Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer?

‘Wrath is coming.’

> […That can’t be.]

‘Wrath will be coming.’

> [Why do you think I ate that tainted flesh…?!]

‘It will be coming to kill you.’

> [I am the Skyflow Tiger! I have even obtained the power of a Great Demon! There’s no way I would lose to a mere mortal!]

‘A being you cannot possibly defeat is coming for you.’

> [There’s no way I would lose…!]

“Skyflow Tiger?”

The Skyflow Tiger instinctively whipped around, claws raised. Standing before its hand, which it had barely managed to stop, was the mortal it had decided to claim as its own.

“…Is there a problem?”

All the blood had drained from the mortal’s face, but his veins, now blackened, were pulsing against his pale skin. He gazed at the Skyflow Tiger with bloodshot eyes. A fresh bleeding scratch had been etched on his cheek.

> [Oh no. I hurt you.]

The Skyflow Tiger’s heart hurt. It felt strangely satisfied, knowing it had caused this injury, yet also heartbroken, knowing it had almost killed this oh-so-fragile being.

And as for the young lord Leon, who was held in its arms…

All he could think was: ‘This is crazy.’

Was that all? It felt as though the stench around him was becoming increasingly disgusting, and he even found it absurd how that creature, which could have once been called alluring, was slowly deteriorating.

As the Skyflow Tiger held his face in its grasp, Leon numbly turned his gaze to his surroundings. A few more of the Skyflow Tiger’s words reached his ears, but they didn’t seem to register in his mind.

All he could see was the rotting earth around him.

Maybe killing the Skyflow Tiger was the right thing to do after all.

He recalled the once thriving forest. It had been so dense and full of life that he had been shocked it hadn’t remained undiscovered until now.

Perhaps the beasts living within it had been affected by the forest's vitality, as they were all fairly large and extremely agile.

It was as if… they were beasts from a time before people had developed language, filled with some mystical power.

However, it only took six sunrises and sunsets for everything to collapse.

In just six days, the beasts that had seemed so mystical revealed the corrupted energy hidden within them, and the entire forest started to rot, filling the air with poison.

It didn’t take long for him to realize that if things continued like this, he would soon die.

He could tell just by looking at the back of his hand.

Black veins. The typical symptoms of Demonic Erosion, something that anyone who’d learned at least a little about Demonic Energy could recognize. His entire body was covered in them.

And yet, he actually welcomed it. The thought of just sitting in the middle of this rotting forest, being treated like a doll, was simply too unbearable.

Aside from feeling bored and uncomfortable, Leon found it hard to breathe, his head was spinning, and his body ached all over as if he had been beaten.

So, if he were to die just a second earlier from Demonic Erosion, it would feel like mercy to him.

> [Why are you acting like this?]

As it interpreted his actions as rejection, the Skyflow Tiger’s eyes grew venomous. It was a familiar reaction.

Leon just silently took the Skyflow Tiger’s hand and led it to a patch of grass that still showed vitality. It was a nice spot to lie down.

> [Did you want to rest?]

Stupid beast. He laid down in the grass, leaving the Skyflow Tiger to misunderstand and resolve the situation on its own. Not even realizing everything around them was rotting, the beast, which showed this gentle side only to him, laid down with him.

However, even that was painful. The person he wanted by his side had black hair, not platinum.

“Why did you leave?”

> [Huh?]

“You disappeared from this region in the past.”

> [Aah.]

…Meaningless small talk was the best way to distract him from these thoughts. He barely managed to chase away those floating shadows in the corner of his mind.

> [It wasn’t anything special. I simply wanted to delay my approaching death.]

“…What?”

Even if he hadn’t expected to feel only anger and resentment and anger in return.

> [Yes, even that stupid turtle crawling on the earth was granted immortality, so why should I die? I alone deserve to enjoy eternity.]

“Then, the land becoming barren…?”

> [I merely took some life force meant to flow through the world. They should consider it an honor, too. Becoming the blood and flesh of this body would be far more valuable than just meaninglessly fading away.]

Leon covered his eyes with his hands as despair welled within him. He could feel his hands tremble.

> [Of course, the forest I used as my lair accumulated some Arcane Power, which caused some side effects… but isn’t that fine? After all, that’s how I met you.]

But even then, the Skyflow Tiger didn’t cease with these words that provoked him.

Leon grabbed a branch lying near him, wondering whether he could kill the Skyflow Tiger by stabbing it in the throat.

He knew it was impossible for him, but he couldn’t bear this situation any longer if he didn’t do it. If he didn’t do something…

> [You wouldn’t…]

Boom!

A loud explosion rang out. Just as it had once before.

“…?”

> [What…?]

And just like that time, part of the forest was blown away, scattering debris and creating a storm of dust.

Amid this dust storm, reddish brown due to the rotten trees, a black cloak fluttered like a war banner.

“Found you.”

> [You…!]

It was a moment eerily reminiscent of that time in the manor garden.

“I won’t let you escape this time.”

There was just one difference.

“Vermin.”

