Chapitre 37: Piercing Through
A few minutes into the battle, Laima's side thrived on mind games, a specialty she honed from youth due to her poisonous talent. Her strategic intellect was intrinsic, an inevitable outcome of her unique abilities.
Possessing talent requires meticulous honing to attain excellence in a given field.
Yet, on Belenus's front, circumstances were different.
Tiing! Tiing!
Splash!!
Resonant clashes of spears and swords echoed in a cyclic rhythm. Every ruthless strike towards the adversary elicited a poignant response, causing the water surrounding them to writhe in apparent agony.
Unrelentingly cutting through everything in its path, including hapless fishes unable to escape, the onslaught painted the seas in red, transforming them into a vivid tableau of the ongoing battlefield.
In Belenus's eyes, there was neither fear nor a bead of sweat on his brow. He resembled a relentless machine, born to pierce through his foes. Yet, all he could manage was to force his adversary a few meters backward.
No matter how formidable one may be, if the act of killing the adversary is off-limits, the mind is left to agonize over strategizing a solution.
Belenus grappled with an ongoing occurrence that he detested, pushing him to confront the boundaries of his capabilities.
Unmindful of the imminent threat of death, he elevated his own standing in his eyes—the swordfish guard. A grin as expansive as the sun illuminated his face, accompanied by a shift in his movements, adopting a leisurely demeanor.
He commenced swinging his sword intermittently, devoid of exertion, convinced that he had earned the entitlement of the mighty.
Leisurely navigating through the battlefield, he swam aimlessly, endeavoring to display his prowess akin to a seasoned soccer veteran showcasing moves to a random child on the street.
Belenus found actions emanating ignorance to be an unappealing spectacle.
'I really want to kill this little c*ck in one shot.'
"Sigh…"
"What are you sighing for? Did you see your demise and you're grieving about it?"
Belenus was undeniably furious, at least until he arrogantly opened his mouth. It was his foolish and ignorant demeanor that discarded caution, ultimately restoring his cocky attitude for some inexplicable reason, succeeding in quelling Belenus's wrath.
Now, there was only one emotion in Belenus's gaze—pity.
'This idiot is a lost cause, huh? How did he manage to live so far?'
"What? Not going to say anything? Heh, well," raised his sword nose to utmost limits, "I thought you were at least Level 4. But it seems like I was overestimating you."
He paid no heed to the words, already relegating his opponent to a status that no longer warranted extra attention.
Gradually, at a speed imperceptible to him, he embarked on the journey of positioning himself in front of the ship.
The guard, whether he liked it or not, was on his way. With a literal leap from the ship onto Belenus, he stationed himself as a bodyguard for the vessel.
"Atlantis or Mu?"
In response to an unforeseen question, he opted to narrow his eyes for a moment, a subtle expression since his eyebrows were absent. Despite the unexpected nature of the inquiry, it was a commonplace question among Merpeople—tracing their origins back to either Atlantis or Mu.
The discovery of a new race introduced an entirely different narrative. It necessitated a span of several years for them to traverse between Earth, whether through spaceships or portals, contingent on the circumstances prevailing on their home planet.
"Mu. So, what? What are you going to do with it?"
"Atlantis for me. But why are you getting so worked up about it? I'm sure you've asked this question to others."
"Hmph. Not to a terrorist like yourself."
"I may be a terrorist in your eyes, but you are a slave in mine."
Enveloped in fury, his entire body trembled violently, as though something shackled inside of him sought escape, an unremitting struggle unfolding against invisible chains.
Veins of rage sprouted, stemming from the shame inflicted by the use of his benevolent Goddess's name. It tarnished the reputation of someone deemed untouchable, a figure no one dared to besmirch—except for the ignorant ruffians of the Rebellious, at the very least.
"H-H-How dare you, you f*cking whale!? Who do you think you are, you f*cking son of a b*tch!? Terrorist's offspring, I will cut your tongue off!"
Vuussh!
Concluding his words, he elevated his sword, causing the surrounding seas to surge. However, this time, a discernible distinction marked the moment.
Spoooshh!!
Employing his human feet, he kicked the water beneath him, propelling himself into a jump.
At that moment, his lethal slash descended upon Belenus in a vertical arc. Gravity played its part, exerting its force, but this time it pulled a water sphere in its grasp.
Splaassh!!!
Easily dodged the upcoming attack, 'So, he's a Tier 2, huh? Seems like even brainless b*stards can reach that tier these days.'
Covering oneself in a magical element was the hallmark of a Tier 2 magic user. Nevertheless, for a race inherently connected to an element, it was an inherent trait. They were water, and water was them.
