Chapter 164
As Charlotte removed the blindfold and gazed upon the massive monster, her orange eyes soon became blank and unfocused. It was only then that she discovered Thesaya, whose lower body and arms were embedded in the monster’s torso.
“Thesa....”
As Charlotte sighed, a feeble voice continued.
“This is a gift from the Empress, Dragon Slayer....”
Ian’s eyes sank deeply. His gaze passed Thesaya and landed on the vampire.
[The Creator.]
It was also the name of the new quest.
"She asked me to tell you that she hopes you like the gift. And this... is a gift I prepared for you."
The creator raised the arm he had been holding out. His long, skinny, pale hand with overgrown fingernails twitched as if playing an instrument.
Squelch. Thud—From his shadow, more monsters began to crawl out. Chimeras, arbitrarily grafted from animals and beasts, and experimental ghouls, larger than those seen outside, began to appear one after another.
“...Rest.” Ian stood up as he spoke.
Charlotte, who had been staring blankly at Thesaya, turned to look at him in surprise. Ian’s voice was colder than ever.
“Ian...?”
Without responding, Ian moved forward. Chimeras and experimental creatures quickly filled the passage and open space, glaring at him without attacking.
“I can’t move, Ian.”
Thesaya spoke urgently.
“I can’t control anything below my neck. Help me, Ian–-”
“To get through here, you will have to kill all my creations....”
The creator’s voice interrupted. It was small and weak, but it penetrated everyone’s ears clearly.
“Of course, that includes me. So if possible... I would prefer it if you just died... You would make a very... valuable ingredient....”
“...So I hear.” Ian, who had returned his sword to its sheath, extended his right arm to the side. A giant greatsword suddenly appeared beside him.
Without avoiding Thesaya’s gaze, he added, “I’m sorry, Thesa.”
“Why, why are you apologizing, Ian?”
Despite his expressionless face and calm voice, the red divine power emanating from Ian’s body burned fiercely. As Thesaya asked in a trembling voice, dark magic spread among the chimeras and experimental creatures.
A sound like nails on a chalkboard filled the air.
Ian lunged first.
The greatsword carved a huge red arc as it swept out.
Crackle.
Chimeras and experimental ghouls were torn to shreds. Immediately after, the monsters imbued with dark magic began to charge. Among them was Thesaya, who had become part of a giant experiment. While the many limbs attached to her body moved violently, her face was a mixture of shock and terror.
“You’re going to kill me too, Ian? No, right? You’re here to save me?”
Crack!
Ian did not respond.
He simply continued to swing the greatsword. A chimera with a bear’s body, bat wings, and a valley spider’s head was torn apart while spewing venom. Beyond it, an experiment made from four humans stitched together was split in half.
Ian slammed the remains with his shoulder, punched the oncoming creatures, and swung the greatsword again.
As Thesaya realized that the path of death was approaching her, tears of blood welled up in her eyes.
“It’s me...! It’s me, Ian! This isn’t my will. I’m not moving on my own–-”
Slash.
The greatsword tore apart an experimental creature blocking Ian and Thesaya. A fountain of red blood erupted.
“No! Ian! Wait...!” Charlotte, who had followed, shouted.
She held a broken fang sword and a halved silver sword in each hand. Her wounds, which had been healing with divine power, started to bleed again.
“That’s Thesa, Ian...! Even if she looks like that, she’s still Thesa! There must be a way to save her. So please–-”
Charlotte hesitated. Ian looked back at her with eyes full of murderous intent. As he extended the greatsword fully, he spoke.
“Stay back. You might die too.”
“...!” Charlotte’s eyes trembled.
But that was only for a moment. Her eyes filled with anger as she gritted her teeth, ready to break. She glanced around at the monsters surrounding her. The eyes of the ferocious beast soon found the creator’s position, briefly revealed behind them.
"----!" Charlotte screamed.
At that moment, the divine power stored within her body surged to the surface, blazing red. Her mane fluttered like flames as she leaped forward.
Crunch!
Meanwhile, Ian was approaching Thesaya. Each time the legion commander’s greatsword drew a red trajectory, it sliced through a line of space. Tears of blood filled Thesaya’s eyes as she watched him.
She finally realized that Ian truly intended to kill her. The emotion greater than betrayal was fear.
Crash.
At last, Ian, extending his greatsword, reached her.
Thesaya’s trembling lips parted. "Save me, Ian..."
Despite her words, her massive body lunged at him as if to crush him. The huge torso, with limbs sprouting wildly, split vertically, revealing a giant maw filled with troll fangs. Ian did not retreat but swung his greatsword, gripped with both hands, upwards.
