Chapter: 90
The child was trembling in a bathroom stall. Lian hurriedly gathered the child and rushed outside. At that moment,
Boom!!!
A loud explosion echoed once more.
“Just keep running straight! You’ll meet the others up ahead!”
“Waaaah!”
With tears streaming down their face, the child started sprinting forward as quickly as possible. They seemed too terrified to even look around. Leaving the child behind, who was madly dashing towards the group ahead, Lian turned his gaze toward the forest cloaked in recognition-blocking magic.
Boom!
He listened attentively to the sound one more time and stepped into the forest.
‘The explosions have been coming from the main building since earlier. Most of the kids are likely there for today’s internal meeting. I have to go save them!’
Summoning the cursed sword in his mind, the back of his hand glowed a dark red. The moment a drop of blood fell from his hand to the ground, a red circle with a diameter of about 2 meters formed around Lian.
Blood burst forth from the circle, engulfing Lian and cascading downward. Once the blood completely drained away, Lian was dressed in a much more ornate uniform, the cursed sword casually draped in his hands.
The cursed sword emitted a dangerous red aura.
[I’ve waited so long for this day… Ah, such a long wait it has been.]
The cursed sword had spent three years restrained to a mundane life, just shuttling back and forth between the annex and the main building, longing to indulge in its hobby of stylishly taking down enemies to earn respect.
Thank goodness for Lian’s blood; otherwise, the cursed sword would have been so desperate it would’ve gone berserk, hunting for a new contract holder!
Finally able to unleash its previously suppressed desires, the cursed sword was strutting around proudly.
‘…Why is it so flashy?’
The appearance of the cursed sword was so over-the-top it made Lian’s expressions twist in discomfort, almost as if it were a protagonist from a toku show or a magical girl transformation scene.
[No! It’s still not enough! It needs to be both plain and flashy, simple yet dynamic! It’s missing that vibe!]
Lian, sporting a forced stylish smile, surrendered to the ridiculous ramblings of the cursed sword.
Boom!
“…! Now’s not the time for this!”
Snapped back to reality by the thunderous noise, Lian instantly dashed toward the main building. With a light push of his feet off the ground, he shot forward at an insane speed.
Whoa!
“Eek—?!”
Surprised by the overwhelming speed, he lost his balance but managed to grab onto a sturdy tree to avoid falling spectacularly.
“What in the world is happening?!”
[Heh heh heh. That’s thanks to my incredible body, Gargandoa!]
Listening to the boastful cursed sword explains that the elegant uniform was beyond just clothing; it packed various buffs too.
Only then did Lian realize his senses had sharpened dramatically.
‘Ugh… This is going to take some time to get used to.’
Fearing he might end up rolling on the ground if he acted without thinking, he hopped lightly in place and cautiously practiced moving back and forth.
After a few tries, he grew accustomed to the strength. Knowing time was of the essence, he dove into the forest.
Swoosh.
A thick white fog began to settle around him. Since he had a passage token, he didn’t get lost and could move right ahead without worry.
With his enhanced reflexes, he effortlessly dodged trees that seemed to rush at him and dashed through the forest. About halfway through…
“…!”
[Incoming!]
Lian instantly understood the cursed sword’s alert and stopped in his tracks. Someone was approaching through the thick fog.
[Bloodthirst… an enemy!]
The cursed sword buzzed with excitement. The fog parted slightly, revealing a striking figure with bright sky-blue hair. A man with fierce eyes surveyed Lian up and down.
“So, you’re the boss?”
“Uh, what?!”
Caught completely off guard by the unexpected question, Lian responded, sounding dazed. The man began tossing a passage token he held, catching it repeatedly as he spoke.
“The mastermind who annihilated the Leviathan organization and toyed with the underworld like it was in the palm of his hand.”
“…Huh?”
“The Slaughterer Lian, who even crushed the arena of the Four Heavenly Kings, right?”
“…??”
Lian, who had spent three years shuttling between the annex and the main building without venturing out, found it impossible to understand what the man was saying. Just as he was about to say he thought the guy must have the wrong person, it struck him like a bolt: info about the Leviathan organization rolled around in his head.
‘Wait a second… did I maybe… destroy them because of a gag filter? But aside from that, all of this is completely false! I’m not toying with the underworld! A mastermind?’
The ludicrous rumors made him involuntarily chuckle.
‘Someone must have framed me or twisted the stories around.’
As confusion eventually gave way to clarity, Lian was about to voice his thoughts when Potensian—everyone’s favorite gross exaggerator—dropped the bomb!
