Chapter 196
"Hold it, you bastard!"
"Kikii! You're so persistent!"
Sei pursued Shentu by leaping from branch to branch. Shentu was small and nimble, allowing him to make sharp turns as he tried to shake Sei off. However, Sei had the advantage in sheer speed due to his larger build, so Shentu could not lose him.
"I haven't practiced much, but I'll nail this guy!"
It seemed like a pointless game of tag, but Sei decided to make his move. He pulled some carefully rounded pebbles and a sling from the pouch at his waist.
The sling was a weapon for 【Throwing Arts】. As such, it received bonuses from the Skill and could use its associated martial techniques. Players had assumed from the word 'Throwing' that 【Throwing Arts】 could only be used barehanded, but they had recently discovered that this was not actually the case.
The reason nobody had known this until now was that 【Throwing Arts】 was an overwhelmingly unpopular Skill. As a ranged attack, a bow was superior in both accuracy and power. Throwing had the financial advantage of letting players use pebbles found practically anywhere, but its inferior efficiency meant that they earned less over the same amount of time. In the end, using a bow was still more profitable, so even its sole advantage was negated.
This was common knowledge among players, and hardly anyone chose 【Throwing Arts】 unless they had some special reason or peculiar attachment to it. However, there were always people with strange obsessions in the world, and for some reason, one player had appeared who sought to master 【Throwing Arts】.
That player had recently discovered that a sling could be used with the Skill and spread the information on the forums. Since a sling took up less space than a bow and could even be used barehanded in a pinch, 【Throwing Arts】 finally came into its own. It had now become a reasonably common secondary weapon for front-line Jobs.
Sei had been checking the information and learned 【Throwing Arts】 to follow the trend. In his case, he had Shiitake as an ally, and he was convinced that the throwing items she prepared could turn it into a vicious means of attack.
And, of course, the sling he used had been made by Iris. It was made using thread spun from the fur of monsters defeated in the 'Black Death Ice Forest,' granting it effects that increased the projectile's speed and water-attribute damage when thrown.
Even with his Skill level still low, he should at least be able to hit his target. Thinking this, Sei placed a pebble in the wide part of the sling and began spinning it. When he judged that he had built up enough centrifugal force, he used a martial technique and released the pebble.
"Take this! Quick Throw!"
"Ugeh!?"
The pebble Sei threw struck Shentu squarely in the torso. The unexpected attack hit him while he was in midair, throwing him off balance. He managed to grab a branch instead of falling to the ground, but ended up hanging from it with one hand.
Shentu immediately tried to climb onto the branch and escape, but Sei was not about to let such a huge opening go to waste. As Shentu climbed onto the branch he had been hanging from, Sei was already raising his newly purchased club high overhead and charging at him.
"Hah!"
"Gyaaaah!?"
The club Sei had purchased was a long, slender metal-crushing club covered in countless small, stud-like bumps. Cloth had been wrapped around its middle to serve as a grip, making it clear that the weapon was meant to be used as a bludgeon at either end.
Shentu crossed his arms to block Sei's metal-crushing club, but the full-force blow had clearly done considerable damage. Shentu screamed as a dull thud rang out, and the marker floating above his head lit up with the icon for a destroyed body part. Shentu grimaced in pain, while Sei flashed a savage grin at the satisfying impact.
"Kikii... How dare you..."
"Heh! Your little escape act ends here! We'll kill you ourselves!"
Sei met Shentu's hateful glare head-on and delivered his declaration with gusto. He did not have the 【Appraisal】 Skill, so he did not know his opponent's level or Race. Consequently, he could not accurately judge Shentu's strength.
However, he knew that a full-strength attack, even without a martial technique, could break Shentu's arm. If he kept hitting him with the club, he was certain he would win.
"...Kill me? You? A mere monster? Me, Shentu-sama?"
Shentu had been rubbing his arm, but he stopped when he heard Sei say 'kill.' He began trembling, then twisted his face in fury.
"Don't get cocky! How could someone like you defeat Shentu-sama, who has even risen to the Shuen Race?!"
"Eek!?"
Sei's attitude had apparently touched the prideful Shentu's sore spot. He shouted with a terrifying expression, and then, of all things, a tongue shot out from his mouth.
