Chapter 63 - If There Is a God (6)

Crossing over to Montata wasn't all that difficult. As always, it was merely my own personal battle—specifically, against seasickness.

"I see the strait!"

Still, we successfully reached Garorimnyang. The sea route flowing between the islands rippled, giving off an exceptionally blue glow. The sky was incredibly sunny, ill-fitting for the situation.

"Watch out for arrows!"

Had we gotten a bit closer to the strait? Arrows began to fly toward us from one of the cliffs surrounding Garorimnyang.

Following the trajectory of the arrows, one could soon spot a stronghold built into the cliff. Starting from the shore, it climbed the terraced rocks to practically occupy an entire face of the cliff.

"Raise your shields!"

At that point, my body, which had been posing pretentiously on the deck, stood tall. THWACK! THWACK! The sound of the arrows that had been flying in for a while now was quite similar to a torrential downpour.

"Uwaa, can we really break through that?!"

'Oho, your faith is weak.'

I strode toward the bow, deflecting only the incoming arrows that would actually hit my body.

Whether the sails were catching the wind or following the currents, the ship continued to draw closer to Garorimnyang.

「Hostile targets are present within a 30-meter radius.」

「❖ The Fangs Aiming at Zakrati

∎ Destroy the Bipurit gang's stronghold

∎ Eliminate pirates 0 / ??

∎ Bonus: Kill Bipurit」

Or rather, closer to the enemy boats that had come out from the stronghold.

"The enemy is coming! Weapons up!"

"Hah, I don't know if this is really a good idea."

"Stop whining. We just have to hold out until that gentleman kills them all and comes back!"

"Isn't the problem whether we can actually hold out on our own?"

Some of the sailors and adventurers were muttering such things. They probably didn't mean for me to hear, but I still felt a bit self-conscious.

Not in a bad way, but to the point where I wanted to laugh and say, "Ah, got it, I'll hurry up."

"Victory to my sword, and glory to the heavens...!"

So I raised my sword and performed a pre-battle salute. SWISH. One arrow grazed right past my ear, and another stuck into the deck at my feet.

My sword lowered.

"The time has come to pay for your sins."

Immediately after, I pulled my upper body forward as if falling and took a step. The moment it felt like the sound of floorboards splintering beneath my soles rang out, my body was already surging forward explosively.

BOOM!

SPLASH!

Leaping off the railing and soaring through the air, my body landed heavily on an approaching enemy boat.

"What the fuck!"

"Uwaaah!"

"Crazy—k-kill him!"

The boat pushed the seawater aside and sank slightly downward as its original occupants spat out curses.

For a moment, the scattering spray, the rocking boat, and the pirates reacting with strings of curses all reflected in my vision like slow motion.

SLASH!

However, I had no time to waste admiring all that. I swung my sword, adding blood to the scene.

Due to my landing spot, I couldn't cut down the one guy behind me, but it didn't matter.

I could feel him lose his balance and cling tightly to the railing. In that state, hitting me was practically impossible.

TAP, TAP-TAP!

Let alone the fact that I crossed over to the other side before the boat even stopped rocking.

THUMP!

"Heeek!"

"This crazy—!"

Using a running start to jump to the next boat, I acted exactly as I had just done.

I fed blades to the terrified bastards and moved on to the next stepping stone.

It was akin to a wolf that had crept into a pasture and was tearing through the sheepfold.

Of course, since my goal with each swing was to land many hits rather than accurate, fatal blows, and I moved on without striking more than once, there weren't actually that many casualties.

To the point where there were more people falling into the sea and groaning from sword wounds than there were directly killed.

But that was enough for me. From the start, what I wanted was a foothold to reach the shore while delaying them from reaching our ship.

If I neutralized them to this extent, the sailors would be able to hold out just fine.

"This bastard!"

In the midst of this, a guy who had learned my pattern swung his weapon timed to my landing. It wasn't bad intuition.

It's just that I possessed a skill called 'Survival Instinct'.

"Di—!?"

BANG!

Following what the skill taught me, I lay flat on my stomach the moment my body touched the boat.

