Chapter 19: The One Who Rules the Kin of Twilight 24
Rendurm’s unexpected movement caused me to lose my balance for a moment.
“You fool!”
Rendurm’s body closed in. At the same time, his fist was sucked into my solar plexus. The impact felt like a hole had been punched through my stomach. Rendurm moved away. No, I was the one who was blown away.
It was either a stroke of luck or thanks to the ‘Grasp’ Skill that I didn’t let go of my mace and shield. Even as I was slammed into the ground, I somehow managed to regain my footing. A crushing pain assaulted my entire body a moment later. But it was instantly shut out. A Skill? It was a Skill. My vision was slightly red.
“Guh-guh-guh! That one had some impact!”
Rendurm pressed his attack, his face twisted into a sadistic grin.
The same back-and-forth as before, but my reactions were subtly delayed. Was it because of the lingering damage? I focused on defense, but Rendurm took that as an opening and pressed in further. He moved around at close range, skillfully avoiding my mace, and unleashed a barrage of ‘Edge of the Abyss’ attacks, weaving through the gaps.
I released a ‘Crushing Wave’ to counter, but Rendurm seemed to have anticipated it and jumped into the air. Moreover, he kicked off the air as if using ‘Space Kick’ and descended at a sharp angle. He had ‘Space Kick’ too?
I took the flying kick to the chest and was sent skidding across the ground. It was like something out of a manga. As I tried to get up, I saw a grinning face in front of me.
The impact felt like my stomach had been ripped out. My body was blown away again. Damn it, I dropped my mace and shield this time. No, did I even need them? No, I didn’t. After all, my opponent was also—
I was slammed into the ground. I thought I heard screams in the distance. I saw the members of ‘Soul’s Guidance’ running towards me. Freinir looked like she was about to cry. Larni also looked desperate. Sfenia was the same. Mariane, Shizuna, Karma, Sakurahime, and even Geshura had expressions on their faces.
Was I really in that much of a pinch? I guess I was. But this was just the beginning.
“Ooooh!”
My vision was dyed red. Beyond it, I saw Rendurm’s face twisted in sadism.
“It’s over!”
A right straight punch. It stopped right in front of my face. Not stopped, but I stopped it.
My left hand was gripping Rendurm’s right wrist.
“You damn survivor!”
His other fist struck my cheek. At the same time, my right fist was gouging into Rendurm’s cheek.
“Guh! You!”
A shock to my jaw. I took a knee to the face. My vision blurred from the impact. But in exchange, my right hand was gripping Rendurm’s left arm.
“I always end up like this.”
“What did you say!”
Another impact to my jaw. At the same time, I twisted my body. I swept Rendurm’s leg, and the body of the strongest man of the ‘Kin of Twilight’ was sent flying into the air with surprising ease. He seemed to possess a power similar to the ‘Stability’ and ‘Immovable’ Skills, but it seemed that techniques using leverage worked against those with similar powers.
I slammed him into the ground as he was. It created a small crater in the ground. My strength was truly ridiculous. Or was leverage not the reason?
I straddled Rendurm’s body. The mount position was almost a checkmate in my previous world.
“Ooooh-aaaah!”
I released both hands and slammed both fists into Rendurm’s face.
Again and again, I slammed my fists, as if to crush his arms, which were trying to protect his face.
The ground beneath the back of Rendurm’s head cracked and caved in. Yet, Rendurm’s head still retained its original shape. He was incredibly tough. I guess it was the same for both of us.
“Guh, you… hah!”
Rendurm contorted his deformed face in anger, struggling with all his might to escape the disadvantageous position.
But my Skills, ‘Stability’, ‘Immovable’, ‘Persistence’, and ‘Adamantine Core’, wouldn’t allow it.
I continued to slam my fists down, driven by impulse.
The ground was gouged out, shockwaves spread out in multiple layers, and in the center of the crater, I continued to swing my fists.
How many times had I swung my fists? When I came to, Rendurm’s head was almost unrecognizable.
There was no counterattack, no attempt to block my attacks, and no attempt to escape.
Rather, the body of the king of the ‘Kin of Twilight’ beneath me had already lost its power.
“Hah, hah… phew. Is it over?”
Looking around, I saw the members of ‘Soul’s Guidance’ looking down at me from the edge of the crater.
Everyone had relieved expressions, and even Sfenia, who was usually ecstatic after battles, had a subdued reaction this time. It seemed I had worried the members.
I stood up, hoisted Rendurm’s body, and climbed out of the crater.
Rendurm’s body was completely limp. Feeling his weight, it occurred to me now, should I really take Rendurm’s life to the very end?
I didn’t have any personal grudge against the ‘Kin of Twilight’. They hadn’t done anything unforgivable in front of me.
But he was indeed an invader. If I hadn’t been here, he would have killed many people and brought the entire continent under his control.
