Chapter 264

We both made our first move, and it was with blades.

When his knife and my claw collided, a dangerous noise dissipated, and blue sparks flashed.

We repeated our checks, keeping our distance.

–I see.

If you ask me, the movements are similar.

Therefore, the checks were meaningless. It was obvious that neither of us intended to strike squarely. Still, this is what a boxer calls light footwork. It is merely a warm-up exercise. I continued to swipe my fingernails, despite knowing that there was no point in doing so.

I slowly move my feet in the direction in which Garnier’s body is drifting.

I change my stance and measure the distance between us. I want to be close enough to stomp on his foot when I take a step forward.

Then, perhaps noticing my intention, there was a sudden change in Garnier’s movements.

The killing intent rapidly coming from below —- —- a kick.

I took a big step back just to be safe, and sure enough, a blue blade shot out.

His shoe has a blade in it. Probably a vibraton like that knife.

Then Garnier performed a remarkable combination.

Exceptional knife-handling. And then, a constant attack mixed with fast kicking strikes. Each one carried a deadly sharpness. For someone of my size, he was a threat.

Meanwhile, I had no left arm and my balance was terrible. Every time I moved, my body drift to the right. It was frustrating.

No weapons either, My four-dimensional bag was empty. I am completely out of material. All I had was the tropical clothes Natsuki gave me.

As for Butcher’s foul power, most of the powers that I can use immediately to are probably ineffective.

I learned that with Yufan. To decay or weaken an opponent, the body need to be alive. That won’t work on the cyborg. The fact that Niblo’s poison didn’t work is enough proof.

–The only way to defeat a cyborg is to smash it physically.

However, the physical strength of the alien cyborg was equal to the strength of the butcher. It was obvious that if I tried to force my way through, he would return it with his techniques.

Just as I was thinking of a grabbing technique to disable his movement and then bite his head, Garnier was probably also trying to disrupt my movement and use that knife to strike a vital spot.

I had to watch my joints.

Ferris had knocked me down once before, and I had already experienced that even with Butcher’s huge weight, I can be thrown down when the joints get attacked. This was a matter of physiological reaction, it was not a matter of enduring the pain. Both the Butcher and the human share the same structural weak points.

Anyway, I just needed to slow down Garnier’s agile movements.

The blue light trails that Garnier created with his hands and feet were like a dense web of sharp blades, leaving no opening. It is as if there is not a single inch of space between the blades, like a blade barrier that keeps enemies away.

Even if I screwed my nails into it, it was easily cut off. It was pointless. Still, I had to do something. I extended my nail again, and while retreating, I weaved counterattacks into the mix to slow down his attack.

My apron was cut open, with more cuts on my shoulders and arms.

Garnier also had his armored body covered in scratches, revealing red stripes on the skin underneath.

Neither of us cared about minor injuries, perhaps because our sturdiness of body transcended that of the average biological creature. We only aimed for effective blows – that is, structural damage to the body that can limit the opponent’s movement.

A suffocating back-and-fouth battle ensued.

If I asked Ferris and the others to assist me, there was no doubt that the tide would quickly turn in my favor. This was a fight to the death. I should have used whatever was available.

Even so, I am in no mood to call for help.

Perhaps I was just being stubborn.

I had been patiently waiting for my chance.

Although we were both inhuman monsters, I had the blessing of a goddess.

Then, I feel something scratching me.

–The body may be a machine, but it still has a soul.

*Screeeech*

“—-!”

Garnier’s knees buckled as he got hit by the butcher’s yell.

But he quickly repositioned himself and tried to get back up. I took advantage of that moment.

I hooked my arm under Garnier’s armpit and threw him, using my hip as a pivot point. This is a throwing technique called uki goshi.

It was a throw that relied heavily on arm strength, and it sent Garnier’s body flying.

After flying nearly ten meters, Garnier twisted his body in mid-air and landed on his feet. He skidded across the floor like a curve stone. No damage, but I was aiming for something else.

I was aiming at the other stone – the one that dropped in the corner of the storage.

Garnier quickly took a stance and stood up.

“–?”

He quickly dropped his gaze to the floor, looking as though he felt discomfort in the soles of his feet.

Garnier was stomping on a recently served thick arm.

That’s my arm that was blown off by a sniper earlier.

–Now, eat this!

With my thought, my arm that has been lying on the ground exploded and swelled.

And so from my arm, Wicked glioma was born.

“———–ku”

The blow from Glioma, which took him by surprise, ripped off Garnier’s arm that he use to guard himself. The cross-section of the arm was not a machine, but it was not a living thing either. It was an almost inorganic arm.

Glioma leans on him and opens its mouth wide.

Garnier was about to be devoured by the meat monster. Then, a dazzling flash of light burst out from his served arm.

Immediately it swelled into a sphere, and with a whirring sound, swallowed the glioma into pure white light.

After a few moments, the white sphere shrank and disappeared.

All that remained was a big pile of ashes.

–How did he have such a weapon hidden away....?

He incinerated that tough glioma in an instant.

Garnier immediately stood up and used his remaining arm to hold the knife.

His eyes, which fixed to me, still showed a strong will to fight.

Ultimately, our defense ended with us both showing off our secret skills, but I had succeeded in gaining a few points from it.

Garnier also lost one arm too.

Now we are in the same condition. From here on, it was my turn to attack.

Deciding this, I moved forward.

I ran forward with my claws outstretched to regain control of the battle.

Then Garnier’s whole body shrinks so much as if he’s transforming into a little cat.

The next moment, Garnier’s body vanished.

Or so I thought.

I felt a whirlwind sweep past my feet.

–The speed is out of the realm of the living creture.

The force leaves along with my left leg.

The massive weight of the Butcher forced me to my kneels.

