Episode 98
Because of the time spent on the recovery of residual memories and accepting Tara’s request, I arrived at the downtown area about 30 minutes later than in my past life.
“G-grk!”
“P-please… spare my life! I b-beg you! Aaaah!”
Already, many resistance forces were either begging for their lives or continuing a grim fight despite the overwhelming odds.
The situation wasn’t good. I had to jump in and disrupt the momentum of the Resurrection Sect members.
‘Alright. Then…!’
In the center of downtown, after canceling my black wings, I began one experiment.
I directed my gaze toward a distant spot. With my enhanced physical abilities, my eyesight had significantly improved. The rooftops of buildings over a kilometer away were vaguely visible.
After fixing my gaze there, I muttered.
“Seven Sword Pierce.”
Seven magic swords darted like lightning, tracing zigzag patterns. The erratic movements were deliberately twisted by me to make their trajectories impossible to predict.
And papa-pak! The magic swords entering different trajectories devastated the chimney. Sparks flew, and the chimney shattered into pieces.
[Level Up!]
At the same time, the fanfare sounded, announcing my level increase. Someone… a Resurrection Sect member, must have been struck by my magic sword and died.
This confirmed it. I let a satisfied smile escape me.
‘Sniper’s location is the same as in my past life.’
Of course, it might have just coincidentally matched. In the future, I plan to disrupt any sniper positions like this before starting the battle.
It’s the golden rule when playing games to kill the ranged attacker first before engaging in an all-out fight.
‘Then… does that mean the location where the Demoness sister appears?’
I briefly considered the possibility. But honestly, I thought the likelihood was low.
After all, her goal has always been clear.
To kill me.
Thus, it’s more plausible to think that the Demoness sister wandered around Kern searching for me and happened to meet me in the slum.
There’s currently no way for me to figure out her starting point(?). So…
‘I need to locate the other troublesome elements!’
The sniper, the battered Demoness sister, and what else has the Resurrection Sect prepared for me this time?
Just thinking about it makes my heart race. Of course, it’s out of irritation.
“… Huh?”
I was running through downtown, clicking my tongue when suddenly, three figures followed me from behind.
They wore blank expressions and wielded the Resurrection Sect’s signature curved dual blades. They were Resurrection Sect members who had been massacring civilians nearby and had now chosen to pursue me.
“I want to be alone, so all of you, just get lost!”
I shouted angrily, casting Seven Sword Pierce. With a fizzing sound as they ripped through the air, the seven magic swords struck directly at their vitals…
‘These bastards, what is this?’
…but failed.
Only one of them collapsed after spitting blood. The other two twisted their bodies in an instant to avoid fatal injuries.
They’re competent. I adjusted my posture.
“……”
“……”
Despite averting fatal wounds, they had deep injuries—stabs through their chests and abdomens. Yet, the Resurrection Sect members charged at me casually as if they’d only been pricked by toothpicks.
Indeed. How could these monsters be human? That’s impossible.
These guys… they’re definitely something else.
“To hell with you!”
At that moment, I fired off the seven magic swords I had stationed behind them.
Perberberbek! With a harsh, flesh-tearing sound, the bodies of my pursuers were cut into pieces. Blood splattered everywhere, even onto my face.
Unconsciously, I licked my lips with my tongue.
‘What the hell… Why did I lick it? Am I crazy or something…’
I entered a moment of sage time, regretting my actions afterwards. To be honest, I was shocked.
I felt an electrifying sensation when I tasted the blood of these monsters.
‘… Guess I don’t have much room to call them monsters.’
Who’s calling whom a monster here? I need to mentally compose myself.
I glanced around with a wry smile.
“O gods! Please show mercy!”
“Kyaaaaaak! Please, save us! Spare us!”
“AAAAAAH!”
I saw a group of merchants cornered at a sales counter in the business district being killed one by one by Resurrection Sect members.
