Chapter 338 - All-Out Attack: Darkness Close

"Don't stop; attack however you want--I'll follow your lead, friend."

"Yeah." 

Ren agreed to Jae-Seong's plan as they both prepared for their confrontation with the horrifying Marquis; watching as the integrity of the magical shield began to crack, that confrontation was nearing--quickly. 

Maybe he was trying to distract himself from the impending confrontation, but he brought his eyes to the stationary, colossal fiend still squatting down in the center of the daunting chamber. 

"It doesn't seem like the big one is moving."

Making this judgment, Ren's statement brought Jae-Seong's eyes to it, who nodded in agreement, "Seems like it. I guess we can just thank whatever gods are left in this world for that."

"...So, do you think defeating him will release us from this place?"

It was the main question on Ren's mind--one he pointed to the ears of the other three, who remained silent for a moment before Yuri answered for him. 

"Most likely." 

Most likely? Ren thought. 

He understood though that she wasn't the type to blindly guarantee things; with a clear goal in mind, he drew in a guiding breath. 

Come on, ability, if there's any time to awaken--it's right now! Ren thought. 

It was the moment it fully shattered; the moment a wave of pungent air swept across his skin--Ren dashed forward in that moment between moments, passing by Sicarius and Yuri both, with his hand extended towards the Marquis of Rot's abdomen. 

Shout it, Ren. Yell it out for them, scream it for her! He thought. 

"Araphel: Tyrant Lance!"

Manifesting as quick as the incantation parted from his lips, his spiraling, shadowy mana spun with a deathly intensity--coiling out from his extended hand like a gripless lance plucked from the underworld. 

Pushing forward, he gritted his teeth as he pressed the intensely spinning drill formed of dark mana directly against the stomach of Liben, who gasped out as if shocked the attack even landed. 

"...It's not...rotting away?! Oh…! But, of course…! You're one with the dark!" 

Liben stammered out before being blown back by the force of Tyrant Lance, bouncing off the ground a few times--though he wasn't home free as Jae-Seong didn't let up for a moment on the open opportunity. 

"This is for rotting my perfect fist, you ugly bastard!"

Jae-Seong yelled out as he thrust his fist downwards towards the malnourished, scarred man's chest with lethal force--though he didn't allow his fist to draw near the Marquis' flesh, instead allowing the compressed air pressure do the work for him. 

"Gyuh!"

The Marquis spit out saliva as the sharp air taking the shape of Jae-Seong's fist smashed against his bony chest. It was just a single punch, but it managed to cave in the ground beneath the Marquis' back as the others watched anxiously. 

I'm not letting up yet! Jae-Seong thought. 

A barrage of these same, half-thrown fists sent a flurry of condensed air thundering down upon the Marquish, who was pinned down against the trembling ground in the wake of this burst of attacks. 

"Away with you…!"

Resisting the flurry of blows, the Marquis of Rot yelled out in between gasps as a shockwave propelled from his body; Jae-Seong only narrowly managed to evade it, jumping to the side as he could sense the miasma lacing the blast of air. 

"That was close. I got quite the beating in on you though, you freak."

Jae-Seong taunted the Marquis with a smile, watching as the frail, malnourished man slowly rose back to his feet with a smile of his own soon returning. 

"...If a group fight is what you'd like--I'll indulge your wishes. I'll make them come true...yes...yes...I will! I will!"

The Marquis cackled as he exhibited his wingspan once more, this time conjuring a rumbling throughout the grimy, sable ground formed of what smelled like decaying flesh. Rising from the sticky, repugnant ground was a sore sight; Reverse Walkers spawned from Liber's command. 

"...Are all of the Marquis crazy bastards like you?" 

Ren asked as he took to Jae-Seong's side, now able to look at the Marquis of Rot without his stomach urging him to release bile. 

"Crazy? If you mean bathed in as much love as me, soaked in it, lathered with it!...Then I can't say that's quite the case, no."

The Marquis' tone dropped as if taking the question very seriously, all the while caressing his own sides with his blood-soaked hands. 

"...So, you're the crazy one of the bunch, huh? Just our luck." 

"Ren, stay focused." 

Jae-Seong's words kept the young man on the tip of his toes in this battle; coming in to handle the plethora of Reverse Walkers, Sicarius and Yuri began to cut and blast them away--though their numbers were great. 

"We've got this covered; get the Marquis!"

Yuri commanded as her cannons blew through a pair of the lanky, inhuman fiends--painting the accursed walls with chunks of charcoal meat. 

Without saying a word, the infamous assassin was already carving through the seemingly endless fiends as if he was right back at home. 

