Dual System: Ascension of A Nameless Nobody

[Precisely. However, at the current moment, I’d worry about getting your arm free. Remaining close to this foe is a dangerous tactic.]

“Gotcha,” he mumbled quietly.

Though it wasn’t any easy task ahead of him, as he tugged, all he did was further injure himself with the spikes that were embedded in his arm.

“Ghh…!” He winced.

Luckily, the powerful blow had kept Dae-Mon concussed, who was coughing up the abyssal blood from his throat as it trailed down his inflicted torso.

Dae-Mon managed to finally return to, letting out a groan before revealing a wide grin with his teeth painted in his own black fluid, “…Again, again, again! Mr. Jeong-Hui, you’re a dangerous one…I can’t keep letting my guard down around you, can I?”

As the Artificial Devil spoke to him in twisted words, he was forcibly made to match his malicious gaze as the cold hands of the devil man grabbed his head, looking at him directly with his blood-stained smile.

“So special. How about becoming a GOETIA user, Mr. Jeong-Hui? I’m sure the Boss would be delighted to have somebody as merciless as you with us,” Dae-Mon offered.

He was still trying to pull his arm free, making his movements subtle enough while wincing in pain as some of the fleshy pricks slid out from his arm.

The Artificial Demon caressed his hair in an unsettling manner before leaning closer, letting his grotesquely long tongue flop out before sliding it across his face.

“Oh…that won’t do,” Dae-Mon looked up, slithering his tongue back into his mouth.

The sudden shift in tone made his blood run cold, thinking the abhorrent man had figured out that he was breaking free from the spikes that held his arm.

Dae-Mon looked into his eyes, “You see…I have a special talent; I can taste just how “fun” somebody is…but, Mr. Jeong-Hui, you’re not very fun, are you…? You don’t take joy in these things, do you? Mm…How disappointing!”

Just then, Dae-Mon’s black eyes widened just as his grin did the same, emitting an aura of complete bloodlust just as he managed to pull his arm free from the spikes.

He ducked down just as the palms that caressed his head shifted into bludgeoning, brick hammer shapes–slamming together in an ear-ringing crack that would’ve made little work of his skull and brain matter._.

“–I’d rather die before standing by your side anyway, freak!”

He yelled out as in retaliation, he clenched his bloody fist, launching a sharp uppercut to the chin of the devil man.

“Oh…!”

Dae-Mon let out as he was knocked upward by the powerful blow that released into a small shock wave.

“–Nrgh!”

Even though he had successfully launched the counter against the absent-minded foe of his, he clenched his teeth in pain as blood poured out from the small, dozen holes that were pierced into his right arm.

[Health Points: -5]

[Health Points: -5]

[Health Points: -5]

[Health Points: -5]

Before it could continue dipping down, he had to think of something quick with the sparse amount of time he had before the Artificial Devil got back up.

Cauterization wasn’t an option; there were many spots of infliction, and he had no spirit left. “Flesh Temple” was also a no-go; with such an injury, clenching his muscles wouldn’t help, as his muscles were also severely damaged as well.

This is bad…! I guess…it’s the old-fashioned way, huh…? He thought.

Taking off his black-and-silver coat, he was left with just his black undershirt that was strapped with a few pieces of matching leather armor, wrapping his coat around his injured arm.

Even such an action was difficult as he had no left hand, having to awkwardly use his left forearm to wrap the fabric around his bleeding limb, tightening it frantically with his right hand by some messy strategy.

“Ghh…!”

He tightened it as much as he possibly could; managing to stifle the bleeding, at least for the time being as he huffed, sweating heavily as he felt his body running over with a fever.

Damn, I’m shot…! Am I going to give out…before dying properly? He questioned.

[Health: 550/3250]

“Nrgh…”

Dae-Mon picked himself up, swaying side-to-side with a distorted chuckle as he looked towards him, holding a shattered, lopsided jaw that naturally realigned itself.

“…I wonder how your friends are doing, Mr. Jeong-Hui?…” Dae-Mon said, caressing his own chin with a smirk.

“–” He gritted his teeth, looking on.

Dae-Mon continued to smile, “Down there, in those abhorrent swamps…I wonder? Have they met those giant worms? Or perhaps…the ‘Head Hunter’? Aha-ha! If I had to place a bet, I’d say they’re de–”

Just as the Artificial Devil smiled wide with his taunts spewing out, the floor in the center of the room was suddenly burst through by an unseen force–causing both Dae-Mon and himself to look on in shock.

“Comin’ through—!!!”

