Volume 4
Chapter 8
Nozomu stood facing the three-eyed giant, amidst the choking stench of blood from the Wild Dogs he had just slain.
A Triclops.
Though not as
dangerous as an Eastern Dragon that could fly and breathe fire, it was an
extremely dangerous magical beast of Rank A due to its extraordinary physical
strength. Ordinary adventurers and soldiers would find it difficult to face it
head-on. It was an opponent that could only barely be defeated by Rank A-class
individuals or concentrated magic attacks. However, due to the effects of
Ability Suppression, Nozomu couldn't even use beginner-level magic, and had
almost no means of long-range attack. This was clearly an opponent beyond his
capabilities.
The Triclops grinned
at Nozomu. It probably didn't feel the slightest threat from him.
Normally, he would
immediately retreat from such an opponent. Considering the risk of fighting
such a powerful beast within the territory of magical beasts, he wouldn't come
out unscathed whether he won or lost.
But the current Nozomu
couldn't think about such consequences.
I want to
rampage enough to forget everything.
Even though he had
been averting his eyes from it himself, Nozomu's mental restraints were broken
as the betrayal of his close friend had been thrust upon him. He gripped his
sword, ready to unleash the surging emotions within him.
Despite his mental
state, he didn't release his Ability Suppression because there was one last
hesitation remaining within Nozomu. His anxiety regarding Tiamat, deep within
him, was barely preventing him from being swept away by his emotions and
releasing the suppression. However, that was his only hesitation. At this moment,
he had no doubt about slaying the giant before him.
Did the Triclops sense
Nozomu's fighting spirit? It, too, readied a massive club, as long as a grown
man.
It was Nozomu who
moved first. He sprinted towards the Triclops, his physical abilities enhanced
by Ki. The Triclops glanced at Nozomu, who was charging towards it, then swung
its massive club as if swatting an annoying fly. Nozomu tried to parry the club
swung at him by sliding his katana along it, but...
"Guh!"
The difference in
strength was too great for him to fully parry. His upper body opened wide, and
his body lifted off the ground. The Triclops swung its club back from the
opposite direction, attempting to strike Nozomu's defenseless torso. Nozomu
instinctively dropped to the ground, dodging the approaching club. Feeling the
club sweep past his head, Nozomu immediately tried to stand, but the Triclops
brought its club crashing down onto Nozomu, who was still prostrate.
Nozomu stopped trying
to stand, rolling sideways on the ground to avoid the club. The descending club
struck the ground right next to Nozomu, shaking the earth, kicking up dirt, and
showering him with scattered debris. Nozomu used the momentum of his roll to
stand, then retreated a step with Flash Step.
It seemed he finally
realized that charging head-on was a reckless act.
However, the Triclops
didn't pursue. The giant let out a snorting laugh, "Gufu, gufufufu!"
It seemed to be laughing at Nozomu's pathetic display just now.
But Nozomu didn't hear
such laughter. All he was thinking about was "how to slay this
giant."
Nozomu continued to
think, measuring the distance between himself and the Triclops. The fight with
the Wild Dogs had been entirely in his favor, so Nozomu wasn't injured. However,
because he had continuously used Ki without thinking of the consequences,
Nozomu's Ki reserves were low, and he had to avoid carelessly consuming them
with Ki techniques. But since Nozomu couldn't use magic, close-quarters combat
was his only path to victory. It wasn't that he had no long-range Ki
techniques, but considering his remaining Ki, a long-range strike lacked
certainty.
(So, I guess I have to
deal with that club somehow, after all...)
Nozomu had no prior
combat experience with a Triclops. Such powerful magical beasts usually resided
deep within the forest and didn't appear in Nozomu's usual training grounds.
With such immense strength, a direct hit would surely shatter every bone in his
body. Since he had no prior combat experience with a Triclops, he had no choice
but to find a way out by comparing the knowledge he had read in books with his
current situation.
