Chapter 471: Shadow (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 471: Shadow (1)
A thick tension crept up my spine and spread through my entire body.
I couldn’t gauge it.
The true extent of my opponent's skill.
I couldn't even tell if their real body existed among the countless shadows.
It was because of the dense, ultramarine mana blanketing the area.
Its viscosity had been maximized, suppressing its natural flow. The mana clung stubbornly in place, covering the entire area and hampering my senses.
To break through this, I made a move.
[Activating the Domain of the Ruler.]
A boundary line was drawn across the jet-black darkness.
I tried to use it to forcefully sweep away the surrounding mana, but…
Shwaaak-!
“……”
It wouldn’t listen.
When I extended an intangible hand to clear the mana, it violently shook me off.
A will so powerful it could reject the absolute influence of the ‘Domain of the Ruler.’
I had only ever encountered one other case like this.
“…A Domain.”
A Divine Authority.
The unique ability of an Apostle blessed with that power.
In a place where a god's presence was so strong, the cheat-like abilities of my Domain of the Ruler were limited.
It was as if it were resolutely refusing my control, unwilling to accept the dominion of a mere human.
Which meant my opponent, like me, was an Apostle who had received a Divine Authority from a god.
I directed my question to one of the countless shadows before me.
“What Apostle are you?”
In response, the shadows all around me tore the words to pieces and answered.
“I... have... no... obligation... to answer.”
“…Well, I guess you're right.”
A needlessly tight-lipped youth.
My intuition, left stranded amidst the ultramarine mana and killing intent, screamed.
It warned me that one wrong move today, in this place, could cost me my life.
Anxiety, tension, fear—such emotions tightened their grip on my throat.
“Hmm, good.”
This wasn't bad.
This feeling that made my fingertips and toes tingle.
This moment where a single small action decides life and death… at some point, I started to welcome it.
“My head's just broken, I guess.”
I'm probably not the only one.
Ten years, twenty years.
If you could open up the minds of Hunters who've survived that long, they'd all be pretty similar.
The more you're crushed by this sensation, the lower your chances of survival.
In other words, it's a sad struggle to survive by choosing to go mad—swallowing the lesser evil instead of the worst.
I slowly warmed up my body and scanned my surroundings.
“……”
Hundreds of shadows encircled me.
The bland figures, devoid of any individuality, flicked their arms in unison.
Shwaek…!
A faint sound of tearing air arose.
At the same time, a chilling sharpness pierced the void, tracing a path across my skin before the attack itself arrived.
Only when I focused my eyes could I finally see them.
Hundreds of daggers, jet-black from hilt to blade, their sharp tips aimed at me as they rushed forward with ferocious speed.
“……!”
My surprise was brief.
I calmly drew up my mana and wrapped a massive defensive wall around myself.
「Aegis.」
Kugugugu…!
A wall of ice, harder than steel, shot up and blocked the way.
Thwack!
I could faintly hear the sound of sharp daggers embedding themselves in the ice wall.
Everything was faint.
My vision was useless in this black-shrouded space, sounds were muffled, and even presences felt dim.
It was as if my senses, which should have been sharp, were barely managing to break through a thick wall to reach me.
The cause was obvious.
The thick, clinging mana was killing off any sound or presence generated in this area.
“…This isn't going to be easy.”
A space with nothing but disadvantages for me, and nothing but advantages for my opponent.
This was definitely not a domain that could be whipped up in an instant.
It must have been prepared in advance.
They knew I always pass through here and took their time to build this domain, making it incredibly solid.
All with the single-minded purpose of killing me.
Pasusus
Unable to withstand the shower of daggers, the ice walls began to crumble one by one.
Shushushut
Along with the muffled sound, like my ears were filled with water, I felt that sharp premonition again.
There was one silver lining.
Sight, hearing, smell.
While none of them were functioning properly, the sense of touch on my skin was.
However, touch alone couldn't perceive the situation in detail.
It could only convey an abstract feeling, like ‘something is targeting me from that direction.’
Relying solely on the sensations on my skin would be suicide.
Instead, I used it as a supplement.
To support my failing hearing, sight, and smell, and to bring the hostility aimed at me into sharper focus.
I couldn't just stand here and block incoming attacks forever.
I had to find some kind of clue, even if it meant tearing through the enemy's formation.
After blocking another volley of daggers, I bent down and picked one up off the ground.
“Hmm.”
It was far too short compared to the sword I usually used, but it didn't matter.
As long as it had a decent grip and some semblance of a blade, I could make it work.
Pzzzt!
As I infused it with mana, a long blade of Sword Ki shot up from the dagger's edge.
That took care of the length.
