Chapter 75: “A Beatdown!”
This Translation is hosted on bcatranslation.com
Duncan, initially courageous enough to reveal himself as the mole, quickly retracted his bold stance. To onlookers, his sudden withdrawal seemed as if he had never wavered in his resolve, remaining almost indifferent. Instead of engaging, he chose to stand back, observing the meeting’s drama like a detached spectator.
As he watched, a startling realization struck him: he wasn’t the only mole in the gathering. The girl in the striking black dress had immediately aroused his suspicions. Her young, studious appearance seemed out of place in such a sinister setting, making Duncan feel something was amiss. Initially, he thought her demeanor simply clashed with the dark undertone of the cult meeting. However, events soon took a more shocking turn than he had anticipated.
During the meeting, Duncan focused on two phrases uttered by the cult leader: “The dark hound” and “The Annihilation Sect.”
It was clear that “dark hound” referred to the eerie, skeletal giant dog the girl had summoned. The term “Annihilation Sect” didn’t sound like a benign, community-centered group found in city records. Could it be that this girl was not actually a member of the Black Sun, as he had previously thought, but a representative of another equally sinister cult?
This led Duncan to wonder just how many such secretive, malevolent cults thrived in the world’s hidden corners.
While Duncan pondered, the mysterious girl, now identified as the summoner of the dark hound, subtly raised her arm adorned with a black chain. Her defensive stance was clear, and a mocking smile crept onto her face. “The Annihilation Sect, you say? I must disappoint you. I have no affiliations with them. Unlike you, who find solace in worshiping some nefarious deity, I serve only my own interests!”
“The nature of your deceit is clear to us,” retorted the cult leader, standing imposingly at the center. His voice was low and menacing. “Only members of the Annihilation Sect summon creatures from the mysterious abyss of the deep sea. I suggest you give up any hope of resistance, outsider. You are now on the hallowed grounds of the Black Sun. Even your dark hound’s magic won’t shield you here!” Fixing his intense gaze on her, he demanded, “Tell us! What drives you to infiltrate our sacred assembly? While the Annihilation Sect and our Black Sun have distinct beliefs, we’ve historically been neutral. What prompted you to breach our inner circle?”
Shirley, the girl in the black dress, responded with a smirk, her chains producing a chilling, metallic sound as they moved like living things. “I came seeking knowledge, hoping to extract some insights from your gullible ranks,” she began. “And as I’ve said, I don’t belong to the Annihilation Sect…!”
Before she could elaborate, a sudden cacophony of crackling noises reverberated through the room. The oil lamps scattered around flared up in an intense blaze as if driven by some mysterious, unseen force.
The basement was bathed in an almost unnaturally bright light, transforming it into broad daylight. Each lamp released a small but intensely radiant fireball, hovering in mid-air like miniature suns pulsating with raw energy.
The cult leader, now clasping his ornate sun amulet tightly, had its sharp, flame-like spikes piercing his palm. Blood oozed from the punctures, dripping into the amulet’s intricate grooves and igniting like kindling, setting his entire hand ablaze. This transformation mirrored the metamorphosis of the once-simple oil lamps.
The veteran priest wasn’t merely engaging in casual banter. While distracting Shirley with words, he had triggered an arcane power.
“Yield, blasphemer,” echoed a voice heavy with menace and authority from beneath the cult leader’s ornate golden mask. “The Black Sun’s might has sanctified and sealed this area. I know the Annihilation Sect’s ability to harness demon magic and turn spells into lethal weapons. The chilling aura of your dark hound is formidable. Yet, in this sanctum, neither you nor your beast can draw power from the sea’s mysterious depths!”
Hidden in the shadows, Duncan fidgeted nervously within his coat pocket, weighing whether to intervene. This confrontation, an internal skirmish between two adversarial cults, involved Shirley, who might have vital information he sought. However, she was clearly outnumbered.
Suddenly, the golden-masked leader extended his flame-engulfed hand gripping the sun amulet. His voice, muffled by the mask, took on a hypnotic, entrancing quality, imbued with mystifying power: “Cease your resistance. Repent in the Black Sun’s sanctified presence and divulge all you know. The ever-gracious sun will absolve your transgressions… Bow down, young maiden… Your enchantments hold no power here…”
Shirley remained unmoved by the cult leader’s ominous warnings. Her gaze flitted nonchalantly between the transformed, fiery oil lamps and the surrounding cult members, who had unsheathed weapons from gleaming daggers to menacing pistols. Coolly indifferent, she queried, “How taxing is it to sustain this magical barrier?”
