Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Every Moment, Every Time (4)
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It had been a long time.
In his memory, it was only a few months. But so much had happened in that span—or perhaps because of the 300-year gap in reality—that to Kadim, reclaiming this body felt like an eternity had passed.
Still, it was familiar.
A well-worn suit of armor slips back on effortlessly, no matter how much time has passed. This form, this sensation, this feeling—the overwhelming, surging power that could tear anything apart, even without demon blood.
He couldn't fathom the mechanism.
He knew it stemmed from the demon's ability to rewind time. But how his second-playthrough body connected to his first-playthrough one remained a mystery. It wasn't a priority, though. He could ponder it calmly after finishing the most important task.
Right now, what mattered was severing that filthy demon's lifeline and claiming its blood.
Just a slight squeeze of his grip, and another burst of red fireworks exploded without mercy.
――――――― Splat—Crunch!
The tough scalp and clinging skull shattered, thick brain matter and gray pulp oozing from Kadim's fist like crushed dough. The demon bubbled bloody foam from its gaping throat—like a well to hell—and let out a wretched scream.
- Kiririrink, kiririrink....
Tick-tock, the pocket watch spun, restoring the demon to its original form. Shattered bones and mangled flesh reattached above the throat, and the broken mask pieced itself back together.
- Gasp! Haaah....
Pebilatus frantically traced a murky rune over his mask, desperate to rewind time and escape this spot. But Kadim had no intention of letting him. Eyes harboring the abyss pierced through the fractured time, tracking the demon's regression.
"Where do you think you're going? We're not done yet."
His hand shot out instantly, seizing the demon's head and slamming it downward.
―――――― Qua—Boom!!!
His strike outpaced even the rewind's split-second speed. The demon's body plunged deep into the earth, sending thick cracks spiderwebbing outward as the ground caved in.
Crack-crack-crack! Rumble-rumble-rumble....
The pressure crushed its skull straight into its torso, nearly reaching the heart. With its crown exposed where its neck should be, Pebilatus couldn't even scream.
Changing position to evade was impossible now. Like pounding a resurfacing mole back into its hole, every time the demon rewound and popped out, Kadim hammered it mercilessly. Blows like siege rams slamming down battered its crown relentlessly. The demon repeated futile regenerations in its pit of agony.
―――――――――― Splat—Crunch!! Splat—Crunch!! Splat—Crunch!!!
- Kieeeek!! Kieeeee....
Pebilatus still couldn't believe it.
He was a high demon now, an exalted being incomparable to before. Yet this giant still rendered him utterly helpless. How could such injustice, such absurdity exist?
He'd certainly tried resetting the giant to his original state. But the clock hands didn't budge a millimeter. It meant the giant had ascended to a realm where his power no longer reached.
Amid the overwhelming terror, impatience crept in. The demon truly couldn't use "every moment" with his life—he could only revert to moments "memorized in his mind." Thousands remained, but the agony of repeated brain destruction and regeneration had already erased most.
At this rate, he'd die to the giant again. For his final stand, Pebilatus gathered demonic energy in the ceiling. Compresssed thick enough to topple a grand fortress, he unleashed a torrent of fiendish rain upon the giant's head.
Qua-gwagwagwagwa—!
But Kadim shattered it effortlessly.
―――――――――――― Splat—Bang!!!
His swinging fist detonated pressure in midair.
He hadn't even touched it. The mere swing dispersed the pouring energy without a trace. A vacuum trailed his fist, then a massive upsurge of air roared forth.
A fierce whirlwind raged from floor to ceiling.
Whoooosh—!
Pebilatus fell speechless.
It felt like facing an insurmountable wall. That power transcended human limits—no, it bordered on the divine. Such overwhelming violence could only be countered by a "great demon"...
――――――― Qua—Bang!
- Kik!
With his last resistance crushed, only repeated deaths awaited the demon.
His "memorized moments" were long depleted. Each death regressed him further: his first step on the continent as a high demon, ruling hell, struggling in hell, enduring scorn and torment, begging for life in the demon realm...
- Kiiik, spare me, please spare me... Kiiik....
"......"
Kadim paused briefly.
His instincts told him killing it more would erase the demon entirely. He had questions first.
How it recognized him after 300 years, who revived it, what it knew of the demon outbreak and his comrades' fates...
- Please, I'll do anything... I'll tell you everything I know... Just spare my life, please....
Fortunately, it was cooperative. Kadim approached. He prepared his questions, one by one—Ah, killing this bastard is so damn fun. Gotta kill him more.
Kadim's eyes bulged wide.
―――――――――― Qua—Crush!
No respite—he stomped the demon's head. The squelching, bursting sensation underfoot birthed a cluster of crimson flowers. Brain scraps soaked in scarlet blood looked utterly delectable. Kadim reached to scoop and devour them...
But he slapped his own hand away. He squeezed his eyes shut, ground his molars, clenched his fist until the skin tore. An all-too-familiar chill crawled up his spine into his brain.
A mistake. He'd momentarily forgotten. What had plagued him so in his first playthrough. No side effects for easy power—it was why he'd suffered so. Why hadn't he recalled the "berserk frenzy" sooner...
No binding spells or enchanted chains restrained him now. Wielding this power while unhinged could spell disaster. In desperation, he considered breaking his own limbs—but why break arms when feet could do? So many demons to crush here?
