Chapter 055: Blood Devil, Blood Mage (2)
Eugene approached the Blood Devil.
He tightly gripped the Blood Lion, enveloped in Aura.
Each step he took added to the weight of the silence.
…An irresistible force.
I could only stare at his back.
The words he had left behind moments ago echoed loudly in my mind.
―Don’t waver. The answer is already within you.
I wanted to run to him and hold him back.
If I begged him to explain just a bit more, would he tell me?
“Bihen! Are you alright? Your wounds…!”
My senses snapped back.
Adeline had approached unnoticed.
She was frantically checking every inch of my body, heedless of propriety.
Fortunately, the bleeding stopped quickly.
The body of someone who has reached the pinnacle of human potential operates on a different level from ordinary physiology.
Minor wounds clot on their own, and recovery is swift.
Of course, the Blood Devil’s regenerative ability was a supernatural power far beyond that category.
Still, the pain didn’t completely subside, so I had to endure the delayed waves of agony.
Clenching my teeth, I feigned composure.
“Well, this much is…”
Whooooosh!
A sudden gust of wind roared in.
I swiftly spread my cloak to shield Adeline, wrapping her in it.
Ignoring her gaze creeping up from under my chin, I poked my head out from the cloak.
Amid the thick cloud of dust, a glint of crimson light flickered.
It was a drop of blood falling onto the sword worn by the Gunbel Trading Company member whose body the Blood Devil had possessed.
The blood smeared across the blade gave it an eerie sheen.
“Ah, a troublesome old man was meddling, wasn’t he?”
“I’ve been trailing you for quite some time. It’s been a long journey. At last, we meet, masked Blood Mage.”
The flow of air was different only around Eugene and the Blood Devil.
It was as if they existed in a separate dimension.
“So, what’s it like? Your thoughts upon beholding me?”
“To finally have the chance to eradicate the root of this land’s evil with my own hands—I’m simply delighted.”
The Blood Devil smirked and slung the sword over his shoulder.
The cocky demeanor, typical of street ruffians, somehow came across as the aloof arrogance of a transcendent being.
“High expectations often lead to great disappointment.”
Eugene and the Blood Devil vanished simultaneously.
From where they stood, a ferocious gust spread outward in a circle.
“Argh!”
“Be careful!”
The large bonfire at the center and the torches in our party’s hands all tilted sharply in one direction before barely recovering.
Some had already been swept away by the wind.
I had to grab Adeline again. Holding her shoulders, I widened my eyes.
Clang—!
The deafening sound didn’t seem of this world.
It wasn’t the noise of mere blades clashing.
Each bizarre roar was accompanied by shockwaves ripping through the pitch-black void.
Eugene’s Aura, flashing like lightning, gradually became visible, and soon the afterimages of the two figures’ movements barely registered in my sight.
‘…The realm of transcendence.’
When I first met Eugene, I thought he was a master just a step above me.
Later, I conceded maybe two steps.
My face burned with shame.
Even after reaching the pinnacle, I was this foolish.
No, the gap was so vast I couldn’t even gauge it properly.
‘Well, if it were easy, there wouldn’t be novices dying from challenging masters out of bravado.’
How many exchanges had there been?
Even for me, it was hard to tell, so to an ordinary person, it must have seemed like a fleeting moment.
I swallowed hard.
Hiss—
As if by agreement, they both reappeared abruptly.
The shockwaves around them dissipated like aftershocks.
“Not just empty bravado, I see.”
The Blood Devil spoke, cracking his neck side to side.
Blood-red mist rose from his blade, looking like red threads flowing backward into the sky.
“I’m the one who should be disappointed. Seems I worried for nothing.”
“For someone who’s merely holding on, you sure talk big. Don’t say things you’ll regret even in your grave, old man.”
The Blood Devil raised his index finger beside his face.
Pop.
A drop of blood emerged from his fingertip.
It grew larger as it floated upward, resembling a jellyfish swimming in water with its soft, billowing shape—an oddly out-of-place sight.
It drew everyone’s attention.
“Blood Scripture Thousand Webs.”
From the hovering blood mass, thousands of blood tendrils shot out radially.
My eyes widened.
“Everyone, fall back!”
Shouting, I hoisted Adeline onto my shoulder.
As I hurriedly retreated, I saw Jewel stumble and fall while fleeing, so I scooped her up like picking up an object.
Damn it.
They’re both heavier than expected.
Boom—!
An explosion roared behind me.
What could possibly make such a sound?
Turning my head, a shockwave mixed with dust hit my face.
I set down the two women from my shoulders and focused forward.
Only then did I grasp the situation.
Thousands of blood tendrils had all surged toward Eugene.
Transforming into whips, blades, and daggers, they bound, slashed, and clawed at him.
Of course, not every tendril reached Eugene’s body.
He countered with swift swordsmanship.
It surpassed the rapid techniques he displayed when slaying the Wendigo leader.
‘Destreza!’
The Aura enveloping the Blood Lion scattered silver-white radiance in all directions.
His ultra-high-speed sword, defying the laws of time, suddenly stopped.
Amid the blood mist shattering like drizzle upon contact with his Aura…
Eugene stood firm, both feet planted, holding his sword in an overhead stance.
“Huh.”
The Blood Devil let out a sound of admiration.
At that moment, Eugene’s form vanished, reappearing instantly right before the Blood Devil.
The low voice of the Sword Master rang vividly in my ears.
“Old fiend, it’s time to rest eternally.”
—!
I didn’t even see his arm move.
