"Deathberry?" Perist's lips trembled as she struggled to grasp the situation. "What is going—"
Seren shoved Perist aside and dropped to the floor beside her. Something brushed past the spot where Perist had just stood.
Is it a bundle of threads? Until now, the threads they had seen shimmered silver, but this one looked dull and dark.
What would happen if it touched them? Seren had no intention of finding out.
"B-black threads..." Perist whispered, fear tightening her voice.
"What is that?" Seren asked sharply.
"They're threads coated in corrosive acid... extremely dangerous. I sealed them away to avoid using them in combat..."
If the threads were coated with a corrosive liquid, it would be nearly impossible to counter them with blades. Of course, it would be possible for Seren to fend them off a few times with her rapier, but after that?
Weapons exposed to the corrosive solution would quickly rust and shatter. If she lost her rapier, she would have no way to deal with them.
"Apart from the black threads, are there any others?" Seren asked.
Perist hesitated, unable to find words.
"Perist!" Seren's voice sharpened as she stared at the frightened woman. "Are there any other threads?"
"Y-yes..."
Seren bit her lip, wanting to ask more but knowing they did not have time.
Her gaze shifted to Deathberry. It stood frozen like a statue, one hand stretched out.
Seren didn't know what it was thinking nor did she want to know.
Charon approached quietly, his voice low. "Why did you save her?"
He kept a wary eye fixed on Deathberry.
"I don't know," Seren replied, though Perist's earlier words echoed sharply in her mind.
"Seren. My first friend."
A dull headache throbbed in her skull. Could something so insignificant shake her this deeply? Without hesitation, Seren slapped Perist across the face.
" Ugh! "
"Snap out of it."
Perist's eyes refocused slightly.
"Get out of here. Hide somewhere in this building. If you can move, head to Building 12 where the dean is. Just get away," Seren ordered.
"W-why?" Her question held many unspoken meanings.
Seren only offered a final warning. "Go quickly. Don't pull that sword out of your shoulder. You'll bleed out."
Perist scrambled to her feet, panic still etched on her face, and fled.
Even then, Deathberry, or the Blood Moon Demon King, remained still. It no longer felt like a lifeless doll, yet it showed no sign of true life. It lacked even the faintest spark of vitality, like a withering leaf ready to crumble.
Facing such a foe, Seren and Charon shared the same silent thought: There's no answer here.
"How many more times can you use that ice storm?" Charon asked.
"One time."
Charon nodded.
"And you? You look like you're barely holding on," Seren observed.
Charon smiled bitterly. "I used the Explosion Blessing. It caused an internal blast to boost my speed briefly. But as you can see, it tore my body apart. The pain is bad, but broken bones limit my movement more."
"I see."
Even in perfect shape, they would face certain defeat. The fact they were still standing bordered on miraculous. It was like facing a monster armed with only a paper knife, but neither was willing to give up. That alone offered a small comfort.
Deathberry stood motionless
Are we being treated like caught fish? Dammit, there has to be a limit to how much someone can look down on someone. That was as far as their thoughts reached before Charon and Seren realized simultaneously that silver threads had formed a web around them. Threads? How long have the threads been here? I can't believe I didn't notice this before.
The helplessness made them laugh bitterly. They had become the very fish trapped in the net, blind to the snare.
The demon king stepped forward. Deathberry advanced toward them, but neither could move.
Seren believed that she was the only one who could change the situation. Yet, what good would another ice storm do now?
If the frost can't cut through those threads— Ah. Seren realized how limited her options were.
Receiving the blessing of a forgotten god, Frost, during the Badnikers' training camp had been helpful, but she could not wield its full power yet.
I want to spend ten years in seclusion training. At this rate, she was going to die. With a desperate resolve, she prepared to unleash the ice storm.
Suddenly, the floor exploded.
Dammit, is there anything left to pop out? Seren's half-exhausted eyes filled with despair.
But should she say she was glad? This time, no enemy emerged.
"Brother Luan!" Charon cried with delight.
Seren looked at Charon and wondered, He can actually still smile and speak like that?
Perhaps she looked the same.
"Am I late?"
This cheeky voice had never sounded more welcome.
Luan stepped out of the dust, and a smile curved across Deathberry's face.
***
I started scanning the area the moment I arrived. The situation looked grim. It felt far worse than anything I had seen in the unknown space.
Evan lay slumped against the wall, apparently unconscious. Charon and Seren stood nearby, but they looked on the edge of collapse.
The blood-red moon—the source of this chaos—had a human face etched onto it. Deathberry wore the same expression as the face on the moon.
Which was the main body?
As expected, it was the moon. That unsettling smile sent a chill down my spine.
I clicked my tongue at the demon king's wide grin. "Do you really have to smile like that?"
Deathberry waved its hands, and I saw the threads wrapped around Seren and Charon tighten. If left alone, those threads would slice them apart like cube steak.
That could not happen. I reached out and grabbed the silver thread. Despite surrounding my palms with internal energy, the thin strands bit sharply into my palms.
