Chapter 33 Part2 (1/2)
<chapter 33.=”” t.i.tan=”” -=”” 2=””>
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo knew that the choices he'd made had culminated into the situation at hand. He was also well aware that sometimes, instinct trumped sound logic.
[Lv8 Eater Metafel Rerdan]
[Currently being bestowed a new karma whilst evolving to level 8. The nature of that karma is 'eating', so he can easily eat anything that interferes with the evolution process. Approaching is dangerous.]
[Your opponent cannot move for the next ten minutes.]
His intuition was telling him that fighting Metafel right now would be really stupid.
”All forces, listen up!”
[Paul Zero!]
[I await your orders, Master.]
Aside from Metafel, whose flesh was expanding and was exposing his teeth in the middle of his evolution, 'everyone' stopped from Lee s.h.i.+n Woo's booming voice.
There were some who had sensed Metafel's evolution, stopped cutting down the enemy forces, and backed off, while there were also those who hadn't noticed Metafel's evolution and continued to charge.
[Y-Your voice woke me up.]
[What exactly was I doing...]
[Is that really Sir Metafel?]
[Shut your mouth this instant! The Mercenary King I serve is nothing like that!]
What's worse, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo's shout had affected Metafel's troops as well. Though they had originally been under the effects of Metafel's absolute command skill, the circ.u.mstances of the current situation were quite unique, so they were released from the skill's effects.
If they saw Metafel now, then they wouldn't feel loyalty, they would feel sorrowful love, or perhaps nothing at all.
”We're retreating to the Giants' domain now. The battle's over!”
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo declared to no one in particular. He didn't think he'd relay his orders through such a terrible method, but even so, they needed to get out of here.
[The battle's over, you say...]
”The only thing left is my battle with him. You guys, collect all the bones and retreat from the battlefield. Right away! Hurry up!”
[U-Understood!]
No one hesitated over his orders. The battle of armies fighting against one another was over. Now all that was left was Metafel, who had eaten about 20,000 soldiers, and the thousands of remaining enemy troops that watched on stunned. There was no way they could fight anymore.
[Paul Zero, the t.i.tan...!]
”You guys retreat too. If he eats the t.i.tan's Heart, then I won't be able to save you!”
[U-Understood!]
”The loot! Don't miss a single piece of Perium! Don't leave a single thing for him!”
The enemy troops had dropped a considerable amount of Perium and bones. If Metafel was able to eat even those, then there was a chance that he would become so strong that Lee s.h.i.+n Woo wouldn't be able to handle him. Looking at Metafel now, it seemed like he would be perfectly capable of eating them.
'Would mana attacks work on him in that state?'
In order to test this theory, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo liberally infused the Breath of the Lightning G.o.d with lightning and shot it at him, but Metafel just ate it up. Even though it exploded, Metafel absorbed the resulting energy, so he couldn't do anything while Metafel was evolving. He tried shooting fire, ice, and acid to check, but they were all the same.
'...He won't be like that after his evolution. At least, I have to hope for that.'
This was what resulted from translating the word 'eater' into karma. It made sense that Metafel's form had changed and he had become such a fearsome monster.
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo shook as he saw cracks form on Metafel's fat body, and in between those cracks, rotten tongues and teeth burst out. He was much happier being a skeleton, thank you very much.
”s.h.i.+n Woo, there's something I'll do for you before I leave.”
”That guy can eat any and all magic right now, so what do you intend to do?”
”Even so, I feel like I can slow down his evolution. I think I can slow it by a few hours!”
Kratia was likewise desperate. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo saw her a.s.similate her orb and begin an incantation for a spell. Then, he looked at the enemy forces... to be exact, the remaining 6,700 troops of the Imperial Army. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo's black goblin fire calmly looked them over... and the flames swayed as if he were feeling bitter.
”Are you guys just going to sit there?”
[We're still fighting. Don't listen to him!]
[H-However, right now...]
They were well aware that the only reason they had survived was because Metafel had begun his evolution before he could finish eating them all. When he was finished evolving, he would come to finish the job.
”Why are you hesitating?”
[We are...]
[What should we do...?]
”At the very least, I'm sure that if you stay there, Metafel will eat you all.”
[...]
It seemed as though the two level 7 Corps Commanders couldn't run away and were already eaten by Metafel, but there were still some level 6 elites remaining. There were a significant number of level 5s and level 4s as well. However, they were all fl.u.s.tered, as they didn't know what to do in their current situation.
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo could understand how they felt. He even felt sorry for them. It was quite tragic to see their loyalty, which extended even after death, resulting in something like this.
”Your only mistake was following the wrong person. The Empire sent you guys here so that you could be food for him. You were used. It would've been better if you had been used as chess pieces, but instead, you were used as food. How pitiful.”
[How can that be!?]
[Don't you dare insult His Majesty!]
[The Empire wouldn't abandon us...]
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo lied, but this time, he turned out to be right. The voices of those who refuted his claims were weak. Then again, it made sense; how could they stay strong when their general who lead them thus far began to eat them?
”I'll give you a chance. It's your last chance to choose your own destiny. ...Follow me.”
[...]
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo's voice resounded, reaching the remains of the Imperial Army. He wondered whether it would work or not, but now that their connection with their general had been cut, he felt like he had a chance.