He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 31

Krrr릉!

The freaks charged, their sounds like those of wild beasts.

Immediately, the Captain of the Guard and I positioned ourselves on the left and right flanks, respectively, and engaged them in combat.

Swish!

-Krrr륵!

Thwack!

-Kyaaaa!

“These guys are tough.”

Unlike the cultists, who were as fragile as ordinary people, the freaks didn’t fall easily, even when struck by a sword.

Clang!

Their skin felt resistant to Aura [a type of magical energy] as if I were striking steel, not leather.

Shhh! Clang!

“Annoying.”

They were incredibly aggressive, attacking head-on without defending against even minor blows.

But that made it easier for the skilled Captain of the Guard and me to counterattack.

Swish!

Thwack!

Shushushuk!

I amplified my Mana Heart [the source of magical power] to strengthen the Aura dwelling in my sword.

This allowed me to cut through their tough hides and deal with them effectively.

Of course, the freaks tried to overwhelm us with numbers, but the Captain of the Guard and I eliminated them using techniques like scattering Shadow Blades and Sword Qi [a martial art technique using focused energy].

“That wasn’t easy.”

“They’re at a level that would challenge even decent rookie knights.”

“Yeah, and these guys were originally ordinary people.”

To be considered a rookie knight, one needed outstanding talent, a childhood spent as a squire, and several more years of training.

But these freaks were hastily created failures, the result of indiscriminately kidnapping refugees and travelers.

Though the side effect of losing their reason prevents them from being used as regular troops.

“If Karshstein has similar forces, we shouldn’t underestimate him.”

If there were enough of them, it could be a problem.

“If they’re made with drugs, the quantity that can be produced here will be limited.”

“I hope that’s the case. Let’s move quickly.”

If the cultists were massacred by the freaks, the risk of them destroying evidence disappeared.

However, we still needed to hurry because I didn’t know how long Hendrick, who was left behind, could hold out against the cultists.

Besides, I had a gut feeling that something worse would happen if we dawdled.

And my intuition was somewhat correct.

“Watch out above!”

Shashashak!

A freak appeared, moving as if attached to the ceiling, launching a surprise attack.

Before I knew it, special individuals, in addition to the relatively ordinary ones I’d seen earlier, began to emerge.

“Behold the sacred light!”

Flash!

Kieeeek!

The spider-type freaks, trying to raid from the ceiling, lost their balance and fell to the ground, blinded by Stella’s flash.

Immediately, the Captain of the Guard and I finished them off.

Shururuk! Chop!

“Kyaa! Help me!”

At that moment, a freak with a long, whip-like tongue grabbed Stella’s arm.

She was in danger of being dragged into the horde.

Thwack!

“Step back!”

“Th, thank you.”

I quickly rushed over, moving at high speed, and severed the long tongue.

While Stella retreated, I caught my breath and advanced towards the freaks.

-Kuweooo!

Kooong!

This time, very large, super-strength freaks began to mix with the normal ones and attack.

They even displayed the cunning to use their super strength to easily break walls or stone floors from behind other freaks.

Swish, Thwack!

“I’ll take care of these guys!”

It was a bit much to break through alone, but soon the Captain of the Guard joined me.

While he dealt with the smaller freaks, I quickly weaved through them and targeted the super-strength freak.

-Kuweooo!

Kooong!

The super-strength freak seemed to know it was being targeted and desperately tried to kill me.

However, thanks to the Captain of the Guard’s assistance, the freak’s attacks were slow and less threatening, as it wasn’t being supported by other freaks.

Thwack!

Before I knew it, I had gotten behind the guy and cut the back of his neck.

With the cervical spine severed, the freak’s large size was useless, and it collapsed.

“Is this the fifth group? They seem to be getting stronger and stronger.”

“I feel that way too. I think this is…”

“Yes, they’re getting stronger through hunting.”

As if evolving.

“They killed everyone in the prison too.”

There were still people on the second floor who hadn’t become freaks.

However, the prisons they were in were all broken.

There were corpses inside, but clearly fewer than the number of people I had seen before.

“Are some of the victims becoming freaks?”

Naturally, such speculation arose.

Even if the freaks had disposed of the corpses without leaving any traces, there should have been some evidence, but there wasn’t.

“If that’s the case, we must prevent even one of these freaks from getting outside.”

I nodded at Stella’s words.

If these freaks roamed free, something like a zombie movie might happen.

[Emergency Trial of Valor has occurred!]

[Eliminate all freaks within the cultist’s secret hideout.]

[Failure if even one freak escapes]

As soon as I made that decision, I was given a Trial of Valor [a challenge with rewards].

Since I was doing it anyway, there was no reason not to take on the trial, especially since there were rewards.

“They’re coming again. Everyone be careful.”

Before long, we encountered the freaks again.

“Wait, something’s a little strange?”

But the freaks’ movements were odd.

Even though they encountered us, they didn’t rush at us right away, unlike before.

It felt more like they were glaring at each other.

-Krrr……

-Krrreung!