From the recoil, the front of the boat shot up, and the sword path of the guy trying to attack me cleaved through empty air.

SPLASH!

Then, as a reaction, the part I was stepping on surged upward, sending my body flying up with it.

Since I had put strength into my legs right on time earlier, my body sprang forward like a coil.

SMACK!

"Keuhuk!"

My knee kicked up into the enemy's jaw, and as he fell, my extended leg slammed down hard on the edge of the boat.

THUMP! The impact flipped the boat over. The bodies of those swept up in it flew through the air and plunged into the sea.

"Uwaaah!"

"Waaah!"

However, by the time the boat flipped, I had already thrown my body toward the shore. Calling it a well-deserved consequence, I withdrew my sympathy for them and landed on the shore rocks.

"Block him!"

In front of me was a barricade they had somehow managed to set up.

CRASH!

I smashed through it with my foot and reached back. The moment the hilt wrapped snugly around my hand, the silvery-white blade slipped out, cleaving the sunlight.

"What is that monster!"

"Kill him, kill him!"

'Guess there are no demons here?' Advancing into the barracks filled entirely with humans, I quickly assessed the situation.

Though it was too early to be certain, I still didn't see anything other than humans.

SLASH!

So I poured half my magic power in and fired off a slash first.

It dealt enough damage to dent a boss mob, and there was absolutely no reason to hold back a skill whose range expanded the more magic I invested in it.

Of course, I would try to save my remaining magic power for emergencies, but...

Still, AoE skills are love. I don't know how I survived before having this skill.

"Uh, huh...?"

"Y-You...?"

However, there was a slight downside to this skill. The scenery that unfolded immediately after using it was a bit much.

SPLURT!

"Keuhuk!"

Especially the process of a person turning into per/son...

With the severed cross-sections themselves already being quite grotesque, watching a group of them show off their innards would only be bad for my mental health.

"M-Monster..."

But did I have the leisure to get lost in sentimentality? Nope. Dilly-dallying would only prolong my time here.

Even just to avoid looking at them, I hurried across the world bisected by my pitch-black sword strike.

Everything swept by the slash ended up either slightly misaligned or plummeting as the top half slid sideways.

My combat boots stepped on the blood-soaked rocks and climbed upward.

"Shoot, shoot!"

Around then, the arrows originally aimed at the ship changed targets. TINK, TIK, TINK-TINK. The rain of projectiles relentlessly battered the places I had passed or was about to pass.

I couldn't call their aim good even as an empty compliment, but with so many of them, it was quite annoying.

"Kill him before he gets up here!"

'Everyone's treating me like some boss mob. Offending the listening player like that.'

Even as I grumbled, I hopped and bounded to dodge the arrows. Like performing acrobatics or a stunt, my body stepped off a rock and vaulted up, reaching the second encampment.

'Should I cut all these guys down with my sword too, or punch them since turning it into a sea of human blood feels pretty gross?'

A momentary deliberation followed. Tingle, tingle. It was then that a numbing sensation prickled my right arm.

SLASH!

'They're bastards tied to demons. I can't show them mercy.'

Instead of sheathing my sword, I swung it. To conserve resources, I didn't even coat it in magic power, but the blade dug into human skin, tore through muscle, and cleaved bone.

CRUNCH!

"Euhuk!"

Having realized that pouring magic power into my left arm let me easily wield the Zweihander one-handed, I occasionally used my right hand to grab enemies by the collar or head and throw them away.

"Fuck, where did a monster like this come from!"

CLANG!

My sword was blocked. I tripped the enemy lunging from the right, grabbed the sword of the enemy attacking from the rear right with my gauntlet, and poured more strength into my left hand.

SCRAPE. The pushed-back sword finally gained momentum and sliced through everything on the left. The one who had locked swords with me, along with several other pirates attacking from the left, crumpled down bleeding.

SCREECH!

At the same time, I pulled the enemy's sword I was holding in my right hand, blocking yet another attack.

Having finished with the left side and now free, the Zweihander was laid flat horizontally and thrusted toward my right.

"Keuhuk!"

That was the end of the attacking bastard. I yanked the gripped sword even harder.

