NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10
Chapter 10. VS Calamity
The resurrected Ritter catches sight of me and tilts its head in an eerie manner.
It’s as if it’s deciding how to hunt its prey.
I blink, disgusted by its disturbingly human-like behavior.
“Huh?”
In the split-second that my eyes were closed, Ritter had already moved right in front of me.
Its four razor-sharp swords aim to capture me. Crossing my arms to defend, I feel the bones creak under the overwhelming impact.
(So heavy!)
My body is sent flying, tumbling across the rubble.
I somehow regain my stance, but my vision is dyed red, and my legs wobble unsteadily.
When I touch the source of the pain, my hand comes away slick with blood.
Though my consciousness wavers, the wound isn’t fatal. I can still manage—for now.
“This can’t just be A-rank.”
Clearly, this thing surpasses the A-rank classification.
Is it even really a Ritter? Its appearance is undeniably similar, making that unlikely. Well, aside from the extra arms. But maybe that’s just a trivial aesthetic change.
As for its earlier movement—it’s clear it used [Change] to swap places with the rubble in front of me.
The problem is, its range of ability seems to have expanded since the last time.
In short, I now have to fight it while constantly staying aware of the entire battlefield.
Amid these thoughts, Ritter’s figure disappears.
I focus all my senses to pinpoint its location.
Sensing movement behind me, I unleash a spinning kick.
“Damn it?!”
But it’s only rubble—not the monster. It must’ve used its ability again to switch positions consecutively.
“Guh!”
Ritter, now behind me, slashes at my back.
The sickening sensation of torn flesh and the searing pain are unbearable, but I ignore it, turning around and throwing a full-force punch.
“[Mountain Breaker]!”
The ground splits, forming a massive crater—but Ritter isn’t there.
“What the hell?! Where’d it go!”
I scan my surroundings, only to feel a sharp strike across my cheek.
When I look in that direction, Ritter’s foot slams into my face. My body, thrown into the air, manages to stabilize, but Ritter is already gone again.
“Above!”
Noticing a faint shadow, I look up to see Ritter ready to bring its sword down.
Before I can react, it vanishes once more and reappears in front of me. Its horizontal slash sends me flying again.
“Hah… hah…”
I take shallow breaths atop the rubble.
To think I’d get beaten this badly…
Good thing Ao isn’t here. I’d never let her see me like this.
“Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!”
Laughing loudly, I slowly rise to my feet.
Perhaps wary of my strange demeanor, Ritter doesn’t press the attack.
“Enough of this. Let’s end it.”
Saying so, I unleash my ability’s true potential.
“Rank Ascension—Awaken, [Mars].”
As I murmur these words, my hair turns white, and a pure white aura shimmers faintly around my body.
I now exude an inhuman, otherworldly presence.
Mars—the Roman god symbolizing war, agriculture, and the planet Mars.
Revered as a war deity with the title of Gladius, Mars was venerated as a brave warrior and treated almost on par with the chief gods.
Originally a god of agriculture, he was later worshipped as a war god due to his association with Romulus, Rome’s founding king, who was known for expanding territory through bravery. Some even linked Mars to the underworld, associating him with death and rebirth as a war god.
“Come at me, small fry.”
“Giiiiaaaahhhh!!”
Perhaps enraged by my words—or to steel its resolve—Ritter lets out a ferocious roar, opening its mouth for the first time.
It uses its ability to approach me, not just once but repeatedly, swapping places with surrounding objects to disorient me.
Meanwhile, I stand still, arms crossed, eyes closed in silence.
The moment Ritter appears behind me, its blade aiming for my neck, my figure vanishes just before the strike lands. The blade slices through empty air.
“Where are you looking?”
Hearing my voice from the opposite direction, it tries to counter with a swing—but I’m already out of reach.
“Hey, don’t you even notice your own condition?”
Ritter’s left arms—both of them—are torn off halfway, seemingly disintegrated.
As it stares in shock, I slam a backhand into its face. The blow is simple, unrefined—yet powerful enough to destroy Ritter’s head as if it were tofu.
Let me ask you this:
Could a god, venerated even as a chief deity, fall behind such a monster?
The answer is—absolutely not.
What’s about to unfold is sheer domination.
Ritter regenerates its arms and head, rising again.
When I strike its abdomen, its upper body explodes—only to regenerate again.
Even crushing it from above doesn’t work, as it revives from the remaining fragments.
This cycle of carnage repeats dozens of times.
“I’m bored.”
Muttering this, I take a stance for the first time.
My right leg slides back, my left hand extends forward.
“Hoo…”
I close my eyes, exhale lightly, and then slowly open them to fixate on Ritter.
Its body sways as it regenerates yet again, preparing to charge.
Seeing my stance, Ritter rushes toward me, swinging its blade.
“[Absolute Fist]”
I focus on the sword aimed at me and thrust my right hand forward.
In that instant, Ritter’s entire form vanishes completely.
[Absolute Fist]—an attack that unconditionally erases whatever it touches.
Of course, it’s not a technique to be used lightly, as it inflicts a severe toll on the user. But in this case, I had no choice.
Confirming Ritter’s absence, I finally make my way back to the half-destroyed police station.