Chapter 588: Jealousy is My Power (88)
Chapter 588: Jealousy is My Power (88)
Coordinated attacks are techniques that require surprisingly extensive training.
The battlefield is a place where lives and blades intersect. In a clash between highly skilled killers—not mere fodder—even the slightest opening can determine life or death.
To swing a weapon alongside a partner whose movements aren't perfectly synchronized is a gamble.
The risk of obstructing each other's path is high. And is the battlefield not a place where even a moment's hesitation can claim a life?
That was why it was so unexpected.
The fact that the girl and I were in such perfect, natural sync. As if gears were clicking into place, she assisted me as if she were predicting my every move.
She was already formidable in her own right.
Now that our breathing had begun to align, the effectiveness of our joint strike was beyond words. Even the 'Vampire' began to wear a look of frustration.
A blood-red line followed the silver trajectory of my blade.
The Vampire parried my sword with her left hand, but her arm was immediately snared by the trailing blood-red thread. Seeing this, I pivoted my sword path without hesitation and struck again.
Aiming for her exposed left shoulder.
Of course, the Vampire wasn't about to let me land a hit so easily. Her right hand gripped my blade with enough force to make it creak.
Even then, she was forced to let go quickly as blood-red threads began to crawl up her legs.
By now, the Vampire’s eyes were bloodshot.
"You... you two...!"
Boom!
The silver-haired woman gritted her teeth and swung her arm violently, causing the blood-red threads binding her to explode instantly. The blast was powerful enough to shake the entire barrier.
It was a technique that even the Great Witch had struggled against.
Normally, I wouldn't have been able to withstand the shockwave and would have been sent tumbling across the ground.
That is, if I hadn't had the girl's help by my side.
Thump.
The blood-red threads, spread out like a spiderweb, intersected to catch my body gently. The girl, the master of these threads, was already reclining in mid-air, looking relaxed enough to yawn.
Lying on her side with her head propped up on her hand, she looked incredibly comfortable—as if she were about to take a nap in a hammock on a midsummer day.
Then, with a bloody smile, her voice rang out.
"My, 'Jealousy'... you're struggling more than I thought. To think you're only at this level even after borrowing the power of the barrier. Master Delphirem will be disappointed."
"Shut up."
The words were spat out through gnashing teeth.
The Vampire brushed her hands off as if dusting away dirt. A faint redness was visible on her wrists.
It was likely the price of her forced exertion.
Though, it was a wound that would heal in a matter of seconds.
I looked up at the sky, thinking how unfair this fight was. The blood-red moon was the only thing tactlessly bright in this place.
I felt as if I had seen a similar sight somewhere before.
As it happened, the topic the two women brought up next was related to that thought.
"If only I could summon my main body, the likes of you wouldn't even be a match... You haven't even properly awakened the power of the Seven Deadly Sins!"
"But I'm skilled enough to interfere with your barrier. Now, look. Look at that magnificent moon in the sky."
As she spoke, the girl brushed her hair back, flashing a seductive smile. The blood-red moon acted like a spotlight, adding an aura to her captivating appearance.
"It is the grace Master Delphirem bestowed upon me... As long as that moon is up, you won't be able to have your way."
"......Hmph."
The Vampire snorted and turned her head slightly. At a glance, it seemed like she was dismissing the comment as a joke, but the emotion in her eyes was closer to irritation.
Could she not refute it?
I sighed, recalling a scene from the past.
Come to think of it, I had seen that moon before. It must have been the day I first faced that girl.
The blood-red moon that had risen in the underground cavern.
That was likely the source of the power the girl wielded.
As I etched this new information into my mind, the Vampire questioned the girl again in a suspicious tone.
"How long have you been planning this? There's no way you could be in such perfect sync after just a day or two."
"Hmm? Well, that's obvious. Because Brother and I have been one since the moment we were born."
The girl clasped her hands together and looked up at the sky with sparkling eyes.
Despite being in a space submerged in darkness, for a moment, it felt as if the world brightened around her.
She was still a woman who seemed to live in a world of her own. Then again, that was a trait shared by most madmen.
The girl spoke, genuinely overcome with emotion.