(The most dangerous
thing would be if it activated "Evil Eye of the Mad Demon"....)
Evil Eye of the Mad
Demon. An abnormal ability possessed by the Triclops and the Cyclops. It
doubles physical strength at the cost of losing rational judgment, causing
instincts to run wild. If the physical strength of a giant covered in muscles
were to double, not only its power but also its speed would double, turning it
into an uncontrollable berserker. If that happened, Nozomu's chances of winning
would become even lower.
(Aim for one strike.
Kill it with that one blow!)
To prevent the Evil
Eye from activating, he had to finish the opponent in a single blow. There was
no point in irritating the opponent with a half-hearted attack. Fortunately,
the Triclops still didn't perceive Nozomu as a threat.
(To do that, I need to
get close somehow...)
In the end, the
problem came down to that. The difference in physique between Nozomu and the
giant was clear, and proportionally, the giant had a wider reach. Moreover, the
Triclops possessed extraordinary physical strength. Though it was a giant that
had probably never learned martial arts or how to swing a sword, its
extraordinary strength negated any minor proficiency. The power of its
descending club was truly like a battering ram, and it couldn't be parried with
half-hearted defense. Furthermore, its quick counter-swings, driven by brute
strength, allowed for no moment of carelessness.
"Goaaaaaahh!"
While Nozomu was
contemplating a strategy, this time the Triclops charged at him. It brought its
massive club down from above, attempting to crush Nozomu. Nozomu temporarily
abandoned his thoughts and focused on evasion. The giant's swinging club roared
as it lunged at Nozomu. Nozomu stepped back, dodging the descending club. A
mass the size of an adult passed before his eyes, its wind pressure rustling his
hair. The next moment, the club slammed into the ground, once again raining
down dirt and debris. Amidst the rising dust that obscured his vision, Nozomu
read the opponent's movements from the faint outline of the Triclops visible
through the curtain of dust. The Triclops, having brought its club down, now
swung it horizontally. Nozomu lowered himself as before, but this time the
giant brought the club down in a diagonal slash. Nozomu took a step to his
left, shifting his body sideways to avoid the club. It was a breathless offense
and defense. A long battle, destined to continue until one of them fell, had
begun.
***
The exchange between
Nozomu and the giant continued, but the giant was constantly on the offensive.
The giant utilized its massive body and the reach of its club to attack Nozomu
from outside his range. Nozomu, on the other hand, continuously focused on
evading at a distance just beyond the giant's reach. If he could take two more
steps, he would be within his range, but the giant's attacks were so fierce
that he couldn't enter it.
If Nozomu could use
magic, or if he had a magic-wielding ally with him, he wouldn't be struggling
this much. The Triclops boasted exceptional physical strength, but its magical
resistance wasn't particularly high. If it were Irisdina, who could use instant
cast, or Tima, who could use large-scale magic, they could simply restrain the
opponent's legs with binding magic and then strike its vital points with
high-lethality magic. This was because fire or lightning could burn through the
opponent's steel-like skin itself, inflicting internal damage. Even if they
couldn't finish it off, they could inflict sufficiently large damage, and the
tide would turn in their favor. But Nozomu couldn't use that method. That was
what made this battle even harder for Nozomu.
"Guuuuuuuuuuu!"
Fortunately, the
Triclops grew impatient as its attacks repeatedly failed to hit Nozomu. The
Triclops, which originally hadn't perceived Nozomu as a threat, was getting
irritated that an opponent it thought it could crush immediately was proving
surprisingly tenacious. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Nozomu.
The giant's frustrated attacks gradually became wilder, and the intervals
between its attacks slowly widened.
(Not yet... It's too
early to make a move. I need to make it more impatient...)
Nozomu continued to
calmly evade the Triclops's attacks, waiting for that moment. He aimed for the
instant when the opponent's impatience reached its peak. And finally, that
moment arrived.
"Gaaaaaah!"
