The Unfortunate Girl Wants an Easy Mode in Her Second Life – Chapter 164

Chapter 164: Devastation
ㅤ◆ Cretias’s Perspective
ㅤ
ㅤCitizens screaming and fleeing in panic.
ㅤConversely, knights attacking with weapons in hand.
ㅤCretias proceeded down the wide main street of the old city, slaying both indiscriminately.
ㅤHe sliced through the occasional magic spells and arrows that flew his way with pale blue arms of light.
ㅤ
ㅤThe city gates were firmly shut against the approaching threat.
ㅤKnights with bows lined the saw-toothed crenellations above.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Don’t let him get closer! Shoot!”
ㅤ
ㅤWith the command, a rain of arrows poured down on Cretias.
ㅤCretias transformed his left arm into a shield of light and deflected them.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Wh-what!?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”This is pointless.”
ㅤ
ㅤCretias’s right arm, aimed at the crenellations, began to deform.
ㅤHis five fingers disappeared, and a hole opened in his palm.
ㅤThe hole burrowed deep into his forearm, creating a cylindrical space.
ㅤHis entire forearm swelled, taking the shape of a gauntlet without a hand.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ether cannonball, blast my enemies to pieces!”
ㅤ
ㅤSimultaneously with Cretias’s murmur, the gauntlet recoiled backward.
ㅤThe crenellations exploded.
ㅤThe supposedly sturdy gate crumbled, and the archers stationed there fell forward or backward. Some were directly caught in the explosion, their bodies torn in half.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Wh-what was that!?”
ㅤ
ㅤThe leader of the soldiers cried out in astonishment.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmm. I held back too much.”
ㅤ
ㅤCretias aimed the cannon on his right arm at the gate.
ㅤ
ㅤ”━━Blast it to pieces!”
ㅤ
ㅤWith a recoil that reverberated in his stomach, Cretias staggered slightly.
ㅤAlmost simultaneously, the iron gate doors were torn from their hinges, crumpling like paper and flying into the castle.
ㅤThe knights who were unfortunately behind them stared wide-eyed at the oncoming gates, unable to do anything as they were crushed by their sheer mass.
ㅤ
ㅤThick smoke billowed into the castle.
ㅤFrom within, screams, shouts, and groans could be heard.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Kukuku… This is how it should be.”
ㅤ
ㅤCretias laughed.
ㅤ
ㅤ”After all, there’s nothing more entertaining than watching others suffer. Especially if it’s by my hand.”
ㅤ
ㅤCretias fired a barrage of ether cannonballs from the cannon on his right arm.
ㅤThe gate was already gone.
ㅤThis bombardment was meaningless.
ㅤHe simply wanted to further torment the knights panicking in the smoke.
ㅤ
ㅤCretias passed through the gate.
ㅤThere was no one left to challenge him.
ㅤEveryone was in complete disarray, running for their lives.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Do you think you can escape and be forgiven? You, who called me, God’s Agent, a criminal and laughed at me behind my back…”
ㅤ
ㅤAs he spoke, his anger flared up again.
ㅤOverwhelmed by the surging rage, Cretias briefly knelt and doubled over.
ㅤ
ㅤMisinterpreting this,
ㅤ
ㅤ”━━Now! Attack!”
ㅤ
ㅤA group of archers fired their arrows.
ㅤThe arrows pierced Cretias’s entire body as he knelt.
ㅤThe soldiers breathed a sigh of relief as Cretias remained motionless, resembling a pincushion.
ㅤ
ㅤHowever,
ㅤ
ㅤ”Is that all you’ve got?”
ㅤ
ㅤCretias dashed forward.
ㅤHis pale blue arms transformed into swords, turning the group of archers into a mass of flesh and blood.
ㅤ
ㅤArrows fell from Cretias’s body in a shower.
ㅤThe arrows had indeed pierced him.
ㅤThe arrow wounds covering his body were proof of that.
ㅤBut those wounds were rapidly closing.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Life Activation Method, was it? The power of a warrior.”
ㅤ
ㅤCretias muttered and started walking.
ㅤ
ㅤFor Cretias, who had been a Royal Guard Knight, the castle was as familiar as his own backyard.
ㅤA strange sense of nostalgia even welled up within him as he returned to his former home.
ㅤ
ㅤCretias continued onward, killing the knights he encountered sporadically.
ㅤ
ㅤAs if testing his fighting style, Cretias transformed his arms into swords, shields, and cannons, slaying his enemies.