Alright. I’ll save them. If not gods or Demon Kings, someone has to.
“Fatal Thorns!”
I deliberately shouted the spell clearly as I charged at them.
As intended, the enemy’s focus momentarily shifted to me. That brief moment was enough. I quickly extended my thorns to stab them ruthlessly.
Perberberbek! The unsuspecting foes were pierced somewhere in their limbs as they were hurled into nearby store walls.
Of course, that wasn’t the end. I immediately followed up with another attack.
‘Seven Sword Pierce.’
The damage from Fatal Thorns was weaker than Seven Sword Pierce. A sure kill was necessary.
The trails of expanded thorns were followed by magic swords that pierced the enemies’ vitals. The convulsing Resurrection Sect members promptly collapsed.
I exhaled in relief, reshaping my mantle back to its original form.
“… Y-you…?”
The survivors, the merchants, looked at me with hopeful eyes.
There’s no time to answer. You people are in the way while I’m busy trying to save someone’s mom and hunt down a Demoness or whatever.
I was about to dismiss them with a quick caution.
“Don’t wander around places like these. Make sure no one finds you by hiding or escaping from Kern as far as possible…”
My speech came to an abrupt halt.
And all of a sudden, I locked eyes with one of the trembling merchants.
She was a woman, around her thirties. Plain-looking, gaunt in stature – the typical appearance of a struggling merchant you could find anywhere.
“… You…”
Had it not been her soft brown hair and her unique gray eyes that seemed unusually firm, I might have completely passed her by.
As my gaze concentrated on her, she looked back at me in confusion. I absentmindedly asked.
“Do you have a daughter? Named Tara.”
“… Huh?”
“She lives in the slum. She’s about this tall, and a bit rude too?”
Her gray eyes widened as I continued speaking, as if silently asking how I knew.
The answer was right. This was the mother of the Tara I’d been searching for – the merchant from the night market standing right before me now.
‘She’s… alive.’
Who would’ve thought I’d find her this easily. Guess the lesser deities are finally on my side a little now.
It was an unbelievably fortuitous coincidence.
*
“Hey! Stick close, and follow me!”
“Um… y-yes, yes!”
With Tara’s mother trailing behind me, I crossed the downtown area.
Swish. Some Resurrection Sect members charged toward us. There were two targeting me on the side. Two more aimed at Tara’s mother from behind.
I quickly assessed the situation and took action.
“Fatal Thorns!”
Ka-ga-ang! The metallic sound rang out. The enemies’ blades clashed with my Fatal Thorns.
Without releasing the thorns, I hurled my Espada at the Resurrection Sect member on my left.
Puwock! The man remained expressionless as my thrown sword severed his neck.
‘One down.’
Not stopping there, I propelled myself off the ground, spinning madly, and delivered a slash mid-spin.
Paga-kak! The sound of bones and flesh being crushed. Before me was a corpse of a Resurrection Sect member, showering blood in the air as it collapsed.
‘Two down.’
A stinging pain in my abdomen alerted me. Looking down, I saw a small dagger embedded in my belly.
You think you’re leaving me behind, huh? With a bitter smile, I pulled it out and absorbed some water ether.
Chi-ji-ik.
The wound healed with a flash of blue smoke. As I watched the reaction, I faintly frowned.
That was definitely the reaction when ether heals poison. It seems the dagger was coated with poison. Luckily, I didn’t waste any ether and healed instantly.
At that moment, an angry scream broke the air.
“Kyaaaaaak!”
I swiftly turned my head to see two Resurrection Sect members breaking through the rain of thorns, aiming for Tara’s mother’s throat.
I restored my cloak and retrieved my Espada from the fallen body of a Resurrection Sect member.
I swung my sword while firing off magic swords.
“Where are you going!”
Paji-jik! The flying magic swords clashed with the enemies.
Most were deflected mid-air by their blades, but with a total of 14 swords, not all could be blocked.
