The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Heretic Mob Character in an Eroge Where Everyone is Extremely Determined - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Joanne vs. Stella

While being carried by Whip, I rapidly moved through the recesses in the cave’s ceiling like a cloud ladder, searching for Joanne’s whereabouts.

If it were just Executives, I’d let them fight it out on their own, but it would be problematic if Joanne were to fight now.

It’s no exaggeration to say that my body has been taken hostage.

As we headed towards the dining area, Alex waved at us with a silly grin.

“Oakley-senpai, things are getting seriously interesting. Looks like Joanne-sama and Stella-sama are about to have a real fight to the death.”

“If you have time to find it funny, then stop them. It’ll be a huge problem if either of them dies.”

“I really wanted to stop them, but they were both so eager to fight that I couldn’t do it.”

Alex met eyes with the Believers from the Northeast Branch following us and apologetically stroked the nape of his neck.

I asked Whip to let me down to the ground, and then I asked Alex for their whereabouts.

It seems they left the dining area where the morning assembly was held and started arguing at a point a little to the north.

According to Alex, they were arguing about something to do with Oakley.

“Oakley-senpai is quite the popular guy, huh? Lucky! Everyone keeps it to themselves, but Joanne-sama is freaking beautiful isn’t she!? And needless to say, Stella-sama is gorgeous too. I wish I could be as popular as Senpai!”

“Can you shut up for once…”

Heated up, Joanne and Stella broke through the rock ceiling above them in their scuffle, and with that momentum, they burst outside.

It seems a sliver of reason worked on them, realizing that fighting inside the cave would cause a collapse—although part of the base was still destroyed—they seem to be fighting in the freezing outdoors.

Upon hearing Alex’s report, Whip, addressing the Believers who had gathered, said, ‘We’re doing combat training outside today!’

“An Executive-level combat training is so rare to see, right!? Come on, everyone, let’s go outside!”

Although it’s probably a serious fight to the death… but Whip and the others, not quite understanding the gravity of the situation, were convinced and headed out to the open air, swirling with cold.

The Northeast Branch has multiple entrances and exits.

When escaping outdoors from an exit located midway up the mountain, a below-freezing wind that seemed to slash at one’s face struck hard.

“Cold!”

“The people of the Northeast Branch seem to handle this cold like it’s nothing! Amazing!”

Whip, walking ahead of me, looked around calmly and continued to plow through the snow that piled up to her waist.

The robust men of the Northeast Branch followed her, kicking up the snow and creating a path with their footsteps.

The extreme cold after losing blood was tough to bear, but I mustered up the courage and stepped out into the open air below freezing.

The distant scenery was blurred and hard to see, but what sounded like the roar of battle echoed from beyond the snowy landscape.

“…By the way, where is Celestia? She was supposed to be at the morning assembly too.”

“Lady Celestia was mediating… Indeed, where did she go? Maybe she’s stepped in to stop the fight between those two――”

Right after arguing with Alex about such things, something flew through the white air, cutting it apart.

The impact blew away the surface of the snowfield, and a ground blizzard arose.

A cheer-like shout came from the men, and Alex and I exchanged glances.

Staring intently at him, he shook his head as if to say he didn’t understand.

To my eyes, the mysterious flying object seemed to be a humanoid figure.

Judging by the color of the clothes, it seemed like it could be Celestia, but—?

Peering into the large hole carved into the accumulated snow, a burnt smell assaulted my nostrils. It was the stench of burning human flesh.

Once known, it’s an odor one can’t forget, a peculiarly pungent smell that instinctively repels.

Amidst the sweet, festering stench that hung in the air, a mysterious red color began to seep into the snow near the hole.

“Celestia?”

I muttered involuntarily.

Steam-like white smoke billowed up from inside the hole, and at the same time, a completely charred hand crawled out.

In an instant, the fatal burns healed, and the original body was formed as if in reverse playback.

Eventually, a human in the shape of Celestia resurrected, along with her fallen angel costume.

She sat up on the snow, then took my offered hand and stood up.

“Thank you…”

“Was it Stella-sama who did this to you?”

“I tried to intervene between Joanne and Stella, but… Stella swept me away with full force. I would have been turned to cinders if I hadn’t defended myself.”

Celestia said this nonchalantly as if it was nothing. She tries to stop the fight between the two, but it seems she is overpowered by Stella, whom she is incompatible with.

