CHAPTER 133: | THE SWORD NAME IS MERCY

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  "Hmm... I do feel powerful. So this is the strength of those who achieved Tier 6, huh? Well, I guess it's fine, since I can see how my skin became milkier, smoother, more toned after the jump in power."

  I smiled at her comment. I couldn't help but find it fascinating. While she doesn't care about the power granted right now, since it pales compared to the godlike heights of Stage 1, and she favors her intellect over these barbaric methods, it makes sense. She wasn't really fond of brute strength, yet she desires it for protection, for beauty, for her health.

  Well, I can't blame her, she is a woman afterall, and women are pretty much predictable in these things.

  "I see... I get your point, Samantha. You're not particularly interested in the raw power since you trust me when it comes to the fighting. But isn't it great that your complexion is better than ever? So, if you had to choose between the two, would you cuddle with me, flesh to flesh, or gain more levels, reach a tier above, and stage up? I am curious... which will you pick?"

  My question was a trap, intended to gauge her true interest, to know if she wanted to just be the brain in the future or the brute strength. I emphasized 'cuddling' as a metaphor for total reliance, so Samantha should know what I meant, right? From the looks of her contemplating her options right now... right? Right?

  I was nervous. This would decide her future career. Just as I expected, Samantha finished weighing the pros and cons and stared at me with... lustful eyes?

  This is weird. While I emphasized cuddling, I meant her role as the strategist, so why is she getting this weird idea and staring at me like a beast in heat?

  She licked her lips, then scanned Alister from top to bottom, her gaze lingering on his midsection. While she could only see shifting grains of sand there, she reminisced about the day they met. She could feel the phantom of his thing the memory of her snoring on his lap, of the sheer magnitude of the dormant dragon hidden there.

  So, Samantha chose the obvious.

  "Hmm... I... I prefer cuddling with you rather than having to fight in every battle. Since isn't there Solia, the ever-faithful fool who would follow your every command? Then Tellus, her dog-boy following her at every turn? And isn't there Lumicor, who could obliterate anything in his path?"

  Her face was flushed red as she imagined the warmth of him. While this sand sculpture was lifelike, it still irritated her. Every time she tried to cuddle him, the only thing she got was grit getting in her hair, inside her clothes, scratching her face. Pretty much, she prefers his warm flesh rather than these damn sands that could burn in hell.

  I was shocked at her answer and her expression, since I could pretty much see her improper thoughts naked in the open. I sighed, then shook my head.

  "I understand... then this means that you'll be the brain and I'll be the brawn. I hope you'll take care of me, Samantha, my most beautiful strategist."

  I smiled while watching her flustered face. It was intriguing to see her avoid my gaze. Huhuhu, how fun. But I guess I should deal with these guys first before I continue this conversation.

  "THE FIRST ZEN OF DISTORTION: VALKYRIE STYLE: TEN THOUSAND AFTERIMAGES OF THE HEAVENLY MAIDENS."

  KR-RUMBLE.

  The earth groaned as ten thousand clay dolls tore themselves from the ground, rising like a tide of golems. Each resembled a beauty that would topple nations, with each of them possessing their own temperament, their own personality.

  Whoosh. Whoosh.

  Some clay dolls took a step, then vanished into blurred lines, reappearing instantly at the throats of the three Overseers.

  One was a Kraken of immense corruption, dripping oily sludge, the other, a lesser Leviathan with demonic, burning eyes. The last one looked like a woman whose skin was etched with runic markings that pulsed with light, amplifying her unnatural beauty.

  The two beasts charged toward me, now intercepted by the wall of Valkyries at the vanguard. The runic woman merely floated behind, watching me. She raised a hand, pointing her index finger at Samantha. But before she could cast a spell or gather a single mote of mana, one of the Valkyries, one possessing a darker, earthen tone, merely smiled in an alluring manner.

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  Creak...

  She slowly pulled the string of her bow. The sound was heavy, like a ship’s hull groaning under pressure. Her overly developed back muscles rippled under the clay skin with oppressive strength. It was an impressive stance. While archery requires immense brute strength, this clay doll did the unexpected as it pulled its One Zen Bow into its back, bending the weapon to its breaking point. Her eyes were focused on her target.

  'If only I could make this more realistic... maybe I’d be seeing some sweat forming on her forehead. A pity that I wouldn't be able to do that right now since I am lacking the mana for such fine details.' Then, she blinked.

  KRA-KOOM!

  The air didn't just part, it shattered. The arrow, which looked more like a spear, flew at an unimaginable speed, breaking the sound barrier and traveling at five hundred meters per second. A shockwave of condensed air trailed behind it. The force it carried was equivalent to Ten Zen. The mana used to maneuver this move drained more than half of my reserves, causing the forms of three thousand other Valkyries to crumble into inert piles of dirt.

