Chapter 20: The All-Cutting Heavenly Sword
Back at the trading shop, I exposed their fraud. Was that why they kidnapped me? Beyond the windows, darkness seemed to stretch endlessly.
Wait.
What about my deadline?
I snapped out of my daze. The editor had given me a warning. If I didn’t submit it by today, I’d have to kiss my career goodbye. Not only that, if my contract was terminated, I’d have to return all the advanced royalties I had received from them!
Fuck! How is this a miracle!? This is a total sham!
“What’s with those eyes? Do you realize what kind of situation you are in?” The flame guy let out a low growl.
No, you’re wrong. I’m fully aware of it.
Argh. Despite how important my submission was, I could see why it wouldn’t matter at this moment.
“…What do you want from me?”
“What else? You need to compensate for our losses, both physically and mentally.”
Ha! What were these scammers expecting to get from a broke writer? Although, I did have some weird coins on me.
Judging from the menacing looks on their faces, they most likely wouldn’t let me off the hook even if I explained my situation to them.
“Okay. Can you give me my phone first?”
The flame guy signaled with his chin, and one of his underlings took something out of his pocket. It was my phone.
“Give us your lock pattern. We'll make the call for you. Don’t try anything funny.”
Flicker!
The flame guy activated his skill, and a ball of flame appeared in his hands. Yeah, he had no intention of letting me go. Complicated thoughts swirled in my mind.
Now what? What should I do?
Calling the police wasn’t an option, so who should I call? Definitely not my older sister. I’d rather die than involve her and my young niece. I glanced at the chains that bound me.
-----
[Imitation Chains that Bound the Persecuted Saint]
Around for a year.
Special note: Engraved with a sort of binding skill.
-----
Was there any way to break this? Cautiously, I tried moving my index finger without them noticing.
“Ack! It hurts!” Underling No. 1 yelped and slapped his neck.
“Asshole, why are you making a fuss?” The flame guy frowned.
“S-sorry, Hyung-nim. I got bitten by a bug.”
A bug? My eyes widened in surprise as I looked at his neck. There, I saw the crushed body of a red ant.
No way…
I anxiously shifted my focus on my phone, which was held by Underling No. 1. Just how long did I sleep? Had I become a sloth? With a flick of my index finger, the God-Maker was launched.
[Appraisal succeeded!]
[Duration until General Kamikiri and the imperial army reaches Yu Il-Shin: 00 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds]
Fuck, I’m done for!
“Hey! Throw that phone away and untie me now!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.
“Huh? That punk…”
“Quick, untie me if you don’t want to die!”
“Hehe, looks like someone still doesn’t know his place. Regardless of what ability you have, they’re useless as long as you’re bound by those chains. Do you know how expensive they are?”
Damn, I have no time for this!
“Ugh!” I gritted my teeth, raising my chained feet and kicking the flame guy in front of me. The office chair rolled away as the rebound impact pushed me away from him.
“Bastard! Hey! Die already!”
“H-hyung-nim.”
“What are you… gasp!”
The flame guy turned around and went pale in an instant.
“Arrrgh! Kwang-Shik!”
Beside him, Underling No. 2 yelled.
Underling No. 1, who still had my phone, was swallowed by the swarm of red ants. His hands were reaching pathetically to his friends. It was a horrifying sight.
“S-save…”
Thud! Crack! Plop!
Just like that, his arm fell off like a twig.
Crack!
Then, his body crumbled like a sand castle, and was soon reduced to a pile of half-devoured bones. His death was anything but peaceful.
The remaining two glared at me with clear murderous intent.
“This asshole! So this is your awakened ability!”
“Arrrgh! How dare you kill my younger brother!”
No, you’re mistaken.
Ssss, sss—
It didn’t take long for the massive army of ants to surround the other two from all sides.
Bang bang bang!
Meanwhile, ants wouldn’t stop pouring out of my phone like a dam bursting. The flame guy gritted his teeth, almost chipping them.
“Hmph! It’s certainly unique, but they’re still just insects!”
The flame guy raised both hands up high.
“I’ll burn all these damn insects to death!”
Blaaaaast!
Briefly, my field of vision blazed red.
…Seriously, how are those flames “puny”?
If the fire I produced was like a lighter, his flames were like a flamethrower from the movies.
Blaaaaast!
The huge flames engulfed the swarm of red ants.
“Hahaha! Die, all of you! Die!”
Tadak! Sizzle!
As the army of ants perished in the fire, I could hear the sizzling sound of grilled fat. Phew, I felt relieved at the sight.
But that relief was short-lived.
“Now it’s your turn.”
The flame guy turned to me with a spine-chilling look, both of his hands spewing flames.
Drr! Drrr!
I struggled with my feet, desperately pushing myself back, only to hit the wall instead. The flame guy smirked at my efforts and directed the flames at me.
“Die.”
Plop!
Just then, a certain sound echoed in the room. If I were to describe it, it was similar to the sound of a watermelon falling on the floor.
The eyes of the flame guy rolled to the back of his head. His body fell limp, like a bundle of straw. The back of his head was half-crushed in, with a fist-sized rock stuck in it.
Soon, I found out how that happened.
Tzz! Tzzz!
A crack formed in the air, as if a gate had just formed…
Drr! Drr!
A huge swarm of ants appeared, dragging along with them miniature catapults and siege weapons.
“Arrrgh!”
Underling No. 2, the only one left of the scammer trio, ran for his life. He went toward the door.
“Hyiii! Why! Why won’t it open?!”
Bam! Bam!
Compared to his physique, the old wooden door looked like a flimsy piece of paper. Yet, despite his furious kicking, it didn’t budge in the slightest. The same thing occurred when I was attacked by the 100,000-strong army of ants.