The magic swords embedded in their bodies sparkled. The enemies twitched momentarily due to the pain.
And in that moment, I was already standing before them.
“Single Slash.”
Sii-ing! A radiant trail of light flickered.
With a horizontal slash, the trails of my glowing sword cleanly cleaved the enemies’ bodies in half as they crashed to the ground.
“… A… Ah…”
Tara’s mother, who had collapsed on the spot, looked at the Resurrection Sect members’ corpses with blank surprise. Her whole body trembled violently. Her pupils were blank, staring vacantly at the dead bodies.
‘It’s only natural to feel this way.’
Indeed, this was the typical reaction. The person who had orchestrated this scene and now feels nothing more than a slight clammyness in their groin is the one who’s strange here.
I extended my hand to her and said blandly.
“Your daughter’s waiting, so hurry up. I’m a busy guy.”
“A.. aaa…”
She looked at me with a confused expression and slowly picked herself up.
Having stood still for a while, she suddenly lowered her head and asked me.
“… Is my daughter… Tara, is she safe?”
What is this, a sudden questioning session? I was surprised by her unexpected question.
But as I saw the face under her brown hair, ready to burst into tears, I answered her straightforwardly.
“Yes. She’s fine, and she asked me to find her mom.”
“A… Thank goodness… really… thank goodness…”
And the moment she wiped the tears from her eyes, Tara’s mother’s shoulders drooped helplessly.
She tightly gripped her hands and buried her face in the dirt, trembling all over.
“… Tara… our… our daughter… baby… pitiable… my dear child…”
“Uh. Hey, what’s suddenly…”
It was sudden.
Watching her hunched form muttering like a madwoman, I suddenly felt an icy chill on the back of my neck. My field of vision expanded momentarily, and time slowed down.
I recognized this feeling.
My Hero Sense had activated.
‘Danger…?!’
Images of me plunging a knife into her neck flashed relentlessly through my mind.
Danger. Kill. Right now. No. But why. Why?
My instincts went wild with warnings. My rational mind questioned. My rationality clashed with primal urges.
And in that brief hesitation, the gap was created. That’s the problem.
Glint. Through her brown hair, her eyes weren’t gray but blazing red instead.
“A… uh… grh… kyaaaah!!”
A scream so inhuman it didn’t seem to belong to a person rang out, and puk-get! The sound of tearing flesh followed.
It wasn’t sound that reached my ears but rather directly reverberated in my brain. A colossal pain surged from my side.
I exhaled the breath I’d been holding and looked down.
“… Kuh… ph…”
A grotesque mouth-like structure on my gut, Tara’s mother who seems to have bitten me.
Her upper body was vertically split apart, sharp rib bones jutting out like many teeth. They were biting into my side, steadily chewing it.
… … …
… … …
… Ha.
An amused sigh escaped me involuntarily.
“Really… Resurrection Sect… bastards…”
Right. You’re all set to surprise me, aren’t you?
That’s the most shocking surprise I’ve received so far, at least a hundred thousand times more surprising than everything else I encountered.
Later, no matter how late it is, I’ll make sure you feel the same way I do now.
You’re so damn despicable I’d spit on your graves.
“Sorry, Tara.”
I lifted my Vestark high.
Chi-ji-jiing. Magic swords were charged above Tara’s mother.
“Ki.. kgeug… uhgggkeug…”
Her neck twisted unnaturally. The once firm, intelligent gray eyes were gone; in their place were crimson beast-like eyes.
Drip. Blood-tears flowed down her cheeks.
“A… aa… gha…”
Tara’s mother no longer moved.
As she chewed through me with the mouth on her chest, she showed no resistance. She simply stared at the magic sword like a convict waiting for their verdict.
I clenched my teeth and executed her.
“… Our… daughter.”
With a messy flesh-tearing sound, just as she was about to transform into a lump of meat, I clearly heard that voice.
I pretended not to hear.
