Beldusias.
The first and most powerful enemy that Ruon ever faced, who could be called his nemesis. Ruon had always followed three principles: survival first, avoid meddling in complicated matters, and never settle in one place.
“You call my name.”
The one who answered him started to laugh slowly, as if amused.
From the mouths of the corpses piled up like Patty, different tones of laughter came out one syllable at a time.
Ha-ha!-Hot-ha-ha…
The voice of the great demon, which seemed to forcibly stitch together one letter from hundreds of people’s voices, made him feel like his mind was being eaten away just by listening.
“I should thank Salvador. He probably had no idea what kind of consequences his death would bring.”
What are you talking about?
Ruon could feel Kyle’s movement behind him, who was staggering and getting up. He opened his mouth slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on the front.
“You talk too much. Rag.”
Before his words were even finished, a bow without a string was already attached to the end of his straight arm.
Light arrows shot out in an instant, raining down like a meteor shower over the horrible flesh.
In the midst of the scattering of light, a creepy whirring sound was heard, and a few tentacles of the two-legged creature rushed down at a tremendous speed.
Ruon threw the bow behind him and quickly pulled out the sword he had stuck in the ground, and cut off the tentacles that were flying at him in one breath.
The tentacles that bounced off or were cut off by the collision shattered the surrounding stone pillars, and sharp dust scattered in all directions.
In the midst of the feast of successive explosions, Igor’s urgent scream was heard.
“Ruon!”
Splash!
The violent water split into two and a tentacle sprang out from within, aiming for his heart.
Ruon blocked that too.
It was possible because he had superhuman reflexes and amazing physical abilities that could carry them out. But there was no room for relief. The cross-section of the cut tentacle bubbled and swelled, and then exploded with a sound of cracking the shell.
The air pushed by the explosion rushed into the space that became a vacuum, and a fierce wind tore through the cave.
The thick dwarf’s hands supported Igor’s back, who was floating up by the shock wave. Thanks to that, the two of them were able to minimize the damage from bouncing on the floor.
“Merciful mother-!”
Igor, who quickly got up with his wet body, clasped his hands and cried out for the goddess of mercy, and a large shield appeared in front of him, blocking the flying fragments effectively.
Igor, who covered his dull ears with his palms, sighed with relief at the sight of the red shield wavering beyond the barrier of light.
“He only chooses the most disgusting things to do.”
Ruon muttered as the tentacle swelled up, activating the sword’s shield to protect himself.
Beyond the thick dust that poured down from the ceiling, the horrible voice of the prey came.
“Do not be afraid. You will all be reborn as my new servants. This is not the end. It’s a new beginning.”
Ruon realized without difficulty that the idea in his voice was trying to devour his mind. He shook it off with his strong will, and glanced back, seeing a bright light flickering.
Instead of rushing straight ahead, Ruon slowly stepped back into the light.
Kyle, who was leaning against the stone pillar, coughed dryly and said.
“I thought I was really going to hell… That’s why I told you not to make a fuss.”
His playful tone did not match the blood that flowed down his mouth.
“Snap out of it now.”
Ruon answered dryly, still keeping his eyes on the front.
The countless tentacles that came out of the corpses tangled together, and Beldusias’s body, which was wriggling, looked like a black sun burning in the backlight.
He did not attack the party who hid their bodies behind the barrier of light, but kept his position. As if waiting for the right time.
Then, Igor, who approached with a limp, put his palm on Kyle’s chest. A soft light poured out from under his palm, and Kyle’s expression softened.
The priest, who had a slightly pale face, clenched his teeth and looked at Beldusias.
“That abominable mutant body… I can’t even imagine how many people he devoured to achieve that shape.”
Strabo came up, tapping his cheekbones with his palm. He said with bloodshot eyes.
“Damn, it feels like worms are crawling in my head… Are you all okay?”
Ruon nodded toward the barrier of light.
“Igor, release that. Use your power to protect yourself and the other two.”
At his words, telling him to lift the shield and bless the party, Igor frowned.
“What about you, Ruon?”
“I don’t need it.”
Igor, who had been traveling with Ruon and knew well that he was not a person who made empty words, did not add any unnecessary questions.
The barrier of light in his will gradually scattered, and gently settled on the bodies of the three people except Ruon.
Then, Beldusias’s whisper came.
“The story has ended, hasn’t it?” As if waiting for this moment, one of the entangled masses that made up the creature—a giant yellow hand—began to unravel. No, it wasn’t unraveling; it was separating. Hundreds of corpses poured out onto the water, screaming and rushing towards the party.
“Disgusting creatures!” Stravo’s face turned green with veins popping out, and soon his body swelled, and rough fur began to grow.