Slash!
The red trajectory cut horizontally across the maw. Red blood and guts burst out from the maw, now in the shape of a cross.
“Ahhhhhh!” Thesaya screamed. Her pupils constricted like dots and trembled.
“It hurts...! Ian...! It hurts!” Her near-hysterical cries continued. Even so, her torso was falling toward Ian. He stepped back and launched a fireball at the center of the torso.
Boom!
A small explosion erupted within Thesaya’s body as it struck the ground. Bleeding tears profusely, she looked down at Ian standing right in front of her and repeated.
“Save me, Ian. I want to live, I... I want to live....”
“I’m sorry.” Ian spat out.
As Thesaya’s eyes widened, he raised his lowered greatsword.
"I will definitely avenge you."
Slash!
The two chimeras that had rushed at him from both sides were sliced into pieces by a single swing. Ian, spinning around, leaped toward Thesaya.
“Noooo!” Thesaya screamed.
At the same time, her body, which had been healing with magic, leaped up.
Crunch.
As a result, Ian’s greatsword cut off several limbs attached to her torso and swept through the nearby test subjects instead.
“....”
Frowning, Ian’s eyes followed Thesaya’s retreating figure. It wasn’t hard to figure out where she was headed.
Slash! Crash! Crash!
Charlotte was charging forward with divine power blazing like flames throughout her body. And the creator standing not far away.
“I told you to stay back....”
Clicking his tongue, Ian gripped his greatsword again. The red trajectory that began to swirl soon swept around him.
***
“There was another excellent material....”
As if responding to the creator’s voice, Charlotte let out a short roar.
Her mane, imbued with divine power, flickered like flames. Her hands tirelessly created trajectories. Despite cutting down monsters one-sidedly, there was no leisure in her movements.
It was because the divine power spreading through her body was nearly exhausted. If she couldn’t kill the creator before this power ran out, she would no longer be able to fight.
“Fall back! You fool!” It was then that an urgent shout erupted.
Charlotte leaped backward, eyes wide.
Crash!
Thesaya’s massive torso fell, crushing the chimera standing below it. Limbs sprouting all over the torso reached out as if to grab Charlotte.
“From now on, kill each other... Don’t worry, beast... After that, I’ll make sure you can be with your friend forever....” The creator muttered, scattering black magic as he withdrew.
Thesaya’s body, which had been bleeding profusely, began to close up.
Ignoring this, Thesaya screamed. “Stupid beast! You’ll die! You’ll die!”
“...Worry about yourself, pointy ears.” Charlotte gritted her teeth and gripped her swords so tightly it seemed they might shatter.
"If this continues, you will die too."
“So run away!”
Despite her words, Thesaya’s body lunged at Charlotte. Numerous arms and legs reached out toward her. Charlotte’s face twisted as she took in the sight and turned her body. She slashed and cut through the other test subjects around her as she charged forward. Thesaya followed closely behind, shouting.
"Run. Don’t fight, just run away! Then come back to rescue me later...! If you get killed or captured by these things, you’ll go through the same ordeal as me!"
“Shut up!” Charlotte roared and moved her body more violently.
A chimera with the head of a wolf and the head of a troll on the body of a valley spider was slashed to pieces, scattering thick fluids. Charlotte immediately leaped toward the next test subject, repeating the same actions.
Thesaya finally realized that Charlotte had decided to kill all the test subjects and chimeras, except for her. She probably intended to find a way to save her after killing the rest.
“Charlotte....” Thesaya murmured, shedding tears of blood once more. Right after, a blue explosion swirled in the distance.
Boom—
Following the trajectory of the greatsword, the Frost Blade whipped up, turning everything in its path into chunks of meat.
Before the remnants could even scatter, a red trajectory extended outward.
Slash!
A gaunt, pale-skinned middle-aged vampire was swept away by the wide, straight trajectory.
“Got you, you fucker.” Ian spat out, placing the creature, now only an upper torso, on the flat of his blade.
A lifeless smile spread across the creator’s pale face.
“Pity... I wanted to use myself as material someday....”
Boom!
Flames rose along the blade, exploding the creator into countless fragments.
“Screeee—”
“Grrr...!”
The remaining chimeras and test subjects began to rampage as if in a frenzy. Thesaya’s body was no exception. Even though the creator was dead, she still couldn’t control her monstrous body.
Slash, slash!
Ian began to create red trajectories and death once again. Thesaya’s body also charged toward him.
“No! You stupid pointy-eared freak!” Charlotte, entangled with a test subject, shouted.
By now, her divine power was almost entirely depleted. Thesaya murmured with a face close to tears.
