Chapter 45

#045 Chapter

A smile crept across Regis's lips.

"Quite a mouth on you…"

The hand gripping his cane twitched.

The snarling hounds burst out in all directions as if they had been waiting.

Ian began to sprint almost simultaneously.

The three hounds charging at him quickly drew near.

His concentration reached its peak.

Tentacles aimed at blind spots, fangs bared wide with jagged teeth, and a creature approaching in a low posture beneath.

Everything around him became vividly clear in an instant.

Even his own movements felt slow amidst this.

Ian decided to choose a method to get closer to the creature as quickly as possible.

He stomped on the low-approaching creature's head, leaped up, and twisted his body forcefully to spin.

This altered his trajectory, allowing him to slip past the creature's mouth, and he struck down with his sword, imbued with the force of his spin.

Swoosh!

The tentacles and claws that surged in the gap were deflected by the swirling barrier.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

Ian landed, having displayed a movement that bordered on miraculous.

One of the three hounds that had passed him, with its neck severed, collapsed and slid to a stop.

"Quite the trickster—"

Regis's head, as if pulled back by someone, tilted backward.

A throwing dagger Ian had thrown was embedded in his forehead.

For a moment, blood seeped out.

Clang—

The dagger fell as it was pushed out.

Is this level not enough?

While Ian clicked his tongue, Regis smiled and looked ahead.

"You should have shown such tricks earlier. Now… they don't work."

The wound on his forehead was instantly sealed by a sticky, tar-like substance and spider-web-like fibers.

The next dagger that flew at him was blocked by a purple barrier and fell.

Regis smiled even more deeply as he watched Ian charge forward, as if it were an illusion.

His eyebrows suddenly furrowed.

The space above Ian's head crumpled momentarily, and he struck down with a force that would have crushed his skull.

But Ian, as if he had been waiting, leaped to the side.

The space where he had stepped returned to its original form.

Something was stirring beyond the veil of reality.

"Hmm."

Regis marveled, seemingly unaware that Ian could dodge.

But Ian's eyes, which glared at Regis, were calm and devoid of any excitement.

'This is how it's done.'

His reckless movements were merely to probe Regis's combat style.

He had never faced a human-form opponent in the game.

Back then, the vengeful spirit, a bloodied avenger, appeared at the start of the battle and dealt a fatal blow to the creature.

As a result, Regis, whose health had drastically dropped, immediately revealed his true form.

Thus, this current phase, where he commands the hounds and uses tricks, was the most cautious stage for Ian.

He couldn't predict what unexpected attack might deal a fatal blow.

"Is that all you've got? You're a disappointment."

Ian taunted as he ran to the side.

Regis's eyes narrowed.

"You're a gnat with the mouth of an eagle. Curious, but intriguing."

With the barrier still around him, he extended his hand.

A force similar to holy power enveloped the hounds.

Their breathing grew rough, and their twisted bodies swelled.

Their fangs grew longer and sharper, resembling deep-sea creatures Ian had seen in old photos.

"Go on, keep yapping."

"Sure thing, scumbag."

As Ian charged at the hounds, a voice rang out.

"Y-Yes… Y-Yes…!"

"Damn it. Everyone, stay focused."

The soldiers and knights, densely lined along the wall, were on the brink of life and death.

While most of the hounds were focused on Ian, a few still circled around them, looking for an opening.

The situation was dire, with the hounds growing even larger and more threatening.

Roar!

Sure enough, one of the hounds, deciding there was no need to wait for an opening, lunged with its jagged mouth.

Crack!

The spear thrust at it broke uselessly, and the hound's jagged teeth were about to tear apart a soldier.

Crack!

A red barrier, like a wall of fire, struck the hound's waist.

The severed upper half of the hound, splattered with black blood and entrails, flew up.

Crack!

Meb, standing in front of the soldiers, shattered the hound's skull with a punch.

Bits of stone that had fallen when she slammed into the wall scattered along her path.

Turning to the knight, she said:

"Block all the entrances to the hall. Can you do it?"

Her voice, cold as if the madness she had shown was a lie, made the knight nod hastily.

"Y-Yes…! I can do it!"

This castle, built by repurposing the ruins of an ancient elf, could isolate almost every area with iron bars.

A precaution in case enemies infiltrated the castle.

"Go. Isolate the hall and join His Majesty to report the situation."

Crack—Squish!

Meb, having struck a charging hound, dismembered it like meat and turned to the soldiers.

"Don't trust the survivors. Go, quickly!"

"Y-Yes…! Everyone, run to the passages!"

At the knight's command, the soldiers sprinted as if in a frenzy.

Meb blocked the hounds charging at them with her entire body.

In the process of slicing, striking, and crushing, one of the hounds finally bit her arm.

She smashed its jaw with the weight of her sword and trampled it with her boot, seemingly unaffected.

As the last one entered the passage, the knight, looking back at her monstrous appearance, finally said:

"I apologize for the misunderstanding, Sir. I will complete my mission with my life."

The knight, with a determined face, disappeared.

Meb, having decapitated all the hounds, finally straightened up.

Her heavy breathing. The blood flowing down her arm, pooling at the end of her gauntlet, evaporated and merged with the holy power.

