How Dare You Spit? (5)
The lightning-forged sword swept forward with a vicious slash. A blinding flash lit the battlefield, and the allied forces ahead simply vanished. One swing. Two. Three. With every strike, more of them disappeared. Before they could even scream, the yokai legion evaporated as if erased from existence. Watching from the rear, Hoya bit her lip hard, finally understanding which way the tide was turning.
We're being overwhelmed…!
The enemy numbered one. They numbered many. Yet the momentum of victory was flowing entirely toward her.
Splash. A sight too horrific to have been created by a single person. Blood pooled across the ground until it formed a river, and the heaped corpses of monsters rose like a mountain.
Corpse Mountain, Blood Sea…
Yes. The scene before her was exactly that—a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. The only difference was that the one responsible wasn’t human. It was a monster just like her.
Splash. Splash. Light footsteps approached, casual as a leisurely stroll. Crimson droplets leaped from the blood-soaked ground with every step. No one stood in her way anymore. Everyone except Hoya herself had vanished beneath that woman’s hand.
“It was quite satisfying.”
“Satisfying… is that all?”
Her full-powered strike had only managed to satisfy her opponent? The will to fight drained away. In the end, she had failed to become a new disaster capable of stopping the one already here.
“I thought it was an ordinary talisman, but the use of Karma made it clear. A fox wielding a monkey’s power. Impressive.”
She had even seen through that. Hoya let out a weak laugh of genuine defeat and relaxed her trembling legs. She collapsed backward, feeling the sticky wetness seep into her clothes and fur.
“At least I handle it better than those idiots who call themselves successors.”
“Indeed. You are better than any I’ve met before.”
Praise from the monster she couldn’t defeat even with everything she had. Strangely… it didn’t feel bad at all.
“Just kill me.”
“Hmm?”
“The reason you came here. It’s because of me, isn’t it?”
“Oh…? How did you know?”
She had only just pieced it together—the reason this monster had come to the Ghost Lair, and why she had started the fight.
“That human… what was your relationship with him? The one who visited the Ghost Lair before you. The one who confused me, left his mark, and disappeared. The only man in this timeline I ever marked.”
“Master and disciple.”
“Taking a monster as his master… that human really is pitiful. I never imagined it was a master-disciple relationship.”
Hoya swept her blood-soaked hair and tails behind her, then raised one hand and clenched it tightly, as if grasping something invisible.
Crack.
“With this… the mark I left on him is gone.”
“……”
“It’s shameless of me, but… please take only my life. I beg for your mercy.”
Cheonma looked down at the fallen nine-tailed fox and pondered. Should she kill her? The talent would be wasted. This girl had only just awakened her Karma. To display such performance in that state… if she learned to wield it properly, how much more entertainment could she provide?
Especially interesting is how she handles that monkey bastard’s power.
Every so-called successor she had faced until now had been pathetic. But this one was different. Her level of completion and raw strength were on another plane. Even though the power relied on talismans for clones and transformations, it was more than enough to satisfy her.
“You’re lucky.”
Yes. She would spare her. She would make her stronger, enjoy the process, and indirectly help her own disciple grow.
“I will not kill you.”
“What? What scheme are you—”
Snap.
“Ow!”
“Such a rude little thing. Your attitude toward the one who spared your life perfectly matches your nature.”
Hoya opened her mouth to retort, then shut it tightly. After all, the one who had stormed in and caused this massacre was the woman standing over her.
“Train your Karma. Learn to wield it with skill.”
“Karma…?”
“I am speaking of the level you gained through this battle.”
“You seem to know a lot about this power.”
Of course she did. Cheonma gave a light shrug.
Hoya forced her heavy body upright and drew forth the power of her level—Karma.
“Ho, you can even apply it that way? The monkey has quite a few tricks.”
“This one’s my original, actually.”
Like rewinding time itself, Hoya’s wounds closed. She shook the blood from her body and gave her tails a light, playful flick.
Crunch.
“You killed the spy.”
“You knew and did nothing?”