I was now a man who had to bear the karma of taking another’s life for that reason. The title of hero was probably just the price for bearing that karma.
I nodded to the members of ‘Soul’s Guidance’, and then walked towards the more than 2,000 ‘Kin of Twilight’ who were watching me from a distance.
“Kin of Twilight, I will defeat your king here and now! This is a battle that your king himself acknowledged! Witness the result with your own eyes!”
I raised Rendurm’s body into the sky with my left arm, then formed my right hand into a spear and thrust it into Rendurm’s chest.
A hard sensation at my fingertips. I gripped it and pulled my arm out.
Rendurm’s body twitched for a moment, then became a corpse that would never speak again.
In my right hand remained a black stone sphere, stained with blood and polished to an incredible degree.
I held it up for all to see and shouted again.
“Your king, Rendurm, has been defeated! Any further fighting is meaningless! If you understand that, return the way you came and go back to your island! If you do not understand, then come at me! I will grind you all to dust! Like this!”
I picked up ‘That Which Equalizes All Things’, which had fallen to the ground, and tossed Rendurm’s corpse into the air.
Then, I slammed the golden hammer head into the body of the man who was already dead.
The guilt of desecrating a corpse was fleeting.
Rendurm’s body was pulverized by the overwhelming energy, erasing his existence from this earth forever.
Whether my demonstration had worked or not, the ‘Kin of Twilight’ lost their voices and gradually began to retreat.
“Soushi, I also have something to say. Is that alright?”
Geshura came from behind, so I nodded and gave her the space.
As Geshura stepped forward, voices could be heard from the ‘Kin of Twilight’, “That’s Geshura…?” “Why is the ‘Sage’ Geshura with the humans…?”
I had sensed it from Migitima’s reaction, but Geshura seemed to be quite famous among the ‘Kin of Twilight’.
“Listen, everyone! Now that Rendurm is gone, there is no reason for the ‘Kin of Twilight’ to remain on this continent. Follow Soushi’s words and return to the ‘Garden of Twilight’ immediately. This is Soushi’s mercy. If you do not cling to it, we will have no tomorrow!”
I could see further agitation among the ‘Kin of Twilight’.
“Geshura, does that mean we can return to our former lives?”
One of the ‘Kin of Twilight’ descended from the sky. It was Migitima, a lizard-man with wings on his back. He had been blown away by the ‘Crushing Wave’, but he was still alive.
“That’s right. Rendurm is no more. We can return to our former lives. Conversely, if we remain here, we will be eliminated as invaders. We must leave this land immediately.”
“I see. In that case, my clan will leave immediately. Strong one, Soushi. Is that alright?”
“If you leave now, I will do nothing. But I don’t know what will happen if the army behind me comes this far. Leave immediately.”
“Understood. Everyone, retreat immediately! We should not have come to this land after all!”
Migitima shouts. The Kin of Twilight, who had been murmuring for a while, began to move towards the northern mountain range, triggered by the movement of a few tribes, and soon almost all of them followed suit.
Although I couldn’t understand their expressions, I could somehow tell that they were relieved to be freed from an unwanted battle.
However, from within that group, there was one who raised a fierce voice.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Migitima! We will not obey your words. If Rendurm-sama has fallen, then we shall take his place!”
About 300 of them broke away from the Kin of Twilight group and ran towards us.
Seeing their figures, Migitima spat out, “Fools…”
Geshura turned to us and shook her head.
“That tribe was the first to side with Rendurm. They look down on everyone except themselves, more so than humans. They probably intend to fight on their own.”
“Those types, huh? So it’s okay to take them all down?”
“Treat them the same as Rendurm. They are a handful even among us, the Kin of Twilight.”
Since Geshura said so, they must be the type of people who can’t be reasoned with, like Zaikal and Argi.
They looked like bipedal praying mantises, even more insect-like than Milan and Rove, who we fought in the Dwarf Village. In addition to their long, scythe-like arms, they had a pair of normal arms folded in front of their bodies. Their heads were completely like that of a praying mantis, and they were running towards us, clicking their mandibles.
“Sir Soushi, we will assist you!”
“Soushi, we can fight too, right!”
Sensing the atmosphere of battle, Freinir, Larni, and the other members of Soul’s Guidance came to my side.
“Sir Soushi, I will also assist you.”
Marishielle also ran over with the members of the Water Lily Lion.
“After all, one must witness the birth of a hero up close. Although, it seems the highlight has already passed.”
Behind Dorozitte, who was also running towards us, were Jaze and his Polar Drake, as well as about ten other A-Rank adventurer parties.
In the far distance, the Twilight Hounds and adventurers were still fighting, but it seemed that all the Kin of Twilight who were merely following Rendurm had begun to retreat.
If that’s the case, then this battle will be over once we defeat the ones approaching us.
“I’ll go ahead and take down as many as I can. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
I charged into the fools with That Which Equalizes All Things and the Immovable Fortress Wall in hand.