Chapter 177: Gulla’s Arm (1)
As he entered the cave, the sound of rain diminished dramatically. While the entrance did provide some faint light, the farther Russell went into the cave, the denser the blackness became, threatening to engulf him whole.
Whoosh!
But when light burst from Russell’s eyes, the darkness retreated. The previously concealed cave floor, walls, and ceiling were now visible. The cave was spotlessly clean, as if it had been abandoned for a long time.
Thump, thud.
The cave was deep. Russell had spent a significant amount of time outside, stuck in Rictus’ domain and fighting in the illusionary space. It must have taken approximately 2-3 minutes.
For superhumans who could perceive and use time tenfold or more, it was not an exaggeration to suggest that the combat had lasted more than 30 minutes.
The arm left outside must have been presented as a sacrifice when Russell’s eyes snapped and shattered Rictus’ domain, allowing him to flee.
Rictus’s meticulousness in allowing Russell to combat his clone , which was identical to his own body within the domain, and even providing an escape route if necessary was clear.
However, Russell’s pace in destroying the domain exceeded expectations, and he had no time to plan a way to mitigate the damage, leaving him with no alternative but to sacrifice one of his limbs.
The blood droplets that had been spread around the cave floor were slowly disappearing. He must have started regenerating or repairing the wound with healing magic.
Even yet, it seemed unlikely that he could have regenerated his arm in such a short period of time. He was no Piccolo, and even trolls couldn’t instantaneously reattach severed limbs.
Russell had used all of his magical strength by the time he had descended so far down the cave that the entrance was nothing more than a faint white dot.
The magic power he drew out rushed through his magic circuits, which resembled blood vessels, with the force of a raging flood.
The flow of magic felt smoother and swifter compared to before entering the village.
Russell progressively broadened the senses that had become focused within his body, releasing his magical power.
The cave was odd. He had not expected it to be this deep from the outside, but even after going at a quick pace for 5 minutes, the entrance to the cave was still faintly visible in the distance.
The magic woven into this cave, unlike Rictus’s magic laid out across the canyon, was radiating a more sinister aura.
It had a somewhat ancient scent than the Lizardman giant’s magic, which he had previously felt.
As Russell’s senses developed and his magical might spread, his sensory field absorbed information from his surroundings.
The wet fragrance of the cave, the water drops hanging from the stalactites, and the limestone-laden stalagmites that had risen from the stalactites’ bases.
As he moved deeper into the cave, the area expanded, and Russell’s magic power returned like an echo, carrying information in all directions.
Russell, who had been walking at a moderate speed, abruptly came to a halt.
He could feel the darkness in the cave take physical form and bear down on him. It was as if the blackness had taken on a life of its own, with sharp needle-like needles piercing his flesh, creating a wonderful tension.
Russell’s right hand raised, and magical energy accumulated.
A young, blue magic power shone at his fingertips, and his five fingers gripped a spot in the abyss.
Then, as if something invisible had been caught between his fingers, an unsettling noise began to echo.
Kigigigigigi━
A chilling sound, like the wail of a restless spirit.
As if rejecting Russell’s power, the darkness that had been gently circling him until now surged at him, but Russell simply twisted his lips into a sneer and dragged his fingers down.
Bwaaaaaak!
With a sound akin to tearing a curtain, the veil that had been covering something was lifted, and the spell that had been cast there was broken, revealing the secret space.
The magic was shattered with force, creating a thunderous tearing sound.
At the same moment, the hideous stink and scent of blood permeated the air.
“Kyaaaaak!”
As if waiting, something lurking within the unseen area surged towards Russell.
It resembled a human in appearance, but it ran on four legs. It was undeniably not human.
A bony tail flapped at the end of its spine, which extended from its massive skull, and its skin was covered in scattered scales that appeared to have been carelessly connected. Three enormous, sharp claws protruded from the ends of its reversely joined limbs.
The basis was unmistakably human, but its altered look was more akin to that of a horrific creature.
It was not the only one of these four-legged beasts. There was one whose limbs had expanded like balloons, as if all the cells in its body had gotten inflated, and it moved like a snail, and another that appeared to be dead, with no vital signs at all, but was still moving its legs, groaning as it was held up by the darkness.
Russell’s fingertips emitted a shockwave, smashing the face of the quadrupedal monster that had raced at him and sending it rolling backwards.