Despite fully activating Ghost Eye, I couldn’t.
It was a fracture in space itself, beyond the Blood Devil’s body.
Silver trajectories raced through the pitch-black void at jagged angles.
Each blinding flash was followed by the shrill noise of thin metal scraping.
The Blood Devil’s body shattered into pieces only at the very end.
“It’s over…”
“Shut up!”
Someone muttered foolishly, and I shouted back.
I wanted it to be true, but my instincts screamed otherwise.
Even an Aura couldn’t finish it? My fingertips trembled involuntarily.
Why do bad premonitions always come true?
A voice came from ahead.
“Impressive, old man.”
“…”
“If my Blood Art refinement had been even slightly lacking, that would’ve been a real crisis. Hmm, ten years’ worth? Just about that. To me, who has lived through eternal ages, ten years is but a fleeting moment.”
The half-face on the ground kept babbling.
Its flat cross-section, revealing a pointed nose, moved only at the mouth.
“High praise, old man. It means your path held some value.”
The next voice came from a distance.
Eugene and I whipped our heads toward it.
It was the corpse of the Gunbel Trading Company member from before.
This time, the process was different.
From the head, a body and limbs sprouted.
The tangled blood flow formed a human shape, then turned pale as if drained, completing a stark-white naked body.
“Shall we end this game?”
The facial muscles twisted grotesquely before reverting to its original appearance.
Pinching its nose to adjust it, the Blood Devil grinned, making my stomach churn.
The deceased had now been robbed even of their face.
“Ah…”
Jewel collapsed beside me.
Had she lost her mind? Or was it pity for her subordinate?
Maybe because I had died in a foreign land myself, the thought struck me.
The Gunbel Trading Company member, stripped of everything by the Blood Devil, wouldn’t even return home as a vengeful spirit.
Their kin wouldn’t recognize them.
They’d lost their life and death entirely, leaving nothing behind.
I was so furious and resentful…
Jewel, do you feel the same?
Boom—!
I stomped the ground.
Leaping as if folding space, I swung my sword at the Blood Devil, now within reach.
“Why such a sorrowful face, kid?”
Its smirking face flashed by.
Snap!
The sound of fingers snapping coincided with my vision turning red, and a massive shockwave erupted between us.
Crash—!
I ignored the pain.
There was no time to waste landing.
‘Phantom, Strike!’
A purple phantom surged toward the Blood Devil.
“Ho, a cute trick.”
Just before the blood-coated hand reached the phantom, I switched positions.
Whoosh!
The Blood Devil’s hand left a red arc as it grazed over my head.
Crouching low, I swiftly severed one of its legs.
Slash!
It wasn’t over.
Twisting my wrist gripping the sword, I struck upward diagonally.
Splatter!
Drenched in the Blood Devil’s blood, I thought:
There’s only one way to end it.
Find and destroy the source of its regeneration, the core of its immortality—its true heart, which dodged all of Eugene’s strikes!
Clang!
Eugene joined me from the opposite side.
The Blood Devil, now wielding a blood-glossed sword, countered the Blood Lion.
Its mocking voice rang out.
“Now you finally realize what it means to be alive. Good. Struggle more, writhe more!”
It faced Eugene and me simultaneously, wielding its sword with its right hand and casting Blood Arts with its left.
In other words, I had entered their transcendent realm.
I lost track of how many exchanges passed.
I was in a state of utter focus.
One obsession dominated my mind:
‘Destroy the source of its regeneration!’
What did Ghost Eye look like now?
The burning heat made it feel like the left side of my face was melting.
That was fine.
If I could just land one solid blow on that damned thing!
‘Please, show me…!’
Then it happened.
‘…!’
The Blood Devil’s body appeared as a black silhouette, outlined like a shadow.
Everyone’s movements slowed, and the surrounding noise stretched as if pulled.
For a fleeting moment, my perception outpaced everything.
Over the shadowed body of the Blood Devil, it appeared vividly…
A white-centered, red-rimmed Six-Pointed Star.
It was crystal clear.
Eight Six-Pointed Stars—on the head, face, neck, abdomen, and limbs—were connected like a constellation.
I didn’t hesitate.
Immediately, I employed Frost Sword.
Gripping the sword inversely,
I stabbed it into the Six-Pointed Star near its left waist.
Stab!
It worked.
It had an effect.
For a moment, the Blood Devil’s body visibly staggered.
‘Good.’
Next, the Six-Pointed Star on its left chest…
Thud—!
A sudden impact, as if struck, cut everything off, and the world returned to normal.
No, not quite—my vision was obstructed. My face felt constricted, about to burst, and my feet left the ground.
The Blood Devil was gripping my face in its hand. In an instant, it had subdued me.
“Impudent. Truly astonishing.”
Through the gaps between its fingers, I glimpsed faintly.
The Blood Devil’s blood-dripping sword and Eugene, seemingly struck by a blow, beneath it.
“Third-rate warrior’s kid.”
“Ugh…!”
“Ho… Yes, the look of someone prepared for death. Good, very good.”
When did it happen?
How?
I couldn’t even groan, let alone breathe properly.
My body wouldn’t move.
“But resolve, you see…”
As the Blood Devil brought its face close to mine,
I wanted to laugh like it did.
Blood was dripping from its twisted lips.
Yes, I was right.
I was certain.
The blood it now spilled proved that my earlier strike had worked.
“…is only meaningful when it can change the outcome.”
Splatter—!
The sensation of something being yanked out of my body hit me, and my consciousness faded.