Wildness and Masks-Chapter 98 – Macal’s strength

The sound of collision echoed again, but this time, Macal's evasive maneuver left the bulky man striking nothing but air.

Well, not entirely nothing.

At least he shattered the headless corpse of the snake-man.

"You'll pay for this!"

The bulky man, drenched in his comrade's green blood, glared at Macal with bloodthirsty eyes.

He hadn't expected that in just a single encounter, his 'brother' would fall at the hands of this Paladin of Dawn.

"Now it's your turn to face judgment!"

The flames on Macal's body hadn't dissipated, shielding him from the splattering green blood of the snake-man's exploding corpse. He raised his sword and charged again.

"Ah!" The bulky man didn't dodge or evade, charging forward with a roar like a terrifying bear.

Clang—!

The sound of metal clashing rang out as the Battle Qi-enhanced sword successfully pierced the bulky man's body under Macal's control.

However... the expected breakthrough didn't occur.

The moment Macal's sword entered the bulky man's body—it got stuck!

'Alloy Hardening!'

Macal realized the bulky man's other ability and immediately released his grip, abandoning the sword and leaping aside to dodge.

'Even harder than I imagined... even with bloodline sorcery enhancement, it shouldn't be this hard—could it be that this guy's forbidden potion was made from the Steel Armored Demon Spider?!'

Aside from the legendary seven Sequence Potions that could lead to godhood, forbidden potions were always a gamble in terms of power acquisition.

Generally, the abilities gained were determined by the demon beast crystal core in the potion formula and the user's own aptitude.

There was an old saying in the Black Market—when you choose a potion, the potion also chooses you.

Clearly, the bulky man before him had a high compatibility with the forbidden potion he consumed.

This was why Macal had chosen the snake-man as his first target.

"You! Must! Die!"

Having failed in his attack, the bulky man turned to lock onto Macal once more, his body undergoing another transformation.

First, his eyes turned blood-red.

Then, dense black hair burst from his skin.

"Roar—!"

Finally, with a roar, four fleshy tumors grew from his sides and back, accompanied by a squelching sound—he now had four additional black arms.

The transformation was completed in an instant.

'He's turning into a demon beast?!'

Macal's heart sank. He had missed the best opportunity to attack due to his shock, worsening the situation.

Demonization was a sign of wizards losing control after consuming forbidden potions.

In this state, their rationality and personality would completely tilt towards the demon beast side, becoming bloodthirsty and frenzied, with their power increasing in the process.

This was one of the reasons the Empire strictly prohibited the existence of wizards.

It could be said that these wizards were even more unstable than mutants.

Of course, demonization wasn't something that happened easily. After all, those who consumed forbidden potions didn't want to become beasts.

"Roar! Die, die!" The bulky man, now a humanoid spider, bared his fangs and, with six arms, pulled out the sword embedded in him.

Then, without hesitation, he lunged at Macal.

His speed and agility were far superior to before.

'Damn, without a weapon, I can't break through his defense... I need to find his weakness.' Knowing he was outmatched, Macal didn't hesitate to dodge and ran towards the village.

Seeing his attacks miss repeatedly, the humanoid spider grew furious. It stood up, spread its six arms, and revealed its navel.

Splat—!

A massive sticky web shot towards Macal.

Sizzle—

Flames erupted, but Macal remained unhindered. The Battle Qi flames on his body were not just for show.

The flames of Dawn Battle Qi could selectively burn at the user's will, making them the nemesis of webs!

'I hope Miss Geling is safe.' Macal broke free from the web and looked ahead.

He couldn't let this creature near Geling.

The only place to go was the village.

"Bandits, prepare to meet your second-in-command." Macal shouted towards the village.

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He had thought of a way to deal with this creature.

But Macal didn't notice that a bat had been watching him for some time.

...

'Can Macal handle it?'

Ogre had witnessed the entire battle.

But he couldn't effectively intervene.

Firstly, the distance was too great, and throwing or shooting arrows wouldn't be effective.

