Chapter 172 - But Still My Enemy (Patreon)

“What are they doing? Demon summoning?”

Viers plus four of the Blood Church were observing Green Scorpion and the gang. Both sides were all far from any settlement, near one of the giant Rank 4 monsters, Putrepos Skunk.

The monster’s decaying presence turned the area into a wasteland devoid of flora and fauna. Dead trees, animal bones, and dusty earth but somehow the Gardeners made a thirty meters wide strange garden in the middle of it.

The plants and flowers were abnormal-looking. Bizarre-shaped fungi, meat-like trunks, colorful moss, and the garden was gradually expanding.

“Demon summoning is impossible here. We’ve tried.”

Dorren -Lord Ultimate- replied Viers’ question.

“Rituals of some sort. They really like doing rituals, it seems. Well, we’re far enough from the big monster so some ruckus will not disturb it. Preemptive strike?”

“Ambushing them is the right call but we’re too far for any attack to be effective,” one of the Blood said.

“That means we need to get closer… I don’t like the idea of stepping foot in that sickly garden but do we have a choice?” Dorren asked but received no objection. “There are five gardeners and five of us. One kill each.”

“I volunteer to take the strongest among them, Green Scorpion,” Viers confidently said. “As a fellow top 10 rankers, I believe it is my duty. I’ll keep him busy until you guys deal with the others.”

“Not so fast,” Dorren was irked. “I’ll fight Scorpion. Rankings aren't everything. I can deal with the likes of Scorpion easily.”

“Are you sure?” Viers showed a worried face. “Weren't you unable to get into the top 10 even with their support?”

Viers mercilessly and purposefully poked at Dorren’s sore spot.

“Tanael! What is the meaning of your words!”

“Are you insinuating Lord Ultimate is weaker than you!?”

The two underlings of the Blood barked to defend their boss.

“Calm down you two, Tanael spoke the truth.”

Viers knew Dorren was feeling angry and disgraced but he had done a Hell of a job hiding it.

“I will fight Scorpion. A leader fighting a leader, as it should be. There’s no need to burden yourself, brother.”

“...Then I leave it to brother Ultimate.”

Viers’ tone made him sound humbled but he was rejoicing inside. Viers and Izabella’s plan of showing fake lovey-lovey successfully made Dorren move. Of course Dorren wanted to show off in front of the girl he liked and volunteered to fight Green Scorpion, the most dangerous of the bunch. Izabella informed Viers that Dorren didn't believe he was under any of the top 10 in ability.

And so the guy jumped at the first chance to prove it. What a fool. Phase 1 is complete.

***

Things went south almost immediately.

“Hahahaha! We knew you would come, blood-sucking ticks!”

“Wha-!?”

“Arrgh!”

Not long after the Blood stepped foot in the strange garden, they got trapped inside a battlefield-type Arte.

“Green Scorpion, you-!”

“You really are Lord Ultimate, ultimate from behind, that is. Wahahahaha! Now you all will be fertilizer for my Profound Codex in this Putrid Foul Garden. Your final resting place!” Scorpion sneered. “Tanael, so you’re with them. The matters between us will be resolved today.”

The whole area’s power captured Tanael in a cage of dark-green poisonous gas. One of the Gardeners controlled the terrain, removing Tanael and his soul techniques threat from the board while strengthening the remaining four Gardeners.

Tanael screamed. He couldn't move as the miasma seeped into his body. The gas cage also weakened his soul ability somehow. Tanael curated a protective layer on his body but how long would that last? Meanwhile, the battle broke out immediately. Caught off guard in the enemy’s home turf, the Blood Church was at a disadvantage from the start.

How could they not be, when Viers anonymously informed the Green Scorpion that Dorren and the others were coming?

To prevent suspicion, Viers leaked the Blood's real ability, including his own. Teorph cultists were wary at first but as the battle went on, they found out the info was legit and they countered the Blood’s Artes.

Dorren roused the team. With their backs to the wall, the Blood Church members fought like demons.

The Gardeners of Perfection fought using rot, poison, and decay abilities, which were enhanced by the special terrain. The Blood knew who they were fighting and also made their own preparation against the signature Teorph cultist’s elements so they possessed the means to fight back.

“Pestis Poison Pests!” Scorpion unleashed a cloud of green locusts.

“Red Mosquito Swarm!” Ultimate fought back.

The crux of the battlefield was still the battle between the two leaders.

