I became what I eat—be it in blood or flesh, for better or worse.
Simmered over a light flame with a pinch of resentment for taste.
Then gobbled down that regret stew.
"Dunkrieg!" One of the Yugen Extras pointed his freezing pike forward. "Your head will soon be mine! I'll put it on top of that legendary Huntsman Centerpiece, so that everyone will know your downfall—"
From behind, I pushed my dagger from the intersection of his legs and traced the sharp tip to his right shoulder, cutting open both of the innards and spine like a ripe dragon fruit. My right hand then spun the spear, before completely disconnecting the person's half with one and another.
"It is nobody's downfall, only a pinch of salt above everyone's wound."
The shock effect of my action allowed Dunkrieg to score another kill from one of the most skillful enemies out of the bunch.
"The person from Maybutt Office!" Dunkrieg grinned uncontrollably as he delivered more wind scar to the disoriented enemies. "You finally made it here. In such a flashy way!"
More Yugen Extras entered the scene, along with a couple of other ally Patchers and the surviving Streetlight Talons from the other skirmish.
Words of encouragement and resentment were hidden beneath the waving flame and mist. The sudden explosion from nowhere deafened most of everyone's perception.
The clanging of the steel, the buzzing chainsaw, and the shrieking spell were all I heard afterwards. Was it the feeling of anger and spite that I possessed?
In this opera of hell, I danced and danced, until I noticed that Dunkrieg was altruistically protecting my back even though it wasn't needed at all.
"You seem to be not doing well, Dummy-krieg, I wonder where your resolution is coming from."
"Resolution?" Dunkrieg spat out the blood on his throat. "I'm literally dying, and that is what you asked?"
"You can immediately rush out and get some treatment from the standby medical Patchers, why not just do that?"
"Nah, the poison that those assholes injected into me has passed beyond any saving point." Both him and I were weaving our own weapon, facing in the opposite direction. Yet, I could feel his satisfied grin. "I only have two minutes to live. Letting my broken self be seen by others will surely lead them to unnecessary hatred that can cloud their judgment."
With many members of the Yugen Extra annihilated or retreated, Dunkrieg sent a beautiful pattern of wind scar to the sky, cutting open the mist and the fire temporarily as if he was opening a path for the other.
"Warriors of blood!" Dunkrieg shouted with his sword pointed to the night sky. "Let's march to another place and save our friends and allies from their closing doom, we send a wind of destruction!"
""We send the wind of destruction!""
Everyone left this area near the main frontline of the Nihil's suppression with gusto, marching deftly to another battle as they chanted their warcry.
The 'wind' was sent, leaving only Dunkrieg and me who didn't move an inch.
"Heish, you don't want to be the wind of destruction?" He asked with a furrowed eyebrow above his nonchalant grin.
"Of course not. I'm the one who invented that, after all." I opened my gas mask and the wrapped linen on my left eye.
"Wait, you're that Faust!? Pfft, buawahahahah!"
I stroked the back of my sore neck. "Also I admit, it's quite dumb of you to only realize this late."
He pointed to his left eye with his finger. "The Faust I know didn't have a wound on his left eye."
"Things happen." After showing my identity, I put on my wrapping and gas mask again. "And you seem to be rather excited. Too excited, even."
He sat on the floor. The mist slowly crept in, hiding both of us from the outside world.
"Of course I do, the old man has been giving praise about you and all, even though we rarely talk like this, I respect you a lot, you know?"
"Really? And I thought that old man had forgotten about me."
Dunkrieg sighed with a smile. "He talked about how he could never recruit you to become one of the 'lights' that shine in the alley to keep the darkness at bay for the innocent—saying that it's such a waste for a person like you having almost no enhancement procedure or a single droplet of physical potion.
"You also only took a small payment job despite having the skill to climb higher. You never accept any recruitment from Syndicate and Offices alike. You are one of the Mediators for Hunters Gathering, allowing better diplomacy for all sides of District 67.
"Haaah, 'Neither riches nor honor can corrupt him. Neither poverty or humbleness can swerve him from principles. Neither threats nor forces can subdue him.' You might be a man with a funny way of speaking, but you actually have a lot of hidden admirers within the Streetlight Talon."
"You're over exaggerating."
"I'm not."
"Then how about you? How is your three years of becoming one of the members of the most valiant Syndicate in District 67?"
"I regret nothing, ahahaha." Dunkrieg flimsily threw his long sword, along with the damaged sheath before he had no strength left to stay sitting on the ground. "Take it, that 'MIND' is just a cheap iron toothpick from a cheap Workshop and a really weak Nihil. Despite all of that, she is more than enough to cut every foe of mine~
"Her name is Frieden, I'm sure that she will be happy to be in possession of 'The Fool'. Hahaha, her sister, Bravour, has been sent to heaven after saving me, Frieden needs a better owner that can truly protect…"
I pierced my spear to the ground before retrieving the beautiful longsword that was covered in white cloud pattern on its blade. I nodded, before putting Frieden back in her sheath.
"You're giving an offering to the man who dealt with the devil, tell me your wish."
"A wish, huh." Dunkrieg stared at the misty sky before the smoke completely hid the moonlight. "Please send me to hell, I want to train, and become stronger, so that I will have the privilege to achieve something greater in my next life."
"That will be your business with the judge later, not mine. Tell me your wish."
"Come on, it's hard enough for me to say all of that." said Dunkrieg before laughing carefreely. "I want a slice of black forest…
"I've gotten tired from all of the meat I got from Cassandra Tavern. I actually have a really strong sweet tooth."
"I see." I couldn't help but laugh at it. "I'll spare some of my money to buy a premium then."
"Haahaha, I'm sorry to bother you."
"I got all of the time in the world."