Chapter 35
When the silence broke, chaos followed in an instant.
The other soldiers snapped back to their senses after witnessing their comrade reduced to pulp.
It was clear that their anger outweighed even the soul-freezing fear.
Without needing any signal, they drew the swords at their waists.
“Y-you damned bastard…! I will not let you get away with this!”
A soldier shouted, his face twisted viciously.
A foreboding instinct screamed that if they did not deal with that spine-chilling existence immediately, something terrible would happen.
And above all else, rage at the death of their companion seized them.
Perhaps because of that murderous momentum—
Srrrk! Splat….
The shadow, which had been crawling forward with its massive hands, stopped moving.
Its grotesquely swollen crimson eyes rotated like the hinges of an old door.
Those born of sludge did not pay much attention to anyone other than their target, but when someone stood before them radiating hostility, it was different.
Creatures born by devouring corrupted souls fed on the fear of others.
The shadow looked down upon them.
Black paste bubbled and sloughed off, viscous liquid endlessly pouring from what passed for its face.
“Hyaaaah!”
The soldiers charged with a battle cry.
“…Keep your distance! Do not attack recklessly!”
Aquila stepped forward and shouted.
But once again, his voice did not properly reach them.
The remnants of anger and fear had completely paralyzed part of their judgment.
“No…!”
Shen screamed.
WHOOOM!
The shadow’s attack was as merciless as ever, and too fast to be seen.
The soldier dodged the first few strikes, but in the end, he could not even scream.
The result was the same as before.
SPLAT!
The sound of a body bursting apart thundered across the grounds.
The soldier, struck by overwhelming force, was hurled away at tremendous speed.
And then—
THUD!
Before even hitting the ground, his shattered corpse flew all the way to where Aquila and Shen stood, spraying through the air.
“Ugh…!”
Shen’s body trembled.
The only intact parts left were the right arm raised to attack and the sword it held.
The blade fell, burying itself deep into the dirt.
Faced with the horrific sight, Shen clamped a hand over his mouth.
‘Rage and fear… a confusion debuff. It will not end until either it dies or it kills.’
The monster’s attack pattern was exactly as expected.
Its intelligence was low, so it repeated simple attacks.
However, the power behind each blow was monstrous.
Even at its weakest stage, it was still a corrupted soul, not an opponent to be taken lightly.
Aquila cast a cool glance over the shadow and turned his head.
Completely out of place for the situation, he staggered forward, passed the crimson-splattered remains, and approached the fallen sword.
SHING!
He drew the blade, tightened his grip, and gave it a few swings.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Despite being a standard soldier’s sword, the overall balance and the way it fit into his palm were not bad.
At the center of the hilt, the dragon emblem of House Reschenhardt was elegantly engraved.
“…Young master.”
Carefully avoiding the blood spread across the ground, Shen followed behind and lifted a pale gaze.
“…Are you going to use a sword?”
“It is better than nothing. How many points would you give me for my swordsmanship?”
“You, young master? About… ten points?”
“Ten points? That is harsh.”
“That is because your heart condition kept you from training properly!”
Not training properly still meant he had at least learned the basics.
After confirming the sword’s construction, Aquila shifted his gaze.
The shadow, having confirmed there was no one else around, turned its crimson eyes back to its target.
Splat, srrrk….
It began moving once more.
Shen’s expression grew urgent at the sight.
“If you are the target, should you not run?! I will go bring the other soldiers and the Temple Knights!”
“If you go now, it will be too late.”
Cutting Shen off, Aquila extended both arms toward the shadow.
The posture looked almost—
“W-wait! Young master, are you casting magic again—!”
Before Shen could finish shouting, golden magical formulas appeared at Aquila’s fingertips.
Intricate lines and characters overlapped chaotically, and in the next instant, a brilliant mass of light formed.
“Get back, Shen!”
WOOOONG!
With Aquila’s shout, fierce flames burst forth from the center of the magic circle.
“…Ghk!”
Shen hurriedly retreated.
Even though it shot forward like an arrow, the heat alone was enough to sting.
It was Fireball, the most basic of basic spells.
However, it did not look ordinary.
That was because Aquila’s old habits from his past life as a renowned archmage were deeply embedded within it.
Thus, the mere fireball instantly changed shape.
FWOOSH!
Like a dragon taking flight, it traced wings through the air and flew straight toward the monster.
The fireball struck the torso of the Corrupted Shadow of Ecstasy head-on.
KRAAAASH!
“…Ggh, grrrrk!”
The shadow’s body reeled from the impact.
Its melting flesh met the flames and burned, sending a choking stench all the way to where Aquila and Shen stood.
It was an overwhelming reek.
“…Ugh, agh! The smell!”
Overcome by the sudden stench, Shen covered his face with both hands.
It was not just a foul odor. The air itself felt painfully sharp against the skin.
Already accustomed, Aquila covered his face with his sleeve and narrowed his eyes.
His heart pounded violently, as if signaling distress.
Clutching his chest, Aquila struggled to steady his breathing.
Even the mana he had intended to conserve was draining uncontrollably from the vessel he had partially refilled.
Drawing out a fixed amount of mana was harder than he had expected.
‘It is just a Fireball, but this body has abysmal efficiency….’
Aquila fixed his gaze on the black smoke rising in the distance.
It looked devastating, but he knew that the spell alone could not defeat the monster.
He was not currently under a divine buff.
Moreover, the true purpose of that flamboyant fireball was to announce their position across the vast garden.
‘Now, as long as a priest arrives properly… hmm?’
As the black smoke gradually cleared, Aquila narrowed his eyes at the sight before him.
The shadow’s body, one arm buried deep in the ground, was still sizzling.
