NOVEL NEXT Chapter 183
Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity
Chapter 183
The battlefield quickly descended into chaos not long after the battle began.
“For the Black Tiger Tribe!”
“For the great Kaan!”
“We will slay the god!”
Cries of the Black Tiger Tribe warriors erupted from all directions.
-Kyaaaoooo-!
The wolf divine beast howled as it fought against dozens of Black Tiger Tribe masters.
Dozens of dark crimson aura blades sliced through the air.
Shaaak! One of the Black Tiger Tribe warriors inflicted a severe wound on the wolf divine beast's body.
The silver fur of the wolf divine beast was stained with red blood, and the number of wounds on its body steadily increased.
However, the Black Tiger Tribe was not without difficulties.
-Get out of my sanctuary…!
Swooosh! A Black Tiger Tribe warrior was struck by the wolf divine beast's front paw, flying far away with a “Gahk!” before dying instantly, while another warrior was bitten in half, unable to even let out a dying scream.
The wolf divine beast’s front paws and fangs glowed with a silver aura, which pierced through the Black Tiger Tribe warriors' armor and aura as if they were mere paper.
Their faces paled.
“Is it truly the ancient divine beast that has lived the longest in the eastern forest?”
“For it to endure like this even against our combined assault….”
These warriors had slain their god, seized its power, and sealed it in a 'stone.'
And they were the chosen warriors who had swallowed a piece of that stone, gaining the honor of becoming masters.
For them, it was the first time they were being pushed back and even suffering casualties in battle.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the wolf divine beast wasn't just fighting; it twisted its body to avoid potentially fatal blows and deliberately took minor hits, biding its time.
The wolf used the tactic of sacrificing flesh to take bones.
The Black Tiger Tribe warriors were honestly a bit taken aback.
‘Why is this divine beast so skilled at fighting?’
The divine beasts they had encountered until now had all relied heavily on their unique powers, such as summoning storms or causing earthquakes.
So when their powers were sealed by the 'stone,' they became confused, flailed their paws a few times, and were helplessly defeated by the Black Tiger Tribe.
After all, these beings were worshipped as ‘gods’ by their tribespeople.
The concept that they could be sealed of their powers and attacked by creatures they deemed inferior was beyond their comprehension.
But this wolf divine beast was different.
‘It strikes when it should strike, and dodges when it should dodge.’
It fought nimbly and skillfully, barely affected by the fact that its power had been neutralized.
As if it had fought this way countless times even without its powers.
-I am the Eunrang, who bit into the ‘sky.’
Fenrir lightly dodged the aura blade that aimed for her head.
-I have lived for over a thousand years and have experienced the ancient wars.
Boom!
When she swung her front paw, the divine beast’s aura wreaked havoc on the ground, flying fiercely toward the Black Tiger Tribe warriors.
“Grrr!”
The Black Tiger Tribe warriors urgently avoided the attack and retreated.
-I have fought many strong opponents without relying on powers, and I have seen countless warriors who use more cunning methods than you. I have survived them and lived to this day. Did you think I would be easy to defeat?
A long, long time ago.
Fenrir had been with her master and his companions when they toppled countless ‘skies,’ biting into the necks of the ‘skies’ and killing them.
Such a being like her could not be easily defeated by these corrupted humans who gained strength through such cunning methods.
-Grrrr.
Fenrir, bloodied and baring her fangs, let out a terrifying growl that reverberated from deep within her throat.
Her two blue wolf eyes seemed to burn like flames.
A chill ran down the spines of the Black Tiger Tribe warriors, causing them to hesitate involuntarily.
They gritted their teeth inwardly.
‘Damn it, we underestimated her. If we had all fought together from the beginning, we would have finished this long ago….’
About half of the twelve Black Tiger Tribe warriors were assigned to deal with the wolf divine beast.
The other half were supposed to take care of the humans that the Shaman Caliph had designated as enemies and then join the divine beast hunt.
But before that could happen, nearly half of their number had already been killed by the divine beast.
And the ones who were supposed to join them hadn’t arrived yet.
One of the Black Tiger Tribe warriors turned his head.
‘Just how strong is that human master?’
