Chapter 338: Blood and Liquor (2)

Just before the crocodile gentleman lunged at me, he opened his long mouth and shouted, “Tower! Fulfill your promise!”

Behind him, dozens of butlers stood in line.

Crash!

The wine bottles the butlers were holding fell to the ground.

Crash!

Broken glass scattered everywhere. Dyed red by the wine, the shards bloomed like azalea petals.

[The Reddest Sommelier has invoked the vow with the Tower.]

[Requesting holy ground designation.]

[The request has been approved.]

The crocodile gentleman’s power was activated.

[As of now, the Reddest Sommelier owns the area.]

[He shall drink your blood and spit it out. All hail.]

A thick fog enveloped the area. Glass shards glittered and scattered in all directions. Crimson mist lingered where they had passed. A red haze bloomed across the world.

“I’m strong against the weak.” The crocodile bellowed. “And I am even stronger against the strong!”

The crocodile’s staff and my holy sword clashed. I had intended to cut him down in one blow using my aura, but the crocodile seemed unharmed while shrouded in red mist.

“

Hm.

” I furrowed my brow. “You didn’t seem to be a combat-type Constellation.”

“To be honest, you don’t look like one either, young man! You’d make a better butler than a swordsman. How about it? I’m hiring butlers. Want to change jobs?”

“I’ve already promised my soul to the House of Ivansia.”

“That’s a shame! I’ll build you a new house on your grave!”

I moved a little quicker and slashed my sword in three directions. Surprisingly, the crocodile gentleman kept up with me. He adjusted his tie with one hand and blocked my sword with the cane in his other hand. I was honestly surprised.

What? Was he actually skilled enough to attack me? His martial prowess looked so poor.

I wondered if I had misjudged my opponent’s abilities. The snake wrapped around my wrist cried quietly.

[The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye has activated their power of exposure.]

[Revealing your opponent’s power.]

Hishimit Kritz. The Constellation of information, Jormungandr, was now my subordinate and was capable of exposing my enemy’s nature. Words appeared before my eyes, crawling like snakes.

—Skill Name: Malice Parasite On Goodwill

—Owner: The Reddest Sommelier.

—Effect: The power of a vampire who transformed into a crocodile. This simple yet annoying ability allows him to absorb his opponent’s power when they use it. He collects his opponent’s life, extracts their emotions, and exploits their soul. If you feel that you truly connected with him and that you are equals, it’s nothing but a delusion. He’ll merely savor the gaze of your deluded gaze.

—The Reddest Sommelier is just a parasite, the ultimate parasite; no one can stand against his power alone.

I laughed. “So he isn’t skilled in martial arts?”

“

Hm?

Ah, Hishimit Kritz, is it?” The crocodile clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “I see. Not only is he captured, but he’s also giving information to you, young man! You’re supposed to be the greatest serpent! Don’t you feel ashamed? I’ve always respected you. Instead of getting revenge against the man who brought you down, you surrendered to him! How disappointing!”

The snake screeched sharply.

[The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye has assessed this to be a lie.]

[The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye grits their teeth, saying that “I’ve always respected you” is the biggest lie in that statement.]

There was a good reason Constellations found it difficult to cooperate with each other.

“Twins! What are you doing? It’s your turn!” the crocodile shouted.

That difficult cooperation was at least being achieved between these guys.

“Don’t.”

“Order us around.”

Behind him, the twins pressed their lips together. The angles of their heads were identical. As a result, their small noses were also pressed slightly. Without paying any attention to others, the twins slowly parted their lips and gazed into each other’s eyes as they separated.

“Tower.”

“Promise.”

For the first time since they arrived, the twins let go of each other’s hands.

[The Twins of the Eternal Round Dance have invoked the vow with the Tower.]

Swoosh.

The twins’ gray hair changed color. One turned pure white, and the other pitch black, providing a stark contrast between them. It seemed as though the world itself had split in two between them.

[Requesting holy ground designation.]

[The request has been approved.]

Someone moved; it was the crocodile. He leaped backward in an instant. I launched a strike in pursuit, but the crocodile flailed his staff and blocked it.

He laughed. “Nice! But that’s useless, Death King! Your realm of martial prowess is now mine! As the master of this place, I graciously allow the twins to intervene!”

The crocodile stepped back, and one of the twins rushed and took his spot. The white twin swung their fist at me, expressionless.

[As of now, the Twin of Eternal Round Dance owns the area.]

[Joint ownership has been acknowledged.]

[They wound and are wounded. All hail.]

I thrust my sword forward, stabbing the white twin in the shoulder.

“

Ah! Ah, aaaaaah!

” the white twin screamed, clutching their wound.

Unlike the crocodile, the twin didn’t have the ability to block my attacks easily. Half of the Constellation writhed in pain and shed tears. Why did the white twin rush in so recklessly? Just as I was wondering that, the black twin, standing quietly far beyond the table, smiled brightly. Their jet-black hair was so dark that it seemed to suck in a person’s gaze.

The black twin whispered, “It’s okay. You’re not hurt.”

The white twin’s eyes turned bloodshot. “I’m not hurt!”

Their madness was deeper than pain. The white twin swung their fist as if they had forgotten their shoulder was pierced. In response, I parried the blow and severed their arm.

“

Ah! Huh? Ugh, uhh, aaaah!

” the white twin screamed.

“You’re okay,” the black twin whispered.

Immediately after severing the arm, I realized that the wound I had inflicted on their shoulder had already healed completely.

“You’re not hurt,” the black twin said again.

I unleashed a flurry of sword strikes—left, right, up—too fast for the enemy to keep up with. The enemy’s limbs were torn apart. Every time the white twin screamed, the black twin whispered from afar, “You’re unharmed. Isn’t that right?”