  A hefty price to pay. But since it should easily incapacitate an Overseer? I smiled, satisfied at the result I had yet to see.

  The Valkyrie itself announced its attack with silent gusto.

  "THE FIRST ZEN OF DISTORTION: VALKYRIE STYLE: CELESTIAL SPEAR OF THE TWELVE TWILIGHT."

  With her words finally settling in the open, the form of the Valkyrie disintegrated into dust, blown away by the sheer back-blast of the attack launched from her bow.

  While it was only a single attack, it was worth it. Its sole purpose was to follow my command, and that command was to kill the female who daringly threatened Samantha. In a single movement, in a single moment, she wouldn't even know how she died or how she earned my ire.

  While Samantha was annoying to some people due to her quirky personality, how bossy she was, or what a tsundere she could be, I still liked her. She was a woman who sacrificed her lofty standing in the multiverse just for me, a man with nothing but the drive and insanity to reach Ascendance. So, I liked her, even if she was quite a handful sometimes.

  I watched the arrow move at a speed that tore the visual spectrum apart. It vanished for those with lower perception, but for me, I saw it streak past the two Overseers fighting the Valkyries like a comet. It was a spectacular sight, looking at the arrow, which resembled a spear more than a projectile, phase through the female humanoid.

  THWACK-SQUELCH.

  In the next second, the woman disintegrated into fine powder. A massive, gaping hole appeared in her stomach, severing her form in half with cauterized precision. The dust of the spear that impaled her swirled and transformed into hardened chains, binding her half-conscious, mutilated self.

  I placed my palm onto Samantha’s rear, the sand shifting against her clothes, then lifted her startled self up.

  [Void Step]

  Z-zip.

  We lapsed the distance in an instant. I appeared right beside the maimed Overseer and muttered softly to Samantha.

  "This one should let you reach Tier 8, while the other two should allow you to reach Tier 10."

  Samantha nodded at my words, then looked at the pitiful woman, impaled and chained before she could even scream. Samantha’s eyes were extremely cold, colder than the Abyss itself. She hopped from Alister's embrace, her boots clicking onto the stone platform he created mid-air. She grabbed the woman by the hair, yanking her head back.

  She shoved the cold steel barrel of her revolver into the woman's mouth, ignoring her muffled, gurgling screams. Unhesitatingly, Samantha pulled the trigger.

  BANG!

  The back of the woman's head exploded. Instant death.

  "I reached Tier 8 from killing this thing, so maybe I'll be able to reach Tier 10 by taking the last hit on those two, just like you suggested, Alister... but is it really necessary for me to reach the ranks of an Emperor? While I know of its importance since you've been nagging at me for months, is it truly necessary?"

  I smiled at her hesitation. While she could literally cut off her emotions and kill someone brutally, Samantha was still a noble who didn't like to kill unless necessary. It was understandable for her to hesitate this much.

  "Hmm, you'll need to reach that rank since I don't want you to swear your fealty to me like one of my subordinates. While it is safe for me to bind you to the system, I prefer that you be able to move freely. Even if you betray me in the future, I won't regret it. Since it is a decision you will surely regret."

  She was in disbelief at my words, but then she couldn't help but burst into laughter. She found it funny that she'd regret betraying someone as annoying as him.

  "Hahaha, how do you know that I'll regret it? Are you some kind of fortune teller who can peer through the future?"

  I smiled at her words, then smacked her rear, sending a small cloud of dust into the air as I whispered softly.

  "Well... you'll surely regret it since I am a master of the bed, a man whose appearance has no rival. I am generous. I can give you an empire to play with... or maybe you can play with me~"

  Samantha smiled, then embraced me with longing, ignoring the gritty texture of my chest as she whispered back.

  "You wish... While it's true that you're handsome, I can't be sure if you're good in bed since you're merely a construct of sand right now..."

  I sighed in annoyance. It is true that my form is a construct of sand. Haaa, how disheartening that I can't even do to her what she wanted. But forget it, I'll need to revive that true construct of mine eventually. I sighed yet again, bored at these theatrics, then flicked my hand.

  WHUMP.

  The ten thousand Valkyries exploded into a tsunami of sand that rushed forward, binding the remaining two Overseers tight in a suffocating coffin of grit. I smirked and took a step forward, appearing in front of them.

  Mercy, which had been floating behind me like a constellation, gradually shifted into a sword in my grip. It glowed intensely, humming with a high-pitched keen the more mana I poured into it. I smiled, then swung it in a horizontal strike.

  "The sword is named Mercy... but I don't know if it will grant you any."