CHAPTER 135. Dark Winds of Darkness
....
Everything that lives is designed to end.
We are perpetually trapped... in a neverending spiral of life and death.
Is this a curse? Or some kind of punishment?
2B
....
Today's meme is here. [ ]
.....
....
Eventually, the momentum shifted definitively. The Demon Knights fell one by one, their monstrous forms crumbling beneath the onslaught. The Demon Noble's powers waned as the relentless attacks of the Beast Soldiers eroded her defenses. Weakened, the demons' forces wavered.
The Spider Queen's crimson eyes gleamed with renewed determination. Her spinnerets danced, weaving intricate webs that ensnared the remaining demons, while her acid breath corroded their last shreds of resistance.
As the battle raged on, the forces of shadow overwhelmed the demons, and the once-dominant foes were forced to their knees.
In the end, it was the Beast Soldiers' indomitable nature that proved to be their salvation. The darkness that birthed them also shielded them, allowing them to weather the demons' onslaught and emerge victorious.
The demons knew it was time to retreat.
Jin's brows shot up. His expression gradually hardened.
"That is enough."
Jin couldn't stand it anymore and recalled his Beast Soldiers. They reverted back to their shadow forms and quickly moved below his feet, absorbed back into his own shadow.
As soon as the Beast Soldiers disappeared after seemingly failing to endure the attacks, the demons gazed at each other and nodded their heads as they felt their lives were safe.
It was as if they were celebrating their third assault on the trot. However, it happened then.
Shururuk.
Jin undid his Stealth in the midst of the demons.
Flinch!
The demons were greatly surprised, but as expected of 'pros', they immediately sensed Jin's hostility and attacked him right away.
Slam! Kwang! Jin punched down bare-fisted on the two knights beside him, tearing their flesh and blowing huge holes in their bodies where he punched. He then grabbed the last one rushing at him and slammed them hard onto the ground.
CRACK! The ground formed spider web-like cracks, and a message popped up in his view. [You killed a Demon Knight.] [You have earned 3,675 experience points.] The exact same messages repeated three times. Each of his attacks killed one of his enemies. In less than one second, he cut short the lives of three monsters. 'These guys were side distractions, anyway. The real deal is that guy.'
Jin shifted his gaze over to the Demon Noble. After their eyes met, the Noble flinched rather grandly and pointed at him with its spear. 'I always wondered whether monsters could feel fear or not….' But now, he was pretty certain of it.
Different from back when the Demon Noble was pointing the spear at the Beast Soldier group, the tip of the weapon was trembling ever so slightly. Well, being able to sense the opponent's strength was also a part of one's skills, after all.
Jin dashed forward. At the same time, the Demon Noble thrust the spear forward. Jin evaded the attack by tilting his head out of the way. Surprisingly, though – the spear changed directions multiple times and continued to harass him slightly. First, it was his face. Next, his neck. And right after that, his heart. The demon's movement was smooth like flowing water, as if this wasn't something learned overnight.
However, the spear was constantly blocked by Jin's finger. Yes, his finger; now he had enough durability to do something so stupid without breaking his bones. When the final attack aiming for his heart was parried off, his finger became as sharp as a dagger and sliced the spear's shaft in two.
"….!!" The Demon Noble froze up after seeing its broken spear. With that, this battle was over.
'Well, not even three or four rank A Hunters would be able to win against you, but….' Jin-Woo rated the demon's abilities highly. Too bad, today's match-up was all wrong for the monsters. First undying soldiers, and now…
Jin reached out and grabbed the enemy's helmet with his left hand. "Keuk!" The shocked enemy immediately went into panic mode. It tried to pull its head back, but couldn't do anything against Jin's powerful grip. He thought about yeeting the helmet loose and see if the face behind it was as well-drawn, so he strengthened his left hand even more.
As expected, the helmet came off rather easily, and Jin raised his head high up. "I surrender!! I will surrender!!" Jin frowned and stopped moving.
The face underneath the helmet definitely belonged to a female. Actually, Jin didn't really care whether the monster was a male or female, as he pulled many spines out of many females and even kids in the last bloody fight.
In fact, now Jin didn't even care about its ethnicity, species, or motives, as long as it stood this way and was dead. For me, I follow a simple rule: "The only good enemy is a dead enemy."
But the thing was, the monster quickly lifted its hands high up in the air and declared its intentions to surrender. Right after that, 'she' even fell to the ground in a kowtow.
'...'
