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The Octet Roars
At that moment, the amount of soul that flowed into me was the largest yet.
I had devoured his “flash”, some of his halberd, armor, and even some of his soul after I gave Gozu a deep wound on his shoulder. My body shuddered due to the continual level-ups.
Feeling the new surge of power, the smile on my face naturally got bigger.
When I dealt with Klimt, I deliberately avoided killing him, but I don’t need to do that against Gozu. I just have to keep on going like this and slice his heart, devouring his entire soul――When such a thought crossed my mind,
*Tug*, both of my wrists were grabbed.
It was the work of Gozu after he had let go of his halberd.
The power that’s attempting to shake my blade off and the power that’s pushing the blade forward clashed.
This contest of power did not last long.
「Chi!」
I clicked my tongue as the bones of my hands cracked.
Gozu was not only trying to push my blade back, he was trying to crush my arms on the spot as well. Despite suffering a deep wound, his physical strength was still greater than mine.
I determined that the bones in my wrist will snap at this rate, but I did not think about retreating.
There is no beast that will easily let go of its prey when it has already sunk its teeth into its neck.
I don’t care if one or two of my arms break. If I can eat his soul then it’s more than worth it.
After all, regenerating my wrists here would be nothing compared to the time I reconstructed my eaten limbs.
「Ug…..Guuhh!」
As I struggled physically with Gozu who had his hands on my wrists, painful sounds came out of his mouth when the blade that was dug into his shoulder shook.
That’s right, it’s not like I need to beat him in a contest of brute strength. Just moving my body a little bit will cause him severe pain. His grip on me will weaken if I keep on doing it. I will be able to push my blade in further once that happens. Even if my wrists are crushed before that, I can regenerate them as much as I want.
I can devour his soul.
That’s because Mitsurugi Sora is someone who can beat Gozu Cima!
When I was about to shake my blade more in joy――――Suddenly, without any prior signs, it happened.
『RuuuuooOOOoooh!!』
The sky, the ground, the people, the streets, everything trembled greatly. The pressure and animosity behind that scream made my body and mind shudder intensely.
Then, before I could even think about what that was, it happened again.
『KuuooOOOoo!!』
「Ugh?!」
「Aghh?!」
An agonizing sound came from both me and Gozu at the same time.
My heartbeat was going crazy. Sweat wouldn’t stop flowing out.
What is going on?
A beast’s howl? But a mere beast’s voice shouldn’t make me feel like this.
The screams and cries that are coming from all over Ishka show how serious this situation is. This is already on the scale of a large area spell――When I thought up to there, it happened again.
『GiiiiiiiiIIIIIiiiiii!!』
「Shit, what the hell is happening?!」
I want to distance myself from Gozu desperately. I can’t fight in this condition.
Gozu seems to be thinking the same thing too, as he immediately let go of the restraint he had on my hands.
Confusion was showing on my face. Even if I want to do something about this, I don’t know what this roar is or where it’s coming from. There is nothing I can do.
Then, it was at that moment,
「……Master!」
A familiar voice reached my ears. That voice was filled with anguish, but it was not trembling.
When I looked in the direction the voice came from, I saw Lunamaria’s figure and instinctively let out a sigh of relief.
I had no idea where Lunamaria was ever since I came back to Ishka. Miroslav had only mentioned Suzume and Ciel, so I had no idea what happened to her.
It’s all good if she’s just not home, but Klimt can turn someone to ashes with his soul equipment if he felt like it. I could not shake off the feeling of unease from that possibility.
I’m happy that such worry was proven unnecessary. I really am.
However, I can’t say the same for the existence of Lidelle, the guild receptionist who Lunamaria is lending her shoulder to.
Seriously, what is going on?
Regardless of the questions I have, Lunamaria opened her mouth to inform me first,
「It’s a dragon, master. This howl belongs to a dragon」
「This is a dragon’s…?」
「Yes. Every time a dragon howls, the howl will penetrate your ears, pierce your skull, and damage your soul. That’s what’s known as a Dragon Roar. It was something I learned from a forest elder」
Lunamaria’s voice was serious. I have no reason to doubt a sage’s words after hearing the roars just now.
Not to mention that I’ve been making trips everywhere to deal with a multiheaded dragon known as the hydra.
The reason the hydra’s poison was flowing in the Kale River was because of its revival. Now everything truly makes sense.
The problem is the hydra’s roar probably came from the deepest parts of the Titis forest, yet it’s affecting Ishka this much when the forest is so far away.
In the meantime, the 4th roar echoed.
Everyone had no choice other than to endure it silently.
――After that, 4 more dragon roars attacked Ishka.
Due to the octet roars, about half the people living in Ishka had lost their consciousness. Some infants, elderly, and sick people had lost their lives just like that as well.
Even amongst the people who were able to barely remain conscious, some were cowering, some had a blank look on their faces, and some were running around screaming――Over half of them had lost their minds.
It wasn’t just humans, most of the livestock were running wild in fear, spurring on the chaos.
In just one day――no, in just several minutes after the octet roars, Ishka had lost its ability to function as a city.
Moreover, there were far more casualties at the defense line that’s closer to the forest of Titis than Ishka is.
……Anyone can see that the fate of Ishka was already hanging by a thread.