A/N: Might be sickening, but bear with it a little longer. And I deliberately implemented these characters to keep my madness away from corroding my mind.
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—That’s right…… kill them.
As the bloodied hand traced the air, drops of crimson flew and floated as if a string hung them from above. In the darkness, however, these tiny drops could never be seen by normal perception. With this hidden weapon in-hand, no one could have expected it.
—to you, Death is just an excuse…… Death is simply your—Steve’s way to escape.
The body momentarily stopped. Against these formidable enemies, a lone Voyager who had simply reached Level 3 after a lucky shot possessed no chance. Even if he acquired a skill which was very effective against living beings, there was a limit.
—aren’t you tired of running away…? ……aren’t you sick of being pushed around like a fool……?
Even so—there has to be a way. There should be a path beyond this deadend. Exactly because there was a path… because there existed a small light in the dark tunnel of emptiness and naught……
—I’ll show you how…… Now learn from this, Yuuya.
That was when the empty pair of eyes shook. And the golden pupils widened to the limit along with a sinister upturned corner of lips.
“Hah… HA HA HA HA…! AHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”
The Hobgoblins felt as if their skins wrinkled together in instance. It was too abnormal for them to witness. To experience. And to hear. They at once looked at the source of madness who stood and trampling at the corpse of their comrade.
The moment the human let out an odd sound, somehow, these monsters understood what he meant.
It was a laugh. The human was laughing as if there was no tomorrow.
But why? As they questioned, they only sensed the abnormality of the Voyager in front of them multiplied. More and more ridiculous. Suspicious. And too maddening to be let alive.
“GRAAAARRRHH!!!”—as if grasping the point, one of the Hobgoblin issued a charge.
The Leader had moved. Amidst the squads commanded by a rarer, higher-level warrior. The Hobgoblins had no choice but to comply and raise up their arms. Half the reason was also because they too felt the centipede crawling on their skins known as ‘Terror’ and they must get rid of it quickly if they wanted to stay sane.
And yet—
“Gather!”
The Voyager moved. He extended his hand forward. Oddity occurred right after he finished his word.
There was a ripple. Then there was a noise. All who witnessed blood drained from the corpse of a Hobgoblin was shocked. Bewildered as now they clearly saw the ability of this feeble human.
“How many are you present here…? Khe khe, I wonder……!”
The golden orbs traced over the surroundings with a glance. It was more than enough for him to act and all he needed to do was simple. He used both his hands to extend forward... Concentrating the sphere of darkening blood at his will.
As if molding, the sphere undulated from within. As if the hands were trying to create a figure from clays, the sphere was stretched, following the movement of the hands.
That was when he signaled.
“—Become Arrows.”
The mold dissolved into thin tubes as thick as a toothpick. And their ends transformed to become sharp blades which shimmered by the radiance of golden gaze.
One arrow. Five arrows. Tens of arrows. Thirties, seventies, nineties…… hundreds of arrows have now been produced. Small enough to be considered as needles. Yet sharp and deadly enough to puncture the vital organs until they burst.
The Leader of the Hobgoblins noticed. And yet it was too late to realize that they could not save their selves. All because the process which occurred was happening within an instance. All because an instance was the required time for the Voyager to attack.
And a moment was more than enough to decide a battle.
“Taste your kin’s blood in your mouth—small imps.”
As willed, the crimson arrows flew despite having no bows.
As commanded, the weapons produced from the blood of their brethren were launched.
As ordered, the forbidden magic which separated fantasy from reality granted Certain Death to its targets.
All that remained—was simply a bunch of meats being shredded by countless arrows.
“—As~ If~ You morons.”
That voice echoed hollowly amidst the cries and whimpers of barely breathing monsters.
To the current ‘Yuuya’, the agonized screams and death throes were music to his ears. He was very happy, and more than so as he gleefully approached one of the dying Hobgoblin, One which was lucky enough to have its vitals not pierced.
—And he stomped at the head mercilessly.
“!?!?!?” –obviously, it was hurt. The severe wounds were already painful and its face suddenly dove into the ground. Burying itself into it.
