Chapter 1088: Who Would Love a Pig?
"Mr. Beryl, please release Senpai and the others!"
Mash held up her shield.
Clear anger was visible on her face, yet her movements remained remarkably restrained.
Cough, cough, cough! "Heh, even in a situation like this, you're still using honorifics with me?"
Beryl Pig climbed up from the ground.
A pleased smile spread across his pig-like face.
"So Mash, you do have feelings for me after all?"
"Absolutely not!"
"That was an instant reply?!"
"The only reason I'm holding back is because you're holding hostages!"
Mash instantly rejected Beryl's confession, her expression filled with profound distress.
"Haha, exactly."
Beryl Pig moved closer using all four limbs.
"Only because I hold the lives of Fujimaru Ritsuka and over five hundred refugees in my hands can I make you obedient. Otherwise, in my current form, one strike from your shield and I'd be served for dinner tonight!"
"Such despicable methods...!"
"Did you just meet me today?"
Beryl laughed, not ashamed but rather proud.
"However, even though I hold hostages, you still dared to attack me? Do you truly not care about Fujimaru Ritsuka's safety anymore?"
This shield maiden, you wouldn't want anything to happen to your Master, would you?
Mash gritted her teeth tightly.
If only her Master hadn't been captured and trapped in the bounded field by this man, she would have taught Beryl a lesson!
"At the very least, I must seize the bounded field from him!"
Having made up her mind, Mash's expression sharpened as she instantly charged forward.
"What?"
Beryl Pig was caught completely off guard.
Even after being reminded about the hostages, you still attack?
A tremendous force created sonic-level gusts as Mash delivered a powerful kick directly to Beryl Pig's flank!
This time, Beryl Pig couldn't even scream as his body was sent flying like a rubber ball, violently crashing against the wall three times before collapsing to the ground, lying still like a corpse.
An ordinary pig receiving such a fierce kick wouldn't just have damaged internal organs—countless bones would undoubtedly be shattered.
"Search for the bounded field now!"
Without further hesitation, since Beryl didn't appear to be carrying anything, Mash quickly began searching the dungeon for traces of the bounded field.
"ROOOOAR!!"
But suddenly, an overwhelming magical energy, powerful enough to shake mountains and split the earth, erupted violently.
Mash's heart leaped in alarm.
Before she could react, an irresistible force struck her from behind, sending her flying instantly and shaking the underground cavern with three violent tremors!
"W-what happened..."
Mash collapsed in a corner, continuously vomiting blood.
Excruciating pain wracked her body—her internal organs had likely suffered severe impact, leaving her completely immobilized.
If not for the Shielder-class Spirit Origin and skills being exceptionally resilient, that single blow might have killed her!
"How cruel, Mash."
Beryl slowly rose from the ground.
"This is payback! Because that attack of yours was genuinely meant to kill me!"
Clutching his waist, his expression twisted and vicious, he glared at Mash like an injured wolf.
No.
Not just like one.
He had actually transformed into a wolf!
A wolf standing upright, carved from the very same mold as Woodwose!
"How is this possible?"
Mash widened her eyes slightly, her heart trembling with shock.
Had Beryl actually transformed into Woodwose?
That terrifying power—had he really obtained it?
The strength of the Heat-Dissipating Lord was something even she couldn't hope to match.
Could it be that they were truly doomed to die here?
"Uwaaaaaaah—!"
But abruptly—
Beryl suddenly clutched his chest and abdomen in agony.
Intense bolts of lightning erupted from all over his body, forcing out a series of tortured screams.
Before long—
His black fur receded, his body shrank, and he dropped to all fours.
Reverting from a werewolf back into a pig!
"Damn it! I went through all the trouble to get Woodwose's liver, but this transformation magic is suppressing me—I can't even use it freely!"
Beryl the pig raised his hoof and stomped the ground fiercely, his face twisted with resentment.
The transformation magic he used also belonged to the witches.
Myths and legends across the world spoke of witches transforming into other animals—shape-shifting was always one of their signature tricks. As a descendant of witches, Beryl had naturally inherited this ability.
However, Woodwose was the Heat-Dissipating Lord, possessing immense power. To mimic his form, Beryl had resorted to extreme measures—excising Woodwose's liver and using his organ to facilitate the transformation.
But when it came to magic, few in all of Pan-Human History could surpass Morgan in skill!
Beryl, of course, was no exception!
The moment he used transformation magic to become Woodwose, the Queen's magic would immediately suppress him. Within a second or two, the spell would identify the intrusion and force him back into his pig form!
And throughout the process, he would be tormented by high-voltage currents, suffering unbearable pain!
The Queen had been merciful toward him, at least—she hadn't taken his liver.
Because, under the suppression of this transformation magic, having the liver was no different from not having it at all!
In the dungeon—
Beryl was immobilized.
Mash, too, was gravely wounded and unable to move.
For a time, the two remained locked in a stalemate.
"Mash, you look so pitiful—it only makes me love you more!"
Beryl activated his healing magic, a hazy glow of magical energy enveloping his body.
A grotesquely twisted smile spread across his pig-like face.
Mash sensed the danger.
Her injuries wouldn't heal on their own. If this deadlock continued, Beryl would undoubtedly be the first to recover!
But—
"What's the use of all this talk of love?"
A third voice suddenly echoed through the dungeon.
"You're not even human anymore—who could possibly love you?"
The appearance of this newcomer left both Mash and Beryl stunned.
Beryl's expression darkened.
In contrast, the weakened Mash broke into a relieved smile.
"Miss Okita!"
The one who had appeared in the dungeon was none other than Okita Souji, who had parted ways with them earlier in Oxford for her own reasons!
Somehow, this Okita Souji was far more powerful than the one they knew!
"Just a short time apart, and you've already gotten into such trouble—as expected of the protagonist!"
Okita Souji quipped in a way Mash couldn't quite comprehend.
She stepped forward and planted her foot firmly on Beryl the pig.
Immediately, Beryl lay still.
As though every nerve in his body had been paralyzed, not even a single hoof would obey his commands.
Beryl stared blankly, wondering what school of magic this was—how could it be so overpowering?
"Miss Okita, the barrier imprisoning our seniors should be right in this dungeon!"
"I know, but let me treat your injuries first."
Okita Souji came before Mash's front.
Placing a single hand lightly upon her body.
After the magical light flashed, Mash stood up with an expression of utter disbelief.
"How... completely recovered?"
Not a trace of pain remained, as if the severe injuries from before were nothing but an illusion!
What is this?
This isn't healing magic at all - it's more like time reversal!
Nucleic acid test tomorrow, two updates tomorrow. Going to arrange a miserable death for Beryl. This volume should conclude around chapter 200, probably. I've already accelerated the pacing as much as possible, anyway.