Chapter 31

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Episode 6 - The past [4]

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’Shit, shit, shit... damn it.’

Fate played a dirty trick on me.

I didn’t expect this woman to show up.

’Did she really have to show up?’

She’s a villain who hates and fears Adel.

In the story I wrote for Adel, she was the one who started all of Adel’s torture and suffering.

She is the cause of the Without Emotions and Immunity to Pain traits.

She is both the first target to kill and Adel’s greatest fear.

’And of all people, she had to show up right in front of me.’

In that moment, my body trembled with rage and fear.

Once again, my body was getting out of control.

It’s as if Adel’s body is still not completely mine.

I knew it from the day I found the Supreme Quality Elixir when I killed that villain.

Since then, I’ve conducted some experiments.

For example, I tried looking at the elixir again, but there was no reaction. I did the same with other things, but there was no reaction either.

’That means that if a trauma like this woman appears in front of me, my body will react.’

The stronger the trauma, the less my body will react, even if I see the same trigger again.

Basically, my body only reacts to major trauma.

"Yes, I remember you."

"Oh, oh, I’m glad. So, what do you say? Do you want to play again?"

"Of course... not."

Returning to the present, after saying those words, the atmosphere changed completely.

The woman’s previously clear and cheerful expression turned frozen.

Then, suddenly, it turned serious, and finally somber.

’She would easily make the top ten list of the craziest villains in all of Holy Land.’

The thought crossed my mind for a few seconds before vanishing.

The situation was really dangerous.

’At least twenty-five minutes have already passed, so if I hold out a little longer, Director Bernice could show up at any moment.’

But we’re talking about a villain, not a Demonic Beast.

A Demon Beast can be distracted or confused.

But a villain, no matter how crazy and irrational, is still smart.

Besides, it’s hard to be stupid.

’I need to come up with a plan...’

Before I could even speak, a hand appeared right in front of my face.

My body reacted as best it could, and I used the Twenty Four Steps of Space to manage to escape.

’T-that was close.’

This woman specialized in the art of the Dark Knight.

Unlike a Swordsman, Dark Knights are an embodiment of immortality.

They are difficult to kill, and their physical capabilities surpass those of any swordsman.

The only disadvantage is that they cannot use armor or Mana Aura, so there is a slight advantage.

’Besides, she could especially be called a true embodiment of a Dark Knight.’

Her physical abilities were no joke; even among Dark Knights, she stood out.

"You’ve really improved, little Adel, but you’ve never refused to play with me before. Why are you different now?"

His eyes took on a wild look.

"Now you don’t listen to me, now you don’t want to play like before, so what should I do with you? Oh, that’s right, a punishment."

My body shuddered instinctively.

"Yes, that’s right, a punishment. Let’s see. Should I punish you like Lucas did? Drown you in poison that melts your mana and causes you great pain. Or should I give you Abraham’s punishment? Flay your whole body and squeeze out all your blood?"

The woman’s twisted smile grew stranger.

It was obvious she had been easily annoyed.

’It’s been a minute already; I need to wait at least ten to fifteen.’

That was the estimated time for Director Bernice to arrive.

Meanwhile, the woman muttered a dozen punishments and ways to torture me.

Someone else had been listening silently to everything she said.

Clementine murmured.

"W-what does all this mean...? Why would you do something like this to someone...?"

To her, even her own past was nothing compared to Adel’s.

It didn’t even come close.

She may have suffered abuse as a child and been emotionally scarred.

But Adel had all that and more.

Just seeing the two traits of Without Emotions and Immunity to Pain was proof enough of everything she had been through.

Then, the woman suddenly turned toward her.

"Oh, that’s right, there was someone else here. Hey, are you friends with little Adel?"

Clementine simply stared at her in fear, but the woman ignored her and continued.

"Ha, ha, incredible, little Adel finally made a second friend. I’m the first, of course. So, do you know about little Adel’s childhood?"

Clementine couldn’t say a word, and the woman took her silence as a no.

"In that case, I’ll tell you. It all started ten years ago. We found little Adel and discovered that his blood is literally an elixir. Oh, that’s right, you should know which elixir I’m talking about, shouldn’t you?"

Clementine, though she didn’t nod, probably knew which elixir the woman was referring to.

She continued with her story.