"Isn't this the will of God, decreeing that we should be one from the very beginning? Ah, hail Omeros! Thank you for preparing such a wonderful partner for me!"
"Don't make me laugh... No doubt you've just watched your brother every single day until his swordsmanship became second nature to you. It's obvious with a pervert like you."
The girl's eyes narrowed at the Vampire's blatant mockery. 'Greed' let out a strange hum, her gaze clearly far from friendly.
What was more terrifying to me was that the girl didn't deny those words.
The conversation between the two lunatics finally seemed to be nearing its end.
"Aren't you underestimating the power of love too much, 'Jealousy'? I suppose it's natural, since you've lived your whole life without knowing what love is!"
"Why should I cling to such a trivial emotion? My goal in life has been only one for a long time."
"Haaah."
As if she understood perfectly, the girl shook her head and curled her lips into a smirk.
"Then why don't you take a look? At the 'power of love,' I mean."
It looked like a battle of pride was about to break out between the two of them.
Having remained silent for a while, I couldn't help but let out a hollow voice.
"You're talking so much nonsense that I have to say something. I have no intention of 'loving' a lackey of the Dark Cult, let alone—"
"Go, Brother!"
Of course, I wasn't allowed to finish my sentence.
With a twang, the blood-red threads I had been buried in catapulted me forward.
The dash, bolstered by the elasticity, allowed me to experience a speed incomparable to before. In front of me, as I instinctively found my footing, stood the Vampire with a savage smile.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Though I sighed inwardly, I had no choice but to drop the tip of my sword to the lower left.
Naturally, the technique to follow was the Golden Silk Sword.
In an instant, seven streaks of sword light were drawn vertically and horizontally. This trajectory, resembling interlocking teeth, was the very strike that had established Yurdina as the Lord of the North.
But my opponent was a Fiend of legend.
She could surely parry such a technique with ease.
If it weren't for the hundreds of thread-lines targeting her limbs, that is.
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
It felt as if I were cutting through hard wood rather than flesh. Of the seven strikes, only three sank into the Vampire's skin, and even those failed to sever anything.
Nevertheless, the Vampire seemed to take it as a significant insult.
She looked absolutely livid, the veins in her neck bulging.
"There's a limit to my patience...!"
Then came the Single Flash.
A blood-red line traversed the air. A crimson perforation line that seemed to cut not just me, but the entire world, instantly separated my upper and lower body.
Rip-rip-rip-rip!
The sound of the scarlet lines bursting was chilling. At the last moment, I used the subtlety of Binding to brace my sword, but there was nothing I could do about the shock that rattled me to my very core.
Cough!
I spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered back. To make matters worse, I had one more burden to deal with.
"Kyaaa~"
With a scream that anyone could tell was fake, a girl threw herself into my arms.
It was 'Greed.'
She unhesitatingly clung to me, her body forming seductive curves. I caught her reflexively, but having just taken a blow to my internal organs, I was simply bewildered.
What was wrong with this woman now?
The mystery was solved shortly after. The girl, held in my arms in a so-called 'princess carry,' rubbed her face against me and exhaled a sweet breath.
"Ah, I was so surprised I almost fell. I'm so glad you're here, Brother. You smell so go—ack?!"
I didn't wait to hear the rest before I slammed her onto the ground.
The girl tumbled, her prominent backside thrust into the air. Not that it mattered, as she picked herself up immediately.
The girl rubbed her forehead and yelled at the top of her lungs.
"H-How could you do that! We're on the same side!"
"Are we really?"
That was the first time the girl's mouth snapped shut.
She didn't look like she had been caught off guard. Rather, she just gave me a mysterious smile and asked.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Why do you keep only playing support? It would be much easier if you stepped up to the front."
There was another strange point.
While my questioning continued, the Vampire didn't bother to attack us. It was the same when I was just lying on the threads without reacting.
They had simply been killing time with trivial bickering.
So, my suspicion was justified. On the other hand, I also wanted to find an excuse to rest my battered body.
Either way, it was a win for me.
Whether 'Greed' was a traitor or not.
At my words, the girl let out a short, airy laugh.