Chapter 420: Eye of the Storm (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 420: Eye of the Storm (2)
In the Dragon's Mountains, Noark's troops and the palace's army had formed a long battle frontier as they engaged in a full-scale power struggle.
"There's a report that the Traitor has appeared on the Western Front!"
Eltora Tercerion, the commander of the Third Corps, frowned when he received this report from his subordinate. The man hadn't been seen for a while. "Traitor, huh? All right, you may leave now."
"Yes sir!"
The subordinate believed the Traitor's presence had upset his superior, but the real reason for Eltora's frown was something else.
The Traitor has reappeared, huh?
Eltora wasn't an idiot. A few days ago, Noark's western troops were spotted heading north. It was highly likely they had redirected their forces to chase the expedition team that was attempting to escape on their own.
Does that mean the chase is over?
Eltora subconsciously clenched his fists.
Father... Damn it, what the hell is the marquess thinking?
Right before leading the army into the labyrinth, Eltora received two secret orders from his father. The first was to ignore the squadron's request for rescue. And the other...
"If they return alive anyway, kill them without anyone knowing."
He didn't know if he should feel relieved about it, but Eltora at least hadn't had to carry out the second secret mission. The squadron had gone in the opposite direction as the one they were in.
Are they really all dead?
It was truly a contradictory feeling. Eltora had helped abandon them. He also would have been in a tight spot if the expedition came back alive.
Thump!
But he couldn't believe it. Were they really dead? The same Bjorn Yandel who somehow came back from the Crystal Cave? Eltora closed his eyes, lost in thought. He tried to imagine what he would do if he were the commander of the squadron.
The reason they fled north instead of south where their allies were must have been to catch the enemy off guard.
It wasn't a bad move, especially in that it allowed them to dodge two bullets at once.
Did he know?
Well, Eltora had no way of finding out. But even if Yandel somehow did know, that didn't change the outcome. There didn't seem to be an escape route in the north.
In enemy territory with no hope of reinforcements arriving, an army closing in, and a tired crew... If that were me, what would I decide? No, if I were Bjorn Yandel, that ridiculously decisive man, what would I choose?
...Ice Rock.
Suddenly, his thoughts ended up there. If they intended to keep running and not give up, there was no other option than that.
Even if they really went there, though, they won't be returning alive.
No matter what theories he came up with, none of them seemed to have optimistic prospects. That was by no means because Eltora underestimated Bjorn Yandel's abilities. Ice Rock? Glacier Eye? He could definitely overcome those hurdles. Considering the competence he showed in the Crystal Cave, it made no sense for that man to be bested by hardships like those. However, he'd run up against the wrong enemy.
There's no way the marquess didn't know he might do this.
Anyone would consider heading to Ice Rock an unconventional move. But ultimately, it was a move even Eltora could think of. Of course his father would have prepared for the possibility. That man prepared for every situation to the point of exaggeration.
The chances of Bjorn Yandel coming back alive... are nonexistent.
This was what Eltora Tercerion concluded as he tried to ignore the inexplicable pounding of his heart.
Thump!
***
Our current formation was simple. There was a narrow side road just wide enough for about four people to stand.
"Schuitz, are you sure about this?"
"I told you. It'll be too tight if you're all here too."
Our first line of defense against the enemy was me and me alone. This was the solution I'd come up with to the problem of how to bring as many people as possible back home.
"Don't run yourself to the ground. We're right behind you."
"That's reassuring. I'll trust—"
Just then, a bloodthirsty shout from the Dragon Slayer ricocheted off the walls. "Bjorn Yandel! This is where you've run away to?" Judging by the confidence in his voice, it seemed he still hadn't realized the situation he was in.
Unfortunately, not everyone was as empty-headed as him. "Vagos, calm down." One adventurer reached a hand out in front of the Dragon Slayer, who seemed liable to run forward at any moment.
Grit.
Someone behind me gritted their teeth at the sight of his face. I understood the sentiment.
"That bastard killed Miss Naria..."
Whether Troll Summoner Milburn Naria was an evil spirit or not, she was a woman whose only wish was for us to get home alive, even as she stood on death's door herself. And this man had killed her.
"Bjorn Yandel, right?" The guy who stopped the Dragon Slayer walked forward and spoke to me.
Is this guy the real leader?
