Chapter 179
Chapter 179
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: Chapter 5. Wood and Iron
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Rather, if they came looking for me first, there'd be nothing I was more grateful for. Though the speed at which they were closing the distance was on the slower side, it was shrinking rapidly. Since the initial gap was less than 3 km, it wouldn't be long before we met after a brief wait. As they drew nearer, he contracted the expanse of shadows he'd spread out and began loosening up his body.
Crunch, crunch!
Crack!
The sound of joints popping echoed, but his body wasn't all that stiff. Stretching actually made him feel a bit refreshed.
'Finally meeting, huh?'
That irritating summoner.
Judah smirked with hostility. Killing people wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling, but the summoner had tormented him to no end up to now. The bastard was annoyingly cautious, never approaching within a certain distance himself and sending only summoned beasts. Once, during a moment of carelessness, he'd summoned a flying monster and nearly snatched the elf away right before Judah's eyes.
He'd reflexively spotted the elf launching into the air and hurled a dagger to rescue her, but the close call had left him breaking out in cold sweat. If not for his mercenary-style left-hand dagger arts, it would've been a real headache. As he narrowed the shadows and double-checked for any additional foes nearby, Judah rose to his feet once the enemy entered within 1 km.
Flash!
The moment Altemia appeared in his left hand, it sliced through the air. The blade tip plunged straight into the eyes of the familiar that had been leisurely spying on him until now. Watching it rebound backward, he then summoned the wraith knights. He'd leave the six wraith knights to hold this position while he went out to greet the intruders briefly. Twenty strong, yet they hadn't launched any proper attacks so far—maybe they lacked confidence in their skills. Charging in recklessly and getting caught by unexpected prowess wasn't on the agenda; if they seemed even a little tough, he'd test them and pull back.
As he thought about heading out and returning soon, Judah felt a light envelop his body. The radiant glow seeped inside, infusing him with vigor. Blessings—multiple streams of blessing energy flowed into him. The buffs, which smoothed progress in any game, slightly boosted his stats.
But.
'Something feels... exhilarating?'
It wasn't the tension of entering combat mode. This was more like—sexual arousal. The kind people jokingly asked if you were in heat for. Feeling awkward, he glanced back to see Arhil smiling innocently, oblivious.
"Have a safe trip. You're heading out, right?"
"Ah... yeah. Sure. Thanks."
Judah nodded. He couldn't question her bright, trusting smile. She probably didn't realize, but since becoming the apostle of Asmodeus, a fragment of the <Lust> authority had seeped into her blessing-like skills.
'I can tell her later.'
With the enemies drawing ever closer, there was no time to explain. Unaware that their positions were being tracked in real-time by the cheat-like function, the twenty foes descended while fanned out. A cluster of red dots suddenly appeared on one side of the map, suggesting the summoner had called forth more minions. With wraith knights on guard, even a horde of summons posed no threat. Judah simply moved toward the nearest of the scattered enemies.
'Found you.'
Spotting the enemy wasn't hard. With at his disposal, Judah could effortlessly slip behind them from the start. And in a forest like this, flanking from the rear was a massive advantage.
He couldn't see the front, but it was a fairly large-built man. He wore a robe of black with white edging, and on his back was a massive emblem resembling ice crystals. The moment Judah saw that pattern, his eyes narrowed.
'Radiance emblem.'
He knew it at a glance.
'I see. So Radiance has been tailing us? Not because they spotted the elf, but because of what I said.'
Judah had assumed they'd sent the familiar after stumbling upon the elves by chance, but that wasn't it. A sinister smile curled his lips. The man parted the waist-high underbrush with his hands, focused solely on advancing. He seemed slow, but his pace was incredibly swift. Quietly observing, Judah watched the distance grow quickly.
Shadow Heresy 7th Form - Shadow Shift
He didn't know the mechanics behind the skill. If asked to explain it, he'd just stammer like an idiot and say nothing. Just thinking it was enough for the skill to activate as intended.
Shh!
In that instant, Judah's body blurred like mist and vanished from the spot. To onlookers, it looked like teleportation—he erupted from the shadow of the man parting the bushes ahead. Black smoke coiled around him as he emerged, Altemia gripped in hand.
"!"