The knight wouldn’t let the tiger escape this time.

* * *

> [Roooaaar!]

“Where?!”

A shield slammed into the ground at the center of the forest, which had turned a sickly red and purple, giving off a foul odor.

At the same time, a massive golden barrier spread out from it to block the tiger’s foreleg. Boom! Which created a thunderous noise.

Bang!

Not only did it block the attack, but the barrier of Divine Power also pushed back the tiger. It was then I struck out with my sword.

It slashed through the air and the flesh beyond. Had the Skyflow Tiger not immediately changed from its massive tiger form to its human form, the wound would have been deeper.

> [Mortals!]

“Liar! You’re a liar, buddy! You said you would yield the tiger to Berserk!”

However, my sword wasn’t the only thing the Skyflow Tiger had to worry about. Bers swung her halberd precisely and hit where the Skyflow Tiger had just been standing.

As it leaped backward, Bers quickly redirected the halberd with her overwhelming strength and followed its movements.

Clang!

“Huh!”

In the meantime, with a sound that stimulated a certain someone’s PTSD, pale blue chains snatched Young Lord Leon.

Based on my experience, after getting yanked around by with a chain tied around your waist, you would feel like you were about to vomit and be left with some bruising… but it was still better than being over there, right?

Well, if an ordinary person got caught between a beast that could shift between a giant tiger and a human and the three other people facing it, it would be a little too thrilling for them, right?

> [How dare you! He’s mine!]

“Wahaha! Where are you looking?!”

“Foolish beast! He does not belong to you!”

Plus, it distracted the Skyflow Tiger.

“Now.”

> […!]

“Have you realized your place?”

My sword spat out three black crescents. The Skyflow Tiger, who had been rushing toward us to retrieve the young lord, was forced to retreat a few steps back.

The creature, whose appearance looked significantly duller than before, bared its teeth.

> [How dare you, mere mortals!!!]

It seemed to have forgotten that the thing it was so obsessed with was also one of those mere mortals. Well, if it insisted this guy was special, I had nothing to say about that.

“His condition is serious. Quickly, take him to the rear.”

“Whoa, shouldn't we give him some medicine first?”

“If you need Demonic Energy Neutralizer, I have some.”

“…Mia?”

“You said you’d be a man who wouldn’t need my help, and yet here you are, breaking that promise even before we’re married.”

“M-Mia.”

However, the young lord had already been pulled over to our side, and there was no way he would be returning to the Skyflow Tiger.

* * *

After confirming Young Lord Leon was safe with Deb and Young Lady Camborough— I was quite surprised when she showed up, sword in hand, declaring she would fight alongside us. I had no choice but to bring her as the representative of every resident seeking revenge—I swung my sword in a wide arc.

It moved in a circular motion reminiscent of an arm exercise, leaving black streaks in the air. It was as if I had stamped a mark into the air with my sword, leaving behind traces of Arcane Power.

And just when my sword completed a half-turn, now perpendicular to the ground, I raised it horizontally.

Whoosh. The black marks left in the air turned ninety degrees, aiming straight ahead.

“You’re dead.”

‘Kill it.’

Like someone taking out their anger on something unrelated, the resentment that had built up inside me over other things was slowly added to the streaks.

‘Damn it. If only I were half as enraged as I am sad, by now…’

Shing!

Dozens of Arcane blades shot forward like arrows.

One [Arcane Spear] after another pierced the shoulders and forelegs of the massive beast that had been waiting for Bers to show an opening.

“Wahahaha!”

The golden barrier continued to crush down on the Skyflow Tiger, now in human form, and Bers slammed down on it with her halberd, breaking the barrier.

The Skyflow Tiger desperately raised its arms to block the blow. The dark blade carved through half its forearm.

“Good, good. That’s how it should feel!”

“Haa, here I come!”

Ah, we overlapped.

I jumped in right as Bers decided to attack, only to see the Inquisitor swinging her golden barrier at the beast like a baseball bat.

Should I dodge? No, I shouldn’t do that.

Swish!

“Demon Knight!?”

I channeled all the power from my momentum into my sword and slashed at the Skyflow Tiger’s leg.

In return, I got struck by the Divine barrier the Inquisitor had created… It dealt a lot less damage to me than taking a direct hit from her mace, though.

Hssss.

So it was fine. My clothes were a bit singed, but they would eventually recover.

“Stay out of it! Both of you!”

“Demon Knight, are you okay? Berserk! This isn’t a game! We must work together!”

“Errk!”

More importantly, our teamwork was a disaster. I supposed it couldn’t be helped, considering how rare it was for us to fight side by side like this.

Of course, there was that time we three fought together against Moby Dick.

But even then, it felt like we were fighting separate things since Moby Dick was so gigantic and pretty stationary.

Moreover, the Inquisitor couldn’t even properly fight it because she had been too busy preparing the environment for us. If we’d somehow managed to work together effectively back then, it would have been a straight-up miracle.

“I said I’d take it down!”

