Episode 41: Buffalo Dungeon (5)
As the rope wrapping around the Murasame is almost removed, a sharp blade is revealed.
Weapon, with his lips pursed tightly and the end of the recorder in his mouth, looking prepared.
I nodded to him and stepped forward a little further. I looked down at Murasame, whose rope was almost completely stripped away.
‘This is my first time in real life.’
In fact, being armed is one thing, but for me, the biggest gamble was to face the enemy without relying on the protection of the painless.
The silver lining is that although it is an E-class Murasame, its rank is far higher than Daiso Sashimi, and its weapon support has been added.
Still, it must have been painful enough to make my face wrinkle. My body trembled as I thought about the excruciating pain that would overtake me.
I raised my gaze slightly and looked straight ahead.
The half-human, half-bull’s hand approached with its nostrils flaring. The majestic gaze glaring at me was like that of a warrior. It was as if it had been waiting for its rival.
The frown that had been forming at that sight began to soften. Come to think of it, even when we were swallowed up in this hidden dungeon with such a commotion, that guy didn’t move at all.
The Minotaur opened its eyes when I pulled out Murasame to open the door. And its ears twitched as if they had detected a faint metallic sound.
Not only that, but from the guy’s perspective, there were plenty of opportunities to launch a surprise attack. However, the guy insisted on revealing the common field of vision and waited for me to finish preparing.
‘… … .’
Inside the hidden dungeon, where all sides are blocked, the Minotaur and the Demon Twins. How long have they been here?
I met the gaze of the Minotaur. He was only looking at me. The twin demons also spread out and distanced themselves from him. It seemed as if they would not interfere with the fierce battle that was about to unfold.
Their appearance was quite pious for a demon. I didn’t think they were mere beasts. Thinking that, I couldn’t help but snicker.
The guys were just trials. If things were as they were, they would have been trials that would have made the protagonist Leon even stronger.
I held the hilt of Murasame’s sword tightly with determination.
A few days ago, I remembered the sparring match I had with the swordsman. The sparks flying when the blades overlapped. That was enough to set a fire in the swordsman’s heart.
Even his heart, which normally kept its temperature cold, heated up like red-hot metal at the thought of swinging a sword.
‘I guess I’m starting to feel affection for the devil.’
I shook my head and looked ahead, laughing in vain. Even though he was the enemy of humanity, I wanted to fight the Minotaur with all my might.
“Hmmmmmmmmmm!”
The Minotaur raised its chin and roared loudly as if responding to my mood. Hot breath rose from its nostrils.
The twin demons each held their spear blades tightly. Their movements were slow, but they dug deep into the ground.
Swish.
“You must have been bored, so I’ll play with you for longer than usual.”
The sharp blade of the sashimi knife. The light from the blade, which was glowing in the torchlight, burst out like sparks. I closed my eyes tightly and took short, controlled breaths.
[The protection of the Sword God is manifested.]
An intelligent woman’s voice lingers in my ears, and her eyes open slightly.
++++++++++++++++++++++
《May God bless you.》
++++++++++++++++++++++
Then, the melody of Speed Weapon pierced my eardrums like needles.
* * *
Kang Geum-ma’s face twisted in agony. It was a sharp pain as if his lungs had been pierced. He swallowed the blood and phlegm that was rushing to his throat.
He wanted to scream out his agony, but he stopped at just moving his lips.
A single moment of emptiness determines life and death. Kanggeomma opened his eyes wide, applying strength to his eyes.
“…ha.”
White breath leaked out from his teeth. The Minotaur facing him also snorted and blew out breath.
The heat radiating from humans and demons filled the room. The air, a mixture of intelligence and wildness, calmly settled down.
Beep beep beep!
The recorder sound of the Speed Weapon rang out, signaling the start of the duel.
Even though the protection of pain relief is activated, the pain is still scratching at the inside. However, Kanggeomma raises his head and smiles. Rather, it makes you feel the intense pain that is piercing your entire body is alive.
