Masquerade (3)
“Hmm… I feel like I’m not going to die naturally at this rate…”
Ken crawled out from the debris of the broken wall, sighing heavily, his body a mess.
The endless power that had filled him was nowhere to be found again.
‘I could endure a bit longer if I pushed myself.’
As his physical condition rapidly deteriorated over time, there was no need to show unnecessary bravado now.
There was no longer any reason to go that far.
“Hoo, but those guys are really members of the Masquerade?”
As he brushed off the dust on his body, his gaze shifted to the epicenter of the storm erupting in the distance.
Four humanoid figures, suddenly tearing through space to make their entrance.
Their outfit styles had no sense of unity; they were undoubtedly the reinforcements sent.
“Just hang in there a bit longer,” said his employer!
“But… I didn’t expect those reinforcements to be at that level.”
The number of them didn’t seem that much.
However, considering their strength, it was absurd to see such power gathered in one place.
‘Three opponents I can’t properly gauge, just like the Executioner… and another one stronger than me.’
To think that such monsters were all part of one organization.
What on earth does that secret organization, Masquerade, do?
Honestly, if they were secretly plotting world conquest, Ken could totally believe it.
After all, his employer, who summoned him from the Demon Realm, had enough ability to check the information of the whole world from his seat, right?
As someone who became an unexpected newbie in that organization against his will, Ken couldn’t help but feel anxious.
‘And a Saint as well? I hope it’s not the same Saint from Auterica…?’
Perhaps it was because he was a demon, but the radiant holy power emanating from the being with the mask of a vampire drew his attention even more.
Surely, they wouldn’t draw a sword to purify him, right?
“Kahaha! Don’t leave anything behind, eat up well!”
At that moment, a loud laugh echoed through his ears from the energetic scene.
Followed by a powerful blast of sound.
Ken winced as he twisted his body to absorb the shockwave.
‘…That laugh, it sounds really familiar.’
It wasn’t just the laughter.
The tone felt strangely friendly, only the voice was different enough for him to notice.
It reminded him of the three-headed friend he had just embarked on a life-threatening adventure with not long ago.
‘…It’s just my imagination, right?’
Ken stared at the burly, muscular figure that suddenly threw a punch.
Yeah, it must be just his imagination.
That cute little puppy with fluffy fur couldn’t possibly be such a grotesque savage.
Having resided in the Demon Realm for about twenty years, Ken turned his gaze back.
He had just received a sizable punch from the demon he was fighting not long ago.
*
The four avatars sent under the name Masquerade had their own reasons for being dispatched with such overwhelming strength.
This place was originally a stage prepared by the Buncheon Society as a trap.
It would be better to send full power rather than use just the perfect level of strength and mess up due to the enemy’s hidden trump cards.
‘Besides, they are already somewhat exposed beings from Earth.’
They also had a suitable position ready; there was a need to display some of their strength as well.
It would also be advantageous for fully absorbing the ‘Burning Flame.’
‘…Losing their leader made it almost feel like they were disbanding, but it’s still better than having nothing.’
To continue their worldwide activities against the Buncheon Society, the existence of their forces was essential.
With a considerable number of organization members and transcendent beings included, they should come in handy somehow.
“Hmm?”
Among the dispatched avatars was Harley, the mercenary who had faced demons several times, and he tilted his head.
Given the nature of the being, he also had a decent excuse to throw a punch without hesitation…
[Hah, quite solid. No, this is not just solid, what are you even? Are you a living being, to begin with?]
Why were there holes the size of fingers in his shoulder?
If he hadn’t instinctively turned his body, the hole would have been in his heart instead.
Of course, such wounds were nothing for Harley, but the issue was that he couldn’t figure out when or how that attack had come at him.
“What the heck, this is the first time for me. You didn’t just evade my senses but counterattacked, did you?”
[That’s my line. To think you avoided severe injury and ended up only with that wound. Remarkable, truly marvelous!]
“Huh? Severe injury? Wound?”
As he activated “Biotic Aura,” “Engraving of the Dragon King,” and even “Tyrant of Madness (Modified),” Harley blinked in surprise.
Of course, the hole that had been on his shoulder had vanished completely.
[…What the? Did you regenerate from my attack that quickly?]
