ALL NOVEL Chapter 30
Chapter
The plains between the horizon, the forest, and the city.
Monsters swarm everywhere in sight.
[Are you really planning to go in there? No way!]
“No, I will win.”
[What are you talking about?]
Enok fell to the ground in a parabolic arc, pulled by gravity.
Kuuuwung—!
Along with the dust, purple ki flickered.
In that moment, Enok revealed himself, channeling force into his feet.
Uduk—! With the sound of crunching bones, an orc breathed its last.
Enok shot a spark of current through the eyeholes of his mask, surveying his surroundings.
“There’s a lot.”
All around him were monsters.
Eyes were fixated on him, filled with murderous intent.
His whole body shivered.
“Alright.”
Kiiiiiing────────!!
The halo spun around.
The energy gathered in his hand transformed into the Heavenly Carnage Thunder God Technique.
The moment Enok clenched a star in his hand—
Uruuung──────!!
Purple lightning rained down.
*
“Shit….”
Max trembled at the distant storm of lightning.
“I almost got fucked…. It’s a miracle I’m still alive after messing with that thing.”
His luck had been abysmal lately; it seemed to have exchanged its worth for his life.
You can’t get a better deal than that.
‘By the way….’
Max’s gaze drifted over the castle walls.
Everyone was staring into the far-off battlefield.
Or perhaps a hunting ground?
Wild beasts were slaughtering the monsters.
Trying to shake off the ominous feeling, he glanced at the lord.
“Hmm….”
He looked deeply troubled.
And rightly so.
No matter how powerful that monster was, as long as it remained human in form, it couldn’t kill all those monsters.
It was a matter of endurance, not strength.
Mana must also be running low, and he wouldn’t be able to maintain that kind of output for long.
What if that monster just ended up dying on its own?
He hoped the lord wouldn’t rashly open the castle gates under the pretense of supporting them.
Max rubbed his head, trying to clear his thoughts.
*
Spear, fist, axe, foot, claws, fangs, head, talons, torso, arrows.
Enok’s eyes moved rapidly.
He found himself surrounded.
There was so much to keep track of.
“Kyahh—!”
A bipedal lizard jabbed a spear at him.
Lizardman, the name flashed in his mind.
At the same time, he stepped forward and scattered the star in his hand.
Saaak───────────
Five strands of ki swept through ahead.
Among the dismembered corpses, arrows came flying in.
He jabbed it into the head of an oncoming orc and released the magic he had prepped during the previous attack.
Pachuchut-!
Electric current flowed over a wide area.
The monsters froze momentarily.
In that gap.
He swung his arms, kicked, and cast simple spells.
The monsters’ heads, hearts, and necks were obliterated.
“Hah…. Hah….”
His breath became ragged.
He had long surpassed the number of monsters he had killed, crossing into three figures.
Fatigue was creeping in.
Yet, there were still many monsters left.
Once again, the sword flew in. He deflected it with his palm.
An orc resembling a dog opened its mouth wide. He savagely tore it apart.
Pulling back the spear, he shattered the orc’s skull and jumped up, spinning as he kicked repeatedly.
Tudududu-!
Red blood, blue blood, green blood, all mixed together, flowing through the air.
Darkened blood entwined around his ankles.
The heat of the battlefield surged in his head, and his body thrummed with the thrill of impending danger.
Sssak-!
He quickly tilted his head back just in time to avoid razor-like claws.
A split second later, and his throat would’ve been sliced open.
His heart raced.
A euphoric high surged within him, lifting the corners of his mouth.
I’m alive.
Naturally, this wasn’t familiarity; rather, it was an unfamiliar sensation awakening after being dulled.
“Hehe….”
With a mindless grin, he rampaged through the battlefield.
His dwindling mana flickered, and his ki sparked.
Because of that, the claws sliced through the air, and an orc retaliated immediately.
Uwdudeuk-!
Before it could strike, he burrowed into its chest.
Bam-! Bam-! The heart he gripped throbbed.
He squeezed, and it squished and burst.
There were still many monsters.
Attacks came flooding in.
It was becoming tough just to evade them all.
Injuries multiplied on his arms, legs, cheeks, and sides.
“Kyah!—”
A dark maw obscured his vision.
A monster resembling a dog, a nori.
He shoved his hand into its gaping mouth.
Kwadeuk-!
The faintly dwindling mana was pierced by its fangs.
But so what?
Fueled by the exhilarating pain, he shoved his hand deeper down its throat.
“Kaek…!”
He yanked on something, and innards were pulled out with a sickening squelch.
As he roughly tore it free, light faded from the monster’s eyes.
“Hmm….”
Blood flowed and his senses dulled.
Or perhaps it was the rising madness taking hold.
“Hahahaha…!”
With a gurgling laugh, pure black malice welled up.
Everything around him turned pitch black, but his vision sharpened.