The way he carried himself was confident enough to warrant that question. Normally, if you didn't have authority, you would be concerned with what others thought when you did something like that. But it looked like even that Dragon Slayer bastard was keeping his mouth shut and letting this guy talk.
After some thought, I decided to accept the conversation request. "Yes, I'm Bjorn Yandel." I was curious too. "And who are you?"
He answered without much hesitation. "Manua Repeles."
I intended to cross that name off my kill list.
"I'm going to kill that bastard..."
No, the name would be written in all of our kill lists. The moment the guy started talking to us, murderous intent began to radiate from my squad members behind me. But no one did anything rash.
"Manua Repeles... never heard of you."
"Well, I'm sure. I'm currently considered a secret weapon."
This added more credibility to my earlier hypothesis. I first began to speculate when I saw that they were armed with high-ranking essences that only appeared on the eighth floor and up. It seemed these guys were more than likely the eighth-floor raiders.
"So, what do you want?" Now that I had his name on the kill list, I decided to hear him out.
It seemed he wasn't the type to beat around the bush either as he immediately opened his mouth. "I have a proposal for you."
"A proposal...?"
"As I said before, we are a secret weapon. Even if we succeed in taking you all out, it'll be a huge loss if one or two of us die in the process."
The chances of Bjorn Yandel coming back alive... are nonexistent.
This was what Eltora Tercerion concluded as he tried to ignore the inexplicable pounding of his heart.
Thump!
***
Our current formation was simple. There was a narrow side road just wide enough for about four people to stand.
"Schuitz, are you sure about this?"
"I told you. It'll be too tight if you're all here too."
Our first line of defense against the enemy was me and me alone. This was the solution I'd come up with to the problem of how to bring as many people as possible back home.
"Don't run yourself to the ground. We're right behind you."
"That's reassuring. I'll trust—"
Just then, a bloodthirsty shout from the Dragon Slayer ricocheted off the walls. "Bjorn Yandel! This is where you've run away to?" Judging by the confidence in his voice, it seemed he still hadn't realized the situation he was in.
Unfortunately, not everyone was as empty-headed as him. "Vagos, calm down." One adventurer reached a hand out in front of the Dragon Slayer, who seemed liable to run forward at any moment.
Grit.
Someone behind me gritted their teeth at the sight of his face. I understood the sentiment.
"That bastard killed Miss Naria..."
Whether Troll Summoner Milburn Naria was an evil spirit or not, she was a woman whose only wish was for us to get home alive, even as she stood on death's door herself. And this man had killed her.
"Bjorn Yandel, right?" The guy who stopped the Dragon Slayer walked forward and spoke to me.
Is this guy the real leader?
The way he carried himself was confident enough to warrant that question. Normally, if you didn't have authority, you would be concerned with what others thought when you did something like that. But it looked like even that Dragon Slayer bastard was keeping his mouth shut and letting this guy talk.
After some thought, I decided to accept the conversation request. "Yes, I'm Bjorn Yandel." I was curious too. "And who are you?"
He answered without much hesitation. "Manua Repeles."
I intended to cross that name off my kill list.
"I'm going to kill that bastard..."
No, the name would be written in all of our kill lists. The moment the guy started talking to us, murderous intent began to radiate from my squad members behind me. But no one did anything rash.
"Manua Repeles... never heard of you."
"Well, I'm sure. I'm currently considered a secret weapon."
This added more credibility to my earlier hypothesis. I first began to speculate when I saw that they were armed with high-ranking essences that only appeared on the eighth floor and up. It seemed these guys were more than likely the eighth-floor raiders.
"So, what do you want?" Now that I had his name on the kill list, I decided to hear him out.
It seemed he wasn't the type to beat around the bush either as he immediately opened his mouth. "I have a proposal for you."
"A proposal...?"
"As I said before, we are a secret weapon. Even if we succeed in taking you all out, it'll be a huge loss if one or two of us die in the process."
"Get to your point."
At my words, he lifted a hand and showed me his palm. "Five. So we can save face, hand over five people. If you do, we'll be satisfied with that and leave the rest of you alone. Ah, of course, you don't have to be one of the five, Bjorn Yandel."
Haha, I was wondering what he was going to say...
There were times in your life when you ended up so dumbfounded that you couldn't even get mad. That was exactly how I felt at the moment.
"It's by no means a bad offer. If you give us just five people, the rest of you can all go home alive."
