Dual System: Ascension of A Nameless Nobody

Chapter 178 Hellish Chase

Before he could jump back, the minotaur instantly lifted its greatsword, swinging it towards him with a length that allowed its edge to sweep across the entirety of the room almost–bisecting the spear-armed demon that entered as well.

SLAM.

It was the final straw that broke the camel's back; the minotaur's weapon crashed against the barrier, finally prompting the barely-held wall to shatter.

From all sides now, dozens of demons closed in all–bearing their weapons, their fangs, and their immeasurable thirst for violence as some laughed, some roared, and some simply smiled in delight at finally being able to get their hands on him.

–But, amidst the impossibly dreadful situation, closed in by a horde of hellborne fiends, he was ready.

A dark aura hummed around his daggers as his emerald eyes took to a focused dim.

"Parade of Death."

[Spirit: -1000 | 2400/3700]

It was an exclusive skill to the [Fangs of Revelation], ushering him forward as he spun around, unleashing a whirlwind of darkness that trailed from his blades–slitting the throats of the ravenous, hound-like demons that leapt towards him.

However, that was only the beginning of the skill as he continued on, pursuing his momentum as he ran along the room, spinning around and unleashing an unending torrent of continuous slashes that were strung together in perfect harmony.

Such a skill could only be utilized with the full focus of his Sage Period honed in on, allowing him the proper perception and focus to engage in the arduous dance of death.

As the [Man Butcherer], the demon responsible for setting off the invasion of the bar, slashed its butcher knife towards him, he jumped off the wall in a seamless continuation of his parade of killing, dragging his daggers along the butcher knife before it retaliated, swiftly swiping at his side.

[Health: -600 | 2700/3300]

"--"

He kept moving forward despite being cut, unstopping in his flow. Any cut he suffered was automatically clenched shut with masterful control of his muscles, being operated by the subconscious element of his Sage System.

In an instant, he had cut through the Man Butcherer's body with one dagger, and beheaded it with his other.

This was the nature of "Parade of Death"--a skill honed for "mass slaying"; it was a continuous flow of slashes, strung together in a wake of death that grew more potent the more lives were taken by it.

It manifested through the vibrant streams of shadows that trailed from his daggers, growing more and more powerful with each violent act accumulated, and each life taken.

While "Parade of Death" was a powerful skill in its own right, this was simply the optimal setting for it; surrounded by an endless supply of targets and supplemented by Sage Period's amplification of his senses and finesse–he was able to bring the shade of the Beast's fangs to new heights.

Spinning around in a cartwheel, he used the force to slam his daggers down, lethally slicing through the gray-skinned demons in his path before finally reaching the gargantuan minotaur, who attempted to swing its flame-engulfed greatsword towards him.

He easily managed to spin around, pivoting off of his step and springing onto the left wall, then onto the right before propelling forward in an instant–

SQUELCH.

With the climax of the Parade of Death, he put all of its remaining strength into driving his daggers forward with the potent darkness exuding from his blades–burrowing right through the chest of the minotaur.

If given a number, through the dozens of demons he had cleaved through in the dance of death, the temporary amplification it gave to him would've placed his level at: "38." For just that moment, he was heightened to a new threshold of cutting power.

"--"

As he landed on his feet, the dance of death came to an end with the death of the "Sentinel of Samael".

What came in the aftermath of the skill was a rain of blood that cascaded downward together; the entire process was but a few seconds.

The crimson rain that fell, painting the walls in the arterial fluid of the felled demons, was the very tears of the Beast.

"...Phew…"

It happened so quickly that all of the prompts for defeated enemies was combined together into one message from his System:

[EXP +8400 | 13000/15000 | Angel Coins x640 | Samael's Essence x1]

[Assassin Proficiency: +2 | 41/9999]

[New Skill(s) Acquired: [Poison Cloud] |]

With that, he did his part–looking over to see more demons flooding in as he finally bolted up the staircase.