Regis, finally noticing her, smiled.

"A meaningless act. All the hounds are already gathering in the castle. Your choice will only increase the casualties."

Even as he said this, the hand gripping his cane twitched again.

Most of the hounds that had been targeting Ian turned to face Meb.

Meb, without a word, raised her sword to her face.

"Now, are you ignoring me?"

Ian, taking advantage of the opening, finally charged at Regis and struck with his sword.

Regis smiled as he formed a barrier.

"There's no need to pay too much attention to a gnat."

Crack—

Ian's sword was blocked by the barrier.

Unlike Meb, it didn't damage the barrier, but Ian's lips curled upward.

"I wasn't the only one hoping for no witnesses."

"…!"

Regis's eyes finally widened as he met Ian's burning gaze.

Rumble!

Red fireballs erupted around Ian.

They also surrounded Regis.

The fireballs rained down on him.

Boom!

Most of the fireballs exploded against the barrier, but it didn't cover all sides.

A few fireballs finally reached Regis and exploded, and the heat, blocked by the barrier, rotated inward, completely engulfing him.

Ian, propelled by the reaction, rolled on the ground.

Amid the smoke, he looked up at Regis.

Laughter emerged from the creature engulfed in flames.

"A mage…! Now, the mystery is solved. No one would have guessed you were a mage just by your appearance. The red one Conraud mentioned was you. All those achievements were achieved through deception."

"Like you."

Ian smiled back.

It was a success. Regis's form began to mutate within the flames.

The barrier surrounding him became more vivid and grew larger.

In the center, like a full moon, Regis's body twisted and swelled.

The flames on his body subsided.

Black tentacles, like hair, extended from his body.

The skin on his forehead split, and a red tentacle popped out.

His pineal gland, now mutated and enlarged.

Veins burst out of his skin, covering his face, nose, and mouth.

His staff and fingertips merged, sprouting fang-like claws.

The ancient priest, Regis.

"Disgusting…."

Ian, muttering, drew essence from the subspace and charged again.

The veins on Regis's forehead curled up.

"God makes His creations in His own image. This form is proof that God created me directly—"

His soft voice.

As he waved his hand, long claw marks appeared on the ground.

Invisible claws flew at Ian, but he dodged as if he had anticipated it.

Now, it was a battle he knew.

Rumble—

Breathing and footsteps echoed in the empty air.

A hound of the void, which lived in the gaps of space, was summoned in its true form.

Unlike the mutated creatures Meb was fighting, this was a genuine hand of the void.

Of course, there was no need to face this one.

Rumble—Boom!

Ian shot dancing flames, amplified by essence, in all directions and charged at Regis.

An explosion occurred in the air, and the hound of the void backed away.

Regis extended his staff.

A larger, layered barrier blocked the way.

Ian, as if he had anticipated it, extended his hand.

A bright yellow flame spewed from the glowing red essence.

Boom!

The amplified flame blast covered Regis and the surroundings, burning fiercely.

As the barrier melted.

Ian, hovering in the air, returned the essence to the subspace and gripped his sword with both hands.

"I'll send you to your god."

A blue holy power exploded along the blade.

Using its power as propulsion, Ian shot toward Regis.

Ian's eyes glowed menacingly.

From his experience in the game, he knew Regis couldn't use the barrier continuously.

One layer of the barrier remained, but this was enough to tear it apart.

And then, all that was left was to let Meb deliver the final blow.

"Ah…?!"

Regis's pineal gland trembled in confusion.

The space in front of him was sliced as if by a knife, and a purple leg with a blade-like claw suddenly emerged.

"…!"

Crack—

Ian's eyes widened as the claw and the sword of judgment collided.

A blinding flash. The claw was severed, and the sword sliced through the barrier and into Regis's body.

'Shit…! He uses it for defense too?'

Ian's brow furrowed as he landed.

The sensation in his hand was shallow.

It was a miscalculation, not anticipating the variables that could arise in reality.

The void's claw, in the game, was only used for attacks.

Crunch, the severed claw evaporated, leaving no trace.

The tentacles on Regis's body also fell to the ground.

They were the parts cut off by the sword of judgment, which had swept from his shoulder to his waist.

"Quite impressive… You even have the favor of Tir En. But… a fake can never surpass the real."

With a whisper, a purple barrier rose in front of Ian.

Ian's brow furrowed.

"Damn."

Boom!

Ian was propelled back by the explosion.

Despite moving quickly, his armor was tattered, and his thigh and arm were covered in blood.

If he hadn't also raised chaos power in response, he would have been reduced to a lump of meat.

Thud!

Ian, slammed into the wall, spat out blood and fell.

Fortunately, he didn't lose consciousness.

But it wasn't a minor injury.

His body's senses were dull, and he felt dizzy.

His vision was blurred.

Probably a concussion. Ian's brow furrowed as he shook his head.

Crunch, crunch.

The sound of grinding stone and claw marks on the wall and floor were getting closer.

The hound of the void.

Ian's high mental strength didn't waver even in this moment.

'Just need to dodge once. Or at least avoid a fatal wound. Just need to buy time until the dizziness subsides—'

A red shadow blocked his path at that moment.

Meb.

Cr