Even if you’re classified as a top-tier wanted criminal, it’s tough to fend off ten foes with just one hand.
Even Ganagl, who boasted about his strength as a core member of the Reversed Heaven Society, couldn’t overcome the sheer numbers of fourteen to one.
Ganagl fiercely resisted even after the cultists were wiped out, but the moment his brain cells melted away in his own stomach, his struggle came to an end.
He had tried to gulp down the assassins’ brains in between fighting to fill his stomach, but I thoroughly blocked him, so he couldn’t swallow anyone’s brains at all.
In the end, the difference in the information we had decided the winner and loser.
I knew Ganagl’s weaknesses all too well, but he didn’t realize that my holy barrier would run out after three uses, so he couldn’t unleash his full power.
“Ugh, arrgh….”
Ganagl lay on the puddle of bodily fluids, frothing at the mouth as he gurgled.
All the tentacles that made up his arms and legs were completely severed, and his belly was wide open, spilling out all the bodily fluids contained within.
It was hard to believe he was still alive in such a pathetic state.
His two eyes were punctured and burst from daggers and crossbows, and his back was impaled by a total of seven spears and swords.
Moreover, a broken greatsword had pierced through his gaping mouth and held his neck to the ground like a stake.
“Wow…. It’s amazing, really. How are you still alive in this state?”
Any normal human would have already died twenty times over, but here he was, still gasping for breath.
With a condition like this, shouldn’t he be classified as some sort of planarian beastfolk rather than a human? It was an astonishing level of vitality.
“…Can we really call this living?”
Edgar asked, turning to me with a fatigued expression.
Perhaps because he had witnessed the capabilities of me and Friede right beside him, his tone was ten times more polite than when we first met.
“He’s still breathing. That’s about it… but if someone were to help him, he could probably come back from this,” I replied while looking down at the gasping Ganagl with his belly wide open. Edgar laughed awkwardly, thinking it was a joke.
“Then I guess we should cut off his breath first. Can I just smash his head?”
Edgar drew out the mace hanging from his waist, saying it would be just right to smash it. The heavy iron object gleamed ominously.
Is he saying to leave the dirty work to himself?
It didn’t look like I had a reason to stop him. As far as I remembered, there wasn’t any setting for a finishing blow bonus in the original game that could be the backdrop of this world.
Whoever kills him, the experience points—and thus, the power of karma—would be distributed evenly based on contribution.
So I nodded, and Edgar approached Ganagl’s head, lifting the mace high.
That’s when it happened.
“Oh my, looks like you’re in trouble?”
In a space where only Friede and I were women, the new female voice sounded like a gentle song.
“What…?”
The assassins immediately took a defensive stance, reacting to the voice that came without a hint of presence.
“Smash his head!”
I shouted at Edgar to go for the head while I also leaped toward that direction.
Through the gaps in my helmet, frantic and continuous scenes could be seen.
Just as Edgar was about to smash down with the mace, he got hit by something coming from the side and was flung away, while a gritted-teeth Friede rushed towards the direction from which the attack came.
A blackened great sword, now half-broken, was blocked by something resembling a black curtain, while the assassins, who followed after Friede, fell to the ground one by one.
And just as I swung Edelmut’s blade to split Ganagl’s head in half—
“Are you going to kill them all?”
A chilling voice interrupted and halted my sword.
“Ugh…!”
It was simply a threat, unlike magic or any kind of incantation. Yet, the effect of that threat surpassed the binding spells of a regular mage.
My longsword, which could pierce through Ganagl’s brain with just a bit more stretch, was briefly and firmly stopped.
“Alright, good boy.”
Across the broken rocks on the opposite side, from the dark forest, a woman with long hair down to her waist walked in, clacking her heels.
As she approached, she aimed the black spearhead that seemed to hover above the heads of the fallen assassins right at her.
“W-who…!”
Even the remaining Friede was bound by something like a black chain, struggling helplessly.
If she were in a normal state, she could have easily broken free from such bindings, but after exhausting a considerable amount of strength during the battle with Ganagl, it seemed difficult for her to resist.
“Now, can you move that sword of yours?”
The long-haired woman smiled at me. Her wickedly shining red eyes were vivid even in the darkness of night.
“…What are you doing here?”
I glared at her, my teeth clenched in tension.
Cold sweat ran down my cheeks. This was the worst-case scenario I could never have anticipated.
“Are you really asking me to move it?”
“Why are you here? Answer me.”
Our conversation was mismatched. The woman’s smile grew thicker, twisted into a sinister mockery. It was a witch-like laughter.
“You’re not listening….”
“And that seems to be your issue. Can’t you understand that I’m telling you to answer?”
I forcefully smiled, pulling my lips upward to suppress the rising tension and disappointment with bravado.
Then I said the name of the witch who had suddenly appeared before us.
“Why are you here, betrayer Ariane Babelos?”
The corners of the witch’s mouth stretched wide, almost up to her ears.
◆◆
The second finger of the Abyss of Reversed Heaven, the betrayer Ariane.
A former priest from the goddess’s order, she was once a promising candidate for a saint, but one day, she suddenly slaughtered all the members of her congregation and disappeared into madness.
Just by decapitating opponents and offering their heads to the goddess’s order, her merit was enough for the honorary bishop title… she was the strongest Abyss Priest of the Reversed Heaven Society.
While Leonard, the head of the Reversed Heaven Society, was stronger than her in pure power, he was very hard to call an Abyss Priest.
