A small gap I had created beforehand.
Significantly fewer enemies surrounded me from behind than in front.
I spun around, leaping backward in an instant.
The fibers of my muscles strained as I pushed off the ground, my feet striking the earth twice, bringing me to the very front of their formation.
“Wait, hold on! Too fast!”
“Block him! He’s just one man!”
“Even if he is! He’s damn fast!”
Eight of them, drenched in sweat, hastily began to ready themselves.
They possessed no long-reaching weapons like spears or bows.
In other words, there was no need to break my charge.
“Guh…!”
While it would be ideal to cut them all down and proceed.
‘They’re fast…!’
The urgent presence of approaching figures echoed from behind.
It seemed there were a few incredibly swift individuals among them.
*Thump-thump-thump-thump!*
A sense of oppressive weight settled over me.
If I failed to break through this encirclement.
All my plans would turn to naught.
For no one could possibly evade every attack launched from all directions.
‘I have to get out.’
Thus, protecting my neck and vital points, I bit down on my knife and initiated a forced breakthrough.
“Get out of the way!”
“He’s coming!”
“Damn it, stab him!”
“Bl-block him!”
I accelerated my run.
My speed became uncontrollable, accelerating like the wind.
*Thwack!*
*Rip! Crunch!*
*Thud-thud-thud-thud, whoosh!*
Forcibly twisting my body, I protected only my neck and vital points.
Then, holding my breath, I plunged my body forward, breaking through the eight-man encirclement!
And the outcome was not the worst.
“I-I did it! I stabbed him!”
“What did you do, you idiot?! He got away!”
A kitchen knife was lodged in my shoulder blade, and my body was covered in wounds.
But I had escaped.
*Swoosh!*
‘Damn, that hurts like hell…’
I glanced around, then resumed running, pulling out whatever was embedded in me.
‘A bone fragment, damn it.’
*Pop!*
I uncorked the potion Eldras had given me and gulped it down.
Instantly, the pain radiating from my shoulder and body began to subside.
‘In two minutes, I’ll be completely healed.’
I counted the seconds in my mind.
This was to ensure my return to peak condition.
“Aren’t his wounds healing?”
“It’s fine. He’s just fast, doesn’t seem threatening.”
I raced through the darkened space.
As I ran, having broken the encirclement and consumed the potion, I finally identified the sensation of speed I had felt from behind.
“It’s the Fangs! Clear the way, everyone!”
Those called Fangs.
They had gags in their mouths, bloodshot eyes, and considerable bulk.
They charged with a stubborn persistence, like wild boars.
The thought of facing several such individuals began to give me a headache.
*Whoosh! Whizz!*
These Fangs seemed to possess considerable resilience.
They wouldn’t even stop for arrows shot from a distance?
“Arrows! Watch out!”
“It’s the woman who was next to him earlier! A few of you, follow me!”
They were systematically dividing their forces to pursue Eldras.
‘Long-range support will be a bit difficult now.’
As I continued to run.
The moment I passed one of the many pillars.
A chilling cold permeated the air, and a shadow fell over me.
“Grrrroowl!”
One of the Fangs, frothing at the mouth from its gag, launched a surprise attack.
Had it anticipated my path and arrived ahead of me?
Its eyes rolled back as it swung a massive fist.
*Whoosh!*
The fist slammed into the floor as if wielding a hammer.
*Thump! Crack!*
I narrowly dodged, pulling my body back at the last second.
It possessed such immense strength that a direct hit would have been quite dangerous.
‘Strong enough to leave marks on the floor with its fist.’
As it swung a few more times, scars began to appear on the pillars and the floor.
*Crunch*, the sound of shattering stone echoed, followed by a heavy pursuit.
*Swish!*
I swung my knife with bullet-like speed, half-severing its wrist.
Was it incapable of feeling pain?
It didn’t even seem fazed.
“Grrrk!”
If anything, its fighting spirit seemed to surge further.
’59… 60…’
The discomfort in my shoulder had almost completely vanished.
The wounds on my body had also healed without a trace.
It felt as though I could finally exert my full strength.
“That’s it! He seems to be losing strength!”
Losing strength, huh.
*Thud-thud-thud!*
The Fangs seized the opportunity and began to run.
I concealed myself among the pillars, evading their pursuit.
“Damn it, why is he so fast! We’ll lose him…!”
“No! Just follow the direction the Fang is running!”
’70…’
I, too, was running to buy myself time for recovery.
That same Fang, its wrist still gushing blood, charged at me.
‘Was this bastard exceptionally fast?’
It swung its remaining arm like a whip.
The unstable, hammer-like attack narrowly grazed my shoulder.
*CRACK!*
The pillar cracked.
Its destructive power was undeniable!
“Kuh, grrrroowl!”
Its lips curled into a subtle smirk.
It seemed to have underestimated me quite a bit.
Just before its arm could be torn from the shattered pillar.
As gray dust billowed, obscuring my vision, time seemed to slow to a crawl.
“Ughhh…?”
One of its arms, I had already slashed at the wrist.
The other had just been extended to smash my shoulder.
This meant it had no arms left to defend against my attack.
“Grrrroowl!”
