Only Kanzaki remained.
"—Now then, it’s a shame, but shall we bring this to an end?"
"…Hah! You think you’ve already won, you psycho? Don’t get cocky just because you cleaned up some small fry."
"Oh, I like that! I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of pathetic face you’ll make, Kanzaki-niisan."
"Keep talking, you dipshit!!"
Simultaneous with his shout, Kanzaki swung his sword.
We weren't yet at a distance where a blade could reach. Nevertheless, both I and Kanzaki possessed the means to make a slash connect from afar.
However, what he sent flying wasn't an aura slash from Sword Aura.
It was a blade of roaring, crimson flames.
"Oh! A Magic Sword?!"
I dodged the flying blade of fire with a wide leap.
The Magic Sword skill dealt magic attribute damage. This meant that if an attack landed, HP reduction was calculated against the Spirit stat rather than Endurance.
Furthermore, for the calculation of attack power, a value determined by adding Intelligence and Strength and then dividing by two was applied. The Magic Sword was a special attack that combined the properties of both magic and physical attributes.
If even a single hit landed, my HP would likely drop significantly given my Spirit value. No, it was even possible for my HP to be completely depleted in one shot.
It seemed Kanzaki had judged me to be a pure vanguard type and switched his method of attack accordingly.
"I see! This is dangerous! If that hits, it might actually take me down!!"
"Don't you get cocky with me!!"
Kanzaki swung his sword in rapid succession. With every stroke, he sent out blades of various magic attributes as if anticipating the direction I would dodge.
Blades of roaring fire, invisible and swift blades of wind, thin and sharp blades of water, and heavy, hard blades of rock flew at me one after another.
But I evaded them all.
Not that I had plenty of room to spare. Kanzaki’s attacks were certainly fast, and because they were mixed with invisible wind blades and hard-to-see water blades, dodging was far from easy.
One wrong move and it wouldn't have been strange to take a direct hit.
Still, his aim was monotonous. As I continued to dodge, I found it possible to read the rhythm of Kanzaki’s attacks.
I gradually closed the distance that I had previously kept wide to safely avoid the magic blades. I began dodging the attacks at point-blank range, close enough to graze my skin.
Wasted movement fell away from my evasive actions, which led directly to a growing sense of composure.
Finding a gap between his attacks, I gauged the timing and closed the distance all at once.
"Here I come!! Next is close quarters!!"
"Guh?! You brat!!"
I slammed my sword down with the full momentum of my sprint.
Kanzaki caught the strike with his own sword coated in Sword Aura, his face twisting at the impact. He tried to leap back to create distance, but I wouldn't let him. I unleashed a barrage of slashes from point-blank range, giving Kanzaki no opening to escape.
"Come on! Come on, come on, come on!! What’s wrong, Kanzaki-niisan?! Try fighting back!!"
"—!!"
Kanzaki could do nothing but defend.
However, Kanzaki was certainly strong. I could tell by the fact that he was properly reacting to my current flurry of blows, even if only to block them.
I could only estimate his Strength and Agility values from his movements, but I could feel that Kanzaki’s stats weren't that different from my own.
That is, compared to me right now, buffed by Lust Murder.
If we had fought normally—if the Pleasure Killer title hadn't appeared—I wouldn’t have had a one-in-ten-thousand chance of winning.
He was that high-level of an opponent.
But even so, I had the advantage.
The difference in damage multipliers provided by skills manifested as a difference in the sheer weight of our sword strikes. Originally, my strikes and Kanzaki’s should have been of almost equal power.
However, when there is a gap of more than double the damage multiplier in terms of numerical values, it creates an overwhelming difference in power. And—
"Guh—?!"
"Oh dear, how unfortunate."
After I unleashed several more slashes, the longsword was finally sent flying from Kanzaki’s hand.
Having lost his weapon, Kanzaki’s face was filled with genuine terror and desperation.
"W-Wait—!!"
"Is there anyone who actually waits when told that?"
Then, smiling brightly, I swung my sword down.
Kanzaki’s torso was easily split open from shoulder to hip, and he tumbled to the floor, spraying fresh blood.
"Ah... this feels so good...!!"
I accepted the massive surge of experience points flowing into my body.
●◯●
"—Well then."
The battle was over.
I began walking aimlessly toward the exit.
The impulse swirling inside me showed no sign of subsiding.
I wanted to kill more—many more humans.
So for now, I would just kill every human I found in this dungeon, one by one.
I decided this as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
But then.
"Ah."
The moment my toe hit a Goblin’s magic stone lying on the ground, I remembered.
Right. Come to think of it, there was still someone here.
I turned back toward the room.
When I directed my gaze there, I saw Hinata-san huddling against the far wall, trembling.
Smiling as if embarrassed that I had accidentally overlooked her, I approached her.
"I’m sorry, Hinata-san. I forgot about you."
"Ah... T-Takeo... kun...?"
"I’ll kill you now too, Hinata-san, okay?"
"............Eh?"
Looking closely—no, I already knew, but how pleasant would it feel to plunge my sword into Hinata-san’s soft flesh?
When Hinata-san’s lovely face distorted in pain and terror, what kind of ecstasy would I feel?
To think I had overlooked such an important person; even for me, that was incredibly careless.
Compared to Kanzaki and the others, Hinata-san was a much, much more delicious lump of meat.
Perhaps unable to believe I was pointing a sword at her, Hinata-san stared at me in a daze, frozen by shock and fear. She was very cute.
She was so cute I wanted to stab her with my sword as soon as possible.
I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly and prepared to lunge with full force to dive into Hinata-san’s chest—
"Wait, huh...?"
Come to think of it, was it okay to kill Hinata-san?
No, of course it wasn't. But why was it not okay? There shouldn't be a reason like that, right? —No, no! Even without a reason, you shouldn't kill people!!
However, I wanted to kill. No, I must not kill.
Conflicting emotions and thoughts clashed, making my head ache terribly.
"Gu, uugh...!!"
"T-Takeo-kun...?"
"Hi-nata... san...!!"
While shaking violently, I looked at Hinata-san as she called my name.
What a delicious-looking body I want to carve her up. She’s trembling like a small animal, so delicate and cute I want to kill her. I want to protect her I want to turn her into a mess.
"A-Aaauuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
My thoughts wouldn't come together. The words and emotions surfacing were a jumble, as if they weren't my own.
That’s why—I stopped thinking.
"That’s right... For now, I’ll just kill her first and think about it later...!!"
Whether it was okay to kill Hinata-san or not, I’d figure it out after she was dead!!
In the next instant, like a beast pouncing on its prey, I lowered my posture and sprinted forward!