Chapter 98
Chapter 98 - Express of Despair(2)
Due to the time spent recovering residual sentiment and accepting Tara's request, I arrived at the city about 30 minutes later than in my previous life.
"Ugh... Urk!"
"P-please... spare me! Please! Aaagh!"
Many resistance fighters were either begging for their lives or continuing difficult battles with dim prospects of victory.
The situation isn't good. I need to jump in quickly and disrupt the momentum of these Immortal Cult bastards.
'Alright. Then...!'
After deactivating Black Wing in the city center, I began an experiment.
I looked toward a distant spot. My eyesight had improved significantly with enhanced physical abilities. I could faintly see the roof of a building over a kilometer away.
After staring at it intently, I muttered:
"Seven Sword Pierce."
7 magic swords flew like lightning in a zigzag pattern. I deliberately twisted their trajectories to make their paths unpredictable.
Bang bang bang! The magic swords entered different trajectories and devastated the top of the chimney. The chimney shattered into pieces with sparks flying.
[Level Up!]
A fanfare rang out announcing my level increase. Someone... an Immortal Cult member had died from my magic swords.
This confirmed it. I smiled with satisfaction.
'The sniper's position is identical to my previous life.'
Of course, this could be a coincidence. That's why from now on, I plan to take out the sniper's position first before battles, just like now.
Even in games, it's standard practice to take out the ADC before starting team fights.
'Then... What about the demon lady's appearance location?'
I briefly considered this possibility, but honestly, I think the probability is low.
From the start, her objective was very clear.
To kill me.
So it's more likely that the demon lady had been wandering around Kern looking for me, and we happened to meet in the shantytown.
Currently, there's no way for me to figure out her starting point(?). In that case...
'I'll locate the positions of other troublesome guys!'
The sniper scum. The defeated demon lady. And what else has the Immortal Cult prepared for me?
Just imagining it makes my heart pound. Of course, that's because it's annoying.
"... Huh?"
While clicking my tongue and sprinting through the city, suddenly three figures caught up behind me.
Expressionless faces and curved double-edged swords commonly used by Immortal Cult members. The cultists who had been massacring people around had caught up.
"I want to be alone so get lost!"
I chanted Seven Sword Pierce with an irritated shout. Ping ping ping! The seven magic swords that tore through the air aimed straight for their vital points…
'Look at these bastards?'
… But failed.
Only one fell coughing blood. The other two twisted their bodies in a split second to avoid fatal wounds.
They're skilled ones. I readjusted my stance.
"......"
"......"
Though they avoided fatal wounds, they had deep injuries piercing their chest and abdomen. However, the cultists charged at me nonchalantly as if they just had toothpicks stuck in them.
As expected. How could such monsters be the same as humans like me? That's impossible.
Those guys... definitely have something.
"Die first."
And only then did I launch the remaining 7 magic swords I had kept waiting behind them.
Slash slash slash! Their bodies were severed with a gruesome sound of flesh being cut. Blood droplets sprayed everywhere. Some got on my face too.
Lick. Without thinking, I slightly licked it. It was an unconscious action.
'No, crazy... why am I licking like a crazy bastard....'
Though I immediately regretted my action and entered sage mode, honestly speaking, I was shocked.
Because I felt an electrifying taste from their blood that made my whole body's hair stand on end.
'...Well, I'm in no position to criticize those bastards.'
Who am I to call others monsters? I should get my own mind straight.
I smiled bitterly while scanning the surroundings.
"Oh, Divine One! Please look upon us!"
"Kyaaah! Save me! Please save me!"
"Aaaagh!"
I could see a group of merchants cornered at the edge of market stalls being killed one by one by the Immortal Cult members.
Right. I'll save you. If you're okay with a Demon Lord's underling instead of the Divine One.
"Fatal Thorns!"
I deliberately chanted the skill loudly while charging at them.
As intended, their attention turned to me for a moment. That split second gap is enough. I immediately extended thorns and mercilessly pierced their bodies.
Slash slash slash! The caught-off-guard guys flew with their limbs pierced and crashed into the shop walls.
Of course, that wasn't the end. I immediately followed up with another attack.
'Seven Sword Pierce.'
Fatal Thorns' damage is weaker than Seven Sword Pierce. Confirming the kill is essential.
The magic swords that followed the thorns' trajectory pierced their vital points. The convulsing Immortal Cult members went limp.
Only then did I transform my cloak back to normal with a sigh.
"...Who... are you?"
The surviving merchants looked at me with hopeful eyes.
I don't have time to answer now. I'm busy saving people like you and finding the child's mother.
I was about to pass by with just some quick advice.
"First, don't wander around in places like this. Either hide without getting caught or escape as far from Kern as possible..."
My words stopped abruptly there.
And suddenly. I locked eyes with one of the trembling merchants.
It was a woman. Perhaps in her 30s now. Plain features and a thin body. She looked like a poor merchant you could find anywhere.
"...You…"
If it weren't for her light brown hair and those distinctively firm gray eyes, I would have surely passed by her.
As our gazes met, I mindlessly asked her while she looked back at me puzzled.
"You have a daughter. Named Tara."
"... Huh?"
"Lives in the shantytown. About this tall. And a bit ill-mannered?"
Her gray eyes grew wider with each of my words. As if asking how I knew.
I was right. Tara's mother whom I'd been looking for. The merchant from the night market was now right in front of me.
'You're... alive.'
To think I'd find her this easily. Perhaps the gods are finally on my side.
It was such an incredible coincidence that I couldn't help but think that.
* * *
"Ma'am! Stay close and follow me!"