- Groooaaar....
- Matum, Gehenna, Matum, Golgata, Matum, Grimos....
- Kill them!! Skin 'em alive and gouge their eyes!!
No. Hallucinations. This wasn't the demon-packed realm—it was Soltana, the alliance city. He had to snap his limbs before it was too late. But hadn't this city fallen to demons too? Were they illusions? Or real?
Floundering in confusion, Kadim realized his mouth was stuffed full.
A pungent, fishy blood scent spread. Glancing down, he saw the demon corpse with deep bite marks on its neck. Blood gushed from the torn artery like a spring.
Sight cleared his fogged mind. Right—he was drinking blood to battle this demon horde. So they were real demons, not illusions.
He chewed and swallowed the flesh and blood in his mouth. The hot vitality scorched his throat, spreading inward, slowly igniting his bloodlust.
- Kuwaaaaaar!!
- Kihehehihik!! Die, human!!
The berserker tore his lips in a savage grin and stomped with all his might.
―――――――――― Qua—Ring!! Crack-crack-crack—!!
A massive fissure tore from the stone floor through walls and ceiling. The high demon's lair crumbled in one devastating kick.
*
Agon’s Furious Horn was tense.
"......"
His throat quivered, cold sweat trickling down his back. This sensation was a rarity. Even challenging the arena champion as an unknown rookie hadn't shaken him this much.
In Soltana's city center, a massive sinkhole yawned.
He stood at its edge.
……Rumble-rumble, rumble-rumble-rumble....
Heavy vibrations and roars erupted from below nonstop. Whatever caused this subsidence and rampage was either enormous... or insanely strong. A demon, no doubt.
That mercenary "Demon Slayer" was surely dead. No human could survive such collapse. He sighed deeply. Losing such talent—one who hunted upper demons solo without a "miracle"—felt tragic.
'If we'd fought together, we might've slain the core demon without losses...'
Agon’s Furious Horn shook his head, banishing regrets.
No time for sentiment. With the Demon Slayer gone, he was the last hope. The savior to fell the core demon, rescue the alliance, bear the mantle of "Atala's Great Warrior"—slayer of the era's great evil.
The fate of brave warriors, kin, and countless allies rested on his hands. His fierce eyes gleamed coldly. Gripping his hatchet handles resolutely...
Squelch.
...his left arm suddenly dangled like a dislocated joint.
His brow furrowed beneath the horned helm. Side effects at the worst moment...
Agon’s Furious Horn pulled a small iron flask from his bosom. He gulped its contents and slathered it thickly on his left shoulder. Miraculously, the limp arm restored.
He rolled his shoulder, then knelt to chant once more.
"[Vanguard of the Indomitable Legion, Atala, look upon your Great Warrior. Raise your torch and guide me to the battlefield...]"
Finishing the invocation, a yellowish sandstorm of miracle energy surged, flooding his body with vast power. The war god's weapon and blessing were with him.
Gripping his hatchet tight, Agon’s Furious Horn leaped into the pit.
Thud—!
Weaving through debris and dust briefly, he soon faced the roar's source.
And froze in shock.
"Grraaaaaar!!"
――――――― Qua-gwagwagwa—!!
At first, he thought it was a rampaging demon. The blood-smeared savage face, inhuman bulk, devastating strength—all screamed otherworldly.
But closer inspection revealed otherwise. Inhumanly brutal, yes—but unmistakably human. An Atalan, like him, devotee of the Wilderness Father.
Agon’s Furious Horn lifted his helm slightly and asked the man.
"Who are you? Why are you here like this?"
"......"
"......Are you that mercenary 'Demon Slayer'? If so, where's the core demon? Tell me what you know."
"......"
The man ignored the questions, merely heaving beastly breaths and staring inscrutably.
Agon’s Furious Horn widened his stance, tensing his shoulders. Not a demon, but possibly possessed. He didn't want pointless killing, but if attacked first...
Yet the man spoke unexpectedly.
"That hatchet... it's mine."
"......?"
"How'd you get your hands on it."
Agon’s Furious Horn scowled fiercely, pulling the hatchet handle closer in warning.
"This hatchet bears the will of the Wilderness Father and ancestral Great Warriors—a sacred weapon. Only 'Atala's Great Warrior' may claim it, so it rightfully came to me. I don't know who you are, but don't covet what's beyond your station..."
"......'Atala's Great Warrior'? You?"
"Yes, I am..."
Agon’s Furious Horn trailed off.
Suddenly, blood vessels burst in the man's eyes, erupting like a volcano in crimson tears. He wrenched his lips into a grin, growling chillingly.
"[So you're the bastard—the clown I'd chew up and spit out.]"
A killing intent like none he'd ever felt.
Gooseflesh prickled his skin. Agon’s Furious Horn clenched his abs to stop the trembling. Rage and madness burned in the man's scarlet eyes like bloodshot veins.
"[Do you know what hell I endured to bear that title and weapon's weight?]"
"......What?"
"[Of course not. How could trash like you...? You abandoned your duty for spectacle, staging dogfights... Smashing your skull and ripping your heart won't be nearly enough.]"
"No, what are you—"
"[Shut up and hand it over.]"
The man's form vanished in a flash.
――――――――――― Qua—Bang!!!
Before a single breath, Agon’s Furious Horn was buried in debris—impossibly deep.