Chapter 495: Seirei Shrine


    “… Goddamn,” I breathed as the creature before me continued expanding in size until it was the size of a literal skyscraper, towering over us like a giant.


    “COME, PETTY HUMANS… I’LL SQUASH YOU LIKE ANTS.”


    I smirked. “Just because you’re big… doesn’t mean you’re invulnerable. Let’s go!”


    Mei Gui and I ascended into the air with Sky Magic while Amane leaped onto the giant’s body and used its various parts as footholds for her to boost herself even higher. Of course, this creature wasn’t an actual member of the Giant race, but its size wasparable.


    “Let’s see… if you’re as tough as those slimes.” I grinned wickedly as I summoned my two Chaosborn katanas, raging with ck and red strands of energy, and dove towards the giant monster’s face. From the other side, Mei Gui called upon her spear as well, and together, the two of us made a cross sh on the giant’s eyes.


    “GRAGH!” It roared in fury and pain as it stumbled backwards a few steps, giving Amane the opening she needed to sink her sharp orichalcum de into the creature’s heart.


    “… Hmph.”


    Pulling back out, she discovered that her sword was stained with purple blood, thennded back down on the ground as the monster’s body was frozen still.


    “… That should be enough to kill, right…?” I narrowed my eyes. But-


    “HEH…”


    “No…” Mei Gui’s eyes widened. “Its wounds… they’re healing…!”


    “Foolish humans… so long as I am touching the earth, you shall never kill me!” The giantughed like a devil. “Such is the power bestowed upon me by my master, and such is the power that you shall soon die to!”


    But hearing this, none of us were surprised. Instead, we merely exchanged nces, and I gave a sigh.


    “… Hey, buddy. Pro tip? Don’t reveal your weakness as soon as the fight begins.”


    “What?! How is that a weakn-“


    “Hnngh…!”


    In an instant, I disappeared and reappeared directly underneath the massive creature, then sank my empowered fist directly into the monster’s crotch, shooting him upwards into the sky.


    “Now, Mei Gui, Amane!”


    “Understood, master!”


    “On it!”


    The two girls didn’t waste any time as they soared towards the creature, now in the air, and sliced its body up like tofu. What was once whole had now been split into hundreds of tiny parts, with blood and gore spilling everywhere as the twonded back on the ground.


    The monster didn’t even have time to scream before all its cut body parts fell back onto the floor, where I incinerated them with a zing inferno using Fire Magic.


    “… Well, that was easier than expected,” Amane mused, cleaning her de before sliding it back into its sheath.


    “I’m sure it would’ve been a lot harder if the guy hadn’t just outright told us his weakness,” I said with a chuckle, then nced down at my hand. “Though… I really wish I didn’t have to do that.”


    “Why?” Amane tilted her head curiously.


    “Well, uh…” I cleared my throat. “N-Never mind. Let’s keep going.”


    Since she didn’t understand, there was no point exining it to her now. But basically, the reason I didn’t want to do that was… punching the guy in <em>that</em> spot felt very not-so-good. Feeling another dude’s balls just isn’t something to be proud of.


    Still, I was able to pull it off because of mybined strength as a half-vampire and half-angel. The golden ichor from Lin Luo plus the True Ancestor vampire blood given to me by Count Draculus would normally work against one another and sh in my body, but the Chaos inside me, which contained elements of all things, helped harmonize the two and actually make them work together to create an even stronger power. As such, I could probably single-handedly lift an apartment building as I am right now—though for how long was a different question.


    Regardless, now that the final gatekeeper was out of our way, we could safely progress forward. Given that monster’s usage of words, it’s clear these ‘corrupted’ entities, be it beast or creature, are in fact the work of the Midnight Syndicate as well. I had predicted as much ever since first hearing about them since they reminded me of those monsters who came to invade Shenzhen a long time back, but couldn’t be sure until now.


    But if the two events are truly connected, then… that would mean…


    I shook my head, not wanting to dwell on it.


    “Look, Master,” Mei Gui suddenly said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I stared at where she was pointing, and discovered that there was an entrance to what seemed like a cave ahead of us.


