12 The dead man and his king. (1/2)

It was a blow with all his might. The long claws pierce Lord's skull with ease.

Luu's eyes widen in shock at my sudden outburst. But it was too late.

There was no excitement. There was only stupefied joy. Maybe it's proof I've become a monster.

I pull out the claw that softly pierced my skull. Hot blood spurts out and a smile naturally appears on my face.

Got it. Now I'm free. Now all you have to do is get out of the woods and run wherever you want.

I'm not going to fight the Order of the End. Just get out of the woods and run wherever you want. Go hunt beasts in the depths of some similar forest. Until you get tired of this new life.

--Then, suddenly, I heard a crack in something.

What the hell is this ......?

”What?

A voice struck my ear that I couldn't hear.

I couldn't understand it. After a few beats, I finally felt a hair-raising sense of dread wash over me.

I was sure my claw had pierced the Lord's head. He didn't avoid it, didn't prevent it.

The voice came from right in front of me. I was sure that I had sliced through his skull diagonally, but he was still in the same position as before, and he was screaming.

There was not a single scar on his head where the claw should have pierced to the root.

That's impossible. The Lord is not undead. As a wraith, I can clearly see that Lord is a living human being.

Before I knew it, the blood that should've been on his claws and the bloodstains that should've been splattered were gone.

It can't be, it can't be, it can't be. I'm sure I killed Lord. I killed him!

There's already an intelligence. You already have. ...... Interesting.

No!

Not yet. It's not over yet.

Put all your energy into it and thrust your arm out with all your might. You're not aiming for the head. The heart.

The five protruding claws easily pierce the Lord's skinny back, robe and all, and make a huge hole in the center of his body. The touch of warm blood on the palm of his hand, and the sound of blood flowing.

Again, you hear a strange sound.

In front of you, a voice of praise and not anger comes from the Lord who has been pierced through the torso.

”The piercing of the head is not the reason you didn't die. But it was smart. Smart. I don't know how long you've had your wits about you, but did you stay put after your mutation?　With an eagle eye on my life?　I was not expecting this, but it seems that the ...... element was even better than I expected. I must thank the ...... hack.

It's a monster. I'm a werewolf, but even I can't remain unresponsive to a stab to the heart.

That's impossible. So this is the Necromancer.

I knew I couldn't fight him head on. That's why I timed my attack so perfectly.

Hunger and the need for survival sustained my crumbling heart.

I pull my arm out. The moment I take it out, the pieces of flesh and blood that should have been stuck to my arm disappear like a haze.

In a split second, I think.

What should I do?　How can I kill a creature that can live with a damaged skull and heart?

No--no. This is not living with a mortal wound. This isn't about super resilience or anything like that. Yes, it's as if, somehow, the attack never happened.

You can't run away. You can't defend yourself. The decision was instantaneous.

Kill till you kill. For the first time, I roar in front of Lord.

”AHHHHHHHH!

He raises his claws in a reverse reaction. Just before the sharp tip of the claw slices through my robe, Lord Horos' voice cuts through my roar and enters my ear.

Stop.

The command thundered through me.

My arm twitched, and the sudden braking caused it to self-destruct. The tissue in my arm popped, and a dull pain shot through me. My body, which had been moving so faithfully and so freely, was now giving priority to Lord's orders over mine.

The tip of the claw never reached the flesh again.

The claws that had come so close to touching the robe would not go any further, no matter how hard I tried.

I finally accepted that I had lost.

No--I can't win. I'll never win. The man in front of me is a monster. A monster unlike me.

Lord slowly turns to me, unable to take a single step as ordered. There's no anger in his face. Just a look of dazed amusement.

This was a clear indication of the difference between our abilities. For this Lord, the man in front of me, who had been angered by Luu's false report (which was actually true), the rebellion I had launched at the most opportune moment was nothing to be angry about.