Chapter 30. Hunting Human Hunters (4)
“Four down in the blink of an eye,” marveled Isaac at the strength of his mysterious tentacles, a miracle of the chaotic unknown. Thanks to the sanctuary effect from his prior victory, his tentacles now wielded even more power.
While not exactly thrilled about consuming human forms, Isaac reassured himself that it was the tentacles feasting, not him. Approaching the final trembling hunter, a member of the Red Chalice Club, the fear of the unknown with wriggling tentacles looming overhead was palpable.
“Please spare me,” the hunter pleaded, dropping his sword.
Intent on interrogating him, Isaac chuckled at the plea for mercy. “You’ll talk after I’m satisfied.”
“I’ll spill everything…” the hunter promised.
“Can I trust your words?” Isaac questioned, gripping the hunter’s collar and activating his Chaos Eye.
Upon diving into the hunter’s mind, Isaac sensed a connection to Zihilrat. “I’ll deal with your boss directly,” he decided.
Casting aside the hunter, the man tried to reason but was abruptly overcome by a chilling red mist. “Wait, Duke! This isn’t—” he began before erupting into a crunching explosion of flesh and bone, showering Isaac.
Unfazed, Isaac declared, “I knew you were up to no good!” Activating an eight-way strike, chaos erupted, with Duke Gullmar barely evading but still receiving grievous wounds.
***
Blood and flesh rained down like a torrential storm.
Gullmar, dodging the attack skillfully, shot a fierce glare at Isaac. The eight slashes etched visible marks on the rocks of the valley, but only two managed to graze his chest.
“Gotta admit, that swordplay of yours is quite odd,” Gullmar remarked, his realization dawning that Isaac wielded a long-lost, forbidden miracle. Thoughts of a forgotten god flooded his mind, wondering how Isaac came to know such ancient powers.
As Isaac, clueless about the origin of his newfound abilities, examined his wriggling tentacle palm, he asked, “Do you have any idea what’s happening here?”
“You’re clueless about the force you’re tapping into. Classic ignorance…” Gullmar started, but Isaac hushed him, eager for an answer.
Sneering, Gullmar couldn’t help but scoff, yet Isaac didn’t wait for his retort. He was already delving deep into Gullmar’s essence.
(Heinkel Gullmar (S) / Regular)
(Job: Duke of Wallachia (S))
(Special Skills: Chalice Doctrine, Red Prayer, Lamentation Feast, Pleasure’s Secret)
Isaac knew firsthand that Gullmar’s skills ranked high in the Red Chalice Club, acknowledging the formidable opponent he faced.
“I knew this wouldn’t be a cakewalk,” Isaac thought to himself. Despite this, he didn’t feel overpowered. The true extent of his tentacled abilities remained a mystery, and he doubted Gullmar’s strength surpassed that of Calzen.
For now, Isaac’s priority was to extract information from Gullmar. Peering deeper, he probed the duke’s innermost thoughts.
[‘Chaos energy? Madness. Can it be that he serves the chaotic deity directly? Perhaps influenced by an alien entity, or… hopefully not.]
Gullmar interrupted his musings, “Curious about your power, huh? It’s ancient, pal. Most folks your age wouldn’t grasp the weight of it. Best to stop if you don’t fancy meeting a grim fate.”
Unfazed by Gullmar’s veiled warnings, Isaac pressed on, “Scary? Seems safer than those aiming to drain my blood.”
Growing slightly uneasy, Gullmar continued, “Consider surrendering. My target is the Inquisitor, not you. She finds out your secret, both of us are in trouble. We could help you. Or join forces in Wallachia.”
Isaac, seeing honesty in Gullmar’s eyes, chuckled at the unexpected proposal.
“Wallachia?” he echoed with amusement.
“Your looks would be a hit in the Red Chalice. I could even take you under my wing,” Gullmar suggested, his offer to bestow noble status upon Isaac seeming almost surreal. However, delving into Gullmar’s mind, Isaac realized the sincerity behind the outlandish proposal. Gullmar coveted Isaac’s beauty.
[‘The Red Chalice values aesthetic. Despite imperfections, a lad like this could unlock hidden knowledge…]
Though it sounded like a stretch, the proposition wasn’t entirely without merit. The Red Chalice deity, ‘The Dancer,’ cherished beauty, life, and the power of secrets, possessing extraordinary allure herself.
