Chapter 139 : Chapter 139
Chapter 139: Not Like Us (2)
Kain was a skilled warrior who had personally dealt with a Demon King's corps commander.
So he was, in effect, a corps commander-level boss.
Even though Ibi had awakened to the power of the Gloom, that was, if I had to be specific, a kind of ‘beginner's luck’.
Kain had been momentarily pushed back, unable to adapt to Ibi's sudden change in momentum, but the two had just barely reached the same starting line.
They had just met the conditions; it didn't mean their skills were equal.
In fact, wasn't there still a clear difference in ‘level’ between the two of them?
“──!”
Swish!
As soon as he had nimbly pulled out and thrown the stiletto embedded in his body, Kain disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye, just as Ibi had done a moment ago.
Kaang!
Ibi hastily raised her blade to block the dagger that Kain, who had approached almost simultaneously with the thrown stiletto, had swung, but it was, literally, in a hurry.
She had barely managed to block it from cutting her neck, and in doing so, she had failed to deal with the stiletto that had been thrown first, and it had gotten stuck in her shoulder.
Moreover, although she might have a slight advantage in ‘Dexterity’, there was an overwhelming difference in ‘Strength’.
Therefore, the thorn dagger couldn't withstand the impact of the clash and was eventually sent flying.
Ibi nimbly reached out to ‘retrieve’ it, but Kain, in turn, snatched the dagger that was flying towards Ibi's hand and plunged it into her.
“Keuk…!”
In an instant, two daggers were embedded in her body, but Ibi just frowned for a moment and then immediately moved her body to perform a 「Swift Escape」.
Poof! A thick cloud of smoke rose.
At the same time, Kain immediately kicked the ground, and the strong wind that rose blew the smoke away in an instant.
And so, Kain immediately chased after Ibi, who had created a distance, and began to push her hard, as if to pay her back for what she had done before.
At this, Ibi, unlike a moment ago, was in a state of just barely dodging and blocking his attacks.
In fact, it was only natural.
Ibi's level of 12, as I had once said, was indeed the level of a continental-level powerhouse who could aim for the position of a continental celebrity, but Kain's level was 18.
He was a powerhouse who was no longer compared by the place of the continent, but by the time of a generation.
So it was inevitable that even the awakened Ibi would be pushed back.
However, Ibi had us.
『Kneel!』
“…!”
As soon as I had dealt with the soldiers who were rushing at me with 「Multiple Vicious Mockeries」, I hastily cast 「Word Command」 on Kain.
Nevertheless, Kain, who had a high resistance befitting his level, only slightly bent one knee instead of completely kneeling, but it was enough of an opening for the pushed-back Ibi to launch a counterattack.
Thwack!
The two daggers that had been embedded in Ibi's body were now embedded in Kain.
Of course, just like Ibi, Kain, regardless of whether his body was stabbed or not, swung his own dagger again.
Kwajik!
This time, Rine erected a 「Rock Shield」 to block the blow.
And as soon as the rocks crumbled, Ibi delivered another blow.
Swish!
Since being stabbed in a vital spot like the heart was a different story, even with the enhancement of the Gloom, this time Kain twisted his body to deflect the thrust dagger and tried to grab Ibi's wrist to counterattack.
Kaang!
If not for Miki's shield, which had flown in and struck his arm hard.
Miki, as soon as he saw that Ibi was starting to be pushed back again, had immediately pushed aside the soldiers and thrown his shield at Kain, and then, kicking the ground, he had rushed in and, as soon as he had received the returned shield, he had immediately raised it and rammed him.
“Hnng…!”
Kain stopped Miki in his tracks by pushing him with one lightly extended hand, but in the meantime, he couldn't stop the freed Ibi from climbing onto his back as if to ride him.
As soon as Ibi had squeezed Kain's upper body with her two legs, she quickly stabbed him twice with her dagger.
The moment she tried to stab his heart for the last time, Kain immediately bent his body and at the same time, threw Ibi, who was on his back, at Miki who was right in front of him.
Then he tried to trample the two who had fallen together, but.
『Stop!』
After hearing my 「Word Command」 again and stopping in his tracks, the fallen Ibi immediately embedded her dagger in the back of the one leg that was supporting him.
However, she couldn't make him fall.
Kain, who had quickly broken free from the 「Word Command」, once again mercilessly kicked Miki, who couldn't dodge in time, far away, and Ibi, who had gotten up, struck him with a fiercely swung fist.
Then, seeing her about to plunge her dagger, Rine immediately raised her staff to block it again, but she couldn't ‘react’ because she was busy shooting a 「Fireball」 at a soldier who had taken the opportunity to rush in.
“Aaargh!”
In the end, Kain, who had stabbed Ibi again, pushed her to the ground, and then, as if to return one of the daggers that were stuck in him, he pulled it out and threw it at her, who was on the ground.
Puk!
And so, the blade of the dagger that had pierced her palm was deeply embedded in the ground, and Ibi, who was now unable to move as if she were nailed down, tried to pull it out nimbly, but Kain's kick did not allow it.
Thwack! With a dull thud, Ibi, who had been struck in the face, was knocked out flat.
“──Enough!!”
And the moment he shouted, the purple flames that had been flickering around him exploded in all directions.
And the wind pressure that rose for a moment, blew away not only Miki who was rushing in again, but also me and Rine who were nearby, and even the soldiers who were trying to stop us.
“……!”