As I watched that inevitable mess unfold, I fixed the grip on my sword.

Meanwhile, the Skyflow Tiger seemed even angrier.

Well, it couldn’t get past us, and waiting for an opening was basically impossible with the three of us. Meanwhile, we kept squabbling over who would get to take it down. If it didn’t get furious, that would make it an absolute saint.

> [First, drive away these mortals… beasts of the forest!]

And now, even its minions weren’t listening to its orders.

Ah, or maybe it wasn’t that they didn’t but couldn’t? After all, we had killed every beast we encountered on the way.

They all greedily absorbed our Arcane and Divine Power.

Thanks to that, we didn’t need to worry about those Arcane… Demonic… Anyway, those corrupted beasts. Anyone could see that the source of it all was right here.

Swish!

Oh well, whether the Skyflow Tiger was angry was none of my concern.

> [Urgh!]

“Hey, buddy!”

I swapped my Zweihänder for my longsword and charged it with Arcane Power. Clang, clang, clang! A loud noise rang out every time it clashed with the Skyflow Tiger’s claws.

“I will never trust your words again! You said you would leave this prey to me!!”

When did I ever say that? She only yelled for me to leave it to her while on our way here, but I never agreed.

Besides, wasn’t she doing quite well for herself, getting a lot of hits in?

I quickly backed off when I saw Bers’ halberd swinging with both me and the Skyflow Tiger in its attack range. This suddenly seemed like a three-way fight rather than a two-on-one, but whatever.

“Wh-Wh-What should I do?”

The Inquisitor, who had stopped attacking for fear of us getting caught in the crossfire, was stepping from one foot to the other.

“Do we have to decide on an attack order as well?”

The Archmage, who hadn’t found the right timing to join the battle, had been lamenting over this for quite some time now.

“Berserk will land the next blow.”

“Go ahead, if you can.”

At my declaration, Bers shifted her grip on her halberd to hold it like a tonfa, forming a guard along the outside of her arm.

With her shortened grip, the halberd blade protruded forward like a normal sword while the shaft extended past her elbow.

Boom!

A thigh much thicker than mine kicked the ground. The axe-like blade then slashed diagonally from below.

When the Skyflow Tiger took a few steps back, Bers bent her arm, using the protruding halberd’s shaft to strike at the beast’s waist and aim for its solar plexus. She then smoothly changed her grip and continued attacking her opponent with the ax-like blade.

However, as she didn’t give her opponent even a moment to breathe, it created the perfect opportunity for me to strike.

I immediately swung my sword such that I wouldn’t interfere with Bers’ attack nor she with mine. It was right after the Skyflow Tiger dodged one of Bers’ downward strikes.

Swish!

> [You wretched…!]

Not wanting Bers to get caught in my attack somehow by shooting energy out of my sword, I instead wrapped it in Arcane Power and slashed at our enemy.

However, sensing the impending danger, the Skyflow Tiger transformed into a giant beast and extended its front paw, throwing off my calculations.

My attack, which would have split it in half if it were still in human form, only cut around 70 cm into the paw of its beast form.

It was a deep wound, but considering the Skyflow Tiger’s size, it wasn’t that significant. I didn’t expect to end it with this strike anyway, so I wasn’t too disappointed.

“You!”

On the other hand, Bers was rather furious at my attack, but whatever.

I poured more Arcane Power into my longsword as I pulled it back before thrusting it forward again.

My [Bombard] skill, which was tightly compressed Arcane Power, as focused and precise as my blade, shot toward the Skyflow Tiger’s neck.

It didn’t pierce it, only grazing the side and leaving a deep gash, but this should have sent some chills down the Skyflow Tiger’s spine.

“This is Berserk’s prey!”

Bers didn’t sit still, either. She swung her halberd past me, who had to stop my attack momentarily due to the recoil from [Bombard]. She spun her halberd once, then twice, and on the third rotation, she slashed at the Skyflow Tiger’s front.

Boom!

Before Bers could jump away, the Skyflow Tiger extended its paw, which collided with the halberd attacking it.

Pierce!

The halberd finally tore through the Skyflow Tiger’s paw and split it in two, making it look like a goat’s hoof.

Screaming in pain over her torn paw, the Skyflow Tiger stepped back.

> [A mortal, by a pathetic mortal…!]

And then there was its frustration and humiliation from being ignored by Bers and me.

> [I won’t forgive you!]

Finally, the Skyflow Tiger expressed its fury.

Contrary to its bad temper, its platinum fur, once extraordinarily beautiful, gradually became a steely blue.

> [Absolutely never!]

Crackle.

From the center of its belly, a pitch-black darkness that seemed to devour even light itself gradually began eating away at the Skyflow Tiger’s body.

Rustle, crack, snap!

Its ability to cause rapid plant growth, which it hadn’t used yet, suddenly activated, causing hundreds of vines to sprout. They started to engulf a massive area, including the ground beneath my and Bers’ feet.

> [I will bring death upon you!]

What was this? Phase 2?

That thought briefly flashed through my mind.

____

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