—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The monsters emerging from the darkness were endless.
It was a human wave tactic that would tire even a superhuman skilled in combat.
But fortunately for me, and unfortunately for the monsters…
Bang, Bang, Bang! Bang!
Crush, Crackle!
…I didn’t tire.
‘Infinite Stamina is truly a cheat during these long battles.’
My stamina wasn’t depleted.
Or rather, it seemed to deplete, but it recovered instantly.
And thanks to the cheat, Infinite Items, I didn’t have to worry about depleting mana or holy power, resources that should normally be limited.
I felt the power and value of the cheats anew as I diligently moved my body.
I swung the shield. I thrust it. I sent monsters flying.
I punched with a fist enveloped in Holy Flame and Telekinesis. I made them explode.
And I fired the muzzles of the missile ports attached to my shoulders.
Rumble, Crash—!
A lightning storm raged.
Sixteen flashes of bluish-white light embroidered the sky. Continuously, without pause.
The light that had embroidered the sky changed direction and poured down to the ground.
And just like that…
Bang, bang, bang—!
…they blew the heads off the targets caught in my vision.
Without a single miss, with perfect accuracy.
Monsters collapsed everywhere.
At the same time, I heard the sound of them melting.
But even so.
“Screech!”
“Shriek!”
The number of monsters was still vast.
Or rather, they were being replenished as quickly as they were being eliminated.
Still, there was a silver lining.
And that was…
“Screech! Screech!”
…that the monsters were no longer mimicking humans.
Neither their appearances nor their voices.
Now, like true monsters…
…they let out chilling screeches.
And they ran on all fours, not just two.
And they tried desperately to kill me.
They ran.
They jumped.
They even used their fellow monsters as shields.
Unlike before, when they simply tried to touch me with their bodies.
Well.
Since they were dying without even touching me…
Even if they were monsters, it would be strange if their behavior didn’t change.
‘But I should start moving.’
I could exterminate monsters indefinitely.
But I wasn’t alone in this area, my friends were here too.
And more importantly, time wasn’t infinite.
‘Since the Death Fog doesn’t stay in one place, I have to hurry.’
The fog, although slow, was continuously expanding its range.
There hadn’t been any changes until we entered, but just in case…
There could be changes now that I and my friends, under the effect of the holy sword’s ability, had entered.
Still, contrary to that unsettling thought, I wasn’t too worried.
‘Terra, is everything alright outside?’
[Yes, Master. No problems.]
Just in case, I had left one Battle Maid outside.
Because I could constantly receive updates from the outside through Terra, who was controlling that Battle Maid, I could remain calm.
Still, it would be best to hurry.
With that thought, I inhaled deeply.
And I raised the hand holding the shield and extended it forward.
And when I had taken a sufficient breath…
“Haa!”
Bang!
I kicked off the ground and dashed forward.
Bang, bang, bang—!!
I felt continuous heavy impacts on the shield.
Each time, the monsters charging towards me were thrown to the sides.
Of course, there were also those that jumped and flew towards me.
But there was no need to worry about them.
All those foolish monsters…
Rumble, Crash!
…would have their heads blown off.
Thump, thump, thump!
With every step I took, a heavy sound echoed, and footprints were left on the ground.
The monsters roared and chased after me.
‘I can’t stop now.’
I had to keep running. Continuously, without rest.
The moment I stopped, even for a little bit, I would be surrounded by monsters.
‘Now that I can’t use explosives, I won’t be able to escape if I’m surrounded.’
The number of monsters currently chasing me was incredibly vast. So vast that I couldn’t even estimate.
So, I kept running.
Until I found the Four Heavenly Kings, the Demon King, and the World Tree.
After running for who knows how long…
…I, who had been breaking through the darkness like a ray of light, suddenly felt a gaze.
‘This feeling…’
A chilling sensation on the back of my neck.
It was definitely the same feeling from before, the one that had put me on edge.
At that feeling, I immediately expanded my senses and scanned my surroundings.
Of course, even while doing so, I didn’t stop running, didn’t stop repelling the monsters charging towards me with the shield.
‘Where are you? Where are you watching me from?’
I searched the darkness amidst the swarming monsters.
And not long after…
‘Found you.’
Above my head.
I discovered a pair of red eyes watching me from the darkness.
Looking at the owner of those eyes, the watcher, I thought,
That one was different from the monsters chasing me.
It possessed reason, like a human.
I could feel a cunning intent in its gaze, as if trying to find my weaknesses.
I contemplated what to do about that insidiousness.
‘No, there’s no need to contemplate.’