“Hmmmmmmmm!”
The king of the cows let out a loud battle cry. He hit the ground with the end of his spear and rushed at Kanggeomma. It was the movement of a beast. The torches hanging on the wall shook greatly in time with the sound of his hooves.
Pot-bat!
Kang Geum-ma also ran out with his arms hanging down.
The speed wasn’t as fast as usual, but the movements were freer than ever.
As the painless protection was removed, the dormant sense of battle awakened. The hilt of the sword wrapped around my palm. The corners of Kanggeomma’s mouth rose a little more.
Kkwadduk!
The Cow King’s axe swung down hard. Kanggeomma evaded the blow by slightly turning his upper body to the side. Only a handful of black hair, cut off by the wind pressure, slowly fluttered.
Kanggeomma swung his arm, which carried the inertia of his twisted upper body. The sharp moon’s curve aimed for the demon’s arm.
Crack!
Cow King angled his spear to block the blade, then raised his blade to attack the swordsman. The fierce axe blade passed by late.
The demon’s body vision chased the human. The human’s shadow was swaying in the air. The rising strong sword horse rolled its body and charged forward with increasing momentum.
The fierce noise of metals gnashing against each other. The sound of human swordsmanship flowing in at strange angles. When you look in the direction of the sound, you only see the shadow of the strong swordsman.
Bang!
The two heavy arms that were blocking the sword strike trembled. It was hard to believe that a human half his size was producing such a heaviness. Thick blood vessels formed on the beast’s arms.
“Umm!”
Cow King gave a short slash and swung his spear, pushing the strong horse away.
The blades that had been entangled like vines fell and flew away. The movements of the strong swordsman striking the falling sword looked like acrobatics even to the beast.
Cow King extended his axe far. A strike that took advantage of the difference in reach from his weapon and physique. The beast’s thirst for battle was met with intelligence.
The axe’s blade, shining ominously, struck the ground deeply. The ground shook as the beast’s muscles twitched.
Kwakang!
The impact caused a cloud of dust to rise. Cow King quickly rolled his eyes to gain vision.
“Hmm, umm?!”
The strong sword horse stood crookedly, gently stepping on the spear like a coiled snake. The bright-eyed ox opened wide. The pupils that had been watching also opened wide.
“oh my god.”
Saki Ryozo muttered as he watched the fierce battle between the Ganggeommas.
Then, taking advantage of the gap, the blades of the left and right wings flew in a crescent-moon-like trajectory. She bent her waist to avoid the blow, then aimed for the enemy’s blind spot and fired an arrow at the bow.
Bloody, bloody
The air currents caused by hot wind, the load of the air, and the refraction of light were calculated in an instant and converted into movement.
The arrows that were fired intermittently attacked the enemy’s weak points accurately and without waste.
It wasn’t an easy move, but with careful calculations and the S-class armed enemy archer Baekshi, the enemy couldn’t figure out the attack. The move was quickly covered in arrows like a hedgehog.
“Whew, we’re almost done here.”
When she had some free time, Saki wiped her sweat and turned her gaze towards Kanggeomma. Immediately after, her irises opened wide.
Clearly, Kanggeomma thought he would be able to deal with the Minotaur with his superhuman speed.
However, he slowed down and pushed the demon with all his might. Naturally, human strength was no match for the demon’s claws.
Then how did the demon’s body begin to slowly tilt under the power of the strong sword? The archer’s eyes, which were stretched out in layers, quickly found the reason.
The sophistication of technology has reached its peak.
The swordplay, which utilized the use of muscles, posture, stride, and positional energy, was persistently targeting only weak points and destroying the enemy’s center of gravity.
Even if it was a demon, it was a small mammal. It was impossible to exert force in the direction where its joints were twisted. As evidence of this, the Minotaur’s large body was staggering as it took on the attack of the strong sword horse.
However, the above are theoretical stories. The gap between theory and practice is worlds apart.