Sensing the killing intent and presence, the burly man merely glanced back, locking eyes. Rather than dodge, he pivoted left, aiming his elbow at Judah's cheek.
'Ho!'
Judah's eyes gleamed at the swift reaction and judgment. No ordinary foe. The motion was simple, but the power packed into that elbow was immense—honed physical prowess reinforced by mana.
Slash!
But before the elbow connected, a black line slashed through the air.
"Huh?"
He'd fully turned, yet his elbow hadn't touched Judah. Instead, excruciating pain erupted as blood sprayed like a fountain from the severed stump of his left arm. The metallic tang of blood permeated the air.
[Shadow Sword 2nd Form - Slash] had activated, infusing Altemia with tremendous sharpness and lopping off his left arm at the forearm. The limb arced through the air, landing amid the underbrush 1-2 seconds later. His eyes widened in shock, but he assessed the situation in an incredibly short time. The blood gushing from the wound halted, controlled by mana.
"...Urk!"
Pain couldn't be stopped, though—a small groan escaped his lips. He clenched his teeth with a grind, swallowing the sound between them, then swung a fist at Judah.
Whoosh—the air split with a crushing sound, but Judah easily leaned back, unscathed.
'Short arms!'
Unfortunately, the punch fell short. A bit more commitment, thrusting the shoulder forward, and it might've landed on Judah's face. Regret flickered as the man retracted his fist and fell back to gauge his opponent.
Just then, Judah closed in as well. A handsome face, but no beauty's—it was repulsive having a man's draw near.
"Too bad."
"What?"
Judah spoke those words as he stepped on the man's instep to pin it, then thrust the Altemia in his left hand straight into his heart. The pupils contracted rapidly, staring blankly into space before losing their light. Judah caught the collapsing body and stripped off the robe. A badge on the inner clothing stood out prominently.
"Radiance, confirmed."
It meant little, but Judah tore off the badge pinned to the collar. The summoner included, all twenty were Radiance members.
Radiance—the secret knight order of Silan's most dangerous man, Duke Akila Ises.
They handled assassinations, intelligence gathering, sowing discord—everything. Not the sort you wanted to run into, and their pursuit was unexpected.
'I don't know why Radiance is chasing us personally—but at this level, no need to worry much?'
It had been a surprise raid seizing the rear, but Judah was now the blade master revered by all. With access to the highly potent Shadow Sword and Heresy forms from 6th to 10th, these foes were no challenge.
Thinking it no big deal, he checked . Where's the next one?
'Behind me?'
Not quite—but within line of sight. Harboring faint hope that the map was wrong, he turned to spot a woman staring right at him. About 200 meters away, trees and brush cluttered the space between, but their eyes met clearly.
Even from afar, he saw her eyes narrow. Without hesitation, she pulled something from her bosom and brought it to her lips.
Screeeeech—!
A whistle? The piercing sound rang out, and several red dots on the raced toward him. No sense of doom—just a short sigh as he headed for the nameless Radiance member blowing the whistle. Like a beast that had sighted prey, he tore through the forest.
'Prey, huh. Human... hunting?'
Not a pleasant ring. Ethics and morals in his head questioned if this was okay. No intent to answer. Their intentions were obvious; nitpicking gained nothing.
He and they were the same anyway. Hunting humans or capturing elves—the difference was minor.
Swoosh!
Judah eyed the dagger flying at him. He'd always been the one throwing them; facing one head-on felt novel. He dropped low to dodge the vital-aimed blade or batted it away with Altemia in his left hand. Sparks flew as it ricocheted through the air.
Then, Judah spotted transparent threads unfurling like a spiderweb in the distant air. She gazed confidently, as if daring him to come, and threw no more daggers. Instinct screamed something was amiss—rushing in blindly was dangerous.
But Judah just chuckled.
The gap was about 30 meters—not short in combat at all—yet Shadow Heresy bridged it instantly. His body blurred to mist, vanishing with a presence, then burst from her shadow.
"What!? You!"
Sensing the presence behind, she cried out in shock and leaped onto a tree branch without a second's pause. He'd swung from the shadow, but barely missed slicing her. Feeling awkward after cleaving empty air, Judah looked up and kindly replied.
"Hunter."