“Decrypt and Decay! Insistent Infection! Pustule Bomb!”

“Blood Rush! Sanguine Cloak! Gore Rain!”

“What?” Scorpion was surprised that Ultimate could still match him toe-to-toe.

“You and everyone else… All of you fucking bastards… How much do you look down on me!? By focusing on Tanael from the start means you see him as more of a threat than me! DIE for your blindness!”

“Urgh-!”

Dorren was by no means weak. The evaluation of Ultimate’s status in Scorpion’s mind rose a notch. More Artes were exchanged between two followers of different great devils.

Scorpion let the damage over time do its work while staying behind the sturdy defense of his earth abilities. On the other hand, Dorren’s offensive was like an unceasing storm. Each time he used blood Artes they seemed to heighten his bloodlust and his Artes became stronger because of it.

The morbid battlefield was now dyed with a lot of red. If there was not a clear sky above them, one would think this was the inside of a gigantic creature’s stomach.

Gradually, bit by bit, Dorren increased the pressure on Scorpion.

“Hmph. How about some of this, Confusion! Mental Bludgeon!”

Scorpion mixed in mind Artes in his offensive. It created holes in Dorren’s defense. He was attacked on two fronts, the mind and the body. The corrosive nature of Scorpion’s attack would assure Dorren’s defeat if this went on too long.

“Grrr, fucking maggot! Fountain of Blood! Vampiric Drain!”

After closing in while evading the barrage of poisonous earth spears, Dorren bit Scorpion’s neck.

“Aaakkkhhh!”

A desperate poisonous explosion by Scorpion separated them, at the cost of some injury to himself.

“Lord Ultimate!”

Izabella caught her fellow cultist before he hit a corrupted meat tree. Despite her injuries, she had run to his rescue.

“Urg… Thank-”

Finally his charm swayed the girl. The joy he felt was soon washed away as he could do nothing but watch Izabella jamming a red needle into his chest.

“UUUAAAAGHH!!”

Dorren shoved Izabella away in a horrified panic.

“Wha-wha-what did you do!?” There was rainbow-colored liquid flowing out from his chest. “My Victa… My Victa is coming out!!”

Like a punctured water bag, Dorren’s Victa was gushing out from the wound on his chest. He’d never even heard or thought this kind of feat was possible. He tried to scoop up the spilled precious fuel of his Artes, to stop the leak, and to absorb it back into his body but nothing he did was effective.

Izabella, left arm dangling and left cheek ripped from the battle with an enemy cultist, yet her eyes still contained the freezing coldness of disgust while watching Dorren’s descent into hysteria.

“I,” she rasped, bitter and grim. “Am not your trophy.”

“Ahahahah, gahahaha!” Green Scorpion was high on the sight of his enemies killing each other at a time like this. “You two lovebirds can die together. Rapid-”

A loud bang came from his side. Out of reflex, Scorpion looked in that direction.

Tanael emerged from the smoke of poison and decay. Bloody and skin flayed. There were patches of wounds oozing with pus all over his body. Sickening miasma clung to his body like a cloak as he dashed like a bat out of Hell.

Tanael’s gaze promised maximum savagery to the man reflected in his eyes and Green Scorpion could see his own reflection

“-Rot!”

Green Scorpion changed the aim of his Arte; his palm releasing a cloud of deadly gas like a flamethrower. Even the plants attuned to foulness wilted very rapidly. Scorpion was a Level 3 in the real world. Although his Level as Pathseker went down, the Arte was infused with all of his might.

Shield in hand, Tanael charged straight through. Tanael’s form was obstructed by the dark-green gas. When Scorpion saw him again, he was right in front of him, fist clenched and ready.

The shield Tanael got from the Marakkus vault had melted and become misshapen. Muscles under the skin were exposed and black spots smudged his body. Tanael coughed blood as the cells in his throat underwent rapid necrosis but he had reached his target.

Green Scorpion’s eyes widened like a big-eyed goldfish.

“New Order… I, Tanael, will not decay! Eat this, poor man’s Shigarakiiiii!”

Tanael’s right first was shining dazzlingly. Hyper Arte activated. Paina was playing Anima Symphony Finale.

Quirk: Horizon—

“200% Detroit SMASH!!”

***

Izabella was spellbound by Tanael’s display of power. She was still in a dangerous situation but she couldn't help but watch her partner-in-crime’s incredible Arte.

