Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Kill Each Other Starting Now (4)
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The scent of kin's blood assaulted his sensitive nose. Sparks flew from the distorted pupils of the wolf-headed demon. He stomped forward, cracking the ground, and brought his greatsword crashing down.
――――――Whoosh – boom, crash!!!
It was an attack of overwhelming power and speed, but Kadim had anticipated it and dodged. He retreated like the wind while raising Mosquito. The wolf-head pulled back his greatsword's haft and dragged the blade along, spitting out a furious question.
- When did you drink it? What blood did you drink? What trick did you...?
"……."
Clang-clang-clang-clang, shing – clang!
Kadim answered by hurling Mosquito repeatedly. The axe blade was blocked by the broad sword and plate armor, but it bought him time to survey his surroundings. He narrowed his eyes sharply.
'The female ghost demon will definitely fall for it. Skull-head, mute, eyeball... the rest, no clue.'
The 'Charm' buff's beguilement only worked on those with intellect. Demons often had ambiguous genders in appearance, but their mental identities still leaned one way or another. Kadim prayed those grotesque things were closer to female and quickly gauged their reactions.
- Ah, aah? Wh-what, why am I, why am I like this...?
She panted raggedly, confusion plain in her voice. The translucent female ghost demon reacted just as expected. Once fully ensnared, she'd gladly obey the command and turn on her allies.
- Prey! Rebellious, thrashing trash of a prey!
- Grreeeeek!
The mute and eyeball demons clearly weren't affected. The mute extended its organ tendrils in place of legs, while the eyeball demon flapped its wings and snapped its eyelids wide. A bizarre rune floated over its pupils, and in that instant, the space's colors grew hazy.
But the demon's sorcery was cut short.
――――――Crackle-crackle, boom!!
- Grreeeeeeeeek!!!
A pitch-black lightning bolt pierced the demon's eyeball. The bizarre rune faded, and the demon flew back into the corner, its crushed sclera spewing fluids. That potent bolt of demonic energy had come from the skull demon's skull staff.
- Y-you mustn't harm this one... This one is aaah, so noble, too exalted even to name... From now on, I swear to abandon Pevilarus and serve only this one...
Fanatical devotion poured from the gaping sockets of its eyes. Seeing this, the wolf-head forgot they were in combat and let out a lament.
- What nonsense is that, skull-head! If Pevilarus dies, you'll revert to worthless bone scraps worse than dog bones! Snap out of it and blast that rat bastard with lightning...!
- Shut up! How dare you insult the exalted one with your filthy mouth! You mutt who only knows how to swing scrap metal around!
- No, this insane...
Stab – !
Seizing the opening, Kadim stabbed into the gap in the wolf-head's armor.
The hide was thick, the flesh tough. But with brutal force behind it, the blade sank smoothly. The moment it met hard bone's resistance, he twisted and yanked it free before retreating. Blood poured from the armor gap, and the wolf-head staggered badly.
- Damn it, you cursed rat bastard!
――――――Whoosh – boom, crash!!!
The enraged slash tore through empty air and smashed the stone floor like a mace. The weapon and strength were too brutish to parry head-on. Kadim threw Mosquito to check him while gradually widening the distance.
But as he backpedaled, something slimy suddenly coiled around his ankle.
- Got you, my prey!
The mute demon's organ tendril.
The demon tried to yank Kadim flat, but his response was faster. He slashed the tendril with his blade, severing the sinewy tissue with a splatter of foul blood and fluids. The demon grimaced viciously and thrust out dozens more at once.
- Graaaah! Know your place, prey!!
Kadim gripped his axe haft tightly. He stepped forward and hacked down, slashed up, swept sideways, thrust, and swung wildly. The blade devoured the impure blood without discrimination. Before his relentless butchery, the tendrils were chopped in bundles, turning the area around him into a swamp of flesh chunks and fluids.
Crunch, crunch, crunch, cruuunch!
"Haaaargh!!"
- Pointless! Death throes! Prey... eek? Eeeek... eeeee...
He didn't need to fight long. The mute demon suddenly froze, its split lips gaping slack. Faint smoke rose from its crown as if its brain had boiled dry.