Stella can reflect physical attacks and absorb magical attacks to use as an energy source for her heat rays.

Celestia, who lacks physical means of attack and can’t produce enough firepower to exceed Stella’s absorption capacity, would have found it difficult to stop the fight.

In the poor visibility, the roaring noise continues unabated. Just when I think it’s coming from the right, it comes from the left.

From above, then from beneath the ground. Earthquakes and roars occur sporadically, sending an unusual tension running through us.

Suddenly, Celestia fires an air bullet into the sky.

A momentary gust of wind whips up the snow, fluttering our clothes.

“Please wait a moment. I will clear the clouds.”

Celestia raised her hand to the sky. As if running a brush across a canvas, she moved her fingers.

Masses of air that had risen pushed aside the powdery snow, scattered radially, clearing the thick clouds that had brought the snowfall.

In an instant, dazzling sunlight poured down upon the land.

The dark clouds and powdery snow that had obscured our view were gone, and the snow crystals floating in the air sparkled brilliantly.

Unlike us, who had been troubled by the poor visibility due to the powdery snow, I couldn’t help but shudder inwardly at the power of the Executive who could easily change the weather.

Perhaps an area with a radius of several kilometers had cleared.

Centered around Celestia, the clouds were currently disappearing, and it seemed that eventually, even beyond the surrounding mountains, it would turn into a clear sky.

In the midst of this, Celestia caught sight of two people fighting at the edge of the weather front and let out a surprised exclamation.

“Over there! On that hill—”

In a faraway place, Joanne and Stella engage in a fierce battle.

Joanne’s jet-black robe zigzags through the sky while Stella, grounded, sweeps heat rays in all directions.

The snowy land boils and the ground takes on a lava-like reddish-black hue.

All we could do from afar was to gaze at the scorching land that had transformed before us.

“It doesn’t look like we can stop it. That seems pretty hopeless.”

Watching Joanne battle through the heat haze, I cover my mouth and tremble.

It’s my first experience entrusting my life to someone else.

Until now, I was often the one taking risks… but it’s maddening to have my life held hostage by Joanne of all people.

(Surely Stella’s appetite is abnormal, but can’t we just keep our distance or ignore her? Don’t get so angry for my sake, Joanne, now is not the time for you to fight…!)

Among the fourteen Executives of both factions, Joanne’s abilities are ranked towards the lower end.

It goes without saying that neither Whip nor I could match her, but aside from the non-combatant Juanquiro, she would probably be considered weaker in actual combat strength than the so-called ‘weak character’ Celestia.

Firstly, Joanne doesn’t have ‘magic.’ Her characteristics as an Executive are ‘explosive healing magic,’ ‘the ability to sense her own flesh pieces,’ and ‘superhuman strength.’

The explosive healing magic has a long range of several dozen kilometers, but its use is limited to surprise attacks or escapes through ‘transference.’

While it is a straightforward strength, it is overwhelmingly lacking in specs compared to someone like Aaros, who can do almost anything.

Her ‘ability to sense flesh pieces’ can increase the threat of throwing rocks by creating markers.

However, this is also more limited in application than Pork’s ‘zombie manipulation’ ability, and for now, it only serves to restrict my movements. Of course, that restriction is far too severe…

Joanne’s ‘super strength’ is, needless to say, plain. Her punch could crack the earth, and her full-powered attack could easily collapse a mountain range.

But what of it? If it doesn’t hit, nothing happens. If it’s reflected, it becomes fatal—no, it would certainly turn herself to ash.

Her recovery ability is second to none, but her defensive power is the worst in its class. Her mobility isn’t high either.

The average value of her offensive power is low, with the only options being throwing rocks or hand-to-hand combat.

To an ordinary person like me, her specs are more than enough, but still, in a fight against an Executive with superior combat power like Stella, it’s difficult.

“Wow, Stella-chan is pushing her! Hang in there!”

“Whoa! Betting on dinner here, go ahead and blast Joanne-sama away!”

In the center of my vision, Joanne, who was swept away by a heat ray, is blown away.

Ah, it’s painful to watch. Did she barely dodge it? It seems Joanne is unharmed, as she keeps launching attacks only to be dodged again and again.

My heart is screaming. I’m exhilarated. I’m tense. I feel nauseous.

Why am I being forced to witness such madness?