It wasn't the reason a frown was on my face; it wasn't like she wasn't beautiful. In fact, it was quite the opposite, with her striking purple hair cascading down her back in soft waves. It framed her face in an otherworldly manner, complementing her crimson-red eyes that seemed to hold the curiosity of a little girl. Her eyes could be described as intense and captivating, reflecting the enigmatic nature of her character.
Esil's skin had a flawless, pale complexion, and her elvish ears added an extra layer of intrigue to her appearance. These pointed ears, along with her overall features, contributed to her unique and unforgettable look.
But what gave me a frown was the fact that she greatly lacked certain features that I like. Primarily, boobs and hips. She has the same build as Jinha, too little for me to feel even a little attraction towards her.
Or is it just something I got used to due to Esdeath? After all, in no way, shape, or form would I call Esdeath normal. After all, her F-cup, wide hips, and thick thighs are far from normal according to anime logic.
But that can't be, as I am sure Esdeath is not the one that gave me these preferences.
No, in fact, I know many women across the multiverse who were far bigger than her, like huge ones.
The first few names that come to my mind are Passionlip; hers are bigger than even her body, literal mountains even compared to others. Even in Fate, hers were a bit too extreme. Her three sizes are B160/W63/H87, her huge assets.
Passionlip´s bust size is greater than her height. Shizuka Marikawa from 'High School of the Dead', Boa Hancock from One Piece, Cattleya from Queen's Blade, Medusa Gorgon Fate, Yasaka High School DxD, Albedo Overlord, Tsunade Naruto, Meiko Prison School.
They literally have MOMMY MILKIES heavy enough to break backs. And there are only three worlds populated with females whose busts defy gravity: High School DxD, Fate, and One Piece.
Don't ask me why and how do I know this. I was just, at times, like most men. I was also a cultured teen who had a lot of free time and unlimited internet.
So I do prefer women with mature looks. But aside from that, something even more disturbing was in all this.
"P-p-please accept my apologies! We were in the wrong! P-p-please spare my life!"
Here's the improved version of your text:
Not only had she changed her stance in the blink of an eye, but she was now even begging for her life? He had heard this many times, but this was on a different level, especially considering her looks.
"Hah…..??" With a deep expression etched on his face, Jin stared at the petite back of the 'monster' still prostrating before his feet.
***
Since intelligent monsters could be found in regular dungeons, it wasn't so strange for intelligent monsters to appear in these instant dungeons as well. Even then, this creature… was a strange one. '....'
Left feeling a bit speechless, Jin pondered what he should say for a while, and eventually, he opened his mouth without any difficulty.
"You attacked my soldiers, yet you want my forgiveness?"
"W-we have committed a grave sin." The Demon Noble planted her forehead on the ground and continued.
"However, as our clan is tasked with protecting this place, we couldn't simply let some basta…. Heok! I mean, we couldn't let any great beings go on a demon hunting spree without doing anything. I'd be eternally grateful if you forgive us."
Oh, well. From the demons' perspective, it was reasonable for them to think of this whole thing as a bit unfair. After all, he had barged in here unannounced, hunting and massacring demons one-sidedly, right?
In fact, he did it even more brutally, literally destroying any floor he passed by while not leaving a single soul alive. So, Jin changed his question slightly.
"Is it alright for you to beg for your life from someone who killed your own soldiers?"
"The main role of the knights is to protect their lord. As long as I'm safe, they should be happy with the results."
Jin stopped himself from scratching his temple for a moment. He was even more speechless now. 'I can't tell whether she's thick-skinned or just way too optimistic.'
The Demon Noble slightly raised her head and tried to read Jin's reactions. 'Heok!!' She couldn't help but feel that the situation was getting gradually worse for her. She kowtowed even harder than before and spoke in an urgent voice.
"If you spare my measly life, I shall give you anything you want."
Jin placed his hands on his waist. This Demon Noble was a powerful monster, yes, but with her armament now stripped from her, killing her was now easier than drinking cold soup for Jin.
'….Ah.' There indeed was one such item. "I want the Entry Permit."
"Excuse me??" Swish. The Demon Noble raised her head and stared at him with a surprised expression.
Her face was shaped completely like a human's, excluding a pair of sharp incisors he saw when she opened her mouth just now, of course.
Jin disinterestedly asked her. "Can you get it for me?"
"…" When her gaze met Jin's, her complexion paled even more, and she planted her forehead back on the ground.
As Jin waited for her answer, he felt she was taking too much time. A Frost Bite came out of the inventory as he looked at her. "I shall give it to you."
