Novel Full 157 The One Who Forges Crimson
“Head. Head. Head.”
The Head Hunter repeatedly said in its emotionless, bellowing voice as it walked forward, causing Yeong-Un’s boots to slide back through the shallow depths of the Blood Swamp.
“…Ngh…!!!”
It was obvious what sort of state Yeong-Un’s body was in by one glance; he was covered in cuts and bruises as blood seeped down his forehead from an unseen gash on his scalp.
Yet, he possessed the same, unflinching vigor as always, pushing himself to the brink while Sol looked on in horror.
“…I’m not stoppin’! Not ever! Not until…we reach a good endin’!” Yeong-Un proclaimed.
With that proclamation, said from the depths of his being, to nobody in particular but to bolster himself, Yeong-Un dug his boots into the brittle soil in the swamp, doing his best to push back against the overwhelming strength of the devil.
“Head! Head! Head!”
With a brutal push, The Head Hunter attempted to crush the young man downward, but Yeong-Un maintained his stance, leaning back as he continued pressing his veiny arms upward against the daunting cleaver above.
“Raaagh–!”
SWOOSH.
Just before the colossal weapon wielded by the Artificial Devil could crush Yeong-Un, a projectile was flung, hitting the large devil right in its chest with a sharp impact–a perfect hit.
“Nn…”
The Head Hunter stumbled back, not too phased by the attack, but clearly hurt as it moved back, attempting to grab the silver spear before it plucked itself from the wound–flying back to the hand of the one who launched it.
Yeong-Un caught his breath, glancing back just as the spear returned to Sol’s hand, who was sweating from the simple, but ballsy throw..
“Nice throw,” Yeong-Un said between heavy breaths.
“…It looks like all I did was make him angry,” he responded with a nervous look.
And, it was true.
The Head Hunter, who towered over them, was hardly harmed by the spear, which was nothing but a stray arrow to its large body, which the wound healed itself seemingly instantly. A rumbling aura emanated from the Artificial Devil’s form, rippling the Blood Swamp as its black cloak swayed, the decorative trophy-heads it wore jingled and clattered together.
“Looks like yer’ fight,” Yeong-Un said, wiping the blood from his lips as he held his dual blades up, “–We just gotta cut him up, then!”
“You make it sound so easy!”
Just as the two readied for another clash, the massive foe was already launching towards them, prompting the two to roll to the side in opposing directions as the massive cleaver was slammed downward.
Every attack that came was fatal in nature; it carved through the air with its malicious edge, always seeking to cut through their necks.
Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.
Though the Head Hunter was but one entity, it went on the offensive against both of the young fighters even though they stayed separate–utilizing insane bursts of explosive speed as before one could make a move–
“Cast: Windbreak–”
–The Artificial Devil would strike.
Before Sol could cast the spear-augmenting spell while witnessing the devil clash against Yeong-Un’s blades, the devil appeared in front of him with blinding agility.
“Ghh–!”
He felt his blood run cold from being face-to-face with the enigmatic Head Hunter, being stared at by the glazed over eyes of the ornamental heads it wore across its black, blood-stained cloak.
Raising his silver spear as a last resort for a defense, the cleaver smacked against it harshly as the impact rattled him to the marrow of his bones.
“–“
He could feel the chime of wind whistle through his skeleton as he was left dazed by just guarding against the ungodly strength of the Artificial Devil, looking on as the Blood Swamp spun around his swirling vision.
“Watch out, idiot–!”
Yeong-Un’s yell did little to set him straight as he was too preoccupied keeping the soles of his boots attached to the swampy ground beneath.
Wha…? He thought.
SLASH.
“Gyuh–!”
Before he could react, he figured out what it was that his frantic, scarred companion was yelling to him about:
After defending against the strike of the cleaver, of course, another came–carving against his torso in a vertical mutilation.
He was clung back from the powerful swing as blood shot out from the large gash left across his upper-body.
[–]
It was difficult for him to even make out what his System was informing him of, but he could already guess it was that his health had just dropped to a threatening degree.
As he landed in the crimson depths of the swamp, he stared up at his own blood rained down on his face, blinking slowly as it all faded to black.
[–]
“Sol! Dammit…!!!” Yeong-Un screamed out.
Not again! Not anymore! I won’t keep losin’ it all! Fuck all of this! Yeong-Un thought.
