Heresy (3)

Three leaps brought me right in front of him. An attack so swift it sliced through the very wind.

Kaang! But he wasn't so slow that he couldn't react. He wrapped his surroundings in pure white spiderwebs and swung a spider's leg at me. He dodged leisurely, and I lifted my body with my remaining legs to create distance.

With distance created, it was my turn. I boiled up my mana and summoned a swarm of insects. Tens of thousands of flying bugs surged toward him.

I didn't stop there. I chanted multiple spells, blanketing the entire sky. The buzzing filled every direction, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anything alive was torn apart by the flying insects.

"Hahaha! What a sight!!"

But he showed no fear of the black cloud. He swung his sword to shake off the bugs around him and launched a counterattack.

Mana infused his voice. The bugs that heard it ignored my control, devouring each other and even themselves—chaos, not order. They hurled themselves into the madness.

"A mental attack, huh."

My head tingled faintly. It seemed like magic that implanted madness in living creatures. Not enough to affect me, but devastating against low-intelligence bugs.

Half self-destructed by biting each other. The rest flew at me. I summoned three giant hornets and sent them at the swarm. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The bugs chased the hornets, which darted like fighter jets, shooting them down. But there were too many, and eventually both sides fell to the ground.

"You're not tired already, are you?"

"Of course not."

Atop the carpet of insect corpses, he slung his sword over his shoulder and flashed a feral grin. I shrugged lightly, and he immediately resumed his stance and charged.

"Then I'll keep you company until you are!"

"Damn."

I ducked under his horizontal sword swing.

I chanted immediately, summoning a massive earthworm that burst from the ground and launched him away.

"These damn bugs are persistent!"

He landed on a nearby building. I kept my eyes on him while flipping through a few more pages of Go-seo.

"I need a one-shot."

Quantity wouldn't work on him. The bugs would just succumb to madness. If I was going to use something, it had to be a powerful single strike.

Hoo... I steadied my breath and drew up the mana in my body. It was a fairly strong spell, straining my body, but nothing compared to the original spells in Go-seo. This level was manageable.

The entity I called was Níðhöggr, the monster from Norse myth symbolizing corruption—a colossal worm. Of course, the version in the grimoire wasn't the original mythic being. It was a scaled-down replica fitted to the user's capacity.

"That's more than enough."

Even that was overkill. A dull knife for slaying lions was still plenty for hyenas. No need to doubt its power.

Kieeeek!!!

The factory building shook violently as Níðhöggr burst through the earth below. A maggot the size of a building. It devoured the giant earthworm before me, then gobbled up the scattered corpses. Still hungry, it looked around.

"What're you staring at?"

[.....]

He glanced at me briefly, then turned to hunt other prey. And that's when Níðhöggr spotted him.

"Son of a bitch."

Kieeeek!!!

Níðhöggr burrowed into the ground and charged, shaking the earth. He spat curses and tensed up.

Kyek? He cast another spell, his body melting away instantly. Despite devouring the entire rooftop, Níðhöggr chewed only stone in confusion. Then he reappeared behind it, raising his sword high.

Kuaak!? Flames erupted along his sword. As he cast again, the fire whirled madly into a storm of blaze.

Kwaaang!! A massive explosion slammed Níðhöggr into the ground. The flames kept burning its body relentlessly.

Kieee! But a beast of legend wouldn't fall to this. Vicious poison erupted from its body in all directions, melting and corrupting everything.

"Kuh!"

He hurriedly distanced himself from Níðhöggr, the flames losing power to the poison. Níðhöggr rose again, regaining strength. The six eyes of the life-hating beast burned fiercer.

Kieeeek!!

"My ears!"

A faint pressure swept the area. He opened his massive maw, gathering poison breath to the limit—a blast powerful enough to devastate the surroundings.

"Fuck it. Let's do this."

He glared at Níðhöggr, sheathing his sword halfway in preparation for a spell.

He'd finished one syllable, but the mana kept surging. The spell wasn't complete.

The sword was half-drawn, but empty. The blade had vanished. Yet everything around him sharpened like a blade.

Kieeeek!!! As Níðhöggr spewed its poison breath, he fully drew his sword and completed the spell. Chaos—everything mixed into one. The true slash began sucking in its surroundings, converting them to its power.

