Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Tag, You're It
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If I were to summon my Fourth Martial Brother here, I could probably overcome this immediate crisis.
My opinion remains unchanged, even if the Demon King is an incomprehensible monster.
Of course, the being before me is a monster on par with my Eldest Martial Brother, and my Fourth Martial Brother once described Eldest Martial Brother's prowess as being beyond the heavens... but still.
My Fourth Martial Brother is the most humble among us, so it's hard to take everything he says at face value.
So, putting aside the immediate danger of death...
I might have stumbled upon a rare opportunity.
After all, communicating with a being like a Demon King through normal means is impossible.
The proof lies in the fact that even the cultists, who should know the most about the Demon Kings, risk their lives with every summoning ritual.
I looked at Tangtata again.
[Hmm... Ah, it seems my proposal isn't to your liking.]
Tangtata fidgeted with its fingers, looking troubled.
Should I try to flatter it to get on its good side? I immediately dismissed the thought.
For some reason, I felt it was impossible to please this monster by human standards.
If that had worked, Juan wouldn't have died.
‘The more harmless they look, the more you have to be careful.’
I can't be fooled by its ridiculous appearance and hesitant speech.
Perhaps Tangtata is the most dangerous Demon King of all.
[W-Well, it can't be helped. Ohoho... E-Everyone has their o-opinions, after all...]
I watched Tangtata and slowly opened my mouth.
“Forget about being partners... How about a deal instead?”
I tried changing my perspective.
A deal is different from a conversation.
There's no need to understand the other party.
You just have to judge by gains and losses.
Perhaps the relationship between the Calamity Gods and the cult was also established on such a calculation.
[A deeeal...?]
“It seems you're short on playthings. I can entertain you for a while.”
[Ho, hohoho...!]
Tangtata clapped its hands in delight.
Then it said something unexpected.
[A-Alright...! Th-Then... let's play a game of tag...!]
Tag?
[Th-Then let's staaaaart...!]
*Clap!*
After a sharp clap, Tangtata immediately reached for me.
“....!”
I dodged the chubby hand by a hair's breadth.
Even though I'd successfully evaded it, goosebumps rose on my arm.
[Oh, ohoho...!]
Tangtata burst out laughing and repeatedly reached for me.
For a moment, it reminded me of my Master's Grappling Hand, and I felt a tension just as palpable as I had back then.
The kind of tension that made me feel like my flesh would be torn from my bones if I were caught even once.
‘What kind of movement is—’
Tangtata's movements themselves weren't fast.
Though they were quite nimble for its corpulent frame.
And yet, with every attack I sensed, my stamina and mental energy were drained in huge chunks.
Was this pressure, making me want to collapse on the spot, due to the peculiar aura Tangtata possessed?
It even seemed to be exuding this aura without any intention.
[Ohohoho...! My, you're good at dodging! Th-Then how about this...!]
Tangtata's green face turned red. It was a ridiculous sight, but I remained stone-faced.
The moment something—saliva or sweat, I couldn't tell—beaded up on its jelly-like face.
[Ohohohohohoho—!]
*Swoooosh!*
Tangtata spun its head like a windmill, like a madman.
“....!”
The momentum sent a red bodily fluid spraying in all directions.
I didn't know what it was, but I knew that getting hit by even a single drop would be dangerous.
I hastily put distance between us.
*Sizzzzzzle—!*
The surrounding objects touched by the fluid corroded instantly. It was a strong acid, incomparable to the green tongue Juan had wielded.
The problem came afterward.
Dodging was the right call, but it seemed that wasn't enough.
*Stumble—.*
I was certain not a single drop had touched me, yet I felt a sudden wave of dizziness, and my body grew sluggish.
‘Could it be?’
Was it because of the poisonous fumes released by the corrosion?
I stopped breathing the moment I realized, but it was too late for the small amount I had already inhaled.
[Oh, ohoho...! Now you can't esca—!]
*BAM!*
[...?]
I slammed a wheel of fire into Tangtata's face.
Tangtata, now covered in flames mid-sentence, tilted its head.
[U-Umm...? But I'm 'it' right now...?]
“Was there a rule that you can't attack the person who's 'it'?”
[Uh...]
After a moment's thought, Tangtata blankly nodded its head.
[W-We didn't exactly set one, did we...?]
While Tangtata was spouting nonsense, I detonated the internal energy in my dantian.
*Grind!*
I wondered if I'd cracked a molar.
I exerted that much force, circulating my true energy to send a rush of heat through all the meridians in my body.
*Fwoosh!*
The poisonous fumes inside my body melted away in an instant, as if touched by fire.
Of course, this only stopped my condition from worsening; it was impossible to restore my dulled physical abilities.
I used the Thunder Heaven Steps to dodge Tangtata's timely attack.
‘Should I try a direct attack?’
The corrosive fluid Tangtata had sprayed was now trickling down its greasy face.
Making direct contact felt... unpleasant.
Then the remaining options were to attack through its clothes, or perhaps respond with the Seven Sins Sword—.
‘...If I coat my fist with my aura.’
Honestly, I had no idea what the result would be.
It was a complete unknown whether it would work or not.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
If the Demon King I met before my regression had been Tangtata and not the ninth, I probably would have trained in defense instead of evasion.
[Ho, ho, ho...!]
Just then, the green pig moved again.
It began clapping its chubby palms together, but it wasn't ordinary applause.
*Clap! Clap!*
With each round of applause, it felt like my eardrums were tearing.
