Chapter 97
“I’ll take care of it.”
Xenon, having spotted the Hungry Ghosts crawling out of the pit, drew his sword and stepped forward.
Drawn to the scent of his blood, the Hungry Ghosts shuffled forward.
Their ribs were protruding from emaciated bodies, their backs hunched like hunchbacks.
Their skin was blotched with pale mold-like stains.
Their bloodshot eyes were veined with burst capillaries.
A rotting stench and the reek of spoiled fish wafted from their bodies.
They were the very image of what one would imagine a “Hungry Ghost” to be.
So grotesque that it made one want to vomit—yet, maybe because I’d already become accustomed to countless other monsters we’d fought, I didn’t find them as terrifying as I expected.
“Step back.”
Xenon glanced over at me and spoke in a cold tone.
“If you get hurt, things will get harder.”
Though his voice was curt, I wasn’t dumb enough to miss the warmth behind his words.
“Geez, what a tsundere.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s just a thing.”
I chuckled and stepped back.
Xenon, who had been silently watching me, shook his head and raised his sword.
[Sword Strike: Swift Blade]
In an instant, Xenon vanished like a flame snuffed out.
Only flashes of swordlight streaked through the air.
The dozen or so Hungry Ghosts at the front lost their heads in an instant from Xenon’s strike.
“You’ve gotten stronger.”
Had he perhaps gained some new insight from the battle with Agatha?
Even with my limited sense for swordsmanship, I could tell Xenon’s strikes had grown sharper.
“You’re acting all cool on your own.”
Of course, Xenon wasn’t the only powerhouse in our group.
As his blade gleamed, the Hungry Ghosts fell like autumn leaves.
“Even I could pull that off, y’know, ‘sis’.”
Darwin approached me from behind, whispering, clearly a little jealous.
His words made me feel a bit playful.
“Really? I don’t think you could finish it as cleanly as that.”
For someone so bulky, he had a weirdly cute charm to him.
Well, he was still young.
“Just watch me.”
Maybe my teasing hurt his pride a little.
With a huff, Darwin charged forward.
[Gigantification]
With each step, Darwin’s body grew larger.
[Hero’s Leap]
Then he soared into the air and landed right in the middle of the Hungry Ghosts.
BOOM!
The ground shook as though a meteor had struck.
“I’ll rip you all apart!”
The ghosts were flattened and flung into the air.
Darwin plowed through the stunned horde like a tiger among a flock of sheep.
“U-um, i-it’s effective… but quite destructive.”
Nia darted over to my side and cast a Wind Barrier to shield us from the shockwave. I gave her a wry smile.
“Looks like I said the wrong thing.”
Darwin and Xenon’s competitive ghost-slaying spree resembled a massacre.
“Die, all of you!”
Crushed by Darwin’s giant fists—
“P-please spare me!”
—and slashed to ribbons by Xenon’s sword, even the ghosts looked a little pitiful.
“Nia, Eden—can I ask you two to help a bit?”
Those two alone were more than enough to handle the Hungry Ghosts, but there was no need to exhaust our strongest members unnecessarily.
“Leave it to me!”
“Don’t worry, benefactor.”
Nia stepped forward and swept her hand—massive blades of wind sliced through the ghosts.
Eden’s black spears pierced through three or four of them in a single shot.
It was a one-sided purge.
These ghosts—lowest-ranked variants like Wandering Spirits and Blood Hungry Wraiths—were never a match for our party to begin with.
“It’s about time it shows up…”
The boss of this zone, the Hell Glutton, should be appearing soon.
As if in response to my thoughts, a deep rumble echoed from deep within the pit.
Thud. Thud.
A colossal sound, like something massive climbing the cliff.
Even the ghosts, who had been charging endlessly, froze in place.
CRASH!
A gigantic hand burst out of the pit.
It grabbed the earth with a thunderous grip, and then, the massive and horrifying face of the Hell Glutton emerged into view.
“Kieeek!”
A scream that seemed to tear through eardrums rang out.
“Ugh!”
I frowned, and a soft, bubble-like pink barrier bloomed around our party.
“Is everyone okay?”
The one who cast the barrier was Lyria.
It wasn’t as large or sturdy as the one from her awakening, but it was more than enough to block the shockwave of that massive monster.
Now that the shock had been neutralized, I finally got a clear look at the creature.
“Ugh, it’s hideous, sis.”
Just as Lyria said, its appearance was utterly grotesque.
A towering body easily over 10 meters tall.
One of its eyes dangled outside its socket.
Rotting flesh exposing strands of muscle.
Because the sinner’s crimes were especially grave, the torment was greater—resulting in a form even more wretched than that of a typical Hungry Ghost.
“Blood! Living blood!”
Its cries echoed with madness and greed.
Despite grimacing at its grotesque appearance, I forced myself to calm down.
“Everyone, stay calm and listen to me!”
The team, already tense and preparing for battle, turned their focus to me.
“Lyria! How long can you maintain that barrier?”
“Huh? Oh, for hours if I need to!”
That was a relief.
With that level of barrier, it could easily absorb a few hits from the creature.
I relaxed a little and began reviewing our team’s traits again.
Xenon’s attacks were swift and sharp.
Darwin was slow but overwhelmingly powerful.
Eden was precise.
And Nia’s skills covered wide areas.
“To combine this properly…”
I quickly pieced together a plan in my mind.
The monster emerging from the pit had a nearly 10-meter tall body. If it started swinging that around, we’d be caught in it.
So the first priority was to restrict its movements.
As I concluded my thoughts, the creature began crawling out of the pit more fully.
If it came all the way out, we were in trouble.
I quickly shouted at Xenon.
“Xenon! Bring it to its knees!”
Xenon locked eyes with me for a brief moment and then dashed at the Hell Glutton without hesitation.
The creature lifted its leg to stomp on him.
But Xenon was faster.
“KIEEEEK!”
A chilling scream burst out.
Black blood sprayed from the creature’s heel.
Thud!
The giant dropped to one knee and collapsed forward.
I immediately called for Nia and Eden.
“We need to scatter its focus. Eden, hit its eyes and weak spots. Nia, keep pressuring it so it can’t recover!”
The monster flailed its arms trying to grab Xenon.
Though Xenon skillfully dodged, it would become dangerous if this continued.
We had to divert its attention—fast.
“Leave it to me!”
“Anything for you, benefactor.”
Eden’s black spears flew relentlessly at the creature’s eyes, ears, and vulnerable muscle seams.
Nia’s blade-like wind slashed across its entire body.
“I’ll handle the distraction!”
That wasn’t all.
Sylvester soared through the air and hurled a shining contraption he had prepared earlier, drawing the creature’s attention.
“If it’s restricting its movement, I can help too.”
Celestine cast a curse to bind the escaped monster’s freedom.
“Darwin. I need your strength.”
With the Hell Glutton’s focus scattered, I prepared for a single devastating blow.
Among us, the one capable of delivering the most destructive and fatal strike—was Darwin.
“As you command, sis.”
Darwin grinned, and an explosive force erupted from his body.
[Stigma: Tyrant]
An aura so intense it carried a sense of dread.
[Stigma: Beast Slayer]
A primal instinct imbued every fiber of his muscles.
[Stigma: First Hero]
An ancient, mighty power reawakened within him.
“Finish it.”
At my words, Darwin clenched his fist and launched into the air.
And then, his enormous fist, like divine retribution, came crashing down on the grotesque Hungry Ghost.
[God’s Hammer]
As the distracted monster’s vision filled entirely with Darwin’s fist—
BOOM!
That was the last thing the Hell Glutton ever saw.
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