Chapter 291

〈 Chapter 292 〉 Chapter 286 – VS Cardinal Cyborg (5)

*

BAM!!!!!!!!

My headbutt landed squarely on the Cardinal’s face.

As a result, the Cardinal screamed and blood started gushing from his nose.

“AAAAAARRRGHH!!!!!!”

This, too, would have been impossible without Caressy.

Since I had reinforced my back with nanomachines to block Caressy’s attack, I momentarily failed to protect my head.

I quickly expressed my gratitude to Caressy.

“Thank you, Caress!”

“Should we smash that bastard first?!”

Immediately, Caressy and I rushed towards the Cardinal, who was holding his face.

Caressy with her claws extended like a cat’s.

While I charged my left hand with the Cheonma Laser.

However, the Cardinal was no easy target.

“LET IT GO!!!!”

BANG!!!!

With this fight, and copyright issues involved.

Instantly, nanomachines exploded from the Cardinal’s body, sending both me and Caressy flying in opposite directions.

While we were airborne, we shouted at the Cardinal.

“Don’t insult Elsa, you prick!!!”

“You’ll get sued by Disney!!!!”

Soon after, as the Cardinal recalled the nanomachines, he ran towards Caressy.

Despite the variable of the Cheonma Laser, he seemed more focused on taking out Caressy.

Looks like he was lamenting not getting the Saintess position.

“Give me the Saintess position!”

“This is Nobelpia, so if you transform, I’ll give it to you!”

The Cardinal then attempted to kick the fallen Caressy.

While down, Caressy used her tail to bounce and evade the attack.

Utilizing her body’s elasticity, she retaliated with a kick to the Cardinal.

The Cardinal took the hit silently but was slightly lifted off the ground due to the force.

“Don’t you realize it’s useless yet!”

“I don’t think so~.”

And Caressy’s words were definitely correct.

Because I was already running towards the Cardinal.

With the Cheonma Laser armed in my left hand.

Only then did the startled Cardinal show a panicked expression as he floated slightly in the air.

“I’ll give you one chance to come at me like a man!”

“This is all I’m stabbing you with, you bastard.”

As I prepared to fire the Cheonma Laser, the Cardinal quickly manifested a black goat with nanomachines.

“Go wild! Goat of black in my right hand!”

“Oh, fuck me.”

It collided with Caressy, sending her flying towards my direction.

I quickly canceled the Cheonma Repulsor and strained to catch Caressy as she came flying at me.

Caressy fell limply into my arms.

She suddenly apologized for being a hindrance.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Caressy still wore a sorry expression.

To ease her concerns, I spoke up.

“But you really should lose some weight.”

“Fuck, meow.”

Meanwhile, the Cardinal, having landed on the ground, exhaled a brief sigh of relief before immediately stretching his arms toward us and shouting.

“Dark of Darkness!!!”

Then, the nanomachines formed into a sphere and rushed fiercely towards us.

Seeing this, Caressy quickly scooped me up and began to run away.

The so-called princess carry.

“This is a bit embarrassing; can’t I just walk?!”

“Shinwoo, you can’t move like that, can you!!!”

“I’ve turned into a princess, fuck.”

In that moment, a voice called out to me.

[What are you talking about! You were always a princess, weren’t you!］

‘Why is that?’

[You have a magical hand and can talk to animals. You’ve also been kidnapped and imprisoned before, haven’t you?］

‘……Crazy.’

There’s no denying that.

The magical hand marked with the magical power tattoo.

Talking to animals is natural, since I’m a dog bastard.

And I’ve also been kidnapped and imprisoned by heroines before.

Not to mention, I’ve been poisoned like Snow White.

By poison called ‘Grandma.’

[Indeed, Snow White was given poison by her ‘grandmother.］

‘……Why does this make sense, fuck.’

Meanwhile, the Cardinal shouted as he saw Caressy running with me in a princess carry.

His voice filled with jealousy.

“Are you the only ones doing princess carries!!!!!”

In response, the black sphere the Cardinal launched began to grow larger.