With a disdainful snort, the cult leader began, “The strength endowed by my deity…”
He couldn’t finish. Shirley lunged forward with astonishing agility and might! Her right arm ignited with a haunting black flame, and the ebony chains resonated with a chilling whistle. The formidable dark hound, several times the size of an average hunting canine, was swung overhead by an unseen force. With a thunderous crash, it was hurled into the cult leader’s torso!
The chilling echo of splintering bones filled the room. The cult leader, using all his might to maintain the force field, was caught utterly off guard. The impact propelled him backward, slamming him against the wall, leaving him motionless.
Duncan blinked in surprise, thinking, “Well, I wasn’t expecting that.”
Events unfolded rapidly. The Suntists, awaiting their leader’s command moments before, were now in shock. Their indomitable chief lay sprawled on the floor. Before they could process this, the sinister whistle of chains slicing through the air returned!
Shirley brandished her arm again, and the chains emitted a sinister rattle. Wielding the dark hound like a massive meteor hammer, she swung it in fearsome arcs, each impact against the cultists producing sickening crunches. Cultists were hurled away, many spitting blood from the force!
A realization dawned on the remaining cultists. Gathering their wits, they roared and charged at Shirley, whose chains continued their deadly dance. Blades glinted menacingly as they flew toward her, but the airborne hound met their attack, accompanied by Shirley’s enraged shout, “Perish with your deity! Worthless trash!”
With each attack, the monstrous hound left a trail of broken bodies. Shirley’s mastery over her chains was unparalleled, moving with the precision of a seasoned warrior. The solemn gathering had descended into chaos, with the lethal dance of chains, the guttural growls of the hound, and Shirley’s relentless movements.
Suddenly, the distinct report of gunshots pierced the chaos!
Realizing close combat’s futility, Suntists equipped with firearms took aim and fired. Bullets shimmered briefly mid-air, deflected by chains with brief sparks. Remaining projectiles found their mark, piercing Shirley.
She staggered, the force and pain of the bullets causing her to falter momentarily. But as the cultists sensed a shift in momentum, the ominous whistle of chains surged.
“Dog! Numb my pain!” she commanded.
In response, the dark hound, now airborne, unleashed an ear-splitting roar. Instantly, a cultist who had shot her was violently thrust backward, his skull colliding with a column, turning into a splat of gore.
The “Meteor Hound” was now more ruthless and unstoppable than ever.
Duncan discreetly retreated, trying to go unnoticed amidst the pandemonium. Comically, one of his primary concerns was avoiding blood stains on his pristine outfit, unable to imagine explaining the mess to Nina back home.
The skirmish was surprisingly brief. The young woman in the flowing black skirt, paired with her fearsome Meteor Hound, was a formidable force. Her speed and strength turned the basement into a personal hunting ground, her enemies mere prey. Meanwhile, Duncan took solace in the mundane, mentally reviewing multiplication tables. Remarkably, before finishing, the battle concluded.
With the last cultist defeated, a haunting silence enveloped the room.
Sweat gleaming on her forehead, Shirley paused to catch her breath, grasping the chains tethering the dark hound. As she regained composure, her eyes scanned the room, settling on an unexpected sight.
She had just spotted Duncan, the final “cultist” who had remained oddly unperturbed throughout the mayhem.
Her eyes showed evident bewilderment towards his calm demeanor amidst the chaos. Yet, undeterred, she began closing the distance between them, her hound in tow.
The air thickened with tension, her intentions clear—she perceived Duncan as a potential threat.
Welp, look like Duncan will get a new pet
…the dog, right? Surely?
oh yeah… the dog, surely
Lmao
Another female side character.. again…
Yeah, that’s what I feel whenever I read some random KR action novel and every single character is male. It’s nice to see the scale being reversed for once.
Is her dog just named Dog? ???
She could at least hace named it Dough, but the poor fellow is just named Dog.
it actually sounds better in the original language. just that its like this in english