And when I fully disarmed him, I smashed the stolen sword's pommel into his head. Slammed mercilessly right into the middle of his face, it was a fractured nose at minimum, or a concussion if it went a bit further. No need to worry about him anymore.

CLATTER.

So I tossed aside the stolen sword and looked forward.

Two were rushing at me as if aiming for this exact moment, and several more were hesitating in fear.

My Zweihander pulled out of the dead pirate's body, scattering blood in all directions.

"Get out of the way!"

But just as I kicked away one of the chargers and sliced the neck of the other, I heard a thudding sound from above.

"You've got some nerve running wild in my territory, you brat!"

"Boss!"

What soon appeared was a bipedal water buffalo—that is, a pirate of the Shaggy race.

With his broad shoulders and a height reaching 2.5 meters, he looked exceptionally tough. Personally, I thought he'd be a good fit as a general or king on an island with fluttering cherry blossoms.

"Boss!"

"The boss is here!"

"You're dead meat now!"

'More importantly, my arm keeps tingling. It's a rather unpleasant feeling.'

Leaving the pirates cheering at the buffalo's entrance, I gripped my Zweihander tight.

"I'll tear your body to shreds and toss you into that sea as fish food!"

"Please kill that monster!"

"Die, die!"

'These pirates are so fucking loud.' Tuning out the guys hooting and hollering, I observed the buffalo that looked ready to charge at any moment.

Then, suddenly, my eyes caught the bulging veins on the buffalo's trapezius muscles—turns out he just had traps instead of a neck. Looking closely, I could see veins slowly popping out from beneath his long dangling earrings and braided hair too.

"I'll crush your head with this club!"

How should I put this? The excessive dilation of his blood vessels definitely made it look like he'd consumed or done something. And the aftermath of that would probably be...

CRACK, CRA-CRACK!

"Uwaaaah!!"

'Nothing good for me, I suppose.'

I twitched my eyes, watching the buffalo whose skin expanded and body swelled up in an instant like the Hulk transforming.

Fear? Of course not. I was just wondering what the hell that bastard doped with to bulk up like that.

'Is that some demon contract thing too?'

"Filth who joined hands with demons..."

Separately, another thought crossed my mind.

'I still have magic power left, so should I finish him off in one hit with it? Or should I fight him without magic?'

'Of course, given the circumstances, he's the boss here, and using a skill on a boss is the right move, but... man, the previous bosses I faced were just way too imposing.'

'Compared to the Plague Demon or the Sea Dragon, he just looks way too weak. Even considering the meta aspect that his level should be higher since he's later in the game than them... well, it just feels kinda underwhelming.'

'To be crude, he looks like a total pushover. Like I could deal damage without even using a skill.'

'Seeing how mob enemies still go down to single basic attacks even after so many days have passed since the story started, it feels like basic attacks would still work on the boss too.'

"I'll kill you! You little brat!"

However, my deliberation was cut short before I could reach a conclusion. That was because the buffalo, now nearly 3 meters tall, was charging at me with his club raised high.

"Haaaaah!"

'Alright. I'll hit him once without a skill first; if it doesn't deal damage, I'll use one, and if it works well, I'll go without.'

'Honestly, wiping out twenty mobs at once saves more time than one-shotting the boss. There's nothing more annoying than mobs scattering.'

BANG!

Anyway, the buffalo's wooden club—banded with iron—smashed into the ground. It was so heavy and solid that instead of shattering against the rock, it actually chipped the ground a little.

"Know your place."

But my body had already narrowly sidestepped the point of impact.

I raised my Zweihander toward the enemy, whose body had only grown larger while his brain seemed to have shriveled. Gleaming coldly like a guillotine blade, the sword cut through the sunlight and aimed for the buffalo's head and arm.

SLASH!

"Kuaaak!"

"T-The boss's arm!"

A forearm thicker than my thigh—perhaps as thick as my character's waist—plopped onto the ground.

Sadly, I failed to sever his head. It wasn't a particularly strange outcome.