“Well, that’s not really important.”
Potensian grinned, revealing sharp teeth as he scratched his chin with a finger. Then he bent forward and extended his right hand to the side.
Whoosh.
A wave of water surged from his palm, forming an aquamarine-colored spear.
[Hey! That’s copyright infringement!]
The cursed sword growled, throwing out contemporary terms it had learned from Lian’s blood.
[Uh-oh! Even among cursed swords, there’s a code of ethics!]
Hearing the cursed sword’s odd indignation eased Lian’s tension a bit.
‘Hmm, do I even need to be worried?’
With memories of the Leviathan annihilation creeping back, his last bit of tension evaporated. Seeing Lian unworried, Potensian’s expression went totally cold.
“Heh, I’ll wipe that dumb look off your face!”
[Partner! We also can’t lose! Let’s say a cool line—…]
Before the cursed sword could finish its dramatic buildup, Potensian lunged at Lian and slashed across his chest diagonally. Thanks to the buff, Lian’s reflexes kicked in, and he countered Potensian’s attack with a swift diagonal swing of his own.
Potensian staggered back two steps due to Lian’s surprising force.
[Ugh! How rude! Attacking without letting your opponent finish their line!]
The cursed sword fumed, unleashing a menacing aura, and Lian’s body began to move on its own. He didn’t resist the sword’s motions.
Once Lian settled into a proper stance, Potensian couldn’t hold in his laughter.
“Haha! Let’s really fight!”
And with a fierce expression, Potensian charged forward.
*
Gargandoa had killed thousands, perhaps tens of thousands—who knows, maybe even more. The more blood Gargandoa drank, the stronger he became, to the point where only the Dragon Lord remained as a challenger.
And now, Gargandoa had struck gold with an endless supply partner in Lian. But being an endless supply didn’t mean the “quality” of blood was any worse. Over three entire years, Gargandoa gorged on it daily.
Having slurped up blood equivalent to hundreds or thousands of individuals every day, Gargandoa had grown so powerful that even if the Dragon Lord showed up, he’d have no chance at all.
“Huff, cough… Damn it!”
It was no surprise Potensian ended up rolling on the floor, an utter mess.
‘This difference is unfathomable.’
Potensian—coughing blood—barely lifted his head to look at Lian. In stark contrast with his disheveled self, Lian stood proud and composed, showing clearly how far apart they were in strength.
Grinding his teeth, Potensian planted his spear on the ground and struggled to rise.
‘Am I supposed to crumble here? Me, destined to become a king?!’
Potensian aimed to ascend beyond the Four Heavenly Kings, eventually serving the Demon King himself. However, facing the indignity of dying like a fool in a human’s hands pushed Potensian’s rage over the edge.
The whites of his eyes began to seep into dark red.
“Huff, huff… there’s no way I’ll fall here!”
As his words, fueled by fury, continued, his energy shifted. A dark red force erupted around him like a tempest. The cursed sword clicked its tongue, observing Potensian.
[Looks like he’s going berserk. What a moron.]
“Berserk?”
[That means his rage blinds him, and his strength goes wild. He’ll double the power, but… his mind and body will be wrecked.]
Lian quickly pieced together the familiar cliché.
“Isn’t that kinda dangerous?”
[Even if he gets stronger, a bug is still just a bug.]
The cursed sword’s lofty words brought Lian some comfort. He should have realized that the cursed sword’s statement was a classic trope!
“I’ll kill all of you!”
Roar!
Dark red energy burst from Potensian like a storm, altering his form grotesquely.
Demonic wings sprouted from his back, and his skin below the eyes split to reveal two more eyes, while a huge eye emerged from his forehead.
The swirling winds were so potent that they ripped the fog apart, shattering the illusion magic circles with sheer force.
As Lian squinted up at Potensian, he thought,
“Oh.”
An aquamarine spear came flying silently, shimmering at his lower sternum. Realization hit him late.
Swoosh!
In slow motion, the spear stabbed into his abdomen, bursting through his back. As Lian staggered and spilled blood, Potensian erupted in laughter.
“Hahaha! Don’t blame me for—”
It’s your fault for being weak!
Before he could finish, Lian, with a calm voice, cutting through the chaos, said,
“Cough, cough… Seriously… you ruined my clothes.”
“…!?”
With a nonchalant expression, Lian pulled the spear handle, and it popped out effortlessly. Potensian’s confident visage turned pale.
“Y-You’ve got to be kidding…”
In the world of gag characters, even if you got split into a hundred pieces, you’d be back to life the very next day!
—End of Chapter 90—
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