Russell’s eyebrows twitched.
He had intended to demolish its entire body, but only the face was crushed. Its bones were stronger than he had expected.
“Kyaaaaah━!”
With a roar, the monster’s upper body expanded. The skin, unable to withstand the stress from within, ripped open, gushing black blood.
The muscles reacted rapidly, and the jaw joint expanded grotesquely, splitting in half.
The monsters emitted a strong scent of magic force and a pungent odor of blood. Russell detected the same odor in their dripping saliva as in the concoction that Ateulio had consumed and Rictus had compelled Tenon and Keldon to swallow.
‘Homunculus? No, it was more like a chimera.’ These monsters were most likely sacrifices made to complete the elixir that the knights drank.
With a growl, the creatures charged at Russell, who stood motionless.
Russell held a white axe with his left hand. When it comes to clean sweeping, freezing and then shattering was the most successful technique.
A white whip sliced across the air, slicing the monster that was leaping.
The upper body of the monster split open, and chunks of rotten intestines and black blood, frozen solid, rained down on him.
No matter how chilly it was, it didn’t feel nice.
Russell’s gaze shifted to the next beast. He rotated his body and stepped forward with his left foot.
Kuwajijijijik!
As he spun around quickly, the monsters’ corpses instantaneously froze and smashed into bits when they touched the axe’s blade.
Russell breathed deeply. Regardless of how much he had grown, the continual conflicts had depleted his stamina and magical might.
From fighting Ateulio, who was high on drugs, to fighting the other knights, and finally breaking the domain along with the trap in the canyon.
His magic eyes, which had grown stronger, traced the paths of the monsters’ keen claws and teeth as they struck at him from every angle. Russell’s teeth gritted, and his arms tightened.
He drew back his left foot, which had been stepped forward, and bowed his head. The monster whose head had been present bit at the air. His right fist, which firmly gripped its jaw, crashed into it.
The creature staggered as its face caved in, and he lowered the axe on its shoulder. As soon as he established that the axe’s blade had exited from the right side of its body, he pulled the handle without looking, piercing the monster’s chest who had been trying to sneak up behind him.
As the other monsters jumped up and smashed the cave floor, the monster held the handle trapped in its jaw with both hands.
Russell, who had regained control of the axe handle, turned on the spot and unleashed a roundhouse kick. The monster who had been kicked in the side of the head by his heel flew backward, fell, and became entangled with the others.
Russell, who had removed the handle that had become trapped in his jaw, grasped it fiercely with both hands.
With a roar, the Final Frost emitted a strong rush of magical power, causing a hemispherical shockwave and a white flash.
The floor was covered in white frost, and a powerful cold front rushed through the cave, freezing the bizarre flesh that had swollen up from the creatures’ feet and was crawling across it.
“Kyaaaaak!”
However, the monsters’ blood contained a significant anti-magic strength that allowed them to break through the magical ice and escape in an instant.
The creatures, free of the ice’s confines, rushed in on Russell, covering him instantly.
Crack!
A spark flew from the hand that did not grip the axe.
Since being struck by Karugon’s lightning bolt, he had absorbed electricity right into his body. A power he had gained by his own efforts, despite the pain that had turned his eyes white and his teeth chattering.
The magical power flowing from his hand was assembled and realized according to his will, resulting in magic.
He had finally acquired enough materials. His increased sensitivity, mastery over magical power, and awareness of the properties of ice and lightning all coincided in a cycle.
The electrical thread that connected his fingers went chilly.
[Ice Lightning].
Kuwajazzzzzzak!
The dark cave suddenly shone brightly, spreading shadows in every direction.
Russell’s palm emitted a stream of lightning and a flash, resembling a huge serpent.
As the lightning, filled with the power of ice, raced across the cave floor, the ground froze solid before shattering under the force of the lightning.
All of the monsters that had been moving violently came to a standstill, as if they were lying.
The beasts’ roars and footsteps halted in an instant, leaving an unsettling silence.
“Cough. . .”
Their frozen throats prevented them from screaming. The creatures, who had been suspended in the air as if time had stopped, all crashed to the floor at the same instant, as gravity reclaimed control.
Passssssssussssssss. . .
As they dropped to the floor like grains of sand, the monster fragments, unable to endure the impact, fractured into numerous pieces.
Russell dusted the ice crystals off his coat and sheathed his axe.