    Given the architecture around it—or what remained of it—there once truly used to be a shrine here, but has been destroyed since then—possibly by the Midnight Syndicate members who came here. The damage here appeared to be dated about as old as the damage in Inarishika Vige, after all.


    Now that the shrine’s buildings and whatnot were all destroyed, however… the cave opening that was hidden behind it was now revealed. There appeared to be torches inside lighting it up, and seemed to lead down into the heart of Mount Kita.


    “… There’s no other way to go, so…” I turned to Amane and Mei Gui, who both nodded at me, and we began walking towards the cave. However, before going in, I called upon Lorelei.


    <em>“Sense anything?”</em>


    She shook her head in her fox form on my shoulders.


    <em>“No, Master. The passage leading down here appears to be very deep. It is not yet within Lorelei’s range to detect anything. Once Lorelei bes stronger, though…”</em>


    <em>“I see, that’s fine. We’ll just have to head deeper. Let me know the instant you discover anything at all.”</em>


    <em>“Understood, Master.”</em>


    I decided not toment on how simr her ‘understood, master’ was to Mei Gui’s, and instead merely step into the cave’s entrance. As expected, there was a stairway leading straight downwards, descending into the very heart of the mountain. It was quite steep, and from where we were right now, showed no sign of a bottomyer.


    “… Let’s go. And keep your senses sharp,” I ordered, to which Mei Gui and Amane both gave nods.


    *****


    – Meanwhile, Ex-Fragment, Midnight Syndicate Headquarters –


    A dooming man sat before four knelt-down subordinates, each powerful in their own right. But this man was above all four of them by arge scale, and could take on them all at the same time with no problem. He was d in knight-like armor, painted pure ck with a red visor that gleamed like the color of blood. The ting on his outfit was less like metal and more like dragon scales, taken directly from the second-most-powerful dragon species of all—the Abyssal Dragon.


    On his forearms were two curved des that could extend and retract as he wished, and each was forged by the hardest metal in the world—orichalcum. Not only that, but the edges of the des were in fact lined with miniscule spikes of their own, constantly rotating like a hyperspeed conveyor belt to provide more lethality. Anyone who met this de, no matter how tough they were, would be cut to pieces.


    No one knew this man’s name. No one knew this man’s face.


    All they knew was his one and only cryptic alias:


    X.


    “… Have you found the child yet?”


    Those were the words that came out of his mouth, dark and chilling to the bone. It took everything his four closest subordinates had not to shiver in fear, and respond as calmly as they could.


    “… Yes, Master X. I have picked up a faint tracing of that boy’s tracks…” An old woman rasped, gripping the staff in her hand tightly. Her face was hidden behind amb mask, but judging from the voice alone, she was clearly old. “… He appears to be in Japan, Demihuman Territory.”


    “… Oh? Demihuman Territory?” X murmured, as if intrigued. “What could he be doing there?”


    “It would seem he is attempting to climb the mountain known as Mount Kita,” the old woman responded. “And from this old mind’s information gathering… it would seem that is where an exile of the syndicate lies…”


    “Ayo? An exile?” The wolfman subordinate arched an eyebrow. “Which one?”


    The old woman shot him a sideways nce. “His name is Steel. He was under yourmand, was he not, Silver?”


    “Who?” Silver the wolfman scratched his cheek. “Eh, sorry, doesn’t ring a bell. I don’t remember my subordinates’ names. But if what you say is true… heheh… Master, I ask that you let me take care of this.”


    “… Can you handle it?” X asked, voice low yet with a taunting edge.


    “Of course!” Silver replied giddily, cracking his knuckles. “It’s been some time since Ist had a good fight… if Master X thinks so highly of that kid, then he’s gotta be strong, right? Oh, but don’t worry, I won’t hurt him too bad—just enough to force him toe along.”


    “… Fine,” X said atst, standing up from his dark throne. “I leave this to you, Silver.”


    Silver, the wolfman, grinned like a predator searching for prey.


    “Heheh… the hunt’s on.”