“The weight is a bit disappointing, though…”
It was too light, and the balance, so different from a sword, was bothersome, but what could I do?
This was a time to take what I could get, not be a picky eater.
“Hoo.”
I calmly steadied my breath.
Fwip!
And launched myself forward.
My target was the nearest shadow.
I closed the distance in the blink of an eye and sliced its body vertically.
Ah.
Right, it doesn't have eyes to blink.
Chwaak!
The shadow split cleanly in two, losing its form and melting onto the ground.
The sensation of the cut wasn't very satisfying.
It felt like slicing through running water.
Continuing the motion, I cut down the surrounding shadows all at once.
Chwaaaak!
Chwaak!
The moment I cut them, they rippled like water before scattering.
Just as I tried to catch my breath, daggers rained down again.
“Useless.”
“Struggling.”
The shadows' taunts came with them.
“Seriously? I can barely hear anything else, but your voices come through loud and clear.”
How convenient for you.
I swung the sword with both hands to block the daggers.
Simultaneously, I created shields in my blind spots where the blade couldn't reach, cutting off any chance of being hit by a stray attack.
“Hup…!”
The daggers shattered to pieces with every swing of my sword.
The sword alone won't be enough.
I need to hit them with one good, solid blow before I make my next move.
I drew up my mana.
The mana that had been suppressed by the ultramarine field surged toward me as if it had been waiting.
I converted all of it into lightning-attribute mana.
Pzzt!
Sparks of lightning flashed and leaped through the darkness.
I gathered them up, drew them out into threads as thin as silk, sharpened their ends, and spread them wide.
「Chain Lightning.」
Chains of pure electricity spread out in all directions.
They pierced through the nearby shadows, then shot out again to pierce another.
Pzzt-zzzt!
Pzzt!
Chwareureuk-
The shadows vanished in an instant.
A wide clearing had been created by that single spell.
But the shadows that had been packed tightly together immediately filled the space again.
It might have seemed meaningless since the area was still full of them, but that wasn't the case.
As proof, the distance between each shadow had grown considerably.
Perhaps that was why.
Having secured some breathing room, the shadows began to move as if they could finally live a little.
“Kngh.”
So now that I've thinned their numbers and given them space, they're coming at me directly.
Chwaak!
Fwump!
I cut down the charging shadows while continuously expanding my senses.
But I couldn't feel any incongruous energy anywhere.
It was as if the space itself was telling me that the real body I was looking for didn't exist here, so I should stop wasting my time.
“It's... useless.”
“You...”
“will... never...”
“reach...”
“me.”
The shadows' taunts continued.
I personally sliced them into s-h-a-d-o-w-s and then raised my middle finger.
“Not even close, you bastard.”
Give up?
Now that's a laugh.
This isn't nearly enough to make me want to give up.
Because I…
“have clawed my way through situations far more fucked up than this.”
It burned within me.
A fierce will to tear the bastard's real body into as many pieces as there were shadows.
I continued the cycle of cutting down the many remaining shadows, blasting them with magic, and zapping them.
Chwak!
Kwarreung!
Fsssss…!
My mana and stamina dwindled.
No matter how much I tried to conserve my energy, my stamina was depleting faster than the shadows.
There was nothing I could do.
Chaeng!
Kagak!
These shadow bastards.
As their numbers decreased, their movements became noticeably more precise.
They even started using a wider variety of weapons.
Daggers flying like arrows, spears thrusting from a distance, shields blocking my attacks.
My senses became a tangled mess as all sorts of weapons carved their own paths through the air.
And accidents tend to happen at times like this.
Pshuk!
Every time I lost track of a single weapon's path, a red line was drawn on my body without fail.
The wounds weren't deep.
But that was only because I was hastily wrapping the points of impact with makeshift shields.
“Haha, well now.”
This was beyond tricky.
When their numbers were high, they overwhelmed me with sheer volume.
“And when their numbers are low, they pressure me with precise control... is that it?”
No wonder.
I thought it was strange that the shadows weren't being replenished.
So this was the plan all along—to pressure me by varying the tactics.
But it's fine.
They must have thought this would be enough to break me.
“Not a chance.”
My stamina is low and I'm wounded, but I've gained just as much.
For one, I've grown accustomed to their movements.
No matter how precise they've become, they still move according to a set of rules.
Of course they do.
Even if their numbers have dwindled, it's impossible to control dozens of them individually.
“From now on, things won't go your way…!”
I was shouting confidently, about to enter the next phase of the battle.
Chwareureureuk-
The ground began to squirm, and new shadows started appearing in the wide-open space.
Soon, their numbers were replenished.
I fell into thought as I looked at the shadows, which once again numbered in the hundreds.
“Ah, you really fight like a fucking asshole…”