Aden was holding off all of the over six superhuman Black Tiger Tribe warriors.
---
* * *
---
Clang! Clang, Clang!
Swords clashed.
Aura collided with aura, creating explosive sounds.
Aden frowned deeply.
‘Are all the Black Tiger Tribe members masters?’
The sight of dozens of radiant aura blades slashing through the air.
He never thought he’d witness such a spectacle in his lifetime.
Aden felt a sense of familiarity with the crimson aura emitted by the warriors.
‘Blood Knights…’
The Chimera Knights that Sylbeta had tried to cultivate, their aura blades had the same hue.
‘Are these a superior version of the Blood Knights? Chaos must have taken the research and developed it further.’
But even so, to produce warriors who have reached the realm of the superhuman?
Now he understood why the White Serpent divine beast, Jormungandr, had been so easily defeated by them.
No matter how strong Aden was, facing six Sword Masters, let alone three, was a death sentence.
Yet, the reason Aden had been able to hold out against them so far was simply because their skills were lacking.
‘Whatever method they used, it seems they were just barely forced to produce aura blades.’
In reality, their skill level was roughly that of a high-level sword aura user.
At most, they could be considered semi-masters.
Sword aura users who could utilize aura blades.
That was the feeling he got.
They didn't even know how to use Master Fear.
‘Still, they are indeed masters.’
Aura blades had power on a completely different level than sword aura, and he couldn’t dismiss them.
So as soon as the battle started, Aden had evacuated the Unknown and the divine beasts.
If he had his way, he would have wanted to flee as well, but it was impossible because he had to buy time against the more than ten masters charging at him.
Staying near him would only be a hindrance.
A Black Tiger Tribe warrior's crimson aura blade aimed for a gap near Aden's waist, but the silver armor he wore deflected it.
‘It's a good thing I received this armor from the Lawful God.’
The armor given by Ternia, the God of Justice and Law, which turned into silver armor during battle.
Thanks to it, vitality surged through his entire body, and even in this moment when aura blades were flying in from all directions, he remained unscathed.
Clang!
Aden deflected a sword that was aiming for a gap, then counterattacked.
Shaaak!
“Gahk!”
He pierced through the heart of one of the Black Tiger Tribe warriors.
In the distance, he heard the clapping and admiring voice of the Warlock, the vile Caliph.
“Kuhuhuhu! As expected, mass-produced versions can’t compete with a real master! To have such skill at such a young age! Thrilling, refreshing, the best!”
The Caliph, who had suppressed the power of the divine beasts, was sitting far away, watching the battle.
‘That damned…’
The sight made Aden feel like something was boiling up inside him.
‘Should I just summon Pyrones and burn everything to the ground?’
No, that could backfire.
Pyrones was a being from the Spirit Realm but still a divine beast.
There was a possibility that it could be devoured by that unpleasant ‘stone’ the Caliph possessed.
‘I need to finish this quickly and deal with him first.’
The reason Aden stayed here.
It was because he was confident he could wipe out everyone present.
Boom!
He scattered the aura blades fiercely, forcing the Black Tiger Tribe warriors to retreat with groans.
In the brief moment of respite that followed, Aden didn't miss the opportunity and pulled something from his chest.
‘The Slaughter God's Mask.’
A deadly smile spread across Aden's lips as he held it.
After all, when committing a massacre, it was only fitting to receive the blessing of the Slaughter God, wasn’t it?
He put the mask on his face.
---
---
The God of Slaughter and Death.
The being that governs all massacres and deaths.
---
---
The terrifying power of the mad god descended upon Aden.
Shaaak!
Crimson, blood-colored wings sprouted from his back.
A crimson aura enveloped Aden's entire body.
‘Is this the Slaughter God's Blessing, Blood Sky?’
Uncontrollable power surged through his entire body, seething wildly.
It was a raging, endless force, reminiscent of the time when he possessed the mana of a dragon.
Aden Albireo at his peak.
The overwhelming power that slaughtered countless monsters in the underworld and cut down the heart of the Underlord.
---
-…What is that?
---
Fenrir, who had been fiercely battling the Black Tiger Tribe, widened her eyes as she saw the blood-colored wings sprouting from Aden.
