Chapter 108: Unclear Intentions

Claude clapped an open palm against the back of Ash’s armor.

“I’m proud of you, Ash. I really expected something much worse to come of that.”

“I don’t need—”

Claude smacked his armor again, using Ash’s glitch to forcibly silence him.

“‘Or care for your praise.’ I know, I know. Still, you handled it oddly… well. You didn’t antagonize them too much or demand fealty… or something. Then again, you don’t care much for followers, do you? The whole ‘people may follow you if they wish’ thing.”

Ash huffed, shook his head, and half-ignored Claude. Instead, he focused on the long, long trek back up the mountain.

After all, they had to climb every cliff they had jumped down… on top of retracing the two- to three-hour journey that had brought them here.

‘Where’s a Scrawler when you need one…’

If one of those things could be tamed, it would honestly make a pretty good mount, if it weren’t so… vile.

Ash wasn’t much for aesthetics, but even he couldn’t ignore the sheer revulsion of riding something so grotesque.

Claude stopped short.

Ash halted beside him.

Clenching his fist, Claude bellowed:

“The hell?!”

In the corner of Ash’s vision, Éloi’s health gauge flashed red. It had been nearly full moments ago. Now, barely a quarter remained.

‘[Focus]’

Ash bolted forward, leaving Claude behind without a word.

***

Wincing, Éloi sank to one knee, tears streaming down his cheeks beneath his glasses as he cast [Mend] on himself whenever the skill came off cooldown.

Between ragged breaths, Éloi rasped:

“He said… it grows back… right, Sandy?”

“This is not the time for jokes!”

‘We literally witnessed that!’

Sandra planted herself in front of Éloi, shielding him from their assailant. Nora stepped in beside her and cast [Vortex].

Hoisting her axe behind the cover of her shield, Sandra yelled at the horned man before her:

“Why are you doing this?!”

The man with purple skin, black horns, dark hair, and violet eyes chuckled as he adjusted his black cloak.

“Ha! Did you just ask why I’m attacking you? Have we not all been called to this glorious crucible of carnage for the same purpose?”

Sandra growled.

“Are you mad?! You’re going to kill us because you’ve been told to? This is not a game! Lives are at stake!”

Éloi suddenly coughed out a dry laugh and staggered to his feet, his severed left arm clutched in his right hand.

Sandra snapped her gaze toward him.

“Stay down, idiot!”

But he didn’t listen. Instead, he pointed his own dismembered arm at the man and weakly croaked:

“I know… you. Clear Grave… you’re Epitome’s… psycho twin.”

Clear abruptly halted several paces away, the scythe still twirling idly in his hand. A wide, twitching smile crept across his face.

“Ha. What does knowing me change?”

Sandra’s eyes widened.

‘His… brother?’

Éloi cast [Mend] again, then said:

“Epitome… Ash… is our Champion.”

Clear’s smile vanished. The scythe stilled before he caught it by the pole and drove the pommel into the dirt.

“Is provoking me… really the right thing to do? I don’t enjoy inflicting pain or killing, but perhaps your death will be slow, insect.”

Sandra tightened her grip on her axe, [Order], and her shield, [Scarab Carapace].

“H-he’s telling the truth! A-Ash really is our Champion!”

Clear shifted his weight onto the scythe and leaned against its shaft.

“Hmm… prove it.”

Sandra’s heart hammered.

‘H-how do we—?’

Nora finally broke her silence:

“You of all people should know such proof is impossible when it comes to him. He reveals no more about himself than what one can tell with a glance.”

Clear sighed.

“You see, we were separated quite young, so I thought perhaps he had changed… especially after taking the gaming route and all. But, it appears, he hasn’t.”

‘Wait—’

Sandra screeched:

“Does that mean you believe us?!”

Clear pushed off his scythe and whirled it around his body.

“Not really, but… I might as well. It’s more fun that way. Because, you see… that means I might just be able to meet my brother again!”

Clear kicked off the ground and charged straight through Nora’s droplet maelstrom.

He closed the distance so quickly that Sandra barely managed to raise her shield before the scythe struck. Its tip punched deep into the golden face, stopping inches from her arm.

Sandra cried out as she braced herself and thrust him away.

“Why are you still attacking us?!”

Clear skidded backward but refused to release the scythe, tearing its tip free as he laughed.

“Because my brother’s the one person in the world I’d truly enjoy fighting! You’ve got me pumped! I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he shows up only to find your corpses.”

‘He is a fucking psycho!’

Clear sprang into the air, twisting as he brought the scythe down toward Nora. Sandra lunged across the gap to intercept it.

The blade bit into her shield again, this time cleaving deep enough to stop against the scales covering her wrist.

Sandra shouted back:

“Do you not know your own brother…?! Why would he care if we’re killed?!”

Clear laughed as he bore down on Sandra’s shield, forcing her arm lower.

“You think he wouldn’t care? No, he would. He would be in utter shambles!”

‘Who the hell is he talking about?!’

It certainly wasn’t the Ash she knew…

Sandra tried to retort, but no sound left her throat.

‘Gergh!’

Nora swept her sword toward Clear’s exposed side, trying to drive him away. He bounded out of reach without releasing his scythe, pulling Sandra along by the weapon still buried in her shield. Each sharp movement dragged the curved blade farther through the golden surface.

Bit by bit… he was splitting the shield in half.

The scythe’s tip ground across its face toward the inner edge, carving through the gold and scraping against the scales protecting Sandra’s forearm. However, thanks to [Scale Armor] and [Thick Skin], it didn’t pierce.

Grimacing, Sandra shouted:

“Éloi, what’s his Level?!”

Éloi gasped out the answer between ragged breaths:

“Eight…”

‘Eight?! How did he get to level eight?!’

Nora slashed horizontally at Clear’s waist.

Clear simply laughed as he vaulted over the blade, planted one foot on Nora’s shoulder, and used her as a springboard. He flipped over Sandra, rending his scythe from her shield as he passed above her.

[[Scarab Carapace] has been destroyed!]

Clear landed directly in front of Éloi with his scythe already arching downward.

Sandra pivoted into a full spin.

There was no time to think.

‘[Rampage].’