Cutting in through the flooring, a dual blade-wielding man of many scars and gelled-up, blue hair crashed through with another person on his back.

“What–?!” Dae-Mon looked on.

“Yeong-Un? Sol?!” He let out.

Yeong-Un landed on the ground, meeting back up with the vermilion-haired assassin as he set the unconscious Sol down by the wall.

It was apparent through the hole forged through the fleshy ground: just a few meters below the flooring that sat high above the swamps below, the scales of one of the hellish worms could be seen.

Dae-Mon recognized what happened instantly as a delighted smile came over his lips.

“–You came in using one of the worms?! How fantastic! Amazing!”

They ignored the crazed words after rendezvousing, looking at each other–seeing the results of the hellish war.

“What happened to you…?” He asked.

Yeong-Un was covered in lacerations, and dirtied by the gunky, crimson swamps below as his coat was lost, leaving him only in his torn mesh shirt.

The sharp-toothed young man replied sharply, “Huh?! I should be askin’ ya’ that! What’s going on with yer’ hand?!”

Of course, that was definitely a standout factor–his missing hand.

He gulped a bit, wincing as he could still feel the bubbling heat of pain surge through his body, only dulled luckily through his potent adrenaline.

“…Yeah, it’s not too bad. I’ve still got my hand,” he said, tapping his pocket, “…I can reattach it, but only if we live through this…”

“Not too bad, huh?…Yer’ a tough customer!” Yeong-Un grinned.

As he said that, they both looked on at the pink-haired Artificial Devil, who stood across the abhorrent chamber with his arms spread with a fiendish grin.

“…I’m just about dead, how about ya’?” Yeong-Un asked with a nervous grin.

“Yeah…about the same,” he responded, “I figured out how to put this guy down.”

“Huh? Ya’ did?” Yeong-Un looked at him.

He nodded, keeping his words heard only by his companion, “He’s got multiple hearts. I’ve taken our two…I don’t know how many he has in total, but I can’t imagine it’s many more.”

“Now that ya’ mention it…He does seem more hurt than before,” Yeong-Un said.

Dae-Mon morphed his arms into wing-like blades, shifting each limb into a set of three as they curved into a lengthy form honed for killing while holding his playful grin.

“What’s it you two are whispering about over there? Are you leaving me out of the fun…? No good, no good!” Dae-Mon laughed out, widening his smile.

The two stood side-to-side, only their last legs, drenched in blood of their own and not. With Sol passed out in the wall, they were the only ones that could stand now in the hellish domain.

“Ready?” He asked quietly.

“Heh! I’m as ready as ever!” Yeong-Un replied.

With that, the two dashed forward just as the Artificial Devil did the same, rushing through the grotesque, meat-made chamber.

“I’ve got no spirit left,” he said, running beside his comrade as he kept his emerald eyes forward.

“Nice of ya’ to tell me now! But…I’m just about out myself!” Yeong-Un replied, holding his blades by his side, crossing his arms over one another.

“Looks like we’re doing this the good-ol’-fashioned way, then,” he said.

“Seems like it!” Yeong-Un yelled out.

Just then, as they finished their brief discussion, they broke off into opposite directions, with him breaking to the left, and Yeong-Un to the right; they did this to throw Dae-Mon off, who swept his blade arms in an attempt to slash them.

“–Oh?! Nicely done!” Dae-Mon smiled.

As the devilish man smiled, taunting them with his facade of kindness, Yeong-Un rushed in with a roar.

“–Don’t think I forgot, ya’ bastard! I’m going to tear ya’ apart for what you did to Binna–!!1” Yeong-Un yelled out.

Dae-Mon grinned, shuffling his blade limbs apart as the steel grated across both ends, “You’re still mad about that?”

The words from the pink-haired fiend spurred a further rage from Yeong-Un, who slammed his blades towards the Artificial Devil.

CLANG.

Utilizing his shifted limbs, the devilish man blocked the dual sword strikes, grinning as he stared directly at the rage-filled adolescent.

“…So angry! Be careful, or your head will pop like a balloon! Aha-ha!”

But, that taunting confidence from Dae-Mon quickly shifted as a dagger cut into his back, stabbing in from behind.

“Ghh–?”

The vermilion-haired assassin had slammed his black-steel edge straight into the devil’s back, piercing into the corrupted flesh.

Yeong-Un jumped back, still huffing as he smiled fiercely, “…I’m in control here, not ya’! I’m pissed, but…I’m not a big enough dumbass to lose myself to that!”