And from the beginning, there was only one option available in this situation.
And that was…
‘Now, while it’s off guard, is my chance.’
…to eliminate that shady bastard.
As soon as I made up my mind, I reverted Astra’s form to its previous one.
Click.
The familiar, thrilling grip of Thunderbolt in my hand.
Feeling that grip, I raised the gun high. And the moment I aimed the muzzle at the red eyes…
“Kiee… eee… eek…”
“Kii… aaa… aaak…”
…I activated Live Focus, a derived skill of the talent, Sniper’s Sharp Sense (A+).
Within the slowed perception…
…I slowly took a deep breath and activated a cheat I had deactivated.
Ding.
Speed Limit Release [ON/OFF]
The cheat was activated.
A double-edged sword, fatal to both the enemy and myself, shimmered within the muzzle.
But there was no need to worry.
The double-edged sword would only draw the enemy’s blood.
Press.
I moved my finger.
I pulled the trigger.
And at the same time…
Flash!
Bluish-white light filled the space around me.
For a brief moment, the darkness that had been swirling around me was pushed back by the light.
Within that light, I, who hadn’t closed my eyes, saw…
…the red eyes that had been watching me widen.
Filled with surprise, urgency, and various other emotions.
Seeing those eyes, I deactivated Live Focus.
Accordingly, my slowed perception returned to normal.
And the moment the light filling the space turned into a single flash…
Crack— Rumble, Crash!
…one of the ten Aegis rings vanished, and a thunderous roar echoed through the space.
And.
“Kyaaaaa!”
A human scream, different from the monsters’ screeches, reached my ears.
‘A scream?’
What? It didn’t die?
A scream meant it wasn’t dead.
At that evidence, I heightened my senses, ready to react at any moment.
The bullet I had just fired was imbued with the power of the cheat, Speed Limit Release, a one-hit-kill bullet that had instantly taken the life of the top-ranking Fallen, Greed.
And it didn’t die after being hit by that?
‘That means it has some kind of trick…’
Or it was stronger than me.
As soon as I had that thought, I stopped running.
At the same time, I reverted Astra’s form back to the armor-focused one, with muzzles on both shoulders.
Rumble, Crash—!
And I fired a lightning storm at the monsters surrounding me.
‘I have to eliminate it here.’
Originally, I hadn’t intended to stop running.
But my instincts were screaming at me to stop.
The red eyes.
To eliminate the owner of those eyes now.
A superhuman’s intuition.
It was a mysterious power that couldn’t be explained with words.
A power that couldn’t always be relied upon.
A power that manifested only occasionally, at crucial moments.
That’s why it was mysterious.
That’s why I trusted it.
I decided to trust my intuition.
And my intuition didn’t betray my trust.
“…How dare a mere human…!”
A cry filled with pain and rage mixed with the thunderous roar.
As soon as I heard that sound, I turned my gaze towards its source.
And I found it.
“…I will never forgive you…!”
Red eyes.
A human-like form.
Skin the same color as the mud monsters.
Long ears visible amidst its flowing hair.
As soon as I saw its appearance, one race came to mind.
“…Elf?”
And the moment I uttered the name of that race…
…I felt my power increase.
Or rather, return, would be more accurate.
After all.
“Ah, shit.”
The world I saw was changing.
The purple sky turned blood red.
The barren earth turned into a lava-flowing land.
‘…Of all things…’
The talent whose restrictions were lifted was Demon Slayer.
Normally, I would have been happy.
But not now.
‘Not without Indomitable Will…!’
I currently had no talent to protect my mind.
In other words, I was exposed to Demon Slayer’s mental erosion.
Rage surged within me.
Killing intent filled my entire being.
At that feeling, I immediately activated the injector.
Whoosh!
I felt the liquid, a mixture of Golden Apple and Soul Purification Pill, flowing into my body.
Accordingly, my mind, which had been eroding from the violent emotions, began to rapidly recover…
‘…or not?’
No, it was recovering.
But the recovery rate was slower than the erosion rate. And the erosion rate was accelerating.
Why?
I wondered.
And I immediately realized the reason.
Death Qi.
The negative energy filling this area.
Because of that negative energy, Demon Slayer’s erosion had intensified. To the point where the divine medicine couldn’t suppress it.
I’m screwed.
I thought.
And as soon as I had that thought, the smell of sulfur entered my nostrils.
At that smell, I let out a mirthless chuckle and cursed.
“Ah, damn it.”
And as if in response to my curse…
…I heard a whisper.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[Your Text Here]
