Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Followers of the Forgotten God (4)
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The head thudded onto the wooden plank, tangling with the disheveled hair. Bubbles boiled up from the severed neck. The fake human began melting stickily, like black pitch, just as before.
Taking out one didn't mean the job was done. The inn was still teeming with eerie presences slinking about like shadows. Kadim quickly barred the door and jerked his chin at Duncan and Yulitan, signaling them to get out fast.
The two were still reeling in confusion. Even so, they could sense the inn was crawling with ambushing enemies. Yulitan backed away, shouting,
"J-just hold on a moment! I'll go fetch the guards right away!"
"...No, it'd just be a hassle to clean up after. Run and hide. Don't wander around and get yourself stabbed."
"...".
Duncan nodded shrewdly and tugged at Yulitan's sleeve. Their figures slipped out of the alley and onto the main street. Kadim stood by the door, cracking his neck with sharp pops.
He had no idea how they'd known to ambush the inn ahead of time. But it didn't matter. If they hadn't come close, he would've hunted them down anyway.
'They'll probably hit me all at once the moment I open the door. Might even have bows or crossbows for ranged attacks...'
Deflecting a couple of attacks barehanded was no sweat, but the presences inside numbered around twenty. So Kadim opted for a safer, surer solution.
He gripped his weapon tight and focused his mind.
As the tattoo on his forearm glowed red, he slammed his shoulder into the door, flinging it wide.
Bam—crash!
Gleaming eyes full of murderous intent flickered in the darkness.
And then, as if on cue, a vertical torrent of rain poured down.
Thwip—splat, thwip—splat, thwip—splat!
Arrows, daggers, even thick spikes like meat skewers... Sharpened projectiles rained down like a metallic storm. More than enough to shred a single person to rags.
Kadim didn't dodge.
He raised his forearm to block the onslaught head-on, then snatched a flying dagger and hurled it back at its thrower.
Thwip—splat, thud!
"...Gah!"
A short scream erupted from the dark, and one shadow staggered before collapsing. Just a dagger to the head, yet the skull had caved in like it'd been pierced by a cannonball.
The fake humans ignored their fallen comrade. They smirked with faint amusement and opened their mouths in unison.
"A fine display, mercenary. Was that ability a 'gift' from someone in the ruins, by any chance?"
"...".
The same face. The same voice.
Kadim glanced at his forearm. The bark-like skin covering it was scratched up badly. He'd figured the 'Demonic Woodification' power would shrug off metal, but these weren't pushovers.
He addressed the horde of fake humans, all wearing Ilenia's face.
"Heard this inn was deserted, so I came by. Didn't expect so many guests already."
"..."
"Guess I'll have to kill you all."
Tension hung thick in the dim inn hall.
A flash of silver light signaled the fight's start.
Shwick—shwick—shwick!
The moment the axe left Kadim's hand, countless shadows surged like twilight haze.
Crack—thunk!
The lead one ducked under the table to evade the axe blade. But the ones behind couldn't, their faces splitting in half. A fake human closed in, a sharp blade flashing from its sleeve. Kadim parried with Blood Ghost and swiftly stabbed its throat.
Squelch!
The mushy texture sank in, fake black blood spraying. Blood Ghost vibrated in dissatisfaction, half-swallowing the blood. In that split second before he could pull the blade free, more threw daggers. Kadim twisted the sword horizontally to blunt the edge and raised the hilt high.
"Guhk...!"
Stab, stab, stab!
A fake human impaled on the blade dangled like meat shielding him. As the barrage eased, Kadim realigned the edge properly. From throat to crown, the fake's head split in a straight line, black brains and slime erupting like an ink fountain.
Crack—thunk!
He curved the axe's return trajectory with magnetic pull. The chill blade crushed the skulls of the dagger-throwers before boomeranging back. Kadim quickly wiped the clinging gunk from the edge with his sleeve to keep it sharp.
In that instant, new presences.
Shadows dove low, slashing from both sides. Long gashes like plow furrows scarred his wooden shin.
Scraaaape, scraaaape!
Kadim stomped down hard in response.
Thud, craaack!
"Gah!"
The crushed one's neck vertebrae multiplied tenfold. The one beside it spewed black blood like a fountain from a blade to the crown. As more closed in, Kadim kicked surrounding tables hard.
Bam—crash, bam—crash, thud!
"Heok!"
"Guhk!"
His monstrous leg power hurled tables into walls, pulverizing guts and spines of those caught between. The fake humans screamed briefly, spewing black vomit before slumping over the tables and melting stickily.
In moments, their numbers had halved. Still over ten left.
"Heh heh heh... You're on fire, mercenary. But how much longer can you hold out?"
They switched tactics. Half crept in stealthily, half hurled projectiles from range.
If pressed in melee, they'd fall back and swap roles. Even retreating, they tossed darts. Sometimes they'd feign retreat only to charge back, sowing chaos. Their flawless waves slowly pressed Kadim.
Thwip—splat! Scraaaape, thwip—splat!
"My, you're already struggling. Want to keep going, mercenary?"
"...".
"Hand over that silver coin now... and we'll let you go painlessly."
A throbbing urge pulsed in his brain.
Drinking demon blood or activating the Hydra tattoo here would make short work of these pests.
But Kadim resisted. That easy path led to inevitable ruin. If he drew on such power even for 'pests' like these, he'd be consumed by madness before finishing his journey. So he sought victory without relying on demon blood.