The blood that flowed had completely disappeared without a trace.
Even the Executioner was left dumbfounded by the sight.
Sure, it was rare not to encounter prey with regeneration, considering the habitual monsters he faced.
Some had such small pieces left that they could quickly return to original state.
‘But those guys were helpless against my attacks.’
Even if he couldn’t crush them with his strength, they shouldn’t have been so unharmed.
This was part of the benefits he had received after reaching the position of the Great Demon in another world, allowing him to challenge up to the immortal existence of the Divine Seat.
And yet, for him to still be fine…
“Oof, my stomach is growling. I think my fuel economy is the worst? If I keep this up, I might hit muscle loss.”
The Executioner’s lips curled into a grin at the complaining opponent.
Simultaneously, his initial panic transformed into a rising fighting spirit.
The flames of energy erupting from his body began engulfing everything around.
[Hehehe… Yes, that’s more like it. Good, very good!]
What he desired was precisely this kind of battle.
A fierce struggle in which life, soul, and belief collided, utilizing all of his power to clash with his opponent.
Usually, he refrained from using his unique skills and stuck to the powers he had built up as a demon.
Though he had just previously used it to mock and warn the one who ambushed him, it hadn’t been employed seriously with the intent to take a life.
The reason was simple.
[Hahaha! Well then, I don’t need to worry about it ending excessively easily!]
Up until now, he had only been able to face off against the Buncheon Society’s leader, no one else.
In fact, he was even somewhat excited at the idea that a worthy opponent had appeared who could unleash all of their abilities against him.
The next moment.
The Executioner’s figure, bursting with volcanic energy and laughter, vanished.
And at that moment.
“Huh?”
Whoosh—
As Harley reflexively turned his body, his chest split open, spraying blood.
Four deep wounds marked his body, which should have been immune to harm as a “Ultimate Evolved Living Being,” remaining unharmed even in the center of a nuclear explosion.
That wasn’t all.
Zzzt— Crack! Thud—!
Destructive energy roaring like flames sliced through his tough skin.
Muscles were torn by its claw, distorting the very space around him.
Fingers lost to something sharp, and before he could even regenerate, his wrist was severed.
[Oh? This too? Then how about this one! Take this! Come on!]
“Ugh! This guy is having the time of his life, huh?”
Even amidst the storm of everything happening at once, Harley couldn’t even properly evade the attacks, let alone counterattack…
But he still managed to gain something.
By maximizing his senses and repeatedly rolling with the impacts, he was finally able to clearly identify what he was up against.
‘Could it be…?’
Of course, it was also thanks to the other avatars, who were able to observe from a third-party perspective.
Heinz II’s eyebrows twitched as he analyzed the distortions of causality occurring around using his “Insight.”
Harris, using “Observer of the Milky Way” and other nature affinity skills, also sensed the atmospheric flow.
“…Time stop?”
Heinrich muttered with a furrowed brow.
Reborn as a higher-dimensional being, the angels detected something unnatural in the world.
In a world where everything was frozen in time, the only exception that could move freely appeared before Harley.
That being halted its movement, fiddling with Harley’s blood on its fingertips.
[Hah! Truly impressive. Did you react at the very moment my attack touched you?]
Of course, Harley’s strength was not insignificant, so the executioner’s ability wasn’t perfect either.
At the moment the attack touched his body, the “Time Stop” activated by the Executioner didn’t work properly.
‘But even that won’t make it easy to catch him.’
Now he understood why the Executioner was so relaxed.
The utility of the ability in battle along with the potential to use it in dangerous moments allowed him to safely disengage, so feeling a sense of danger in that situation was understandable.
“Tsk, what a boring fight? Your actions don’t match up to your words at all…”
[Oh no, did I get too carried away? I hope you understand. Since returning to Earth, the only one who could handle my power has been the Head of the Buncheon Society. I’ve been a bit frustrated since then. The ones with potential have also become hard to encounter, as the Head prohibited fights between members.]
Well, to have grown to that extent in another world, the amount of karma accumulated must be enormous.
Just looking at his “Avatar,” it was obvious that such unique skills were talents with immense potential, right?
If that reached the realm of power with sanctity…
‘By the way, thanks to this, I’ve gained one more piece of information. There are indeed others with potential.’
