other hand, the smaller size has more agility, and it's annoying that it's harder to use sorcery to land a killing blow. If I can wait until I can somehow make an opening and use my special move, then I'll be able to overpower him without hitting Ran...!)
Swallowing her annoyance and humiliation, she jumped off of Aeri=al and slid on the floor, swinging Aeri=al like a spear and started casting.
"Freezing Bomb!"
The tip of Aeri=al pointed at the drake, as a crystal of ice formed on his chest. Before he could use his claws to knock it away, the crystal exploded into a small scale blizzard. The freezing chill was nullified by the drake's scales, but it couldn't defend against against the impact of the explosion, and the drake's jaw was knocked upward, knocking the giant body back.
(And now...)
Seeing her chance at victory, she started casting, but realizing what the dim light coming from behind the drake meant, a feeling of unease ran up her back as her follow up attack was abandoned.
In that split second of time, the drake eyes narrowed as he fell back.
"...Too bad, time's up."
"W, what!"
A dim light, flickering like smoke, rose up from Ran's body.
E.S. also started undergoing a transformation. Like it synced with Ran, a dim light shone from its body, pulsing.
"Hahahahaha! Finally, finally! The perpetual machine is complete! With this limitless energy, we can create the ultimate weapon that outputs massive energy without needing bullets or fuel! And we'll sell it! And with no long lasting effects like nuclear fallout, it won't be held back by human morals! And those stupid humans, who will throw reason out the window to remove whomever they call evil from the world, will gladly cross that final line! Whether to attack other countries, kill, or steal, they'll all buy this ultimate weapon! And they'll laud me as I sneer at them all! Hahahahahahaha!!!"
As the laughter echoed, the light enveloping Ran and E.S. flickered furiously.
Ran's synchronized shaking body was thrown backwards, and as Ran's turned to face her, Elza's eyes went wide and she gasped.
And then,
Ran and E.S. blushed, and at the same time, got a nosebleed.
The light bursting from them turned redder... More precisely, it was pink, and the surroundings were lit in pink.
"Wh... What's this!?"
The drake was plainly confused.
"The installation of the grudge should have meant a black light! Why is this color, what happened! What's her condition!"
The researchers, stunned by the unexpected scene, were sent into a panic by the drake's yell, and went over to the monitor showing the installation, and was surprised at what it showed.
"E, emotional range, plus... Pattern pink...!?"
"Plus? Pink!? Why was a positive emotion installed! And what's pink!!"
"Hehehe... You probably wouldn't know about that, huh."
As the drake reacted to the voice and turned around, Elza's face was right in front of him, with a huge confident grin.
"If you dig up the memories of a ghost, the feelings associated with them will be recalled... You were going to complete your plans by installing her grudge, but your plan had already failed long ago. Ran had been a mindless vengeful ghost, and had the grudge you sought. At least, if she had stayed as her old Jack-o-Ran-tan."
"What are you trying to say!?"
"In order to extract a grudge from a vengeful ghost, you must call forth the memories of her embracing her grudge, which is to say her strongest memories for a vengeful ghost. And just now, Ran's strongest memories were called forth. However, that was not Etranger Shutulia's memories, it was the memories of my sister, Ran Schtlehertz! If they have the same strength, then the newer memory will win! Even more so if it's one of happiness!"
As she looked at Ran, Elza could see it. Her face did not have a look of hate or pain, but one of embarrassment. It was the look that Elza knew, that Ran always had when she was with her beloved friends.
"Don't take the bonds Ran forged lightly! The strength of those bonds surpass that of grudges, love wins!"
"Ah... ah... ah..."
In Ran's mind, memories spun like a whirlpool. The video which was forcibly replayed in her mind unforgivingly stimulated Ran.
Over and over. It repeated, Ran with her face jammed against Tamaryuu's ass. An embarrassed Tamaryuu hitting the top of her head with her tail, and due to this, Tamaryuu's underwear getting torn up. Ran, falling forward due to getting hit from the tail, the torn underwear exposing that place right in front of her face, and a squish.