Hence, Isaac’s allure alone could secure him a coveted spot in the Red Chalice Club, offering him a tempting position. Given his Nephilim heritage, Isaac’s identity might not pose a hindrance within the club.
Nevertheless, Isaac had no intention of embracing this offer.
“Am I supposed to beg for your blood?” Isaac challenged Gullmar, refusing to bend before him.
Gullmar’s features hardened as he retrieved the same spear used on Gebel.
“Fine. If words won’t sway you, I’ll resort to strength. You fancy a fair fight, right? Let’s do this. Show me what you’re made of,” Gullmar declared, setting conditions for their duel.
“Miracles off the table. Using them would leave nothing of you.”
Isaac totally picked up on Gullmar’s fear of his tentacles, even though he wasn’t lying. Gullmar’s miracles were seriously impressive. One wrong move and they could both be toast.
“But hey, Gullmar sure knows how to handle that spear.”
Besides pulling off miracles, the guy was a pro at swordplay too. And in this situation, a spear had the upper hand over a sword. Despite their polite facade, Gullmar was gearing up for a fight, clutching his spear tight.
Isaac seemed down for the showdown, gripping his sword with both hands to keep those pesky tentacles at bay. Gullmar couldn’t help but smirk in anticipation.
“What a fool.”
And just like that, the battle kicked off without warning. Gullmar had no intention of playing fair. To him, a fair fight was for chumps.
He chucked his spear before Isaac could even make a move. Isaac dodged it, but to his surprise, the spear disintegrated right after leaving Gullmar’s hand and reformed into a new red spear, mirroring Isaac’s every move.
Snap!
A bone-chilling sound reverberated through the valley.
Isaac couldn’t even get close to Gullmar.
Gullmar grinned, his sharp teeth glinting. Blood began to trickle down those menacing fangs.
He couldn’t believe it. He tried to turn, but his neck and spine were pierced by those fangs, preventing any movement. An eerie, foul-smelling beast had impaled him from behind, oozing with wriggling flesh.
Mixed with that revolting odor was a familiar scent – the blood of the Wallachia hunters he had dispatched earlier.
The misfired spear didn’t even touch Isaac.
The whole situation was beyond belief. Who was this mysterious beast, and why had it attacked Gullmar? And why was Isaac acting like it was on his side?
Bleeding profusely, Gullmar struggled to speak.
“You… you traitor… In a fair… duel…”
“What are you blabbering about? Fair fights are for suckers.”
***
“Is this… beast thing… your pet or something…?”
Gullmar initially thought the beast was some manifestation of the alien creature devouring Isaac. But Isaac just seemed puzzled.
“Wait, you don’t know? Oh, you’re blind as a bat.”
Isaac twisted Gullmar’s face around, creating a sickening sound, knowing it wouldn’t kill him.
“Long time no see, huh? You should recognize it.”
The beast was actually a being Isaac had crafted by partly nurturing the Zihilrat corpse—a ‘chaotic offspring’ instead of consuming it completely. It was also the unidentified creature that drew Isolde into the valley.
The original form of Zihilrat was no more. This beast, crafted from red fleshy mass and swaying tentacles, emitted a constant stench, obediently following Isaac’s orders.
It seemed to grasp more complex commands, perhaps due to its origin from a god’s remains.
Such as safeguarding Isolde and Gebel while taking out any oncoming Wallachia hunters.
“Turns out this critter’s even stronger near the sanctuary, probably ’cause its roots are from a god’s corpse.”
Now Isaac’s companion, the weakened but still divine Zihilrat, was regarded as a sacred creature, on par with angels or the Abyssal Beast. Yet, unlike them, the Zihilrat, born here, could stick around as long as certain conditions were met.
Like munching on a ton of flesh.
Crunch.
Even though Zihilrat had chowed down on about ten Wallachia hunters already, it seemed far from satisfied, sinking its teeth deeper into Heinkel’s flesh. The taste of blood seemed to whet its appetite.
Isaac reined in Zihilrat. He still had plenty of questions to grill Heinkel with.
With his cool violet eyes, Isaac locked gazes with Heinkel. One of his eyes, worn out from using the Eye of Chaos too much, started sprouting squirming tentacles.
“You guys have barged into my hideout and almost messed up my plans. So now, it’s judgment time,” Isaac declared.
Hearing this, Heinkel couldn’t help but speak up. “Wait, are you… some kind of Red Chalice manifestation? Did you send the red-fleshed prophet to check on my supposed authority?”