"I don't know, that sounds like a suggestion I should be making instead. Give me five of your heads and I'll send the rest of you back alive. Ah, of course, you and Regal Vagos need to be included in those five."
"So you choose punishment," said Repeles. "I hope you won't regret it."
What is this dimwitted son of a bitch talking about? Alcohol is always alcohol no matter how smooth it goes down, and poison is always poison no matter how sweet it is.
"Regret is something your mom does."
"...What?" The man blinked. It seemed he'd never heard this kind of insult before even in foul-mouthed Noark.
This wasn't the time for laughter so I plowed forward, staring at his bald head as it reddened under the light of the flare. "After all, your mom probably didn't know that the child she went through the trouble of birthing would end up being a coward who was all talk in front of the enemy. Did you pee yourself when you saw us? You guys smell so rotten that I can't really tell. Why aren't you saying anything? Ah, is it because you don't have a mother—"
"You bastard!"
"Wow, I guess you really don't, considering how worked up you are. Don't be so upset. I understand. The reason you grew up into such a coward is probably because you didn't have a proper upbringing when you were younger. And the reason you lost all your hair was probably from all the heartache—"
"I'll kill you!"
Jeez, why do you keep interrupting me? Now I see he's not just reckless but also rude.
I was a bit annoyed but I had achieved my goal. After all, this was how the world had always worked.
"Yeah, no, I'm not gonna die."
"...You—!"
The one who gets pissed off first loses.
Case in point, Baldy Repeles was baited by my thoroughly provocative comments and kicked off the ground.
Surprisingly, the Dragon Slayer lunged forward to restrain him. "Repeles! He's just like that, don't get worked up! If you fall for his manipulation, you're only doing him a favor."
Smirk.
You think that's going to work? When his bald head is flushed that red?
Dash.
Soon, the guy broke away from the Dragon Slayer and ran at me with clenched fists. His class was Boxer. This was a rare class in the labyrinth. Though useful on the lower floors, this class didn't have any core essences that were particularly beneficial once you hit the middle floors. They did get some good active skills later on, though. A prime example was the one he was using now.
[Manua Repeles has cast Iron Fist.]
Iron Fist could be obtained from the eighth-floor Rift. Its effects were simple.
"Get to your point."
At my words, he lifted a hand and showed me his palm. "Five. So we can save face, hand over five people. If you do, we'll be satisfied with that and leave the rest of you alone. Ah, of course, you don't have to be one of the five, Bjorn Yandel."
Haha, I was wondering what he was going to say...
There were times in your life when you ended up so dumbfounded that you couldn't even get mad. That was exactly how I felt at the moment.
"It's by no means a bad offer. If you give us just five people, the rest of you can all go home alive."
"I don't know, that sounds like a suggestion I should be making instead. Give me five of your heads and I'll send the rest of you back alive. Ah, of course, you and Regal Vagos need to be included in those five."
"So you choose punishment," said Repeles. "I hope you won't regret it."
What is this dimwitted son of a bitch talking about? Alcohol is always alcohol no matter how smooth it goes down, and poison is always poison no matter how sweet it is.
"Regret is something your mom does."
"...What?" The man blinked. It seemed he'd never heard this kind of insult before even in foul-mouthed Noark.
This wasn't the time for laughter so I plowed forward, staring at his bald head as it reddened under the light of the flare. "After all, your mom probably didn't know that the child she went through the trouble of birthing would end up being a coward who was all talk in front of the enemy. Did you pee yourself when you saw us? You guys smell so rotten that I can't really tell. Why aren't you saying anything? Ah, is it because you don't have a mother—"
"You bastard!"
"Wow, I guess you really don't, considering how worked up you are. Don't be so upset. I understand. The reason you grew up into such a coward is probably because you didn't have a proper upbringing when you were younger. And the reason you lost all your hair was probably from all the heartache—"
"I'll kill you!"
Jeez, why do you keep interrupting me? Now I see he's not just reckless but also rude.
I was a bit annoyed but I had achieved my goal. After all, this was how the world had always worked.
"Yeah, no, I'm not gonna die."
"...You—!"
The one who gets pissed off first loses.
Case in point, Baldy Repeles was baited by my thoroughly provocative comments and kicked off the ground.
Surprisingly, the Dragon Slayer lunged forward to restrain him. "Repeles! He's just like that, don't get worked up! If you fall for his manipulation, you're only doing him a favor."
Smirk.
