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Crack. Snap. Crunch. Rustle. Squeak. Crackle. Creak. Rustle.
In the outskirts of Galos capital, within the forest, a dreadful cacophony faintly reverberated.
This was a true paradox, a resounding discord of dreadful noise, albeit faint.
However, in the world, such paradoxical occurrences were not uncommon.
As it stood now, a colossal giant lay fallen on the ground, its proportions resembling a mountain, and atop it stood a human figure, exuding an air of pride.
This tableau defied common sense, an unbelievable spectacle playing out before their eyes. Because
Monster.
Uttered one of the betrayers, the words escaping in fear and profound awe.
Who else but a monster could shatter a giants fist with bare hands, consu a Dragon Man, and bring down a giant ard only with an awl and a kitchen knife?
Monster. There was no more fitting description.
Did you not expect this?
Inquired the monster.
Did you expect that by joining forces, planning, preparing, and attacking with a readiness to die, you could defeat ?
Human-at Chefs words, sharp as a knife, pierced through the spirits of the betrayers.
Then.
Step.
You.
Step.
Have all terribly misjudged.
Aaaaaaagh!!!
With each step of impending doom, the once-disciples-turned-betrayers charged forward, their screams resembling desperate cries.
It was a natural response, for they had ventured too far to turn back now. Their only chance at survival lay in a desperate struggle to eliminate Human-at Chef. Failure to do so would an certain death at the hands of their relentless pursuer.
This truth was etched into their minds from their ti as his disciples.
However, their efforts were in vain.
Sshk
In an instant, dozens of betrayers, physically enhanced and transford into beastly forms, saw their heads simultaneously tumble to the ground with a single swing of Chefs knife through the air.
Those who survived barely comprehended what had transpired, their senses overwheld by the imdiate fear of death. They surrendered, dropping to their knees and bowing their heads.
In re minutes, the heartfelt rebellion of over a hundred participants was quashed, all at the hands of one man.
Hee, heek! Hiiiiiek!
One survivor, overco by terror, cast aside their weapon and fled. The fear, like a torrent, quickly spread to others, and the remaining few betrayers sprinted desperately to put distance between themselves and Human-at Chef.
However, their escape was halted by Chefs other disciples, who had encircled the forest.
Ah, aah
Only despair-filled breaths escaped their lips.
***
Master. Are you alright?
While Human-at Chef engaged the betrayers, his direct disciple Zhang had discreetly surrounded the forest and inquired.
When Chef had visited the restaurant in Zone 8, Zhang and the other direct disciples had rallied their forces and covertly moved into position, forming a siege as the battle unfolded, per Chefs instructions.
From start to finish, everything had been orchestrated by Chef.
Not alright My limited edition sumr shirt is ruined.
Chef examined his right sleeve, torn in the clash with the giants fist.
Cant buy it with money. Damn.
An unexpectedly light and materialistic reaction. However, Zhang and the others encircling the forest, Chefs subordinates, dared not even lift their heads, their brows glistening with sweat.
The sight of their master, who had single-handedly unraveled and dismantled the betrayers plot, was too chilling. For soone who had remained silent and unassuming for a century, the shock was even more profound.
I have five of those limited edition sumr shirts. If it pleases you, Master, I would like to offer them to you.
Last years series?
No, this years.
Ho Why?
Human-at Chef inquired as he descended from the giants head, approaching Zhang.
Surprisingly, he seed larger than the giant itself, not just in presence.
Because what belongs to the livestock belongs to the master.
Zhang knelt on one knee as he spoke, displaying utter submission.
It was a fascinating sight. Though not as formidable as Human-at Chef, Zhang had amassed considerable wealth and disciples. Yet, he referred to himself as livestock without a trace of resistance or sha.
Human-at Chef observed in silence before uttering a statent that left Zhang bewildered.
Do you wish to be livestock?
I only wish to serve the strongest.
Smart But unfortunately, I am not the strongest.
?!?!
Chefs startling proclamation sent shockwaves through everyone present. It marked the first ti that Human-at Chef had made such a declaration.
He continued, his words carrying an unusual tone.
Not many, but there are a few stronger than in this world. The Archiver, bearing a thousand years of history, is one. Puppet, too, has never shown her bottom line, and Pan cannot be ignored. He may be a lunatic with a prince complex, but he has the talent. And the Pied Piper goes without saying.