After all, the difference in weight class was just too huge. Even when he bent his knees slightly and hunched over to slam his club down, his line of sight was still higher than mine.

Plus, his reflexes weren't half bad.

The moment I twisted to the side and raised my sword, he realized what I was going to do and tried to pull back. The proof was that he was cut lower than my intended target, closer to the wrist.

"B-Boss!"

"You rotten son of a bitch!"

'An instant rank up from brat to rotten son of a bitch, huh.'

Scattering the unneeded glory onto the ground, I immediately pursued him. The retreating buffalo gritted his teeth and swung his club one-handed.

I also put strength into the foot planted on the ground and moved the Zweihander.

CRASH!

The buffalo's club and my sword clashed. The iron banding the club crumpled and soon tore away, slicing straight through the wood.

The head of the club snapped off and flew through the air.

"Oh, fuck."

For a moment, that curse slipped out of the buffalo's mouth. It was a very folksy pronunciation.

'But my feelings are pretty much the same, man... Well, not quite to the point of cursing, just a bit of dismay.'

'Granted, every boss besides the Plague Demon and the Sea Dragon had been like this, but still, to have damage go through this easily without even using a skill...'

'It's good, but it leaves me feeling pretty conflicted.'

"H-He's not human..."

"R-Run away!"

"Fuck, you never said something like that was coming!"

Anyway, having witnessed my prowess, the pirates began to flee. I know their last shred of hope was crushed, but subordinates ditching their boss to run away? The bonds between criminals sure are spectacular.

"Dammit, you bastards!"

As if touched by the sight of his fleeing underlings, the buffalo roared at the top of his lungs. My eardrums didn't seem to appreciate it very much, so I gladly raised my sword to eliminate the source of the noise.

"Since it's come to this—!"

And as my legs launched my body forward like a spring, I swallowed my breath and swung my sword.

Breaker. The sword, clad in dark energy, split the buffalo cleanly from the crown of his head to his crotch. The spray of blood only erupted after his body, cleaved in two, collapsed onto the ground.

SHATTER.

'Wait, was that a breaking sound just now...'

WHOOSH!

"...!"

Suddenly, the jar that had been in the buffalo's hand and crashed to the floor as his body was split in two began spewing out a pitch-black liquid.

It seemed to have shattered from the impact of hitting the ground... No matter how I thought about it, this definitely didn't look good!

To make matters worse, the spot where the jar fell was right next to me. Denied even the chance to dodge, I was the first to be swept up by the pitch-black liquid.

Just like with the Plague Demon, the liquid only wet up to my ankles and didn't seem to cause any particular abnormalities.

"Uwaaak!"

"Run away!"

"Keuhuk!"

No. Let me correct that. Looks like I was the only one who avoided it because I was wearing proper boots.

"These motherfucking demons...!"

'Come on!! Normally, when this happens, isn't the standard trope going 'Huh, wasn't he about to do something? Hmm. Probably doesn't matter' and neatly wrapping things up?!'

'From now on, do I have to check every little thing they're holding, snatch it away, and then kill them?!'

Spouting out a rapid-fire string of complaints internally, I looked for a way to solve this mess. Never mind the pirates, the land itself was about to be ruined.

"Sir Knight!"

"... Do not come closer!"

'Uwaaaah. DeB, no! You can't come here!!'

"It's a curse!"

"Huh?!"

For now, I ran, taking large strides through the liquid.

The pirates were self-destructing on their own thanks to their boss's trolling, so skip them. Purifying it with fire was uncertain since I didn't know if that liquid could even burn, and I had no place to get a fire starter, so skip that too.

What was worse, the liquid was spreading too fast, and the terrain happened to be sloped and terraced, meaning if I was even a little late, the liquid would reach our ship.

Right now, saving our ship took priority.

"Vacate the area immediat—"

"Demon Knight!"

'Wait, why do I hear a familiar voice I haven't heard in a few days?'

"I have arrived!"

I bit my lip hard as I spotted the face and the incredibly conspicuous hair of the person just climbing up the rock. I couldn't help it; if I hadn't, I would have smiled.

"I shall take over from here!!"

'Our HP thief is heeeere!!'