Chapter 564 - First Round (2)
Every race has its own standard.
Dwarves are selfish, but not cowardly. Especially in regard to crafting, they envy but acknowledge, they may covet but never disparage.
Beastmen are barbaric, yet lawful. To kill an enemy, any means is acceptable, but if defeated, one must submit.
In the natural strength they revere, there is no distinction between fairness and foulness.
Elves are both closed and open. They may distrust and scorn other races, but among their own, they spare no trust and belief.
Of course, there are always exceptions not bound by such racial traits, but they are so few as to be negligible.
Hardly worth including in statistics.
But humans are different.
Humans are selfish, cowardly, envious, acknowledging, spiteful, disparaging, barbaric, lawful, fair, closed, open, scornful, and trusting.
In other words, they can be this way, or that way.
Each individual differs, so there is no definite standard. That is why humans are the most variable race.
So it is even now.
One belief to serve humanity, split into opposing extremes like Ark and Gluttony, clashing in utter division.
Fwoooosh!
Gluttony's third fang, Beldoran's fist strike, whipped the air into a violent storm. Reflexes acting at the instant of perception.
Flames, lightning, earth, ice, wind, water, gravity, space—each attribute's magic surged forth, yet he countered, deflected, and rebounded them.
And struck back.
Life Shift
By converting vitality, all actions gain destructive power and resistance.
Literally, red fragment forged by grinding away life itself, this power activated one of the unique authorities derived from Gluttony's brain.
To evade previous pursuit, Beldoran altered the Gluttony fragment derived from himself, consuming five red fragment.
That left fifteen, yet his overall might remained unchanged. At most, the time he could sustain it had shortened.
Swept by the explosion of annihilating flames, he leapt backward. Escaping, briefly, the domain of erasure, Beldoran examined his body.
'My flesh is gradually vanishing. This, isn't it the sorcery of Black Hour's leader...?'
He was not certain.
He had never faced the notorious Dark Moon directly.
Perhaps it was simply a similar kind of art.
Regardless.
'Captain of the Ark.'
Among the chosen by the world itself, recognized as worthy to lead humanity.
The Ark's supreme fighting force.
'This is my first direct encounter, but the tales I've long heard.'
When high-ranking implants were dispatched into Estiria Kingdom and elevated to minister, conducting experiments to induce acquired special traits.
The Ark noticed, and sent a Captain, whereupon every Gluttony present in that kingdom was annihilated. Truly, not a single exception.
Not only that.
Beldoran's predecessor, the former third fang of Gluttony, was discovered by that Captain, and brutally slain.
So too the fourth and fifth.
At that time there were no red fragment to unleash Gluttony's organs, but even then, they were formidable.
...Only the first molar of Gluttony, and the second fang who stood longest at his side, succeeded in battling an Ark Captain and even killing one—traitors who turned against the Ark.
'That is why I was curious.'
How powerful was the Ark's strength.
And he looked forward to it.
Would his own power reach them.
Gluttony's ultimate ideal is the birth of a new ruling class of Neo-Humans, founded upon strength and survival.
That is.
'Overcoming humanity's chronic flaws, so that never again will we be a weak race forced into submission, but heralding the era of a true humanity.'
Beldoran understood this deeply, truly. The experiences he had endured led him to this moment.
The Ark's creed, no less than his own, perhaps less firmly than his will.
'But... was the gap this vast?'
Fwoooooosh!
A dark crimson storm raged, scattering flames of erasure with the wind. Sweepers filling the surroundings were blown away like dry leaves.
Though their carapaces had been reinforced, their resistance vastly raised, they could not endure even an instant.
"Numbers are no limit───"
Splat!
Ruyten was smashed mid-sentence.
Just like that.
A mix of blood and flesh, torn apart, tumbled across the ground imbued with erasure. Erased from existence, yet at the last moment he manifested an incomprehensible regeneration, immediately restoring his body.
Those with Gluttony's stomach possess immortality within this space.
[Though touched by erasure, the red fragment endure. Unlike former implants, the fragment have fully fused with the body, removal impossible.]
Alpha's single eye gleamed.
[And, he is discarding parts touched by erasure, forcing regeneration from intact flesh. The cost is extreme depletion of life force.]
"Then I must kill him more."
Verden raised his left hand. From
Ruyten possessed only six red fragment, four fewer than Rupel, the former fifth fang.
His realm was also beneath.
Unable to withstand even a single move of a transcendent, Ruyten could do nothing but thrash with Gluttony's authority.
[Kyaaaaaak!]
[Kraaaaaak!]
Sweepers reappeared, and as his ruined flesh recovered again and again, the life force he had stored bled away exponentially.
And then.
