Chapter 67 - The Wind of Eutinus (2) (1/2)

The Wind of Eutinus  (2)

I couldn’t leave it be; it was too dangerous to let live. My body was already moving by the time I had come to this conclusion. Blood Shadow slashed out from my hand and into the head of the monster who was being absorbed, bloody flames and dark lightning flared out from the blade.

[Gigaaaaak!]

In the middle of its hideous union, it fiercely resisted the blade. Twisting against my blade, it deformed its melting body even further as it formed a sharp spear. The spear flew outward, piercing through me. It didn’t matter how much defensive power Blood Baptism had; it would not last against this attack. This monster was too far above me in power, and when the fusion finished, it would only be stronger.

[Kyaaaagh!]

It was too late to withdraw. Even if my stomach was pierced and its tendrils snapped away at my soul, I had to see this through. My mind was weakening, one more wound engraved into my flesh. ‘Focus!’ I poured all of my mana into one point, at the tip of Blood Shadow. I had no time to think about the consequences.

[Aggggghhh!]

The monster’s head, now twice as large as it had been, was consumed by the bloody flames and dark lightning. Blood Shadow squeezed through it’s melding form, slicing into its vitals. Victory?

The wind blew through once more, a shock running through me. It strengthened this beast just as it sapped mine, amplifying the monster’s power for just an instant. But that instant was enough for its spear to power through my Blood Baptism, fully piercing my stomach. I didn’t have enough mana left to activate my stone skin—to defend against the spear in any way. Red blood flew through the air.

[You…you were…human. Just like me?]

I heard a voice through the haze. The will of the two monsters, once independent human souls, was pleading to me in a voice that I could barely understand. Was the effect of their union that brought reason to them? Or perhaps the danger they were in?

[Why are we fighting each other? The real enemy is that elf!]

I wasn’t interested in what it was saying. This monster seemed to be worried about me, now that it knew what I was.

[You have to kill that elf! That one!]

I realized it was because he had touched my soul that he had known. It was unfortunate for him that I had to kill anyone who touched my soul.

[Pull the sword free, it’s not too late! Do it now… Agggh!]

I pushed Blood Shadow in deeper, the body of the monsters that were so close to fully merging now engulfed in flame. The tendrils grasping onto me began to fall off in strands, the spear in my abdomen losing its edge. I slipped off the spear and collapsed onto the ground, listening to the monster’s final screams.

“It’s already too late,” I muttered weakly.

[You gained 689,842 experience!]

[You received 2 gold and 10 silver.]

[You have obtained a Fragment of a Fallen Soul.]

Just because I killed that enemy didn’t mean it was all over. The Wind of Eutinus would undoubtedly continue to empower the nearby monsters, perhaps even uniting them into even stronger beasts. It was too late to figure out why this was happening. Now, all I could do was survive with a giant hole in my stomach and my depleting mana.

‘Can’t help it now.’ I glanced over at Mireina, who was sitting still in the field. I didn’t want to show off my Predation in front of an elf, but now I had no choice.

“Thank you for the meal.” At this moment, with the enemies closing in on me, I didn’t have time to relax and eat the whole creature—especially not one this big. I swung my sword, cutting off the beast’s head and putting my hand on the rest of the body to store it away in my inventory.

[Kiaaaah!]

[Kugagaaaa!]

The monsters screamed out louder, their hostility toward me palpable now. ‘I thought they would go for Mireina first, but now they’re ignoring her for me!’ I was sure it was because I had stored the body of that monster in my inventory. Their merging didn’t care for living monsters; even a corpse would serve to make them stronger. These monsters that had been focusing on the elves now only wanted to merge with other monsters. As long as that remained to be the case, they would go for me first.