“They had nothing to do with me.”
“Ugh… can’t argue with that.”
A bat that had been hiding among the yokai exploded against Hoya’s tail. It was clearly a fragment of an executive from the faction opposing the Ghost King. It must have noticed Cheonma’s presence and tried to observe the situation.
“To detect an enemy scout while handling this Karma…”
“That one also uses Karma, so he probably couldn’t sense it before.”
“This power called Karma… it’s terrifying. If you can’t wield it, you can’t even detect enemy reconnaissance. And he’s awakened it too.”
“The one who caught my interest isn’t that crude failure. It’s you.”
“Me…?”
“Do not compare yourself to such a half-baked failure. Yes, like that old swordsman, he is nothing but a failed product. The difference in completion between him and the fox before me is like night and day. With just a little practice, you will easily be able to crush him.”
Zzt.
“…You already completed the vessel? As expected of my disciple. To think you would finish it so quickly. It hasn’t been that long since you last surprised me, and here you are doing it again.”
Unable to hide her delight at her disciple’s growth, Cheonma smiled and turned away from Hoya.
“Then I shall return.”
“I won’t see you off.”
“How very like a rude beast.”
“…And don’t come here again.”
Well. That remained to be seen. Perhaps Hoya read the meaning in her eyes, because she frowned in clear disgust.
“I said don’t come back!”
“Then until next time.”
“Hey! I told you not to come!!”
With that, Cheonma tore through space and returned to her disciple.
You have acquired the skill '????? lv.1'.
Due to the effect of your trait, all skill proficiency has been fixed at maximum level.
You may now set the skill's name.
Will you set it?
I had no idea Cheonma had gone to the Ghost Lair. I was completely focused on the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, and as a result, I finally obtained it as a proper skill.
The name is obviously Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
We had already decided on the name together, so there was no reason to hesitate. Once the skill was officially registered as Heavenly Demon Divine Art, its description appeared… and it immediately explained why our raid against her in the game had been such a nightmare.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art lv.8
Category: Skill
Supreme Under Heaven, Solitary and Unrivaled.
All power is adjusted and strengthened to suit the user.
The body is maintained in optimal condition at all times.
Grants absolute superiority over the opponent’s strength.
Specific conditions must be met to increase the skill’s level.
Is this even a skill? The question fit perfectly. What kind of broken ability was this? It finally made sense why Cheonma had been so overwhelmingly strong. And this was just the foundation. The techniques built on top of it must be even more insane.
Creak.
My body, tempered by the power of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, had grown beyond comparison. The perfect balance I felt was probably the true state of my current physique.
Shhhhh.
When I lightly drew on the power, it wasn’t the previous blue mana. A deep, black energy—similar to yet somehow different from regular demonic power—wrapped around me. This was the first effect of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
And the second. It maintains the body in optimal condition at all times…
This one needed more testing. Did it mean I wouldn’t feel fatigue? Or that I wouldn’t feel hunger even if I skipped meals?
And finally.
The most important ability of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. I would probably discover it in the next fight.
Ziiing.
“Disciple, you continue to surprise me.”
“Master!”
While I had been absorbed in mastering the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Cheonma tore through space and appeared before me. She looked at me with proud eyes and patted my head, but I tilted my head at the faint fishy smell drifting from her body.
Sniff. Sniff.
“Master.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t you smell something fishy?”
“I don’t notice anything. More importantly, how does your body feel?”
At her question, my eyes sparkled and I answered without thinking.
“It feels incredible. Like I could fight for an entire week straight.”
“Hmph. Do not grow arrogant. You have only just learned to crawl. No—you are like an infant who has only just figured out how to flip over. That is all.”
It’s not quite that bad… is it?
“Then I shall teach you how to truly wield the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.”
What’s with her? She looks way too happy.
Was she that pleased I had accepted the power? But that smile didn’t seem like simple pride in her disciple’s growth. It looked more like…
The refreshed face someone makes after relieving a ton of stress.
…No. It had to be my imagination.