บท 11: Slaughter & Conquer

Lacha and Gregor were blasted back, with horror now covering their faces. There was only one thing in this world that had an aura this dark and demonic.

"You're a Necromancer! An evil being that has to be destroyed!!!"

They both roared and launched at Derrick once again, not sensing the impending danger.

Seeing how ignorant and weak they were, Derricks' face twisted into a wicked smile.

The commotion had also attracted all the soldiers in the vicinity, with him now facing dozens of them.

"Human, do you need my help? Breathing on them should be enough to kill them, kekeke..."

Drakos' hoarse laugh resonated in Derrick's consciousness.

"Letting you out for these pathetic weaklings would soil my reputation. I won't even need to use my weapon..."

With the soldiers in tow, Lacha and Gregor were almost back in front of Derrick and brimmed with killing intent.

They had heard stories about Necromancers and how they represented the roots of all evil in this world.

Derricks' smile never disappeared, and he instead took one step forward to meet them head-on.

Just as they were about to swing their weapons, his aura exploded in strength. The attackers' expressions fell, and they tried stopping their momentum, in vain.

*BANG*

With a swing of his left arm, he violently knocked Lacha to the side and with his right, pierced Gregor's chest, now squeezing his beating heart.

Fear, anger, disbelief, grief...

All these emotions were rushing through Gregor as he looked at the bloodied arm inside his body.

"Pl... Plea... Please... It... was... a... mis... misunderstanding..."

The chief could barely talk as blood invaded his trachea. Derrick's smile froze, and his bottomless eyes displayed a fury rarely seen in this world.

"You tried to kill me, lost and yet, you still have the audacity to beg me!?!"

His hand gripped with all his strength, instantly turning Gregor's heart to mush. His body then went stiff before falling to the ground in a dull thump.

The soldiers who had just witnessed their leaders being routed had already stopped advancing, stupefied.

Their chief and strongest fighter had just been killed in a single move while desperately pleading for his life.

Terror had invaded their bodies, and they couldn't move an inch. At that very moment, they all felt one emotion : despair.

The injured Lacha had watched the scene unfold.

Why...

Why was this happening?

No... She knew why...

They had rushed into the situation without assessing their opponent's intentions or strength. In a way, they had signed their own death warrants. Her body was uncontrollably trembling, sure of what was coming next.

Derrick's icy gaze turned to the soldiers and, without speaking another word, he lunged forward.

What ensued was a rampage where limbs, heads, organs and blood flew everywhere. It was like the God of Death had descended, coming to collect these poor, ignorant souls.

After a moment that seemed to last an eternity, silence finally reigned. The sole remaining person was Lacha.

However, her mind was blank, unable to process the atrocity that just occurred.

In Derrick's mind, the familiar prompt flashed, and he went wild with joy.

[You have obtained a new skill called <Death Warrior>! It allows its user to bring back a portion of the humans killed in the form of skeletons. The summoned <Death Warriors> will have <Stage 1> strength, which is equivalent to <Novice Soldiers>. Limit of soldiers : 100. This skill may evolve in the future]

This was simply glorious!

The apathy he felt while killing these soldiers had also surprised him, but they had acted like the beasts residing in the cave. Be it a human or monster, it seemed the rules were no different, with the strong stomping the weak.

He started looking at the aftermath he caused.

The large hut was practically destroyed and corpses littered the ground. His clothes were also covered in blood and guts, making him slightly frown.

"This'll stink if I let it be"

He started cleaning himself, just like he had done with the mud. The sight was truly disturbing.

"What a pity... All I wanted was directions"

Derrick's voice forced Lacha out of her stupor, and she got up with difficulty. She only had a few bruises, which was ridiculously lucky considering the force of Derrick's strike.

"Sir, you said your name was Derrick? Please spare this village... They're innocent"

He had forgotten there was someone left, and he turned in her direction, surprised.

His green eyes were unfathomable, and they sent ice through her veins. It looked like those of a beast...

After his demonstration, he thought the natural reaction would be to beg for one's life. She apparently had some backbone, which he quite liked.

On top of this, her figure was really nice.

She had luscious black hair, piercing blue eyes and tanned skin. Her face had some freckles as well, giving her a haughty air. She also had a large chest, and the fact that she appeared to be in her early thirties granted her a mature charm.

He started pondering on what he should do next before it suddenly occurred to him.

"Become mine, and I'll take care of this village. I'll even transform it into a kingdom"

Of course, he never had any intention of killing the entire village. His code was simple and remained so ever since he had reincarnated : if anything or anyone came at him with killing intent, they'd be disposed of.

Derrick had also promised he wouldn't limit himself in the future, and experiencing a woman's warmth was definitely on his list.

Nevertheless, he wouldn't latch on emotionally until he became strong enough to protect his inner circle.

While fighting for his life during the prior months, he had also planned his future and estimated that he couldn't take his revenge without an empire of his own. He wasn't delusional enough to think that the strength of a single man could conquer the world.

When she heard his demand, Lacha paled. She had never expected that this murderous man would want her.

It absolutely terrified her, but she had no choice. Declining meant death, and probably the annihilation of Akita, which was something out of the question.

She closed her fists and lightly nodded.

When he saw her agree, Derrick couldn't help but smile. This village wasn't very big, but it was a start.

"Don't get me wrong, I'll not touch you, but you will do as I say. Remember, their lives rest on your shoulders"

When she heard his grave tone, she trembled even more. She knew he was serious, and incurring his wrath was not an option.

With that out of the way, he then looked at the gory scene and smirked. It was time to test his new skill.