And now, Ariane had shown up right now, right in this situation. Such bad luck was unheard of.
If it had been before fighting Ganagl, it might have been a different story, but in this exhausted state from fighting him, I didn’t have the confidence to take her down right after.
With limbs throbbing from the shock of the battle, a heavy head weighed down, and the flow of karma felt so thin it could wither away.
To face the strongest witch of the Abyss Priest in such a condition? It was impossible without being prepared to put my life on the line.
“Did you come to save this tentacle pig? I didn’t know there would be such a tight bond between you Abyss Priest fellows.”
So, I kept talking while keeping my sword aimed at Ganagl’s head.
A hostage trick requires a hostage.
For some reason, if she really appeared to save Ganagl, maybe I could use him as my bargaining chip.
“Is he your man? A witch and a tentacle creature? Quite a combination. I bet you have a lot of fun every night.”
I was thinking of buying time. As much as possible. As naturally as possible.
“Twelve.”
Ariane chuckled and started counting. Then she made a slight gesture with her fingers.
– Swoosh!
In the next moment, one of the assassins’ heads burst from being pierced by a spear. Blood and brain matter splattered like a crushed watermelon.
“Now there are eleven.”
“Y-you crazy witch…!”
True to her nature, the mad witch began killing the hostages without negotiation. The situation was so swift that we didn’t even have a chance to intervene.
“Ten—”
Calmly giggling, Ariane continued counting. Her eyes were directed at another assassin.
“Stop! If you do that, this guy’s head will—!”
I hurriedly interrupted her, poking Ganagl’s brain with the tip of my sword, filled with murderous intent.
“Go ahead. Eleven.”
Ariane laughed as she killed another assassin.
“Sending twelve along for company should satisfy Ganagl.”
“Don’t bluff. You came all this way because you needed him, right?”
“Well, it’s not like I desperately need him. It’s a bit of a hassle to raise him, but there are plenty of alternatives.”
I wanted to save Ganagl if possible, but would it even matter if he died?
…Was that a bluff, or was she being serious? Her expression was so calm that I had no way of confirming it without seeing Ganagl dead.
“…I might not be asking for pity, but I can promise you this: if I release this tentacle guy, I swear I will quietly retreat from here.”
“Mmhm.”
Ariane looked intrigued, her red eyes shining as she smiled.
“Should I do it or not….”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
At that moment, Edwin suddenly stood up and shot his crossbow at her, evading the magic overhead.
A timely ambush.
However, Ariane showed no sign of panic and fired a black lightning bolt from her fingertips to nullify the crossbow bolt.
– Krrrsshh!
The arrow collided with the lightning and shattered into a hundred pieces, and in the next moment, a black hammer formed in midair struck Edgar, sending him flying near me.
“Cough!”
Edgar, embedded into the ground, trembled and coughed up blood. He flailed around, but something must have broken because he couldn’t get back up.
“Resistance to curses? What a rare talent. The level itself is terrible, though.”
Above Edgar’s head, five blades formed.
“――Sir, kill him and retreat.”
Realizing his impending death, Edgar gave a weak smile and turned to me. He was telling me not to let her dictate things but to eliminate the target and escape.
“And do me a favor and tell Harold that he died from a bad accident.”
“…Who to?”
I bit my lip, asking who I should pass along his last message.
It was a tragic sight for an assassin to ask his partner to deliver the news of his death.
Ariane seemed quite entertained, not finishing him off and just listening quietly.
…Right, enjoying someone else’s tragedy was her idea of fun. How very witch-like.
“To Hannah, who operates a flower shop on 4th Street….”
Seeing that Edgar realized that his dying words were being turned into a source of entertainment for Ariane, his blood-stained face twisted in frustration as he continued.
“To Lady Milena of the Cloud Mansion on 2nd Street… Ms. Anne from the blacksmith… and Regina from the guard… and Ms. Talia of the Cow Inn on 5th Street….”
…But his last words seemed far from ending.
“And… and also, Sister Ella… and the Yuna and Mia sisters from the Lily Orchard….”
As the names kept coming, reaching a total of eight.
“…Just die, will you?”
I felt my sympathy and pity vanish entirely as I let out a disdainful sigh.
It wasn’t Ganagl who was the octopus here; it was this guy. Eight legs and not two, was he even human?
Even Ariane, who had been listening with interest, seemed lost for words, gaping open-mouthed by the time the female names exceeded three.
Sure, it was ridiculous.
Even to me, it looked like Edgar was better off dead. By his behavior, it seemed like he wouldn’t survive long even if he made it out of here.
…But still, I managed to buy a considerable amount of time.
– Swish!
Friede, tied by the black chains, reached out into the air and pulled out the Holy Sword, casting off her restraints and unleashing a dazzling light blade.
“Wha…! A holy sword?!”
Startled by the light blade filled with holy power, Ariane hurriedly turned and cast her defensive magic.
A massive black wall of mana poured out to withstand Nibelung’s cutting strike.
And.
– Wrrrr…!
As the massive black wall, resembling a stronghold, stretched out before her, the blades of darkness threatening the assassins dissipated like a mirage.
Sure, I thought so.
With only one brain, there was no way she could maintain such powerful magic simultaneously. The surprise must have thrown her mana control off balance.
It was a golden opportunity. I swung my sword without hesitation.
– Crack!
The head of the octopus pig split open like chopped firewood beneath the axe.