With a roar, the dwarf transformed into a massive four-legged beast. Kyle, with sword and shield raised, shouted in support, “Go, Ruon!”
Before Kyle’s cry had even finished, Ruon had already kicked off the ground and was charging forward.
He effortlessly sliced through the corpses blocking his path. However, the creatures seemed uninterested in Ruon, brushing past him and aggressively charging towards the party.
This could be troublesome. Could just three people handle the army of the dead, which seemed far more ominous than the corpses they had encountered in the cave? Despite the doubt, Ruon decided to trust his companions.
Suddenly, tentacles flew towards him. Ruon swiftly swung his sword, slicing through the tentacles, but that was just the beginning. Unidentifiable flesh rained down on him, emitting a foul odor.
A piece of flesh that landed on his shoulder instantly melted the seams of his armor, causing a searing pain. Despite the horrific pain of his flesh melting away, Ruon did not slow down. The water on the ground splashed wildly under his forceful steps.
Reaching the abomination Belducias, Ruon thrust his sword into the mass of naked corpses entwined together. The rune-covered Ruin shone brightly, piercing through the disgusting torso of the great demon.
Ruon didn’t stop there; he swung his arm down, splitting a fairy-like corpse in half. At that moment, the corpse split open, and a mass of tentacles burst out, entangling Ruon.
The tentacles quickly wrapped around his limbs and began to pull him in tightly. Fighting against the pressure that seemed to crush his bones, Ruon clenched his teeth.
With terrifying strength, Ruon managed to tear off the tentacle holding his left arm and immediately swung his fist like a cannonball without mercy. The size of the impact was unbelievable.
The bodies of the corpses attached to each other shattered, and the tentacles inside burst under the power of his punch.
Belducias screamed, “Madman!”
Ruon, inadvertently earning the title of madman from the great demon, replied with a bitter smile, “Thanks for the compliment.”
As if to silence him, a chain of sinister screams erupted from the mouths of the entwined corpses.
The overlapping screams amplified, creating a resonance that sent a shockwave crashing into Ruon.
Thrown back without a chance to react, Ruon finally came to a stop after shattering two limestone pillars. Blood flowed from his mouth as he absorbed the full impact of the collision.
Struggling to stand amidst the bone-crushing pain, Ruon staggered under the terrible whispers invading his mind.
The vile curse embedded in the great demon’s roar had clearly etched a crack in his solid mental barrier.
Fortunately, the [Demon Judge] activated within him since the start of the battle helped prevent the collapse, saving him from being engulfed in madness.
Then, amidst the blurring vision, Ruon saw tentacles flying towards him. His head was boiling like an active volcano, and his arms barely lifted, but still, he swung his sword.
With a sound like thunder, he cut through all the tentacles, and a blood-red light flew towards him. He raised his arm with all his might, and the black lightning, twisted with curses, split in mid-air and exploded.
Pushed back by the aftermath, Ruon continued to advance despite his flesh melting from exposure to the curse’s wave.
Belducias murmured in a chilling voice, “Impressive willpower. How thrilling would it be to convert such steel-like willpower into loyalty for me? It won’t be long now.”
Ruon spat out a mouthful of blood, realizing the light illuminating the cave was dimming. He turned to see his companions fighting with all their might, surrounded by yellowish corpses.
Stravo shook off the leech-like corpses and swung his front paws fiercely, while Kyle held his shield high to block their attacks and skillfully placed his arming sword.
Despite their valiant efforts, the defensive line was slowly crumbling.
“…Igor.” Ruon muttered softly upon seeing the pale-faced priest struggling to breathe on the ground, and Belducias’s laughter echoed in response.
This translation maintains the third-person narrative and corrects sentence structures for readability and flow, suitable for a web novel format.
“He exerted all his strength to protect his comrades, only to end up like trash. I admit he was a powerful priest, but he had a bad opponent. Did you really think you four could kill me? I am madness itself!”
The last sentence was not a string of syllables, but a simultaneous explosion from the mouths of all the corpses.
As the overlapped sound burst like gunpowder, the bodies of the dead that were pressing on the party began to swell up.
At the same time, several black lightning bolts rose up around Belducius’s body, making a crackling sound.
Facing the swirling wave of curse, Ruon straightened his sword. He suddenly felt a mysterious power boiling inside him.
What is this?
A hot power that burned his holy power as fuel began to spread throughout his body.
Clang─clang─
The moment a rough friction sound like hammering iron rang in his head, the tattoo on his shoulder flared up and burned. Ruon, who noticed where the power that restored his broken flesh came from, grinned fiercely.
You came faster than I expected.
[The Blessing of Duermur]
The forging of the blacksmith god gave Ruon a new vitality.