The giant's patience
finally reached its limit as its attacks never connected. It swung its club
high overhead and brought it down on Nozomu from above. With a thunderous roar,
the club accelerated in an instant, tearing through the cold night air and
rushing towards Nozomu.
"Now!"
Nozomu charged
head-on, at top speed, towards the approaching iron mass. From the side, it
would look like nothing short of recklessness, as if terror had finally
surpassed its limit and driven him into a frenzy.
But Nozomu's actions
were by no means reckless.
Long-handled weapons
such as swords, clubs, and axes, regardless of their size, perform a circular
trajectory, so their power is concentrated at the tip. In other words, the
further away from the tip, the more the power diminishes. Because the
Triclops's attack had become a wild swing due to its impatience, Nozomu
successfully stepped one pace inside the tip of the giant's club.
However, even if the
power diminished, the opponent's physical strength was immense. It was not
something Nozomu could receive head-on.
Nozomu swung his sword
down from above, just like the giant. Even though he had finally stepped one
pace inside the giant's range, it was still one pace short of his own.
But Nozomu's target
wasn't the Triclops, but the giant's club itself.
Nozomu slammed his
katana down from even higher above the club that the giant had swung down.
Furthermore, he fully enhanced all his muscles, coordinating them all, and
twisted his body sideways. Then, using the point where his katana struck as a
pivot, Nozomu's body flowed sideways, and at the same time, the trajectory of
the club swung by the giant was slightly deflected in the opposite direction.
Nozomu realized that
he couldn't parry the giant's club head-on. By applying force in the exact same
direction as the giant, he parried the opponent's force while moving his body,
thus deflecting the giant's attack.
But this was a
do-or-die situation. One wrong move meant instant death. If he struck his
katana even slightly too early, he would be crushed along with his katana.
Conversely, if he was even slightly too late, he wouldn't be able to fully
parry the giant's force and would be crushed.
It was truly a
tightrope walk of offense and defense, but Nozomu mastered this tightrope walk,
and finally stepped into his own range.
Nozomu channeled Ki
into his katana, compressing it to the extreme as he leaped. His target was the
giant's neck. The moment his katana, transformed into a demonic blade by the
channeled Ki and his excellent control, was about to be drawn into the giant's
neck... Nozomu's body was blown away.
***
The giant swatted me
away with one hand as if flicking a fly. Yet, simply being swatted, my body
flew away like a leaf caught in the wind. The killer blow didn't connect with
the Triclops's neck, only scratching the giant's cheek.
"Gah! Guh!"
The next moment, I was
slammed into the ground. My entire body creaked, and intense pain surged
through me.
"Guh,
gefuh!"
The taste of rusty
iron spread in my mouth. A dull ache shot through my abdomen when I touched it.
I might have injured my internal organs. I drank the potion I always kept in my
pouch. During the fight with Tiamat, I had used up all my items, including recovery
potions, but now I could at least afford recovery medicine. The pain in my
abdomen subsided, but the pain running through my entire body didn't disappear.
(Guh! This is bad...)
I couldn't finish it
in one blow. And to make matters worse...
"Gaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!"
The Triclops's third
eye glowed crimson, and the giant's muscles rippled, making a michi-michi
sound. Its abnormal ability, Evil Eye of the Mad Demon, had activated. The
Triclops, having been wounded by an opponent it thought was easy, had been
irritated by the resistance from someone it thought it could unilaterally
crush. The wound pushed the giant completely over the edge. The Triclops's
oppressive aura swelled to an incomparable degree. Due to the inflated aura,
the already large giant's body appeared even larger. If ordinary people saw
this form, they would buckle at the knees and collapse, and even average
soldiers would flee in a panic.
(Damn it! This
muscle-headed brute!!)
But I was just as
furious. Though, in my case, I was already furious before fighting the giant.