Secondly, the battle was happening too quickly, making it hard for Ogre to find an opportunity to step in.

Moreover, he lacked a suitable weapon.

'Should I leave?'

Ogre pondered...

Given the current situation, staying far away might be the best option. Macal wouldn't be distracted by his absence.

And to be brutally honest, whether Macal lived or died didn't really affect Ogre.

If he joined the fight... it seemed like a decision with all risks and no benefits.

Riding away on the drake-blooded horse seemed like the optimal choice.

After a moment, Ogre looked towards the village.

"Forget it... since I encouraged Carl, I have to take responsibility. Let's do it for Aunt Mima."

Ogre touched his forehead—where Fra had left a protective enchantment.

Then he glanced at the sword lying on the ground.

...

"Stay away!"

The marauders blocking the path and the fleeing bandits couldn't escape Macal's pursuit.

Even when Macal didn't make a move, the humanoid spider following him could tear them to pieces.

Under Macal's maneuvering, the bandit minions were quickly cleared out.

But the villagers still didn't dare to approach.

Because there was still a monstrous spider rampaging.

"Everyone, leave here quickly!"

Macal waved his hand, releasing a burst of Battle Qi flames to burn away the ropes binding the villagers.

"Sir Knight..."

Most of the villagers were eager to leave, but a few rescued ones still looked at the Paladin of Dawn.

They seemed to be hoping for something.

"Everyone, leave here quickly. You can't help me by staying!" Macal dodged another pounce from the humanoid spider while warning the villagers.

He was searching for a trap to bury the spider.

Soon, Macal had a target.

It was—the haystack and the well!

'Thankfully, this creature isn't agile when turning.'

Strength doesn't always decide everything, at least not when it's not overwhelming.

In his first encounter with the bulky man, Macal noticed his slow turning.

Even after mutating into a giant spider, this issue remained unresolved—after all, no matter how much demonization enhanced him, it couldn't instantly erase weaknesses.

Though Macal could feel the creature becoming more agile.

But a weakness is a weakness, and as long as it can be exploited, there's a chance to trap and kill!

And its diminished intelligence was Macal's key to victory!

"Die, die, eat, hungry, no, die—!"

To Macal's surprise, the humanoid spider slowed down among the bandit corpses.

It seemed to be struggling between its hunger for flesh and its locked hatred.

This greatly slowed its speed.

'Is it instinct struggling with personality...'

Macal realized the reason for its slowing and used his foot to flick a nearby fallen weapon into his hand.

Then, raising his hand, he threw it with force—a flying knife!

Whoosh—!

Under Macal's throw, the long knife became a flying knife, slicing through the air with flames towards the humanoid spider.

Clang—

Unlike before, the humanoid spider chose to dodge the 'flame knife.'

'It fears fire.' Macal felt reassured.

Previously, its bare flesh was as tough as metal, impervious to burning.

Now, with its body covered in fur, it seemed vulnerable to fire.

Even if it couldn't be burned to death, it could still suffer some damage.

"Die, hungry, kill!"

But it seemed this provocation made the consciousness within the humanoid spider reach a consensus—abandoning the flesh and charging straight at Macal.

'This is what I've been waiting for.'

Macal calmly waited for it to leap, and just as it was about to make contact, he jumped aside, narrowly avoiding the pounce.

The humanoid spider, carried by its momentum, kicked up debris and crashed into the haystack Macal had prepared for it.

"Burn!" Macal clenched his fingers in mid-air, and the haystack erupted into a blazing inferno.

Flames shot skyward.

The humanoid spider let out a monstrous howl in the flames.

It seemed the massive blaze had caused it significant harm.

'Unfortunately, this creature isn't classified as a dark entity...' Macal landed steadily and looked back at the blazing scene—the humanoid spider wasn't dead.

The Dawn Battle Qi's holy fire dealt massive damage to dark creatures.

But against this half-human, half-demon beast, the damage was less than ideal.

"Beast, I'm over here."