Swoosh!
The catapults launched.
Bam bam bam!
Hundreds of stones, blazing with red aura, flew toward him. In a matter of seconds, he became a bloody pulp. Just like that, the poor guy was gone. He couldn’t even scream for help.
Drr! Drr!
The catapults that killed Underling No. 2 were now aimed at me. The army ants raised their heads high and yelled in unison. Normally, I wouldn’t be able to hear them. However, since there were millions of them, it became loud and clear, echoing the room as if there was a loudspeaker somewhere.
-Hahaha! We have eradicated his minions! Now, the monster is all alone!
-Waaaah! Slay the monster!
-Show him the might of the empire!
I could sense the insanity and bloodlust of the army ants all around me. They covered every inch of the warehouse, and even the skeletal remains of the Hunters. The sight sent shivers down my spine.
Crack crack!
-We shall feast on the monster!
-Keke! We’ll be able to attain divinity if we partake in its flesh!
-Long live His Majesty for bestowing upon us this glorious banquet!
A tsunami of red ants surged over me.
“Arrrgh!”
As they crawled all over my body, I could feel death looming over me.
Ding!
Just then, a notification rang from my phone, which had fallen on the ground.
[The small miracle has begun to take effect.]
What?
Bam bam bam!
At the same time, a deafening roar of thunder shook the world!
Rumble, crackle! Flash!
A dazzling and majestic lightning struck the ceiling, landing right in front of me.
[Sung Mi-Ri]
A female human. Around for 19 years.
Special note: Extremely electrifying.
The super electrifying girl—no, Thunder Emperor, Sung Mi-Ri, stood before me.
“Are you alright?”
An actual miracle had happened.
***
Leading the five million-strong army, General Kamikiri oversaw the battlefield like a hawk. Unlike the reports, the monster came with his minions. Two of which were larger than mountains, while the third one could command fire. The latter was the biggest threat, as he had single-handedly wiped out a million of troops in one fell swoop.
Like a seasoned warrior, General Kamikiri remained undaunted, dispatching his rear-guard troops to slay those minions.
At last, only the monster remained. General Kamikiri and his troops surrounded it. Victory was right within his grasp.
Thus, he sent a messenger and delivered an ultimatum.
“O' Malevolent God, all your minions have been annihilated! Surrender now and kneel before our great and merciful emperor so that your life may be spared!”
In spite of that, the monster only laughed ferociously. That laughter alone made part of his army faint and foam at their mouths. Those barely hanging on had collapsed to their knees, struck with fear. Even General Kamikiri was staring at the monster in horror.
The monster only laughed ferociously in response despite Kamikiri’s message. The laughter alone made part of the army faint and foam at their mouths. Those barely hanging on were feeling weak in their knees, struck with fear. Even Kamikiri was staring at the monster in horror.
However, General Kamikiri couldn’t clearly make out the monster because it was shrouded in ink-black darkness. Nevertheless, he recognized the power that was radiating from it. It was akin to the Silently Crawling Nightmare, who had apparently existed since the beginning of time.
No, there’s no way!
General Kamikiri dismissed those thoughts. How could a god worshiped by the black tribe be the god of all gods? Furthermore, only the great emperor could command him to die.
“Troops, unleash the God Slaying Weapon!”
Before fear could set in, General Kamikiri commanded with all his might.
Swoosh!
The God Slaying Weapon then rained down on the monster that was still arrogantly seated on his throne. General Kamikiri and his troops were certain that no matter how powerful the malevolent god was, it wouldn’t stand a chance against the God Slaying Weapon!
Bam bam bam!
Just then, a deafening thunder split the heavens.
Rumble, crackle! Flash!
A terrifying, blinding bolt of lightning struck the imperial army down.
“Aaargh!”
“Save me!”
“Arrrrgh!"
It was as if the entrance to hell had just opened before them.
Flash! Flash!
Rumble, bam bam bam!
“N-no! How can the minion of a monster be that powerful!” General Kamikiri fell into despair.
Half of his remaining troops had been decimated. The fire minion they had slain earlier was nothing compared to the new minion that wielded lightning.
-Bwahaha! Bwahaha!
The monster laughed sinisterly as the imperial army was being massacred by its lightning-wielding minion. Kamikiri shuddered even more at the horrifying sight. How much strength did the monster wield if its minions were that powerful?
If it passed the test, the emperor decreed to give the monster the last throne of the empire. As if the monster would be satisfied with that. There was no mistaking it. This god was looking to destroy the empire and rise to the top.
Swoop!
General Kamikiri threw his robe into the air, revealing his half-human, half-insect body.
”I, His Majesty the Great Emperor’s Four Sword, General Kamikiri shall lay my life down here today! But!”
Flash! Rumble!
General Kamikiri glared at the minion that was slaughtering his troops with lightning strikes.
“I’m taking your minion to the afterlife!”
General Kamikiri raised both his scythe-like hands into the air.
“O' All-Cutting Heavenly Sword, your servant beseeches you, bestow upon me your great power!” General Kamikiri prayed fervently.
One of the many gods that the red Empire served was a battle god. Although it was a Low-tier God, its combat power was second to none.
To which, the battle god responded.
-Those who smear blood on my precious sword have to offer an equal sacrifice. What will you offer me?
“I shall offer the heads of all the surviving imperial army!”
“G-General?”
The lieutenants beside General Kamikiri cried out in shock, but…
-Very well.
Slash!
Along with the chilling voice, the heads of his lieutenants fell one by one. The battle god smiled in satisfaction.
-I have received your sacrifices. I will bestow upon you, Kamikiri, the general of the empire, my divine sword.
Boom boom boom!
Then, crimson red energy burst from General Kamikiri’s scythe-like arms.
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