The Evil Eye had activated, and it was clear that the current me was
outmatched, yet the option to flee still didn't cross my mind. The physical
wounds themselves, now that I had drunk the recovery potion, probably wouldn't
significantly impact the fight itself. Knowing I could still fight, I
immediately stood up and readied my katana. The surging emotions in my chest
swelled further because my do-or-die strategy had failed, transforming into an
immense killing intent and irritation to simply kill this thing.
"Oooohhhhhhh!!"
The giant charged at
me. The Triclops's charge, with its abnormally enhanced muscles, was
incomparably faster than before, and its massive, rock-like body bore down on
me. I instinctively disengaged with Flash Step, but the giant immediately
changed direction, bringing its club down on me where I had moved. I
immediately changed Flash Step to Curving Dance, attempting to evade the
giant's attacks by repeating complex curved movements, but the giant, with its
doubled physical abilities, couldn't be outrun. It caught up to me immediately,
slamming its club down.
(This open area is
bad!!)
The place we were
fighting was an open plaza, isolated within the forest. There were no obstacles
in this area to hinder the giant's movements. As a result, the giant was
unsparingly displaying its abundant physical abilities, but I was clearly on
the losing end.
Because I hadn't
thought about the consequences during the fight with the Wild Dogs, my Ki
reserves were dwindling. It would be difficult to keep avoiding it for much
longer. In that case, no matter how dangerous, I had to gamble. The question
was whether my body could hold up. Betting everything on that last moment, I
deliberately stepped into the vortex of the approaching storm.
***
"Guuuuh!"
Nozomu's entire body
screamed. Realizing he couldn't keep avoiding forever, Nozomu dared to step
into the deadly storm. He used every body movement he had learned from Shino to
continue dodging the giant's attacks. Around Nozomu, strong winds raged every
time the Triclops swung its club, and every time it struck the ground, it
rained down clumps of dirt.
Nozomu was able to
evade the Triclops's attacks, despite its doubled speed, because the opponent's
attacks were too easy to read. While the Evil Eye indeed drastically enhanced
physical abilities, it came at the cost of most of its rationality. Therefore,
the Triclops's attacks, which were already easy to read, became even easier,
and Nozomu could tell exactly where the opponent would attack the moment it
prepared. However, even so, the attacks unleashed from its doubled abilities
and the lack of openings were a threat. The iron mass of death passing before
his eyes alone was enough to break an opponent's will to fight and stiffen
their body. Nozomu was able to move perfectly because he simply knew attacks
with even greater power. Tiamat, Shino, Rugato. All of them were greater beings
than this Triclops, and battles with them had become not only physical and
technical nourishment but also mental sustenance for Nozomu, truly becoming his
flesh and blood. However, no matter how much he understood the opponent's
attacks, they countered too quickly, preventing Nozomu from stepping into his
range.
(If I continue like
this, I'll be defeated anyway! It's all or nothing!!!)
The moment the giant
swung its club down, Nozomu timed it perfectly and leaped far backward. The
giant immediately pursued Nozomu. The Triclops, having lost its rationality,
wouldn't stop until it completely crushed the obstacle in front of it. Cutting
through the dust it had kicked up itself, the giant continued to charge at Nozomu.
At that moment, Nozomu firmly planted his feet on the ground. He put power into
even his little toes, gripping the ground with his entire feet. He saw the
approaching giant and began to compress Ki to the extreme on his own feet. The
extreme compression of Ki, comparable to Phantom Void, tore the skin of
Nozomu's feet, and blood seeped out, but Nozomu continued to channel Ki. The
amount of blood flowing increased, dyeing Nozomu's shoes crimson.
The giant swung its
iron mass in a diagonal upward sweep. As the club closed in on Nozomu's face,
Nozomu exploded the Ki he had concentrated in his feet. He lowered his head to
barely graze the ground, threw his body almost scraping the earth, and
accelerated rapidly towards the giant's feet. Originally, the height difference
between Nozomu and the Triclops was more than double. Consequently, the giant's
attacks would inevitably come from above Nozomu, and due to this size
difference, a space large enough for one person to slip into would be created
below the giant's hands.