“Could it be that these guys are attacking their own kind?”

Shhh! Kwadeuk! Thwack!

No sooner had I said that than the freaks began to attack each other.

We didn’t attack first, letting them fight.

A fight ensued that was no different from beasts, biting and scratching each other with their teeth and claws.

Kwajik!

-Kweeeek!

-Krrrreureuk!

Soon the winner bit the loser.

The last one left was twisting as if its body was growing.

“So they kill and steal power. Now that the prey is gone, are they attacking each other?”

Swish.

Thanks to that, I was able to confirm their ecology.

But there was no reason to keep it alive, so I drew my sword and rushed at it.

Clang!

The guy who had evolved by killing his own kind had the outside of his arm transformed into a hard and sharp blade.

Enough to resist even a sword clad in Aura.

-Kyaaaaa!

Shhh!

A fierce counterattack flashed before my eyes.

It would have been dangerous if I hadn’t quickly pulled my body away.

After deflecting the guy’s attack once, I counterattacked, aiming for the side with a stab.

Thwack!

Fortunately, the guy’s body strengthening wasn’t applied to his entire body.

The flank was relatively soft, so I could easily stab it.

-Krrrreuk!

But the freaks already had tough vitality, and this guy, who had eaten his own kind and become stronger, showed even greater vitality.

Originally, even a freak would have been seriously injured, but he was fine and counterattacked me.

As he aimed for my head again with a hand with grotesque claws, I abandoned the Holy Sword I had stabbed in and created distance.

“You!”

Thwack!

In the meantime, the Captain of the Guard quickly cut off the guy’s neck.

It was fortunate that the Captain of the Guard and I were both skilled and worked well together.

“If the other guys are like them, they’ll be eating each other by now.”

“That’s right. Then the number will decrease.”

But it wasn’t something to be happy about just because the number was decreasing.

“The one who survives becomes frighteningly strong.”

Just now, there weren’t many guys who killed each other and were strengthened.

But even that was quite overwhelming, but if an individual was created who killed even more people…

“I don’t even want to think about it. We have to kill as many of them as possible before that happens.”

So that other freaks don’t gain power.

The Captain of the Guard and Stella agreed with my thoughts and nodded, and we began to break through the second floor as quickly as possible.

However, unlike the first floor, it was necessary not only to break through quickly but also to search for and eliminate the guys.

This was because if even one guy was missed and went back, Hendrick would be in danger, and there would be a possibility of escape.

Swish!

“I think we’ve taken care of everything on the second floor with this guy as the last one.”

“It took quite a while.”

The freaks acted like beasts, but that didn’t mean they were stupid.

Rather, they cunningly hid, ambushed, and fled.

In the end, I caught and killed them, but it took that much time to clear the second floor.

“Now all that’s left is the third floor.”

I don’t know the terrain of the third floor well. This is because I couldn’t do advance reconnaissance.

But what worried me more than that was something else.

“I don’t sense any living things at all.”

Even when I looked with the Guardian’s Spider Web [a technique for sensing life], neither survivors nor freaks were detected on the third floor.

“Did they all kill each other and become extinct?”

“That’s unlikely.”

They are guys who gain power and evolve when they kill sacrifices.

The chances of guys whose vitality becomes tougher each time they evolve stabbing each other to death are lower than being struck by lightning.

“In the worst case, maybe…”

The last individual who ate them all and became stronger.

There might be a guy left who should be called a super individual.

“We have to be careful from here on out.”

Because I don’t know what kind of guy will be there in what way.

Finding the guy was a priority, but the original purpose of coming here was to secure evidence to corner Karshstein.

So I decided to do both, collecting evidence that would be useful.

“This seems to be the cult leader’s office.”

“Fortunately, we found it easily.”

I was worried that I might wander around for a long time, but finding it in the dark was easier than I thought.

This was because it was a fairly noticeable room on the outside.

“This is enough evidence.”

“In addition, we can guess the number of drugs produced here.”

“With that, we can also guess the number of Karshstein’s enhanced soldiers.”

The documents obtained as evidence were quite useful.

I have achieved the initial purpose of coming here.

But there was still a problem left.

“There’s definitely a guy left here. I don’t know how he’s avoiding my detection, but.”

Even though I scattered the Guardian’s Spider Web in all directions, the guy was not detected.

I guessed that he was not caught in the Spider Web due to his ability to sense Aura.

Although I spread it out quite densely, the wider the area I searched, the inevitably larger the gaps in the Spider Web became.

If there was a guy who could see those Spider Webs, it was not impossible to evade detection.

“What should we do? Are you going to keep searching?”

“I have to, but I have to be several times more careful.”

The fact that the Trial of Valor had not been completed yet was clear evidence that the guy was still there.

And to secure this gate as a whole, which would be useful in many ways, I had to catch the guy anyway.

“Then let’s get out of here quickly.”

At my words, Stella said that, and the moment she left the office.

“Uh…?”

Something passed by like an arrow in the dark and snatched Stella away.

“Stella!”

I immediately chased after it into the darkness.