The hobgoblin struggled with all of its might. The monster pitifully cried a silent pleading for help. And yet there was nothing that could ease its sufferings.
‘Yuuya’ cackled. He was smiling but it was unlike him to do such thing. It was way too strange that someone like ‘Yuuya’ could give a smile so easily like that.
“How realistic. This world is definitely like another world rather than a simple game environment.”
The sole went stronger with pressure. The already plunged hobgoblin resisted crazily but it was no match to Yuuya. No… to be more precise……
“Well~ Having my body reinforced with blood is something new. Normally, blood cannot be controlled but now I can use it like an extra limb~ Just compress them with mana and they can be as hard as steel…. Right. As if you can understand my language.”
‘Yuuya’ spun the sole of his shoe. The dying monster was already at the death’s door but it was still tortured. The signs of twitching and hyperventilating were definitely present. It lost fresh air, and yet it could not breathe in. The sounds of cracking skull could be heard, and the popping veins rang in the air.
One second. Two seconds. Five seconds. How long would it need for a mere hobgoblin to survive without air?
“Cry all you want. No one can save you. So—please die already.”
As quickly as he raised his foot, he smashed it down. Again he raised it and then smashed it down. ‘Yuuya’ continued to stomp at the head of the Hobgoblin for so many times it definitely went overboard.
There was an indescribable scream. There was a bone-chilling screech. There was the outstretched hand which desired salvation so bad it prayed to the Gods.
And yet, all was for naught. With a last stomp, the terrifying sound of shattered skull and squashed brains echoed. Crimson liquid flew everywhere. Accompanied by bits of grey and other gruesome stuffs, the Voyager’s foot was smeared with the crushed corpse’s remains.
He licked his lips. ‘Yuuya’ was entertained by the sight of crushing a cockroach. And he was more than overjoyed as the bug tried to scream as if pleading forgiveness before it was crushed.
“Ha! All you do is in the end, like what a pest would do. A scumbag till the end, eh?”
There, he turned his gaze to the sides. He caught witness of many, many fear-stricken small fries, He found many toys which were ready to be tortured to death. Within the Abyss was a crazed murderer. Within the darkness was the Evil Persona of a human being.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Stretching his arms to the sides, as if embracing the blind moon above, he walked forward. Desecrating the dead bodies around him in the process. Walking flimsily like a clown. And with gestures as if he had found a grand discovery of the century…
“Rejoice, lowly trashes! Your execution will come next as this Devil has kindly given you a fleeting moment of mercy!!!”
From the raised hand blood flowed, the Voyager willed it to take a shape. It soon turned into the shape of a knife, and then it solidified to become a solid tool for killing… a tool for torturing.
“Now let’s see to what extent can I use this magic… After all, I have enough supply to waste for many experiments.”
Within the darkness, despair and hopeless screams numbed those who dared to listen further.
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Duke Vagni had never cursed the Lady Luck for giving him no chance to act when he had prepared the perfect bait to lure his prey.
He was indeed a cunning man. But that didn't mean he was merely being evil, but he was also a calculating person who could prove his patience for the arrival of the right time.
As his irritation slowly turning into impatience, he immediately chided to his egos. It wasn't time for it yet. Not now. The bountiful trap has not caught the beast.
Like a hunter, he planned his movement for one--two steps from now. As one does not only wander to kill the prey, but also to wait for the opportune time for it to be captured and binded by the traps he laid beforehand.
Nearing dawn, a guest unexpectedly visited his office. Within the depth of the mansion only for him, the obese noble carefully watched a man equipped with Knight armor and customised uniform only for the Captain of a squad.
"...Hmph. It seems that even a Fourth-Star Diablo wasn't even worth of your time."
"Excuse me, Earl... A few of my men were killed and some were gravely injured. Though as you can see, I haven't lost a limb."
The Duke grunted. Not only this frivolous man often disobeyed his order, but he even dared to waltz around without minding his own business. That led him to discover the noble’s treacherous deeds. But unexpectedly, this Knight who became a member of the Brigade simply allied with the Duke out of entertainment and jealousy against a common enemy.
They worked together. They planned every movement possible to keep off Voyagers from this town. They formed a unit of highly talented individuals who swore secrecy and allegiance to their causes, and their control slowly spread over Daedalus.
