Chapter 333: Horror of death
At his current level, Luke could confidently say he was strong enough to take on level four beasts. Humans, however, were an entirely different matter. They had experience, intelligence, and weapons, all of which made them far more dangerous than beasts of a similar level.
He knew that confronting them head-on would only leave him injured, and he could not afford that. He had no potion to fall back on and no contingency plan if things went wrong.
But abandoning Grella to them had never even crossed his mind.
He had seen the look in their eyes. The desire. The malice. And above all, he hated their laughter.
Shlink.
The man wearing that mocking grin was suddenly lying on the ground, blood spraying from his severed neck as his body crumpled beside him.
"Who is there?!"
The remaining three instantly went on full alert, drawing what appeared to be clubs and sickles as they frantically scanned their surroundings.
Yet Luke remained completely invisible to them.
He was still experimenting with the new skill he had acquired, using it in conjunction with Shadow Walk.
Naturally, it consumed Gamma at a frightening rate, but he had more than enough to spare.
Hmm... They really can’t perceive me at all.
A grin spread across Luke’s face as he stood several steps away, dagger in hand.
The skill erased every trace of his presence, whether physical or magical. And with Shadow Walk concealing his movements, even the sand beneath his feet remained almost completely silent.
For the first time, Luke understood just how terrifying the combination of the two skills could be.
"Show yourself, coward! Fight like a man!"
The one shouting the loudest was the second to fall.
Squelch.
Luke’s dagger plunged straight into the center of his forehead.
For a moment, the man remained standing.
Then came the scream.
"Gaaaaaaahhh!"
The cry was so raw and agonizing that it seemed capable of waking every beast in the forest. The man staggered backward before collapsing onto his rear, hands desperately reaching toward the dagger embedded in his skull.
Luke was genuinely surprised that he had not died instantly.
He summoned his hammer.
Thunk.
Thunk.
He brought it down again and again, driving the dagger deeper into the man’s skull with every merciless strike.
The sight of a skull being crushed beneath the hammer was horrifying enough. Blood and fragments of flesh splattered with every blow, turning the ground beneath them into a gruesome mess.
Even the hardened savages were shaken by the brutality.
"Septa..." one of the remaining two called out, his voice tense. "Flank him. We can’t see him, but he’s there."
They could not perceive Luke, but the dagger repeatedly being hammered into their companion’s head gave them a rough idea of his position.
The two hunters immediately began moving, spreading apart to approach the invisible killer from opposite sides.
Septa exchanged a quick nod with his comrade.
Then, without warning, they lunged.
"Haaa!"
Septa was a little too far away. His brother reached the invisible entity first.
Only for the hammering to suddenly stop.
Then the sound changed direction.
THUNK.
The savage was struck in the middle of his lunge, the force sending him hurtling through the air. His cheekbone caved inward from the impact.
As his body spun through the air, a crimson arc flashed across the darkness.
When the savage hit the ground, his body landed in two separate pieces.
Thud.
Thud.
Septa swallowed hard.
For the first time, genuine horror was written across his face.
Grella could only stand there, one hand covering her mouth as she fought back the bile rising in her throat. Blood covered the ground around them, the sheer amount of gore making her stomach churn.
Everything had changed so suddenly that neither of them could quite comprehend what had happened.
"Y-You... You don’t even know who you’ve killed. I am Septa, the Chief’s brother! And I tell you this..."
"Just shut up, bitch."
The cloud of invisibility vanished.
A fist slammed into Septa’s face in the very next instant.
Dhak.
He staggered backward, his cheek throbbing from the impact. His jaw instinctively tightened before he forced it to relax, staring at the strange man who had finally revealed himself.
Luke stood before him, cracking his knuckles.
"Who gives a fuck who you are?" His voice was cold, almost dismissive. "In the end, you and your brother are getting butchered anyway."
Septa growled. "You’re a coward for attacking us like that. A real man faces his enemies head-on!"
Luke crossed his arms.
"Fine. Then be a man and face me head-on. Show me what you’ve got."
Truthfully, Luke was simply bored of killing them while remaining invisible. He wanted to see how these savages actually fought.