Zhang and the other disciples listened in silence, surprised by their masters willingness to acknowledge the strength of others. This was an attitude that rarely surfaced in Human-at Chefs character. Sothing was indeed different.
But soon, that will change. I will beco the strongest being in the shortest possible ti. A chosen being who can survive even the apocalypse.
Apocalypse? Zhang inquired.
Yes. When a giant hole appears at the end of the world, the clock starts ticking, and when that clock reaches the end, the apocalypse will co. Money, power, ethics, law all values known till now will beco aningless and fade away. Only the chosen beings will survive.
I have known this for hundreds of years and have been preparing for it.
Dont believe ? It doesnt matter. Whether the minuscule believes or not, the sun rises, and the apocalypse will co. As I decided hundreds of years ago, I will be among the chosen in that apocalypse, enjoying the blessings and power of eternal life. Even if the world doesnt choose , I will forcefully devour it to make it so!
Human-at Chef emphasized the final part, leaving everyone in silence.
Many apocalyptic theories had circulated in their field, but it was the first ti their master had spoken of it. Despite the overwhelming emotions that clouded their judgnt, they instinctively sensed that these were not re empty words.
Such was the nature of Human-at Chef.
Can we also survive the apocalypse?
If you beco my livestock, you might have a chance. Thats why I gathered you in the first place.
Zhang and the nurous disciples silently grasped why their master had remained in the shadows for the past century and why their organization had no na. It was all in preparation for this mont.
Human-at Chef represented the organization itself. They were nothing more than cattle or hounds in his eyes.
A harsh truth, yet they did not protest. They had witnessed the power and determination of Human-at Chef firsthand.
He had every right to treat them as livestock.
In a world dictated by the rciless law of power, he aspired to consu everything and transcend even the apocalypse.
If we truly beco your livestock can we escape the apocalypse, the death?
Dont ask for persuasion from your master as livestock. Livestock can only choose to stay within the fence or escape. If you dont have the strength, even thats useless.
But Ill make one promise. If you truly beco my livestock, starting with this city, you will beco predators devouring everything So, those who want to survive as my livestock, as predators of the world, eat the flesh of the fallen betrayers.
Human-at Chef commanded, and Zhang, leading the disciples, knelt and ingested the flesh of their forr comrades.
Flesh of those they had once called allies.
Naturally, Zhang was the first to partake of the grisly al. After chewing and swallowing, he approached Human-at Chef to speak.
Master.
Cut up the giant and keep it. Luckily, since he was skilled, his body hasnt collapsed. Wasting food is a sin.
Yes, I understand, Master
Do you have sothing to say?
Yes One thing. What should we do about the wizards of the Tower? Theyve been attacking our businesses almost every day, causing more damage than expected.
It was a valid concern. The outsiders from across the sea had allied with Milieu and, unlike Rokuri University, initiated a relentless offensive on a vastly different scale.
Perhaps they aid to break the current stalemate, but the extent of the damage had far surpassed their expectations.
Though it was now a moot point, it still exceeded their worst fears.
Lucian, that coward, is moving? I thought at best hed just find the right ti to flee What, has he found sothing to believe in? remarked Human-at Chef, his words heavy with aning as if he had a rough understanding of the situation.
The ones attacking us, including their combat style, have all been identified. Kevin Dunbara, a master and professor at the Tower, Terence Roar of the Roar family, Yareli Issai of the Issai family, and
That mongrel who disturbed my sister.
Zhang agreed, referring to the half-warlock and half-wizard.
Should we continue to respond as we have been doing, Master?
Hmm
Human-at Chef pondered, making a thoughtful noise. Timing was crucial in cooking, especially when slow cooking was involved, be it steak or stew. It was a fundantal principle, yet too many people in the world failed to grasp it.
However, excessive delay could also be problematic. Overcooking ant losing both flavor and nutrients.
Its about ti for a change. If we advance too smoothly, theyll suspect an ambush Call one of those rats from Rokuri University. Lets shake them up from the inside.
Understood.
And set up a eting with the commoner faction crocs too.
Understood But why the commoner faction?
To devour Galos, we need chaos, and thats their specialty.
***
[Firefly]
With Kevins soft incantation, the dispersed mana in the air coalesced into small clusters, creating faint flas resembling fireflies.
They bore a striking resemblance to real fireflies.
While they would have been more conspicuous at night, their brightness was minimized during the day, making them less noticeable.