At the thirteenth mortal wound, his lower body obliterated, Ruyten died instantly. Only Beldoran's support let him endure this long.
Verden's eyes narrowed.
"Though a bearer of Gluttony's stomach has died, this space does not vanish. Unlike with Rupel."
"That too is power from the brain I wield."
Beldoran answered, rather compliant now.
He asked.
"I had heard, among the Ark's Captains, rarely are transcendent beings included. But... to think it was you."
"Is this surrender?"
"Hardly so. I am still Gluttony's fang."
His voice carried solemnity.
"As long as Old Humanity is not extinct, I, Beldoran, shall never yield."
Beldoran lunged forward with all his might. The fist he hurled bore force transmuted from a vast portion of his vitality.
Whooom.
Sensing the field of warped space, he instantly altered his motion, slipping deftly inside, his strike clashing with [Interis].
The shockwave blasted out, driving Verden two steps back.
He must not let go.
"Haaaaaaap!"
A merciless barrage.
An overwhelming assault, disregarding cost. From below, the annihilating flames boiled, but he gritted his teeth, ignoring them, and pressed even harder.
Thoom!
Skill meaningless before sheer might and speed.
When the opponent moved, he responded faster still, adapting to every variable—this too was Gluttony's unique ability.
The shortest path is the best path.
───Splat!
At last, after his whole body was torn and broken, his strike crashed squarely into his foe's chest.
The weighty sensation through skin, nerves, and bone dominated his thoughts.
Kwagwagwagwagwagwagwagwang!
Skull, jaw, cervical vertebrae, heart, liver, shoulders, elbows, knees, vital points—all within a fleeting instant, Beldoran poured out his full strength.
Focusing his blows to the extreme, no mage could endure barehanded. Even a transcendent would not be exempt.
Indeed, as the Ark Captain floated back through the air, the robe over the impact point had burst away, a grievous wound left behind───
"What."
Suddenly, Verden vanished.
His magical substitute deceived not only War Lady Legrit, but even the transcendent Dark Moon.
"Your instantaneous speed and output surpass even Adrian's."
"...!!"
Beldoran spun at once.
As his great arm swept horizontally, something grazed past.
A cut of space.
A clean slice, and his forearm flew before his eyes.
A crimson-black ring flared, enclosing the orb of [Interis].
A form of destruction specialized in strikes.
Verden spun his staff with dazzling speed, moving in erratic arcs.
Kwagwang! Kwaaang! Kwarururung!
With each clash of magic, deafening thunder roared.
But flames of annihilation from below bound his feet, so Beldoran, retreating only a few steps, had to endure the agony of his body tearing apart, shattering to pieces.
Beneath his feet, erasure, before his eyes, destruction.
Lethal.
"Ke-heok, ke..."
Beldoran fell to his knees.
Having lost most bodily function, he let out a hollow laugh.
"I, expected, to lose, but still."
Beldoran strained to lift his chin.
"Are, all, of the Ark's Captains, this strong?"
"I don't know."
Verden answered offhandedly, reaching toward Beldoran's head. With
That was why he had focused on subduing instead of killing outright.
'And also, to confirm the functions of Gluttony's organs.'
Just as Verden prepared to recite certain words to forcibly trigger the man's memories, Beldoran twisted his lips.
He already knew they would attempt interrogation by some means. Midway, his instincts had warned him he could not win.
Of course, he had prepared.
The power held in Gluttony's brain was not limited to what he had spoken or shown.
Ihyeongche ( Abnormal Substitution)
Beldoran's consciousness split in two, one implanted into Verden, the other into Ruyten, whose body remained half-intact though dead.
The first gnawed at the target's mind, making them into a kind of host.
The second transferred Beldoran's self into another body where a fragment of Gluttony, transformed, resided at the brain's center, allowing him to persist even if the host perished.
Thud.
Beldoran's broken body collapsed, while far away, Ruyten opened his eyes. Having already become a corpse devoid of self, his remaining flesh became wholly Beldoran's.
Whooom.
The half-body immediately tore open space and slipped outside Gluttony's stomach, just as Rupel once had.
Alpha glared toward the direction where Beldoran had vanished.
[Relentless. Is Gluttony's fang, undead?]
"Worse than undead. Even if you crush the whole body, he doesn't die."
Verden stepped forward.
"Not that it changes anything."
***
Beldoran had assumed many guises before, spending many years even as the merchant adviser, Hegin.
He knew that words carried real power, just as vast sums exchanged hands with a single phrase.
He had revealed information about himself freely, as if it mattered not.
By declaring he would not give up, he made it seem he had no escape route, forcibly narrowing the scope of the opponent's expectations.
