The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

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Chapter 13: Lemea Valley (3)

“Kieeek….”

With a strange cry, the Death Worm burrowed back into the ground.

Of course, it wasn’t because it felt satisfied and decided to return.

The vibrations beneath the surface continued.

“….”

The Death Worm circled around me like drawing a circle.

It’s eyeing me again to catch me once more.

One moment of being startled is enough.

There’s no way I’m going to be an easy meal for it, and it doesn’t seem willing to give up easily either.

The creature’s chilling presence crept up behind me, its speed rising menacingly.

As soon as I grasped its direction, I quickly rotated my body and flew up high.

-Thump!

With a sudden thud, the creature’s mouth opened wide and protruded from the ground.

Inside, numerous protrusions resembling tongues were writhing grotesquely.

Ugh, I’m not used to seeing that, and it’s making me feel sick.

I might actually vomit if I keep looking at it.

Looks like I need to polish things up a bit.

-Splat!

After adjusting my sword grip, I swung two sword strikes in mid-air.

The intersecting blade lines manifested into sword energy, piercing into the creature’s mouth.

“Kweeek!”

The Death Worm’s tongue, unable to evade, was cut off mercilessly.

It writhed in pain and soon burrowed back into the ground.

Judging by the continued vibrations, it seems it’s not fleeing.

Even if we’ve encountered it now, why did it appear here?

This place is still very close to the knights’ stronghold at the beginning of Lemea Valley.

It’s strange for a creature that hates sunlight and usually stays motionless in shaded areas to appear here. No matter how much I think about it, it’s odd.

[You know he came because of you, right?]

Out of the blue, Kaeram pointed at me.

I didn’t understand what she was talking about, so I looked at her and asked.

“Why? What did I do?”

[What did you do? Have you forgotten about sucking the blood of those vermin around here? That worm already has an amazing sense of smell…]

Out of the blue, a smell?

Are you saying I smell like cooking meat coming from my body?

[You seem completely clueless, huh? Shall I tell you about your current state? You’re like a special dish well seasoned with the repulsive blood of monsters and the clean blood of humans. A delicacy that can’t be tasted anywhere else, shall we say?]

“….?”

I snapped out of my momentary daze and tried to organize my thoughts.

So, by consuming the blood of monsters, I’ve actually become a more desirable prey for them?

In other words, the more I consume their blood, the more I evolve into a better meal for them?

“So, did it come all the way here just to eat me?”

[Forget just that! Soon, other demonic beasts, some of the greatest in the demon realm, will rush in! why? Wouldn’t it be nice to save yourself the trouble of looking for it?]

She was laughing as if it was a good thing.

Looking back on my past life, the more I consumed the flesh of monsters, the more twisted they seemed to become.

Just as it’s not strange for a beast to prey on another beast, ultimately, demonic creatures perceive each other only as prey.

Likewise, as I recently consumed the blood of demonic creatures, their traces spread throughout my body, and I eventually seemed to be seen as the same prey.

No wonder everything seemed odd since those hellhounds were rushing towards me.

“You somehow didn’t say anything until now.”

[Hmph! Who said I am kind?]

Well, if she had kindly informed me, it wouldn’t have been my favorite sword.

-Kugugugung

The Death Worm’s movements continued.

In the end, even if I try to escape, it’s obvious it’ll just end up attacking the stronghold. The only option seems to be to kill that heavenly creature right here.

[Take it easy, master. Trying to wield a sword against that thing would be useless, you know?]

She’s tempting me.

Monster skins generally have the strength equivalent to metal.

While you can pierce through intermediate-level monsters like ogres with brute force, high-level monsters like worms are impervious to human strength.

Even cutting through the tentacles inside is like cutting through stems, but to pierce through the outer shell, you need enough mana surrounding the blade, at least the level of 7th-grade or higher.

Well, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

After all, I have a demonic sword that’s unmatched anywhere in the world…

“To be honest, I don’t really want to admit it, but I’ll concede this time and go along with you.”

[Oh? You have a cooler side than I thought? Well, they say men should be cool and confident for women to follow~]

“If you can’t say it…”

What was the reason I brought Kaeram out in the first place?

It’s simple.

To use her power.

But so far, I, as the bearer of the demonic sword, haven’t properly utilized her power.

I’ve been wrong all along.

Swordsmanship? Magic? Occasionally used tricks?

Honestly, even with a stick instead of a sword, I could do these things.

What’s the point of using the power of a demonic sword against creatures that drop dead with a single swing?

So, Kaeram probably wasn’t satisfied either.

No matter how much I despise the perverted sword, Karam is undoubtedly beyond the realm of ordinary humans.

Why do we call God, a god?

Because there’s an insurmountable difference that humans can’t grasp.

A vast boundary that even a human with a lifespan of just a hundred years can’t catch up to in a lifetime.

This demonic sword can surpass that boundary of being human.

Of course, there are usually conditions and consequences attached…

“Shadow Arts 9th Form: Demonic Sword Manifestation!”

With the incantation, Kaeram, who was smiling, transformed into mist.

Her fading physical form soon rapidly absorbed into my body.

[Phew! How long has it been since I last felt this? How do you feel, master?]