Kevin, utilizing his warlock vision and pre-deployed mana detection ability, discreetly sent a swarm of these fireflies ahead.
Their destination: a wine storage facility outside Ravel, more precisely, a secondary processing plant for producing Bloody Wine.
Kevin strategically spread the fireflies throughout the building, adhering to its pre-determined structure. Once confird, he nonchalantly flicked his hand, which had been held lightly.
In response to his gesture, explosions erupted throughout the wine storage.
Boom!
Grenade-like explosions reverberated in various parts of the expansive wine storage, and the ensuing flas rapidly spread in all directions, engulfing walls, ceilings, and the floor.
Caught off guard by the sudden explosions and flas, many of the guards associated with the business let out screams as they rolled on the ground. However, so quickly utilized magic and black magic to extinguish the flas on their bodies before arming themselves with knives and axes.
This was another clear indicator that it was the handiwork of Human-at Chefs organization, just as Lucian had suggested.
Those bastards from across the sea have co here too! Where are you?!shouted one of Human-at Chefs subordinates, scanning the area with the keen eyes of a warlock. Yet, to his frustration, he found no one.
This was because Kevin and his companions were concealed beneath human skin cloaks provided by Oliver, the sa type of cloaks that Human-at Chefs disciples had used during their attack on Oliver.
Although they couldnt deceive Olivers discerning eyes, it appeared they could hoodwink the warlocks who were guarding the business. While their adversaries were bewildered and futilely scouring the area, Kevin extended his mana, seized command of the flas scattered throughout the wine storage, and manipulated them.
The small, sporadic flas, to everyones surprise, grew in size and rged into a formidable conflagration when fueled by the wizards mana and will.
Instead of precise strikes, the objective was to engulf the entire vicinity.
It wasnt a shabby approach. After all, this was the epito of fire magic.
Naturally, such a feat could only be accomplished with the synergy of the wizards ticulous mana control and a substantial reservoir of mana.
Kevin fully harnessed his talents, morphing the expanded sea of flas into a swirling vortex, intensifying the blaze as it spiraled.
As the flas moved, their ferocity astonishingly amplified, and Human-at Chefs subordinates, who had been putting up a formidable resistance with their monstrous regenerative abilities, succumbed to the augnted firepower and were largely reduced to ashes.
As Oliver had indicated, subduing Human-at Chefs underlings wasnt as arduous as initially anticipated.
All it took was inflicting damage beyond their capacity to heal.
Thats the hard part, though.
Boom!!
Just as Kevin was on the verge of sweeping the surface to redirect the flas into a concealed underground passage, a massive explosion erupted at the heart of the fiery inferno.
More accurately, it was an explosion-like impact generated by an imnsely powerful physical force.
An elephant?
Kevin muttered to himself as he witnessed a four-ter-tall monstrosity standing amidst the dissipated flas.
In a startling twist, this grotesque, four-ter-tall creature bore an elephants head atop its shoulders.
Screeeeaming!!
This abomination, whether a fusion of man and beast or a chira, emitted an elephantine bellow that eclipsed the real thing and swung a colossal hamr dwarfing a human body, bringing it down with crushing force.
The black magic imbued within the hamr fused with its sheer physical might, sending a devastating shockwave rippling through the ground, aid directly at Kevin.
Sll.
Despite being impeccably concealed, Kevin instantaneously grasped how his location had been pinpointed by the adversary.
anwhile, the advancing shockwave upheaved the ground, hurtling swiftly toward Kevin.
Tap-
Quickly recognizing the impending shockwave, Kevin employed his mana to stomp on the ground, extending his mana through the earth to create a towering stone pillar, neutralizing the force of the shockwave.
The shockwaves potency was so formidable that the massive stone pillar, resembling a substantial rock formation, disintegrated into dust and debris. Seizing this fleeting mont, soone began to chant a spell.
[Targeting]
That soone was none other than Oliver. He had been closely monitoring the situation near Kevin and now invoked Targeting upon himself, granting him the ability to transcend the laws of physics and instantaneously attach himself to the elephant-headed creature.
Screech?
The elephant-headed entity was taken aback by this unforeseen turn of events. Oliver lightly touched the creatures head with his quarterstaff and then comnced another incantation.
[Grind]
As he did so, the black suit enveloping his quarterstaff emitted a shrill sound, grinding the elephants head into pieces while it was still animated.
Zzzzzing!!
(To be Continued)
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