NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36: Andreas
Athena ripped out the man’s head from its torso. She didn’t stop there and slashed the stranger with her claws, biting chunks of flesh out of its neck. Her brutality sent shivers down Zephyr’s spine even though he was more merciless than Athena.
“She is angry,” Zephyr sensed as much through his Soulmancy Emblem. “Could he be the dark magician who tried to control her?”
Suddenly the stranger’s arms bent backwards, and he grabbed Athena’s claws. Athena screeched in pain. Zephyr dashed in to help her and kicked the stranger’s chest. He caught Athena and stopped her from going after the stranger. Her talons were twisted, nearly crushed by brute power. Despite his best attempt, he couldn’t save Athena from suffering an injury.
As he touched her talons, she let out an anguished wail, grayish eyes damp as if she was crying.
“This is what you get for rushing in,” Zephyr scolded her in a gentle tone. “You got some grudge against him… or is it the Brood Queen?”
Athena nodded and looked toward the stranger with sharp eyes. He also observed the man sprawled on the ground. Blood gushed out like a broken tap, yet the stranger dragged himself to his head. Vines of blood wriggled out of its neck and yanked the decapitated head back to its place, sticking it back.
The red smile on its neck remained the only symbol of its recent death.
The stranger scoffed at the very concept of death as he rose to his feet and stood before Zephyr with renewed vigor. Twisting his head, he narrowed his ruby eyes on Zephyr. “You shall pay for interrupting my goddess’ sacred mission. I, Andreas, will strike you down.”
“Why is there a pseudo immortal fanatic here?”
Zephyr couldn’t help but sigh at his luck. He came to the red zone to hunt magic beasts. Yet, fate pulled strings and made him face a foe with unprecedented regeneration skill.
“Who is your goddess, my friend? The Brood Queen?”
“My goddess is the ruler of the old world. The Brood Queen will be at my goddess’ feet soon.” Adreas spat with disgust. “My goddess will reclaim the world soon.”
Andreas boasted about his goddess like a real fanatic. Athena was against the goddess behind Andreas, not Andreas himself. The blood magic demonstrated by Andreas seemed to be an extension of the Outer Goddess Blood Moon’s magic. From the realm panel, he knew the Outer Goddess Blood Moon chose the Brood Queen Olgath.
What if Olgath wasn’t Blood Moon’s first choice and that someone else silently built her power while waiting for a moment to strike?
His Silver-rank Intuition skill spoiled the goddess’ identity. Blood Moon’s previous choice of Overlord.
“Sherine, heal Athena. I’ll handle this guy.”
He wasn’t overconfident. Andreas didn’t give him any dangerous vibes. The tingles he felt when approaching a fool’s lair—he had none of it so far. The man with abnormal regeneration wasn’t a danger by himself.
Sherine took Athena from him. “Be careful…”
Zephyr smiled at her before assuming a serious expression and holding his scythe with a firm grip.
Andreas smirked, confidence oozing from him. “Get ready to feel Empress Alastrina’s first born’s power.”
Andreas dashed towards Zephyr, bringing an overwhelming blood scent with the wind. The greatsword reached for the sun and came swinging down. He aimed to crush Zephyr in one swing. And it might have happened if Zephyr hadn’t fought dozens of experienced fighters in the form of fools. He’d be hard stuck, unable to react to Andreas’ explosive attack.
This wasn’t that reality.
Zephyr hit Andreas leg with the stick of his scythe and whirled, his scythe rotating with him. The black blade zoomed past Andreas and his head fell. Andreas kneeled on the ground and collapsed.
Zephyr didn’t see any XP notification, or anything like that. The blood coming out of Andreas’ wound wriggled and reached for the head like a group of worms. Zephyr slashed the tentacles, but they formed back and once again tried to reattach the head.
Zephyr let the head connect then decapitated Andreas. When it happened again, Zephyr gave Andreas some time to speak.
“Do you have infinite lives?”
“You dare kill me.” Andreas glared up at him and stretched his arm. Red tentacles shot out and tried to grab Zephyr.
He swung his scythe to cut Andreas’ arm and cut off his head. “Answer my question.”
“You will—”
The scythe cut off Andreas’ head before he could speak. Clearly, Andreas had no intention to answer the question. Zephyr repeated his question once again, and Andreas showed the same defiant look.
“I will—”
Zephyr felt like yawning after killing Andreas again. He performed the process again and again, trying to break Andreas’ fearless and undeterred heart. The cycle of regeneration and decapitation reoccurred for over ten minutes.
Sherine felt Athena shiver in her arms. “Are you cold?“
Athena vigorously shook her head, inwardly swearing to never piss off Zephyr. He was a demon to commit such brutality without flinching.
“This is madness,” Zephyr groaned. “Infinite regeneration without limits. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Zephyr questioned Andreas’ existence while stomping his head like a watermelon. Blood Moon’s magic was quite overpowered to automatically revive a dead man. It didn’t even need mana.
As someone possessing Soulmancy and a shard of divinity, Zephyr refused to admit defeat.
‘Wait a sec, is he considered alive by my Soulmancy Emblem? If not—’
He stood solemnly and called for Andreas’ soul. Andreas wriggled as the vortex in Zephyr’s hand tried to suck out his soul.
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[Mortal-Rank Soul ‘Andreas’ cannot be transported to the Nether Dungeon.] |
‘Wait, what?’
Cockatrice was at Mortal-Rank as well. This meant there were differences between two people possessing souls of the same rank.
Andreas looked at him in fear. “Stop!” Andreas yelled. “I’ll do anything you say. Please, stop killing me.”
Andreas believed in his goddess’ powers to keep him alive until the end of time. But the same couldn’t hold up for his sanity. His first transformation into the Prince of Sloth’s minion dulled his senses to the point he couldn’t feel anything. He was immune to pain… until a few seconds ago. The decapitation over and over slowly awakened his sleeping nerves.
He could feel pain. When Zephyr tried to trap his soul, he did his best to stay put, knowing that submission meant death.
He didn’t want to die.