You think that's going to work? When his bald head is flushed that red?
Dash.
Soon, the guy broke away from the Dragon Slayer and ran at me with clenched fists. His class was Boxer. This was a rare class in the labyrinth. Though useful on the lower floors, this class didn't have any core essences that were particularly beneficial once you hit the middle floors. They did get some good active skills later on, though. A prime example was the one he was using now.
[Manua Repeles has cast Iron Fist.]
Iron Fist could be obtained from the eighth-floor Rift. Its effects were simple.
Flash!
It provided the user the ability to make a thirteen-foot dash that verged on teleportation and a knockback that ignored the laws of physics.
Kwaaaang!
[A fixed amount of damage is taken in proportion to the caster's Strength and the target's Physical Resistance.]
The damage was more painful the sturdier you were. This skill was the reason everything had gone wrong for us in the last battle. Our mana shield had shattered after a few punches, and our battle line collapsed as they were knocked back. Meanwhile, having to choose dodge over defense meant I was unable to properly execute the tank's main mission of stopping the enemy in its tracks. But this time, things were different.
"...Ugh."
A blow so bad I could feel my intestines shaking? Though the pain was excruciating without a mana shield... so what?
[Roita Mamander has cast Emergency Regeneration.]
A heal came in immediately afterward.
[Benjamin Orman has cast Moonlight Shrine.]
The border between increased Natural Regeneration and Glacier Eye's hellish status effects lay right between me and the enemy.
Slide.
I looked down at the fist embedded in my abdomen and yelled, "Behel–aaah!"
The man flinched at the sudden shout. When I brought my hammer down on top of him, he stepped back. He was definitely going to use Iron Fist again once he put some space between us. That skill was good and all and didn't have a cooldown time, but it was only effective if you rushed in from a certain distance.
You think I'll let you do that?
I immediately linked Transcendence and Eye of the Storm. Earlier, the battle line had collapsed and numerous enemies had broken past me, so I hadn't been able to use this combo.
Shaaaaaaaaa!
Making sure to get my timing just right, I swung my hammer at the guy as he was sucked toward me with a confused look on his face. Unfortunately, I didn't get to have much fun. This guy was a tank too.
[Manua Repeles has cast Invincible.]
He crossed his hands over his head and blocked the hammer. As soon as the brief exchange was over, the people behind him started running in too.
[Ricky Aymond has cast Target of Thunder.]
[Kayle Elbad Zenegger has cast Land's End Thorn.]
Skills were shot at me. Some bypassed my Physical Resistance and slammed into my body, but I recovered quickly thanks to concentrated healing from our priests.
[Anne Parvela has cast Thunder Rush.]
Between one instant and the next, a close-combat fighter passed me by before I could stop her.
[Anne Parvela has cast Gather.]
That combo of skills allowed her to teleport two comrades within a certain distance over to her.
[Puran Cullen has cast Possession.]
[Marione Trider has cast Dance of Cataclysm.]
They were like some sort of tactical assault unit. Well, their logic was probably that if they got over here, at least the field effect would be lifted. They likely figured it would be better to fight here, even if it was in the middle of enemy territory.
Flash!
It provided the user the ability to make a thirteen-foot dash that verged on teleportation and a knockback that ignored the laws of physics.
Kwaaaang!
[A fixed amount of damage is taken in proportion to the caster's Strength and the target's Physical Resistance.]
The damage was more painful the sturdier you were. This skill was the reason everything had gone wrong for us in the last battle. Our mana shield had shattered after a few punches, and our battle line collapsed as they were knocked back. Meanwhile, having to choose dodge over defense meant I was unable to properly execute the tank's main mission of stopping the enemy in its tracks. But this time, things were different.
"...Ugh."
A blow so bad I could feel my intestines shaking? Though the pain was excruciating without a mana shield... so what?
[Roita Mamander has cast Emergency Regeneration.]
A heal came in immediately afterward.
[Benjamin Orman has cast Moonlight Shrine.]
The border between increased Natural Regeneration and Glacier Eye's hellish status effects lay right between me and the enemy.
Slide.
I looked down at the fist embedded in my abdomen and yelled, "Behel–aaah!"
The man flinched at the sudden shout. When I brought my hammer down on top of him, he stepped back. He was definitely going to use Iron Fist again once he put some space between us. That skill was good and all and didn't have a cooldown time, but it was only effective if you rushed in from a certain distance.