"At first, my colleagues were just experimenting on him and draining half his blood until he was nothing but skin and bones. But you know what? The amazing thing is that his body would return to normal the very next day. His blood may not have any effect on its own, but his natural healing ability is so strong..."

Each time she continued her story, Clementine’s expression grew even more intense.

Her negative emotions, terror, shock, and fear, continued to mount.

"At this rate, he’ll suffer trauma that will affect his future.’

I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly.

Then, I began to circulate the Inverted Mana, and then I brandished my sword.

First form: Space.

My blade cut through the space in front of me. A thin crack appeared right on the woman’s neck.

Space warped, and a thin line struck the woman’s neck.

The woman was thrown backward; her neck twisted unnaturally.

’This is the first time I’ve used Inverted Heaven in an attack to kill.’

Honestly, the first form is incredible. Alice explained it to me and taught me the various ways to use it.

One of them was a direct strike to the enemy’s neck.

Of course, it’s not easy to guide the slash through the air to hit exactly where I want.

If you don’t do it with clear intent, the slash will end up somewhere random.

"Ugh, that hurts, what was that?"

The woman, who had been lying on the ground, was suddenly back on her feet, clutching her neck.

A red mark that was turning purple was etched into her neck.

’Just a mark, not even a wound.’

I knew a Dark Knight was resilient, but even with all my strength, I could barely leave a light mark.

If I had been a swordsman, I probably would have left a deep gash on him.

Though I wouldn’t be able to easily cut off his head because of the bones.

’Shit...’

I quickly swung my sword once more. Space was sliced open, and a crack appeared in midair.

I didn’t stop and continued slashing through space.

A dozen invisible slashes struck the woman’s body.

I used all my strength and reinforced the attacks with Inverted Mana.

This leaves even a five star character injured after each attack.

"Ah... ah..."

However, my body had reached its limit. My stamina, already depleted by the Demonic Beast, was now exhausted.

I quickly took out the recovery potions and drank them all.

I also drank one to restore all my mana.

Just as I finished drinking the last potion, Clementine suddenly screamed.

"Adel...!!!"

"..."

Before I had time to move, the woman’s hand grabbed my head and slammed it against the ground.

Crack!

The ground cracked, forming an enormous crater. The cracks spread several meters as the trees shook violently.

I could feel my nose breaking and my entire skull cracking.

I should have screamed in pain at that moment, but I didn’t feel anything.

However, I knew my head was on the verge of exploding completely.

Blood gushed out as the woman lifted me up and brought my face close to hers.

"I forgot about your punishment for a moment. I even thought about not punishing you since you made a new friend, but you interrupted me with that strange attack."

Her voice was deep as she continued.

"Okay, your punishment is decided. I’ll take your arms and legs away for a while, and then we’ll go home."

My mind raced as I searched for a way to escape this situation.

’Shit, at this rate they’re going to take me to those guys.’

I thought of a way to break free from their grip and soon remembered something.

I searched my inventory and soon found it.

A white sphere fell to the ground, and at the moment of impact...

Boom!

An electric explosion engulfed the entire area.

For a second, I felt the woman’s grip loosen, and that was my chance.

I quickly used the Twenty Four Steps of Space.

I moved my legs and appeared about three meters from where Clementine was.

’She can’t move because she’s exhausted all her strength.

Clementine had pushed her body to its limits; she wouldn’t be able to move again anytime soon.

So I lowered my voice and said,

"Try to escape at the right moment. I’ll keep her focused on me. Got it?"

As I said that, I drank all my recovery potions.

In a short time, my head wounds healed, and then I heard Clementine’s response.

"I-I won’t be able to move for at least ten minutes... but what about you...?"

I turned toward her for a moment.

I knew she couldn’t really escape.

I knew that not even I could distract that woman.

’I guess there’s no other choice.’

I brought my hand to my eyes, more precisely, to my eye patch.

Slowly, I removed the eye patch and stowed it in my inventory.

Then I lifted my bangs, which normally covered more than half of my face along with the bandage.

Then I turned to Clementine and said,

"I’ll use my Unique Trait, but I’m not even sure what the side effects are, so I’ll probably need your help later."

Clementine’s eyes opened and met mine.

Her negative emotions had vanished, replaced by shock, surprise, embarrassment... Wait, embarrassment.

Anyway, I turned my head and focused on the woman.

’Ugh, I just hope the Eyes of End are more than enough. It might even kill her.’