After about ten minutes Esther finally stopped harassing me.

She released my collar.

“So now what?”

“What do you mean?”

I brushed my coat lightly.

“The captain just saw that you were here. He’s probably preparing right now.”

The air around us was gloomy… the clouds were gray and I could see lightning in the distance. The city was completely silent except for the noises of armor clanking. The heavy footsteps of the city’s soldiers.

I started walking down the barren streets. Esther reached her hand out toward me.

“Esther, you should probably get out of here. I’ve got this alright?”

I looked back and waved at her. Trying to ease her thoughts. Did it work? No idea.

However, after that fight with Four. There was no way I would put her in danger again. I still don’t have [Heaven’s Barrier] nor enough mana to use it, and against Goldwill it would most likely survive three to four strikes. 

If I’m lucky.

“Now before I get too reckless let me at least know what skills I’ll be able to use…”

“Stratum.”

————————————

Name: Cynical

Species: Regulus Slime

Level: 63

Rank: A

EXP: 93,274/324,568

————————————

[Titles]

‘World Ender’

‘Monster in Human Clothing’

‘Otherworlder’

‘Magician’s Crusade’

‘Darkest Monster’

————————————

[Stat Points]

Strength: 269

Speed: 262

Perception: 268

Health: 250,000

Mana: 424

Intelligence: 134

Wisdom: 102

Luck: 65

Remaining Points: 0

————————————

[Skills]

||Passive:||

-Quick Learner, MAXED; 

-Sentient Mind, MAXED; 

-Chantless, MAXED; 

-Language Master, Lvl 18; 

||Active:||

-Absorption, Lvl 29; 

-Form Shift, Lvl 34; 

-Spell Creation, Lvl 20; 

-Storage, Lvl 12; 

-Sword Bolt, Lvl 6; 

-Fireball, Lvl 14; 

-Stealth, Lvl 12; 

-Mana Control, Lvl 9; 

-Heaven’s Barrier, Lvl 0; 

-Water Shot, Lvl 1; 

-Mind’s Eye, Lvl 12; 

-Body Split, Lvl 13; 

-Expansion, Lvl 10; 

-Vocalize, Lvl 1; 

-Chainsaw, Lvl 6; 

-Teleport, Lvl 2; 

-Flight, Lvl 4; 

-Transfer, Lvl 3; 

-Variant Break (4/999); 

————————————

What would even be good against Goldwill? I have [Flight] but in a fight against him it would probably hurt more than it could help. [Teleport] will be good for making distance. [Water Shot] and [Fireball] will be good enough for my main attacks. 

||NOTICE: Skill [Form Shift] has gone past Level 30! Would you like to merge related Skills to make an Ultimate Skill?||

“What?”

“Sure.”

||WARNING: [Form Shift], [Absorption], [Body Split], [Expansion], [Mind’s Eye], and [Chainsaw] will be removed from your Skill List and merged into a new Passive Skill.||

||NOTICE: Commencing Skill Merging.||

||...||

||...||

||...||

||NOTICE: Skill Merging Successful!||

||Skill Acquired: Integral Requisite!||

[Integral Requisite]? So does that mean I can just do everything like before… but I don’t have to activate a skill for it?

“That makes things easier now doesn’t it?”

I instantly formed a crimson blade and swung it toward a house. I reabsorbed the sword and kept walking. The wall of the house splitting within a few seconds after I left.

“Ode. Would you say I’m ready~?”

<Hard to say… we don’t know how the captain fights. It’s at least a good start.>

“Where’s Six and Four?”

<Six is reading his manga still, and Four is now sleeping on a couch behind me.>

“Wasn’t he in bed before?”

<He came to watch what you were doing and fell asleep almost immediately.>

Ah-

Of course he did.

I kept walking as the sky above me grew darker. I could see the city’s center plaza now. Goldwill was facing away from me talking to some of the nearby knights. I saw a knight point toward me, as Goldwill turned around. His right hand was on his buster sword’s hilt. I’m not even going to lie he looked menacing as fuck.

I felt his killing intent grow… which to describe is kind of like an eerie feeling. It sends cold shivers down your back and you feel your body stiffen a little. 

Well if he wants to play like that, I’ll just do the same thing back~

||VOCALIZE||

A loud engine-like sound started emanating from me… my expression turned serious as I started to form a crimson sword in my right hand. My red eyes started to glow as the ‘01’ in my eye made slightly electrical currents.

“Fall back. I’ll handle him.”