We quickly ducked behind one of the church’s pillars.

BOOM!!!!

The black sphere collided with the pillar, exploding and devastating the surroundings.

Luckily, the pillar was large enough not to break.

As a result of the explosion, dust and fur were swirling everywhere.

We couldn’t see a foot in front of us, but it was the same for the Cardinal.

So this was bound to be our last opportunity.

“Caress, go hide on the other side.”

“Got it. But what are you trying to do?!”

“You’ll know later. Just go for now.”

“Then wait just a moment.”

Suddenly, Caressy took off a small cross hanging around her neck.

Then she began to pray earnestly.

“Lord, just this once. Please lend Shinwoo your strength this time.”

Soon, as divine power filled the cross with a golden light,

Caressy carefully wrapped it around my left wrist.

“Are you doing missionary work now?”

“No! Just stay put!”

Finally, the cross secured firmly around my wrist.

“It’s an amulet. Be careful.”

“Thanks.”

With that, Caressy quickly vanished from my sight.

As soon as I confirmed she was gone, I checked the condition of my right arm.

Blood was still trickling down all over my arm.

Parts of muscle and flesh had completely come off.

Perhaps due to the name ‘black flame dragon,’ it was charred black.

Most importantly, it dangled limply like rubber.

The fact that I had no feeling in my hand was a blessing in disguise.

[It’s Observation Haki, Luffy.］

‘Fuck.’

Anyway, there wasn’t much time left until the dust settled, so I manifested a dagger in my left hand and quickly started to act.

To create the final bait.

*

“Fucking bastards… jealous…”

The Cardinal originally intended to only target Caressy and Kim Shinwoo.

But upon seeing Caressy in a princess carry, he lost his sanity out of envy and enhanced his power.

Thanks to that, dust and fur were swirling around, obscuring his vision.

Given that, he considered searching for the two but quickly abandoned that thought.

‘Rather than risk it by ambushing them, it’s better to deal with them directly.’

After waiting a bit, when visibility returned, the Cardinal began to survey the area where Caressy and Kim Shinwoo had fled.

It was certain they were hiding behind a pillar, but due to the size and number of the pillars, irritation rose quickly.

Besides, he couldn’t go after Kim Shinwoo’s other companions.

Kim Shinwoo or Caressy could suddenly ambush him from behind.

And he didn’t have much time to use nanomachines anymore.

‘First, I’ll get the orphan and the dog.’

At that moment, something black caught in his vision beside a pillar.

It was none other than.

Kim Shinwoo’s right arm.

It was surely heavily damaged from the earlier attack, hanging down limply.

However, the sight began to feel oddly unsettling to the Cardinal.

‘This feels too obvious.’

Along with that, something unnatural sent a chill down his spine.

He felt a warning that getting closer might be dangerous.

“That right arm definitely…”

In that moment, the right arm suddenly twitched and vanished behind the pillar.

Seeing that, the Cardinal immediately dismissed all unease.

He just thought it was simply exhausted.

It made sense that a broken arm would look unnatural.

After all, a dying dog bastard and a useless orphan could only hide at most.

“There you are!!!!!”

The Cardinal rushed toward the pillar where Kim Shinwoo’s right arm had been visible and slammed his fist against it.

With this, he thought the hidden mice would reveal themselves.

But as the pillar crumbled, when the Cardinal checked behind it.

“……What the hell.”

An unexpected scene unfolded.

There was neither Kim Shinwoo nor Caressy.

Only Kim Shinwoo’s right arm lay there, all alone.

At that moment, behind the Cardinal.

A sound that shouldn’t have been heard reached his ears.

“I told you.”

The Cardinal urgently turned to locate the source of the voice.

There stood Kim Shinwoo with a rather pale face.

His right arm completely gone.

“I caught the bait.”

His condition looked quite poor, trembling as he gritted his teeth.

Yet, despite that, he wore a menacing smile.

Seeing that, shock began to appear on the Cardinal’s face.

“How the hell! What’s up with that arm!”

“I cut it off since I got bit.”

He spoke as casually as if he had just trimmed a nail.