“I can’t help it... I can’t....”
Slash!
A massive red crescent swept in front of her. Through it, Ian, covered in blood and fluids, soared. Staring at Thesaya with a blank expression, he swung his greatsword.
Crunch.
Along with the arm extended toward him, a large chunk of Thesaya’s massive body was cut off. Thesaya howled. Ian landed and immediately leaped again.
Slash! Crunch, slash.
A one-sided massacre ensued. Ian continued slashing and cutting as if he couldn’t hear Thesaya’s screams. Her massive body was being chopped and torn, growing smaller and smaller. Then, in an instant.
Thunk.
Ian reached out and grabbed Thesaya’s nape.
“....” Thesaya could no longer scream. She only looked at Ian with muddled eyes filled with pain, fear, and resentment.
Ian turned his gaze. No chimera or test subject was left alive. Charlotte, too, seemed completely exhausted, sitting next to the corpse of a test subject, panting heavily. Ian tossed his greatsword aside and embraced Thesaya’s trembling body. His whole body tensed.
Crack, crack.
“....!” A silent scream erupted from Thesaya’s mouth as she lifted her head. Ian was violently pulling her upper body away. The pain of being torn apart alive was unbearable.
Crunch!
Finally, her upper body was completely severed. Blood gushed out, and the remaining torso went limp and collapsed.
“A... Ah....”
Thesaya, cradled in Ian’s arms, was in a dire state. Her body was missing everything below her waist, and her arms were torn off at the elbows, bleeding profusely. Ian laid her limp torso down gently.
"I-Ian..." Thesaya’s lips trembled as she barely managed to speak. Ian, looking down at her with hollow eyes, finally murmured.
"...Are you just going to let her die like this?"
No, that can’t happen. Adding words that Thesaya couldn’t understand, he removed the glove from his left hand.
"...?" Thesaya blinked as she watched Ian forcefully tear off his wrist guard. The divine power that enveloped his body faded. Ian held his bare forearm out to Thesaya.
"Drink, Thesa."
"...!"
Thesaya’s eyes widened. But she couldn’t bring herself to act; she was too weak to even suck blood. Realizing this, Ian drew the fairy dagger and sliced the outer side of his forearm. The red blood that flowed out fell onto Thesaya’s lips.
"Swallow."
Ian, whose irises were tinged with a faint purple hue, added. Thesaya was already doing so. From the moment Ian’s blood touched her lips, she opened her mouth like a baby bird being fed. Soon, her mouth was filled with fangs. Ian brought his forearm closer, and she bit into it eagerly.
"...."
The sound of gulping followed. Her slender neck moved continuously. As Charlotte, who had been staggering, approached, Thesaya’s body began to regenerate.
Bones sprouted from her severed arms and lower body, veins spread, and soon, muscles and flesh, then skin, rapidly restored themselves to their original form. Ian’s eyes narrowed at that point. As he prepared to strike Thesaya’s head,
"Ha, ha... ha...." Thesaya spoke first. With her face smeared with blood, she breathed heavily, a faint smile spreading.
"As I thought... I knew it would be like this...." She looked into Ian’s eyes.
"Your blood is incredibly delicious, Ian. The best I’ve ever tasted...."
"If you stopped in the middle, it doesn’t seem that way," Ian replied nonchalantly.
Thesaya shrugged her shoulders.
"I don’t want to die while drinking. I just survived." She flexed her newly regrown hand and turned her head to the side. She smiled, baring her teeth, as she met Charlotte’s approaching gaze.
"Good thing you didn’t die by my hand, kitty."
"...You should be the grateful one."
Charlotte’s response was met with a brief giggle.
"...!" Suddenly, Thesaya’s eyes widened. Her chest heaved dramatically.
"Thesa?!" Charlotte rushed over, startled.
"Ian...? Something’s wrong. Inside my body, something...!" Thesaya cried out, looking at Ian with eyes turned red.
Ian spoke in a calm voice. "As expected. It’s starting now."
"What do you mean...? Ah, ahhhh...!" Thesaya let out a suppressed scream. Her body convulsed violently, and her limbs bent as if they would break. Ian grabbed her limbs one by one and turned his gaze away.
"...!" Charlotte, who had hurriedly climbed over the flesh, quickly came over. As she held Thesaya’s other arm and leg to prevent them from breaking.
"My blood, my blood...!" Thesaya managed to utter. She frowned deeply as if resisting something with all her might. Ian, pressing her arm down with one knee, spoke up.
"The Empress is trying to drain your true blood. Resisting is futile."
He drew the fairy dagger again and added.
"You will die now, Thesaya."