NOVEL NEXT Chapter 140
The youthful face of the Payload was oddly contorted, even younger than my own age that I couldn’t fathom.
Despite having described her earlier as a mischievous rogue full of pranks, her expression didn’t seem to fit at all in this twisted space.
“How dare you mock me! You, who only took on a mere human body and manifested as a tool!”
Seeing such an unfitting expression, the tirade from the ecstatic transcendent entity clearly showed how effectively the current Payload was aggravating the nerves of this transcendent entity.
It was hard to believe that the serene, almost detached being who remained calm even when wounded by my sword, and who lightly provoked me with nothing but a challenge, was the same entity.
To have left an irreparable long scar on the face of the transcendent entity who had descended onto Dominus’s body through a blade alone seemed like a feat in itself.
Even while caressing the unhealed scar on her face and growling with unrestrained anger, the Payload showed no hesitation in provoking this entity.
Though she wore a mischievous expression, her eyes were endlessly serious.
Her cold calculation, evident in her eyes, aimed to rattle the creature’s emotions and simplify its response to create an opening.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Ah, I suppose you can’t refute because what I said wasn’t wrong! Yes, that must be it!”
Seeing the silent Payload, the transcendent entity, emboldened by her silence, tried to press her with an enthusiastic voice.
“But you’re just a worthless tool, a blade that looks like it has no talent. And what about you? Can you call yourself a god when you’ve been scarred on your face by such a tool?”
The entity’s rising spirit plummeted like a bird losing its wings upon hearing those words.
The blazing light in its eyes faltered momentarily, as if struck by a great shock.
“…”
The lips of the entity, inhabiting Dominus’s body, remained tightly shut, showing no signs of opening. It was merely a slight paralysis, a common reaction when one hears insults beyond their imagination.
“Truly, you wish to die!”
The transcendent entity, whose rage now contained a colder, more calculated anger, confirmed this.
What Payload had said had indeed had an effect.
The entity, which had been hesitant to move due to its sensitive distance from Payload, was pushed further into fury.
“Die!”
The crimson glow in one eye, unmarred by scars, blazed fiercely, and the sword in its hand reflected a twisted will to kill, swirling with the force of a storm.
The immense power surging visibly could easily crush life before one could even comprehend it.
“Cluck cluck. Even if it’s not your body, you’re dull. Pathetically dull.”
Payload, who had harshly criticized the entity’s dullness despite facing a deadly strike, proved it not just in words but also in her actions.
I found it miraculous how she could evade, even though I could see it with my own eyes.
At the moment the transcendent entity’s sword, a storm of hostility, lunged towards Payload.
She skillfully twisted her body to narrowly avoid the storm without getting hurt.
“Even if you’re angry, there’s no excuse for recklessly charging in like that. Have you become so ignorant that you can’t foresee the consequences?”
Continuing her taunts, she swung her right hand’s blade towards the entity’s head.
Compared to the storm of hostility unleashed by the entity, her simple slash seemed mundane, but the hostility imbued in her blade was no less powerful.
Even the transcendent entity, looking like a demon, was visibly startled and dodged the moment she saw Payload’s blade.
Despite her somewhat messy evasion, she managed to escape the reach of Payload’s blade.
*Thud*
Unfortunately, due to her unrefined movements, Payload’s sharp blade cut off some of the entity’s hair.
A fleeting thought crossed my mind about how the original owner of the body would feel when they regained consciousness and saw the slightly receding hairline, but…
“…Kreuuu!!”
The transcendent entity, who had been humiliated and struggled with a counterattack, spat out a mixture of rage and pain.
The mysterious aura that had alternated between calmness and curiosity towards me was gone.
“Your eyes and now your head are clear. It looks better. Oh, not to you. This is for the body you borrowed. They have a lot to bear too.”
“I’ll destroy you!!”
Payload’s joyous laughter, revealing unmatched amusement at the ruined entity, only fueled its burning anger.
The entity roared again, charging at Payload.
Unlike before, the slashes it wielded were sharper and more precise, yet Payload evaded them with ease.
The entity, not fully possessing its power, appeared much weaker compared to when it had overwhelmed me effortlessly.
Perhaps the frustration from ineffective attacks had reached its limit.
“Gooouu!!”
Roaring again, it scattered energy in every direction, but…
Its fierce attack barely brushed against Payload’s fluttering clothes, which seemed oddly out of place in battle.
“How wonderful. When you lose control, all dignity and reason fly away, revealing your base nature. I’m delighted to see it hasn’t changed!”
As Payload taunted the entity by dodging and provoking it, her voice grew louder.
Even seeing it with my own eyes, it was hard to believe.
“Just dodging makes me feel stiff. Yes, you should experience it once!”
Payload’s skillful evasion and counterattacks pushed the entity back, a sight that was nothing short of miraculous.
Her right hand danced with a dazzling trajectory, the pure white energy more intense than ever.
“…I knew you’d try to hit me again!”
Remembering the terror of barely dodging Payload’s blade that felt like a death sentence, the entity did not dodge but instead swung its sword to meet hers.
No matter how sharp and refined the blade, a physical body made of flesh and bone could never be stronger than a blade forged in scorching fire.
Yet, despite the precision of her strikes, Payload’s hand remained intact.
“Haha!! …How simple!!”
Facing the terrifying attack head-on, Payload laughed heartily and then mocked it.
With movements that seemed impossible, she gracefully avoided the attack aimed at her heart.
Even someone well-trained would struggle, their leg—specifically their ankle—barely surviving the intense movement.
“Realize the disadvantage of wielding an unsuitable weapon! A wandering spirit, devoid of divinity, aimlessly wandering the world!”
Payload’s voice, filled with power, continued its barrage.
“Return!”
With each word, the pure white energy on her blade carried the force to tear apart the distortion in this space.
‘Got it!’
Watching the overwhelming power displayed, I was convinced of Payload’s victory.
“…This?! You… Could it be?!”
The transcendent entity, bewildered and humbled, tried to say something, but Payload interrupted.
“It’s too late now!”
Ignoring the entity’s plea, Payload swung her blade downward with a single, decisive motion.
Simple and absolute, it was an attack no trick could stop.
If the intended trajectory was completed, it would inflict an irreparable wound on the transcendent entity.
However, the brilliance of the energy on Payload’s blade had already faded, and her blade’s movement slowed noticeably.
The entity’s face, already despairing, twisted into a grotesque smile as it reached out, perhaps naturally.
“Payload!!”
Not willing to watch idly, I jumped towards Payload, shouting, pushing her away.
I managed to deflect the entity’s sword just in time, but…
“Stay out of this! Child of man!”
“…Kreut!”
Shouting, I was pushed back by the force of the entity’s strike.
Though I wasn’t injured, and Payload had held her ground against the entity, it came at a cost.
“…Oh no.”
My sword, the one Arslin had given me after we got married, broke. The blade was snapped in half, irreparably damaged.
“This… Your cherished weapon is broken. Will you try manifesting a sword with your bare hands like that wench?”
The transcendent entity, who had revealed its true nature while fighting Payload, sneered at the broken blade.
It was a dangerous situation.
Though Payload had avoided a fatal injury, she was still unable to rise, and Arslin, desperate to reach me, struggled despite being restrained.
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you.”
Realizing I couldn’t handle the transcendent entity alone, I was relieved when another familiar voice echoed.
A golden flash illuminated the dark distortion, changing the scene for the better.