“Y-You lunatic!!!”

“Thanks for breaking my bones.”

But such things shouldn’t be said so nonchalantly.

He had to overcome the fear of harming his own body, and bear the accompanying pain in the process.

Not to mention, he was doing so without any anesthesia at all.

And that singular right arm lying there meant that Kim Shinwoo had chosen to do it.

“Which crazy bastard cuts off their own arm and talks about it that easily!!!”

“Being able to cut it off is a blessing.”

Soon after that, as the Cardinal hesitated, Kim Shinwoo began charging the ominous star in his left hand toward the Cardinal’s abdomen.

“I can’t cut my losses on Elf Coin, you prick.”

*

Honestly, I thought I was going insane when I cut off my arm.

I thought I wouldn’t feel anything at all, but that wasn’t the case.

From the moment I plunged the dagger in, I had to struggle to hold back the scream that nearly escaped.

If I had a longsword or a two-handed weapon, it would have been easier.

But since all I could manifest was a dagger, I had no choice.

[But you really did cut it off…］

‘If the bone wasn’t broken, I wouldn’t have made it in time.’

As soon as I severed my arm, I manifested some wiring and secured it to the arm before hiding behind a nearby pillar.

Now all that remained was for the Cardinal to take the bait.

And the moment I heard the Cardinal’s words, I subtly pulled the wire to move the right arm behind the pillar.

Like a fishing lure.

In the end, I managed to catch the Cardinal, allowing me to ambush him.

Now all that was left was to deal with him.

“I’ll turn you into a doughnut.”

“You bastard!!!”

As I aimed the Cheonma Laser at the Cardinal’s abdomen, I spoke with a smirk.

“Say hi to Rengoku for me.”

[Don’t forget about Ace too.］

‘Ah, right.’

The star on my left wrist, which had been orbiting around, finally turned into a comet.

And the comet pierced through the Cardinal’s body, beautifully advancing.

‘Does this count as penetrating the young man’s ‘barrier’?’

[That pierced the diaphragm.］

‘Well, it’s still a ‘barrier’ after all.’

Just then, the Cardinal stretched out both hands at me, shouting.

“Deep Dark Fantasy!!!!”

“You piece of shit with no creativity.”

Suddenly, the nanomachines vanished from the Cardinal’s body and began to surround me.

Even with his abdomen punctured and a hole blown through, he was still desperately fighting back.

“Be buried in darkness!!!”

Darkness descended, rendering me blind.

Not even a glimpse of light, nor even the ability to breathe in this space.

In that unreasonable space, the darkness was slowly consuming me.

Vowing to never let me see the light again.

To end my life in the darkness.

But it was okay.

Stars are.

Naturally shine brighter in darkness.

“Good weather day, and a night as dark as mud.”

I condensed five rounds of the Cheonma Repulsor into the bracelet on my left hand.

Soon, five stars began orbiting slowly along the path of the bracelet.

Perhaps sensing the presence of these stars, the Cardinal shouted in desperation.

“Just die, please!!!!”

“No, you demon.”

Not knowing the Cardinal’s exact position, I reached my hand to the sky.

In response, the five translucent stars began to spin even faster than before.

As if whispering to me that it was ready.

“Beware of my power.”

In that instant, the divine power from the cross that Caressy wrapped around my left wrist began to imbue the five stars.

As a result, the stars transformed from translucent light to golden hue.

[This is somewhat similar to Gacha scenes in Genshin.］

‘…Chi-Chi, I love you.’

Meanwhile, the Cardinal sensed something was off with the situation and started shouting at the top of his lungs.

“FUCK YOU!!!!!!”

And along with that, the darkness roared, trying to tear me apart.

The pitch-blackness was swallowing my existence, darker than the night sky.

However.

“GOLDEN LANTERN LIGHT!!!!!”

The five stars began to shine radiantly with a fierce golden glow.

Soon, they revealed their presence, becoming a golden comet that sliced through the night sky, flaunting its brilliance.

The phenomenon of starlight cannot be subdued or confined.

*