novelraw Chapter 161 : Valencia (4)
Chapter 161 : Valencia (4)
Chwareureureuk-
Hurriedly releasing the Mana Chain from Valencia who was trying to leave, U-jin examined the state of the Man-eating Beast.
‘…….’
Kkumul kkumul-
The stab wound from the mental world was still there, and the bundle of tentacles that had pushed its way out was squirming and proliferating endlessly.
Grotesque movements.
An ominous atmosphere.
Even an aura as if looking at something unholy.
Its identity had to be *that*.
‘…A Primordial Demonic Beast.’
Of course, it couldn't be said to be the thing itself, but U-jin was certain that it was at least a fragment of one.
U-jin had seen all sorts of things during his time with the suicide squad before his Regression, but.
Even in a situation where ruin was imminent, the only things he had seen that gave off such a peculiar grotesque movement and ominous feeling were of that kind.
“…Damn it.”
No wonder it felt strange.
The part that had remained hazy even after the puzzle pieces had roughly fallen into place now made sense to U-jin.
‘…It didn't make sense for a Thought Form without a medium to last for 100 years.’
Most Thought Forms existed in the form of Artifacts bound to a medium, and the few medium-less Thought Forms were bound to perish without leaving their presence behind for long.
Mana had the property of circulating, and if it gathered, it naturally had the property of dispersing.
Even holy relics, which could be said to be the pinnacle of Artifacts, would leave their divine will not in the empty air but in an object or a target.
For the will of a mere mortal to remain for so long without a medium was something that didn't make sense.
That was also why U-jin had been uncertain until he arrived at Aileen Village, even though he was somewhat convinced that the Man-eating Beast's identity was Allen Tigris.
The conclusion drawn from putting all the other pieces together was clearly that the Man-eating Beast was Allen Tigris's Thought Form, but the question regarding the duration had not been resolved at all.
However.
‘…This makes sense.’
It made sense if he thought of it not as existing without a medium, but as hiding a medium—a fragment of a Primordial Demonic Beast—within it.
Although it was a monstrous substance of unknown identity, it was still a substance that clearly existed in this world.
…Instead, having spent such a long time with its roots in a Primordial Demonic Beast… it was difficult to see that thing as a Thought Form anymore.
Rather, it was more correct to see it as a grotesque chimera closer to a Primordial Demonic Beast itself.
‘…….’
He hadn't turned it inside out and looked himself, but U-jin was certain.
Although its appearance was that of a large and gallant white tiger, its insides must have already been more than half devoured by the Primordial Demonic Beast.
No, half would be fortunate.
Considering the duration, it was correct to assume that the appearance of Allen Tigris III was now nothing more than a shell.
He didn't know how it had managed to maintain itself without showing any signs until now, but at this point, it must have been festering for a very long time.
‘…….’
It seemed the reason Aileen Village, which he had visited before his Regression, had been destroyed wasn't simply because it was attacked by the Demon King's Army.
At this level, something must have happened around that time.
The thought that perhaps the reason the Demon King's Army went out of its way to attack that country village was related in some way—whether to use or eliminate this Primordial Demonic Beast—flashed through his mind.
“Hero!!!”
Eliya's urgent voice, suddenly bursting out, broke U-jin from his thoughts.
“How……”
Jerry, with his brow deeply furrowed, and Tom, biting his lip hard, were also looking at U-jin.
He knew without them having to say a word.
That they wanted an explanation of the current situation or some kind of instruction from U-jin.
…However, it was difficult for U-jin to give them an immediate answer.
‘…This wasn't in the plan.’
He had considered almost every possible situation, but even he hadn't thought of a scenario where a ‘Primordial Demonic Beast’ would be involved.
Primordial Demonic Beasts were fundamentally impossible to annihilate.
…At least, as far as U-jin knew.
He had never once seen the fundamental annihilation of a Primordial Demonic Beast.
Of course, he had seen a fragment of one being sealed before his Regression, but.
It wasn't something he had experienced firsthand, and even that was no easy task.
It wasn't something so trivial that he could just try whatever came to mind in a situation where none of the conditions were met.
‘…What should I do.’
Just as U-jin was contemplating the unexpected situation.
He felt a strange sensation from somewhere.
Woooong-
“……?”
It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling.
A feeling he had definitely experienced once before.
However, it felt a little stronger than last time.
The Sword's Cry.
The half-sword hilt he had taken out along with the Demonic Sword in the Shandong Peninsula was letting out a cry.
‘…….’
U-jin wondered why it had suddenly let out an untimely cry in such an urgent situation, but.
Something faintly came to his mind.
‘…Come to think of it.’
The first time this half-sword hilt had let out a cry before.
That was definitely when he first encountered ‘Tom Hardist’.
Since it was the first time and only a single cry, he hadn't been able to gauge what conditions needed to be met for it to sound its cry.
If he were to force a commonality between that situation and the current one.
‘…The Beastkin.’
The Beastkin.
