Kalliel
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Case 66: Doppelgangers.
🕑 Added 2023-09-30 12:20:17 +0000 UTC''Hey! What exactly did your leader say?!'' I shouted, mainly because we're flying pretty fast right now, and I can't be bothered to set up a sound barrier.
''He said that we just needed to focus on evacuating all the students to the clinic as soon as possible!''
That doesn't add anything...!
Fuck it, I guess we'll find out soon, I can see the clinic over there already.
-----
The 'clinic' that this guy told me is a three stories tall building located some 300m from the colosseum. It looks unremarkable, to be honest, except for a big old red cross sign on the top of the building I suppose.
Now, here's the problem. There's a big ass mana concentration that I could feel beneath the building. They somehow concealed it pretty well with a barrier, but I am an Archmage, I could see through it just fine.
''Urghh...''
''What's wrong, Anna?''
''I could feel... This unsettling sensation again...''
''Is it the same as when you met the Marquis?''
''I-I think.''
So Marquis equals Demon. I see. I know, that's way too short of a conclusion, but I don't care.
For now, let's go in first.
''Hey, you.'' I turn to the limp man.
''Huh?''
''Make sure to take care of that student.''
*BANG*
I kicked the door open.
''Excuse me!''
Inside the clinic are a bunch of beds arranged in rows, the injured students are all laying down on them, and they have the staff from the colosseum running around, taking care of them as well.
Upon first glance, there's nothing abnormal to point out, this is just a normal clinic.
But, trusting myself and Anna, we have to dig this up.
Ignoring all the stares from people, I grab a nurse nearby and started to question her:
''Sorry, could we meet the staff leader? Her highness the princess here wants a conversation with him.''
''Eh?! Her highness?! The team leader is currently talking with our president at the third floor, please wait for a moment, I will ca-
''Thanks.''
We immediately headed to the third floor.
Walking up the staircase, I could see Anna's expression getting worse and worse in real time.
''Is this hard for you?'' I said. ''You can rest somewhere else, we'll take care of it.''
''No!'' She objected. ''If I pull away in times like this, how could I even call myself your follower?''
''...Thanks. We're almost there, tell me if you want to get away.''
''Um.''
-----
''This is it.'' I said, looking at the door that has the 'President' tag before me. ''Let's go.''
*clack*
Opening the door, I could see a seemingly normal man in staff uniform sipping tea quietly on the couch. Opposing him is another man who's a little chubby, eating a piece of cake.
''That's him.'' Anna said decisively, pointing at the man in staff uniform. ''Both of them, actually.''
In truth, I could see it too. Their... skin disposition feels weird, I mean, it's like, they're wearing their skin right now. It's creepy. I'm certain they're impostors.
But... If Anna was right about the Marquis, then it means that I couldn't see through him that time like I did with these guys... This is getting dangerous.
''Oh? How may we help you, ladies?'' The 'president' said with a smile.
''Ah, do you want to eat candies?'' I said.
''Candies? What do you mea-
*BANG*
*BANG*
They both didn't have the chance to react, because I just fed them each a .50 cal bullet from my D.E, right to their heads.
To my horror, their skins started to melt like lava, pouring onto the ground, leaving behind two bleach white mannequin-like figures laying lifelessly on the ground.
''Urgh... Bleh...''
Before Anna started to vomit, I created a portal in front of her, so that she can get it all out cleanly. Looking over, Tina is rightfully disgusted right now, and so am I, this is just plain nightmare fuel.
Shit... I need to somehow forget this by the evening, else I wouldn't be able to sleep. Maybe I could ask Liana to choke me to faint during sex tonight, that way she can have a true sex doll experience as well.
Regardless...
''These are... Doppelgangers.'' I said.
''They're disgusting.''
''I....Urgh... Agree.''
''Either way, we need to stop the magic underground next. Let's move on.'' I declared.
-----
After a three minutes session of frantically finding the entrance to the basement, we finally spotted it. A secret door below the first floor's staircase.
There seems to be some kind of barrier here, but it can't stop me from passing through it anyway.
But this is bad, the mana concentration has increased by quite a lot from earlier, we need to stop whatever this is, fast.
*BANG*
So I kicked the door open, and we started to descend the narrow steps.
Tch, why is this so deep!
After another good three minutes, we meet another door the end of the stairs, this one looks sturdier than the previous one.
''Let me!''
*BANG*
But it was still no match against Tina's full power kick.
Immediately after the door flung open, an unbelievably large space greets me. This could easily match the upscaled version of the Rome colosseum we were in earlier. What the hell are they trying to do here?!
Scanning around, I could see 20 or so humanoid creatures with horns and greyish skin kneeling in a circle, clasping their hands, praying to a purple glowing crystal ball at the center.
It seems like they're fueling the ball with mana... That pattern... They're trying to summon something?!
But where are they getting all of that man-
Wait, dark magic uses negative feelings, and this is a clinic filled with injured student...!
I instantly summon 25 metal spikes again, swiftly lodging them in the heads of the demons.
*THUD*
All of their headless corpses simultaneously drop down to the ground accompanied by a loud dull sound.
*clack*
''Awoq as ysbrmahd nxsh?!''
Suddenly, another demon came out of the room on the side of the wall near us and shouted something.
Tch, I was too focus on whatever they're trying to do here.
For this one, bullets should be faster than magic.
So I pull out my D.E again, aiming precisely at his head.
But the demon seems to be a lot stronger than the ones I've killed, and he's pretty smart too. Before I could pull the trigger on him, he has already deduced that he couldn't win against us, so instead he sent out almost all of his mana, which was a lot, to the crystal ball.
*BANG*
That, unfortunately, was enough to finish the summoning that they were trying to do. Of course, at the cost of the demon's own life.
The crystal ball started to glow even more, almost blinding us with its intense purple light.
Luckily, Anna is here. She created a simple light barrier around us to block the dark energy, exposure to dark magic would make you lose your sanity after all.
''What do we do now?!'' Tina frantically questioned.
''Try and stop whatever is going to appear from this damn magic, of course!'' I shouted, still observing the crystal ball.
From nowhere, a crack started to appear above the crystal ball. It absorbs all of this ridiculous amount of mana in the air, slowly but surely widen itself, and finally, a giant hand pierces through the pitch black crack.
The hand is needlessly enormous, each of its fingers is easily bigger than a person. Oh, and did I tell you that its skin is rotten like a zombie's skin, and there's giant maggots eating its flesh?
To add to the horror, the monster pushes through the crack violently, shaking the whole place upside down, much like an earthquake is happening right this instant.
Gradually, its entire body came out.
*GRRRRR*
What appears before us is a titan of a zombie, it growls hungrily, turning its wild red eyes at us.
This is pretty exhausting. I've been flying and using magic nonstop for a while now, and the thing here is not a pushover either.
Fortunately, I still have Anna and Tina here, and I got my guns as well.
It's time to roll.