Macal didn't expect this move to kill it, but his goal was already achieved—the creature wouldn't be able to see or smell for a while.

"Ah! Pain! Die!"

The humanoid spider emerged from the flames, following the sound of that annoying voice in a rage.

The sticky white flames not only ignited its entire body but also exploded its gland sacs—this was the source of its agony.

"You can't catch me."

The disoriented humanoid spider couldn't successfully target Macal, who easily dodged its pounce, even more so than before.

And he had room to taunt it.

This drove the flaming humanoid spider into a frenzy, hating that voice, furious, wanting to tear that person apart.

Driven by emotions and instincts, the humanoid spider forgot fear—for in its mind, it was not only the prey's taunt but also the enemy of hatred.

"Shah! Die! Roar!"

The humanoid spider's voice mixed with beastly and human howls, sounding eerie and terrifying.

Whoosh—!

Macal wielded a hayfork and, at the moment it opened its mouth, threw it with force.

The hayfork pierced through the air, accurately stabbing into the humanoid spider's mouth.

Splat—

Purple blood spurted out, and under Macal's full-force throw, one end of the hayfork successfully lodged into the humanoid spider's gaping maw, breaking through its defense...

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

Most creatures' mouths aren't covered in tough skin.

The humanoid spider was no exception.

But unfortunately, its head was too small, and not all three prongs of the hayfork entered its mouth.

But the pain was enough to drive it even more insane.

"I'm here!" Macal's voice came from afar.

Giving the humanoid spider a target to attack.

Then, it pulled out the hayfork and launched an attack.

'Beast is still a beast... if you had run, I would've had a hard time chasing you.'

Macal smirked.

This time, he didn't even bother to dodge, simply pushing away the stones blocking the well's opening.

Then, he invited it into the trap!

"Roar—ah!"

The humanoid spider lunged, carrying immense force, and slid precisely into the well Macal had prepared.

Splash—

With the sound of water, the humanoid spider fell into the well.

Crack—!

This sound was only audible to the humanoid spider itself—it was the sound of its body cracking.

The water extinguished the flames on its body.

But the sudden change from hot to cold made its body incredibly fragile—the sword wound Macal had inflicted earlier now became a gaping wound, a fatal weakness.

"Roar!" The humanoid spider's survival instincts were fully awakened.

It struggled to cause destruction around it.

But the water restricted its power, and trapped in the deep well, it couldn't struggle, only flailing in panic, using its not fully devolved hands to grip the well walls.

"Die!" But Macal wouldn't let it succeed.

He grabbed a stone and threw it down with force.

Thud—

The stone collided with the humanoid spider.

The stone shattered—but its tough skin also cracked.

This blow also knocked the humanoid spider, which had been climbing up, back into the well, forcing it to gulp down several mouthfuls of water.

Then... this process repeated several times.

Each time it tried to escape, Macal would strike it, and eventually, it lost its strength.

Purple blood flowed from its body—it was close to death.

Finally.

In its final moments, its blood-red eyes regained a hint of clarity.

'Am I going to die? So hungry...' The humanoid spider felt its life slipping away.

At that moment, it finally realized the end of its life, and memories of its past began to surface.

'Why did they drive me away? I just wanted to eat...'

'Can you give me food?'

'I understand, either they live, or I survive.'

'Why... do you hate me too...'

'Thank you... I'm full, what did you give me to drink...'

'So hungry, why are you all gone...'

'Wizard, I don't know what's happening, I'm only nine... as long as you feed me, I'm yours. Anyone who hurts me or you, I'll kill them!'

'Big Sister, Second Brother, thank you, you're good people...'

'Second Brother, aren't you hungry? Then I'll start eating...'

'Hahaha, I'm the third-in-command, good...'

'What are you afraid of, he's just one person!'

'Second Brother! I'll avenge you!'

'Sorry, Second Brother... I'm so useless... I'm still so hungry...'

Finally, the light left his eyes, and he sank into the well...

Never to feel hunger again.

...