"Give me what, exactly?"
"The… the Entry Permit." The 'monster' raised her head and immediately began shedding cold sweat drops after spotting the deadly-looking dagger in Jin's hand.
"Can you give me the Entry Permit? Really?"
The Demon Noble hurriedly nodded her head. "It's in safekeeping by our clan. If you allow me to safely return, I shall hand over the permit."
'Demons were guarding the entry permit just as I expected, now I have to actively search for it, and I can't just destroy everything in hopes that it will come out. It will either destroy it or I have to look in the rubble, and both options are big No-No, with a capital "N" as a matter of fact!'
Jin slowly scratched his chin. For sure, it had been a long time since he arrived on the 80th floor. And not to forget, lots of demons were hunted down so far, too. Yet, there hadn't been a peep about the news of the entry permit.
'I thought the drop rate had worsened because I'm on the upper floors, or that a mid-boss was carrying it around, but now….'
If she was telling the truth about monsters hiding the permit, then, well, the current situation made a bit more sense. But now he was waiting for her to add the 'encouragement' part.
Seeing that Jin was silently pondering his options, the Demon Noble felt even more desperate than before and quickly added some more 'encouragement'.
"I also know where you can locate the Entry Permits on the upper floors as well. If you guarantee mine and my clan's safety, then I shall safely escort you to where they are."
The light shining in Jin's eyes changed a little bit. Now, that offer is what he was waiting for.
To Jin's ears, who wanted to get to the top floor as soon as possible, her suggestion of guiding him to where each floor's Entry Permit sounded exactly what he wanted. After getting the entry pass, he can end the whole floor with a spell.
'But first let's be sure about this.'
Jin reached down and lifted the demon's chin. She was clearly panicking, but he didn't lessen his strength. He then looked straight into her eyes.
'Intimidation.'
[You have activated 'Skill: Intimidation'.]
[You have activated 'Skill: Despair Aura I'.]
[You have activated 'Skill: Blood Lust'.]
Swwwoooosh…. A chill-inducing aura emanated from Jin's eyes, then from his whole body as the very air about him vibrated and the bit of moisture in the air turned into solid ice. The Demon Noble was so terrified that her lips were trembling involuntarily as her whole body lost its strength.
"Can I trust you?"
"I-I am not l-l-lying."
He made a pledge to himself back when he came to this world to possess the power of the System.
'Give and take.'
Even if his opponent was a monster, his principles wouldn't change. If a monster kept her side of the bargain, so would he.
"Alright."
Jin withdrew the 'Intimidation', 'Despair Aura I', and 'Blood Lust'.
"You hand over the Entry Permit, and I'll quietly leave."
"T-truthfully?"
Jin nodded his head.
It was a bit of a waste to give up on the potential experience points gained from this demon, as well as those monsters supposedly guarding the Entry Permit. But then again, he found it even more of a waste to spend time searching for the permit himself, especially when time is something he doesn't have.
He had been delayed for much longer than expected on this 80th floor already.
"Thank you very much!!"
The Demon Noble's complexion brightened so much that he couldn't help but notice it. Was she just that much honest with her emotions, or was she just a simpleton?
Jin inwardly clicked his tongue, but still didn't forget to ask her something he had been curious about for a while.
"Before all that, though…. Just what are you?"
Now, he wanted to confirm the dark truth.
"I am Esil, the first-born daughter of House Radiru. And my clan is…"
"No, not that." Jin cut Esil off. He didn't really care about the finer details of a monster family's history. What he wanted to know was if it was the same as light Nobel, the reason why monsters and instant dungeons existed.
How should he go about asking this question, so he'd get a satisfying enough answer? No, he would still be okay with the answer being the same as he read. He'd be happy enough to get a single clue, a lead of some kind.
He tried asking the same thing to monsters in the regular dungeons, but all he got to learn was that they could only hear the order of 'Kill the humans' inside their heads. Which he already knew. He wanted to know where they came from and how many dimensions there are.
In order to help him compare the current situation with the monsters of the regular dungeons, he simplified the question a bit.
"Hey, do you also hear a voice telling you to kill humans?"
"Pardon me?" Esil looked at him with a pair of confused eyes.
Because she was still kowtowing on the ground, he had to continue staring down at her if he wanted to talk to her face to face, and he kinda felt a bit uncomfortable about this arrangement.
'Tsk.' Jin lightly clicked his tongue, and as if Esil was a little kid, picked her up and made her stand straight. And then, he stared at her face again.