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“Are you alright?!”
Human-meat Chef, his arm adorned with scales and claws, inquired as he swung it around.
Oliver, making full use of his dagger, enchanted robe, and black suit, skillfully blocked, parried, and evaded Chef’s relentless attacks.
However, it was no easy feat.
“Got you.”
With his transformed arm, Human-meat Chef seized Oliver’s enchanted robe and raised his other hand, aiming to strike Oliver down.
Despite the seemingly straightforward approach, Chef’s extraordinary physical strength posed a grave threat, prompting Oliver to swiftly activate a blood magic spell.
[Impalement]
Just as Human-meat Chef was about to land his blow, Oliver intoned the incantation.
The pool of putrid blood on the ground, obedient to Oliver’s command, coalesced into a single point, and a colossal stake surged upwards, impaling Chef’s arm.
However, owing to the exceptional nature of his physique, the stake didn’t penetrate but only momentarily hindered the movement of his arm.
Truly, it was a terrifying form.
Even Impalement, renowned for its physical prowess among blood magic spells, proved insufficient against Chef’s bare body.
It felt as though he was battling a wholly different creature.
‘But at the core, he’s still human…’
Oliver deftly swung his dagger, freeing a section of the robe ensnared by Chef.
Liberated from Chef’s grasp, Oliver stepped back and invoked Ptah’s Assistant. He conjured a magical mechanical arm, sheathed in his robe, extending a black hand towards Chef.
The very same black hand that had previously crushed an ogre into a building in an instant.
“Hmph!”
As Oliver’s black hand neared to engulf Chef, Chef snorted and infused his fist with black magic, launching it forward.
Bang━━!!
Chef’s already menacing fist now carried the force of a cannon, swiftly puncturing and annihilating Oliver’s black hand with its overwhelming might.
The sheer power of it.
Due to this, Oliver suffered significant indirect damage and lost his balance.
Seizing this opening, Human-meat Chef lunged forward, aiming a punch at Oliver.
Anticipating this, Oliver utilized his robe to disrupt Chef’s movement and unleashed razor-sharp blades of blood in a counterattack.
“So persistent.”
Despite being struck by dozens of blood blades, Human-meat Chef spoke calmly, his body impervious to any harm.
At most, they momentarily hindered his actions.
Capitalizing on the opportunity, Oliver focused his emotions into his dagger and swung it at Chef.
Swoosh━━!!
This time, it had an impact.
He managed to inflict a minor gash on Chef’s chest.
But the price was steep.
[Muddy Blood]
[Red Mold]
[Rotten Mist]
[Parasitic Mushroom]
[Corruption Fly]
Taking advantage of Oliver’s concentration on the assault and his lowered defenses, Chef incanted five distinct black magic spells, inducing diseases and weaknesses.
The already tainted and diseased blood grew murkier, red mold flourished on its surface, and from the contaminated blood, mist, mushrooms, and black magic-infested flies spread throughout the city.
“······!!”
Driven by his desperation to escape the torment of hunger, Oliver, who had been primarily focused on offense, took a direct hit from Chef’s black magic.
With his weakened defenses, Chef’s mist penetrated Oliver’s robe, causing intense pain in his respiratory system and eyes. The parasitic mushrooms clung to his black suit, attempting to erode his skin, while the rotten flies tore at his robe.
In excruciating agony, as if his body was no longer under his control, Oliver desperately employed Greed Fire to incinerate the mist, mushrooms, and flies.
It demanded a substantial amount of emotion, but there was no alternative.
Oliver, considering it somewhat fortunate, expanded the Greed Fire, utilizing poison and blood as fuel to assail Chef.
In that moment, Chef forged a French knife from blood and swung it forcefully at Oliver.
Greed Fire split in two.
Exhausted and famished, Oliver hastily wielded his dagger in a clumsy attempt to defend.
“You really hold on tenaciously.”
Chef spoke as he observed Oliver, who had failed to fully block the attack and was thrown far away.
Oliver staggered to his feet on the sea of rotten blood and spoke, his voice trembling.
“I’m sorry… I promised not to get hurt.”
“One shouldn’t make promises they can’t keep,” Chef remarked, eyeing Oliver’s dire condition.
Indeed, his state was grim.
Having immersed himself once more in the sea of rotten blood, Oliver was slowly succumbing to several disease-based black magic spells, with parasitic mushrooms clinging to his body.
Ironically, the most severe among them was the hunger disease, the most fundamental of the disease-weakness black magic series. This black magic, rooted in the emotions of Human-meat Chef, neither neutralized nor dissipated, relentlessly consuming Oliver.
Initially, it had only induced slight hunger, but it had escalated to an unbearable level of starvation, gnawing away at his flesh and muscles, both internally and externally.
Oliver was well aware that he was far from unhurt, yet he mustered the strength to speak.
To fulfill his mission, to uphold his promise, to satisfy his curiosity.
“I’ll take it as a lesson… Next time, I’ll be more careful… A promise.”