The one he had encountered during his previous visit had been level five, and that man had been genuinely strong. Luke had needed to put in real effort to kill him, cycling through several abilities and even suffering multiple injuries in the process.
But this bunch?
They were amateurs.
Pathetic losers.
"Then I will show you what it means to be a Karambach!"
Septa suddenly spread his legs, lowering his stance as Gamma began gathering around his body.
Grella’s expression changed instantly.
"Septa, no!"
The panic in her voice made it clear that whatever he was preparing was dangerous. Perhaps even lethal.
"Hmm... So you know how to use it, huh?"
Luke wasn’t particularly surprised. He had already sensed the considerable amount of Gamma coursing through Septa’s body.
Septa continued without hesitation.
He brought his hands together, forming an inverted triangle with his fingers. His eyes slowly closed as the Gamma around him intensified, growing denser with every passing second.
Luke scratched his brow.
He watched for another moment before deciding he had seen enough.
He didn’t have all day to deal with this bullshit.
However, just as Luke took a leap toward the man, the sand beneath his feet suddenly rumbled.
A massive figure erupted from the ground.
"Woah."
Luke stopped mid-motion, genuinely surprised.
A hulking, fifteen-foot-tall monster now stood behind Septa like a towering sentinel.
It had no discernible features. No eyes. No mouth. Nothing that could be called a face.
Only an overwhelming killing intent radiated from its massive body.
Septa slowly opened his eyes and grinned.
"You made a mistake revealing yourself and underestimating me. I am the man chosen by the Gods, the one destined to serve a greater purpose..."
His grin widened as he growled.
"...and the one who will put an end to your pathetic life."
Luke hummed, then nodded appreciatively.
"Nice. Nice. So you’re manipulating the sand to create that thing, huh?" He tilted his head. "Is that the only thing you can make?"
Septa’s expression twitched.
Why was he so nonchalant?
Anyone else would have been terrified upon seeing his God’s gift.
Yet this man looked almost curious.
A bad feeling began creeping into Septa’s chest.
His gift had never failed him before.
Not once.
Without another word, Septa commanded the giant forward.
The monster charged with a thunderous roar.
Graaaaa!
The earth trembled beneath its weight.
Grella cried out as the creature raised both enormous hands above its head, preparing to crush Luke beneath them.
However, just as the creature came within striking distance, Luke extended both arms to his sides.
Then he brought them together in a thunderous clap.
Thump.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then the world shook.
DOOOM.
The sand giant exploded into countless grains, its massive form disintegrating in an instant. At the same time, the other two collapsed to their knees, clutching their heads as a wave of pain tore through them.
Luke sighed.
He really should have controlled the effect of Concentrated Burst better.
He hadn’t intended to hurt Grella, but well...
Crunch.
Septa slowly raised his head.
Luke was standing directly above him.
Those dark eyes stared down without a hint of emotion.
Septa’s eyes grew moist, his entire body trembling as he struggled to speak.
"My brother is..."
"Yeah, I know."
Luke interrupted him.
His blade flashed.
Shlick.
The weapon pierced Septa’s throat.
Luke left him there to bleed into the sand before turning and walking toward Grella, who was sitting several steps away, clutching her head in pain.
She had been far enough away that Luke had assumed she would be outside the range of the blast.
He had been wrong.
"You okay?"
Luke crouched in front of her.
Grella slowly opened her eyes. Her head was still ringing from the attack, but she managed a weak nod before turning her gaze toward Septa.
The man was still twitching in the sand, blood pouring from his throat as his life slowly faded away.
Like a fish left to die on dry land.
Luke glanced toward Septa’s lifeless body.
"Will his death cause you any problems?" he asked. After all, Septa had been the Chief’s brother.
Grella’s eyes remained vacant as she slowly shook her head.
"No... Dying outside the tribe demands neither trial nor justice. That was simply their fate."
Luke chuckled softly.
"Glad to hear it. Now, let’s get going."
He offered her a hand and helped her to her feet.
A short while later, the two of them left the bloodstained sands behind and continued toward her village.
....completely unaware of the being watching the whole exchange from the surface of the ocean.