The more it moved, the more ominous energy radiated from it.
But strangely, there was no fear. Instead, a sense of calm washed over him.
‘Guru, something’s weird...’
Ding!
[‘Mephisto-Infused Prickly Duck Tongs’ nullifies ‘Fear’.]
"Oh!"
A sudden pop-up notification appeared, giving Guru his answer.
Ding!
[‘Mephisto’ senses a subordinate.]
[A hidden function has been unlocked.]
[Blood Subjugation: Ignores the defense of the Frost Bloodline.]
"Subordinate? Blood Subjugation?"
What was all this? The Blood Subjugation function had somehow been added to the information window of his duck tongs.
And then—
Grrrkk—
It scraped its throat like a beast and pointed ❖ Nоvеlght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеlght) with its floating hand at the duck tongs tightly gripped in Guru’s hands.
— My Lord. Why do you manifest in such a form?
— Gu... Guung... Juuuung?
What was that supposed to mean?
As Guru fumbled, a chuckling sound came from Malikian.
"That damn monster... using difficult words on Guru..."
A flash of trauma from dealing with Jurim surfaced, sending a cold sweat trickling down his back.
No! No!
Regaining focus, Guru exhaled sharply. He’s trying to confuse me with difficult words like Guild Master-nim does!
His plush bear suit’s eyebrows arched in determination.
"Guru isn’t scared at all, thanks to the duck tongs thingy!"
That meant there was only one thing to do.
The only attack he could use right now!
Guru gathered mana and formed a snow duck.
— Go forth! Snow Duck Smash-Splat!
As he threw the snow duck, he shouted the name of his hastily-invented (and very much not an actual) skill.
The snow duck flew in a weak arc and pathetically shattered against Malikian’s abdomen.
[‘Blood Subjugation’ ignores the target’s defense.]
[Error! The target’s resistance to effects is too high.]
[Defense-ignoring effect has been negated.]
"Eh...?"
Guru blinked. There was a long notification, but the conclusion seemed clear.
"It failed!"
— Hoo...
Under the black hood, a vertically slit pupil spun as it focused on Guru.
— This... is quite interesting.
A long, twig-like finger stretched toward Guru.
— For such a young human child to wield the power of a Lord...
At that moment—
A strong arm scooped Guru up protectively.
"Dani-oppa!"
Held tightly in a firm embrace, Guru could feel the rapid pounding of a heart through the suit.
Even as he shielded Guru, Gidan’s gaze never left it.
Unlike the others who were trembling in terror, his eyes held something entirely different.
Excitement.
His lips curled into a grin, revealing his teeth, and his eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.
A shiver ran down Guru’s spine.
The tingling tension made him clutch Gidan’s collar tightly.
Without hesitation, Gidan leapt up the side of a building, landing on the rooftop and setting Guru down.
Once Guru’s feet touched the rooftop, Gidan spoke firmly.
"Don’t move from here."
Nod. Nod.
Gidan moved to the edge, standing far from Guru.
From this vantage point, the devastated battlefield was in full view.
The boss’s corpse. The hunters fleeing in all directions.
And the black figure that had emerged from a spatial tear.
Gidan knew exactly what that was.
At last, they met.
“Finally!”
His heart pounded wildly, and exhilaration lit up his face.
"Malikian—!"
Malikian’s eyes turned toward Gidan.
Within the vertical slit of his pupil, three more eyes swirled ominously.
— Ah, child. Your scent is very familiar... Yes... This is the scent of thick, briny blood.
"Haha!"
Clutching his sword tightly, Gidan grinned, biting down hard.
A thrilling, electrifying pulse ran through his body.
Gidan stomped lightly and leapt down.
Guru, startled, rushed to the edge of the rooftop.
As soon as he landed, Gidan activated his skill.
[Skill ‘Purple Bloodstream (S)’ has been activated.]
[Upon activation, uncontrollable bleeding occurs, inducing berserk status.]
[Attack power increases by 200%.]
[Speed increases by 200%.]
A sharp blue light flashed in Gidan’s eyes as mana surged around him like a storm.
Swoooosh—!
The fierce wind knocked Guru’s head back, sending his bear mask tumbling off and rolling away.
"Ughp!"
"The wind is too strong!"
He tried his best to hold his ground, but his small body tumbled backward, rolling across the floor.
"Ugh! Gweh! Ack!"
The impact triggered an alert on the smartwatch strapped to his wrist.
[Impact detected! Sending location to guardian!]
At that moment, Gidan dashed forward and launched himself into the air.
This time, for sure—
Gidan put all his weight behind his sword, aiming to drive it straight into Malikian’s head.
Thwack!
A floating hand caught the black blade. But it was merely an afterimage. The sword, sharp as ever, came slashing down at Malikian’s head once again.
Clang!
Blocking the strike was a massive greatsword—one that Malikian had just summoned.
Wuuuuung—
The greatsword Biat’s Void resonated with its twin, Biat’s Aspiration.
From beneath his hood, the threads sewing Malikian’s lips shut snapped, one by one.
The thing stretched its mouth wide into a chilling grin.
— So, are you satisfied with the sword you took in exchange for abandoning your father?
"I’ll kill you!"
Gidan sprang upward like a bullet.
— How simple-minded!
A floating hand reached for Gidan’s head.
But he dodged with ease, a smirk forming on his lips.
The sword in his hand—gone.
— What?!
The moment Malikian hesitated at the impossible movement—
Thuck!
A dagger, thrown in advance, spun back and embedded itself in the back of Malikian’s neck.
— Kugh!
Malikian reached for the blade, trying to yank it out—
But Gidan had already moved, gripping the dagger’s hilt and channeling mana into it.
"You think I’ve been wasting my time doing nothing?"
He reactivated his temporarily disabled skill.
[Skill ‘Purple Bloodstream’ has been activated.]
[Skill ‘Lion’s Breath’ has been activated.]
Malikian’s eyes spun wildly in alarm.
Entering Berserk Mode, Gidan’s mana ignited into a violent explosion.
For a brief moment, his attack power surged by nearly 1,000%, enough to shred through anything.
And then—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The mana coursing through the blade erupted like a violent vortex.
A thick blizzard engulfed the battlefield.
"Hah! Haaah!"
Bent over, Gidan gasped for air, his knees trembling under the sheer force he had unleashed.
Beyond the swirling whiteout of snow, the black silhouette wavered.
"Did it work?"
But within seconds, Gidan’s expression hardened.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he straightened his back.
— Human child.
Malikian stood there—completely unharmed.
His voice carried a hint of pity.
— Once again, all I see...
Four blackened hands gripped the greatsword.
— ...is your powerlessness. Your frailty.
Lifting the blade high, its surface swallowed all light, turning pitch black.
Looking up at it, Gidan panted heavily.
The difference in strength was undeniable. His vision swam, blurred by blood loss.
But—
"I can't run away again."
I can't run away.
I can't run away.
I can't run away.
I can't run away.
I can't run away.
Flash!
A freezing darkness coated the greatsword.
Gidan clenched his teeth and lunged forward.
But then—
THUD—!
His body was slammed into the ground.
A shockwave of snow and dust billowed across the battlefield.
And the man who had effortlessly taken Gidan down spoke in a slow, deliberate tone.
"Who told you kids you could run around unsupervised?"
It was Jurim.
His gaze lifted to the building where Guru stood.
"You damn minors."

Comments

Loading...