episode_0035

The spear blade does not fade in the slightest even while it is red-hot, and still maintains its sharpness and heaviness.

It was indeed a weapon made by dwarves.

However, I had no intention of taking my time. I had to see it to an end before the heated spear blade cooled down again.

As I raised my spear and aimed the scarlet blade at him, Emma picked me up and started running through the arena once again.

Toward what was now just a black mass that constantly swelled and shrunk, a chimera covered in writhing bugs.

-Grrwaek!!…

When it opens its mouth, a handful of insects pour out from inside, accompanied by a sound like boiling phlegm.

The thing that was rushing towards us was no longer flying or running, but was approaching by half-crawling and gliding.

Of course, that fact didn’t make the monster any less threatening.

The enormous mass of numerous insects added to the still gigantic body of the chimera, insects that rush to burrow into the skin when approached.

If we give them just a moment’s time, they have enough weapons to crush and devour us.

But that was why I had no intention of allowing him even a single moment of opportunity.

The insects must have remembered how many times they had been fooled by us, as they dug into the chimera’s mind, and turned towards us, which was getting closer and closer, and swung their tails.

Insects gathered on top of it, making it even more massive, and the weapon flew in with sharp thorns hanging from the end.

However, since this spear was in my hand again with the heat at the tip, there was no need for me to hit and run and toy with the guy.

I simply swung the thick mass of the spear with all my might from both hands and hurled it into the enemy in front of me at the same speed that Ema was running at.

That was enough to cut through the tangled mess of insects, flesh, muscles, and bones.

The great spear that pierced and tore apart armor along with its owner now contained the heat left by the flames of the monster that imitated the dragon on its blade.

The cross section of the tail where the spear blade penetrated and the insects that were swarming inside and outside were torn apart and sizzled, sending out black smoke.

Through the smoke, between the torn off tail and body, we just passed by, swatting away the dead insects that were pouring out.

Only when she reaches the other end of the arena does Emma gently turn and look directly at her enemy again.

Even though its tail was torn off, it no longer howled.

All I could do was look at the black smoke rising from the cross section of the severed tail, the burning flesh and insects exhaling.

No, to be precise, instead of eyes that couldn’t see properly, he was sniffing and smelling that acrid smell.

And the bugs that were writhing on his skin all bristled and the guy stepped back a little, as if he was wary of them.

It was as if they had noticed how the flame and heat, no matter what the wound, would constantly regrow and cover the host, burning them to death as they craved more flesh.

It didn’t really matter whether the behavior was motivated by fear of weakness and wariness, or by recognizing for the first time something that could kill us, but it was at least a signal for us to rush again.

Of course, upon noticing the sound and vibration of Emma’s hooves hitting the floor of the Colosseum, it also began to struggle in earnest.

‘…Does that also feel the emotion of fear?’

As if they were growing by using the chimera’s body as nourishment, the insects that devoured the wings on its back were clumped together and continued to grow, stretching out like a tree.

As if telling us not to come any closer, setting the end at us.

Nevertheless, they rushed at us without paying attention, and soon they swung like whips and tried to hit us.

Even though it is thinner than the tail or body that was swung earlier, it is still so thick and powerful that it is difficult to avoid serious injury if hit by even one of them.

However, the moment the heated spear blade extends out from my hand like a flash of light again, none of it reaches us beyond the space depicted by the spear.

The scarlet line pierced through them, bursting them, cutting them down, filling the empty space instead.

And as we move forward, leaving behind the bundles of cut off tentacles, the moment we face each other again, the monster opens its mouth and lunges at us.

Inside its wide-open mouth, wriggling insects fell from between its teeth instead of saliva.

As he raises his spear and cuts down several of the insects that fall, he pierces their upper mouth and nose at the same time with the spear pointing upwards.

Normally, it would have been a wound that would have caused it to retreat and go berserk without being able to endure the pain, but it paid no heed, as even its brain and nerves had already been eaten by insects, and moved forward, trying to chew us up even with its spear-pierced and burning mouth.

But I had already inserted the spear into its tongue and lower teeth.

Even the strength of the monster’s jaw, which did not even care about the rupture of its muscles, could not close its mouth while breaking the metal spear smelted by the dwarves from the blade to the hilt.

The moment the spear held up with a squeak and Emma quickly pulled back, raised her front legs and stepped away, I wrenched the spear out and tore off the roof of its mouth before it could close again.

Immediately afterward, he caught up with Emma’s movement of striking the ground with his raised front leg, and cut off the bridge of his nose, which was already tattered, with the spear he had grabbed.

Without exception, smoke rises from the wounds engraved on them with a burning sound, and the spear thrown through the smoke once again penetrates deep into the creature’s head and breaks its bones.

It didn’t really matter that he didn’t feel pain.

If irreparable wounds continue to increase, movement will inevitably slow down, no matter how much fear and hesitation the pain brings.

A mind castrated by fear could make a person stick his head in front of the spear blade, but that mind alone could not reconnect the muscles and bones that had been torn by the spear blade.