And yet, even after years of cooperation, none of them ever trusted each other.
In fact, these two never demanded anything but the other side's defeat. One was a Hoodlum who learned how to be civilized, and the other was a Villain who wished for supreme authority equaling the Emperors.
"By the way, Earl. I have seen a new face below. Isn't that the Lady from the library?"
"...you haven't violated her, haven't you?"
"As much as I'd like to have my way, the Earl seems to have an ace under his sleeves lately. It's also hard for me to restraint myself, you know?"
There were no exact rules.
Betrayal and scheme could happen anytime. In order to prevent demise, both of them possessed a hidden blade aimed at each other throat. But not now. The time has not come for us to destroy each other. Not yet.
"She's a bargaining chip. Her husband has risen in fame at the capital and I don't intend to let the chance to sink him off my sight. Not when he welcomed those Outsiders with open arms like an idiot."
"So that's what you're planning next... the Earl is really greedy for power, eh?"
"I haven't monitored this town in these years for entertainment alone. Unlike a certain Hoodlum, I have a clear goal to achieve."
The Knight shrugged. It was not wrong to be ambitious, but being hasty was a different matter altogether. In fact, ever since the Duke attained his current title, he was starting to become more aggressive when ruling and oppressing his people to deny the Outsiders.
He didn't notice that this was a weakness the Bandit could use for. Still, without plans his action would backfire so he intended to see Vagni's ambition a little longer.
Speaking of which—
"By the way, Earl. I have seen a new bounty attached in the barrack."
The way he spoke was upsetting Vagni in a different way. Not because it was impolite, but because he mentioned the existence of an Outsider in his mansion.
"That's right. Again, a trash has arrived in my territory. And it’s one who I despise the most. I want you to capture him the next time you encountered him before it's too late."
"Well, actually......"
As a story was told, the Duke's expression changed considerably. First was because the hunted was caught in the extermination request. He laughed and grinned like a child receiving a new toy he desired.
His heart leaped in joy as the Voyager was stabbed and tortured on the spot. He even hoped to be there to watch, but he was angered after hearing what the Knight did next.
"Why did you not kill him!? The less he understood, the easier for us to get rid off him!!"
"But he was already dying..."
"Are you a moron?! Are your eye sockets empty!? Do not ever treat these Outsiders as mere monkeys without knowlegde!"
Vagni hammered his fist at the desk.
"Listen up, Hoodlum. What we are dealing with are monsters. Given enough time and they would surpass even the greatest heroes! What we must do to prevent them from conquering our domains, are to hold them captives, killing them endlessly while being weak, and destroy their minds before they read our intention!! How many times have I told you this, you insolent bastard?!"
This was why he requested criminals to kill them. This was why he gave the Voyagers nigh impossible tasks. The Duke literally abused his authority and secretly commanded others to obstruct the Voyagers' paths.
He had done so to keep the changes from occurring. He had painstakingly eliminated all suspicions and he even intercepted those who dared to investigate the truth. For years, his deeds had been concealed but in the very end-
"Do you want MY efforts to go in vain just because of a lone witness escaped my grasp!? Who do you think it was that hid the evidence of your crimes?! Who was it that gave a mere scum like you luxury and lust to indulge in!?"
"—calm down, Earl. It's not good to yell out like that."
How could I be calm!? The Duke roared, hands raised in the air. Spinning in place as he considered the worst possibility. Because, should the cat get out of the bag, then his lifelong desire would vanish.
All returning back to zero. And he surely wanted none of that to happen.
"Shut up, you worthless Brigade's lapdog! This is the last straw for you, a piece of trash who hasn’t even realized your worthless positions... Go and capture this Voyager as quickly as possible! Otherwise, your head will be mine to decorate the living room!!"
He yelled. He cursed. Even the Knight Captain was taken aback. He curtly replied with 'aye aye sir' before departing once again like a wind.
Meanwhile, the Duke could not hold his anger and he thrashed the office for the first time in his long duty as a Duke. All he thought now was, if there was another failure, he would pin all the blames at his useless partner in crime to start anew.