Chapter 122

And nothing happened.

Without the burning of killing intent or the sensation of power awakening, my left arm just felt cold.

No, why?

It was bewildering.

Without realizing it, I stopped in my tracks and looked at my left hand. Carelessly.

Unlike me, the Locust didn’t miss the opportunity.

“Kieeeet!”

The axe swung diagonally, aiming for my left shoulder.

My reaction was half a beat off due to panic.

It was already too late to deflect or dodge.

I barely managed to wedge my sword into the axe’s trajectory.

– Clang!

The sound of metal rang out.

A desperate defense, but my posture wasn’t great for a perfect block.

The Locust’s axe pressed down on Durandal.

The blade, pushed back by its force, dug into my shoulder.

To be precise, the area between my neck and shoulder, unfortunately not covered by armor.

A spray of blood splattered onto the blade.

“Ugh…”

How long has it been since I last felt a sword wound?

A groan escaped me from the searing pain.

Gritting my teeth, I steadied my stance and swung my sword upward.

The Life Force had already spread to every corner of my body.

In a pure contest of strength, I had the upper hand.

“Haaaaa!”

I took a step forward, twisted my waist, and pushed the sword upward.

Unlike before, my posture was stable. The full force of my body was channeled into the blade.

The axe was pushed back, and the Locust’s arm flew into the air.

At the same time, its front leg stabbed toward me again.

I’d already seen that move once—no way I’d fall for it again.

Rolling, I swung my blade, deflecting the Locust’s leg.

My target wasn’t this leg, but the one on the opposite side.

The area I had nearly severed earlier.

The left leg, trembling uncontrollably, unable to step forward or support its weight.

As expected, it couldn’t move in that state.

Springing up, I swung my sword, driving it into the leg and finally severing it completely.

The severed leg rolled on the ground.

“Kieee…!”

The Locust let out a groan and took a step back.

In that moment, I quickly checked the wound on my shoulder.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too deep.

Just a superficial injury.

Some blood was flowing, but the important blood vessels and muscles were mostly unharmed.

Considering Durandal’s sharpness and the force the Locust had been pressing down with, it was oddly shallow.

My shoulder could’ve been half-severed, and it wouldn’t have been surprising.

…Does it not harm its master?

It happened before too. When I fought Natalia.

I remembered how the blade’s tip had spun wildly to avoid hitting me.

It really is a good sword. In many ways.

Gripping the longsword with both hands, I charged at the Locust.

The blood soaking my shoulder flowed down my collarbone and finally reached my left arm.

The Ice Blade awakened.

—

This…!

It felt like my veins were on fire.

My vision turned red.

A sudden, intense heat surged through my body, racing like a cheer.

A euphoric high, like being drunk.

A violent impulse to reach out and destroy the enemy before me.

A whisper reached my ears.

*Kill.*

*Kill them all.*

*Until those insignificant lives are finally extinguished.*

*Accept your true nature.*

Was it my voice, or someone else’s?

The eerie whisper urged me on.

…Clearly, it’s not completely without effect.

But, as Lacey had assured me, my sanity hadn’t completely flown away like before.

My head just felt a bit hot.

Impressive.

At this level… I can definitely control it.

I fully unleashed the energy I had half-bound because it was difficult to handle.

The Life Force of slaughter.

A power that’s almost fundamental to this body.

Finally, it moved according to my will.

Like a loyal dog obeying its master.

A burning red aura wrapped around my body.

The Life Force’s power added to my strike. Durandal trembled.

The blade, leaving a crimson afterimage, tore through the Locust’s axe.

– Kwaaaaang!

The magic imbued in the axe shattered into pieces.

The sword cleaved through the axe as if slicing through flesh—too smoothly.

“Kieek!”

Startled, the Locust leaped into the air.

Vertically, about ten meters.

I was even more surprised.

Enough to forget the boiling impulse for a moment.

Wait, that thing can jump? With that size?

Well, it is a grasshopper, so I guess it makes sense!

Its five legs and half-severed axe came crashing down with its massive weight.

Enough to turn a person into a bloody pulp in an instant.

But jumping at me was a mistake.

By leaping into the air, its vulnerable underbelly was completely exposed.

A smile naturally formed on my face.

I’ve told Damien countless times.

Jumping attacks are useless against people!

My left hand, reaching into my pouch, pulled out four daggers.

Leaning back, I threw them with all my might.

Four streaks of light shot into the air.

A rain of bodily fluids poured down.

The daggers pierced the Locust’s belly, sinking in so deep the handles disappeared.

“Kieeeek?!”

Whether from pain or shock, the Locust’s body stiffened momentarily.

Perfect. In that state, it won’t be able to react.

Stepping back slightly, I pulled my left fist to the side of my face.

My target wasn’t the Locust.

Even if I cut or smashed it, unless I blew it away in one hit, the remaining parts would still come crashing down on me.

A dense killing intent gathered in my left arm.

The Ice Blade turned red.

Unlike Durandal, which resisted this power, it greedily absorbed the Life Force.

“Kyaaaah!”

With a shout, I thrust my arm forward.