Beyond the ringing in my ears, I could hear Tangtata's gleeful voice.
[This is so, so much fun...!]
‘Damn bastard...’
I swallowed my curse and tried to use the Thunder Heaven Steps again, but my feet got tangled for a moment, and I nearly fell.
It seemed to be because of the shockwaves that spread with each clap, as if shattering the air itself.
This was more serious than I thought.
I could use the Thunder Heaven Steps freely even on a cliff battered by thunderstorms and gales, yet now I was being thwarted by the mere aftermath of clapping.
‘The authority of a Demon King...’
How in the world was I supposed to counter that power?
Simply honing my body and mind didn't seem like it would provide a solution.
‘Is the Blessing the only way?’
I know what my Blessing is, but...
It's not the kind of ability that can be trained.
It's not like my resistance to musical instruments would increase just by practicing.
[D-Don't break...! I told you not to breeeak—!]
Spouting more nonsense, Tangtata began to destroy its surroundings as if having a seizure.
I was already keenly aware of the difference in our levels.
If that thing had seriously tried to kill me, I would have been dead in an instant.
Setting aside my pride and accepting the current situation, another question arose.
Why was I still alive?
‘Because that thing thinks this is a game.’
And every game has rules.
What rule was Tangtata following?
I sprinted around Tangtata, observing its massive green body, and easily realized one thing.
‘It's not moving from its spot.’
Was this a rule Tangtata was following in its own way?
Come to think of it, its legs hadn't moved when it first reached out either.
In that case...
*Fwoosh!*
I used the Blazing Sprint instead of the Thunder Heaven Steps.
I dashed forward, scattering fiery energy in all directions.
My running path was simple: circling Tangtata as if on a hamster wheel.
[Hohohoho...!]
Tangtata was still bursting with laughter, even as the buildings around it burned.
“Huuuu...”
Once the poisonous fumes mixed with the smoke, I started breathing again.
The dark green city was now engulfed in flames.
Amidst it all, I switched my movement from the Blazing Sprint to the footwork of the Thunder Heaven Steps.
*Crackle!*
The moment a brief current of electricity flowed through my steps, I realized something.
‘They're surprisingly compatible.’
The transition from Blazing Sprint to Thunder Heaven Steps was much more natural than I'd expected.
As if they were meant to be a combination technique from the start.
Moreover, for some reason...
Rather than transitioning from the Blazing Sprint to the Thunder Heaven Steps.
I had a hunch that switching from the Thunder Heaven Steps to the Blazing Sprint would flow much more naturally.
Was it because it's more natural to go from a walk to a run than from a run to a walk?
The feeling was slightly different.
The Thunder Heaven Steps, derived from lightning.
The White Sun Eclipse, derived from flames.
This was just my feeling, but it seemed that flames were a more comprehensive concept than lightning.
So perhaps the Blazing Sprint could 'embrace' the Thunder Heaven Steps.
Of course, I could be wrong, but that was my thought.
*Flash!*
I immediately acted on the inspiration that had struck me at this unexpected moment.
I used the Thunder Heaven Steps to close the distance to Tangtata, and at a two-step interval, I launched my attack.
The corrosive fluid was still unsettling, but I didn't want to ignore the idea that had just flashed through my mind.
*Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh.*
The fist I thrust out while using the Thunder Heaven Steps was clearly in the form of Scorching Heat, the first form of the White Sun Eclipse, but its power was different from before.
White Sun Eclipse, Unofficial Form.
Thunder Fist.
*CRACKLE!*
The moment my fist connected, Tangtata's face exploded like a balloon.
“Huh?”
The result far exceeded my expectations, and my mind went blank for a moment.
I quickly retreated from Tangtata and watched to see what would happen...
[...]
Tangtata's body stood perfectly still, faceless.
Its face was gone, but I didn't feel like I had killed it.
The overwhelming pressure emanating from its fat body had not diminished.
*Whoosh!*
Just then, Tangtata's body turned toward me and started making various gestures.
[...! ...!]
It looked like it was trying to say something.
After a short wait, a waterfall of green flesh began to bubble up from below its neck.
[Ho, hohoho...!]
And Tangtata's face regenerated.
“....”
I prided myself on having seen many bizarre sights in my life, but this was the first time I'd seen a face regenerate, and my jaw dropped.
[Th-That just now was f-fun...! It was thrilling! Hohohoho...! Th-Then... I should make it fun for you too, shouldn't I...?]
The moment Tangtata's tone lowered slightly.
‘I'm screwed.’
This was no longer a situation to weigh my options.
The instant I thrust my hand into my pocket to pull out the coin.
*KRRRAAAAAACK—!*
A long halberd fell from the sky like a bolt of lightning.
With a tremendous roar, the halberd pulverized Tangtata.
Wind and lightning raged in all directions, extinguishing the flames I had set in an instant.
*Crackle—.*
‘That halberd...’
I looked at the halberd, which was wreathed in electric currents.
The Wind Thunder Halberd.
A divine weapon that summons thunder and wind.
I.
I knew the owner of this halberd.
At that moment, a black figure dropped from the sky, landing without a sound.
His unique aura, reminiscent of an ancient tree, was unchanged even amidst the dreary landscape of hell.
The martial artist who had left the deepest mark on me after my Master gripped the still-crackling Wind Thunder Halberd with his bare hands.
“....”
My Eldest Martial Brother's gaze turned to me.