“My turn, isn’t it?”
I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth.
I could have used my knife.
But I needed to gauge my own strength first.
My lower body pushed off the ground.
My strengthened core transferred that power directly to my fist.
The Fang seemed to realize its mistake then, attempting to pull back.
But I had already stepped on one of its feet, restricting its movement.
*WHAM!*
The air seemed to burst with a sound so powerful it felt like an illusion.
A swift and precise blow landed on its jaw.
*CRUNCH… ACK!*
In a state of concentration where time seemed to stand still.
I watched its face shatter.
Its teeth cracked.
Its eyes rolled completely back.
*CRASH-BOOM!*
It was sent flying into the pillar right beside it, causing the pillar to collapse.
[One-Hit Kill!]
[Critical hit! 2x damage applied!]
As it fell, debris rained down.
Gray dust billowed upwards, and the sound of impact vibrated painfully in my head.
‘…I’ve got a rough idea now.’
“The sound came from over there!”
Since I had evaded them among the pillars, moving with shadow-like speed.
The pursuing group was still some distance behind me.
That fallen bastard had been uniquely fast, almost unnaturally so.
From its face, now mangled beyond quick recognition.
I tore off a few necessary items.
*Rip, tear.*
The Fangs’ shouts reverberated off the numerous pillars, making my ears ache.
The only illumination in this battleground came from small lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling.
Intoxicated by their perceived dominance, they spread out, pursuing me.
“A pillar collapsed over there!”
“Did a Fang break it??”
“Be careful not to get caught up in it!”
Then, spotting the traces I had left, they swarmed forward like a pack of dogs.
‘120.’
My shoulder was completely healed.
The slashes had vanished without a trace, and I could feel my heart pounding throughout my body.
*Thump, thump!*
Something surged within my mind.
A sensation I seemed to recall from before vibrated from my toes, coursing up my body.
‘Is this a side effect of the potion?’
For some reason, a hollow laugh escaped me.
Even though this was a horror story where I couldn’t predict what might emerge, even after dealing with these bastards.
Why did I feel so good?
[Experience gained.]
Was it because of the knowledge that even people could be converted into experience points?
The thread of my sanity felt precariously frayed.
Why now of all times?
Memories of bullets flying and booby traps laid on comrades’ corpses began to surface.
“……. Damn it.”
I took a deep breath.
Then, I began to hurl the teeth I’d pulled from the mouth of the Fang I’d just smashed into the pillars at the lightbulbs.
The lightbulbs easily shattered, showering the floor.
“Wh-what was that!”
“Damn it, don’t panic! We still outnumber him!”
“Someone turn on a light!”
The entire area plunged into darkness.
And I, with my level having risen.
Now possessed excellent night vision.
Faintly, I could see them.
A battlefield consumed by darkness.
I silently slipped into it.
****
Strategy, tactics, and strength.
All these combined are often expressed as ‘Martial Power’ (武).
The scope of Martial Power is vast, encompassing individuals, groups, and even nations.
“Aargh!”
“Again, again! Everyone stick together! Don’t you dare be alone!”
“Grrrroowl!”
“A Fang is charging out! G-get out of the way!”
Humans banded together to hunt mammoths and build cities.
Cooperation allows individuals to transcend their limitations, creating monumental achievements.
They had even witnessed a greater miracle than that with their own eyes.
That was why they became Apostles, and they understood all too well the power that united humans could create.
With individual martial prowess alone.
There exists an insurmountable wall!
“W-wait…! I, I…!”
*Splatter!*
“Aaaaargh!!!”
However, with their vision obscured.
In merely five minutes, perhaps even less, the tide of battle began to turn.
In the darkness, the sounds of shattering impacts echoed continuously.
Something was fighting with unimaginable speed.
‘In the dark, how?’
How many times had it happened already? A scream would erupt, then abruptly cease.
It could only be described as death, and everyone began to realize it.
“Damn it… what is this…! What is happening?!”
Sounds of something collapsing, and something being sliced.
Even the strange sloshing sound of liquid flowing across a section of the floor where a lightbulb had shattered.
Something, whether a delusion born of fear or a heightened sense awakened by it, kept creeping into their ears.
A chilling admiration for the way their advantage in numbers was being dismantled sent shivers down their spines.
“Th-this is a nightmare…”
“Shut up! Everyone quiet! We can hear him! Focus!”
Even amidst the chaos, the dull thuds continued.
And even in this situation, some still clung to their reason.
“The Fangs will find him by scent. We can find him by so-sound!”
“Before that, we need to get to where there’s light, you idiot!”
“Shut up! If we lose him, we’ll all be blamed and die!”
One of them managed to ignite a flame through some method.
*Whoosh-*
In the darkened space, everyone turned their heads towards the source of light.
“Here! Gather h-!”
As if a gust of wind had passed, the neck of the Apostle who had just lit the flame and stood there was instantly severed.
Only a few nearby perceived the enemy’s fleeting appearance in the light, plunging into confusion.
The rest froze in place as darkness returned.
“Crazy, what… what was that just now?”
“I didn’t see it clearly… Was that, that bastard?”
