“Bang!”
Amidst the fierce burst of light emanating from his hand, Cantavia, who had shattered the roof of the banquet hall and carved out demons, shot out like a bullet, piercing through the abdomen of the maddened monster.
A bluish light penetrated the depths of the monster, finally piercing through its back and shooting up into the sky. The 20-meter giant turned into a pierced chunk of flesh.
The largest monster fell with a single blow. As it fell, a few nearby foolish monsters were swept away and crushed.
“Wow, shit it works!”
Kazuwea exclaimed in astonishment mixed with admiration. Ignoring the fallen maddened monster, the flying squirrel swiftly entered the village of Calbain. People shooting arrows from the watchtower were initially shocked but then recognized me and quickly shouted.
“Oh, Lord! Cantavia has arrived! Lord Cantavia has arrived!”
The situation in the village was dire. While the giant creatures were being desperately repelled by the hunters on the watchtower, no matter how sturdy the defenses were, they wouldn’t hold for long. Some smaller creatures had already breached the defenses and engaged in battles inside the village. I surveyed the dead monsters. Fortunately, there were no signs of human casualties.
“Captain!”
Karacal rushed over. He was experienced and quickly briefed me on the current situation. The monster attack occurred twenty minutes ago, with no casualties but many injuries. The defenses were about to collapse.
“Everyone gathers in one place. Order the hunters on the watchtower to come down. We’ll lure the monsters to a single point and confront them.”
Dividing our forces wouldn’t work with so many monsters. Sacrifices might be necessary, and it might be better in the long run. But I had no intention of letting anyone die. This plan relied solely on my power.
“I’ll… I’ll lure them.”
Kazuwea.
I nodded. Having experienced it firsthand, I trusted Kazuwea.
The hunters of Calbain were not only hunters but also skilled soldiers. Without hesitation, they rallied to where I was, following orders. Kazuwea, riding the flying squirrel, went out beyond the defenses. From outside came the noisy footsteps of monsters. I wished her luck.
“The fortunate thing is that the intelligence of the monsters is quite low.”
I looked at Dalbi.
Damn it!
There were limits to magic.
But with Dalbi’s power…
“Can we do it?”
Yes!
Dalbi confidently responded.
It’s reassuring to have such a reliable little one.
Thunk!
It began.
Thunk! Thunk!
Finally, the defenses broke.
The fortunate thing was that it came from a single point.
The special wood used for the defenses gradually weakened, layer by layer.
“Ah!”
As Kazuwea and the flying squirrel leaped over the defenses, the defenses finally collapsed completely.
Kazuwea was brave. She executed her mission excellently. The scattered monsters regrouped. In ordinary circumstances, it would be a fiercer threat. Since the monsters had regrouped, it was impossible to scatter them. If only Calbain’s hunters and Karacal’s soldiers were present, this place would have become their grave.
“The power of one.”
The ‘irrationality’ I had felt keenly since my previous life.
“Slaughtering one world.”
I looked up at the sky.
In succession, the hunters of Calbain, Karacal, and Kazuwea also looked up.
“Saving one world.”
My siblings.
It felt like they had briefly tasted the world they lived in, albeit shallowly.
Three shining stars illuminate the night sky as they fall.
Thud! Thud! Bang!
The shooting stars struck the mass of monsters. With three shakes, three flashes, the impact was tremendous, and we, who were standing apart, were swept away by the aftermath.
The power of the stars shattered the monsters. As the light faded, we could see the scattered flesh and blood of the monsters, dirtying the village. Some monsters were still alive, relatively outside the shock zone. But they were few in number. Karacal stepped forward and slew the monsters, while the hunters of Calbain skillfully hunted them down. I wanted to join in, but I was too exhausted.
Damn it…
Dalbi was also exhausted. If I’m tired, he’s tired too. If he’s tired, I’m tired too. I hugged Dalbi. I couldn’t have done it without him.
“Cantaviar, Cantavia.”
The village chief murmured from behind.
Grandma raised her staff high as she looked at me.
“The one who drops the stars, Cantavia.”
“Cantavia…”
The chief’s shout became contagious.
“The one who drops the stars, Cantavia!”
Cantavia! Cantavia!
Damn it, I wanted to disappear into a mouse hole.
This… isn’t something I’m used to.
I shyly raised my hand towards the Calbain hunters who called my name.
Wow!
My siblings were just doing what they wanted.
The snow was blinding.
“Not yet.”
The traces moved.
The ‘shadows’ of the monsters emerged and headed somewhere.
“Damned demons.”
As the shadows emerged, the bodies of the monsters all turned into ordinary ‘animal’ corpses.
Their enlarged bodies shrank, and their distorted forms returned to normal. From the beginning, they were just creatures of the forest.
I shouted to the bewildered Karacal.
“Prepare the horses, Karacal! Follow me!”
I called for Kazuwea, but the flying squirrel was too small to move. She had been running for hours. Even if she’s a squirrel, she’s not a machine. I chased after the shadows on horseback with Karacal, some soldiers, and a few hunters from Calbain.
* * *
Dozens of shadows streak across the snowy field, leaving black marks where they pass. Though the snow slowed the horses’ pace and I nearly lost track of them, I persisted, following the tracks.