After unleashing such a strenuous, unfamiliar skill, he felt the toll it took on his muscles as he was moving a bit more sluggishly, having to command his body to move at its utmost.

"Ghh…!" He winced, feeling all of the muscles around his body cramp up.

He had no time to even recognize the pain, pushing through it as he moved away from the bar-floor that was quickly overrun.

Squelch. Squelch. Squelch.

With no care in their step, the horde of demons trampled the corpses of their felled kin, drooling and howling out.

"Crap, crap, crap…!"

As he sprinted up the stairs, he could feel the heavy breaths of the human-loathing demons behind him.

There was a stark difference in the feelings produced by fighting and by fleeing; while fighting, he could confront them openly, but while running–he felt terrified.

Clamp. Clamp. Clamp.

Glancing back, he could see a spherical demon that was made up almost entirely of just a mouth with giant, buck teeth, continuously nipping at his heels as he was pushed to go even faster, jumping up to the second floor.

As he reached the second floor, he scrambled through the hall, hearing dozens, if not hundreds, of footsteps following directly behind him like a continuous storm chasing behind him.

–I'm so dead! He thought.

Though with such an aggressive number of enemies behind him, the newly-acquired skill came to mind as he looked back.

Maybe this will work–? It could be the difference between life-or-death…! He thought.

"Cast: Poison Cloud!"

[Spirit: -300 | 2100/3700]

Reaching his hand out behind him, a poison cloud of verdant, miasmic essence spewed out from his gauntlet, which he was seemingly immune to.

[Clutch Factor: +1 | 6/100]

"Come on…!" He watched, looking back while running down the hall.

To his surprise and delight, the demons directly behind him that were caught in the cloud of poison that filled the hall, began to cough up blood, bleeding from their pores as they collapsed.

Holy shit, this spell is brutal! He thought.

[Poison Cloud is a mystical substance that conceptually degrades any that are caught in its hold. It doesn't matter whether they're human, angel, or demon–it'll have an effect.]

The Sage System explained this to him as he watched the cloud of verdant death take hold of the enemies chasing behind him.

Though it didn't seem to work equally on all enemies, as from behind the giant mouthed fiends, boorish ogres stomped past the poison with only minor side effects.

Crap! He thought.

He spun around the next corner, going up the steps that lead to the roof as he busted through the door.

"Jeong-Hui!" Eunji said in surprise.

"Close it! Close it! Close it!" He yelled out frantically.

Aiding him in shutting the door were Yeong-Un and Xiaodan as the three of them pressed up against the door whilst it started to be banged on harshly.

"You sure pissed them off!" Yeong-Un said.

"Yeah, well, they can bite it!" He replied.

Korain came over, holding a few wooden blankets, "Move over!"

The three obliged as just as they moved, the burly man placed the blanks against the door with one hand, sliding them over the handle to the rooftop entrance.

"Phew…" He breathed out.

Though he had reached safety, reuniting with the rest of the group, it seemed only like a momentary reprieve as they were merely stuck on the rooftop now.

"So…what now?" He asked.

They looked towards Ma-Ri, who was watching the city skyline that was overlooked by the hellish horizon.

"Well, there's no way we're going back the way we came, I can tell you that much…" Korain said, looking back at the barricaded door.

It was already being slammed against aggressively by demons–looking as if it would only hold for a brief amount of time.

"We'll have to jump," Ma-Ri finally said.

"Jump?" Sol gulped.

"Sounds like a plan!" Yeong-Un grinned, stretching his legs.

There was another building neighboring the one they stood on top of; it was much taller, which meant the aim they had wasn't on the roof, but the windows to the skyscraper itself.

"I don't know…" Eunji muttered.

But all doubts were quickly thrown to the wind as the wooden plank used to block the door began to split apart.

"It's either jump or become food for them!" Korain said, "I don't know about you…but I'm jumping!"

With a smile, the single-armed man took the lead, leaping from the edge of the building and across to the other, slamming through the window, shattering through it as crimson smoke billowed from the hellish atmosphere.