---
-Due to the blessing, ‘Blessing of the Slaughter God,’ you have entered a state of ‘Madness.’
-The system protects the user’s mind.
---
But the moment he saw the following message.
Aden realized that something had gone wrong.
He was immensely relieved that he had evacuated the divine beasts and the Unknown in advance.
---
-Warning! This blessing exceeds the user's authority.
-The system's mental protection function has failed.
---
Snap.
It felt as if something had snapped in his mind.
The system delivered its verdict.
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-You have entered a state of ‘Indiscriminate Slaughter.’
-The Slaughter and Death God grins broadly, pleased.
---
You damned god.
That was Aden’s last thought before his consciousness plunged into madness.
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* * *
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Time passed.
---
-The duration of the ‘Slaughter God's Blessing’ has ended.
---
When Aden regained consciousness, he was standing in the middle of what had become a completely scorched and ruined site.
The original temple building was half-collapsed, and all around him were corpses, chopped up like minced meat.
The corpses that ‘seemed to have been Black Tiger Tribe warriors’ were scattered everywhere.
The corpse that ‘seemed to have been a Warlock’ lay on the ground, with its head severed.
-Whimper…
Off in the distance, the wolf divine beast, barely alive, whimpered as it lay unconscious.
What the hell happened here?
---
-So, you’ve finally come to your senses, Dragon Slayer?
---
“…What happened here?”
---
-Do you really not remember anything?
---
-Master, I didn’t see anything.
---
Judging by Andromalius's reaction, something unusual must have happened while his memory was blank.
The Underlord kindly informed him, barely able to hold back laughter.
---
-You burst out laughing, “Kahahaha! It’s a massacre!” and smashed everything with your aura. It was quite a sight.
---
“…”
---
-And near the end, you were shouting, “Ah! This flying blood and flesh pieces!” and grabbing the neck of a dying Black Tiger Tribe warrior, demanding, “Scream a bit more, scream to entertain me more!” It was really…!
---
“Shit, shut up. Shut up, damn it.”
---
-Kuhahahaha!
---
“Ah, shut up!”
---
Aden's face twisted like a demon’s, and he covered it with his hands.
He wanted to believe that it was all just a nasty joke by Curse, but the faint memories that came to mind stopped him from doing so.
‘Damn it, I’ll never use that mask again.’
Although he could still use it two more times, Aden vowed never to use the mask again.
“Well, at least… it was effective.”
The problem was that he lost his mind and wiped out everyone indiscriminately, but the fact that he had defeated dozens of masters in one go was a testament to its terrifying power.
It was just as Aden was beginning to relax.
“Hahaha… I was truly shocked.”
“…!”
At the sudden voice, Aden quickly turned his head.
And there.
“Kahahaha! I didn’t expect you to go completely off the deep end! It seems I was having too much fun without realizing it!”
The vile Caliph.
The one who had been a cold corpse just moments ago was now back to life, perfectly fine.
‘How…?’
Aden had confirmed that the Caliph was indeed a high-ranking warlock, but not a lich.
He was undoubtedly a living human, and he had definitely died.
‘He’s not undead.’
He hadn’t resurrected as a lich either. Aden could feel his heart beating and blood flowing, indicating that he was alive.
This meant one thing.
A person who had died had been fully revived.
But that wasn’t all.
The Caliph glanced around, clicking his tongue.
“If these guys all die here, it’ll be a bit of a problem, huh? I guess I’ll have to bring them back to life.”
The stone in his hand began to emit a black smoke-like substance.
The smoke seeped into the corpses of the scattered Black Tiger Tribe warriors.
Then.
“Haaah!”
“Gahhh!”
“Ke- Kehk. I definitely…?”
The Black Tiger Tribe warriors who had definitely been dead came back to life.
They, too, were not undead but truly living and breathing once again.
“Hmm. It seems they all revived well.”
After scanning the revived Black Tiger Tribe warriors, the vile Caliph turned to Aden, who was now frozen, more shaken than ever, and grinned with gleaming eyes.
“Now then, let’s move on to round two, shall we?”