The raised dagger glinted as it caught the sunlight.
I parried the blade’s fluid descent with my Magic Power Sword.
Following the brief clash, the dagger lashed out again, its movements weaving through my defenses. Parrying the strike by a hair’s breadth, I commanded vines to surge from the ground.
The man nimbly dodged, putting distance between us before immediately teleporting behind me.
(I’d read that movement.)
I twisted my body to avoid the thrust and returned a slash with the full weight of my momentum. A spray of blood followed the arc of my swinging arm.
The man leaped back and looked up at me. A thin gash had opened across his chin where the blade had grazed him.
Blood seeped from the wound and dripped onto the ground. The man wiped it away with his thumb, checking the stain before glaring at me.
"Shit..."
I didn't bother responding. I simply readjusted the stance of my Magic Power Sword with cold composure.
The man had clearly mastered a decent level of combat technique, but he was nowhere near the level of her swordplay. I held the advantage in reach as well. There was no reason for me to be at a disadvantage.
From that point on, the man’s assault grew more frantic. However, his irritation made his patterns predictable. He relied on brute force, rendering his movements easy to read.
"Hyaaah!"
I sidestepped his lunging dagger and severed his arm. Everything from the elbow down went spinning through the air.
"Guh!"
The man groaned, but he showed no sign of retreating. Instead, he lunged even further into my guard.
I reflexively slashed across his face, but his expression remained fixed in a mask of rage. Then, his flesh liquefied like mud and began to elongate. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a flat metallic band.
In this new form, he accelerated toward me with unnatural speed. He tore through me, shattering several of my ribs in the process. As he made contact, he siphoned away a small amount of my miasma.
"Kihahahahahaha! What is this flavor?! This is incredible!"
The man let out a jubilant shout as he swam through the air. A mouth—a lingering remnant of his humanoid form—remained at the tip of the band. He had likely kept it just so he could taunt me.
The band-shaped man somersaulted in midair and charged again. It seemed he intended to devour all my miasma, though at this rate, my body would be crushed into paste before he finished his meal.
As the man closed in, I considered my options.
(Perhaps I’ll test it out...)
I released the power coiled within me.
Instantly, one of my arms lost its depth, taking on the texture of a flat shadow. From that shadow, a mass of countless tentacles erupted. The overflowing, writhing limbs ensnared the band-shaped man. No matter how fast he was, he couldn't bypass the wall of tentacles I had deployed. His linear charge was practically begging for a counter-offensive.
"Wha—!?"
As the tentacles drained his miasma, the man reverted from a band to a humanoid. It appeared that without sufficient miasma, he couldn't maintain his monstrous form. Whether his human or metallic state was his true form remained a mystery, but there was no doubt he had undergone a significant weakening.
I manipulated my arm-turned-tentacles, constricting the man with everything I had. His flesh and bone were ground to pulp within seconds. I felt the distinct, heavy sensation of his body breaking apart.
(Hmm. I replicated it well enough.)
These tentacles were Gwen's ability. I had confiscated her power and sealed it within my spirit. It required a specific shift in consciousness to activate, but the utility was undeniable. Unlike standard spells, it relied on miasma to function.
With proper adjustment, I could likely shape it however I wished. If the need arose, I could probably even transform into that mountain of tentacles I’d seen in the mental world. However, I had no intention of doing so unless absolutely necessary. I was much more comfortable fighting as a humanoid where I could utilize my swordplay.
"——! ——!"
The man trapped within the tentacles struggled wildly. Despite being mangled, he was surprisingly resilient. As expected of a Beast of the Outside World; they looked human, but they didn't die easily.
Still, I had just finished off the Immortal Shark. I already knew how to deal with his kind.
I wreathed my Magic Power Sword in the Forbidden Art's Flame and began hacking through the man and the tentacles alike. I worked efficiently, giving him no room to retaliate. I ignored the muffled screams and focused on the task at hand.
The Forbidden Magic incinerated the man's body, reducing it to ash in short order. I waited for a moment, but there were no signs of regeneration. He was dead.
As I deactivated Gwen's power, the severed tentacles crumbled into bone fragments. I used my miasma to fabricate a replacement for my missing arm. It lacked durability, but since I was fragile to begin with, it hardly mattered.
I gathered the shark’s carcass and the man’s ashes, then teleported the entire mess to the Valley of the Dead. I made sure to collect his severed arm as well.
While I could likely find various applications for the remains if I sent them to the Research Institute, I had a feeling it would only lead to more trouble. There was always the chance he could revive. More than that, I dreaded the prospect of the Research Institute Director’s unchecked enthusiasm. Given that the danger level was far higher than her previous projects, it was best to bury these things in the Valley of the Dead.
(...Perhaps I should have squeezed him for more information before killing him.)
I reflected on the encounter. I had acted on impulse, but I didn't regret it deeply. I was in a hurry, and if I had questions, I could simply ask Gwen. Since she was the one leaking information to the other beasts, she was bound to know their inner workings.
By now, her mind was surely being eroded under the constant surveillance of the Research Institute Director. She would likely be far more cooperative.
Once things settled down, I decided I would pay her a visit.
After reporting the situation to Logan via Telepathy, I teleported toward the next battlefield.