"It seems like your dark magic was something he wasn't accounting for. Maybe that's the silver lining here--our one ticket out."

Keeping his eyes on the Marquis, Jae-Seong spoke to Ren without turning his gaze to his ally. Ren didn't quite understand it himself, but he nodded his head in agreement as he kept his blade sheathed--this time foregoing weapons as magic was his one tool against the Marquis. 

"Right. I'll give it everything I've got!"

I can finish it right here, right now, he thought.

With that yell that proclaimed a possibility of triumph, he dashed forward with an unseen Shadowstep--blindsiding the Marquis as he appeared directly behind the fiendish man with another spell already prepared. 

"Araphel: Void Piercer!"

The incantation spurred from his lips before Liber could even react; spawning from Ren's extended hand was a massive, sable lance intertwined with dense, dark magic that released deathly fumes. 

You're finished! He thought. 

Tossing it forward, Ren hurled the dark lance at point blank range as the sharp tip sunk right through the Marquis' back of scarred flesh; with ease, it dug right through his back, piercing through the other side of his body as the Marquis of Rot hurled a wave of blackened blood from his bowels. 

"...What a delicious change, Ren Nakamura." 

Despite having the lance as thick as his head piercing through his midsection, Liber turned his head back to an unnatural degree to speak to the young man. 

Ren tried to ignore the Marquis' words, but he continued speaking nonetheless--a man who paid no heed to what others thought. 

"You once tried to stay your hand, resolving yourself not to kill, not to become twisted--not to become depraved. But, look! You've every intention of mercilessly slaughtering me, don't you? Don't you? It's so beautiful; the changes you've gone through...It's just as we had wished. She'll be so happy. So, so, so, so, so happy! I can't wait any longer! I must bring you to her! I must reunite you with her! Come! Come! Come!"

The Marquis' words began to come out slurred as he rapidly shook his head while sable blood continued to pour from his mouth. 

Hearing this, Ren fell to a still as he couldn't even process what it was the crazed man was ranting about--though one part stuck true. 

...I didn't hesitate…? I chose to kill him without thinking twice…? Why did I do that? How the hell does he know so much about me anyway?! He thought. 

"...Let us part from this festival of death, Ren Nakamura!" 

Catching the young man off guard, the Marquis lurched forward, freeing himself from the intrusive lance as a massive hole now existed through his gut. It was with those wretched hands that bore the absolute authority over rot that the Marquis reached towards Ren with, holding a twisted grin as his tongue flailed from his mouth. 

"Hyaah!"

Before Liber's palm could unite with Ren's frozen expression, Jae-Seong's fist collided with the air--sending another blast of malicious, sharpened wind crashing against the Marquis' cheekbone harshly. 

"...Nice save!"

Ren complimented his ally, receiving a quick thumbs-up from Jae-Seong as the two watched as the Marquis of Rot landed harshly against the ground before standing himself back up only moments later. 

"He looks like just a pile of skin and bones, but he's a tough bastard, I'll tell you that. I hit him with enough power to shatter a wall of steel. Still...I can't imagine a hole through his gut is something he can just shrug off."

Jae-Seong muttered, wiping the grime that accumulated on his hands from the time spent in Hell's Hell. The grim-layered environment, surrounded by nothing but death itself, wasn't exactly the best location to fight in--at least, that was the consensus between Ren and Jae-Seong. 

"I'd like to believe that...but this guy doesn't seem to follow the norm." 

Ren found his own words confirmed as Liber still held that smile despite the gaping hole in his gut that was now paired with the side of his face being caved in from the earlier punch. 

"...It seems I've had a bit too much fun. Yes, too much...Ciguapa, play with them." 

The Marquis let his arms hang lip as without any warning, the umbilical cord that was tethered only be a strand of hanging flesh reeled him in rapidly before the others could react; as he had arrived, he returned--Liber was pulled into the bowels of the statuesque colossal. 

"What the hell was all that about?" 

Ren asked Jae-Seong before looking at Yuri and Sicarius who were still handling the Reverse Walkers without much trouble. 

"It seems to me he is tagging out."

The answer from Jae-Seong guided the white-haired young man's eyes to the same spot his companion watched; the colossal entity made of patchworked, rotten flesh began to move once more as its circular head rotated clockwise. 

"...It's just one thing after another, isn't it?"

Ren spoke under his breath as he watched the gargantuan fiend unravel itself to stand up; it's lengthy arms of mismatched flesh of varying colors drooped down at its sides, connected by chains between its biceps and forearms.