Reincarnated As An Extra With The 10x Link System-Chapter 45: First Kill
Chapter 45
The world was slowly being drowned in darkness, the somber night approaching from the east, the western horizon still aflame with the scarlet hue of sunset. Megumi gazed at the red-tinged orange sky, his breath hoarse and raspy.
He couldn’t remember how long it had been since his gruesome battle began, but all he could think of was getting up and obliterating his foe. His hands trembled around the hilt of his blade, his legs a bit shaky. His once vigorous, purple-plagued eyes were now pale and a bit unnerving.
His once-white hair was wet and adhesive, awash with slightly darker crimson, the blood of the vile demon splattered all over him. To his right was Rei, barely in any better shape than he was.
For many minutes—perhaps hours—they had stayed battling the ferocious demon in hopes that they would finally be able to break through its adamantine wooden body after a few consecutive blows.
But now, the demon was standing a few meters away from them, both of its limbs gone and ghastly cuts spread all around its body, but its bark-like body persisted. However, rather than the three aberrant green lights burning in the eyes of the demon’s skull mask, there were now only two...
The one at the center of its forehead and the left eye. There was a visible stump where its limb had been severed as well, and it was gradually growing back.
Megumi quickly readied his sword, grimacing as the blade began to light up with wild, dancing crimson flames. She could feel his mind slowly giving in to the strain of battle, barely able to remain lucid while his body was still in somewhat decent shape.
For Rei, though, it was the opposite; he had kept his ability going since the fight began, endlessly burning through his reserves of innate energy. The boy’s eyes were still filled with life, at least compared to Megumi’s, his mind as sturdy as it was when the battle began, but his body was in very poor shape.
Battered and bruised, awash in the crimson of thick blood, he looked fiercely inhuman.
But even as they were, they were still prepared to keep on fighting, having made their first ounce of progress already. The demon’s weakness lay in the flames burning within the sockets of its eerie skull; it weakened considerably after they destroyed the first one.
And since they had discovered that flaw, the battle was about to take an entirely different turn.
****
Mei stared intently at the vile creature, aberrant green flames burning in two of the remaining undamaged eyes of its skull, and gripped her summoned war bow tightly. With swift precision, she nocked an arrow against the bowstring and drew it with as much strength as she could muster.
Support type ability user or not, she was still just as well trained in combat as every other child under the care of the Boma Clan. If anything—depending on the situation—she could be just as deadly and devastating as the two boys with her bow and arrows.
And speaking of arrows... The arrow flew from the bow with incredible speed, the bowstring springing back to allow it to deliver the most devastating of blows. It went flying straight toward the towering demon in the distance, aimed right for its eye.
However, the attack, fast as it may be, was still aimed at a demon that was equal to, if not greater than it, in speed. The creature simply turned its head, allowing the tip of the arrow to hit the skull instead, with a loud thud resounding.
A slight crack appeared on the alabaster surface of the demon’s mask, causing the flames in the depths of its eyes to burn with wild fury. But before the demon had time to react, she drew her bow once more and sent another arrow flying straight toward it.
This time, though, the demon didn’t simply twist its head and allow the arrow to hit the side of its mask; rather, it quickly charged forward, heading straight for the two standing closest to it as it dodged the arrow.
Megumi and Rei both gripped their swords tightly, grim expressions on their contorted faces. They both charged forward as well, enhancing their bodies and weapons with their respective abilities. What ensued was a blinding hue of crimson flames and light, threatening to ensnare the impending demon.
The ghastly appendages shot out from the creature’s body once more, aiming to ensnare the two boys. Both of them—Rei and Megumi—quickly slashed at the approaching vines, closing the distance between them and the demon in seconds.
Their swords flashed under the gaze of the slowly retreating sun, bouncing off the creature’s adamantine body. The loud thud of metal hitting against wood echoed, and the demon slightly flinched back.
The bark-like skin persisted even after it had been considerably weakened. They couldn’t reach the skull of the demon given the apparent difference in height, but they could create a distraction for someone who could.
Drawing her bow once again, Mei swiftly sent a third arrow straight for the demon’s eye, and in that instant, several golden chains shot up from the ground, binding it in a devastating embrace.
The arrow flew with deadly precision, and with the demon being held down by the ferocious onslaught of the two boys and Hime’s binding chains, it remained unmoving as the arrow pierced the eye in the middle of its forehead.
And while it was still restrained, another arrow flew forward, piercing the third eye along with it. The demon was unable to make any sound, or perhaps had simply refused to, but it began to shake violently under the grasp of the golden chains.
The chains instantly retreated, and Hime, standing away from them in the distance, quickly clasped her chest with both arms, placing her knees on the ground. Her stomach felt like it was twisting, and her heart felt almost as if it were about to explode.
She had been the one among the team to use her ability to the greatest extent, well... just a little behind Rei; however, she didn’t possess nearly as much innate energy as he did, which led to her body giving out faster.
Mei, on the other hand, was also on the floor, her bow quickly disappearing into a rain of sparks as she drew raspy breaths and clutched her chest as well. She was still in better condition than Hime... barely.
The ladies had given their all to see what remained of the demon’s frightening power extinguished, and it was now up to their remaining team members to finish the terrifying beast.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Megumi and Rei barraged the demon with a never-ending momentum of sword slashes; the creature’s once adamantine body quickly creaked under the suffocating pressure. There were now multiple cracks spreading across it, and the demon itself was quickly cracking as well.
With a sudden jerk in response to the never-ending onslaught, its leg twisted, and it fell to the ground on one knee. It tried twisting as best it could, aiming to protect its head from their deadly blades.
However, a moment was all they needed.
’That’s it...’
Megumi’s sword flashed, crimson flames dancing on its blade as it swiftly went past the creature’s neck. Darkened crimson liquid shot out like a fountain of blood from the creature’s neck as its head went flying, and a second later, its massive body leaned and toppled.
’Now die...’
Megumi and Rei were instantly washed in the gushing fountain of blood, their faces smeared even further with the crimson liquid. Then they both fell to the ground on their knees, their blades falling from their hands as they drew hoarse breaths.
Without giving him time to rest, the sound of the system echoed in his ear, its resounding melody now sounded a bit annoying.
His eyes darted around, his gaze moving through the familiar set of runes, and then, just as he was about to gaze further down, his eyes instantly widened in a grimace.
A new, intricate set of runes shimmered brightly before him. It read:
... Your system has evolved.]