"Ah... yes, yes!!"
I crossed through the city streets with Tara's mother in tow.
Swoosh. Some Immortal Cult members rushed toward us. Two targeting me from the sides. Two more targeting Tara's mother from behind.
I made an instant judgment and acted upon it.
"Fatal Thorns!"
Clang! A metallic sound rang out. It was the sound of the cultists' blades colliding with Fatal Thorns.
Without releasing the thorn's transformation, I threw Espada straight at the cultist on the left.
Thud! With an expressionless face, his throat was torn apart by my thrown blade.
'One down.'
Without stopping there, I kicked off the ground and leaped to the opposite side. Spinning my body furiously, at some point I swung my sword with the rotational force.
Crack! The sound of bones and flesh being crushed. In front of me, the cultist's corpse was spraying blood droplets into the air.
'Two down.'
A stinging pain was felt in my abdomen. Looking down, I saw a small dagger stuck in my stomach.
So you won't let me go easily, huh. I grimaced as I pulled it out. Then I consumed the water ether.
Sizzle.
The wound healed along with blue smoke. I slightly frowned while watching the ether's healing reaction.
That was the reaction that occurs when ether heals poison. Seems like the dagger was poisoned. Thank goodness I didn't spare the ether and healed immediately.
At that moment. A sharp scream rang out.
"Kyaaak!"
When I quickly turned my head, I saw two cultists who had broken through the thorn barrage aiming for Tara's mother's neck.
I restored my cloak to its original state, then pulled Espada from the cultist's corpse on the ground.
Then I immediately swung the sword and fired magic sword blades.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Crackle! The flying magic sword blades clashed with them.
Most were scattered in mid-air, blocked by their swung swords, but they couldn't block all 14 blades.
The magic swords stuck in their bodies scattered sparks. They flinched momentarily, perhaps from the pain.
And at that moment, I was already in front of them.
"One Flash."
Kiiing! The magic-infused sword light flickered.
Following the horizontally wavering blue trajectory of the sword, their bodies were bisected and fell to the ground.
"... Ah... ah."
Tara's mother, who had collapsed, let out a dazed exclamation while looking at the cultists' corpses. Her whole body was shaking violently. Her pupils were dilated as she stared blankly at the corpses.
'Well. That's understandable.'
If anything, that's the normal reaction, right? I'm the strange one for only thinking 'Ah, my groin is sweaty' after creating such a scene.
I reached out to her and said dryly.
"Your daughter is waiting eagerly, so let's hurry. I'm a busy person too."
"Ah... aah...."
Tara's mother looked at me with confused eyes, then eventually staggered to her feet.
After staying still there for a while, she suddenly asked me with her head bowed deeply.
"... Is... is Tara safe?"
What's this? Suddenly question time? Although I found her sudden question strange.
But seeing her face that looked like it would cry any moment beneath her brown hair, I answered compliantly for now.
"Yes. She's safe, that's why she asked me to find her mother."
"Ah... thank goodness... really thank... goodness...."
And at that moment when she let the tears that had filled her eyes stream down. Tara's mother's shoulders slumped powerlessly like a puppet with cut strings.
She clutched both her arms tightly. And with her face buried in the ground, her whole body trembled.
"... Tara.... Our... our... daughter... baby.... Poor... my child...."
"Uh. Hey, why suddenly...."
It was sudden.
As I quietly watched her hunched over, muttering like a mad person... suddenly I felt a chill on the back of my neck. For an instant my vision expanded and time slowed down.
I know this feeling.
Hero sense activated.
'Danger...?!'
The image of me stabbing a knife into her neck keeps striking my mind.
It's dangerous. Kill her. Right now. No. But why. Why exactly?
Instinct sends warnings frantically. Reason sends questions. Reason and savagery engage in a fierce struggle.
And the gap created by a moment's hesitation. That was the problem.
Flash. Between her brown hair, her eyes weren't gray but... bright red.
"Ah... ugh... graa... kyaaaa!!"
Her scream that didn't seem human. And crack! A flesh-ripping sound rings out.
It was a sound that resonated directly in my brain rather than my ears. Tremendous pain shot through my side.
I exhaled my held breath and lowered my gaze.
"...... Kuh, hack."
I see Tara's mother biting into me through my stomach that had split open like a huge maw.
Her elongated torso vertically displayed several layers of sharp ribs protruding like teeth. They were firmly biting into my side, chewing and swallowing.
......
....
... Ha.
A sigh mixed with laughter escaped involuntarily.
"Really... those... damn... bas... tards..."
Yes. You are all prepared to surprise me.
I was truly shocked. At least 100,000 times more surprising than any other surprise gifts I've received so far.
Later... no matter how long it takes. I'll definitely make you feel what I'm feeling right now.
You worthless bastards, grinding you up and drinking you wouldn't be enough.
"I'm sorry, Tara."
I raised Bestak high.
Zing. The magic sword was loaded above Tara's mother.
"Kee... keugh... eugggh..."
Crack. Her neck twisted in an unnatural direction as she looked at the magic sword. Gone were the firm and intelligent gray eyes, replaced by blood-red beast-like eyeballs.
Drip. Tears of blood ran down her cheeks.
"Ah... aah... guah..."
Tara's mother no longer moved.
While chewing and swallowing parts of me with the maw that sprouted on her chest, she just stared at the magic sword without any resistance. Like a death row inmate awaiting judgment.
I gritted my teeth and executed.
"... My daughter."
Splat!
Just before she turned into a mass of flesh with a wet sound, I clearly heard that voice.
I pretended not to hear it.