Unbelievable… Is this, the power that defeated Alan?

Green Scorpion let out a sound like a frog run over by a carriage. The punch sent him flying through a tree and a rock, finally stopping half-buried in a cliff.

No, not yet… Tanael is in bad shape too. The rest of the Gardeners are still-

Just as Izabella was about to support Tanael, a soul-crushing presence enveloped the area. She felt it for only an instant before the weight subsided. If the power fell on her fully, she didn't think she would be able to stay conscious.

Among the Blood, one killed a Gardener at the cost of his life. One lost completely before getting killed. Iz defeated her opponent before attacking Dorren.

The Gardener that controlled the Putrid Foul Garden was suffering a backlash from Tanael breaking free but the guy was still alive. Since Tanael smashed Scorpion, there were still two Gardeners left but Tanael spread out his ‘Haoushoku Haki’, knocking them out.

At long last, Izabella let out a breath of relief.

...In the end, he came through. Phase 2 is complete.

“H-How…? Why…?”

Izabella heard a soft and weak voice.

‘Lord Ultimate’, was now a man without Victa. As if he pissed himself, a puddle of rainbow-colored liquid spread out from his fallen body. The man’s body was also paralyzed, a simple side effect of the needle.

No doubt Dorren was wondering why Izabella didn't die after breaking the non-betrayal magical pact. The answer was simple, Tanael used the Evil Dagger of Broken Promise on Izabella and himself.

Izabella’s needle was her magnum opus as an enchanter. If one got hit by this weapon, their Victa would have leaked like a broken dam until they had none left. A Pathseeker without Victa was no different than a wingless, crippled bird.

On the downside, she had to prepare it for another month before being able to use it once more.

Izabella dragged her body to Dorren’s side. Their eyes met. No doubt the guy was expecting an answer coming from her lips. The answer he received was a slit to the throat.

Tanael made it loud and clear. No gloating, no last words. Be a good boy and die, Dorren. I will not miss you.

And thus the most promising youth of the Blood Church in Regidana lost his life, at the hands of someone he gave a marriage proposal to be his  third wife.

“You alright?” Tanael asked from a distance. He was munching on some herb.

“I’ll be alright,” she answered.

“Good. Kill the other two gardeners. I will finish Scorpion,” he said with heavy breaths.

“We should tend to your wounds. Those look nasty. It will get worse later on.”

“Hundred Poisons Cleansing Herb,” Tanael waved the thing in his hand and turned his back on Izabella.

***

Arghh, my body aches all over… Fucking Nurgle worshipers… Thank God I already have a Chekhov's gun for this.

The Hundred Poison Cleansing Herb was something he got in Pecan Village, the village where he met Luca and Dia.

The poisons in his body were remedied by the herb and the other injuries were being healed by his healing factor. It would take time until he was healed completely but his condition would not worsen.

“Going somewhere?” Viers asked while seeing Scorpion limping away.

Viers might have only let loose one punch but his time in the cage of poison and sickness was not a walk in the park, defending while waiting for the opportune moment inside the cage of death had a price.

“Kahaggh…” Scorpion coughed a fistful of blood. His chest caved in by Viers’ smash. His inner organs were definitely injured. Multiple bone fractures were unarguable. “You fucking-”

Izabella took his lesson to heart, how could Viers not?

Viers made a square with his fingers as if he wanted to immortalize what he saw in a painting.

Sensing Viers was preparing an Arte, Scorpion hastily roared.

“How long are you going to keep waiting? COME OUT!!”

Arte - Fatal Soulframe First Form: Horror!

A whirlwind of leaves appeared between Viers and Scorpion. Fatal Soulframe First Form was an Arte that sucked the soul of the target and turned it into a photo. The one who intervened managed to prevent that.

Amidst the chuckling laugh of Green Scorpion, Viers stayed still. The whirlwind of leaves gradually died down and revealed the newcomer’s appearance.

She wore a plain dark-blue mini skirt sleeveless kimono. The tip of her toes to above the knees were covered with mesh stocking, creating a zettai ryouiki. Her long raven hair was tied in a ponytail and she wore a mask that covered her nose and mouth like Kakashi.

Viers, still in the ‘taking a photo’ pose, looked at the girl from behind the ‘lens’.

“Love your new kunoichi look,” he smiled and spoke sincerely. “It suits you… Sakuya.”