I Got Reincarnated Into a Game I Was a Top-Ranker in and I Became the Leader of a Villain Group That Will Destroy This Shitty Country - 29

Chapter 29: Awakening

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“…Kai.”

“It’ll be alright. I’m sure of it.”

Nia, who had somehow come to my side, had a slightly worried look in her eyes, unlike her usual self. I squeezed her hand tightly as I watched Chloe and the grotesque monster facing each other.

“Gebels modified his body using his victim’s flesh and magic power. To put it simply, he’s a glob of dead people.”

Gebels rarely fought in that form though. After all, he could easily kill people using mind manipulation without revealing his monstrous form. 

“So, that form is his last resort. If he needs to expose that form, it’s probably because…”

Fear. Feat toward us. Fear of dying. For the first time in his life, Gebels experienced fear. Of course, Gebels’ overall specs were higher than Chloe, almost overwhelmingly so. His combat prowess was on par with boss monsters. However, if we could exploit his weaknesses… And if Chloe could awaken… She might have a good chance at winning against Gebels. 

“Huff…!”

“Guh…!”

Chloe caught her breath and in the next moment, she jumped in to thrust her knife into Gebel’s chest, but it was a feign. She suddenly changed her trajectory and swung her knife down at Gebels’ lower abdomen instead. 

She was truly fast. Her accuracy was impeccable. She cut Gebels right at his vital point, where his magic core was supposed to be at. This was the weakness that I had taught her.

However, Chloe’s attack was too shallow. Perhaps sensing this, Chloe quickly distanced herself from Gebels. She looked a bit tense. 

“Pfft… Guh-… Guhahahahha!! Is that all? I see… I see!!”

Gebels disgusting voice echoed, along with the groaning sound of dozens of people from the faces on his body. Shortly after that, a huge black sphere formed beside him. Gebels tilted his head and shot the black sphere at Chloe.

“Now then, please die. I have things to do!!”

Though Gebels’ enormous size left Chloe stunned, but Chloe quickly leaped backward to avoid Gebels’ attack. A thunderous crash resounded, creating a massive dent in the floor where Chloe had been standing. Chloe sprang into the air easily like a spring. Gebels kept his eyes fixed on the ground, but then, he suddenly screamed. 

“Ugh-…?! GAHHHH?!”

Because, Chloe had somehow gotten behind him and stabbed his neck with a knife imbued with holy power. Not satisfied with just one attack, Chloe did a half-turn in the air and stabbed him again with another holy knife. 

Gebels staggered on his feet, shocked by the unexpected attack. 

“Huh? Alywn’s… Blessing?”

“Yeah. You can carry multiple knives, right? It’s better if you ask Alwyn to bless your knives. Maybe asking her to bless all of your knives might be too much, but hey, having some blessed knives is better than nothing. After all, dark magic is weak against holy magic.”

It seemed Chloe had listened to my advice. She quickly disengaged and took a distance from Gebels. Of course, that knife attack wasn’t good enough to defeat Gebel. She needed to stab a knife imbued with holy power right into the center of Gebels’ magic core. Of course, Gebels wouldn’t let her. Gebels was anything but weak. He wouldn’t give an opening that allowed Chloe to stab his magic core. 

“You… You shitty pest!!”

Gebels shouted and hundreds of small spikes floated in the air. The dark spikes then rained down on Chloe like hail. 

“-!!”

Sensing the shift of magic in the air, Chloe immediately hid behind a test tube. She managed to survive so far by relying on her speed. However, she started to feel anxious. 

“I knew it… I don’t have enough strength to land a decisive blow on him… Darn it. I know there’s nothing I can do about it since I’m an assassin, but still…”

As an assassin, Chloe was great at an ambush attack. Normally, the frontline fighters would draw the enemy’s attention and then assassins like Chloe would get behind the enemy to kill them in an instant. 

One on one combat that required high firepower wasn’t her expertise. If Chloe hadn’t memorized Gebels’ attack pattern, she would’ve been seriously injured by now.

“Huff… Huff… Tch.”

Sure enough, even though Chloe could predict Gebels’ attack, she was still having a hard time. Chloe was breathing heavily. Her eyes narrowed into a glare. Blood flowing from her cheek, grazed by the spike. The tide of the battle wasn’t in her favor. 

“Ah, that’s right… Fufu… I’ve thought of something good.”

Gebels spoke. He sounded more confident than before upon seeing how beaten Chloe was. 

“I will have Kaltz kill you. A Hero chosen by the holy sword killing his own comrade… Ah… Don’t you think that would be quite a sight to see?”

“….I don’t think so. After all, you will die here.”

“Fufu… I see. Then, allow me to change your mind.”

Gebels looked up at the ceiling before he then continued on. 

“That is my specialty after all.”

Gebels then stared at Chloe, his eyes glowing red. This was Gebels’ most emphasized characteristic in the game. His ability to manipulate his enemies’ minds. However, I had taught Chloe a way to overcome this attack. 

