I found myself in a bad situation.
When I arrived here, I thought it would be a piece of cake to defeat this guy.
I was completely wrong.
"Hmm. Is that all you've got?"
The fat old man was throwing his tentacles at me, and I repelled them with fireballs or water balls.
Meanwhile, he was eating a melon bread he had pulled out of his pocket.
"This is so delicious. By the way, didn't you say you could defeat me?"
Dodging the tentacle attacks was nearly impossible.
So, I decided to use a cheat skill that I usually wouldn't because it's so cowardly.
"Cheat Magic: Divert Attention."
"...?"
The "Divert" magic is unique because it affects a specific target of my choice.
I manipulated one of his tentacles, and using the force with which it was going to hit me, it went straight for the old man himself.
It blew his head off, scattering pieces of him everywhere.
I had won.
"Yes!"
I shouted joyfully because I had finally killed him.
But my joy quickly faded when I saw his head regenerating at an alarming speed.
"Huh? Are you kidding me?"
I quickly grabbed the siblings and flew away.
As I escaped, I could hear his voice drawing closer.
"That was a good move, but it was useless."
"The mutagen pill the cult leader gave me for situations like this was a miracle that kept me alive."
"I can regenerate from any damage you inflict on me."
(Mutagen!)
(Regenerate?)
(Even Nemesis wasn't as brazen an enemy as you are.)
Something happened right in front of me.
It was a balloon with cannons.
It wasn't alone—more of them approached and started merging together.
To be specific, they were fusing.
The old man, now a monster, became even uglier.
He was some kind of octopus-man hybrid, with the upper half resembling a black-colored human and the lower half entirely made of tentacles.
His voice was distorted, as if he were speaking through a device.
"This form is for taking over this country. Hand over those brats so I can force them to sign and then kill them."
"Never."
"Then die."
The tentacles moved at great speed, and I used a shield to protect us.
But I couldn't do anything here, so I stepped out to attack him. However, the moment I did—
"Kyaah!"
One of his tentacles moved at incredible speed and sliced me in half.
My body was sent flying, but before my consciousness faded, I used "Complete Regeneration" and watched as my body reformed before my consciousness transferred to the regenerated body.
Even the mutant fatty was stunned.
"You truly have some incredible cheat cards. I'll devour you to gain even more power and face him."
"Him?"
"The cult leader. He's the most mysterious man of all. My transformation is thanks to a strange medicine only he knows about."
"No one can stand against him because everyone fears and respects him, but I'm different."
"I crave power and riches, not respect."
"I want enough power to challenge him and take over the world in his place because that is the cult's ultimate desire."
Everything he said was part of the game's plot—but with one small difference.
"And what do you gain by conquering the world?"
"Do you think the economy will stop, or you'll stop paying taxes?"
"That would be nice. But honestly, it's more about my personal ambition. Now, enter me and give me your power!"
The tentacles moved even faster. Ignoring the siblings, I managed to move away.
He obediently followed me to an isolated location. The ceiling was glass, and his colossal size nearly touched it.
It was there that I decided to use an even more cheat-like ability.
"You know something? I haven't introduced myself properly."
"I don't really care."
"I'm Kurono Ichiru, and let me show you the true power of a cheat ability."
"A cheat, you say?"
(Rei, I'm sorry, but I'll have to take at least 40% of your power to use this.)
(I've always wanted to try it, and according to the system error log that shows me what I can't do, this isn't prohibited.)
"Cheat Magic: Drain."
"This time, I won't use just my power—I'll use the power of my surroundings."
The atmosphere grew heavy.
The nearby plants began to wither, and the ground cracked.
"I'm using not only my infinite magical power but also the magical energy flowing through the earth."
"Basically, I'm using two energy sources."
(I can't believe I'm using the same spell as that guy, but I have no other way to end this.)
"Come forth. Meteor of ******!"
After evading copyright, I manifested a massive meteor hurtling down at great speed.
It would take no more than ten seconds to hit.
Because of this, I also erected a barrier to trap us inside.
"You're lucky I don't feel pain. Otherwise, this would hurt as much as it does you."
"Huh?"
The meteor struck, and the resulting explosion and flames were contained within the barrier.
Everything inside was consumed by fire—including me.
Thanks to "Complete Regeneration," my body wasn't destroyed.
"Hahaha. Nice try."
From within the flames, the octopus-man laughed as he regenerated.
I was starting to feel terrified because if the flames of a meteor couldn't kill him, I didn't know what could.
As fear began to creep in, I noticed it.
The regeneration had stopped, and he began to disintegrate like ashes.
"You've won, and I admit it... but remember this."
"The cult leader, Lord Azoth, is someone you can never defeat."
"Because he... listens to the voice of..."
He couldn't finish his final words before being completely annihilated.
I used fire magic to burn the remains and then water magic to clean up, ensuring not even the slightest chance of his return.
Now that it was over, I created new clothes after regenerating my burned parts.
"In the game, the cult leader was just an NPC who was easily beaten. He didn't even come close to being 1% as dangerous as this guy."
"But in this world, that leader is truly a threat."
"Why can't things ever go the way I want?"
I went to Eli and Sig to free them from the shield.
Sometime later, Rei arrived, injured, and it seemed everything was over.
◇◇◇
After the events at the palace and the church, the palace officials were busy dealing with the problems left behind by the criminals.
The people still believed the church was pure and the palace was the villain.
They had to convince them otherwise.
Meanwhile, the king was interrogating someone. A man with long white hair was staring at the ground, nearly prostrate.
It was the commander of the royal knights, Sieghart Hogan.
"Sieg, why weren't you here during the attack?"
"I'm sure you returned from the border not long ago."
"..."
Sieg didn't answer the king.
The two were the only ones present.
The king trusted him so much that his delay in coming to the palace seemed strange.
"Did something serious happen that kept you from returning to the palace?"
"Yes."
"What exactly?"
Sieg's mouth moved sadly.
"My daughter."
"I tried to make amends with her, but she rejected me."
"I deeply regret not coming to the palace immediately, Your Majesty. But—"
"Stop."
The king interrupted Sieg's explanation.
"If that was the reason, I can't say I don't understand your motives."
"Was the rejection so bad that you couldn't come?"
"I couldn't come because I tried to talk to her, but her maid just asked me to leave."
"I see. You may go and recover. There will be no punishment."
"Thank you for your kind words."
Sieg turned and left, dejected. The king pitied him.
"If my daughter hated me as much as yours does you, I don't know what I'd do."
"Sieg, what did you do for your own daughter to go over two decades without speaking to you?"
Sieg heard this and, before leaving, murmured to himself.
"I let my wife die because I prioritized work."
The strongest man in the kingdom walked away, depressed, with his head hung low.
No one would have imagined that the one responsible for his state was a simple woman.
______________
Arc of "Kurono's Isekai Life," Concluded.
________________
The fanservice is for Sieghart, who will show us a side no one has ever seen.
https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/leonard%20burns