Nozomu's goal was to
slip into that space. The Triclops's doubled physical abilities were certainly
a threat, but even if its speed doubled, the Triclops's senses weren't
enhanced. For that reason, he first made a large leap backward, inducing the
opponent's charge. Then, he lowered his own stance to barely above the ground
and accelerated with full force. Even with astounding acceleration and physical
strength, as long as the giant's senses remained the same, the opening created
during sudden actions would be larger. Nozomu's thinking proved brilliantly
correct.
The moment it seemed
the Triclops's descending club would catch Nozomu, the giant lost sight of its
prey. The giant's vision, narrowed by its doubled physical abilities, was
unable to keep up with Nozomu, who had accelerated in an instant in the
opposite direction of its own advance.
Nozomu slipped under
the giant's feet, pulled a knife from his waist, and channeled Ki into it.
Although it was originally a utility knife not intended for combat, the
extremely compressed Ki temporarily gave the dull knife the sharpness of a
demonic blade.
Nozomu plunged the
knife into the giant's knee, then twisted off the knife's handle. The blade of
the knife was deeply embedded in the giant's knee like a wedge. With the handle
broken, the giant couldn't pull the blade out. Moreover, when the giant tried
to regain its balance and put force into its knee, the knife tore through its
joint bones and tendons, completely destroying the knee joint.
The Triclops's body
swayed and began to fall. The giant instinctively tried to support itself with
both hands to keep from toppling, but Nozomu had already moved around to its
front. His sheathed katana had already received all of Nozomu's remaining Ki,
compressed to the extreme.
This was Nozomu's aim.
It was a means to seal both of the giant's hands and slay the Triclops in a
single blow.
Nozomu's blade was
unleashed. Drawn against the wind, the upward-slashing blade finally bisected
the giant's neck.
***
"Hah! Hah!
Hah!"
Blood gushed from the
headless giant's neck, further staining the crimson ground. My breathing was
heavily ragged due to the fatigue from pushing my Ki to the limit and fighting
with all my might, and the extreme tension. I was kneeling on the ground. My
mind was hazy from extreme exhaustion, unable to form coherent thoughts. Yet,
even in this state, the surging emotions in my chest refused to subside. Even
after being drenched in this much blood and slaying a life, it still raged
within me, demanding more rampage.
(...give...in...give
in...)
The voice echoing in
the back of my ear gradually grew louder. I couldn't suppress the desire to
obey that voice.
I want to
wield my power as I please, without holding back!! I want to destroy everything
in front of me!!
As my last remaining
rationality desperately tried to restrain that voice, a rustling sound reached
my ears. Startled by the sound, I quickly looked around. Before me lay a sight
that made me doubt my eyes.
Giants were there. Not
just one or two. At least ten giants were present. Their physique was one size
smaller than the one I had just slain, and they had only one eye on their
faces. These were Cyclops, a lesser species of Triclops. Furthermore, deeper in,
there was even a three-eyed giant.
"Gaaaaaaaah!"
"Groooohhh!!"
The giants glanced at
me, and the moment they saw the headless corpse nearby, their eyes turned blood
red. The giants' bodies swelled, and a massive wall of flesh appeared before
me. The Triclops I had just slain was probably a member of this pack. Enraged
by the death of their comrade, they intended to kill me, their cause.
"Ha,
hahahaha..."
It was impossible now.
In this exhausted state, I could neither fight nor flee. A dry laugh escaped my
lips as I looked up at the wall that had appeared before me.
(Give...in. Give
in...)
The voice from the
depths of my heart was clearly audible. I found a reason to remove my final
restraint in order to survive. I realized.
I reached for the
chains that bound me. The figure of a black giant dragon flickered before my
eyes, but the moment I realized that was the only way to survive, all
hesitation within me vanished completely. What remained was only scorching fury
and an intense urge to destroy everything!
Leaving all thought
behind, and completely at the mercy of my own impulses, I tore through the
steel chains.
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