“….Hm? Pfft… Ahahahaha!! My, my, what a surprise…!! Ahahahaha!!”

Chloe closed her eyes. To put it simply, she just needed to avoid making eye contact with Gebels. That was the way to avoid getting your mind manipulated by Gebels. In her past life, Chloe didn’t know about this trick. Hence why Gebels managed to get her under his control and made Kaltz kill her. Although Chloe managed to avoid Gebels’ mind manipulation attack, but Chloe was still at a disadvantage. 

“…Kai.”

“No. Don’t.”

Nia’s hands were getting colder and colder. Whether she had started to feel affection for Chloe, or maybe Nia was simply too kind for her own good, but Nia’s face had turned glum. 

“This is her vengeance, Nia.”

I shook my head and kept my gaze fixed at Chloe. Chloe rolled on the floor to avoid the hail of spikes. Considering the vast difference in power and Chloe’s impaired field of vision, the odds were overwhelmingly against her favor. Nonetheless, I decided to believe in Chloe. 

“Besides…”

Although Chloe died far too early in the game, but I knew. I knew just how talented Chloe was. 

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Chloe couldn’t afford to keep her composure. The rain of spikes kept grazing her skin, gradually tearing her body apart. Chloe gritted her teeth. Rolling between the test tubes was her only option to stay alive in the midst of spikes storm. Kai had told her that she could never win if she fought without taking cover. She couldn’t face that hail storm head on. 

What should I do? What should I do?!?!

Although Kai had told her everything needed to know about Gebels, but Chloe was still having a hard time. Negative emotions began to creep into her mind. She started to fear that might die like this. She might get killed by Gebels without being able to avenge her best friend or repay Kai’s kindness. The fear seeped into her heart.

She was struggling to focus her senses to detect the presence around her. With her vision shrouded in darkness, her mind also gradually slipped into darkness. No matter how hard she tried, the wounds on her body made it hard for her to focus.

“Hahahaha! Ah, what a wonderful sight to behold! Truly, truly a wonderful sight! At this rate, I might still have enough power to kill those two brats as well!”

“-?!”

The thoughts of Kai and Nia dying was simply unacceptable to stomach. Chloe knew how strong those two were, but she wanted to be the one to kill Gebels. 

The rain of spikes ceased. Chloe cradled her injured arm. The pain was overwhelming. 

Maybe… It’s impossible for me to kill him after all?

She had trained so hard every day and night. Crying, plagued by nightmares. She had strived everyday to avenge her best friend who had died in front of her. She became an assassin solely for vengeance. 

However, at this rate… Then…. I might…

“And this is my last piece of advice for you.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“You are more talented than you think”

………

“Huh? What are you talking about out of nowhere… You’re making me embarrassed…”

“No, I’m not joking. That’s why.. Chloe…”

“What is it?”

“You need to believe in yourself more.”

………Ah.

“If you can’t believe in yourself, then believe in me. You do know I won’t lie to you!”

“………”

“I believe in you, Chloe. That’s why… Have some faith in yourself too.”

….Good grief. Aren’t you too good to be true? Maybe that last piece of advice was about this? Have you calculated everything? Even up to the point where I was stuck in the corner like this? But.. No way, right? 

Suddenly recalling the last advice from Kai, Chloe then opened her eyes wide. 

“….Believe, huh?”

It sounded impossible. After all, Chloe and Kai were… If anything, more like enemies rather than comrades. However, at the same time, Chloe also couldn’t possibly not believe in him. After all, the look in his eyes… His eyes were more humane than anyone she had ever seen, more humane than that Hero, Kaltz… Kai was.. He was pure. 

“….Believe in myself, huh? Well, I don’t think I can believe in myself that much.”

Particles of magic floated in the air. Those particles gathered, darkening in color as those particles coalesced into one single point. 

“But I guess, I can believe in your words.”

She could feel it. The small black orb gradually got bigger, as if the orb was about to engulf everything in sight. Chloe closed her eyes again. She recalled Kai’s words and she could feel her mind becoming clearer. 

Move. 

Following Kai’s words to believe in herself, Chloe moved. Her movements became swift, as if she had become one with the shadow. Her steps were light. Her pulse quickened. Chloe tightened her grip on her knife and rushed to Gebels. 

“Dark Sight.”

Seeing Chloe disappearing into the darkness, Kai’s lips curled up into a smile. The orb was released and an explosion occurred inside the spacious laboratory. The magnitude was far greater than the explosion caused by Gebels. The explosion was so big that one might think Chloe had gotten caught up in it. 

However, the ceiling seemed to flicker and suddenly, Chloe plunged right into Gebels’ head with a knife held in a reverse grip. 

She tabbed Gebels and black blood spurted out from Gebels’ head.

“Ugh-?! GUAHHHHHHHHHHH?!?!”

At that moment, Kai became certain. Chloe’s class.. The most cheating class in the game… An assassin who could melt into the shadows. Shadow Dancer. 

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