"Don't you know who I am? I thought my debut was quite ostentatious. I seem like a denizen from another realm."
"She's a villain!"
Isabella asserts.
"You're no help. Run away quickly!"
Was it because I couldn't grasp the meaning of "It's no use" in that moment?
Or was it because I didn't want to leave Isabella behind while I fled?
I remained motionless, my feet planted firmly on the ground.
"Kim Sang-hyuk!"
"I've even feasted on expensive meat, so I can't just abandon the situation."
"Haha, aren't you scared of me?"
"Ugh!"
Where did she go?
Just when I thought I had lost my target, I saw Isabella abruptly transform and collide with her opponent.
My body is lifted into the air by the force of the impact.
And then…
Just before my feet touched the ground again, Xenovia reappeared behind me.
*Whoosh!*
"Urk!"
Blood gushes out. At first, I couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
A black, rigid arm, reminiscent of a demon, had emerged from my chest.
It had cleanly pierced through me from behind.
"Haha."
The dark-skinned woman twisted her lips into a forced smile, as if she were watching the dullest movie in the world.
"If you're going to introduce me, do it properly. I'm not just some ordinary villain, Isabella."
"Kim Sang-hyuk!"
*Swish.*
My arm was yanked out with immense force. I didn't even feel any pain. It was all thanks to my brain recognizing the catastrophic crisis and releasing adrenaline to its limit. Strength drained from my limbs, and I collapsed to the ground.
"But Isabella, she's your disciple, right? She's quite weak."
Isabella confronted the dark-skinned woman once more. In my current state, I could barely comprehend that a battle beyond the speed of sound was unfolding before me. The ground trembled beneath their feet.
"Are you desperate to push me away? Can you do it? A full-body masterpiece like that can't be used with such a low level of magical strength."
*Bam!!*
Isabella was sent hurtling across the floor, rolling roughly along the ground.
"Didn't I teach you?"
"...Ugh...*cough*…!!"
'So powerful…'
Isabella can't even stand a chance against her. Even though her transformation was incomplete, the process took less than a second. The dark-skinned woman, who managed to strike at Isabella's vitals in that fleeting moment, ruthlessly stomped on my head, which was immobilized due to the penetration through my body.
"Don't feel wronged. It was your heroes who started it all."
"Ugh…ack…"
"It's a wonder you didn't die instantly. Your entire heart was ripped out, along with your ribs."
"Cough…gasp…"
What is this?
I can barely move.
A pool of blood grows darker on the floor.
This feels unreal. Who would have thought that after sharing a meal with a beautiful heroine, I'd end up like this?
Enn… help me…
My voice won't come out anymore.
"Kim Sang-hyuk… Kim Sang-hyuk! Snap out of it!"
Isabella cried out and collapsed on the ground. It seemed like a desperate howl.
"Don't die! Pull yourself together! I'll find a way to save you!"
"What can crybaby Isabella do?"
Thwack! Thud!
What followed was a one-sided onslaught.
An S-class hero, utterly powerless.
The black-clad woman was that formidable.
"Isabella. Have you forgotten? I am your misfortune."
"Kim Sang-hyuk is not my concern! He's not my disciple! Let him receive treatment, please!"
"Hmm? Judging by your tearful expression, I'd say otherwise."
"…Xenovia!"
With a metallic clank.
A mask settles on Isabella's face. Similarly, Xenovia dons a mask—the final component of her transformation suit—and emits a menacing black glow from her eyes. As the ensuing battle unfolds, my body feels battered and bruised, as if absorbing the very vibrations of the ground beneath me.
I'm dying… It's already a fatal wound, and my consciousness is fading.
"When I sought you, you were hidden from sight, but after five years of concealment, you finally emerged!"
"Well, you piqued my curiosity. I couldn't help but come and see what could make you, who always pursued me with such a stern expression, laugh so joyfully."
"Hmph!"
The disparity in strength is evident. Xenovia stands her ground, not yielding an inch to Isabella, who strains to push her back. She is undeniably powerful—almost too much so!
"Kim Sang-hyuk! Snap out of it! Ugh… Kuh…!"
"Your breathing is all over the place. Are you alright?"
"Shut up!"
"Does the sight of your disciple, lost in the throes of death, bother you so much? Shall I put an end to him?"
As Xenovia attempts to crush my head with her supersonic strength, Isabella hurls herself over me, shielding my body from harm.
**Crack!**
"Ugh!!"
"If you don't move, your spine will shatter, you know?"