Moreover, even if you are a seasoned veteran with a lot of practical experience, you tend to lose your cool in a situation where your life is at stake. Experience is what dulls that mental agitation.
As far as Ryozo Saki knew, there was only one person who came closest to him.
“… the swordsman Siegfried.”
Saki Ryozo muttered softly. A few days ago, there was a rumor that Kanggeomma had a duel with the sword master. According to rumors, the sword master unleashed an aura on the cadet. Her mind was spinning quickly.
As I was thinking like that, the ideas that had been floating around in my mind began to come together little by little.
‘no way……?’
Saki Ryozo’s pupils opened wide as he looked at the swordsman.
Kanggeomma gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. His foot, which had stepped on the spear, glided forward.
The devil thought.
The human was formidable. It was a rival he had been waiting for for a long time, and more. The cow king opened his mouth wide. His even teeth, like those of a herbivore, flashed whitely.
The image of Kanggeomma was reflected like a mirror in the Cow King’s bright eyes. The red light stretched out.
At the sight of the ghost holding a sword, instinct caused the demon’s huge body to stiffen for a moment.
The cornered cow king instinctively threw his fist. Although it didn’t have sharp claws, its power was enough to blow a hole in any living creature with just a brush.
Kanggeomma straightened the blade with his wrist. He did not dodge the flying fist. The sharp blade headed towards the murderous regime.
-Crunch!
A cool day that passes vertically. A red bruise that passed through a heavy fist appeared on the demon’s shoulder.
Then, as the swordsman pulled out the blade embedded in his flesh, Cow King’s arm opened wide like a flower bud.
“Conspiracy!”
The cow king opened his mouth wide and screamed. A primal emotion that paralyzed reason. Fear seeped into the demon’s body.
Kang Geum-ma turned around slightly and looked at the situation.
Sweat dripped down Speed Weapon’s forehead as he played the recorder. His face was noticeably pale. His pursed lips were a pale color.
And Chloe stuck her katana into Woojung’s neck. Woojung vomited blood while writhing briefly. When she pulled out the blade, a brilliant stream of blood gushed out from the demon’s neck.
“…Geomma Army.”
Chloe looked at Kang Geum-ma. She bit her lower lip.
The sight of Kanggeomma torturing her body while fighting the enemy. Warm water streams ran down her cheeks.
Saki Ryozo, who was looking at Chloe’s profile, also took a deep breath. Something unknown was rising from deep within.
Kang Geum-ma glanced back and smiled faintly. At that sight, Saki Ryozo felt a tickle in his chest.
The Minotaur violently pulled out the axe stuck in the ground with one hand, as if his next attack would be the final blow.
“Hmmmmmmmm!”
After letting out a roar that gathers momentum, he raises the ferocious horn on his temple. His appearance is filled with venom.
“Ganggeomma! Kill me!”
Saki Ryozo’s lips, which had been quivering, moved on their own. His usual languid appearance was nowhere to be seen.
Kanggeomma tightly shuts his eyes and slowly raises his eyelids. Then, the blazing flames begin to subside all at once.
“ha.”
Kanggeomma let out a hot breath, releasing hot breath. Weapon, who had been blowing hard on the recorder, almost lost the melody due to Kanggeomma’s sudden change in mood.
‘It’s different from before.’
Unlike the usual ready posture of keeping the upper body suppressed, the posture is one of keeping the back straight and holding the sword handle tightly.
The flames on the wall that had been burning vigorously were soon extinguished by the cold wind blowing through the room.
The darkness suddenly came. Even in the moment of cold silence, Kanggeomma held Murasame upright and caught his breath.
The wind was blowing against me. The artificial pressure was pushing down on my stomach. My shoulders were heavy.
Then, a bright blue flame rose up, illuminating the dazed eyes.
Hurrruk!
Then, a surreal aura swirls against the backdrop of a darkened field of vision.
A chilling sword sound burst out from the sashimi wrapped in aura.