The traces led into the oak forest. The hunters of Calbain feared this forest connected to savage lands, yet they pressed on. They knew well what was more fearsome than a beast like Ain. I found the shadows at the pond where Kazuwea was devoured by the lurking monster. They were already causing an unsettling change. Dozens of shadows writhed together like sticky mucus, swelling and merging.
Clumped shadows,
Evil.
The monster was terrifying, but it was incomparably revolting and disgusting.
The shadows that turned beasts into monsters were all fragments of one demon.
“Stop.”
I cautioned, keeping my distance.
Even in the biting cold, I never took my eyes off it.
“Not a shape-shifter.”
It seemed as dim-witted as the creatures in the depths of the ocean, those Demons. It had turned beasts into monsters, and who knows what other powers it possessed. But I deemed myself capable. Unlike when facing a Demon, there was no insurmountable fear. I had seasoned soldiers and hunters. Now was the chance; I called out to Karacal and the soldiers.
“Hunters, guard from behind. Karacal and soldiers, follow me. Don’t confront them recklessly; I’ll signal when to strike.”
Though I issued the command, the seasoned soldiers and hunters hesitated. Karacal, with a face full of doubt, just stared at me, which infuriated me.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you see?”
“What? Don’t you see that?”
Can’t you see that huge wriggling black snout?
I frowned, scrutinizing their faces. Their focus didn’t align with mine. Unless they were deliberately ignoring it, they couldn’t see. I pointed at the demon, but they only furrowed their brows.
“There’s nothing there, right?”
“Damn it.”
Was it just visible to me?
I immediately transformed Lamelstar into a sword.
“I’ll wound the demon. Everyone… Ugh!”
Thunk!
My plan to pierce the demon with Lamelstar to leave a mark was instantly foiled. The demon’s sudden scream caused the horses and people to collapse in an instant. I quickly approached Karacal to assess his condition. He wasn’t dead, just unconscious.
Sizzle!
The demon’s scream marked the beginning of its retaliation. Transforming from a black lump into a longer, sleeker form, it eventually became a snake. Finally, it transformed into a massive snake that could swallow a bull in one gulp. With jet-black scales, the snake raised its head menacingly on the white snowy ground, hissing and glaring at me with furious red eyes.
Cursed creature!
The power of Dalbi hadn’t returned yet.
“Ha.”
I gripped Lamelstar tightly, closing my eyes tightly then reopening them. I wouldn’t close my eyes until the demon was dead. This time, I had to engage in a purer form of combat. My blood ran hot. My battles with Ranista had exceeded fifty, and each time, I overcame death. I understood why he valued real combat. Though my body boiled, my heart remained calm. The cold was forgotten; my senses sharpened.
The black snake bared its fangs.
I waited for the moment its writhing movements became a straight line.
It was a fleeting moment. The opportunity was brief. But a Dalbi, a vigilant eye, wouldn’t miss it. Waiting for that moment indicated by my eye, I thrust my sword into the snake’s open mouth. Before its teeth could tear into my arm, I swung Lamelstar with all my might, piercing its palate.
The sword pierced through the roof of the snake’s mouth, and before its fangs could tear into my arm, I swung Lamelstar with all my might, splitting its upper jaw in half. Writhing in agony, it lashed out with its tail, but I easily dodged. Its complex movements were clear to me. It was weak. And slow. Compared to Ranista, of course, but enough for me to win.
The glowing creature attacked again, and I aimed for its head using the same method. I couldn’t sever it in one stroke due to its size, but I inflicted deep wounds.
If I could use the full power of my eyes and the strength of my body, I could defeat my siblings.
Ranista called my eyes the eyes of a god. From the very beginning, I could see the world he reached after countless battles.
Though it sounds absurd coming from my mouth.
Yes, until now, it was just a pearl necklace on a pig’s neck.
The black snake’s head turned into a shadow.
The shadow attached to its body.
And so, a head was formed.
It emerged unharmed, once again fixing its red eyes on me.
“Damn it.”
Cursed creature!
It wasn’t a black snake but me it was looking at.
* * *
Cutting, cutting, cutting.
Reviving, reviving, reviving.
I used the power of Qi.
But even if I stopped regeneration, it only worked momentarily; it kept attaching itself to survive.
Even if I cut off its head, ripped it to shreds, or tore it in half using the power of Qi.
The shadow remained.
If it were an overwhelming demon that kept coming back to life, it would be a different story. My eyes stung and burned, unable to blink. In extreme tension, Dalbi wasn’t a long-term solution. I didn’t know how much longer I had to fight. If I continued like this, even if I didn’t die at the demon’s hands, my brain would melt.
I stared at the snake’s eyes with determination.
“Ha, damn.”
I called it a pearl necklace on a pig’s neck. It couldn’t be helped. Dalbi sometimes showed me truly unbelievable things. Things that a normal human with conventional values would never do. Suffering from a terrible headache, I deduced from the information Dalbi had ‘collected’ and arrived at a conclusion, but it was a difficult action to take while still sane.
Sizzle!
Once again, the snake opened its mouth.
“I can’t stand this. Eat me, demon.”
I spread my arms wide to embrace it.
Thunk! Thunk!
It swallowed me in one gulp.
The horrifying sound of the demon’s teeth clashing with Lamelstar echoed vividly.
