Volume 1 Chapter 45 Despicable Challenger II
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
When the rearguard’s crossbow team aimed at Kian, something strange happened in the sky.
A flock of birds, resembling dark clumps, suddenly dove down from above.
”W-What is that? Agh!?”
”Higya!? My eyes, my eyes!”
It was the crows.
The birds that had become Kian’s friends (servants) transformed into a frenzied swarm, attacking the adventurers armed with crossbows without hesitation.
Even when swatted away with arms, they stubbornly clung to faces and necks, gouging out eyes and skin, robbing them of their freedom of movement.
”What!?”
”Kyah! Senior Rosen, help me!”
”Franciska! Damn it! Get away!”
The Falcon Brigade and the rear guard were in complete chaos.
However, it seemed the vanguard’s swordsmen did not consider them allies, as they rushed towards Kian without hesitation.
”Hey, here I come!”
First, a male thief from the vanguard leaped at Kian, brandishing a dagger above his head.
It was a jump like a monkey.
As he stomped down with his right foot, he aimed to slash down at Kian’s forehead.
When Kian dodged, the thief twisted his arm to try and slash at Kian’s neck.
Kian stepped back to evade the third horizontal slash and simultaneously swung his wooden sword.
”Hot…”
The thief’s movements stopped.
He still didn’t realize that the inside of his wrist, holding the dagger, was already about 2-thirds cut away.
Grabbing his dazed throat, Kian used his body as a shield against the female thief attacking from behind.
”Ugh!?”
”Damn it, you’re in the way!”
With the male thief’s severed wrist spraying blood and the female thief stumbling back from the impact, Kian pierced through the male thief’s chest while simultaneously driving his weapon through the female thief’s throat.
”Gotcha!”
”Die, you trash!”
Three swordsmen approached from behind.
Two more came from the side.
That was all the vanguard.
”──…!”
Kian pulled out his wooden sword and quickly gathered magic power while re-positioning himself.
He then released the gathered magic power towards the 3 charging at him.
It was a ‘Shot’ without using a sword.
The impact wave hit the 3 swordsmen, causing them to stagger back.
One of the female swordsmen, being lighter, flew through the air and hit the ground hard on the back of her head.
”Cheee!”
”Kiieee!”
An ambush attack came from the side.
One aimed for Kian’s neck, while the other targeted his side with a thrust.
The two long swords easily pierced Kian’s body.
The swordsmen smirked.
But──.
”──────”
Kian, who should have been pierced, narrowed his eyes and, in an instant, faded like black mist, disappearing into the darkness.
”…!?!? Huh?”
Kian appeared behind the two in a mist that took shape.
In the moment they were struck, he moved with a ‘Leap’ and left them with an afterimage.
The two swordsmen, unaware of Kian standing behind them, were shot in the neck and had their heads severed.
The body that lost its head swayed from the impact.
Blood sprayed out, drenching Kian completely.
The ‘Nightshade’ coat he wore rippled as if rejoicing in the rain of blood.
”Wh-… a monster!”
”Ruth, Max! Damn it!”
The two swordsmen, who had staggered from the impact of the ‘Shot’, were struggling to regain their footing.
Despite their wobbling, they re-positioned their longswords in front of them.
Kian lowered his left hand holding the sword and pointed his right arm at them.
In a ‘Leap’ moment.
”Ugh.”
”Huh!? Gah…!?”
Two swordsmen dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground.
Franciska, who could see the flow of magic power, understood that the two swordsmen were being drained of their magic power by Kian’s ‘Absorb Essence.’
Overwhelmed by an intense pleasure coursing through their bodies, the two swordsmen rolled their eyes back and drooled.
Against Kian, who had received a large amount of magic power from Aliona, the swordsmen, who could only swing their swords, stood no chance.
They would simply be blown away by ‘Shot’ and then have their lives drained by ‘Absorb Essence’ before they could even get close again.
”Ah… no… stop… I don’t want this… no…”
The faces of the two kneeling swordsmen became wrinkled like old men, and their hair turned completely white.
Kian approached them, still pointing his hand at them.
”…g…” “Bastard…”
As Kian stroked their cheeks, the swordsmen, now resembling terrified old men, widened their eyes in fear.
Tears streamed down their faces as one of them grabbed Kian’s right arm.
But he had no strength in his grip──just like that, the two collapsed onto the wet ground with a splash, like a sandcastle crumbling.
”What the hell…? What is happening?”
When he lifted his face at the sound, Funnelwing was trembling while holding his greatsword.
His usually relaxed, half-closed eyes were wide open, and sweat was beading on his forehead.
In the pouring rain, Funnelwing’s voice echoed weakly.
”This is ridiculous… Have they turned into old men and died? What has been done to them?”
”……”
Kian carefully observed Funnelwing and Rosen, who was fighting crows behind him, along with Franciska.
Franciska would likely resist ‘Absorb Essence’ due to her magic resistance.