Just knowing that he could respond to attacks in a world where time was halted was enough to tell him that they weren’t average beings.
Details could be pieced together slowly over time.
As he pondered that, the Executioner casually glanced back at the other avatars, witnessing their lack of urgency.
[Now that everyone seems to be ready, let’s get this properly started, huh? Hmm, dealing with all of you at once looks a bit overwhelming, but… It’s fine. Opportunities like this don’t come often, pushing myself to the limit and discovering my own boundaries will be a good experience!]
The Executioner was so overly confident that he was preparing for a simultaneous assault.
Watching this attitude began to twist Ken’s stomach more and more.
Admitting that his power was impressive is one thing, but looking down on them was a completely different matter!
‘Of course, that’s what I intended from the start!’
The classic strategy of many against few, known as ‘gang up,’ had been proven effective throughout history.
When considering efficiency, it remained unchanged in thought that it should be actively utilized when conditions allowed.
But…
‘…Yeah, thinking about it, it’s all experience, right? It’s not every day you meet foes of that level with such dangerous abilities.’
If there was something to gain in the process, changing plans a bit wouldn’t be an issue.
His true opponent was someone far stronger: the Head of the Buncheon Society.
So now was the time to level up by gaining experience, not a time to advance easily to the next stage.
‘Diverse experiences gained from battles are also excellent values. …Especially with so many eyes watching, it doesn’t look good at all.’
He decided.
For now, before he got a chance to hit back, he’d let Harley try it alone.
Fffssh— kggg—!
As he slowly stepped forward, his body heated up gradually, and steam began to rise.
Along with it came the metallic sounds as if metal was twisting.
His size had grown to a point where he was looking down at his opponents now.
“Ugh! Alright, let’s finally have a proper fight! I feel like I’m just starting to warm up!”
[Oh? You plan on fighting alone? Well, that’s fine by me.]
The Executioner glanced at Harley stepping forward and quickly looked at where the other avatars were.
Though he said that, it seemed he was considerably concerned.
To Harley, that gaze seemed nothing more than looking down on him.
“Hehe… Let me tell you a truth about life, buddy.”
A crimson aura surged intensely from his body.
An otherworldly energy, not biotic energy or aura, reminiscent of something that could corrupt existence just by coming close.
What had been suppressed by various control measures until now—
The pure madness of the Abyss, ‘Seed of Madness,’ began to engulf his surroundings.
“That is, nothing’s more embarrassing than gloating confidently and then getting smacked down!”
Boom—!
Harley’s massive frame charged forward in an instant.
[That’s unrelated to me.]
At the same time, the Executioner activated his unique skill.
————!
The world began to slow down like a slow-motion video.
And finally, when everything came to a halt,
The only being able to move in that frozen world was him—the ‘Eternal Great Demon.’
‘Hmph, indeed, if it weren’t for my unique skill, winning in a face-to-face confrontation would be tough. This abomination of a physique that bends the principles of reality must be the source of his holiness.’
The beastly figure draped in a lion’s mask had approached, but the Executioner didn’t flinch.
In this situation, there was nothing his opponent could do to harm him.
‘I’ll admit that’s impressive. However, based on compatibility alone, that won’t be enough to defeat me.’
To be honest, facing a being with such absurd strength was a first for him too.
To think he could withstand attacks that could tear space itself as if merely provoking minor injuries…
How strong would the density constituting that existence be, not to mention their resistance to external interference!
Moreover, he could regenerate shortly afterward.
Even the best he could do had barely managed to sever a wrist, so even though he had an unrestricted assault, how much more would he need to batter this opponent to inflict real damage?
‘But time is an infinite resource for me. If I keep striking, something will eventually break.’
Flames of energy radiated from the Executioner’s hand.
Operating under the conditions of a halted world was quite taxing for him, but there was no other way to make even a proper injury.
That was when the extraordinary event occurred.
Just as he had finished preparing all of his attacks and approached the figure frozen in mid-air,
His eyes twitched as he witnessed something.
‘Huh?’
From the giant lion’s mask shrouding its head, a pair of eyes glowing with red and green light shimmered through the sockets.
They were precisely aimed at him.
‘How is this possible?!’
The subtly arched eyes bore a thick smirk.
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