The throbbing artery in the goblin’s neck, the gushing breaths of the orc, the whites of the nori’s eyes tinged red, the roaring throat filled with anguish, and hot steam rising from the pool of blood.
Just like this, everything……
Splat-!
[Hey, you bastard!]
A watery smack struck his cheek.
As Enok blinked in surprise, a fist suddenly flew towards his face.
Puhuhk-!
Undine quickly blasted the lizardman’s head apart.
Snapping back to reality, Enok began to move his body again.
[Is that enough now!?]
“I will win.”
[What are you winning, you crazy bastard!?]
His body felt light.
His muscles were exhausted and felt like they would tear apart, yet he was more alive than ever.
Noticing it, he realized his injuries had mended quite a bit.
What is going on?
Could it be related to Heavenly Death?
Humming a little tune, he smashed two heads together.
[You’re totally insane!]
“Phew…! I don’t have a mom!”
He grabbed a sword’s edge with bare hands.
Well, he had trained in swordsmanship, after all.
Soeok──────!
In a flash, severed arms and legs tumbled to the ground.
Enok grinned.
[Not your mother, it’s a motherfucker! Why in the world are you grinning while killing monsters!?]
“…How vulgar.”
[That’s what you said! Not me!]
“This isn’t fun.”
[It wasn’t meant to be fun!]
Slowly, his body grew sluggish.
The monsters… oh, dwindling quite a bit?
Noticing, he realized the area was a field of corpses.
Of course, there were still plenty left.
“Hmm.”
With that, the maintained False Thunder God Transformation finally fizzled out.
Strength rapidly drained from his body.
Even though he had reduced his output, it was still a dangerous technique, causing his head to pound violently.
“Did it pass?”
[Ah, what a moron! What are we going to do now!]
“Can you help me?”
[What a ridiculous thought.]
With a sigh, Undine raised her hands.
A fist the size of a bean was clenched tightly.
[Hey!]
Thwack-! A knock landed squarely on Enok’s head.
“Ugh…!”
Enok sat down, clutching his head.
At that moment—
Kuuuuuuuuung──────────!!!!
The world trembled.
Enok steadied himself, lifting his head.
“Ooh….”
A massive fist, literally mountain-sized.
As it slammed down to the earth, everything vanished.
The crushed remains of the monsters burst, sinking into the ground.
The smell of blood permeated the deeply stained earth.
“Good.”
Enok gave a thumbs up.
*
The term “cool-down time,” Enok finally grasped its true meaning today.
“Ngh….”
His entire body felt slumped and soggy.
He didn’t even have the energy to do anything, just wanting to sleep because it was all over.
He’d heard that distractions fade away, and thoughts become clear, but he didn’t know about that.
He was simply exhausted.
[Hey, hey! Don’t just lie down here!]
As Undine raised him to his feet, they trudged towards the massive castle gates that stood wide open.
Without a thought, he stepped into the entrance.
[Ugh….]
Eri, who had been tuning ki from the Central Dantian, seemed exhausted, slumping over Enok’s shoulder.
With a gentle pat on the head to show gratitude for her efforts, he faced the lord, who had come out to greet them.
“…I never expected it to be the Swordmaster’s disciple.”
The lord’s gaze rested on Undine, who had crossed her arms with a frown.
‘Tyrant’ Undine.
He had heard that infamous name many times, but he had never imagined it to be to this extent.
Not only that, but the disciple was also extraordinary.
With the hood of the mask turned up, he hadn’t recognized her well, but her fierce features unveiled through combat revealed she was still but a child.
To be a Master at that age.
She must be rare even across the continent.
Especially not a half-hearted Master like himself, but a true Master wielding her own star.
“Ooh….”
Enok didn’t even bother to regard the lord’s reaction, staring blankly with slightly widened eyes.
Should I? Should I not? A fervent inner debate raged.
But in the end, wasn’t primal instinct something that couldn’t be prevented even during cool-down time?
He put the quickly resolved decision into words.
“Want a match?”
“……?”
“Could be fun.”
Fighting while completely exhausted.
That might present a unique flavor of its own.
The things he had to think about were different from usual, and the way techniques were deployed also changed.
Just that, was it already a new kind of content?
Pachut—
A faint current flickered from Enok’s eyes.
A dwindling flash of lightning.
At the same time, Undine’s hand moved.
Bam-!
[Hey, you heat-brain! Sit still! Aren’t you getting healed!? You’re gonna get scolded thoroughly by Rionne again!]
“Ugh….”
Enok rubbed the back of his head.
That little brat had quite the strong hands.
[Hah…. Well, let’s head back already. We were supposed to be watching the monster wave. Or is it really watching?]
“…It’s a participatory experience. Anyway, I’ll be home soon.”
[What? Isn’t it finally time to return home?]
“No, I have a few things to take care of.”