Goldwill motioned the other knights to move to a safer location as he drew his buster sword. He took a stance as the clouds rumbled above us.

“So Goldwill. Ya miss me~?”

“Why would I miss you?”

I smiled at him. 

“Well I’ve been Percide for the last two weeks, wouldn’t you miss me by now? We’re practically friends at this point.”

I could tell he didn’t really like my comment.

Not that I was entirely wrong though.

“I can’t deny you did things for us that were better than anything Percide would have done. However, I can’t let a Regulus monster like you run around freely. As captain of the knights I must kill you here and now.”

“Why are you trying to act righteous? It’s repulsive.” I said coldly.

I started walking toward him, a cyan sigil appearing on my left hand.

Goldwill noticed and immediately pulled up his buster sword in defense. I swiped my hand sending three “rock” bullets flying toward him. Two of them hit his sword and fell while one wedged itself into his left forearm. 

He winced for a second before flipping his sword around and dashing toward me. I had to give it to him, he was extremely fast. 

I swiftly kicked my sword up and blocked a blow from his buster sword. It was insanely heavy making one of my knees buckle and slam to the ground.

||TELEPORT||

I warped behind him and slashed diagonally down toward his back, in that instant he flipped around deflecting my blade. He then came back and did a sideways slash cutting my body in half.

Yeah.

At this point I don’t think I’m winning.

I tried reconnecting my body, but Goldwill was one step ahead of me and now cut my body vertically. 

“Ode! It’s getting a little tight here-”

||FIREBALL; MODIFICATION, PURPLE FLAMES OF HELL||

I used my falling right hand to make a fireball and shot it at Goldwill to make him create some distance. The house to my left getting completely obliterated and glowing bright with purple flames. During that time I regenerated my body from the top left. The rest of my body fell to the ground as I quickly jumped back, my feet sliding against the ground.

“Holy shit man…”

<Cyn you good?>

“Barely… this guy is insane.”

I saw Goldwill getting into a stance again.

“Ode I can call a variant out to come help me right? Right?!”

“Can I get Four out?!”

<Uhh.>

Ode turned to his right… Four was still sleeping on the couch.

<Out of commission.>

“What?!”

Goldwill dashed toward me again, swiping his sword sideways. I jumped, pulling my entire body up as fast as possible to dodge the sword. It passed by me only to do a back slash and send me flying into a building.

I was laying on the floor of the building's second story. My legs dangling out of the hole Goldwill created. I looked up and flipped Ode off with a straight face knowing he could see it.

I sat up and shook my head.

“How about Six then?”

⊰───────•✦•───────⊱⊰───────•✦•───────⊱⊰───────•✦•───────⊱

Ode turned toward Six. 

“Six. You're up.”

“Do I have-”

“Yes.”

…

“Fine.”

Six stood up and cracked his wrists.

“In return you’re getting me the next issue of ‘Anomalous’ alright?”

Ode sighed.

“Yeah yeah. Now go before Cyn gets killed.”

“Yes sir…”

“Cyn, Six is ready.”

Ode turned back toward Six again.

“If you try extra hard I’ll give you three issues-”

Six’s eyes lit up.

“Th-three?!”

⊰───────•✦•───────⊱⊰───────•✦•───────⊱⊰───────•✦•───────⊱

I felt a tingling feeling in my hand when my slime shifted and shot a black orb with a yellow-gold ‘06’ carved into it.

“So this is my backup huh?”

I walked to the edge of the building and threw the orb as hard as I could toward Goldwill who was already in another stance. His buster sword to his left side. The orb shot through the air as it quickly expanded into Six’s body. His feet connected to the ground and a dark shadow pulled his feet in making him accelerate past Goldwill’s side. Six instantly made his [Shadow Blade] and sliced at the armor on Goldwill’s hip. Six took a quick turn around as his feet emerged from the shadow. A small nick was in Goldwill’s armor as he straightened himself up.

“Is that all he’s got? You were seriously struggling One?”

I looked at him as the captain slammed his sword into the ground. He cracked his knuckles before turning toward Six.

Six’s head started sliding…

“Huh-?”

His head fell off and hit the ground.

“As you were saying?”

Goldwill looked even more pissed off than before.

“Uh- um… why is my head on the ground?”

I’m so happy I’m not Six right now.

I felt the killing intent rising even higher as Goldwill picked his sword up again.

“If there is more than one of you. Then that makes it even more crucial that I kill you now.”

Uh…

“Hey Ode… um… I don’t think we can do this.”