A thick, sharp venomous stinger was attached to the tip of the tongue as it approached in a winding path. Both whip-like and spear-like, it was Shentu's greatest weapon—and his trump card for killing enemies.
"But you're too slow!"
"Huh!?"
Sei was a little surprised, but that was all. He had seen Jigoro use 【Demonic Tongue】 before, so the initial impact was not that great.
Besides, being forced to spar with Genjuro just the other day had accustomed him to swift thrusts. Thanks to that experience, Sei easily succeeded in dodging the attack.
"Hup!"
"Gyaaah!?"
However, Sei did not stop at merely dodging. He skillfully spun the metal-crushing club around to entangle the tongue, then pulled with all his might, just like hauling in a fish.
Shentu was completely unprepared for this. Dragged toward Sei like a bonito on a line, he was thrown into confusion by the unexpected turn of events. His preference for acting behind the scenes had left him with almost no experience of placing himself in danger, and that lack of experience now worked against him.
"Hmph!"
"Gyaaaaaaaaaah!!?"
Sei pulled Shentu toward him by force, then kicked him under the chin as he came flying in. Since Shentu's tongue was sticking out, he bit through his own tongue.
Kicked away, Shentu managed to avoid falling to the ground by grabbing a branch with the hand at the end of his tail. However, he had taken considerable damage. His loss of health was bad enough, but losing his tongue—the weapon he relied on—was even worse.
"Kik... Kiki! Y-you're pretty good! Why don't you serve this Shentu-sama?"
"Huh?"
Shentu had attacked in a fit of rage after his pride was wounded, but the painful counterattack brought him back to his senses. He was not originally the kind of yokai who fought by relying on physical ability. He realized that he had made the foolish mistake of trading blows with Sei, a warrior.
If things continued like this, he might genuinely be defeated. Thinking that, Shentu covered his mouth and began trying to recruit Sei. To Sei, the act made no sense, but it was so unexpected that he ended up listening. Seeing this, Shentu gave him a sly, unpleasant grin.
"Fool! 'Don't move!'"
"Ugh!?"
Upon hearing Shentu's command, Sei jerked once, then suddenly stopped moving. Controlling others with words like this was Shentu's specialty.
The Shuen Race, his species, was a Chinese yokai whose appearance was said to herald war. Perhaps because of that legend, the Shuen Race possessed the 【Incitement】 Skill.
It was a Skill that stirred NPCs' anxiety and made them aggressive—one that ordinary players would have trouble finding a use for. As an NPC, Shentu had made excellent use of it. He provoked conflicts between yokai, then attacked them after they had been worn down, intending to profit from the chaos.
However, a turning point came for him after all those petty schemes. The thing that brought about that turning point was the item inside the drawstring pouch hanging from his neck.
"Kikikiki! Thanks to this very seed, everything has been going smoothly!"
Shentu lovingly stroked the drawstring pouch with a rapturous expression. Inside was a special item called the 'Peach of Immortality Seed.' It was the seed of a plant called the 'Peach of Immortality,' which grew wild only atop a treacherous mountain in Hua Country and possessed the property of storing magical power.
It could be used like an external battery, but using the magic power stored in the seed to activate martial techniques or magic increased their power. It could also enhance the effects of Skills activated with magic power. That was the important part.
Shentu had originally been an ordinary yokai living deep in the mountains of a remote region of Hua Country. After obtaining the rare 'Peach of Immortality Seed,' however, his 【Incitement】 Skill was enhanced to the point that he could brainwash others.
The 'Peach of Immortality' and the 'Peach of Immortality Seed' were practically legendary treasures to the yokai living in Hua Country. Shentu had obtained a powerful item, but he knew that he himself was not particularly strong. Fearing attacks from those who sought the seed's power, he came to 'Heavenly Spirit Island,' believing no one there would know about the seed.
After that, he ingratiated himself with the Hihi, whose appearance resembled his own, and became a member of their group. He brainwashed the entire group and rose to become its de facto ruler. He then schemed to take control of the entire island, bringing him to the present.
"Tch, I used up some of the seed's power... What an annoying bastard!"
"..."
Shentu repeatedly punched the motionless Sei with his unbroken arm. Brainwashing had sealed Sei's movements, so he could neither resist nor even speak. He could do nothing but take it.
"Phew... That took longer than expected... I need to hurry."
After beating Sei until he was satisfied, Shentu began thinking about what to do next. He had not expected the yokai from the foothills—let alone the oni and tengu—to invade his territory.
However, Shentu reconsidered and decided that this might actually be a perfect opportunity. If a large portion of their forces had gone outside, then the defenses of their nest, 'Heavenly Spirit Capital,' would be weak. In that case, perhaps the force led by the Savage Hihi King could conquer it with ease.
The Hihi remaining in his territory might all be wiped out, but if he could easily seize a sturdy base in exchange, the balance would still be in his favor. That was the conclusion reached by Shentu, who counted the Hihi as nothing more than pawns.
"Kikik... Kikikiki! Luck really is on the side of this Shentu-sama! Maybe I'll even pray to the goddess today!"
"Oh, is that so."
"!?"
Shentu had become intoxicated by the illusion that fate favored him, since even accidents seemed to work to his advantage. Then someone struck him hard on the crown of his head from behind. As he fell from the thick branch, the distorted, upside-down view before his eyes revealed Sei bringing the metal-crushing club down on him.
"Thanks, Tes."
Saying that, Sei gently stroked Tes's head with his fingertip. Tes, his familiar, was responsible for freeing him from the brainwashing. She had evolved from a Phantom Pure Fairy into a Phantom Element. The power she had gained through that evolution was what saved him.
The Phantom Element was a variant of the Light Element. Although it had inferior attack power, its Race ability 【Illusion Manipulation】 allowed it to show others illusions such as mirages and, conversely, dispel illusions. It could do something similar to Izam's 【Dark Arts】, and could even undo their effects.
By bringing the power of 【Illusion Manipulation】 to bear, Tes had succeeded in breaking Sei's brainwashing. The process had taken a little time because the 'Peach of Immortality Seed' had enhanced it.
Shentu, who had not even been aware of Tes's existence, much less her power, was afflicted with the Stun status ailment after receiving the strongest blow to the head he had ever suffered. He could no longer instinctively grab a branch with his hands or tail as he had before, and fell under the pull of gravity.
"Perfect timing, Phil! Finish him off!"
"Awoooooooooooon!!!"
Phil finally caught up just before Shentu slammed into the ground. He had been leaping from tree to tree, taking a route that would have required a detour by land.
Like Tes, Phil had also evolved. He had gone from an Ice Edge Wolf to an Ice Edge Brave Wolf. His evolution added effects to his howl that strengthened his allies and granted resistance to the Fear status ailment. His experiences fighting enemies that inflicted Fear on him time and again in the 'Black Death Ice Forest' seemed to have influenced the form he evolved into.
Phil strengthened himself by howling, then cloaked his blade-like horns in frost and charged, just as befitted his Race. Shentu was afflicted with the Stun status ailment in midair and had no opportunity to dodge. The charge, comparable to Raga's, struck him directly in the abdomen, and the sharp horns pierced through him.
Phil's charge did not end there. He finally came to a stop by driving his horns into a nearby giant tree. The impact of the charge made the tree sway violently as it creaked ominously. It was proof of the tremendous power behind his attack.
"Gurgle... O-ob..."
Pierced by Phil's horns and pinned between his head and the tree, Shentu was somehow still alive. As soon as he recovered from the Stun status ailment, he tried to brainwash Phil.
However, even Shentu had suffered a mortal wound. He was barely breathing, and forming the words of a command was almost too difficult. Yet, strangely, his mind alone was unusually clear, and he found himself questioning everything even as he was cornered.
Why was he in such a situation when fate was supposed to love him? He found it utterly incomprehensible. At the same time, he was filled with the baseless confidence that someone as beloved by fate as himself could escape this situation if only some kind of opportunity presented itself.
"This will finish you! Wheel-Shattering Strike!"
Sei unleashed a powerful technique on Shentu, who could now move only sluggishly. The martial technique spun Sei around like a wheel as he repeatedly battered his enemy, obliterating all of Shentu's remaining health.
He vanished while still holding those questions and that baseless confidence. The mastermind who had thrown Heavenly Spirit Island into turmoil had been defeated just like that.