The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

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Chapter 160: A Familiar Face (Part 3)

Pedo and Hebe revealed themselves, each wielding unique and grotesque weapons: Pedo had two massive war hammers, while Hebe held a giant pair of garden shears. Their weaponry went beyond eccentricity and crossed into the realm of monstrosity.

Bubbles of viscous liquid filled the air, emitting a mana-laden foam. Covered in the common mist, they resembled advanced gladiators. With two high-rankers like them, even Vikir, a top-ranker, couldn’t afford to be complacent.

Pew!

Vikir shot forward, unleashing a crimson shot from Beelzebub. It extended horizontally, creating a loud explosion as it ripped through the corridor wall, but the sound was trapped within the maze of the corridor.

Pedo leaped upward, while Hebe crouched down, narrowly evading Vikir’s shot. Simultaneously…

Kwack!

Two war hammers and a massive pair of scissors hurtled towards Vikir.

The cylindrical pillars crumbled like smashed pumpkins.

Puff, puff, puff, boom!

Vikir pierced the debris from the destroyed cylindrical pillars with his many fangs, annihilating Pedo and Hebe who were hiding behind. Both at the same time…

“Thud!”

Vikir spat and lifted his mask slightly. His spittle, mixed with blood, flew through the air and landed on Pedo’s hand.

Sizzle…

Flesh burned and tendons melted upon contact. However, Pedo remained unfazed, continuing his assault with the blade.

Vikir retreated as his cape was cut, muttering, “Poison doesn’t work, after all.” He had tried combining Madam Eight-Legs’ venom with his saliva, but the effect was minimal. After all, as undead beings, they were less susceptible to poison.

‘Then how about this?’ Vikir retreated further, dissolving into a cloud of dusty smoke, which enshrouded the area.

Pedo and Hebe, in an attempt to find Vikir, looked around in confusion.

Swish…

Vikir, who had vanished, reappeared above Pedo and Hebe’s heads, near the ceiling.

Thunk! Thump, thump!

His silent, piercing fangs gnashed against Pedo and Hebe’s bodies once again.

Vikir’s ‘Silent Heel’ skill, which he learned from Mushussu, allowed him to move silently, making his Silent Heel skill useful in situations like this.

Thunk! Thunk, thunk! Crunch, squish!

Vikir’s sword blade began slowly gnawing at Pedo and Hebe, bit by bit.

“If they were living opponents, I’d have punched holes in their throats or hearts by now,” Vikir thought with a bit of frustration. Because they were undead, Vikir’s stabbing attacks were less effective.

Whoosh…

When Vikir extended his aura…

[Grurk!]

Pedo suddenly leaped forward, paying no mind to Vikir’s blade that pierced his belly skin.

Puff!

Pedo disregarded Vikir’s blade, driving forward relentlessly. Vikir tried to retract his sword, but it was wedged tightly between Pedo’s spinal bones, making it difficult to remove.

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Using his spinal bones, Pedo anchored Vikir’s blade in place, and Vikir found himself unable to recover it.

“…?”

Vikir hadn’t realized what Pedo intended until he saw Hebe approaching with giant shears.

!

Hebe sliced through Pedo’s body with the giant garden shears, and at the same time, he cut through Vikir’s body, who was in front of him! Vikir’s body twisted and struggled as he tried to get out of the two scissor blades that cut into him.

At the same time, Pedo’s body in front of them was nearly torn in half. The tough spine prevented it from splitting in two completely, but the scissors had cut deep into his side, grabbing onto his inner bones.

This allowed Vikir to narrowly escape from being divided in half, but his shoulders and forearms on both sides were already torn to shreds, skin and flesh ripped apart, and blood flowing freely.

At this moment, Vikir struck back.

Pak!

Vikir kicked Pedo’s belly, forcing the blade of the scissors inside Pedo’s body to slide deeper.

Hebe tried again with his giant shears and applied more force.

Thwack! Thump!

Vikir kicked Pedo again, pushing Pedo’s body further into Hebe’s side. This time, the shears’ blades spread wider apart, and the force squeezing Vikir also weakened.

Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak!

Vikir continued to kick Pedo’s body into Hebe, and Pedo struggled, but he couldn’t stop himself from being pushed back.

Eventually…

Thud!

The spinal bones that had been wearing down the scissor blades finally snapped, and Pedo’s body was cut into two pieces.

At the same time, the scissor blades crossed paths.

Crack!

They collided in a deafening noise. However, Vikir, who had just been kicking Pedo, managed to dodge Hebe’s blades at the last moment.

“Die.”

Vikir raised his hand, and a sharp, trident-like attack was launched.

Fwoosh!

In an instant, it created a large hole in Hebe’s neck and sent him flying backward several meters.

Thud!

Both Vikir and Hebe collapsed, their bodies battered and bloody. Vikir’s shoulders, arms, and legs were in tatters, and his clothes were shredded.