You think I'll let you do that?
I immediately linked Transcendence and Eye of the Storm. Earlier, the battle line had collapsed and numerous enemies had broken past me, so I hadn't been able to use this combo.
Shaaaaaaaaa!
Making sure to get my timing just right, I swung my hammer at the guy as he was sucked toward me with a confused look on his face. Unfortunately, I didn't get to have much fun. This guy was a tank too.
[Manua Repeles has cast Invincible.]
He crossed his hands over his head and blocked the hammer. As soon as the brief exchange was over, the people behind him started running in too.
[Ricky Aymond has cast Target of Thunder.]
[Kayle Elbad Zenegger has cast Land's End Thorn.]
Skills were shot at me. Some bypassed my Physical Resistance and slammed into my body, but I recovered quickly thanks to concentrated healing from our priests.
[Anne Parvela has cast Thunder Rush.]
Between one instant and the next, a close-combat fighter passed me by before I could stop her.
[Anne Parvela has cast Gather.]
That combo of skills allowed her to teleport two comrades within a certain distance over to her.
[Puran Cullen has cast Possession.]
[Marione Trider has cast Dance of Cataclysm.]
They were like some sort of tactical assault unit. Well, their logic was probably that if they got over here, at least the field effect would be lifted. They likely figured it would be better to fight here, even if it was in the middle of enemy territory.
Looks like they're underestimating us a lot.
Even if their skills were a bit better than ours individually, did they really think three of them could take us down alone?
"Don't worry about things on this end! I won't let anyone else through!"
I decided to leave the assault unit to my comrades. Even if they managed to stab me from behind, I was confident I wouldn't die so long as I stood on the healing side of the barrier. I didn't think they'd get the chance to hit me in the first place.
"Kill them! It's time to wield the sword of vengeance!"
"You think we'll be defeated like last time?!"
"Rahhhhhh!"
The melee began. The enemies beyond the border, including Baldy, ran forward to try to get through me. The three people who crossed the border had their backs to each other, intending to somehow break our formation.
Shaaaaaa!
The priests located on a safe hill a short distance away cast divine spells indiscriminately, healing and dealing damage at the same time.
"Get rid of the priests first!"
As a result, the enemy tried to aim for the priests first and fired off various skills.
Shaaaaaa!
However, none of their attacks were able to reach the hill where the priests and wizards stood and instead vanished into thin air. That was because of the magic circle they'd been working hard to draw as soon as we arrived up here. As long as the priests were protected, we couldn't lose this fight.
"Barrier magic...!"
Realizing their projectiles weren't working, the enemy began devising other methods.
[Mike Roymus has cast Slime Walk.]
[Lia Andes has cast Flame Walk.]
The enemy used their skills to try and climb the cliff themselves.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has cast High-Speed Fire.]
Of course, they were stopped by our long-rangers.
As the battle progressed, the tide was far more in our favor than I expected.
"...You worthless bastards!"
The three people who had come over with such enthusiasm were unable to overcome their lack of numbers and were getting beaten up. I stood my ground like an iron wall to keep the remainder of their group from crossing over and providing backup.
"Damn it...!"
"Why doesn't that monster ever get tired?!"
"Kill him! Kill him somehow!"
The more unfavorable the situation became, the more aggressively our opponents attacked us. The reason was very simple. Everyone, including them, was injured. They realized if they retreated now, they wouldn't get another opportunity to win this fight.
"Don't hold back!"
"No matter how much you get hurt, if we win this battle, it's over!"
The attacks turned even more intense as injuries accumulated. Like those of the Dragon Slayer, who was swinging his sword at me in tandem with Baldy.
"Hey, let me ask you a question. I'm just curious, but when is it coming? That time when even death won't be able to save me."
...Grit.
Finally forced to face the facts, the bastard stopped trying to stab me with his knife so he could step back and glare at me. "You always did force me to make sacrifices," the prick muttered, then whipped out his ultimate finisher with a determined look on his face.
[Regal Vagos has cast Dragon Speech: Silence of the Soul.]
Oh, you're finally using that.
[Your Soul Power is insufficient. Giantization has deactivated.]
My body shrank in an instant. The hammer and shield that once felt as light as a feather to me now felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
[You have fallen into a state of Soul Exhaustion. All of your stats have temporarily decreased by 70%.]
It was the same status effect I experienced in the Labyrinth of Larcaz.