And not just any Beastkin, but those who had inherited a strong bloodline.
This sword was crying out to them.
Thinking it might be a possibility, U-jin took out the sword hilt and aimed it at Allen Tigris's Thought Form, which was completely covered in the bundle of tentacles.
And soon after.
Tiring-!
[The ‘Fragment of the Nameless Sword’ is reacting strongly to an unknown power.]
The system window's notification sound informed him that his guess was correct.
Woooooong-!
A much stronger Sword's Cry.
He was certain.
Even if he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, this sword hilt was asserting its presence in relation to the Beastkin.
* * *
Meanwhile.
Kwaaak-!
Perhaps unable to wait any longer for U-jin, who was just waving the broken sword hilt around without any noticeable reaction.
Tom jumped onto the Thought Form's back and began cutting the bundle of tentacles from its body.
As someone who had once been a royal guard of the Beastkin and served the king, he couldn't bring himself to attack the king directly, but his actions stemmed from the thought that he had to do *something*.
…It was obvious, but his attack, swung without any real basis, was meaningless.
His claws, extended to their limit, sliced through the bundle of tentacles dozens of times, but.
The severed tentacles crawled back and reattached themselves, and from the cut places, even more tentacles sprouted, now trying to swallow Tom as well.
As it was on a different level from ordinary Magical Beasts, it was impossible to resolve the current situation with mere physical damage.
…Well.
It wasn't that Tom didn't know this.
He too could intuitively tell that these tentacles possessed a strange and unpleasant essence, different from ordinary things, but he had moved his body because he couldn't bear to watch his monarch be defiled before his eyes.
It was a purely emotional attack.
‘…….’
Watching Tom, U-jin quietly raised the corner of his mouth.
Psik-
A hopeless situation with no answer in sight.
It was a situation he never wanted to face again after having gone through Regression, but ironically, it was the kind of situation he felt most familiar with.
Before his Regression, every situation he encountered felt like this.
‘…Let's do this.’
He didn't know what the right answer to this situation was, but there was no problem in the world without an answer.
It just hadn't been found yet.
Having organized his thoughts, U-jin looked at Tom, who was flustered and running around in confusion, and readjusted his grip on the sword hilt.
“…Tom! Get out of there!”
He shouted at him.
“……!”
Even if he couldn't figure out exactly what it was, the fact that this sword hilt had suddenly made a sound must mean there was some kind of solution.
He didn't know how, but it seemed the Fragment of the Nameless Sword could play some role in breaking through this situation.
‘…First, let's try stabbing it.’
Taktaktak-!
Paaat.
Kicking off the ground, U-jin took a few running steps and then leaped to where Tom had been.
He crossed paths with Tom as if passing a baton and plunged the Nameless Sword between the tentacles.
Puuuk-!
However.
“……?”
No change occurred.
The disgusting tentacles were still proliferating, and the Thought Form remained unharmed, not even flinching.
To the point that its previous signals seemed meaningless, the Nameless Sword had no effect on the Thought Form.
…However.
There was one thing that had changed.
*Woooong-! Wooooong-!
The vibration of the Nameless Sword, which until then had felt like a mere tremor—
Was now shaking as if in an earthquake, sending out an insane Sword's Cry.
Puuk-
U-jin raised a hollow smile, intuitively knowing that his current attempt had failed as the Thought Form showed no significant change even after being stabbed again.
‘…It definitely feels like this is the right direction, though.’
As he muttered inwardly.
The Thought Form's tail swung as if to shake something off.
U-jin, who was hit while defenseless.
Kwaak-!
Was sent flying with a powerful crack.
And, the moment he was slammed into the wall with a *Kwang!*
He heard a strange voice pierce his eardrums.
『…Between the eyes.』
“……?”
『Strike between the eyes. Child.』
* * *
Kwaaang-!
Whether by coincidence or fate.
“……!”
At the spot where U-jin was slammed with a deafening roar, Valencia was hiding, trying to break the Mana Chain bound to her ankle.
Clutching her head with one hand, she stared at the flying U-jin with wide eyes.
“…You didn't go far. Valencia.”
“……!”
Cough-
From Valencia's perspective, it was an appearance that made her flinch involuntarily.
U-jin, who had coughed up a lot of blood, was waving his hand while lying on the ground.
Valencia unknowingly grimaced at the miserable sight.
But strangely, U-jin, the one in question, had a smile on his face.
It wasn't a forced smile put on while greeting her.
“…Good timing, I just found something I wanted to show you.”
Like someone who has found a breakthrough.
A smile that felt hopeful.
“…Between the eyes, huh.”
Smiling like that, U-jin muttered something nonsensical and staggered to his feet.
“…So it's between the eyes.”
Then, he stroked the sword hilt in his right hand once and turned his gaze forward.
And then.
Paat-!
He leaped once more and rushed towards the Thought Form.
And the moment the broken sword hilt plunged into the space between its eyes—the very spot he had just mentioned—
…a change occurred.