ㅤSometimes he would pick up a fallen sword and cut down his foes.
ㅤIf he wasn’t satisfied, he would repeat the process with other enemies.
ㅤWhen he encountered not knights but civil officials or maids who had failed to escape, he often strangled them to death with his bare hands.
ㅤ
ㅤ”This isn’t enough. His strength couldn’t have been this insignificant. He clearly became stronger between our encounter in Loft and our battle in the Mist Forest. Considering the time that has passed since then, even I am still lacking.”
ㅤ
ㅤThen, a group of knights different from those he had encountered before appeared.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Stop, Cretias!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Oh, a Holy Knight makes his appearance.”
ㅤ
ㅤThe twelve Holy Knights in this country possessed exceptional combat abilities.
ㅤCretias was confident in his sword skills, but he had never been able to defeat the Holy Knight who served as the Captain of the Royal Guard Knights.
ㅤ
ㅤ”You have some nerve showing your face after hiding like a coward.”
ㅤ
ㅤThe red-haired, well-built Holy Knight with a halberd in hand said.
ㅤHe was a middle-aged man with a large scar on his cheek and a fierce gaze.
ㅤHe was clad in crimson armor, the same color as his hair.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Valados of the Red Beast Claw… was it?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmph, it seems even a traitor like you knows my name.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Perfect. I’ll test you out.”
ㅤ
ㅤCretias vanished.
ㅤAlmost at the same instant, Valados swung his halberd.
ㅤCretias, who had been in its path, kicked off the ground and flipped backward, stepping on the blade of the halberd.
ㅤValados noticed this and twisted his wrist, turning the halberd.
ㅤUndeterred, Cretias shifted his footing and kicked the halberd with his other foot.
ㅤUsing the recoil, he leaped, flipping upside down in mid-air and landing behind Valados.
ㅤA pale blue arm of light swung down.
ㅤIt was deflected by Valados’s halberd, which he had reversed in an instant.
ㅤ
ㅤCretias landed some distance away.
ㅤSimultaneously, cutting lines ran through the knights who had been standing around Valados.
ㅤValados watched with a bitter expression as the knights, sliced into pieces, collapsed.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmm… Where did you gain such power?”
ㅤ
ㅤValados groaned.
ㅤHe had barely managed to deflect Cretias’s attack, but he couldn’t protect his fellow knights.
ㅤEven Valados, ranked fifth among the Holy Knights, had been fully occupied defending himself.
ㅤ
ㅤCretias, on the other hand, let out an ostentatious sigh.
ㅤThen, he started chuckling.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Wh-what’s so funny!?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”How can I not laugh? I had high hopes because you’re a Holy Knight, but this is all you’ve got on Inferno difficulty?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Wh-what are you talking about?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”It can’t be helped. Options. Difficulty Change. Hell… no, No Future.”
ㅤ
ㅤMuttering, Cretias attacked Valados.
ㅤ
ㅤHowever, Valados was taken aback.
ㅤ
ㅤCretias’s movements had clearly become sluggish.
ㅤ
ㅤ”You’ve run out of power, Cretias!”
ㅤ
ㅤValados pressed his attack, seizing the opportunity.
ㅤThe heavy, long halberd danced like a whirlwind, carving crimson wounds all over Cretias’s body.
ㅤCretias was completely on the defensive.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Kukuku…”
ㅤ
ㅤBut Cretias was laughing.
ㅤ
ㅤ”What’s so funny!?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”This is great, Valados. This is just right. It wouldn’t be any experience otherwise.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Trying to act tough!?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ah, no, I’m not being tough. This lack of leeway is what’s good. Lately, no matter how deep I delved into dungeons or how high I raised the difficulty, I was far from facing death. I’d die if I let my guard down. I’d die even if I didn’t. I’d die if I didn’t push myself beyond my limits. Ah, this is wonderful. I can become even stronger this way!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Have you gone mad, Cretias!?”
ㅤ
ㅤValados’s halberd grazed Cretias’s torso.
ㅤThe whirlwind-like blow tore open Cretias’s stomach horizontally.
ㅤCretias’s upper body rotated sideways, his still-laughing face and his navel switching positions.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Well done, Valados. But that’s enough.”
ㅤ
ㅤValados stared wide-eyed at Cretias, who spoke calmly.
ㅤ
ㅤCretias’s right arm transformed into a cannon.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Farewell, Number Five.”
ㅤ
ㅤThe ether cannon blast shattered Valados’s rugged head.