Black String of Fate

Chapter 14: Levels of Death (3)

'It's not working with just Advent of Insanity... My attacks are too shallow, even after being boosted by a technique of this magnitude. It's a troll so... Do I have to use that technique too? Won't I just die from the backlash at my current state?'

Despite being the battle art developed by the greatest in the world, it was limited in the amount of techniques it embraced. To be precise, there were only three techniques. The simplest of them being the Advent of Insanity.

Do note that, despite being the simplest technique in his battle art, it is simple only in comparison of his other techniques in the battle art. Advent of Insanity, in reality, is one of the best, if not the best, body enhancement techniques in the world. It made an uninitiated child, like Xavier, to be able to contend in strength with a Rank 2 ogre.

It boosted his strength by magnitudes, but like all such techniques, it had its flaws too.

The technique, unlike all others of its kind, did not simply reinforce the body with energy. In fact, it did not require energy to utilize it in the first place, though it does help. Advent of Insanity delves into the realm of the mind and makes the user 'forget' certain limits held subconsciously by the mind for self-preservation.

It allows the body to exert more power, even at the cost of damaging oneself. It makes the user also forget the feeling of pain, which makes this technique highly dangerous as one may never know when they are going beyond lethal injuries.

Such a self-harming technique was tailor-made for Xavier. He had a body that just refused to die, despite sustaining gruesome injuries. Xavier also healed quickly too, making it possible to use this technique 'comfortably'.

Now, despite all the great advantages of this technique, it was not enough. Xavier was just too weak. He was a malnourished child without a hint of energy. However much he boosted himself, his attacks weren't deep enough to leave a lasting wound. The ogre's regeneration was too potent, instantly nullifying all his attacks.

'I'm faster and way more skilled, but he's simply stronger and more durable. It's my guaranteed loss if this becomes a battle of endurance. I need to stop his regeneration and debilitate him with my shallow wounds.

For that, I have no choice but to use that damn technique, I can't even limit the consequences with my non-existent energy...'

Xavier jumped away and created some distance between himself and the ogre, with the latter instantly rushing towards him.

Relaxing his grip on the knives, he closed his eyes and seemed to enter a trance-like state. He was completely vulnerable, but for some strange reason, the ogre halted his charge. Its dumb mind was telling him to attack the easy prey, but its instincts warned it otherwise. As a wild monster, those instincts always took priority.

And for good reason.

'...Supreme Demonic Arts:

Forbidden Bloodlust.'

"....Ha...Hahaha...H-Hahahaha, AHAHAHAHAHAAA! AAH, THIS IS IT! T-This feeling, I MISSED IT! I M-MISSED IT SOOOO MUCH!!!"

Right now, Xavier was lost in his world of ecstasy. It was like he had taken the potent drugs after years of rehabilitation. The sheer euphoria he felt was something he knew would be unhealthily addicting, but right now, he could care less about such weak, petty things.

He took a deep breath as if he was relishing the moment, celebrating the fact that he was just... alive.

So. Very. Alive...

"Was the world always so colorful? I feel sooo good right now! The world s-so fucking beautifulll!

But wait... Why is there that thing in my paradise?"

Xavier unintentionally locked eyes with the ogre who was now as far away from Xavier as possible. This type of prey was something it had never encountered. There was something deeply unsettling about the aura Xavier was giving off. Most strong predators gave off the aura of the strong, but this was different.

This was Malicious. This was something only a being of pure evil could give off.

*Grrr*

*ROAR*

The ogre tried to scare away the creepy thing, but it didn't work, instead, it attracted its attention more.

"Ho, look at you screaming. You must hate me, right? Then you must want to kill m-me and eat me, right? T-Then I can kill you too, right? Then I can d-drink your blood and e-eat you too, right? I wonder how you taste like...

good or bad? I-It doesn't matter though, I'm not p-picky, I just want to kill you first.

Food is food. Prey is prey."

Xavier gave a creepy smile and once again dashed toward the ogre with his daggers raised. But this time, the ogre felt a real danger from the blades. Xavier, using his speed, successfully closed in and slashed at the Achilles tendons once again.

*ROOOAAARRR*

It wasn't an easy experience for the ogre this time. It hurt. It hurt like hell. It felt like someone was rubbing spices in the wound. It burned as if someone was pouring lava on the wound. It was madly itching and painful at the same time.

It was so bad that the small cut paralyzed the whole leg from just pure pain.

*ROOOAAARRR....GRR?*

"Oh yeah, you won't heal from those w-wounds, you yellow thing. I-I like your screams, so I made it so I can h-hear it more! A-Aren't I THE GREATEST?"

*ROOOAAARRR!*

For the first time, the ogre felt true horror. Till now, it was simply cautious and careful of Xavier after his change, but now... Now it knows that he is fucked. The regeneration ability, its greatest strength, is now nothing before this little monster. If he fights this battle, he will suffer pain worse than death.

So, it did the only reasonable thing expected from such a monster,

Run away.

"YOU AIN'T GOIN' NOWHERE!" Xavier's excited shouts sounded out from behind, which only scared the poor monster more. It tried to run away, but alas,

Its tendon was cut off.

*GRRRRrrrrr*

The ogre tripped and fell, and Xavier caught up in no time. He stared at the fallen ogre, unmoving and acting dead due to its extreme fear. But it, much to its dismay, could not hide the heavy breathing.

Xavier made an evil smile as he cut off the other tendon.

*ROOOAAARRR*

"Yeah, that's better. I like it b-better when my hunt screamsss. Don't worry, the more you scream in pain, the longer you win. It's a win-win, isn't it? Hehehe..."

And so began the madness of an ogre screaming in pain, bleeding, and crying tears it didn't know it had. A child was relishing and bathing from its blood, dazed in the most pleasurable euphoria.

The ogre was dead, perished under a fate too cruel to be acceptable. Xavier still hadn't woken from his madness, still bathing in the blood and tarnishing the corpse of the dead. He was extremely lost, unable to make sense of the world around him. With his pain senses also gone, he did not even notice the blood coming from him due to the overuse of this technique.

Finally, he suddenly fainted. His mind had stopped receiving the excitement of the battle, so the bloodlust subsided a bit. His survival instincts grasped that chance and broke free of the technique.

The Forbidden Bloodlust was quenched.