Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: House Zahav: Clouds After Clear Skies (5)
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“Even if the sun sets, it rises again tomorrow. Didn't you know this simple truth?”
[R-Re...surrec...tion...? H-How...?]
“Didn't know?”
Then you die.
With those words, Enoch kicked off the ground toward the retreating black mage.
Tat!
A movement utterly silent, unlike the previous chaotic charges that shattered the floor.
It was a foot technique Enoch had developed by mimicking assassins' movements to hunt them down after being tormented by the Assassin Guild.
But perhaps because it was wrapped in roaring flames of aura that seemed to assert its full power...
Like focusing better in a quiet place, all of Yuria's attention began to concentrate on Enoch.
A sensation as if Enoch had become the protagonist of this world.
And then, the flames enveloping Enoch's body gathered in his arms before suddenly exploding.
Kwaaang!
A deafening roar comparable to the silence just moments ago. Heat and light filling the barrier scorched her retinas.
“Eut!”
Yuria reflexively closed and opened her eyes, and saw it.
Brent's mutated flesh. A large hole punched through his abdomen, packed with solid muscles and nauseating tumors.
She couldn't look straight at it due to the intense light, but as a skilled aura user in her own right, guessing what happened wasn't hard.
'Did he explode his aura? No, erupt it?'
Enoch's claim of only recently learning aura seemed true; his control was still crude.
Not only shaping it, but even moving it without waste was visibly taxing.
So Enoch abandoned fine control. He simply unleashed the overflowing aura in one burst.
Just like when he spat flames from his heart upon returning from death.
But what truly overwhelmed Yuria was something else entirely.
'He's... smiling?'
Enoch's lips were curled up to the point of tearing.
He grabbed incoming tentacles barehanded and ripped them off, shoved his arm deep into the burning hole in the abdomen and tore it apart, stomped the flailing legs into pulp, and ripped the mouth chanting spells, hurling the lower jaw away.
With the guarded sword gone, nothing to hinder him, Enoch unleashed primal violence.
A sight that would terrify any human... any intelligent being.
Not the glorious victory taught at the Academy, nor the merciless slaughter regardless of means learned in House Zahav.
Dismantling.
Like a child gleefully tearing off a dragonfly's wings, Enoch was dismantling what was once human—Brent—and enjoying it.
Of course, the black mage controlling Brent didn't go down easily.
Highly corrosive fluids that could melt city wall materials sprayed instead of blood, curses that would derange the mind just hearing them, secondary-dimensional monsters leaping from shadows, and more.
Every trick was high-level black magic straight out of books. If unleashed from outside the barrier, it could have routed an army or knights.
The smile never left Enoch's lips.
Even as he was doused in that highly corrosive fluid that melted specially treated wall materials, his skin dissolving to reveal muscle and bone.
Flames surged simultaneously, regenerating as if nothing happened.
His already superhuman regeneration from human experiments had grown even stronger with aura.
Viscous curses meant to corrupt the world couldn't pierce his body—half crumbled—and the sliver that seeped in only briefly disordered his mind.
Peuk!
He smacked his own head, ignited it with aura, and quickly regained his senses.
Shadows born from the light Enoch emitted. Grotesque entities from beyond manifested through them.
Shark heads with dozens of eyes fused to lizard bodies—repulsive forms.
But as it gaped wide and lunged to devour him... right before swallowing Enoch, its mouth clamped shut under the hammer-like underside of his fist.
Forced shut by inertia alone, the interdimensional monster flew on. One hand already used to seal its mouth, the other tied up suppressing Brent and the black mage.
So Enoch arched his back greatly and opened his mouth wide.
Chwaaak!
As it passed, Enoch bit deep into the nape of the abomination and tore it out.
Ink-like blood dissolved into the air, and after twitching twice on the ground, it was reverse-summoned to its dimension.
Yuria, dazedly watching it all, thought.
'Not human methods...'
Cruel, barbaric, brute.
A beast fueled by strength, instinct, and endless ferocity, carrying the sun within.
...But that's why he was more Zahav than anyone.
She just hadn't noticed because he usually hid those teeth. He was Zahav enough to rival the founder (or not).
A thought that would make Enoch flip in injustice if heard, but sadly unspoken, it remained a thought.
After burning even the remains to cinders beyond regeneration or reassembly, he dragged the black mage from Brent's flesh chunks.
Oddly, only head and upper body remained, entrails trailing like Brent's. Enoch cackled at it.
“Found you.”
“...”
Yuria vowed. If she or Jevella ever bore Enoch's child, no hide-and-seek.
“Found you.”
A proud smile came naturally seeing the black mage, reduced to head and upper body with trailing guts.
Honestly, it was tough.
Maybe overdid the posing with aura. Tried reeling it back after decent flair, but it wouldn't obey.
Like it had centrifugal force, the aura kept trying to burst outward, delaying recovery as I was pushed by the flow.
So, I tried a change of thinking.
'If brakes fail, scrape the guardrail to stop.'
Instead of forcing overflowing aura back in, dump it all on the enemy.
Gave the spinning aura direction, and it slammed into ex-Brent, settling down.
Aura slips control into rampage—smash into foe first... Note to self.
After that...
The black mage focused solely on me, and I knew his trump card was a dud, so I fought normally. And here we are.
Whether mana exhausted or resigned, the black mage calmly looked up. Like trying to etch my image deeper—gave me chills, but creeps gonna creep.
Grabbed the maggot-like thing's neck and hoisted it.
“First question: why the sudden raid on House Zahav? Related to the dungeon backflow?”
[Dungeon backflow? So that's it... You don't know...?]
“Agh. This bastard again.”
For some reason, higher-level black mages fear death less. Probably 'cause they're that insane.
Makes interrogation near impossible; sometimes they deduce what I know from my questions and mock me like this.
Of course, I glean info too, so I probe occasionally.
“I see. You meant to use the dungeon backflow, but you didn't cause it.”
[......]
“Then the reason for raiding Zahav... well, no need to ask.”
From his preparations and words assuming me dead, the answer's obvious.
“Wanted to kill me that bad? What a coincidence. I wanna kill every black mage I see too.”
[Nemesis. You were always beyond expectation. Defying your sacrificial fate to sacrifice us. Now awakening the blood origin with our power, toying with laws. Soon you'll pay the price.]
“Oh dear. So that's it. But y'know... I'm the monster you made.”
[......]
Silent. I slowly tightened my grip on its neck.
Crack.
Bones cracking bit by bit, its face twisting against its will.
Staring into its eyes, I said.
“I am your reckoning.”
Kwajik!
Neck fully snapped, body went limp.
With Brent and the black mage down, the black mana barrier dissolved like melting.
“Huu.”
Deep sigh, relaxed my tensed body. Aura over-revving and venting was fine otherwise, but taxing for my novice level—mental fatigue.
Misfired, but they prepared thoroughly, so quiet for a while.
Tension easing, a usual inner mutter slipped out.
“Ah... wanna roll in bed playing with Karen's chubby cheeks...”
As I mumbled, barrier fully gone. Beyond: fully armed knights led by Jevella.
...And Karen, hiding behind Hilda, covering her cheeks.
“What.”
Heard that? No way they watched me fight inside too? All these people?
In disbelief, blinking blankly.
Yuria sneaked up, offering her cheek.
“Poor big bro. Fought hard and got dumped. ...Wanna touch mine?”
“Nah. Yours got no squish.”
“That's too much?!”
Yuria hurt. But can't help it.
Hers weirdly flat, stretch like taffy when pulled—Karen wins.