I miss my calluses. If I were still in the same condition as on Spirit Mountain, I could have gripped those threads barehanded. No matter how hard I tried, I could never fully replace the strength of my trained body. That was why harmony between my body and internal energy was vital.
I swallowed down regrets and ignored the sting of the threads cutting into my skin. In any case, the threads came directly from Deathberry's body. I yanked hard, pulling the fragile doll toward me.
I clenched my fist and struck Deathberry's face.
Better than expected. The impact felt solid.
The doll's skin peeled off in fragments, sticking to my fist. The headless Deathberry smashed through the window and flew outside.
The outcome felt painfully anticlimactic.
At that moment, I looked around in surprise. The usual mocking voice that always interrupted moments like this was silent.
"Evan?"
"He's lying like a dried fish over there," Seren said, pointing to where Evan lay slumped against the wall. He seemed unharmed but unconscious.
Charon asked, "Did you take it down?"
"I felt like I did. Just..." I trailed off.
A torn-up doll, likely knocked down by Seren, Charon, or Evan, twitched and started to rise. Its arm had been ripped off, and cotton spilled from its abdomen. Yet the moment it stood, something strange happened. Blood surged across the doll's entire body, and its appearance quickly changed.
The ordinary plush toy transformed into Deathberry in less than a second.
Deathberry's irritating smile reappeared.
I launched another attack. White Sun Style's 2nd Move, Fire Wheel
The Fire Wheel exploded against Deathberry, striking perfectly. Flames erupted from its torso, soon engulfing its entire body like drywood set ablaze.
However, even at a glance, there had to be at least hundreds of dolls in this room. One by one, they started to rise and, of course, they all transformed into Deathberry.
II started counting the Deathberry copies on my fingers. "One, two, three, four, five."
Then I stopped. There were so many that there was no point in counting. Before I knew it, we were surrounded.
Seren sighed and muttered, "I hate this kind of enemy the most."
I knew this wasn't the right time, but curiosity got the better of me. "What kind of enemy is this?"
"Ones that multiply and regenerate. They're annoying and show no effort or emotion."
"Is that so?"
Seren muttered to herself as if losing her mind.
I tried to ask what kind of enemy she preferred, but she had no time to answer. A group of Deathberry copies closed in on us.
At that moment, I deliberately stepped forward three paces and dove straight into their midst. I placed myself in the most dangerous spot on the battlefield. The more pressure I drew, the less Charon and Seren had to handle.
That's how it had to be. The one in the best shape should face the most enemies.
Dozens of Deathberry copies charged at me. They didn't rely on threads or powers—just brute force and straightforward attacks. That made them less threatening but even more dangerous. Any complacency here would be fatal.
I concentrated my power into my eyes and awakened the divine beast's strength. I looked around and figured that I should name this technique—a simultaneous use of the Eyes of Fire and the Serpent Eyes.
Then I noticed every Deathberry copy charging at me had a thread attached to its back.
So someone is controlling them... Hah. I traced the threads with my eyes, and they led me to something absurd. It was the moon. The threads stretched down from the moon, attaching themselves to the dolls, controlling them like marionettes.
Damn. So I really do have to destroy the moon?
At that moment, a Deathberry copy sank its teeth into my forearm. I met its ugly eyes, and the doll smiled again.
And that wasn't all.
"Ah—" A voice echoed inside my mind. It was not natural. It felt like a finger had slipped through my ear and was probing my brain. The sensation was far too unpleasant to be called telepathy.
I scowled in disgust.
"The owner... of incredibly sweet... countless souls. You... belong to me. But... why?" Deathberry tilted its head. "Why... didn't you return?
"What?"
"I was hoping... you would use it... this time—"
I smashed its face with my other hand, cutting off the voice. Still, the words lingered in my mind.
What did it mean? Countless souls? The questions piled up fast, but I had no time to unravel the demon king's vague riddles right now.
As I continued mechanically cutting down Deathberry copies, I focused on what I could understand.
Why didn't I return? The moment I heard those words, the Spirit Mountain's Blessing and my regression flashed through my mind. As expected, the demon kings can sense my regressions.
From my talk with Legion Commander Khajitta, I knew that Black Swamp Demon King Ahop retained memories of our encounter, even though it happened in a timeline that no longer existed. In other words, demon king-level beings could perceive my regression.
Did he mean the Spirit Mountain's Blessing? Does he want me to use it up?
That didn't add up. If he knew I could regress, wouldn't he want to stop me? Letting me reset time would only complicate things for him.
Could my regression benefit Hadenaihar? I don't think this is the case—
Immediately after having this thought, I froze, struck by a wild idea.
The Spirit Mountain's Blessing was a mysterious power. Even I, its owner, couldn't claim to fully understand its true nature. A demon king-level being likely knew more about it than I did.
He hoped I'd use it... In other words, he wants me to exhaust the power. If I could use the blessing endlessly, he wouldn't have said that. So the blessing must have a limit.
With that, everything I didn't understand snapped into place. The Blood Moon Demon King's erratic shifts between showing me the past and present finally made sense.
I burst out laughing. Hadenaihar, you bastard. You are trying to waste my regression.