The challenge for them lay in attaining Tier 3 in magic, a requirement demanding the pinnacle of universal energy arts. Yet, Laima's magical prowess wasn't far off from Tier 3, courtesy of her unique connection with those diminutive bugs.
In the realm of water magic, they were unequivocal cheaters, boasting absolute peak quality.
Enshrouded in a water aura, he transformed into a water ball.
Upon descending into the sea, there was no upheaval or disturbance in the water; instead, he seamlessly melded with the underwater currents.
On his back, akin to a hedgehog, water spikes materialized. His sword pointed directly at Belenus, mirroring the orientation of his nose sword.
A lethal dash about to surge toward Belenus, presenting a dual threat. The front bore the menace of two swords pointing directly at him, while the back bristled with spikes, forming a menacing shield.
'Heh, idiot. Seems like he really believes I'm a Level 3. Well, it will cost you dearly.'
Both combatants poised themselves for a formidable strike. Two hands firmly gripped his spear, prepared for an imminent attack.
The spear's tip aimed beneath the water, slightly lower than the enemy's skull, aligned in parallel to his sword nose.
Swuuush!!
The guard dashed forward, causing the water beneath his feet to rumble and surge as if an explosion had occurred.
Belenus braced himself to confront the oncoming attack, his spear already enveloped in water. The tip bore a beauty tainted with menace, honed to perfection by the amalgamation of his Level 4 core energy and Tier 2 magic.
He abided by the passing seconds with calm composure.
Fwuuuupp!!
Buuum!!
"Aaaahhh!!"
"Who told you that I'm a Level 3!?"
In a matter of seconds, everything unfolded. Belenus, unwavering in his mission, seized this golden opportunity to its fullest extent.
At the very moment the guard lunged towards him, Belenus skillfully lowered his spear, intentionally avoiding a lethal strike.
Killing even a single guard marked a game over for them. That's why, he lowered the spear until it vanished from sight beneath the water.
The eyes of the sprinting guard were already veiled in a red mist. He had no means to halt the sudden burst of speed, and he wasn't even inclined to do so at that moment.
Underestimating one's opponent could prove as costly as losing composure in the midst of a fight. Combining the two might lead to a downfall, even for the formidable.
Drip, drip, drip.
It did indeed spiral into a landslide of downfall for him, plunging him to the depths of hell. The spear pierced through his skin, transforming him into a blood-dripping fly—nothing more than a mere fly in Belenus's eyes.
Thuuuud!!
Belenus pierced him first, then elevated him into the skies before hurling him toward the ship where a minute crack awaited. The piscine aviator was flung aside by the powerful slap of a mighty being of the seas.
Splaassshh!!
His splash resonated through the surroundings, yet before the guards on the deck could react, a colossal orca leaped into their midst.
Thuuud! Craaack!!
He pierced through the already faltering metal as if it were mere paper.
Unyieldingly swinging his spear's edges in every direction—left, right, up, and down—every motion tore the metal asunder, carving a path for himself.
The supposed fainting fly ascended from the underwater abyss, panting as intensely as one could. Sweat and blood intermingled with what was once pristine water, now dimmed by hosting a miniature battlefield.
"D-Do you know who I am!?"
"I don't care if you're from the Swordhead clan! You're not the clan head!"
This marked their final exchange. A triumphant smile adorned Belenus's face the instant his feet connected with the metallic surface.
"Hahaha, I'm in."
"Not so fast."
Fwuuup!!
---
Somewhere on the Earth.
In a dimly lit room, a man stood before a weathered wooden desk, on the verge of losing its bark to the unrelenting passage of time. The light source was feeble, barely illuminating the contents of the desk, with two candles struggling to cast their limited radiance.
"The moment has arrived," his hair color mirroring the fate of the desk's bark.
"Sir, are you sure about that?" A young woman in a pitch-black office suit, her face devoid of any trace of emotion.
"Luna, refrain from speaking. It's an order."
"Yes, sir."
"It's the only way, and you are aware of it."
The man's gaze fixated upon the book, its slumber exuding a malevolent air.
Crafted entirely from human flesh, its cover bore a contorted visage reminiscent of a demonic countenance, akin to those found in chilling horror films. A mere glance at this grotesque tome had the power to spawn myriad nightmares.
Labeling this amalgamation of meat and pages as a cursed artifact wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"It's the genuine one. I've never witnessed curses or encountered any demons, but I hope they'll be with us and aid us."
Took a deep breath.
"The book of a madman, the Necronomicon…"
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone