Extra in a Romance Fantasy

181 – The Cult Leader (1)

Bang!

A tremendous sound echoed.

In a space where explosions and magic were incessantly pouring forth, it was not a particularly remarkable sound.

Bang! Boom!

—

If that tremendous sound erupted repeatedly in an instant, the situation would be somewhat different.

Simply the sound itself would draw attention, and considering the accompanying shockwaves, one could not help but direct their gaze toward the source of that thunderous noise.

Bang!

Once again, the deafening sound reverberated, shaking the surroundings.

The mere aftermath caused the nearby beasts to stagger, and the ground trembled.

This extraordinary phenomenon was occurring due to just two men.

The first of the Ten Blades, Tugi Ethan Bertrand, and the leader of the ‘Order,’ the ‘High Priest.’

At this moment, in this place, their battle was undoubtedly the most conspicuous fight.

An ordinary person… no, even a seasoned martial artist could not possibly follow the speed at which the two clashed without pause.

In the midst of that intensely fierce battle,

one of the participants, Ethan, quietly furrowed his brow.

The cause was his opponent, the High Priest, or more precisely, the High Priest’s fighting style.

The High Priest was facing Ethan barehanded, without even wielding a weapon.

This was not the first time Ethan had fought against a martial artist who did not use weapons.

Ethan had spent a considerable amount of time as a martial artist, and most of his life had been marked by combat.

He would challenge those he deemed strong, and when he encountered someone intriguing, he would instigate a fight.

He did not shy away from challenges, and if he felt like fighting, he would do so regardless of the circumstances.

A man obsessed with battle.

That was Tugi.

That was Ethan.

Having lived such a life, Ethan had met countless martial artists and had tested his skills against them.

Among them were quite a few fighters, some of whom possessed skills that could chill even Ethan’s bones.

However, he had never encountered an opponent like this.

An opponent who could block and deflect his attacks with bare hands, without even wearing gauntlets or gloves.

‘What kind of body is that?’

Even among fighters, very few truly engage in combat with bare hands.

Most fighters wear at least some form of protection, like gauntlets.

Otherwise, they would be unable to contend with weapons.

Of course, there are those who do not wear gauntlets at all.

However, such individuals avoid directly clashing with their opponent’s weapons.

—

It was impossible not to know that confronting weapons with bare hands and a bare body would leave no trace of oneself.

Yet, the figure before him was deflecting Ethan’s attacks with bare hands.

This was an experience and a sight that even Ethan, a warrior of countless battles, had never encountered before.

Typically, a seasoned warrior could deflect a sword with bare hands, if they had enhanced their skin and physical durability with magical power.

And if they reached a level where they could manipulate intent, they could even block a sword imbued with magic using just their body, depending on the situation.

However.

Deflecting a sword from a warrior of the tenth rank with bare hands was an entirely different matter.

A sword wielded by a warrior who had reached the realm of intent possessed the power to literally split mountains and part seas.

Blocking that with bare hands was impossible.

…No, it should have been impossible. By common understanding, at least.

Yet, the way the figure casually brushed aside Ethan’s sword thoroughly denied such common sense.

It was a bizarre and extraordinary sight that even Ethan couldn’t help but furrow his brow at.

He was certain that, if he searched the entire continent, there would be no one capable of this other than the monster before him.

However, that was not the issue.

Whether the opponent blocked his sword with hands or feet, it was merely a curious spectacle.

Separately from that, Ethan was deeply unsettled by this fight.

‘This guy is just toying with me.’

He could clearly sense that the figure was not exerting their full strength.

The figure approached the fight with a smile plastered on their face the entire time.

It wasn’t just a matter of expression.

Ethan felt it.

The unwavering composure that lay behind that smile.

The figure was engaging him as if they were merely playing, without even properly drawing out their full power.

That fact unsettled Ethan greatly.

“How long are you going to keep playing around?”

He shot the question at the figure.

“Hmm?”

At Ethan’s sudden inquiry, the figure momentarily wore a puzzled expression before breaking into a smile.

“Have I been found out? My, you’re quite perceptive.”

—

With an awkward smile, the master shook his head a few times.

“However, I want to say that this is for you, Tugi.”

He added in a gentle tone.

“If I were to give it my all, the match would end too easily. Wouldn’t that be rather empty?”

“…Ha.”

Upon hearing those words, Ethan let out a hollow laugh.

The master’s words had certainly scratched at his pride.

Just then, Ethan’s expression twisted in frustration as he was about to speak.

“But we can’t keep playing around like this forever.”

The master’s smile faded.

“If I do nothing, your party will be annihilated, and while it might be amusing to watch that struggle unfold…”

The master’s gaze shifted.

Toward Wade, who stood with his eyes closed.

“There’s no need to take unnecessary risks.”

And as soon as the master’s words ended—

Kuwung—

The atmosphere around them changed.

“……”

Ethan’s expression, which had been contorted with displeasure as he glared at the master, transformed in an instant.

He immediately recognized that the atmosphere, the momentum, was unusual.

No, it wasn’t just the atmosphere.

Suu—

A force began to emanate from the master’s body.

A tangible energy that could be seen.

It was a strange and unsettling energy that sent chills down his spine just by looking at it.

“Then, shall we bring this to an end?”

The master declared, and in the next moment, he vanished from that spot.

The master reappeared right in front of Ethan.

“……!”

Ethan was greatly surprised by the sight before him for the first time in a long while.

It was the speed of the master that transcended his senses.

An attack executed at a pace that far exceeded Ethan’s expectations, akin to a sudden, unforeseen strike.

Under normal circumstances, it would not have been strange to be rendered powerless, yet Ethan’s superhuman reflexes and innate sense compelled his body to move immediately, and he blocked the master’s outstretched fist with the blade of his sword.

Boom!

Once again, a tremendous sound echoed.

However, this was qualitatively different from the previous roars.

Moreover, the shock was incomparable to anything before.

“…!”

Ethan, having deflected the master’s fist with the blade, was sent flying backward by the impact.

Even in that moment of flight, he regained his balance in an instant, but his expression was far from bright.

It was because he felt with his body that the master’s fist, that power, was no ordinary force.

“Hooh. I didn’t expect you to block that.”

A voice filled with admiration came from the master, directed at Ethan.

“Indeed, it seems the title of the Ten Blades’ Best is not just empty praise.”

It was not a mocking remark.

The master was genuinely impressed by Ethan’s abilities.

And that fact only further irked Ethan.

It was an admiration that proved the master’s composure.

“Alright. Then let’s see if you can block this as well.”

Once again, the master moved.

With a speed that transcended perception once more, the master charged toward Ethan.

In fact, that speed was noticeably faster than before.

It was so swift that it almost created the illusion of moving through space.

Even a martial artist who had reached the early stages of mastery.

No, even a martial artist who had attained the realm of thought should have been unable to react to such a speed, which could only be described as supernatural.

Yet.

‘I can see it.’

Though the speed had increased compared to before, Ethan could see the movement.

No, to be precise, it wasn’t that he could truly see it.

To be precise, he had predicted it.

Through superhuman senses, through innate talent.

The movements of the master, which he could not even follow with his own eyes, the position the master would reach, the actions he would take from there.

Ethan was envisioning it in his mind.

It was a feat possible only for Ethan, a divine skill.

Swish—

Ethan swung his sword.

Towards the empty air.

The sword, as it swung, appeared ordinary at first glance, but it was anything but.

A faint energy shimmered around the blade.

An energy capable of cutting through all things, if he so wished, the sword’s might.

Though faint, it was undeniably the sword’s might.

And then, as if it had been affixed there, the master appeared along the trajectory of the swinging sword.

Seeing that sight, Ethan was certain.

“I can cut him down.”

This time, he could truly cut down the master.

────.

Ethan’s senses accelerated.

In response, everything around him slowed down.

A fleeting realm that even the rarest of martial artists who have reached the level of the superhuman can attain.

Ethan’s concentration, raised to its utmost limit, temporarily led him into that realm.

Slowly, he could see the master’s eyes widening.

The master, seemingly unable to anticipate that Ethan would retaliate in this manner, stared at Ethan’s sword with wide eyes.

However, the master was not merely surprised.

While greatly astonished, he began to move his body as if to respond to Ethan’s sword.

That speed was undoubtedly overwhelming Ethan.

But.

“It’s useless.”

Ethan’s sword moved without giving the master even a moment to react, already piercing toward his body.

Even the master’s reaction was something Ethan had predicted.

No matter how much the cult leader outpaced Ethan in speed, it was an unavoidable strike.

Thus, the cult leader could not react to Ethan’s sword.

Swish!

At last, Ethan’s sword cleaved through the cult leader’s body.

“……!”

“Lord Tugi…!”

The companions, who had been watching the fight from the sidelines, erupted in cheers at the sight.

A flush of excitement rose on their faces.

They all knew well that the most dangerous enemy in this place was the cult leader.

“……?”

However, they soon felt something was off.

Ethan’s face, the one who had accomplished this feat, was weighed down with an unsettling gravity.

Yet, they did not voice their doubts.

Or rather, to be more precise, there was no need to.

They would soon come to understand the reason.

“Impressive.”

The cult leader, whose body had been severed in two, was somehow still speaking coherently.

It goes without saying, but when a person is cut in half, they die.

Yet, the scene before their eyes defied that simple truth.

“Even if I was caught off guard, that was quite a blow.”

With a voice that showed no sign of wavering despite his body being severed, the cult leader continued.

“But now, you can relax.”

As soon as the cult leader’s words ended—

Swoosh—

The body of the cult leader, split in two, crumbled like clay.

Before the companions could even register their surprise at the sight, the clay that had been the cult leader’s body quickly reshaped itself.

Back to the intact form it had before being split.

However, to be precise, it was not entirely the same.

There was a distinct difference that was evident even without close inspection.

First, the skin color.

The color of the cult leader’s skin, which was originally nothing special, had somehow turned pitch black.

Next were the eyes.

The whites and the pupils that once occupied the center were nowhere to be found; only a deep red filled the eyes completely.

Finally, there were the horns that had sprouted from the head.

Horns that could never grow on a human head, reminiscent of a monstrous being, had taken their place atop that head.

With this completely transformed appearance, the cult leader smiled and said,

“I will truly give it my all now.”