First idea: space. Fighting in this open area was suicide against a mob. Defending all angles solo had him at a massive disadvantage.
So Kadim resolved: find the best spot for one-vs-many—a cramped corner with three walls...
Bam—crash!
...Nah, just AoE them all to hell.
"Raaargh!"
Kadim charged like a roaring beast. The fakes prepping to retreat froze in panic. That hesitation became their death knell.
Slaaaash—craaaack!
The slash started by ripping one's flank, carved through two ribs and hearts, ending by severing the rightmost's neck. Their eyes dimmed as one. The blade reluctantly absorbed the blackish fake blood. Saturated, it hummed unstably.
Vrrrrm—
Kadim swung in a crescent arc, unleashing black blood aura at the rest.
BOOM—whoosh!
A single stroke cleaved the adobe wall straight. Not infused with demon or real blood, its power was a fraction of before.
But enough to finish the survivors.
"...!!"
Crack—thunk.
Heads lolled off raggedly severed necks like rotten fruit. Dark brown hair fluttered; headless bodies melted like black pitch. Bubbling fusion noises mingled with the creaking old door.
Creeeak, creeeak—
A sudden breeze whispered through the wrecked inn.
All twenty fake humans lay dead. Only the shadow soaked in black blood stood like a ruin's giant.
As the tattoo's power faded, Kadim shed the bark, reverting. He wiped the clotted black blood from his cuffs and hem. Someone might question why he'd wiped them out without probing their backs, but it wasn't mindless slaughter.
One presence lingered underground. It hadn't stirred amid the chaos—likely the puppetmaster.
But he was wrong.
Descending the stairs, Kadim furrowed his brow. Hiding in the inn's earthen cellar wasn't some mastermind.
A woman with yellow eyes, mouth gagged with cloth, bound tight.
"Mmph! Mmmph! Mmmph!"
"...".
Another wearing Ilenia's face.
Kadim raised his axe swiftly, ready to cleave its crown. But unlike the ones upstairs, it didn't attack or charge—just pitifully writhed, trying to flee.
After hesitation, he sliced the gag with his blade tip. Ilenia gasped desperately and raised her bound hands.
"Hah! P-please don't kill me! Don't kill me! Mercenary? You're the mercenary, right? You remember me? Archaeologist, Galen University scholar, Ilenia! We explored those ruins together! I gave you that stele, asked you to find the ruins and tell me what you learned..."
"...".
A reaction he'd never seen before. But it could be a trap. Kadim eyed her sharply. Ilenia shrank, terrified.
The interrogation to decide her fate began.
"What happened. Why are you tied up here, and what are those things that look just like you."
"I-I don't know... I was heading to Galen University, then suddenly blacked out and woke up here..."
"...".
"Where is this? Galen city? I have to submit my next quarter's research plan today..."
"Why didn't you use your relic's power? Last time, you tore maps with it, even fought enemies."
"R-relc? I tried, but these weird lookalikes took it right away... Did you see a transparent sword with just a hilt on your way? If I lose it, I'm in big trouble..."
"...".
Her words trailed into nonsense. Kadim kept her bound, glaring fiercely. Ilenia's pupils quivered pitifully, as if racking her brain for what she'd done wrong.
Gripping the axe handle, Kadim demanded sternly,
"The ruins we went to before—what enemies were there."
"Huh? Why ask that suddenly..."
"Answer. What enemies in the ruins. Lie, and you die now."
The axe head rose to prove he meant it. Ilenia paled and screamed desperately.
"S-stone-carved warriors! There were stone-carved warriors! Please spare me! I didn't do anything..."
Kadim brought the axe down without pause.
Splaaat—crack!
Sticky blood sprayed from her chest. Sternum crushed, ribs snapped, sharp bone shards pierced lungs and heart. Ilenia froze, unable even to scream.
Then her eyes rolled back, and she tore her mouth into a eerie grin.
"How. How'd you figure it out again."
"...".
"Good acting, good performance... Did you just guess?"
Not just instinct.
The ruins had only 'clay warriors.' 'Stone-carved warriors' was a lie he'd fed a fake before, testing for this.
He pressed the embedded axe blade. The fake groaned reflexively. Kadim snarled, nose wrinkling viciously,
"Getting real tired of this crap. Spill it before I tear you all apart. Who you are, how you stole that archaeologist's face, and why you're after this silver coin."
"Heh, heh, how? How're you gonna do that? These clones are just shadows. No clues on who we are—how'll you hunt us down, you dumb barbarian?"
"Somehow. Even if I have to slaughter every soul in this city."
Ilenia's clone tried to sneer, ripping her mouth wide. But the searing chest pain and abyss-dark eyes killed the laugh.
She gazed at him with cooling, conflicted eyes.
"...You're right to die. Spouting that nonsense so casually proves you're the 'Root of Disaster'... You'll bring more ruin to this world than demons..."
"...".
"Heh heh... But aren't you forgetting something? You beat the enemies—shouldn't you check if your precious companions escaped, hid well, survived...?"
Not kindly guiding him. Kadim glanced up.
"...Kidnapped?"
"Keh heh heh, quick on the uptake! Yes! If you don't want their heads rolling in the market, hand over that silver coin and off yourself..."
"Cut the head off and feed the body to dogs. Can't waste the meat."
Kadim recited dryly.
Speechless. Ilenia's clone gaped, dumbfounded.
For a fleeting moment, it crossed her mind: perhaps this fake body was more human than that one over there.