The more I continued to swing and stab the spear, the slower the guy tried to counterattack.

After lightly dodging to the side the monster’s front paw that had stretched out and swung with difficulty, I pierced the spear straight through, and the front paw was torn off from the leg that had already been cut by the spear blade due to the impact.

And before the guy could gather new tentacles to replace them and stretch them out, he turned the spear, shaking off the debris, and stabbed it again into the empty space, plunging the spear blade into the guy’s stomach.

Immediately, Emma ran out with me on her back, and the spear blade that stuck in that way tore into the guy’s stomach for a long time.

-Kiyaaa…

Like a balloon with the air inside escaping, the mass that had already grown larger from the giant chimera’s body was shrinking, with black fluid pouring out from the wound.

Seeing that, I turned my body as far as I could on top of Ema and pulled the spear back, then threw the spear with all my might at exactly the moment Ema also turned her body.

The spear flew straight through the guy’s head and stopped only after hitting the wall beyond.

As we looked at the man’s shattered head, Rubia, myself, and Emma were all breathing heavily, and the only sound we could hear was our breathing in the silent Colosseum.

-Wow!

And soon a tremendous roar rang out from all directions, drowning out all other sounds.

Tens of thousands of spectators who had not yet left the Colosseum were cheering and applauding wildly as they finally witnessed the game end with the monster’s death.

“This is Venatores, a gold-level adventurer! He is the hunter of the empire!”

In the meantime, unfortunately, someone who seemed to recognize me shouted out my identity loudly, and the information quickly spread to other spectators and immediately began to be chanted by tens of thousands of people.

First, I responded to the crowd by raising my hands to match the mood.

If you tried to hide in a hurry when you were already seen by so many people, it would only attract more attention.

As naturally as possible, I had to look like a hero who had just visited the Colosseum and stormed in to prevent an accidental accident.

Of course, even if I do this, Empress Solaria’s political enemies and those who oppose me will not forget where I came from in the first place.

It was a moment when all the efforts made to hide the secret meeting with the Empress from them were in vain.

‘Haaa…’

Contrary to the smiling expression on my face, my heart was burning with the knowledge that things had gone wrong.

‘…’

And while my heart was burning, doubts were rising like smoke.

‘Who on earth played such a prank on that chimera?’

The chimera was clearly under the control of the Empress’s officials.

That chimera almost killed the Empress, but there is no way they would have done such modifications.

‘Considering the proliferative ability that bug showed, it would have been enough even if just one insect had been secretly fed. But even if that were the case…’

Either there was at least one person inside who had a secret, or there was a means of getting close to the Chimera even for a moment while avoiding their surveillance.

Either way, it was not something that could be taken lightly.

Aside from that, I had already guessed who was behind this.

In reality, it is just a bug that keeps the host alive so that it can eat its flesh longer, but at first glance, it seems to give the insect the power to endlessly regenerate.

It would be even stranger if it wasn’t thought to be something related to immortality.

And the fact that rumors of something that was considered that way didn’t spread to the extent that I’d never even heard of it… means that someone preempted it and completely hid it.

If you are someone who wants to monopolize all secret arts and elixirs related to immortality…

‘…Are you still watching from here?’

I quickly scanned the audience seats of the Colosseum, especially the VIP seats reserved for nobles and magnates.

and-

——

“… As expected, it was a good idea to try it out. Who was the one who said that bug was the elixir of immortality and the truth… Anyway, bring it back later. Lia.”

“Yes, master. By the way, you are also amazing. It definitely reminds me of when my master was a young man. Ah! It looks like you’re looking this way.”

“…Okay. There must be someone…”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“No. Let’s leave now. Now that the show is over, there will be chaos soon. I don’t like getting caught up in troublesome things.”

“Yes, then I will prepare for you to come to the mansion immediately. Katenis.”

The man who virtually monopolized the empire’s slave trade nodded indifferently at those words and stood up.

-Cudangtang…

“Huh…Huh…”

“Oh my, I’m sorry. It seems that this ‘chair’ has not yet completed its training. It moves carelessly before the owner tells it to sit down or stand up…”

“…Now.. I was wrong… Save me – keke…”

As the thick tail tightened around the trembling woman’s neck, the woman struggled and beat it with her hands, but the red tail still did not move.

“Lia, I said I would go to the mansion. Go there and fix the broken furniture.”

“Oh! sorry. Master, then immediately.”

Only then did the tail that was strangling her neck loosen, and she fell to the floor, gasping for breath.

Nevertheless, what comes before the relief of being alive.

“…When I go to the Katenis Mansion, I will have to instill in that lazy mind the proper mindset of a slave.

“Hee.. Hee hee!!… Please stop-”

Fear of what might happen again.

“Remember. The reason I saved you was because my master was quite interested in you.

That neither life nor death is yours until He is sick of it. Because everything exists for that person.”

There was no light to be found in Lia’s eyes as she smiled while saying that.

As if it had already been taken away by someone a long time ago.