A translucent woman had appeared out of nowhere, hand pressed to the back of the mute demon's head.
- Haa, clear away that filthy meat pile. I can't even admire his beautiful form...
- Grk, graaah, graaaaah...
Kadim caught his breath. True to her ghost demon nature, the female demon excelled at mental attacks. The mute wouldn't attack him for a while.
- Die, irreverent wretch! Cease your pathetic tricks before the exalted one!
- Grreek, grreeeek – !
―――――Rumble-rumble, crack – boom!
Behind him, the skull and eyeball demons furiously traded sorceries. Overlapping bizarre runes floated up, lightning bolts and hazy energies clashing to produce constant void flashes. Mystery demons wielding twisted mysticism were tricky foes, but with them fighting each other, it was killing two birds with one stone.
Hopefully, the other demons were handled now. The only foe left for Kadim was one.
The wolf-head demon trembled, its breastplate, fauld, greaves, and knee guards clattering together. The bleeding had stopped, so the shaking was surely rage.
- You sly rat bastard... A true warrior faces foes with only flesh and a single blade. Resorting to such petty tricks... Do you even know shame?
Ridiculous words. Under the harsh wilderness code, nothing was more shameful than defeat and submission to an enemy. Kadim snorted in derision.
"Maybe. But to me, five high demons ganging up to stop one human seems far more shameful."
- Shut up!!!
―――――――Whoosh, whoosh – boom, whoosh – boom!
Rage-fueled greatsword swings whipped up fierce winds in succession. Midway, the demon ground out the words like crunching bones.
- Fine, even so, killing you ends all these weird tricks... Better this way. I wanted to hunt you alone from the start...
"……."
- Heh heh heh... So, how do you plan to face me when you can't even parry my blade? No more holding back. Stay sharp and struggle all you want. The instant you relax, that's when you meet your end.
――――――――Whoosh – boom!
The greatsword charged in. Kadim gazed up steadily at the massive hunk of metal. He couldn't parry it—that was true. He lacked the raw power to block hundreds of kilos of flying steel backed by monstrous strength.
At least, until just now.
―――――――Clang – boom!
A clear ringing clash echoed in his ears. In that split second, sparks from the metal lit the darkness and illuminated the demon's stunned face. Unable to withstand the rebound, the staggering demon planted his sword tip in the ground to avoid falling.
- Wh-what...? How did you block my sword...?
Kadim glanced down at Mosquito with glowing red eyes. A faint nick marred the single-steel axe blade that had scraped city walls unscathed. Tch, as expected—parrying that giant weapon with this little thing was too much.
Still, he'd at least matched the strength. Thanks to slicing this guy early for blood absorption, plus the fresh haul from butchering those organs and the mute demon's blood.
Fierce vitality rampaged through his veins like a stampede, surging into every nerve. Enraged muscles swelled further, monstrous power condensing throughout his body. Just one sip had done this much. If he fully drained that blood, how much greater would the power be...?
Kadim grinned ferociously and charged the demon.
Like facing an apex predator, the wolf's pupils contracted sharply.
―――――――Clang – boom!
Instead of meeting the falling greatsword head-on, Kadim deflected the side with his axe. As the demon reeled from the impact, he slipped in close and drove the blade into armor gaps. The massive weapon acted like an anchor, slowing the demon's movements. Precise thrusts carved lethal gashes into the tough hide beneath the plate.
――――――Slice, stab, staaab – !
- Graaaaaah, you dog bastard!!!
The demon finally dropped his greatsword. Instead, he swung his plate-gauntleted fist with full force. It had momentum, but no effect. With more blood absorbed, Kadim could now block it barehanded.
Block – !
- ...Huh?
The fist stopped cold, followed by a crushing counter.
――――――Crunch – crack!
- Kyaaang!!
Kadim leaped high and smashed the demon's jaw. As it crumpled, he mounted it, eyes blazing red, and pummeled its face. Thick flesh and sturdy bone couldn't withstand the berserker's barrage. Teeth flew, muzzle shattered, skull caved in under the onslaught of axe and fists.
Thud, splat, crunch – crack, splat!
- Kegeng, keng, keng... grrr rumble rumble!