"Stop… please… He's different from you."
"What's so different? I'm not even curious."
Merciless trampling rains down on Isabella's back.
She had never felt such rage before.
"Now the suit will break? Will you die instead?"
Despite being trampled on her back and vomiting blood, Isabella refused to budge.
"One~~, two~~."
In the briefest moment of respite she could muster, Isabella left her final words.
"Thank you for calling me a great hero. Kim Sang-hyuk."
[Mother Erin hastily checks the situation while taking care of her child.]
[Saintess Erin's healing!]
Huh? The wounds have healed.
Completely recovered, I held Isabella and rolled to the side.
Tumble, tumble.
"?"
Xenovia stared at me, unable to comprehend the situation for a moment.
"How did you heal?"
I tightly embraced Isabella.
She was gravely injured, taking the blow meant for me.
Can't this be healed?
"Saintess. Please heal my wife too!!"
[Erin ponders for a moment]
"Please!"
[She agrees to help with the silver-haired heroine's request.]
Ah, relief!
Isabella, who had been struggling to breathe, now wore a relaxed expression.
Thank you for coming, even though it's the perfect time to care for the baby. Holy Lady.
'…'
Perhaps wary of my unidentified healing power, Xenovia does not approach me.
'A desperate situation.'
[Activation of the "Undying Rule" ability]
For the first time, one of my abilities was activated.
The sound of chains slithered.
Accompanied by the sound of chains moving, a mysterious beauty appears beside me.
Xenovia, startled, backs away. It's her first reaction of this kind.
Suddenly, she was there. What is this?
[The Death Collector appears due to the contract of immortality.]
Death… Collector…?
A woman called the 'Death Collector,' with an embarrassingly revealing outfit and a blindfold,
stands with her light purple hair cascading down her back.
Though she calls it a "blindfold," it resembles goggles from the sci-fi genre, made of a hard material akin to an insect's carapace.
The garment was akin to high-cut legwear, leaving her buttocks and legs almost entirely exposed.
What is this?
Suddenly, the atmosphere turns suggestive!
"What kind of power is this?"
It seemed that Xenovia quickly recognized that this was some sort of 'power.'
"Healing abilities rival immortality. The power to summon humanoid minions. Both are traits that an SS-class hunter should possess."
"If you were curious about me, why didn't you just say so?"
I am the one carrying a god on my back. And I am rightfully infuriated.
[The Deathtaker awaits your command.]
I had an intuition.
This is a deceitful ability.
If it weren't for Isabella's older sister, I would have simply ordered her execution.
Nevertheless, since they are family, I believe there must be a backstory.
For instance, the preceding quest I had skipped.
Isabella's family history.
It feels somewhat wrong to just kill her.
'In fact, considering her actions, it would be wasteful to simply end her life.'
I desire a punishment more severe than death.
This is the first time I've surrendered to such a feeling.
"Increase the output by about 30%."
"First and foremost, discipline Isabella three times as much as she was injured!"
Immediately after I issued my command,
The Death Collector's kick struck Xenovia's abdomen like lightning, sending her tumbling across the floor like a ball.
"Ugh!"
Incredible…!!
[Sufficient retribution cannot be achieved through this instruction.]
[Additional retribution requested]
Xenovia already appeared to be incapacitated, lying there, trembling and vomiting blood.
"What? This is absurd."
[Stress index conversion: 999 deaths demanded]
"Wait a moment! You're planning to kill a thousand people? That's not acceptable."
Wasn't that a crazy ability?
I grabbed the collectors and stopped them.
"Hold on! Collector-chan!"
I caught and calmed down Collector-chan, who seemed on the verge of committing mass murder.
"Isn't there another way?"
In the brief moment when I considered other options,
Xenovia reappeared behind me!
As if she wasn't a despicable villain already, this was like a surprise attack, season 2!
Honestly, I was taken aback. I hadn't expected the injured woman to move so swiftly.
"Even if the minion is powerful, if I can kill the main body!"
[The Reaper Takes the Damage Instead]
[Stress Index Conversion]
[Update]
[2,383 deaths demanded]
"…"
There were no injuries to my body. Xenovia's arm slipped out as though I were a ghost.
What's going on? Am I invulnerable?
"What…?!"
The 『Immortal Discipline』…
'I never realized it was such an incredible power!'
Alright, let's do this!
"Don't kill me; just beat me enough to make me wish I were dead!"
Jingsu-chan moved like a bolt of lightning.
*