Chapter 338: Penacony Arc 『 Part Thirty-three』,The Indestructible Ledger of the Penacony
「 The instant the beast lunged from the violet haze, Hotaru moved on pure instinct, shielding Stelle with her own body. But in the next heartbeat, Stelle's fingers clamped around her wrist, pulling her firmly behind her.
"—Get back!"
The metal bat tore through the air with a sharp whistle, slamming violently against the creature's jagged tail-stinger. Amidst the shrill, metallic screech of the impact, the sheer force of the blow sent Stelle reeling backward.
By the time she struggled to her feet, she saw that Hotaru had already been ensnared by the creature's tail, hoisted high before its many eyes.
The cold, unyielding tail constricted around her waist. Hotaru clenched her fists, her knuckles turning a ghostly white. For a moment, she seemed to hesitate, as if weighing a hidden recourse, but ultimately, she relented.
Suddenly, the air surrounding the monster began to ripple like a disturbed pond. A spark of spectral blue light flickered into existence, trailing a wake like a falling star.
The radiance expanded rapidly, manifesting into a massive, intricate circular array that engulfed the beast—
The sheer magnificence of the mandala was enough to steal one's breath away.
Countless slender threads of light wove together into kaleidoscopic patterns, appearing in the void like the rose windows of an ancient cathedral. A second later, accompanied by the crystalline sound of shattering glass, five gargantuan, amethyst-like talons erupted from the array, pinning the monster to the wall with a thunderous 'thud.'
"If you don't know the right technique..."
Not far away, a woman with silver hair draped in a translucent violet veil sat elegantly atop a television set. Her slender fingers toyed with a floating, iridescent card.
"You might never return from the shadow of Death... Emerging without a scratch." 」
「 ..... 」
〜OVERLORD World〜
The Lizardmen, Green Claw Tribe—
"That woman in purple… she can actually summon the limbs of a demon?"
As one of the few female lizardmen in the tribe capable of wielding multiple forms of magic, Crusch Lulu did not possess a profound understanding of high-level theoretical principles, yet she could intuitively gauge the caliber of a spell.
That massive, circular magic circle had unfolded with the monster as its epicenter. Its patterns were intricate and exquisite, possessing a dreamlike beauty. More importantly, the circle did not merely serve to suppress the beast; it acted as a gateway to another realm, revealing but a fraction of the horror sealed within.
The woman seemed to require no incantation—or rather, there was no visible sign of casting—yet the execution and precision of the magic were flawless.
Thus, there could only be one conclusion—
This woman was undoubtedly a highly dangerous demonic summoner.
"Demonic limbs… are you saying she can summon champions on par with the Great Sovereigns to do battle?"
A taller, black-scaled male lizardman nearby asked.
"…Zaryusu, your words are bordering on sacrilege."
"Ah! My apologies!"
Ever since the lizardman tribes swore fealty to the Supreme One, Crusch had not dared to utter a single word of dissent regarding Ainz-Sama.
Although the tribes had indeed flourished under his reign, such irreverent comparisons… Who knew if invisible eyes or ears were monitoring them within the village?
"It is hard to say if what that woman summoned was even a demon. It might be something that transcends demons entirely—"
Something transcending demons… the only entity Zaryusu could conceive of was the Supreme One. Yet, from Crusch's tone, it seemed she believed the thing summoned by this purple-clad woman might be even more powerful than the Supreme One.
But… surely that was impossible?
He found it truly difficult to fathom.
"…Does such a thing really exist?"
"Perhaps not on this continent, but within the galactic civilizations beyond our world, it is not uncommon. Take the Aeon's and their Emanators, for instance."
"Oh? Then doesn't that mean the Supreme One's power—"
"Shh!"
Sensing her husband's impending dangerous remark, Crusch cut him off sharply.
"Zaryusu, you may wonder, but even if you deduce the truth, please keep it to yourself."
Intimidated by the rare, stern glint in his wife's eyes, a bead of cold sweat rolled down Zaryusu's brow. He nodded fervently.
"Right… right!"
—
「 The monster violently shook off the crystalline hands and lunged back into the center of the room.
"And you are…?" Hotaru glanced toward the elegant lady.
"Relax, little sister. I'm on your side," the woman chuckled softly, shielding her smile with her hand. "You may call me… Black Swan, a Memokeeper."
Black Swan flicked the cards in her hand with effortless grace. With every subtle movement, countless eldritch hands reached out from the depths of the floor, lashing out at the monster with feral intensity.
However, the creature was exceptionally resilient… Even after enduring several volleys of Black Swan's firepower, it remained vigorous.
"Until we meet again."
Black Swan elegantly drew a single card. The spectral blue light suddenly condensed, transforming into a massive formation that descended from above, sealing itself directly onto the monster.
In an instant, the beast let out a piercing howl, its thousand eyes spinning frantically. Its body was pinned to the floor by an invisible force, as if it were struggling desperately against an immutable law.
"Go, quickly." With a flick of her finger, Black Swan used a card to manifest a shimmering portal beside the two girls.
Hotaru acted instantly, grabbing Stelle and diving into the light, vanishing from the scene in the blink of an eye. 」
「 ..... 」
〜Naruto World〜
"A Memokeeper…"
Tsunade withdrew her gaze from the sky, her expression one of shock.
"Is the Garden of Recollection truly this formidable? It appears she uses those cards to channel various 'jutsu.' The number of cards in her hand dictates the breadth of her arsenal."
"But she follows the Path of 『 Remembrance 』… I assumed her combat style would involve trapping opponents in their own memories or something of the sort…"
Terumi Mei recalled when Stelle first entered the Simulated Universe; when the Star God of 『 Remembrance 』 first appeared, she had been paralyzed by her own memories for a good half-minute.
"Beyond that, one thing is quite strange,"
Gaara spoke up suddenly.
"She is of the Garden of Recollection. Why would she go out of her way to help those girl? There seems to be no logical reason."
In his view, those who came to Penacony… with the exception of the relatively straightforward Miss Hotaru, none seemed particularly well-intentioned.
Furthermore, this Black Swan had displayed her prowess so openly—
The woman's power was unfathomable, effortlessly suppressing a monster that even Stelle couldn't handle… Even if she had saved them, one would need to remain on high alert.
"And Black Swan seems to know Penacony far better than Stelle does… Is this the authority of a Memokeeper? Or does she have her own methods of gathering intelligence?"
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