The Gamer's POV

Chapter 339: The White Mask of Regret

The next thing Cedric hated most after an insolent sibling was an insolent child. So he needed to teach this brute a lesson.

One that would make him think twice before repeating the kind of shit he did moments ago in the sanctum.

Before the Oni could recover from the knee blow to his face, Cedric leapt, spun again, and struck the demon’s jaw with the heavy hilt of his katana, causing the brute’s head to snap sideways.

Then, he landed gracefully on the ground. However, barely a heartbeat later, he had already leapt again, and with his arm wound back, he delivered a brutal punch that sent the Oni flying several meters backward.

The demon’s massive body rolled across the dirt before he finally managed to catch himself and halt on one knee.

When he looked up, he frowned as he was unable to see Cedric. He swept his vision from left to right but still couldn’t find the man anywhere.

Unbeknownst to him, Cedric was already directly above him, descending with his leg extended in a brutal dropkick.

In the next instant, Cedric’s foot slammed directly into the Oni’s head, burying it face-first into the ground.

Cedric then crouched and grabbed the Oni by the neck, lifted him slightly, and smashed him back onto the ground. He lifted him and smashed him again, and again, and again.

Finally, he grabbed the demon’s shoulders with both hands. After digging his boots into the ground to anchor himself, he used as much strength as he could muster and swung the creature entirely across the field.

The Oni’s body skipped several times painfully across the field before finally rolling to stop.

For a brief moment after, he lay on the ground, blinking in a daze. Then, he rolled over and pushed himself unsteadily back to his feet.

It was at that moment that the brute knew that things might not go so easily as he had thought they would.

The smug confidence that had once been in his eyes vanished, replaced by a burning hatred for Cedric and this entire situation. He really did not want to submit, and he most definitely did not want that mask on his face.

And so, he resolved that he would kill this being before that happened.

...He would try, at least.

Without hesitation, he immediately let out a roar and went berserk. His skin rippled and his muscles suddenly began to bulge and swell. His horns grew longer, his teeth elongated into jagged fangs, and his already massive size doubled.

What had once looked like the perfect warrior now looked like an intimidating ogre of pure rage.

But more than just his size, even the crimson hue of his skin shifted to a deep, toxic blue.

’That’s his berserker form?’ Cedric thought as he shifted his gaze for a split second from the creature to the smoky tablet which hovered a bit to the side of his vision:

~~~~~~ Lord’s Eye ~~~~~~

[Berserker: The Akuma-Oni’s strength is doubled while in his berserker state.]

~~~~~~ ======= ~~~~~~

Cedric’s gaze quickly returned to the Oni to see that he had dropped his club and had pulled two jagged bone blades straight from his belt.

At the same time, Cedric could see the figure of the demon blur as wisps of thick blue smoke began to pour from his skin, rapidly shrouding the creature. Simultaneously, the Oni sliced his own sides, staining the bone blades with his blue blood.

~~~~~~ Lord’s Eye ~~~~~~

[Whispers of Madness: The miasma of the Akuma-Oni inflicts madness upon those who stay within its vicinity over time. However, the effect is instantaneous should he manage to get his blood into his target.]

~~~~~~ ======= ~~~~~~

’Ah...’

Cedric’s grip tightened on the hilt of his katana.

The lesson was over. It was time to get serious and end this before things got out of hand.

Of course, despite them being the same grade, Cedric was not just higher in level, but more experienced in almost all aspects. However, if there was one thing he’d learned in the past few months, through his many battles with beings levels higher than himself, it was that he should not underestimate anyone, and should always apply caution, as even a weaker being was capable of turning the tables.

Cedric couldn’t take any chances, and so, his body began to dissolve, breaking apart into dozens of black wings.

At that moment, the air fractured as the Oni lunged at Cedric, extending the bone blade of his right hand in a lethal thrust.

The strike was so fast that it left a trail of dust and dead daffodils in its wake. But by the time the demon thought he had pierced straight through Cedric’s chest, the target shattered entirely, and the black birds all scattered into the sky, seamlessly joining the murder of ravens above.

Hundreds of those ravens cawed as they then began to descend, enveloping the confused Oni in a screeching cacophony of feathers and shadows.

He spun around wildly, and his eyes darted like a trapped animal’s, trying to find his target in the chaos.

In these few seconds of sheer disorientation, a hand appeared out of nowhere with the mask, slamming it hard onto the Oni’s face.

He staggered backward in utter disbelief and immediately reached up and grabbed the mask, roaring in agony. He tried to pull it off, but no matter how much he clawed and strained, he couldn’t take the mask off.

It was as if the artifact had fused completely with his flesh, rooting itself into his very soul.

In the next instant, the Oni began to return to his normal size. The thick blue smoke dissolved into nothingness as his skin changed. But rather than returning to his original crimson hue, his flesh bleached to a stark, ghostly white with faint, sickly yellow veins spreading across his chest and arms.

While this was happening, the ravens began to disperse, and a few of them coalesced back together a few meters in front of the Oni, revealing Cedric. He stood calmly, watching the demon, who was now swinging his blades almost aimlessly in a desperate, fading panic.

Eventually, the creature collapsed to his knees and whatever anger and emotion he must have felt earlier vanished entirely, replaced by severe regret and attachment.

Cedric took a few steps closer to the creature. He paused just a few paces away and studied the kneeling demon quietly.

At that moment, Aika, who had been a spectator by the side, walked over and crouched in front of the creature. Then, she reached out a hand, and as she ran her fingers along the sharp edge of the white mask, she spoke in a soft voice.

"Keep up this stubbornness and you shall spend the rest of your life in masks."

The creature finally lifted his head to Aika.

It was then that she offered a small, knowing smile.

"Your name shall be Redd."

It was quiet between them for a few seconds, and then, the Oni repeated in a pained voice.

"Redd."

At that moment, new words formed on Cedric’s tablet.

Name: [Redd]

Species: [Akuma-Oni]

Nature: [Klesha]

Grade: [3]

Epithet: [The Demon of Calamity]

Insight: [A being that loves to spread malice and madness. It has a deep sense of devotion to the absolute evil and shall be the pawn of the High Mistress of the Karmic Manifests.]

Attributes: [Dversha], [Krodha]

Powers: [Berserker], [Whispers of Madness]