Kaeram disappeared, but her voice echoed clearly in my head.

My heartbeat quickened, blood rushed through my veins, and heat surged throughout my body.

How does it feel?

“It’s so awesome it’s worth dying for!”

Demonic sword manifestation.

I handed over my body to Kaeram to unleash her true power.

Right now, my body is consumed by her soul.

If I lose consciousness for even a moment, this Demonic sword might completely take over my mind.

[Don’t push yourself, master! Just let everything go and relax~]

Did you think I wouldn’t see through your intentions?

If I let my guard down even for a moment, she’ll devour my soul without hesitation.

I’m doing everything just to deal with one monster.

“Phew…”

I sighed deeply, looking up at the sky.

But you know, it’s not all bad.

This overflowing madness that feels like it could destroy the whole world.

It’s an emotion I haven’t felt in a long time!

Even if what’s in front of me is a god, I don’t feel any fear!

Yes, the power of the Supreme Ones should be at this level!

“Let’s have some fun, Kaeram!”

Karam’s enthusiastic cheer reverberated in my head.

-Kugugung!

The sound of the Death Worm’s movement began to draw closer once again.

Unlike a moment ago when I was on high alert, now I feel completely relaxed.

As the creature approached, my body remained still.

Exactly ten meters below my feet.

The Death Worm’s wide-open mouth rapidly shot towards me.

When was it?

I remember something someone said in my past life.

When life suddenly becomes meaningless and you feel like dying, pick a flower and look back on your life.

With each petal you pluck, imagine removing the worries and concerns attached to your body until you’re left with just an empty stem.

Even if it may seem strange, it’s said that there’s no need to strive to appear beautiful while carrying the burden of self-destruction.

And when all the leaves filled with negative emotions are blown away by the wind, only the complete self filled with hope remains…

Do you think it’s just nonsense?

Even such whimsical words can inspire someone greatly.

Yes, this is one of the tricks I created while reminiscing about those days.

To shake off all the trivialities of the world and stand proudly at the center alone, like an empty stem…

“Mist Sword: Eight petals fluttering.”

As I cast the sword technique, a dark light emanated from Kaeram.

The raised sword slashed through space, leaving behind eight strikes that appeared to be at an unimaginable speed.

-Thump!

Finally, the Death Worm revealed itself outside the ground.

But what it encountered wasn’t my body; it was the eight sword strikes adorned in the air.

-Swish!

The body of the Death Worm, upon contact with the sword strikes, is split apart like slicing through an apple.

Even if this monster’s skin is said to be tougher than top-grade steel, it couldn’t withstand the blows of the Demonic sword.

Precisely divided into eight parts.

Just like flower petals dancing in the wind, the split body of the Death Worm scattered in eight directions.

-Thud!

As the petals disappeared, crimson blood poured out in their place.

A beautiful sight that vividly colors the empty night sky.

The blood inside my body churned like waves.

I wanted to immerse myself in that energy and lose myself for a long time, but unfortunately, it seemed there wasn’t time for that.

In the distance, the urgent footsteps of knights could be heard…

* * *

-Thump! Thump!

Not far away, an unfamiliar noise echoed.

In terms of direction, it seemed to be near the entrance of Lemea Valley.

The knights, upon realizing the situation, immediately headed to the scene.

With each step on the ground, the vibrations became clearer and the aftermath grew stronger.

Some senior knights could even deduce the presence of a certain monster just from the vibrations alone.

Of course, the exact truth would need to be seen with their own eyes, but they were at least certain of one thing: it was definitely not a low-level monster…

Along with this, a scent of burning wafted from the surroundings.

It resembled the smell when creatures from the demon realm were set on fire, but for now, most of them acknowledged it without dwelling on it too much.

The forest path was interrupted, revealing a rugged valley.

Although it was a dark and unlit area, the bodies of monsters and traces of blood scattered around were clearly visible.

“…!”

The knights were stunned.

The brutality of the massacred monster corpses was beyond what they could fathom being done by humans.

Could they have fought amongst themselves?

As they pondered these questions for a moment,

A mysterious figure appeared ahead of the knights.

Although the distance wasn’t far, the darkness made it impossible to confirm properly.

In response, one of the knights cast a spell.

“Guiding Light!”

The valley, previously shrouded in darkness, was illuminated brightly.

“…?”

A mysterious presence gradually taking shape.

However, there was nothing to confirm.

While the surroundings were brightly lit, nobody could fully perceive the presence before them.

Shrouded in black mist, the enigmatic figure perfectly concealed itself, conveying an alien sensation to the knights who had never encountered such a being before.

The feeling was so negative that it made approaching seem impossible.

At that moment of hesitation, Duke Vert, who had received the report, belatedly joined them.

…!

The Duke’s eyes were different from the knights’.

While the knights’ gazes were those of encountering something new, the Duke’s gaze seemed as if he had encountered something from a distant memory.

Beings that should not exist, whose very existence denies human nature itself…

“M-mist…?”

The Duke, doubting his eyes, quickly snapped out of his daze and looked directly ahead once again.

However, the enigmatic figure of his inquiry had already vanished from sight.

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