In the same way that Achilles, who was proclaimed to be invincible, fell to his knees.

–My chest stiffen as if was caught in the breath of a hungry wolf.

A chill ran through my body. A strong ringing in my ears rushed from behind me. I can clearly feel the cold of death from the back of my body.

Behind my back, that hateful death is laughing at me.

Garnier is determined to win.

I guess he is convinced that he can finish me off.

In my recollection, that man has never failed to do so.

Thinking of this, my body relaxes, and my shoulders become less stiff.

–Do not give up.

Until the very moment when all is lost.

On the battlefield, death seeks the necks of those who flee and hides from those who chase them.

So when you feels the presence of death, remember that Death is on your side. Death loves you. They just like to mock you when they see you struggling. So, if you so desire, every death that befalls you will offer you some reprieve. Do you hate it? Probably. Then, take that moment and bring the death that is laughing at you like an idiot to bear on your enemy. Let the enemy fight the reaper that comes hunting for your life.

Do what you must – and when your strong will erases the primal fear within you, you will be the Grim Reaper of the battlefield.

All you need to do is to stand up and fight.

When this is over, I’ll buy you a cheesecake.

I hear someone’s voice.

I unconsciously ripped off my tattered apron and threw it away.

I felt a response as the apron hit something behind me.

Garnier, who had been blinded by the apron, naturally expected me to counterattack.

I sensed he was growling as he leaped backward.

In this way, Garnier, who had taken a large distance from me, ripped open the apron that covered him with a knife. Regaining his vision.

Immediately after, a gunshot rang out.

Garnier stopped moving and looked at his chest as he emerged from behind the apron.

Stunned, he pressed his chest, red liquid spewing from the gap between his fingers.

I looked at Garnier through the smoking revolver.

–I had pulled the revolver out of his holster when I threw him earlier.

This move is well-trained combined with my muscle-memory. I have proven in the underground Haven that Garnier can’t keep up with my proficient stealing moves.

He is a cyborg. A chest wound is probably not enough to kill him.

Another shot. One in the kneecap.historical

Garnier buckled.

Garnier dropped the knife, fell to his knees and staring at the floor. That powerful cannon that shot from his arm must have been a last-ditch effort. There was no more desire to fight in his eyes.

The warehouse fell into silence.

I stood next to Garnier, dragging my left leg which had been cut off.

Garnier looked away, he didn’t look at me.

Instead he looked straight ahead and opened his mouth.

“All this time, All I’ve wanted is to guide you.”

“....”

“But I didn’t know how.”

Garnier did not smell of blood, although the red liquid was pouring out of his chest.

“Even though it was something I wanted to do, after becoming a puppet that can only fight, each day beyond my predetermined life was like in the desert, continuously scooping and chewing the sand under my feet. Somewhere along the way, my initial zeal was buried in some dune, I am alone, thirsting in the night for a mirage that might never reach me.”

“....”

“Without a guiding light called hope, I can only wander in the endless struggle between life and death, cowering on the spot while turning my eyes around. How can I lead you to a new path? I wish I made the decision sooner. And as it turns out, I was lost until the very end. I know I was lost when I saw your back, happily calling my name after destroying the Wraith.”

“Lost.....”

“Since then, I’ve been thinking about it and couldn’t figure it out, but now that I’m seeing you again, I know exactly what I’ve been missing. After all, I was nothing but a cursed ogre who sent you into a night of deeper suffering. I’m just a deranged scourge.”

“Madness is nurtured by loneliness. I learned that in my days as the Butcher.”

Looking back now, I can see how my mind had gone haywire during my days in prison.

When I am alone without talking to anyone, agonizingly fumbling with my thoughts, eventually, insanity is formed among it. The stress and resentment of an unforeseeable future only accelerate it.

It is similar to a dog chasing its tail and spinning around in circles until eventually, it starts to turn its head around and become confused. Simply put, an endless spiral.

In order to get out of it, you need someone to pull you from the outside. A helping hand.

“Luckily, I had Titania to support me and keep me from becoming suicidal, and I was able to meet Abigail and Ferris and the others to pull me out of it, but I guess you didn’t have the same luck.”

“—-That’s wrong.”

I thought I saw Garnier give a small chuckle.

He squeezed the hand he had been holding to his chest.

“When I stabbed you in the back that time. I feel the pain in my chest like I was the one that getting stabbed.”

Garnier doesn’t look at me. He said this with his gaze fixed on a distance.

I moved and pointed the revolver at his head.

“–Getting killed was quite a nuisance, though, I’m not going to deny my relationship with you. I don’t remember you well, but I do remember that someone trained me. I was able to win thanks to that person’s teachings. He taught me not to give up, to fight back when I was beaten, and most importantly, the professional spirit to accomplish what I set out to do.”

Then Garnier let go of the hand that was holding his chest and dropped something.

A red liquid spurted out, creating a puddle on the floor.

A small thing fell into the puddle.

It was covered in red liquid and had an ivory texture, about the size of a thumb.

“It’s my horn. Take it. May the blessings of the demigods that illuminate and direct us who are born in darkness help you, that is now trapped in the night. It will guide you to the one you are meant to be with.”

Garnier’s horns.

.....

Somehow the simmering anger had subsided.

What fills my heart now is a pity and a tiny bit of loneliness that only those who have been turned into a monster can relate to.

I lifted up my finger to the trigger.

“—–Thank you, Garnier.”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you, Nigel. May your future be blessed with happiness, Good luck.”

A muzzle flash shook Garnier’s head.

Then, again.

and again.

I kept pulling the trigger, even after I heard the steel clattering.

As I watched the cylinder spin, I noticed that the gun was engraved with an inverted cross.

I stopped my hand.