Not toward the sky, but the ground.

A fist like a cannonball slammed into the earth.

– Kwaaaaaang!

With a deafening roar, the ground shattered into pieces.

The ground where it was supposed to land.

I hadn’t destroyed the cliff itself.

That kind of madness would only be possible for a dragon.

What I did was simply carve the ground at an angle.

But that was enough.

“Kieee…!”

“Profit!!”

The Locust, stuck in the tilted ground, loses its balance and slips.

In an instant, its upper body is left completely exposed.

This was the moment I had been waiting for.

Like a lightning strike, my blade extended and split the Locust’s upper body in half.

The severed upper half, unlike the lower half, spewed crimson blood.

“Farewell.”

– Thud!

A follow-up kick sent its body flying backward.

The hard exoskeleton actually helped.

If it had been flesh, my leg would have sunk in.

But thanks to the exoskeleton, it was pushed back properly.

The Locust slid and tumbled over the edge.

It flailed its legs desperately, but there was nothing but empty air beneath its feet.

“Kieeeeeee…”

Its scream-like cry gradually faded away.

If it falls from this height with its upper body severed, it won’t be coming back up easily.

It might even die on impact.

Given its size, the collision with the water surface would be massive.

I didn’t have time to watch its fall.

A sharp sound of slicing air was approaching from behind.

I spun around and swung my sword to deflect the attack from the side.

If I had blocked it head-on, I might have been pushed back and fallen just like it did.

The second Locust had already closed in.

The trajectory of its descending greatsword collided with my longsword, twisting it sideways.

The greatsword dug into the ground.

There was no time to counter.

Another Locust was thrusting its weapon toward me.

It was wielding a spear.

Charging with its six legs, the spear aimed for my head with a fierce momentum.

An axe, a greatsword, and now a spear.

One of each type, huh?

The spearhead, filled with ferocious energy.

Its front legs blocked my escape routes from both sides.

There was only one way out.

I kicked off the ground and leaped into the air.

The ground I used as a foothold crumbled, and my body shot upward.

The spear pierced through empty space.

Didn’t they say not to jump recklessly during combat?

Well, I can do it.

In mid-air, I grabbed the bow slung on my back.

I sheathed Durandal and drew an arrow, pulling the bowstring.

One shot, then immediately another.

The arrows, fired from mid-air, whistled through the air toward the Locusts’ heads.

If it were any other part, the arrows would bounce off the exoskeleton, but the face was unprotected flesh.

The arrows could pierce through easily.

The Locusts’ reactions were simple.

One raised its arm to shield its face, while the other turned its head to block with its shoulder.

Two metallic clinks. The arrows bounced off harmlessly.

I didn’t expect them to pierce through anyway. Buying time was enough.

As they blocked the arrows, I landed on the ground.

I quickly stashed the bow and drew Durandal again.

The two Locusts glared at me, their bulging eyes twitching.

Their cries were filled with hostility and wariness.

…It won’t be as quick as the last one.

I steadied my breath and prepared to fight again.

I had used some energy in the earlier punches, but it wasn’t enough to hinder the battle.

From below, the distant sound of heavy bodies crashing into the water echoed.

Perhaps enraged by their comrade’s demise, the Locusts charged at me.

—

What followed was pure chaos.

Greatswords, spears, and countless legs aimed at me.

It felt like fighting eight knights at once.

I was too busy deflecting and dodging to think.

I rolled on the ground, avoiding the rain of legs.

The torn and cracked ground had turned into a wasteland.

…It’s not going to collapse, is it?

Glancing at the ground, I swung Durandal to deflect a greatsword.

Sparks flew as the blades clashed.

I grabbed one of the legs aiming for my head.

Crunch. The sound of something breaking.

The Ice Blade’s claws crushed the hard exoskeleton like fruit.

Green fluid gushed out, soaking my hand.

The Locust screamed.

Just as I was about to crush it completely, another Locust’s spear thrust toward my side.

Ah, seriously!

I had no choice but to let go and leap back.

Twisting my waist to dodge the spear would only leave me open to another leg.

This had been going on for a while now.

One-on-one, I could handle it, but with two coordinating their attacks, I couldn’t find an opening.

Having multiple limbs made them annoyingly tricky.

Come to think of it, this was probably my first time fighting this type of enemy.

All the foes I’d faced before had only one pair of limbs.

About five minutes had passed since the battle began.

Neither side had taken significant damage.

Aside from the injury on my shoulder, I was unharmed, and they each had one leg half-destroyed.

It looked like this was turning into a tedious long battle.

…This is troublesome.

I sighed and flexed the fingers of my left hand.

The trembling fingertips moved sluggishly.

As expected, my movements were getting slower.

The Ice Blade’s cold was gradually taking over my left arm.

For now, it was just numbness and slight trembling, but if the battle dragged on, my arm would start to break down like last time.

No choice, then.

I changed my mindset.

Inside the dungeon, with no priest to heal my wounds, I had fought cautiously to preserve my body… but that ends here.

Fine, I’ll risk it all.

I gritted my teeth and charged at them.

Next time, I’ll make sure to bring a priest along.