The more “it” moved, the more ominous energy it exuded.
The strange thing was that she felt no fear of it. If anything, she felt calm.
‘Geuru, something’s weird…….’
Ding!
[‘Fear’ is neutralized by the ‘Stinging Duck Clip Possessed by Mephisto.’]
‘Oh!’
It was the moment Geuru found the answer in the popup that suddenly appeared.
Ding!
[‘Mephisto’ has detected a vassal.]
[A hidden function has been unlocked.]
[Blood Subjugation: Ignores the defense of the Frost Bloodkin.]
‘Vassal? Blood Subjugation?’
What was all this? Before she knew it, the function called Blood Subjugation had been added to the duck clip’s information window.
Just then.
- Grrrrrk.
“It” scraped the inside of its throat like a beast, then pointed with its floating hand at the duck clip Geuru was clutching tightly.
- My monarch. Why have you manifested in such a form?
*
- M-Mon…… arch?
What was that?
As Geuru stammered, a sound like a snicker came from Malikian.
‘This mean monster. How dare you use hard words on Geuru…….’
The trauma with Jurim abruptly came to mind, and cold sweat trickled down her back.
Shake, shake!
Geuru soon came to her senses and snorted. He was trying to confuse Geuru with hard words, just like the Guildmaster!
The teddy bear’s eyebrows rose into a worried slant.
‘Thanks to the duck clip whatsit, Geuru isn’t scared at all!’
In that case, there was only one thing Geuru had to do right now.
The only attack she could currently use!
Geuru filled her mana and created a snow duck.
- Go! Snow Duck Flatten-Smash!
Geuru threw the snow duck and shouted the name of the hastily improvised skill that was not a skill.
The snow duck flew in a feeble arc and shattered miserably against Malikian’s stomach.
[The target’s defense is ignored due to ‘Blood Subjugation.’]
[Error! The target’s effect resistance is too high.]
[Defense-ignoring effect has disappeared.]
‘Eh…….’
Geuru blinked. A long string of messages had appeared, but there seemed to be only one conclusion.
‘It failed!’
- Ho……
Beneath the black hood, eyes split long and vertical spun around toward Geuru.
- This is quite interesting.
One dry, long finger like a tree branch moved toward Geuru.
- For such a very young human child to use the monarch’s power.
It was then.
A sturdy arm snatched Geuru up as if to protect her.
“Dani-oppa!”
Pulled tightly into his arms, Geuru felt a fierce heartbeat through his suit.
Even as he protected Geuru, Gidan’s gaze did not leave “it.”
His eyes were completely different from those of the others, who were terrified. What filled them was exhilaration.
Gidan bared his teeth in a grin, and the light in his eyes changed.
A shiver ran up Geuru’s back. Gripped by a prickling tension, she clutched Gidan’s lapel tightly.
Gidan climbed the wall of the building just like that, up toward the rooftop, and set Geuru down.
When Geuru stood with her feet on top of the building, Gidan spoke firmly.
“Don’t move from here.”
Nod, nod.
Gidan moved far away from Geuru and stood on the railing.
The devastated field came into view at a glance.
The boss’s corpse. The hunters fleeing in all directions. And the black form that had forced its way out of space.
Gidan knew that thing all too well.
At last, they had met.
‘At last!’
His heart pumped hard, and exhilaration spread across his face.
“Malikiaaan—!”
Malikian’s eyes turned toward Gidan.
Within those long, vertically split eyes, three pupils spun round and round.
- Child. I smell very familiar blood from you. Yes…… This is a blood scent thick with the reek of fish.
“Haha!”
Gidan gripped his sword tightly and laughed through gritted teeth.
It felt as though prickling electric signals were running through his entire body.
When Gidan kicked off lightly and jumped down, Geuru startled and approached the railing.
The moment Gidan landed on the ground, he used a skill.
[Activating skill ‘Violet Bloodstream(S).’]
Upon use of the skill, unstoppable bleeding continues and the user enters a berserk state.
[Attack power increases by 200%.]
[Speed increases by 200%.]
A vivid blue gleam settled in Gidan’s eyes, and mana raged like a storm.
Swoooosh—!
The gale forced Geuru’s head back, and the bear mask flew off and tumbled away.
“Oof!”
‘The wind is too strong!’
She tried desperately to hold out, but her small body rolled backward.
“Ugh! Kyuk! Gek!”
When an impact was detected, a notification appeared on the smartwatch around her wrist.
[Impact detected! Sending location to guardian!]
At that moment, Gidan’s body shot through the air after an instantaneous running start.
This time for sure. Putting his weight behind it, Gidan tried to drive his sword into Malikian’s head.
Thud!
The floating hand caught the black blade. But it was only an afterimage; the sword once again came slashing sharply toward his head.
Clang!
What blocked it was the greatsword Malikian had summoned.
Wooooong—
The greatsword “Biat’s Void” resonated with its pair, “Biat’s Yearning.”
Beneath the hood, the threads sewing Malikian’s mouth shut could be seen snapping one by one. “It” tore its mouth wide and smiled.
- So, are you satisfied with the sword you took after abandoning your father?
“I’ll kill you!”
Gidan immediately jumped as if taking flight.
- How simple!
The floating hand tried to snatch Gidan’s head.
But Gidan leisurely dodged it and smiled. The sword he had been holding had vanished before anyone noticed.
- What?!
The moment Malikian was flustered by the movement that defied common sense.
Thud!
The dagger Gidan had thrown in advance returned and embedded itself in the back of Malikian’s neck.
- Kuh!
Malikian tried to grab the blade behind his neck and pull it out, but Gidan, who had already taken position, seized the sword’s hilt and poured mana into it.
“I haven’t exactly been wasting my time all this while without thinking!”
Gidan cast again the skill he had briefly turned off.
[Activating skill ‘Violet Bloodstream.’]
[Activating skill ‘Lion’s Breath.’]
‘……!’
Malikian’s flustered eyes spun round.
When Gidan entered a berserk state, his mana caused a powerful explosion.
It would not have been strange for his attack power to rise by nearly 1,000% in an instant and tear the target to shreds.
Soon.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The mana moving along the sword whirled and exploded violently.
A dense snowstorm swept through the surroundings.
“Hah! Haaah!”
Gidan bent at the waist, gasping for breath. He had poured in all his firepower, enough that his knees nearly buckled.
Through the thick white flurry of snow, the black figure was trembling faintly.
‘Did it work?’
But before even a few seconds had passed, Gidan’s expression stiffened. He wiped away his sweat and straightened.
“……”
- Human child.
Malikian, who had not suffered any damage, spoke as if in pity.
- What I see once again.
Four black hands gripped the greatsword.
- Is your powerlessness and your weakness.
The greatsword lifted high was pitch-black, as if devouring light.
Looking up at it, Gidan panted harshly.
The difference in strength was stark. Perhaps because of the bleeding, his vision swam.
But……
‘I must never run away again.’
Don’t run away.
Don’t run away.
Don’t run away.
Don’t run away.
Don’t run away.
Flash!
A black-stained chill settled into the greatsword.
It was the moment Gidan gritted his teeth and shot forward.
Thud—!
Gidan’s body abruptly slammed into the ground. The impact sent snow like smoke flying in all directions, filling the field.
The man who had easily subdued Gidan spoke in a slow tone.
“Who said you could run around as you pleased without an adult’s permission?”
It was Jurim.
He looked up toward the building where Geuru was.
“You minors.”