Wow, this takes me back. At the time I really thought this was the end.
Cough! Cough! Karrrgh...!
What the fuck? Why is he coughing up blood all of a sudden? Ah, did using Dragon Speech just now put a strain on his body? Huh, he's like a bee that dies after one sting.
"Regal Vagos! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine... kill him... Hehehe..." It was strange watching him shoot me such a hateful look even while staggering like that.
[You have cast Soul Dive. Your Soul Power will regenerate at a rate proportional to the amount of Soul Power you have consumed.]
Would it be weird to say I kind of felt sorry for him?
[Your state of Soul Exhaustion has been lifted.]
I could deal with this with a single skill.
Looks like they're underestimating us a lot.
Even if their skills were a bit better than ours individually, did they really think three of them could take us down alone?
"Don't worry about things on this end! I won't let anyone else through!"
I decided to leave the assault unit to my comrades. Even if they managed to stab me from behind, I was confident I wouldn't die so long as I stood on the healing side of the barrier. I didn't think they'd get the chance to hit me in the first place.
"Kill them! It's time to wield the sword of vengeance!"
"You think we'll be defeated like last time?!"
"Rahhhhhh!"
The melee began. The enemies beyond the border, including Baldy, ran forward to try to get through me. The three people who crossed the border had their backs to each other, intending to somehow break our formation.
Shaaaaaa!
The priests located on a safe hill a short distance away cast divine spells indiscriminately, healing and dealing damage at the same time.
"Get rid of the priests first!"
As a result, the enemy tried to aim for the priests first and fired off various skills.
Shaaaaaa!
However, none of their attacks were able to reach the hill where the priests and wizards stood and instead vanished into thin air. That was because of the magic circle they'd been working hard to draw as soon as we arrived up here. As long as the priests were protected, we couldn't lose this fight.
"Barrier magic...!"
Realizing their projectiles weren't working, the enemy began devising other methods.
[Mike Roymus has cast Slime Walk.]
[Lia Andes has cast Flame Walk.]
The enemy used their skills to try and climb the cliff themselves.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has cast High-Speed Fire.]
Of course, they were stopped by our long-rangers.
As the battle progressed, the tide was far more in our favor than I expected.
"...You worthless bastards!"
The three people who had come over with such enthusiasm were unable to overcome their lack of numbers and were getting beaten up. I stood my ground like an iron wall to keep the remainder of their group from crossing over and providing backup.
"Damn it...!"
"Why doesn't that monster ever get tired?!"
"Kill him! Kill him somehow!"
The more unfavorable the situation became, the more aggressively our opponents attacked us. The reason was very simple. Everyone, including them, was injured. They realized if they retreated now, they wouldn't get another opportunity to win this fight.
"Don't hold back!"
"No matter how much you get hurt, if we win this battle, it's over!"
The attacks turned even more intense as injuries accumulated. Like those of the Dragon Slayer, who was swinging his sword at me in tandem with Baldy.
"Hey, let me ask you a question. I'm just curious, but when is it coming? That time when even death won't be able to save me."
...Grit.
Finally forced to face the facts, the bastard stopped trying to stab me with his knife so he could step back and glare at me. "You always did force me to make sacrifices," the prick muttered, then whipped out his ultimate finisher with a determined look on his face.
[Regal Vagos has cast Dragon Speech: Silence of the Soul.]
Oh, you're finally using that.
[Your Soul Power is insufficient. Giantization has deactivated.]
My body shrank in an instant. The hammer and shield that once felt as light as a feather to me now felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
[You have fallen into a state of Soul Exhaustion. All of your stats have temporarily decreased by 70%.]
It was the same status effect I experienced in the Labyrinth of Larcaz.
Wow, this takes me back. At the time I really thought this was the end.
Cough! Cough! Karrrgh...!
What the fuck? Why is he coughing up blood all of a sudden? Ah, did using Dragon Speech just now put a strain on his body? Huh, he's like a bee that dies after one sting.
"Regal Vagos! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine... kill him... Hehehe..." It was strange watching him shoot me such a hateful look even while staggering like that.
[You have cast Soul Dive. Your Soul Power will regenerate at a rate proportional to the amount of Soul Power you have consumed.]
Would it be weird to say I kind of felt sorry for him?
[Your state of Soul Exhaustion has been lifted.]
I could deal with this with a single skill.