This action was too sudden for him so he faltered and almost lost his footing, but immediately, there was a follow through attack from the hunters. The other hunter aimed a low stab at Eric's stomach. It was too fast, far too close for him to dodge and even his katana was too far on his right side to block the attack centred at his belly. So, Eric only had an option if he was was not to die again.
He shot out his left hand instinctively to stop the knife from reaching his belly, and as soon as it made impact, he leaned on the hunter and plunged his katana into his right shoulder,
then pushed against the man's weight to jump backwards and out of attack range. He staggered as he moved backwards, trying to keep his balance, but as soon as he regained his footing, he stumbled against the injured man on the ground. So, he fell. Blood gushed out of his injured palm onto his lap, and for some strange reason, it felt cold to him.
"I'm cold-blooded now?"
"Aaaargh!"
"Aaaargh!"
Both Eric and the hunter he stabbed clutched their injured spots and grunted in pain. The third hunter with the X-mark on his back was slowly trying to get back up. Eric, seeing this, gave a lazy slash on his back again, drawing a horizontal wound which cut right through the middle of the X mark present beforehand. The struggling man went back down in more pain.
"You keep forcing me to change my kill sign."
Eric looked up and saw that the unhurt leader and the hurt subordinate were already up with their blades and ready to finish him off once and for all. But Eric didn't bother to get
up and face them head on again. Instead, he gave them a sneer, then an awkward smile before wiping his mouth with his bloody hand. His upper face was already covered with the black mask, but now he covered the open lower part of his face with thick red, giving him an eerie appearance.
It should be about time.
"I hate to inform you guys, but it's well past 30 seconds and you've not killed me yet."
The two men did not seem to be in a mood for chit-chat as they advanced menacingly at Eric's apparently subdued figure.
Eric continued regardless. "You won't believe it, but I'm about to blow your fucking mind."
"See, I have this system in me that's been bringing up all sorts of utterly weird stuff that cannot be explained. It came to me after I died around this spot a couple of days ago. You must remember me, see?"
Eric yanked the leather mask off his face and gave a wide grin filled with hatred.
"I can't see your faces under those masks but I know you're looking very surprised right now. I was surprised too when the system said I had a second shot at life."
"Second shot at life, for me, means I have to avenge the three brutes responsible for Void's death, see? Chill guys, it's not as if I hate you or anything. I actually would have forgiven you if the system hasn't been bothering me with a task screaming 'kill your killers. I am your killers'."
"So, here we are. Don't you think I dragged this fight longer than I did in my past life? I mean to be honest. Yes, my senses have upgraded, I can even smell the killing intent in the three of
you right. You see, the thing is—"
Whoosh! The two men attacked at once, cutting Eric's chatter short.
"Use Killer Dash."
Fwipp!
From his sitting position, Eric dashed forward, past the two hunters with incredible speed and just a second after, he was standing firm and upright behind their backs. This time when using the Killer Dash, he was careful enough to stop the dash just after a second. So, he didn't dash farther than was necessary for his next line of attack.
"Speaking of my next line of attack, take this sample and tell me how it feels."
He ran normally to the side of the one injured on the shoulder. But before they could recover from the shock of Eric's sudden and strange disappearance, Eric crouched and looked a little as if preparing for a not-so-serious race, then positioned his katana
strategically so that the blade was pointed in the direction of the hunter's back but his own body was positioned sideways to them. Then—
"Killer Dash."
Whoosh!
Another quick dash that lasted a second. Eric's blade, held firmly, tore clothes, underclothes, flesh, muscles and tendons on the backs of the two hunters and as he dashed past them,
a bloody trail—more like an after-effect—followed him.
"Aaaaaargh!!!" The remaining two hunters yelled in unison.
"Hmm. They should add that move to the new video game."
The two hunters, badly injured and rendered immobile from a single strike, dropped awkwardly beside their already-fallen comrade as warm blood flowed from their cleanly struck backs.
"Now, fellas, you might think I'm done with you, but I hate to break it to you...I'm not done yet."
The sole reason for this rampage of his came rushing to mind once more, and he suddenly lost the urge to chatter or joke around any longer.
"You killed my friend, you scums. Then you treated it like you just swatted a stubborn fly."
"I won't give you the luxury of a good death, you damn bastards."
Slash! Slash! Slash! Stab! Stab! Slash! Slash! Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
Chunks of flesh flew up into the air, each rising and falling with its own milestone of warm red. Little one decorated their backs like a child who had just discovered the use of crayons. Off with his mask he went as the warm blood splattered across his body.
He had always enjoyed warm baths, but never had he thought they would be more enjoyable when it's thick and in coats of red. With each slash, he revived his memories with vivid clarity. Memories he would now be forced to live with. Memories of his friend, whom he would never see again.
He continued stabbing, carving away until his hands turned too slippery with blood and the katana flew out of his grip. He looked down at the sight of his revenge-fueled massacre. Grotesque figures, as if ravaged by a thousand land piranhas, glared up at him. But he felt nothing but satisfaction.
Remorse has left the chat.
"Heh. That felt—"
[Murderous Intent Successfully Unleashed]
[Personal Task Successfully Completed]
[3/3 Killers Subdued]
[New Skill Acquired]
[WELCOME TO THE MANA REAVER SYSTEM]
[FOUR MANA SOURCES DETECTED]
[HUMANS: 3]
[BEAST: 1]
[CONSUME BEFORE THE LIFE FORCE DRAINS AWAY]
[YOUR HUNGER HAS BEGUN]
"Huh... What?!"
[YOU ARE NOW A NEW BEING]