At the same time, the killing intent that was emitted with that strong wind was enough to make everyone around ‘freeze in fear’.
“Don't act rashly in front of me! You lowly things!”
And so, Kain, who had put everyone, regardless of friend or foe, into a ‘fear’ state with 「Killing Intent Liberation」 and made them unable to move, without any further interference, headed back to the center of the ritual circle.
Even if I tried to stop him, my body wouldn't listen.
This instinctive ‘fear’ had already seeped into my bones and was completely dominating my body.
「Killing Intent Liberation」 was a ‘skill’ that, without question, inflicted ‘fear’ on any being with a lower level than Kain, preventing them from approaching.
And it was not easy to have a higher level than him when facing him.
In other words, it was no different from a guaranteed crowd control.
One that could never be dodged or resisted.
Of course, since it was a setting where the power of the Gloom that had been accumulated in his body was converted into magic power and released all at once, there was a ‘weakness’ in that it only appeared once in the boss fight against Kain, but to put it another way, it meant that that one time was enough to completely turn the tide of the battle.
“Yes, just tremble in fear and watch!”
Indeed, he, who had neutralized us in an instant, began to finish the incantation he hadn't been able to finish, in order to complete the summoning ritual first.
And before long, the moment he finished the incantation.
Hwaaak!
The ritual circle, as if in response, began to emit a bright light again.
“N-No…!”
Miki, who was somehow trying to overcome the ‘fear’ with his strong ‘Mentality’, squeezed out his voice, but he still couldn't move his body.
Finally, Kain took the dagger that was stuck in the center of the ritual circle in his hand.
When that dagger is completely pulled out, a door will open through that created ‘gap’.
“Behold, you lowly things!”
Inviting a being from another world── ‘Chaos’, into this world.
“──Our new weapon, that will devour you all!”
And, the dagger was pulled out.
He had finally succeeded in the final stage of the ritual, opening that gap.
For a moment, the center of the summoning circle flashed.
And with that light, a terrifying monster squeezing out of the created gap──
“──?”
Did not happen.
Instead, the flashing light of the summoning circle just suddenly went out.
“What……”
As if the power supply had been cut off.
And the ‘power’ of this summoning circle was ‘souls’.
In short, it meant that Lily and Toric, who were not here right now, had succeeded in safely escaping from this arena with at least one of the prisoners who had been captured as sacrifices.
“…That damn dwarf bastard!”
Kain, who had immediately realized this, furiously threw the dagger he had pulled out onto the floor.
He seemed to have been about to shout for them to catch the escaped sacrifice again, but he belatedly realized that the soldiers in the arena were still paralyzed in ‘fear’ due to his own 「Killing Intent Liberation」 a moment ago, and cursed once more.
“Alright, fine! I'll fill the missing souls with yours!”
In the end, Kain, who was as angry as he could be, looked for someone to take his anger out on, and seemed to have chosen me.
“And I'll find those two bastards too, and make them the same!”
Towards Kain, who was striding towards me.
“Find them?”
My lips curved up into a grin.
“There's no need for that.”
After all, they were already here.
『──Cleanse me!』
Lily's prayer, which echoed as if it had come down from the sky, instantly dispelled and 「Purified」 all the status ailments that were on the four of us── the ‘fear’.
“──!?”
As soon as Kain, who was surprised to see this, turned his head towards the direction the voice came from.
“Wooooooh──!!”
Toric, who had let out a 「Berserker's Roar」 and jumped high, brought his large axe down on him.
──Kaang!!
Kain, who had barely managed to block it by raising his dagger, couldn't withstand the ‘strength’ of Toric's ‘20+’, who had already reached his prime, as the buff of the Gloom that had been strengthening him had temporarily drained from his body through the 「Killing Intent Liberation」 a moment ago.
In the end, the dagger was knocked out of his hand and sent flying, and.
“──Hey, you damn father.”
Ibi, who had at some point broken free from the ‘fear’ and come up behind Kain again, immediately snatched that dagger.
Puk!
To plunge a 「Backstab」 into his back.
Kain hastily swung his arm to strike Ibi, but Ibi nimbly rolled on the ground and got away from him with a 「Hit and Run」.
At the same time, Miki, who had run to his side, stomped hard with a 「Stomp」 and, delving into his embrace, rammed his waist hard.
“Ugh!?”
And Kain, who had been struck by the heavy armor── literally a lump of iron, lost his balance and staggered.
Nevertheless, Kain quickly regained his posture and tried to counterattack.
『──Kneel.』
Instead, he ended up kneeling on one knee at my 「Word Command」, and.
Kang!
As soon as that happened, he crossed his arms, on which he had hastily cast 「Iron Skin」, to block the axe that Toric had swung fiercely again, and ‘reacted’, but he had to take the full impact with his whole body and was eventually pushed back.
At the same time, Rine, who had quickly run over with 「Windstride」, squeezed out her last remaining circles and cast a spell.
──Hwareureureuk!
And around us and Kain, a fierce flame that prevented the soldiers who had belatedly broken free from the ‘fear’ from approaching── a circular 「Fire Wall」, rose.
In other words, another ‘ring’ made of fire was created in the middle of this arena.
“As you said, I rolled around on the streets.”
Ibi, who was looking at the surprised Kain, said with a sneer.
“Thanks to that, I learned this one thing properly.”
Kain was a formidable enemy that she couldn't face alone, no matter how much she had awakened.
“──In a fight, it's best to push through with numbers, you son of a bitch.”
But we were six.