Drip, drip—blood falls from Yu's abdomen.
The amount is extraordinary; under normal circumstances, this would be a matter of life and death.
Indeed, the color is draining from Yu's face by the moment, skin growing paler and paler.
Yet from some point onward, the wound began closing as though time were running in reverse.
"You've been healed, Master! Full HP recovery!"
"Ah, thanks, Ai."
Recovery magic. Simple yet powerful.
That it could mend even a mortal wound was proof of Ai's exceptional prowess as both priestess and mage—yet the magic of Brave Questus being beyond standard specs was beyond doubt.
The Succubus did not press their attack.
That was due to their wariness toward Takuto, and the judgment was sound.
A kind of stalemate was born.
Vagia's forces deliberated their next move, while Takuto's side remained on guard against whatever novel attack methods their opponents might deploy.
As if to shatter the strange silence that had settled over the battlefield, the color returning to Yu's face, he murmured, turning his doubts over once more.
"The gear I'm wearing is high-rare—nothing that should chip this easily. Honestly, even boss-class Demon Lords are a breeze. Taking this kind of damage means there's definitely something else going on."
His gaze fixed upon the weapon in Vagia's hand—a grotesquely curved sword the Succubus wielded, one that clearly lacked any design consistency with the rest of their armaments.
From Mr. H's behavior, it was evident that the game he possessed and its abilities were closely tied to that strange blade.
"A weapon, then... A game that provides weapons? There are too many candidates."
"Oh, but that alone is not the whole picture! A game that can supply weapons, transfer them, and—on top of that—easily damage the powerful equipment held by the hero! That narrows it considerably, does it not?"
Vittorio's voice, relayed through Atou, layered atop Takuto's words.
The fact that Yu had taken a blow this severe was hardly cause for celebration—but in exchange, they had obtained invaluable intelligence.
A person who had hidden their existence so thoroughly. They must have been extremely wary, and this response must have been a reluctant one.
Then I would like them, in that reluctant state, to spill every last scrap of their information.
"Vittorio. Use Brainwashing."
"Well, I suppose there's no helping it! Come now, respond to my voice! There we go, eyes going round and round~!"
One of our trump cards was deployed.
It was the Brainwashing skill that Vittorio possessed. Vittorio himself was completely incapable of fighting. Even when using Disguise to mimic Atou, that remained the same.
However, on the other hand, there was no limit to the abilities he could wield.
And manipulation was precisely his area of expertise.
"Kyah! Wh-what is this!?"
"Ugh! My head!!"
"Ugh...ah..."
An inescapable ability swept over the Succubuses.
They weren't the only ones who could use the game system. I needed to make sure they didn't forget that.
And as Vagia had said, the Succubus race possessed no notable abilities beyond their formidable physical capabilities.
Which meant Vittorio's Brainwashing would work all too well on them.
The Succubuses who had been clutching their heads rose swaying to their feet and turned back toward Vagia.
Average soldiers couldn't resist Vittorio's abilities. This outcome had been entirely predictable.
Yet within that scene, Takuto had spotted a crucial clue he could not afford to miss.
The moment Vittorio unleashed his ability, the necklaces and rings worn by Vagia and her two escorts had flashed briefly.
No mistake. Some kind of defensive mechanism had activated. Those accessories were probably also the product of H's abilities... I see.
"One Void Mana, one Water Mana, release—Magic Card 'Dispel' activated."
Vagia used one of the Seven Demon Kings' magic cards.
In the sense that she spent mana, it could be argued the situation leaned in our favor, but as long as there was no way to counter the weapons or items provided by Mr. H, it was ultimately meaningless.
If anything, the fact that her previous dispel had blocked our mind control might be the more painful blow.
It meant we were now out of options.
"Oooh, now that's a tough one. The lackeys might be one thing, but the main dish definitely resists other abilities as well!"
Vittorio's judgment was probably correct.
If the ornaments those two possessed possessed abilities to defend against debuffs and abnormal status effects, then Vittorio's advantage was completely lost. Which, in turn, meant one more annoying, noisy flesh bag bearing the name of 'hero'.
As he said, regular Succubi would be easy prey, but in that case, anyone could handle them, not just Vittorio.
The problem was the witch Vagia and her two escorts.
Until we overcame this point, the issue wouldn't be solved.
"Yu. How is it? Anything you want to try?"
"Sorry, honestly, there's no way I can turn this around. King Takuto?"
"Hmm..."
We had no moves. That wasn't entirely true, though.
But Takuto's real desire was to assess Mr. H's abilities a little more.
He had already formed a rough hypothesis, and all that remained was confirmation...
"This equipment I borrowed from Mr. H gives me a thrill ♥ Even for a hero, there's really nothing they can do against this, is there ♥"
The two guards changed the prey they were holding.
Judging from how closely the color and design matched what Vagia held, those were likely also items originating from Mr. H.
There were at least enough to qualify as upper echelon among the Succubi. Takuto's conviction grew stronger.
"During the earlier mind control, you were unaffected. And some of your subordinates also appeared immune. You must have used some defensive item. Was it equipment provided by this 'H'? Even as items from some game, their performance is absurdly excessive. Does that mean this equipment is core to, or occupies a critical position within, the game system H possesses..."
"Vagia. He is dangerous. Eliminate him now."
H spoke up after a long silence. The urgency in his voice was palpable. Takuto smirked inwardly; the timing was perfect.
The ancients were right to say silence is golden, eloquence silver.
"Vagia. We cannot let this chance slip. There's no guarantee of zero chance. Decide."
"...I didn't come here to kill anyone. I said that from the start, didn't I? The same goes for him. We can surely reach an understanding."
Humans are, in essence, incapable of truly understanding one another. That was Takuto's view. To him, Vagia's words were empty idealism, a fairy tale utterly impossible to realize.
At the very least, the scope of partners for a 'happy ending' ought to be narrowed further. Not everyone shared his values or perceptions...
But Takuto didn't refute that. He had no interest in such matters to begin with.
Takuto had a goal.
What mattered was how he could achieve it.
And currently, Takuto was undoubtedly driving straight toward that goal without looking back: the dismantling of the power held by the enigmatic player, H.
"Multiple powerful items, with what appear to be lenient equipment restrictions. And he can assemble a set. There are decorative items too... I initially thought it was some gacha game where stacking equipment boosted stats, but if each has its own ability, it's a system with more nuance. However, relying on the Seven God-Kings for large-scale ability use suggests a greater focus on individual combat..."
It was like a horror movie losing all its thrill once the monster's identity was revealed; the threat level of a player whose cards were exposed plummeted instantly.
Information held precisely that value, and being known was precisely that terrifying.
"—Hack and slash, then. No wonder he can use rare items like water." The unknown was demoted to the known, its worth cast into the dirt.
"Ms. Vagia!"
H called out in a panic.
It was unclear what intentions lay behind that shout. But it was obvious his mask had slipped and he was shaken.
Given that his attitude was practically admitting the truth, Takuto couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
"When you're flustered, you shouldn't say it out loud. The other person will pick up on it."
With that, Takuto added one final remark, his face set in a cruel smile, utterly and completely cold.