It was warm~
This repeated over and over.
"I, I, did that to Tamaryuu... Shblep!"
The intensity of her nosebleed increased. In a different sense, this might be getting dangerous.
"...Wh... Why did this..."
This development was so far beyond the drake's plans that he could only groan.
He had made 2 mistakes.
One was that several years ago, due to the decision of the wizard Kamishiro Seren, the grudge she had possessed as Jack-O-Ran-tan had been subliminated to near nothingness.
The other was that the day before she left Japan, in the confusion she embraced the feeling of Tamaryuu's ass, and by an act of God had had Tamaryuu's "girl" exposed right before her eyes. Combined with the impact of Tamaryuu's tail hitting the top of her head that followed right after, this vivid memory was burned into her brain. That is why when she tried to think of her life when she was alive, Tamaryuu's ass came to mind.
It's true that Ran had the memories of the original's death recalled. However, while the memories were being recalled, those memories were from the original, so Ran sought to erase the trauma... not as an Etranger copy, but as Ran Schtlehertz, with the kindness of her cheerful friends, and the love of her troublesome but reliable new family, and the newest and strongest was the feeling of Tamaryuu's ass, which replaced it.
It was clearer. It was vivider. And the shock of getting hit directly on the head with her tail blew everything else away, and she could recall the memories of her face-first dive into Tamaryuu's crotch. And as a young maiden, even the grudge couldn't compare.
No matter how long ago it was, a memory etched into the mind will never disappear. And when recalling the strongest memory, the grudge the original embraced will be called to mind. Their plan, had already failed long ago, due to the bonds created as the luckless Etranger copy followed her destiny to become the girl Ran Schtlehertz.
"...A victory... for love, uh, I think. Probably."
While unable to move as she wished, Ran's body was shaking this way and that, and her feet were kicking around. This was more violent than anticipated, so Elza was slightly worried. She wasn't completely sure of what she said, so she was concerned about what was happening.
"A failure... huh. This experiment was failure!?"
'Kyahahahahahaha!!'
Breaking the strangely tense atmosphere, the laugh of the happy child overhead echoed.
It was so out of place that Elza, the drake and the researchers all looked around for the source of the voice.
'Finally, finally, finally! It's finally come! I've been waiting for this moment!'
"That's... the ghost that looked like young Ran who kidnapped her from the party!"
Ever since Elza showed up, the Etranger copy had stayed away from Ran, observing what happened from near the ceiling. She laughed happily from above.
"W, waiting...? How stupid, that copy clearly has no sense of self..."
'Stupid? You're the one who's stupid. Just because I'm not following the conversation, and just mindlessly floating around, you say that I don't feel anything, that I'm don't think anything. You know nothing. You are the real fool.'
Turning around, the expression on the Etranger copy's face was not an empty smile, but a terrible twisted smile, like Ran and yet not.
'That girl escaping from right beneath your noses, the failure of the experiment... Did you think that was just chance? The ones who put that into motion was us! I, we, who were born from the corruption of Etranger's death and the trampling of her heart, this is our revenge!'
"What are you talking about..."
'That day 20 years ago, it wasn't chance that this girl escaped. For we planned her escape. The failure of your experiment, the hatred that this girl possessed was given to her by us, it wasn't something she originally had. No matter how much you try to draw it out, this girl only had pretend hatred, so there's no way you could extract real hatred.'
"Given!? Then, what is she... what are you!"
'You said that we preyed upon positive emotions, but we absorbed ourselves with positive emotions... We gathered, mixed together, and gradually added, and returned to our identical forms. The countless times we split and disappeared, this girl collected the positive emotions, and we were able to revive Etranger's "hope". And that's not all, we were able to disguise it as hatred and pretend it was a negative emotion. It was all for today, this was truly our "hope". Now that I've told you all this, you understand right? The real hatred is...'
The twisted smile, slowly...
'The real hatred is me... Always, next to you, waiting and hoping for this moment, the moment our revenge...!"
Became filled with dark hatred.