(Joanne… it’s impossible without magic. Even a surprise attack would be difficult. After all, the opponent has an unreasonable ‘reflect… I’m truly happy that you got angry for me, But you should know when to retreat, Joanne. If you’ve become one with my other self, you should know that it’s a battle with no chance of winning…!)

Joanne gets angry because her lover, me, was hurt.

There is certainly a great joy in the act itself. Do you care about me that much?

I was well aware of her feelings of love, but when she showed it through her actions, it made me feel complicated.

Stella’s specs, in terms of pure combat power, are overwhelming.

First, the ‘barrier’ of magic spread throughout her body. It has the effect of completely reflecting all physical attacks.

It can be said to be a superior version of Celestia’s ‘Bulletproof Blessing’, reflecting all attacks whether they be bullets, arrows, mace strikes, or swordplay.

Her resistance to physical attacks reacts to all attacks against her.

Therefore, it reflects attacks from outside her awareness, natural disasters, or even meteorites.

It’s reflected automatically, without question.

The stronger one’s own power, the more the power of the reflection increases, making it more difficult for a powerful person to defeat Stella.

Stella’s ‘barrier’ ability not only provides physical resistance but also resistance to magic.

Any magic directed at her is absorbed and becomes the energy source for the heat rays she is currently unleashing.

In other words, magical attacks on her only serve to increase the power of her retaliatory heat rays.

Because it hasn’t absorbed magic, the current heat ray’s power seems to be moderate—but anyway, it’s an opponent Joanne can’t win against.

I start running across the land where the soil is exposed.

My goal is the space between Joanne and Stella. Hearing footsteps other than my own, I look to the side and see Celestia running alongside me.

“Celestia…”

“Several mountains have already collapsed. If we don’t stop the fight, the northeast branch will fall apart.”

“I’ll persuade the two of them. Can you somehow hold back Stella’s heat ray, Celestia?”

“Yes. Diverting it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Avoiding the boiling ground, she runs across the sweltering earth.

Right before her eyes and nose, heat rays rage wildly.

Joanne narrowly dodges the heat rays, but her face is streaming with sweat like a waterfall.

I had the intuition that this balance would collapse at any moment.

So, I jumped out in front of Stella, who was rampaging with barriers and heat rays, to draw her attention.

The gothic lolita girl reflexively emits a heat ray.

Believing that Celestia would deflect it, I closed my eyes.

“Oakley!? You idiot—”

Joanne, on her knees on the ground, screams.

In an instant, the heat ray bends before my eyes.

The diverted heat source flies towards the horizon and erases a mountain that had been silent in the landscape.

After I intervened, a brief silence followed.

Stella’s eyes were filled with an abnormal obsession.

It seemed that Joanne was right; she had to be killed once. Even from Celestia’s perspective, it was clear, and I could tell that her sentiments were shifting towards Joanne’s side.

“…Celestia, Joanne, move aside… I can’t hold back…”

Celestia and Joanne exchange glances.

What a wild mare, no, a madwoman.

The influence of Aaros, who can tame this creature, is too incredible.

As the battle situation became deadlocked, Whip and the others, who had been watching from a distance, rushed over.

Whip hugged Stella as if to comfort her, then glanced at my face.

“Okay, everyone~, the demonstration by Joanne-chan and Stella-chan is over! It seemed like it was heating up into a real fight to the death towards the end, but it was stimulating, wasn’t it!? Let’s all work on self-improvement so we can become Executives like them!!”

Whip, who seemed to have finally understood the situation, settled things down and then walked away with Stella, who was muttering something under her breath.

The men who had been gambling didn’t pay much attention and started practicing their swings and sparring.

Some were grumbling about winning their bets but soon began to focus on combat training.

I moved away from the others and confronted Joanne about why she had committed such a foolish act.

No matter how furious she was, she shouldn’t have challenged Stella to a fight.

When I said that, Joanne shook her head with an unusually calm demeanor.

“Hey Oakley, I was seriously pissed off, and I really wanted to get rid of that woman who tried to eat you, Oakley. But my anger is just a pretext for a serious fight to the death. I was using that time to figure out a strategy to defeat Stella.”

“…!?”

“I’ve come up with a strategy… Whether it’s feasible or not is another question. Well, let’s just say my acts of savagery were useful after all.”

With that, Joanne smirked, having discovered a clue to defeat Steela.