*Clink, plink-plink…*
The thread-like flicker of light vanished, and then a spark tumbled onto the floor.
*Sizzle!*
It was extinguished in the sticky pool of blood.
The remaining personnel numbered 30.
They displayed astonishing willpower.
The sounds gradually diminished.
Even the sounds made by the Fangs, the biological weapons they had trusted, were no longer heard.
“Th-there he is.”
Gradually accustomed to the darkness, they too began to perceive their surroundings.
By focusing on sound, they were beginning to adapt to the battlefield.
‘We are His Apostles.’
With the sole power of that declaration, they once again gripped their weapons and began to move, intent on punishing him.
Though fear permeated their movements, they gritted their teeth and took trembling steps, driven by the will to survive.
They too had received blessings, their bodies strengthened.
They had no intention of fleeing, using mere darkness as an excuse.
Having trampled countless others throughout their lives.
A twisted courage began to bloom within them.
However, in the next moment.
*Flash!*
Instantly, a light flickered out of their sight.
The flickering light, as if a torch had briefly flared, vanished.
The sudden visual stimulus startled them even more profoundly.
“Wh-what was that just now?!”
“What?! Did he do that?!”
And then,
“Aaaaargh! Damn it, daaamn it! Save me!”
As they ventured into the silence, pursuing that wicked man.
A light flashed, and then screams began to reverberate deafeningly.
They continued without ceasing.
Their brains, already overtaxed, faltered, unable to comprehend the situation.
“You idiots…! Won’t you shut up?!”
More than the immediate situation.
Some individuals grew enraged at the increasing impediments to their pursuit of him.
*Flash!*
“Aaaaargh! My, my aaarm!”
“Shut up, you bastards! I can’t hear anything…!”
The screams now echoed so loudly that their own conversations were drowned out.
The remaining personnel numbered 20. No, barely ten.
Most of them could not grasp what was happening.
Only after the flame flickered three more times.
Did the screams ringing in their ears force them to confront reality.
The scent of blood, the thick smoke rising from shattered pillars and floor.
And the faint vibrations felt from the ground.
‘H-he knows we’re tracking him by sound, and he’s disrupting it.’
He began to dominate the battlefield, ensuring its flow never shifted away from him.
‘We’re being played with, naturally.’
One Apostle, terrified, began to back away.
Then something touched their heel.
*Sizzle.*
A faint burning sound seemed to reach their ears, and they turned around to see.
“This is insane…!”
The Apostle’s arm was severed, and smoke was rising from the wound.
Fire? Where did it come from?
The smell of burning flesh wafted into their nostrils, a strong stimulus that made their legs tremble.
[Due to ‘Attribute Enhancement,’ the ‘Military Knife’ is imbued with the Fire attribute.]
[Due to ‘Will-o’-Wisp’ (A-), the Fire attribute is imbued with ‘Killing Intent’ (殺).]
Aaaaargh-!!
The screams grew louder.
They were now completely deprived of all sensory input in this space.
Sight, hearing, and even smell.
*Shivers, shivers!*
All who realized this forcibly stood on trembling legs and began to run.
Even if he was a being who dared to defile their faith, their immediate survival instinct proved stronger.
But even that did not last long.
An arrow flew from somewhere.
Two more died from it, and the lights began to flash again.
The hot scent I had detected earlier seemed to permeate the surroundings even more intensely.
“Hah, hah… Damn it, I… I’ve only eaten two so far!”
One baby and one man.
The Apostle ran, muttering that those were their only sins.
And, as the flashing light drew closer to them.
The screams gradually began to die down.
For a long time.
The sound of someone walking, and the sound of something being sliced, could be heard.
[Level Up!]
[Massacre has ended.]
[Health is below 40%.]
[Stats increased.]
‘Are they all dead…?’
*Hmph, hmph…*
Rough breaths brushed against my ears.
An Apostle, their legs giving out, crawled and hid in a space between pillars.
*Thump, thump.*
As the sound of footsteps, accompanied by something sticky, drew closer.
Sweat began to pour from my entire body, as if I had received a death sentence.
‘Hmph… hmph…’
I clamped my mouth shut, and simply began to pray for this fear to disappear.
I invoked not ‘Him,’ but other gods, the names of gods from before I fell into this world, but.
*Thump.*
“H-Haaaargh!”
The gods, it seemed.
Had no intention of saving him.
*Splatter!*
*Thud-thud-thud… thud.*
With that final sound, the battle in the intermediate zone came to an end.
Silence descended, as if all the screams that had just echoed were but a lie.
As if to signal the end of the battle.
Someone, carrying a light source, walked through the path of blood and approached.
“You did all this alone? ……. You’re human, right?”
Having dealt with all the pursuers in a slightly distant area.
Eldras, who had rushed straight to this location, cautiously asked the standing man.
[Achievement unlocked.]
[Title ‘Cruel’ acquired.]
[Experience gained from killing increases.]
[Achievement unlocked.]
[Title ‘Kin Slayer’ acquired.]
[Stats increased.]
A moment of silence passed.
“…… Wouldn’t I be?”
The man wiped some blood away, groaned from the wounds covering his body, and then.
“I am human.”
He replied,