Struggling with hunger, Oliver spoke intermittently. Human-meat Chef inquired:
“Do you think there will be a next time for you?”
“Well… I believe there are many possibilities in the world… Are you okay, Mr. Human-meat Chef? Is it safe to use such disease-based black magic when you’re wounded?”
Oliver gestured towards the faint scar on Chef’s chest.
It was a minor injury caused by Oliver’s desperate attack, and Chef understood the question.
Disease-weakness black magic tended to be more effective and lethal against those who were injured or fatigued.
Chef replied:
“Oh… You’re worried about me, even when you’re fighting for survival?”
“It’s more of admiration and curiosity than worry. The disease-weakness category… Isn’t it dangerous to use it carelessly? Especially when you’re injured.
Oliver inquired, struggling to maintain his focus amidst the mounting hunger.
Disease-weakness black magic was indeed intricate and risky to use, for it didn’t discriminate between friend and foe, and the caster could be infected by their own disease-based black magic.
Chef explained:
“You’re really curious! Impressive. You must be very hungry by now. Still, to ask such a thing… I’m fine. Because I have immunity to the disease-weakness black magic I create. Especially those that use blood as a medium.”
Blood. Oliver instinctively honed in on that keyword.
Too famished to think clearly, he followed his gut feeling.
Meanwhile, Human-meat Chef decided to conclude the contest and approached Oliver.
Though Oliver had fought valiantly, it amounted to just that – a fight. Moreover, Oliver was no longer in a condition to move much.
Plagued by parasitic mushrooms, decaying flies, various diseases, and unrelenting hunger, Oliver spoke:
“…Mr. Human-meat Chef.”
“You shouldn’t even have the strength to talk, just stop.”
Chef casually dismissed Oliver’s words, having made up his mind to end it.
But the next words were something even Human-meat Chef couldn’t ignore.
Because, being who he was, they held profound significance.
“The reason you approached Lady Bathory… It was because of that.”
Chef involuntarily halted.
In that moment, Oliver saw it—Chef’s emotions toward Bathory.
Amidst his tumultuous emotions of rage, hatred, and greed, one distinct feeling gleamed faintly.
It was overshadowed by the others but undoubtedly present and somewhat beautiful.
Driven by an innate curiosity and desperate to forget his hunger, Oliver delved deeper into that emotion.
“Ah… I guess I’m right… You approached Lady Bathory to compensate for the weaknesses of disease-based black magic using blood magic.”
Oliver now comprehended why Chef, who rarely dabbled in blood magic, had sought out Bathory.
But there was more to it.
“And it’s interesting… Lady Bathory also harbored similar feelings towards you, Mr. Human-meat Chef… Longing, attachment, memories… Of course, she also harbored hatred and anger.”
“Hey…”
“I didn’t understand at first, but now I do.”
“…”
“Lady Bathory regarded her daughter and disciples as mere tools, but not you. She certainly harbored hatred and anger, but… Initially, I couldn’t understand. Surely, she should see you as an enemy, I thought. But seeing your emotions, I think I get it. You too, towards Lady Bathory━”
━Swoosh!!!
Before Oliver could finish his sentence, Human-meat Chef, wielding a French knife crafted from blood, swung it forcefully in an attempt to strike Oliver down.
Oliver made a feeble attempt to block with his quarterstaff and dagger, but his diminished emotions and mana, combined with a body weakened by hunger and disease, rendered him unable to defend himself effectively.
His fall onto the sea of blood served as a testament to his vulnerability.
Human-meat Chef approached with a cold, vengeful demeanor.
“Originally, I planned to just pickle you in disease for preservation, but I’ve changed my mind. I’ll cut off your limbs, hang you up, and rip out that tongue of yours.”
As Oliver lay on the putrid sea of blood, he struggled to rise. Diseases continued to infiltrate his body, exacerbating his illness and intensifying his hunger.
“Is it for your sister?”
“……”
“Right… It was for her. You betrayed Lady Bathory, whom you loved, because of your sister, and even committed such terror in the city for her sake.”
Oliver mentioned this while gazing up at Gretel atop the mechanical tower.
Paradoxically, despite his body and mind being in an incredibly deteriorated state, this pushed Oliver’s focus to the extreme, granting him remarkable insight.
Human-meat Chef, who had been dominating Oliver moments earlier, charged at him in a fit of rage, as if a hidden, shameful part of him had been exposed.
He was determined to silence Oliver and prevent him from revealing more.
Then, Oliver, increasingly emaciated from hunger and disease, activated a blood magic spell using a pool of blood.
A blood magic spell that enabled movement through blood.
“Kyaaaahhhhhhhh!!!”
As Oliver activated the blood pool, the sea of blood on the ground began to churn, and nine Corpse dolls emerged.
These Corpse dolls were clad in skin vests fashioned to resemble Bathory and her eight female warlock disciples.
They emerged directly under the charging Human-meat Chef, grabbing him with their sharp nails and lifting him into the sky, aided by wings of blood on their backs.
