Ch.40Goblin Village (5)

In truth, looking at the immediate situation, the best choice for me now would be to retreat and create distance.

I currently have several daggers that allow me to maintain distance control through throwing, and after creating some space, I could also draw the shield strapped to my back as a secondary armament.

Especially since technique-focused close combat warriors typically prioritize mobility over defense, creating distance and launching ranged attacks might actually allow me to land some effective hits.

However, the reason I insisted on close combat even when pushed into a disadvantageous position instead of ranged combat was—

—Whoooosh—CRASH!!!

Because of the spear-wielder’s ranged attack, a thrown spear that cut through the air and burrowed into the ground.

Of course, the power of a thrown spear from a goblin spear-wielder—who specializes in close combat with a long spear and is physically weak due to being a goblin—isn’t particularly impressive.

But the problem here is that even with reduced power, a thrown spear is still a powerful strike, and that cultist’s spear is certainly no ordinary weapon.

‘….Tch.’

After blocking the thrown spear with my shield for the first time, the shield suddenly began to crumble from the point of contact with the spear tip.

Realizing that the spear tip had corrosive properties against anything it touched, I immediately discarded the shield and observed how the creature retrieved its spear.

The spear stuck in the ground instantly transformed into a swarm of flies that returned to the goblin who had thrown it, then reformed back into a spear before lunging at me again.

As I clearly witnessed this disgusting sight with my own eyes, I infused one of my daggers with aura and threw it while contemplating my next move.

The current distance between me and the goblin is about 30 meters. By normal standards, this might be too far for exchanging blows with handheld cold weapons, but for intermediate fighters like myself and that goblin, it’s a distance that can be closed in seconds.

However, even these few seconds aren’t insignificant in a mid-level fight, so after considering several options with my aura-accelerated thought process, I finally reached a conclusion….

‘….Let’s go!’

Just as I decided to close the distance, having determined that there were limits to what I could accomplish with daggers, a sinister flash of purple and green light erupted from the goblin cultist’s hand.

Normally, without direct knowledge of magic, I wouldn’t understand what it was….

But thanks to previous experience, knowledge that had somehow entered my mind allowed me to identify the nature of that magic, despite my genuine disgust.

‘That magic is…!’

Black magic cast by demon contractors or worshippers based on the mysteries of the demon realm—specifically one of the subcategories of “Gluttony Magic.”

It was the “Breath of Flies” spell, which spews forth a cruel swarm of flesh-eating flies.

[[[EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!]]]

What appeared with that irritating sound was a swarm of at least hundreds of flies.

After roughly calculating the variables these would create if left unchecked, I immediately channeled my aura through my sword.

“—Begone!!!”

Though clearly disadvantageous in terms of resource management considering the amount of aura consumed, what else could I do when this was the only way to sweep them all away at once?

After dispelling its interference in one go as I approached, the creature abandoned its crude magic and instead leveled its spear, now wrapped in sinister energy, at me.

And so… the close combat that felt like being trapped in the shackles of hell resumed.

I tried to somehow block the spear thrusts that came several times per second with my sword, while the creature attempted to break through with an unending chain of attacks.

The most vicious aspect was that although each individual attack could be deflected relatively easily with a longsword, the frequency of the chain attacks was so high that physical limitations inevitably forced me to allow several effective hits.

No matter what techniques I wanted to use to counterattack, this barrage of thrusts was as simple as it was difficult to counter.

Therefore, as long as this situation continued, it was clear I wouldn’t be able to endure this war of attrition, so to defeat the enemy, I needed to employ a strategy it could never anticipate….

‘In the end, is this all I have…!’

Determining that there was no other option but to aim for an elevation in skill through actual combat, I swung my sword while clearly recognizing the “enemy,” all while being lost in thought.

Specifically, thoughts about the origin of my swordsmanship.

To be honest, my swordsmanship could generously be described as technique-focused with adaptable responses to different situations, but to put it bluntly, I never really thought about any specific form or style when swinging my sword.