Planting deliberate clues to induce false assumptions was an excellent tactic.
Yet, the vow to eradicate Old Humanity was never false.
To not give up meant to live until his purpose was achieved.
Craaaack.
Shifting his consciousness, he used his remaining life force to repair Ruyten's body.
With a lower half restored, Beldoran staggered a few times, then steadied himself, and dashed forward desperately.
'Ihyeongche cannot affect a transcendent's mind, but it will buy some time.'
And the space formed by Gluttony's stomach could not be freely entered or exited by those without a fragment of Gluttony.
Of course, since the being maintaining that space had left, it would soon collapse.
Still, that too would buy time for his escape.
'I must live.'
Beldoran's survival instinct surged with intensity.
Until the shadow fell beside him.
Thoom!
Struck by a staff, Beldoran coughed blood and his eyes bulged. His body crashed across the ground several times before a tree stopped him.
His right arm bent in a grotesque direction.
Cough, cough!
"H-how."
Before him stood Verden.
"No matter, how transcendent you may be... based on Old Humanity as you are, you shouldn't have been able to exit Gluttony's stomach...!!"
Rupel had once reacted similarly, but Verden's interest was fixed on the information Beldoran held.
Ssshhk.
Just as he prepared again to cast
'This presence.'
At a distance from Daunt, Adrian was battling with all his might against an unknown foe...
Though the true power was concealed, Verden knew instinctively.
'A transcendent.'
Crackle!
"Gaaaaaaah!"
The destructive blade sprouting from [Interis] skewered Beldoran's abdomen, pinning him to the ground.
To prevent escape.
Fwoooosh!
Verden immediately shot skyward, flying straight toward Adrian.
***
Sandir judged an opponent's worth by a light visible only to him, a light that shone brighter as sincere emotions grew fierce.
He pursued that light, and obsessed over it.
Since birth, his emotions had been faint, and he felt no guilt over what was commonly called sin. It was his instinct.
A century ago, he had made a mistake: in the arena's center, where his mother shone brightest, he killed her son, extinguishing her light.
After that, Sandir imposed limits upon his own power.
To keep challengers from dying before they could shine, to draw out sincerity.
Kwooooom───!
Sandir's Spear strike shook the ground, raising the earth into walls. Adrian raced up the rising terrain, his sword flashing.
Yeongwang (Linked Light)
Sandir recalled his spear remotely, narrowly avoiding the sword aura. They clashed midair, then fell to the ground.
Spear tip and sword edge collided incessantly. Sparks burst from their friction, charring leaves black.
Tsssk.
A line of blood flowed from Adrian's neck wound, while Sandir's left sleeve tore slightly.
They broke apart, then crossed paths like lightning.
This time, Adrian's clavicle was cut, while Sandir's left sleeve tore further, baring some skin.
"You've been aiming for my left arm since earlier. Care to explain your intent?"
"..."
"Well then, I'll offer it to you, will you strike it?"
Sandir extended his left hand. A blatant provocation, but it worked.
Nanmu (Chaotic Dance)
A sword dance left countless afterimages.
Dozens of violet sword auras all converged on one point. Sandir lowered his stance, channeling his energy.
Bullak (Never Fall)
The aura encased his entire body, a defense without gaps. Adrian's sword art could not pierce it, and fell void.
But it had not been meaningless.
That left hand was familiar. The old scar on the forearm as well.
An implant could reproduce the martial skills of the warrior from whom the body part was taken. And Adrian knew that martial art.
───Cut the sky. Adrian, you can do it.
Raymon of Immaculate.
That left arm was once the treasured limb of Adrian's beloved master.
Who met a tragic death in Bohemirn's unofficial laboratory.
Grit.
His teeth clenched.
Fury boiled up from the depths of his chest. His eyes, blood vessels bursting, stained red. Tears of blood streamed down.
"You bastard."
Adrian gripped [Silendar] tightly. Harder than ever before.
"I'll kill you."
"Kill me, you say."
Sandir laughed.
"You truly shine."
Having seen a light bright enough to satisfy, Sandir twisted his wrist gripping the spear.
The prelude ended here.
He did not know the exact reason, but endless rage had drawn out Adrian's true intent, so now he would fight with his full strength.
At that moment.
"...!!!!"
Sandir's eyes widened.
In the distance──something suddenly appeared.
He did not know what it was.
But it was dangerous.
This sense of crisis he hadn't felt in so long... it was the same as when he had faced the transcendent Master who once defeated him.
"Looks like."
He braced his legs.
"Your challenge must be postponed."
Sandir abruptly fled.
He did not cling to life, but he would not abide interference at the moment of transcending.
Kwoooom!
Adrian immediately gave chase.