Chapter 68: Whispers of the Love God (Part 8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 68: Whispers of the Love God (Part 8)
The wind whipped against his cheeks.
Muen leaped down, looking for all the world as if he were throwing himself willingly into the monster’s embrace.
Eluka looked delighted. She reached out her hands like a tender wife welcoming her lover home in the dead of night.
If only she hadn't reached out with several hundred hands at once.
"An!"
Sensing the timing was right, Muen let out a sudden roar.
Then, the steel groaned!
A thicket of cold metal thorns erupted from the ground, slamming violently into the monster’s mass.
Countless sharp blades churned and twisted, carving through every inch of deformed flesh. The clashing edges vibrated against one another, composing a symphony of iron, blood, and death!
Like an armored chariot bristling with spikes crashing into a raw slab of meat, the monster’s misshapen body was instantly torn open with several hideous gashes!
"Ah—!"
Eluka shrieked.
But there was no pain in her voice. Instead, she sounded almost ecstatic.
She twisted her face, which was embedded deep within the meat, to look at the maid controlling the steel nearby.
"Master, you really did come back, didn't you?"
"Yes, I am back, Eluka."
An exhaled softly.
She folded her hands over her stomach and stood with her back perfectly straight.
She was the image of the perfect maid.
She stared unflinchingly at Eluka—the woman who, not long ago, had nearly shattered her mental defenses—and at the hundreds of wailing faces crying out their twisted love.
This time, her gaze was unwavering.
"I’ve come to save you."
"Huh? I feel like something’s different about Master. Is it just me?"
Eluka looked confused for a split second, then began to giggle.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter. All I need to know is that you’re Master. That’s enough."
"Master will still accept my love, right? After all, you understand me, don't you?"
"I love you, Master!"
Hundreds of faces roared in unison. The sound waves were so intense that even the steel structures trembled.
The deformed flesh writhed again, and those hideous wounds healed in the span of a few breaths.
New flesh began to creep along the steel like rust or a fungal colony. The eroded metal quickly lost its properties, turning into useless dust that scattered in the wind.
An’s expression darkened. New steel condensed at her side, rising once more to meet the twisted monster.
The monster lunged forward, refusing to be outdone.
A new round of combat began.
It was a clash of titans, a struggle to the death.
*
On the other side.
Muen sprinted across bridges of conjured steel, heading straight for the area where Eluka’s main head was located.
Sharp blades whirled around him like a lawnmower, shredding the deformed limbs that grew and spread toward him.
But no matter how much he cut, the sheer, near-infinite volume of the monster’s growth meant some limbs always slipped through the cracks.
Against such a terrifying numerical advantage, even a few "strays" were enough to be suffocating.
Limbs lunged from every angle, sealing off Muen’s path of retreat.
Several faces watching from that side sneered, as if they could already see the moment this new "food" would merge with them.
Love should be shared, and so should pain, right?
How could we be the only ones who ended up like this.JPG!
"I guess I’m still being underestimated," Muen muttered with a self-deprecating smile.
He was the one who had pulled the aggro and initiated the fight, yet Eluka’s attention was still entirely on An. She had only spared a few faces to keep an eye on him, as if he weren't even worth her notice.
But was that a bad thing?
No, it was perfect!
It was far better than he could have imagined.
Sneak into the village, don't fire a shot.
A strategy he hadn't even dared to dream of was being realized, in a sense, by Eluka’s obsession with An!
Muen’s lips curled into a silent laugh.
He held his hands out as if grasping invisible hilts.
An, who had kept a sliver of her attention on him, acted in perfect sync. With a single thought, a pair of curved short blades appeared in Muen’s hands.
Muen had asked An to forge these for him in advance.
He had realized while using the firewood chopper that while light daggers were more comfortable for women, he was better suited for short blades that offered more power behind the swing.
Furthermore, the design of the short blades didn't hinder his Dagger Combat Techniques at all!
This was a total win-win!
"Eat my Lightning Cyclone Slash!"
Muen leaped. The blades in his hands blurred into shadows, slashing through the encroaching limbs.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
The blades An had forged were incredibly sharp.
In an instant, Muen carved a gap through the cage of limbs.
New limbs rushed in to fill the hole, but it was already too late.
Shadow Step!
The powerful footwork of a master assassin was unleashed once more. Muen’s body turned into a blur that was nearly invisible to the naked eye as he burst through the gap.
It was true—as he’d said himself—he only had a few tricks up his sleeve.
But damn, were they effective!
Who wouldn't love a blink with almost no cooldown?
As long as he wasn't interrupted by a martial technique or some other interference like the scarred man had tried, this move made him invincible in terms of mobility!
You’re just a deformed monster corrupted by an Evil God. It’s not like you can use martial arts against me!
Muen sneered internally.
Once he broke through the encirclement, nothing could stop his advance.
He pushed forward at high speed and was soon closing in on the monster’s midsection, where Eluka’s head was located.
Just a little further!
Muen’s eyes lit up with joy. Roughly two more Shadow Step jumps and he would be right on top of Eluka’s head!
"Just you wait, Eluka! Let me give you a good—wait, what?"
His arrogant laughter was cut short.
A sudden alarm blared in his mind!
Amidst the mass of deformed limbs, a completely different arm appeared—like a "freak" standing out in a crowd of normal people.
No, in a crowd of deformed limbs, the "freak" was the one that looked normal.
It was a normal human arm.
Thick, powerful.
The muscles were as solid as coiled dragons.
The hand aimed its palm at Muen, and the five fingers suddenly curled.
It looked like it was mimicking the claws of a wild beast.
In that instant, a thunderous boom erupted from between the fingers!
Muen’s brain rang.
A terrifying shockwave came out of nowhere and slammed into his chest.
He couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.
His internal energy was thrown into chaos.
The Shadow Step he was about to use was forcibly interrupted!
"What the hell?"
Muen steadied his retreating form, his eyes wide with horror as he stared at that arm.
A martial technique!
It was a goddamn martial technique!
And it was a far more profound technique than the one the scarred man had used!
He could accept being silenced so he couldn't cast, but his blink could be interrupted directly?
Huh? Hello?
League of Legends balance team?
Someone come out and explain the mechanics!
"Woof."
While Muen’s mind was reeling and spiraling into nonsense from the shock, he suddenly heard a familiar bark.
"No way..."
Under his stunned gaze, the thick arm lowered, its wide palm pressing against the writhing flesh. Then, with a sudden heave, a familiar figure used the arm for support and crawled out of the meat.
Muen recognized him instantly.
It was the man who had been turned into a dog.
Eluka’s husband.
He was completely naked, still wearing those ridiculous "decorations."
But as he stood before Muen now, his aura was entirely different.
This was no dog.
This was a ferocious beast.