Apart from appropriately using various sword techniques I’d seen throughout my life depending on the situation, my sword was ultimately just a slash that aimed for the enemy’s weaknesses in an improvised manner.

It’s just that this somehow worked due to my overwhelming talent, but aside from that, my swordsmanship was ultimately more about pure individual skill than “formalized techniques.”

-Clang! Clang! Clang!

‘Ugh…!!’

So even as I desperately dodged or took hits from the incoming spear tip, I tried to find the fundamental origin of how my swordsmanship had converged into this form….

‘….Ah.’

And then, a certain thought suddenly occurred to me.

Yes. Come to think of it… when I first learned swordsmanship, I was in a somewhat twisted state of mind, and no matter how I tried to dress it up, I believed that swordsmanship was ultimately a “killing technique.”

Of course, my mindset now was quite different from back then, but if I had to pick one thing that hadn’t changed….

It would be my belief that the essence of swordsmanship ultimately exists in cutting down and killing the enemy.

Cutting. Cutting the enemy was ultimately the foundation and entirety of my swordsmanship.

Approaching an enemy at some distance, creating openings through improvisation, and cutting them down with a sword.

The foundation of this entire process was the act of swinging a sword to cut the enemy’s body—engraving this fact in my mind, I now focused and eliminated everything unnecessary for swinging the sword.

The only difference from before was that among the “unnecessary things” I eliminated was the killing intent derived from the “sword demon.”

And at that moment, some principle subtly took root and reflected in my mind.

A principle of my swordsmanship that had been unconsciously used during the time I was dominated by killing intent and bloodlust, but had been buried beneath overwhelming murderous intent.

‘Slash.’ Having realized that this simple two-syllable word was the essence of my swordsmanship, I gripped the longsword with both hands and swung it downward to deflect the spear tip, and at that very moment—

—CRASH!!!

The purple aura afterimage formed along the trajectory of my longsword carried physical force and flew toward the enemy (goblin).

“….KEEEEEE!!!”

Perhaps because I suddenly realized how to embody this “principle” at a timing the cultist couldn’t predict at all.

As the intermediate goblin cultist screamed and blocked the purple afterimage(?) flying toward it, I finally noticed the true value of the new power I had gained.

If I were to name this, it would probably be “Extension of Slash.”

Unlike before, when only the part touched by the blade would be cut, this extended the length and range of the “slash.”

….Honestly, even as I explain it, it’s not an easy concept to understand, but to summarize it roughly, it’s about expanding the range my attacks can reach.

In boy’s manga and similar media, there are often scenes where someone swings a sword and mountains or rocks far beyond the reach of the blade are cut in half—the ability I’ve gained now seems to recreate such scenes in reality.

“Yes, indeed the Maggot Prince!!”

Meanwhile, seeing me like this, that goblin creature was rejoicing like a fanatic.

Feeling genuine disgust rise within me at the sight, I moved my legs to create distance to the rear, then swung my sword several times “in the air.”

Although the extended slashes themselves were a beat slower than the original slashes and somewhat ambiguous in power due to their faint substance, no matter how slow they were, consecutive slashes coming from multiple angles were not attacks that could be easily blocked.

Therefore, a few seconds later, those attacks “extended” from dozens of sword trajectories cut off three of the goblin’s limbs, leaving only its left arm intact.

-Thud.

“Kuh, kuhk…!!!”

Stepping on the body of the creature, now effectively neutralized with three limbs severed, I pointed my aura-infused sword at its head and asked.

“….Any last words?”

“Y-yes, indeed you are… ‘His’ offs—”

—CRUNCH!

Of course, I couldn’t even let its brazen words continue, so as my mood suddenly turned extremely unpleasant, I crushed its head under my foot….

‘….(Gulp).’

And immediately afterward, as I looked at the goblin’s corpse, I suddenly felt an indescribable craving and hunger rising from somewhere within me.