This was the first time he had successfully combined two or more traits. It demonstrated that his ability to change the properties of his magic power, which had previously been limited to employing them separately, had grown beyond their limitations.
“So this is what magic is.”
He felt a sense of satisfaction that went beyond simply replicating the magic that others had employed thus far, and that he had achieved the intended effect via his own will and magical might.
It was a different type of attack than merely amassing magical power and casting a shockwave spell or using magic power to attack with characteristics.
He was still inexperienced with the procedure of gathering magical power to create the desired phenomena in the world. However, it did not feel unpleasant.
It was a similar sensation to when he initially began exercising and noticed his muscles expanding quickly, making training even more fun.
Russell, who would have taken longer to achieve this level if he hadn’t broken into Rictus’ domain, gathered his thoughts and looked forward.
His keen spatial sensitivity revealed that he was now below ground level.
Unknown magical power ran down the cave’s walls and floor, brushing past Russell.
The cave’s original aspect eroded with time, and tree roots, vines, and trunks emerged.
He eventually arrived at a massive cavity that made it difficult to believe it was underground.
The immense depression, so large that it’s amazing the canyon or mountain above it didn’t collapse, was sustained by trees that stood like pillars, holding up the roof rather than stalactites.
“. . . . . .”
And where the trees began to grow thick and dense, at the heart of the vines and roots, sat the Draconic Lizardman, his giant body slumped.
“Are you not going to run away any longer?”
“. . . . . .”
Rictus remained mute. The giant lizardman, who had wielded and burned magic power with such fervor, now kept his mouth shut deep within his lair.
It was a stark contrast to his earlier appearance, in which he kidnapped humans to serve as sacrifices, offerings, and experimentation subjects, and attempted to slow Russell down.
Russell stared at the silent Rictus for a time before reaching into his coat and pulling out his hand. A hefty greatsword emerged in his grasp, and as magic force was poured into it, it trembled and sprouted a transparent blade of magic power.
Russell, who was staring at the slumped Rictus, swung his arm as fast as lightning.
Swish!
The black greatsword swung diagonally, and the sword energy projected from the blade severed the Lizardman giant’s neck.
However, Rictus’ neck did not detach. The scar from the blade was traced on the wall, with the exception of Rictus’ neck, which was not severed at all.
Russell’s countenance hardened as he absorbed the phenomenon that appeared to have obscured the fact that he had been cut, and he lifted his sword face.
Kwaaang!
The strong contact sent Russell’s body hurtling backwards and into the wall. Russell turned around to see that the way he had just gone was closed.
“Stupid lizard . .If you were going to set a trap, you should have done so correctly. What were you thinking when you let that person in here?”
“Damn ghost, shut your mouth. If I had more time, I wouldn’t have let things go this far, sharing a body like this.”
Russell bent his knees when he noticed two sounds originating from the same mouth.
“Two souls, one body. Was your prior use of medications to strengthen human bodies intended to build a body capable of accommodating that soul?”
In his vision, he saw two competing streams of magical force churning throughout Rictus’ body. He had become accustomed to fiery rituals, but this one was as solid as a tree and spread like vines.
“Oh, those eyes. . .Boy, who are your parents?”
The voice emerging from the lizard’s mouth was no longer the low voice he had previously heard, but that of an elderly voice.
It was a voice that sounded like an old tree had split open, sculpted by the passage of time.
“No need to know.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, what an impolite boy.”
“Shut your mouth and help out. As you know, that Eye is troublesome. It even shattered my domain.”
“If it’s a domain created with your sloppy level of magic, then it’s no wonder it was broken.”
“Shut up!”
“It’s your mouth, why don’t you shut it yourself?”
“Damn you!”
They appeared to be joking around, but Rictus’s magic might was heavier than ever before. The quantity had reduced, but the quality of the condensed mana was significantly higher.
As Russell gazed, silently regripping his blade, he felt a trembling in his coat.
What’s going on?
With a question in his mind, he reached in and grabbed something soft. He was holding the forearm that had been left below the elbow, which Calia had previously extracted from the body of the dark elf Percus and converted into a magical power crystal.
The forearm, which had abruptly twitched and moved, appeared to perceive something and pointed at Rictus.
Rictus let out a scream-like groan as he observed the arm Russell was holding.
“. . .Gulla’s arm?”
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