Rosen and Funnelwing could succeed if they made skin contact.
But if they could be touched, it would be more efficient to just kill them with a wooden sword.
”Well, well, what should I do?”
Kian muttered as he approached the last unconscious vanguard──a female swordsman.
She had red hair and freckles, looking rather unrefined.
Kian grabbed her hair and lifted her up.
”Ah…!”
”Wake up. From today, you are ‘friends’.”
He injects magic power into her body.
He used several times more magic power than a crow, but he succeeded in turning her into a servant.
”I understand…”
The female swordsman stands up unsteadily.
Kian fondles her indecently exposed chest and bites into her neck.
”Mm…♡”
”Kill that guy.”
”Yes…♡”
”You too. Stand up.”
He injects magic power into the body of a man who has died as an old man.
Since the original body is dead, he stands up swaying like a zombie.
”Fight for me.”
”Ah…”
”You too. Come with me. We will kill them together.”
”Ah…, ah…”
The 3 swordsmen have become puppets.
The rear guard of the adventurer group, 8 in total, had already been killed by the crow and their bodies were being dismembered.
Of the remaining 8, he sends the 3 puppet swordsmen to the 5 who were inexperienced in battle and were flustered.
”Eeek!?”
”Hey! Why are you pointing your swords at your comrades!?”
”You, you died, didn’t you… Aghhh!?”
”Kukuku…”
Kian smirks and turns back to Funnelwing.
The handsome swordsman with cat-like hair thrusts his greatsword towards him, slowly retreating.
His teeth are grinding together, making a grating sound.
”Only you ‘Falcon Brigade’ are left.”
”…Tch…”
”Funnelwing! Formation! Let’s go!”
”Y-Yes! Franciska! Is the magic ready yet!?”
”This place feels strange! The spirit isn’t using magic for me!”
Franciska shouts to be heard over the sound of the rain.
Her arms and face are torn apart by the crow, and she is bleeding profusely.
By the way──Franciska’s inability to use magic is not the spirit’s fault.
She cannot use any magic that relies on the ‘spirit’ in the first place.
As a principle, magic is the art of manipulating or controlling some movement.
The magic that relies on spirits to manipulate or control something is considered ‘ritual magic,’ but for Franciska, who lacks knowledge, it was too advanced a magic.
Franciska couldn’t use magic because the manipulation and control of earth she was trying to perform were being obstructed by the ‘Labyrinth of Roses.’
The ground beneath her feet was essentially part of the ‘Labyrinth of Roses,’ and there was no way someone like Franciska could interfere with it.
If she were to use magic, it would have been Wind magic to manipulate the flow of air (Franciska could only use magic to control earth, wind, or water), but because she usually used magic in a vague manner, she couldn’t switch to it.
Something must happen.
Something must happen.
Franciska kept praying to the ‘spirit’ while repeating, “Why, why,” until a magic other than generating earth spears or water blobs would appear.
”Damn it…!”
Funnelwing gritted his teeth.
Rosen stood next to the cat-haired swordsman, ready with a mace.
”Damn it! I’ll fight! I’ll kill you! Come on!”
”It’s commendable that you haven’t lost your fighting spirit yet.”
As he said this, Kian killed 5 of his companions and embraced the blood-soaked female swordsman who returned.
She pressed her ample chest against Kian and leaned on him affectionately.
He took the bloodied longsword from her lifeless, pale hand.
”Thank you, my friend. I no longer need you.”
”Ah…? Ah, ahhh!?”
The female swordsman, drained of her life force, transformed into an ugly old woman as she died.
Kian threw her body to the ground and crushed her neck, completely stopping her breath.
”How horrible…!”
Franciska trembled as she glared at Kian.
”Funnelwing, Rosen Pitt. The magician (Franciska) behind you can’t be used here, can she? To defeat me, you two have no choice but to manage somehow.”
As he said this, he returned the wooden sword to his back and held the longsword he had taken from the female swordsman, flicking the blood off it.
Blood splattered onto the rain-soaked ground, creating a fan shape.
”OOOOOOH!”
The handsome swordsman’s magic power flared up.
His physical abilities enhanced──his thick arms grew even thicker, bulging like a bear.
Rosen also discarded his rain gear, using his mace to bang against his shield, trying to intimidate.
”Hey! Are you scared, ‘garbage scavenger’? Come at me, you coward!”
”Fine by me.”
Kian nodded once and swung his longsword, performing a sword dance with swift movements.
In the darkness, the longsword left behind beautiful silver streaks.
This was the true essence of Kian, who had relentlessly honed his swordsmanship.
He had no intention of losing to any swordsman in skill.
The sword dance came to an end.
He pointed the tip of his sword at Funnelwing.
Kian raised his eyebrows, capturing the two warriors in his dark gaze.
He felt the raindrops from his forehead trickle down his nose.
”I’ll show you Azrael’s killing sword.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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