“

Ugh!

Yes!”

Where one arm had been severed, another sprouted in its place. The white twin’s shattered knees mended as they stood up. I cut off my opponent’s head without hesitation, but it was useless. Even their head grew back.

The black twin chuckled. “You’re a great being. No one can harm you.”

“Except you!”

“Ah, that’s right. Except me.”

The sounds of white screams and black whispers mixed together, clouding the air.

“Because we are perfect.”

I narrowed my eyes.

How tricky.

Even if the wounds were fatal, they were meaningless. Even now, the white twin swung their fists with their battered body. I battered them a little more, but the enemy recovered instantly.

The white twin charged forward relentlessly, their eyes filled with madness. “It doesn’t hurt! You’re nothing! You’re nothing!”

As I wondered what strategy to use, new letters appeared before my eyes.

[The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye has activated their power of exposure.]

[Revealing your opponent’s power.]

—Skill Name: Two-Men Alliance

—Owner: The Twins of the Eternal Round Dance.

—Effect: The power to complete the world. If they interpret the world as each other sees it, then the world becomes complete. It’s a spell that seals the world. While I collect everything to match my size to that of the world, the twins match the world to their size by collecting nothing.”

—If you attack one twin while the other remains unharmed, the attack is nullified. This applies to both physical and mental attacks.

In short, the crocodile vampire parasitized on people, while the twins coexisted symbiotically. The former was a damage dealer while the latter was a tank.

“I guess I have no other choice,” I muttered.

I just had to attack the twins simultaneously. Immediately, I extended the shadow of the holy sword. The four-layered swords were the Goddess of Protection’s abilities—her sister swords.

Whoosh!

While handling the white twin, I casually sent the remaining swords flying toward the black twin with Sword Telekinesis.

The white twin’s eyes widened. “

Ah!

”

Even though their wounds were nullified, the white twin’s martial prowess was nothing special. They couldn’t stop my shadow swords from slicing through the air.

“No!”

Despite seeing the four swords rushing toward them, the black twin didn’t even flinch. They just smiled and watched calmly. It turned out that they had a good reason for that.

The last remaining enemy—the Dry Handprint Magnifico—folded their fan. Their aura-filled voice echoed all around. “Tower, keep your promise.”

[The Dry Handprint Magnifico has invoked the vow with the Tower.]

[Requesting holy ground designation.]

[The request has been approved.]

[As of now, the Dry Handprint Magnifico owns the area.]

Using Aura Transmission, the crocodile gentleman shouted,

“I have no objection!”

[Joint ownership has been recognized.]

The barrier on the table blocked my attack.

Claaaang!

One of the four swords flew away. Three remained. They flew into the hole created by their sister, but the magnifico activated their power.

[They are the pool where people pour their resentment and contempt. All hail.]

My swords sliced through the black twin, but it wasn’t them who let out a scream.

“

Haaah? Ugh,aaah—! Aaah, ugh... Aaah...”

It was the white twin. They had been swinging their fist in front of my face, but suddenly dropped to their knees and wrapped their arms around their torso.

Drip.

They bled even though I hadn’t cut them. Those wounds should have been the black twin’s. I took a step back.

“I see. I feel like I don’t need Hishimit Kritz to figure this out.” I raised my hands and retrieved the sister swords. “Is it damage transfer?”

The magnifico unfolded their fan. “Yes. I can transfer the wounds of one person to another if it’s justified.”

“That’s interesting, but there is no way that transferring wounds can be justified.”

The magnifico glared at the white twin, who was still groaning and clutching their wounds. “I see it differently.”

However, the mangifico’s eyes were filled with nothing but hatred, just as they had been when they looked at me. With their eyes on the white twin, the magnifico said, “It’s your fault. All your fault.”

“What?”

“If you had stopped the Death King, the sword wouldn’t have flown at your other half. Your other half wouldn’t have been in danger. All of this happened because you’re powerless and weak. You’re bad and worthless. You were born lacking, so it’s all your fault. If blood must be shed here, it must be yours.”

These words stabbed the white twin like a knife. They looked up with a blank expression and turned to look at their other half.

The black twin offered a gentle smile. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

“

Ah...

”

“It’s all his fault. The Death King attacked us. You were just trying to protect me. Protect us. You are not at fault.”

The black twin’s words healed the wounds. New flesh grew and absorbed the blood. The white twin stood up as if they had never fallen, their eyes filled with quiet hostility.

I looked around. The Reddest Sommelier, the perfect damage dealer; the Twin of Eternal Round Dance, the perfect tanks; and the Dry Handprint Magnifico, the perfect support.

The crocodile spun his staff like a clown on stage. “I told you, young man. You’ll come to understand what it means to face three Constellations at once. Do you remember I said that? You may have realized it now, but it’s already too late. Just slip down from the night sky and hate your foolish past self.”

I nodded. “It’s certainly not easy to handle determined Constellations attacking me together. I’m a little impressed.”

“That’s a relief! Losing with admiration is better than succumbing to despair as you get defeated.”

“But you’re wrong about there being only three Constellations here.”

“

Hm?

” The crocodile blinked. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t know me, do you? Sommelier, my specialty has never been duels.” I grabbed the holy sword tighter. “Since I slayed the Demon King, I’ve specialized in ganging up on my enemies.”

Light flowed up from my sword.

[The Goddess of Protection has invoked the vow with the Tower.]

The crocodile opened his mouth in surprise, but his gasp was useless in stopping me. Well, it would be more accurate to say that it was useless in stopping

us.

[Requesting holy ground designation.]

[The request has been approved.]

[As of now, the Goddess of Protection owns the area.]