Moreover, one side of its torso was visibly gouged where the melting flesh had been burned away.
“Ggh, gghh…!”
The shadow writhed in pain, letting out a chilling scream.
“…That attack worked?”
Aquila muttered unconsciously.
How could it have worked?
He had not received a divine buff, nor did he possess—
DING!
[Additional passive has been updated!]
[Shortcut: ‘GO’]
The sudden alert drew Aquila’s gaze.
He reflexively opened the window, and a massive amount of text scrolled into view.
[The title ‘Godslayer’ is currently active!]
[God Killing (Minor): ‘Not even gods are eternal.’ Existence interference, increased attack power.
— Imprinted on the soul, permanent.]
[Beware of Fanatics: You can sense the presence of beings touched by divine influence. Existence interference, increased attack power.
— Imprinted on the soul, permanent.]
[※Benefits unlocked for the player pierced together with the god by the ‘Spear That Pierced the Corrupted God’! Skill conditions have been partially changed!
Before: ‘Beware of Fanatics’ passive usable only while ‘Spear That Pierced the Corrupted God’ is equipped. Increased blessing effect of the Sun God.
After: Equipment requirement for ‘Spear That Pierced the Corrupted God’ removed. Passive can be used freely.]
As he scrolled down, Aquila’s eyes widened.
The effect of the ‘Godslayer’ title.
How had he forgotten this?
And if he could sense corrupted fanatics nearby, even better—
‘Wait. If my attacks work because of this effect, do I really need a priest at all?’
Just as Aquila’s expression began to grow serious—
“…Young master!”
A familiar voice.
Aquila, who had been unable to tear his eyes from the system window, snapped his head up.
A priest with brown hair tied neatly upward and dressed in a pure white robe was waving toward him.
“Wah! Lady Yujelia!”
Shen’s face, which had been contorted by the stench, brightened instantly.
Behind Yujelia, the twins could be seen hiding nearby.
He had told them to bring a priest, and it seemed they had somehow found Yujelia.
Yujelia waved, cupped her hands around her mouth, and shouted.
“You were the one who cast that spell just now, right, young master? You only just got back up after mana exhaustion, and you are already using mana again! Have you lost your mind?!”
She began running toward Aquila, looking like a furious demon.
Her sharp aura made Aquila step back without thinking.
“No, I—”
“…B-brother! In front of you!”
A chill ran down his spine the instant Reshan’s voice rang out.
Aquila instinctively shoved Shen hard to the side and rolled with him.
KRAAAASH!
“Wah?!”
With a deafening sound, something black slammed violently into the spot where they had been standing.
SPLAT! Slither….
Murky liquid spilled out, rapidly spreading across the ground.
After rolling a few more times, Aquila hurriedly lifted his head.
Bulging eyes.
The scorched area had already been refilled with sludge, restoring the Corrupted Shadow of Ecstasy to its original form.
It had kicked off the ground and leapt straight toward where they had been standing.
The speed was on a completely different level from when it crawled with its arms.
Aquila stared in disbelief.
‘It already entered phase two?’
But he had no time to think further.
“…KIEEEEEEK!”
The shadow suddenly opened its mouth wide and roared, inky fluid dripping down.
“…Ghk!”
“Kyaaah!”
The soul-shaking sound made everyone but Aquila stagger and clutch their ears.
But the roar was merely the prelude to an attack.
Knowing this, Aquila quickly steadied his stance.
‘First, the right arm!’
SWISH!
The massive right arm surged toward where Aquila had been at a speed too fast to see.
But he was already gone.
‘Next, the left arm, ground smash.’
The shadow raised its left arm and slammed it down, trying to crush Aquila.
CRASH!
A hand larger than Aquila’s head pulverized the ground, but the attack missed again.
‘Both arms, downward smash. Three times in succession.’
BOOM! KRAAASH! KRAAASH!
Earth exploded into the air wherever Aquila passed, obscuring his vision.
Fierce wind whipped his crimson hair wildly.
“…Young master!”
“Do not come! Stay there!”
Gritting his teeth, Aquila rolled to the side.
The simple pattern was not difficult to evade, but being buffeted by the shockwaves while holding a sword was unfamiliar.
“…KIEEEEEEK!”
Realizing that none of its attacks had landed, the shadow roared again.
THUD! THUD!
It raised its dark red arms and stabbed its fingertips into the ground one by one.
The sludge-wrapped body trembled violently.
Its swollen eyeballs shook grotesquely, like balloons.
‘Finally, a frontal fan-shaped area attack…!’
Aquila waited for the moment the shadow came to a complete stop.
The instant it began to open its mouth wide, he sprinted with all his strength toward its back.
“Hup!”
He first drove the cumbersome sword into the ground, then leapt forward with a much lighter body.
“Young master!”
Seeing Aquila tumble across the ground in front of him, Shen gasped and grabbed his arm, yanking him back.
And at the same time—
FWOOOSH!
Pitch-black liquid sprayed out of the monster’s mouth.
Corrupted sludge.
Trees, bushes, and flowers in the garden that were splashed or struck head-on instantly melted into black ruin.
Bubbling….
As if swallowed by boiling magma, leaving no trace behind.
“My goodness…!”
Yujelia cried out in shock at the devastated garden.
“…U-ugh! Young master! Where are you going?! It is dangerous!”
Springing up like a coiled spring, Aquila shook off Shen’s grip, drew the sword embedded in the ground, and charged straight at the monster.
He swung the blade at its sludge-formed right arm.
SCHRRRK!
Contrary to expectations, the blade cut cleanly through, leaving a long gash along the Corrupted Shadow of Ecstasy’s arm.