Slaaaash – crunch!
After a beating, the demon raked with sharpened claws in retaliation. Kadim dropped back to evade. Blood drooling from its lolling muzzle, the demon glared at him. Then it contorted its face and dropped to all fours like a true wolf.
- Grrrr rumble... Damn it, I didn't want to show this form again...
Clank, clank, clank –
Additional plates hidden densely within the armor surged forth, reinforcing joints and covering exposed areas. A sturdy helmet encased its head, transforming the demon into a steel-gray wolf construct.
Kadim exhaled hot, blood-boiled breath and narrowed his eyes.
"...So that armor's a relic? Never seen a weirder one. Armor that forces you to crawl like a dog."
- Grrrr rumble, shut up! Your flapping trap ends here... This armor, forged by northern dwarves—no gaps left. Your scrap metal won't taste another drop of blood...
He tilted his head to observe. True to the demon's word, no seams showed in the armor. If dwarven-made, destroying it wouldn't be easy.
But that didn't matter.
No, it was perfect. Such sturdy armor would clearly demonstrate the 'special effect's' power.
"Good. Perfect for testing the power."
- ...?
The demon peeked through its helmet. Animal eyes flickered with doubt, then rippled with clarity.
Rumble rumble rumble...
In the berserker's hand, the blade oozed crimson, eerie energy—not creeping, but dripping like fresh blood. Slender blade bore ancient runes like blood vessels, now glowing intensely ominous red as if branding corneas.
Kadim gripped the haft firmly. Resonating with its master's ferocity, the blade hummed, quivering. The heated edge yearned to unleash all stored blood vitality at once—more destructively, more savagely than ever.
The night before reaching Soltana was moonless.
At midnight that day, Kadim, as 'The One Who Sharpens Names,' resolved to give 'Mosquito' a new name.
Kadim's unique trait, 'The One Who Sharpens Names,' bestowed 'names' on nameless weapons, granting fitting special effects. In the game, easy enchants made it seem trivial.
But even the most trivial thing, honed with care, could reveal unexpected facets.
'The One Who Sharpens Names' had a little-known function: overwriting new names on already-named weapons. Such overlaid names retained original effects, added stronger ones, and boosted performance beyond a rank up.
[O Atalas, master of unyielding battles. Grant your blade to my hand, bless this thirsting great warrior of strife, quench my throat with foes' red blood...]
The naming succeeded. The blade's ancient runes gladly accepted the new name. Having stored blood for effects, now it was time to test.
The wolf-head sensed doom with animal instinct. It retreated hesitantly, voice trembling.
- Th-that blade... what is it? Even dwarven masterpieces don't exude such aura... What weapon bears such ferocious energy...?
Kadim dryly stated the new name.
"'Blood Ghost'."
Then he kicked off the ground, leaping to mercilessly swing down.
Crunch – crack.
Red moon fragment afterimage, segmented divine form along the blade, eerie rending sound.
Behind the blood trail, stored vitality erupted.
――――――――――――Quagggggggg – !!
The blood tide pulverized plate, sliced hide, shredded flesh, gouged floor, scarred distant wall, then faded as foul mist. The cavern quaked with thunderous roar and massive shockwave.
The wolf-head, facing it head-on, wasn't merely split—its armored form was minced like butcher's meat in a spray of gore.
- Grk, grreeek...
Blood droplets scattered like falling petals. The slash unintentionally diced the eyeball demon behind. With both demons dead, the cavern's magic ebbed, revealing the survivors more clearly.
Not one—the woman, skull, mute—lacked horror and awe etched on their faces.
- Haa, incredible... Such a massive, gorgeous, intense blood spray...
- Aaah, exalted one...! Too exalted even to gaze upon or name, mighty and great exalted one...!
- Gra, graaaah, th-that... inedible prey...
Kadim, drenched head to toe like dipped in red paint, gazed at the blade emitting faint echoes after expelling all vitality. As expected—messy, but potently so.
'Blood Accumulation'.
The special effect that stored blood, then unleashed it in a cataclysmic slash.
The berserker wore a blood-scented smile.
This power was enough to thoroughly dismantle even the central demon.