Rushing forward with his blades engulfed in hungering flames, Yeong-Un charged towards the Artificial Devil while letting out a warcry, abandoning all strategy as his repressed rage let itself out in all of its glory.
But, just before the mesh-shirt-wearing young man could leap up and launch his anger-filled flames towards his enemy–
The bloody swamp where Sol had laid exploded into a colossal geyser, stopping both Yeong-Un and the Head Hunter alike as they looked on.
“Head?” The inhuman devil said quietly in his deep tone.
The fountain of bloody liquid continued to stay risen before parting in a cascade of waves, parting the swamp as the hazel-haired figure stood on a placement of moist soil, untouched by the swamp as it stayed parted.
[Blood Forger System: Active]
Yeong-Un was left in suspense for a moment before a wide, excited grin stretched across his lips, pumping his fist into the air, “Hell yeah! Glad yer’ back, other Sol!”
With his scarlet eyes opening, Sol’s idle expression held a layer of contempt as he seemed less than pleased to be conscious.
“Shut up. I’m tired, so I’ll get this done quickly–don’t get in my way,” Sol said.
Those words came with surprising speed as Sol had somehow broken the distance between himself and Yeong-Un with a single step, traversing a dozen meters in a blink as he left a single pat on his companion’s shoulder with those abrasive swords.
“Huh–? Hey! Don’t get cocky just ’cause yer’–ah, crap! Fine! Mess him up, then!” Yeong-Un begrudgingly relinquished the fight to Sol.
As Sol stepped in front of the confused Artificial Devil, he was unflinching; completely calm as he stopped, slowly looking up at the head-wearing entity.
“I’ll be taking your head,” Sol said.
“Head? My head…? Unacceptable!” The Head Hunter bellowed.
Immediately, with that agility that didn’t fit the giant, wide-set figure in the slightest, the Head Hunter launched his cleaver towards the young man’s neck, only for it to be immediately stopped by a swift force.
It was just then that Yeong-Un came to a realization that made both his heart beat with excitement, and his stomach drop:
“The Blood Swamp.”
This entire place…as big as a damn country, maybe…it’s all blood. For somebody like him, who is stronger with the blood he has access to, this is…! Yeong-Un put it together.
“–?”
Without moving an inch, the red-eyed young man deflected the cleaver, commanding a whip of blood from the vast swamp to defend him.
Yeong-Un only gulped, staying his distance as he was now certain of what was to come:
Right here, right now…Sol is number one, he thought.
“Head! Head! Head!”
Going on a blubbering rampage, the Head Hunter danced around the swamp, repeatedly swinging his cleaver in various ways towards the young man.
But, it was like an elephant attempting to combat a fish within the depths of the sea; though the Artificial Devil was swift in his own right, the Blood Forger was carried across the stretch of blood without having to take a single step.
“Head! Give! Me! Your! Head!”
Each slam of the gargantuan cleaver resulted in a ripple of hellish energy that caused enormous waves to form throughout the Blood Swamp, all of which were only fuel for Sol’s strength, who watched his foe boredly.
“Back.”
Sol gave the simple order with a snap of his fingers, coalescing a large gathering of the crimson liquid into a cannonball-like shape before launching it with a force that caused the wind to crack and howl.
As it shot against the belly of the bulbous devil, it caused the giant figure to be launched back harshly.
“Tch,” the sleepy, alternate mindset of Sol clicked his tongue.
Just as quickly as the Artificial Devil was blown away, he leapt back with a monstrous jump, crashing back down into the swamp with a fuming rage emitting from his unseen nostrils.
“Head—!!!”
Losing all sense of intelligence, the devil gathered a black mass of energy around his cleaver, swinging it as it unleashed a blaze of abyssal flames in its path before soaring towards the Blood Forger.
“–“
Without moving a single muscle or uttering a word, he watched the enormous serving of abyssal energy launch towards him before a large barrier was erected by a formation of the blood swamp’s essence.
The blood crystallized into a colossal shield, intertwining into multiple layers with a thick constitution that guarded against the explosive hellfire.
“Is that it?”
Though he spoke his words without any emotion, they came off as a berating challenge, issued towards the fuming devil who roared out.
The roar that left the bowels of the Head Hunter caused the vast swamp to ripple and tremble, all while the Blood Forger looked on, unimpressed.
“Kill. Behead. I am. Head Hunter!”
Sol look on, “And I’m Sol–I’ll be hunting your head, today.”