Kwagagak!! It absorbed even the poison, advancing relentlessly. Níðhöggr spewed harder, but the slash drew ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inexorably closer.

Kyi, kyeek!!

"Gahhh!!"

Chaos kept devouring the poison. Níðhöggr spewed endlessly. He suppressed the resistance, closing in to cleave it.

"Give up already!"

Kyeek... It wasn't easy, but he clearly had the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠upper hand. At this rate, Níðhöggr would be bisected by the chaos strike.

"What now."

Truly regrettable. But since summoning Níðhöggr, my mana was depleted. I couldn't summon even an ant.

"No choice, then."

I eyed the man pushing back the poison. The end was near, but I'd have to use deep-sea magic. It required only my blood as medium.

"Kinda embarrassing, though..."

I'd promised a cool show, but borrowing Shin-nim's power bruised my pride. To win, though—what could I do? Next time, manage mana better.

So thinking, I brought my deep-sea claw to my wrist. One big shot to finish him, Níðhöggr, and shatter the barrier. But just as I prepared—

"Hm?"

Two gunshots echoed from somewhere.

Pyuung! Pyuuwung!!

Enormous black arrows tore through the air. I thought they targeted me and readied a defense spell.

"Where you going?"

But they flew elsewhere—straight at the man and Níðhöggr.

"Krek!"

Kyek?!

The arrows pierced his heart and Níðhöggr's eye precisely. Their mana and poison went berserk, pulverizing the area. I got caught in the blast too.

I called my soul partner, the Deep Sea Tentacle. Now so familiar I could shortcut the chant. Wrapped in tentacles, I waited out the explosion before clearing them and surveying the area.

"Clean work."

A crater from the blast. Surroundings wrecked. I descended from the tentacles and looked toward the arrows' origin.

"What's your angle?"

"...."

The girl raised both hands in response. Her longbow was already slung on her back—no intent to fight.

"Not hired help?"

"It's complicated, but simply put, undercover investigation."

She approached as she spoke. I manipulated tentacles to draw a line on the ground before her—a warning to cross at her peril.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Well, that's..."

She'd aimed her bow at me the whole fight, keeping me on edge. Now she claimed undercover? Understandable skepticism, but I wasn't inclined to buy it.

"I'm a civil servant, for one?"

"...You're a civil servant? What does that even mean?"

"Exactly that. Mind looking at this?"

From beyond the line, she tossed something. I caught and opened it.

My head spun at the bizarre, unheard-of certificate.

"...."

"W-what're you staring at? That's all I got!"

Should I believe this...? Deep hesitation swirled, but she was young, and she'd helped. I'd trust her once.

"Fine. What do I call you?"

"Se-ah, like the 'se' in world."

"Got it."

I handed back the license. Se-ah snatched it and tucked it away preciously.

"Got some dust on it. I'll clean you up good, baby~"

"...."

Hm. Fittingly unhinged for her type. So young, yet already like this. Truly tragic.

"Where are they."

I clicked my tongue, shifting focus from her. I circled the crater's edge lightly. Had to be around here. Not dead in the blast, right?

"Found 'em."

Fortune smiled—I spotted the fainted shaman, thug, and mouse piled in cocoons a bit away. Their leader (name unknown) was dead, so I'd wring info from these via interrogation.

"What're you doing?"

"Watching."

Something odd caught my eye farther off. A red head amid gray ruins. What was that guy doing?

He claimed he was just spectating.

"Aren't you about to interrogate?"

"Yeah."

"Lemme listen too? Ears don't wear out."

My head spun. These MZ kids were so brazen—no, bold. Seeing it firsthand was worse. We'd been enemies moments ago? Not scared?

"Ah, pleeease~☆ Just a little~☆"

"Good grief."

Apparently fearless. Or just nuts? Thinking it over, probably the latter. What to do? Telling her no wouldn't work. Magic felt wrong since she wasn't hostile.

"Do whatever."

"Yay! No takebacks!"

No point dragging it out. I permitted her to listen. Se-ah cheered with a V-sign. Fine, suit yourself. I'd interrogate.

I sighed softly and prepared the interrogation spell.

'Not that, don't memo it.'

Some weird whisper in my ear. It wasn't because of her aegyo... Fight was over, but mentally exhausting.