Just at that moment, a cry reached them. It was the voice of Saint Dolores.

“Night Hunter, are you okay?”

Her long, drawn-out spell, the sealing of divine language through her prolonged prayer, had finally been realized. Dolores chanted, “My light of life, my flame of existence, my sins, my soul… Let these wicked ones feel the weight of their sins…!”

Sacred light from the runes poured forth, pressing Pedo and Hebe down. The two beings that straddled Vikir’s body, trying to put themselves back together and mend their injuries, suddenly found themselves immobilized by the immense sacred power Dolores radiated.

Finally, Vikir could stand up from the ground. His torn cloak revealed white flesh and red wounds underneath. Dolores, alarmed by the sight, hurried over and knelt beside him.

“Night Hunter, are you all right?”

It was evident that Vikir had sustained severe injuries that would take longer than a few minutes to heal.

Dolores, her face streaked with tears and a runny nose, knelt by Vikir’s side. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry! I took too long with my spell…”

But it was too late. Vikir’s skin and flesh were torn apart, his bones and entrails exposed, revealing that he was on the verge of…

“Hurry, we need to use healing magic! After the emergency treatment, we’ll get you to the infirmary… Huh?”

With Tears in her eyes, Dolores suddenly froze in shock. A strange sensation overcame her.

Tsss, tsss, tsss, tsss…

Vikir’s wounds were rapidly healing, which was why her surprise was evident.

‘Good thing the Fog Lizard’s skill came in handy,’ Vikir thought. In a short time, his body had healed completely, leaving only his well-toned muscles and fair skin visible beneath his torn cloak.

While adjusting his attire, Vikir gave Dolores a brief piece of advice. “Conserve your divine power. We haven’t even encountered the real demon yet.”

“Yes, yes…” Dolores responded with a somewhat dazed expression. Healing wounds so rapidly was something she had never seen before, and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was due to Vikir’s divine power.

And then, Dolores found herself thinking, “Night Hunter is a man.”

She had suspected he was a man based on his physique and voice. However, due to the way he had always concealed himself under a cloak and mask, she had never thought much about his gender. But with the glimpse of his white, well-built body revealed between the tattered cloak, she was now certain.

He was male, and he seemed quite young. In that instant, Dolores’ face turned slightly red. This was the first time she had seen a man’s naked body from such a close distance.

“Be virtuous,” she reminded herself. She had seen patients undressed, but different circumstances required different attitudes. As a healer, she never made a habit of distinguishing someone’s gender.

But Dolores couldn’t help her curiosity. What did the face hidden behind the mask look like? Was it terrifying or surprisingly ordinary? She couldn’t help but wonder.

“Are you curious?” Vikir asked.

Dolores, startled, turned her head. “Uh, yes?”

“Curious about the face behind the mask,” Vikir clarified.

Dolores stammered in response, “Well, I, uh…”

Vikir didn’t seem to care about her hesitation and turned away. He took a few steps toward where Pedo and Hebe were still struggling.

Thunk!

Vikir quickly severed the necks of the two undead beings, ending their struggle.

“Come take a look, weren’t you asking about the mask?” Vikir said in a stoic way.

Dolores, now disappointed, couldn’t hide her curiosity. “Yes… I mean, yes.”

Vikir nodded. “I’m curious about it too.”

Dolores looked at Vikir in surprise. “You are?”

“Absolutely. We’ll get a glimpse soon.” With that, Vikir’s hand moved towards the black sack like cloth on their faces.

Then he revealed the faces of Pedo and Hebe. “One of them is from the ‘Donquixote Clan,”

He said, pointing to the tattoo on Hebe’s body, which symbolized Donquixote.

Dolores remembered Vikir’s friend Tudor, who was also from the Donquixote Clan. Since Hebe had the same tattoo, it piqued Vikir’s interest.

“From the Donquixote Clan, I need to inquire if any young man has recently gone missing. As for the other one, I don’t recognize the origin.”

Dolores asked in disbelief, “H-How?”

Vikir didn’t respond. He simply took off the mask of the other Undead ‘Pedo’, revealing the face beneath. The face rapidly melted into nothingness upon exposure to the air. Despite the swift disappearance, Vikir had already memorized the features.

“…Baskerville.” Vikir remembered.

“Baskerville?” Dolores was shocked.

He used to be an agile and friendly Baskerville family member who trained young hounds and occasionally played a significant role in Seth Baskerville’s service.

According to rumors, he, too, was let go as part of the large-scale layoffs. Vikir, on the other hand, had not expected to see him as an undead.

Dolores was disappointed that her curiosity about Vikir’s face wasn’t satisfied, but her attention shifted as a powerful surge of mana emanated from the central lobby of the first facility.

Someone stood there, casting strong magical energy. An undead mage who was visibly emanating magical power.

Geronto.

She was the most difficult of Quilt’s four shadows and was now revealed to be a formidable foe.

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