Even Human-meat Chef, with his extraordinary physique, was caught off guard by this unexpected ambush and couldn’t react in time.
‘It seems not only because of that…’
In his fading consciousness, Oliver discerned the emotion that Human-meat Chef harbored toward the Corpse doll resembling Bathory.
There was a hint of sadness in his expression.
“Get off!”
Human-meat Chef shouted, trying to mask his sadness with anger.
He then broke free from the grasp of the eight Corpse doll-female warlocks attempting to carry him into the sky.
While the female warlocks were not lacking in strength, they proved no match for Human-meat Chef.
Recognizing this, the innermost Corpse doll-Bathory gave orders to the female warlocks.
Rather than engaging in a direct power struggle with Human-meat Chef, they were instructed to create distance and attack him while he was vulnerable in the air.
Swoosh━━━━!
Just as they were about to unleash a blood magic assault on Human-meat Chef, dragon-like wings sprouted from his back, cutting through the air with tremendous force.
The power behind his strike was so immense that it could have easily cleaved through anything within a vast radius.
‘Luckily… I had reinforced them with pieces of Mr. Theodore’s flesh.’
Oliver thought as he observed the female warlock Corpse dolls narrowly evading the devastating attack.
Though they didn’t escape unscathed, losing some limbs in the process, they suffered only operational damage despite the sudden assault.
This confirmed Oliver’s hypothesis.
Infusing the flesh of a potent corpse into the Corpse dolls significantly enhanced their capabilities.
‘The effect and efficiency might vary depending on the individual. I can find out more through experimentation.’
Oliver registered this observation in his thoughts as he closely monitored the situation above.
Human-meat Chef, slightly taken aback by the agility of the female warlock Corpse dolls and Bathory in evading his attack, swiftly extended his wings wide to make his escape.
A wise decision.
No matter how formidable his physique, being surrounded by well-coordinated blood mages was an unfavorable predicament.
This was especially true in the open airspace, where the range of attacks expanded significantly.
Naturally, the innermost Bathory comprehended this, and she directed the female warlock Corpse dolls to weave a cage of thorns crafted from blood, impeding Human-meat Chef’s mobility.
“Such petty tricks…!”
With ease, Human-meat Chef shattered the blood cage using his wings and a French knife formed of blood, then charged toward the Corpse doll-Bathory.
Oliver wondered whether Chef’s approach to Bathory was purely strategic or driven by some deeper motivation.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re moving as expected.”
As Oliver whispered this, a brilliant azure flash of light emanated from a distant building, followed by an immense surge of magical energy that struck Human-meat Chef. It was an onslaught from a remote support Corpse doll, which had been teleported to the rooftop of the building via portal magic.
The Corpse doll boasted six legs, six arms, three torsos, and an enormous cannon. Oliver had only used it once before, during a mission alongside Pinkman Jonathan to recover stolen goods from the Crime Firm. Now, he deployed it once more.
Although it saw infrequent use due to its demanding activation conditions, its power was undeniable. The magical barrage, now enhanced through modifications, struck Human-meat Chef with even greater force than before, capable of obliterating even his subordinates with their remarkable regenerative abilities in a single blow.
Ziiiiiiiiing━━━!!!
The attack emitted a distinct, ear-piercing sound as it assailed Human-meat Chef. The energy of the attack gradually condensed as it seared through him, eventually culminating in a massive explosion.
━━Kuhooongwoong!!!
The detonation generated a shockwave that sent the surrounding blood mist scattering in all directions.
Capitalizing on this momentary distraction, Oliver withdrew three parchments from his pocket and sent them hurtling toward Human-meat Chef.
Despite enduring the ferocious magical bombardment, Chef made an effort to tear the parchments but was thwarted by Bathory, leading to his failure. As a result, the parchments remained suspended above him.
In that instant, Human-meat Chef perceived it.
Three portals opened, from which emerged Corpse dolls-Duncan and Shamus, along with Oliver himself.
Corpse doll-Bathory and the female warlocks descended, their blood wings fluttering.
“?!! …Do you think you can wound me with that?!”
Human-meat Chef, descending under the effects of the magical bombardment, shouted. It wasn’t boastfulness but a fact.
Despite numerous attacks, his body only bore minor scratches and scorch marks.
Likewise, the combined assault from Oliver, Corpse dolls-Duncan and Shamus, and Bathory wouldn’t make a significant difference.
But that didn’t deter them.
“I just… need to go down with… Mr. Human-meat Chef.”
Oliver replied weakly, his strength waning.
It was a cryptic statement, yet Chef soon grasped its meaning.
The emotions of the city were converging in the mechanical tower through the basement.
“You━!”
Human-meat Chef exclaimed in panic, but Oliver, undeterred, pressed on with his plan.
“Please, Child.”
“Kyaaaaaaaahhh!!”
“Kyahahahahaha!!”
“Kyaaaaaaaahhh!!!”
(To be Continued)
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