Chapter 15: [ARC 1] Chapter 12 - The Spearman's Toll

Black ichor dripped from Kagami’s naked body. It had taken everything out of him in order to push through the horde of spider that attacked him in the crevice. He had been lucky enough that they hadn’t killed him this time. He was able to kill five before running off. He had not been chased by thirty of them, he may have taken their corpse.

Luke was leaning against the wall, his spear doing the same right next to him. He had asked his question and was waiting for the spearman’s answer. He opened one of his eyes, his lips tugged into a grin seeing the state Kagami was in.

“Yeah, they came. Did they kick you down somewhere deep?”

“They sure did.” Kagami said with the most upbeat tone he could manage. Though, the tiredness still seeped from his throat.

Luke, sensing it, grinned wickedly. “How many spiders did you kill?”

He knew he was digging his own grave, but Kagami nonetheless answered honestly, counting on his fingers how many he killed. “About five. Two injured. Not sure if they’re dead.”

“And you didn’t bring any of them back.” Luke clicked his tongue and shook his head. “I guess we can add another one for that failure and say eight rounds.”

“Oh come on!” Kagami threw up his hands. “I need to go in now! I need to find those people now! Can’t you let this pass?”

Luke opened both of his eyes, meeting his eyes.

“No. I told you this, but I absolutely hate you.” Luke tripped his spear, catching it before it hit the ground. He did a couple of spins, and then pointed the blade at Kagami. “Think of this as penance for every shit you did, including killing my family.”

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From the black surface of the spear, Kagami’s face was reflected upon it. He sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

“I’m didn’t do that.”

“Just because you don’t remember, doesn’t mean you didn’t do it.”

There was no getting out of this. Kagami prepared for the fight, holding up his fists.

Luke tilted his head.

“Compared to when you first came here, you’re pretty ripped.”

Kagami looked over his skinny body giving him a questionable look.

“This is nowhere near what I used to be like.”

“You were much crueler.” He agreed.

Kagami wanted to retort but stopped when he felt Luke’s bloodlust direct towards him.

He dodged the thrust, feeling and hearing the pop of the air where his head had been. He could imagine his head exploding from that one thrust. As Kagami moved to close the distance between them, the spear arched down. Kagami hit the pole with his fist, deflecting it.

Luke used the momentum of the deflection, spinning it and stabbing Kagami through the chest just as his fist landed simultaneously in the man’s chest. Kagami gasped, blood dripped out of the corner of his mouth. The spear had punctured a lung.

His punch did not do the same amount of damage. Luke grinned, pulling out the spear, blood gushed out of his new hole and Kagami took a couple of uneasy steps back. Confident of his victory, Luke walked forward, puncturing a couple of more holes into Kagami.

All Kagami could do to retaliate was land another soft impacted punch in the same place.

Luke stopped for a moment, looking down at the fist. The next thing he did was cut the hand off and while it was still in the air hit it across the room with the butt of his spear.

Kagami flopped on the ground. He was still so weak. All that training, still wasn’t having the effect he wanted. The way he imagined himself to move, the way he used to move in his old body, his new body didn’t respond to it.

“Looks like’s my win.” Luke’s shadow fell over him like the harbinger of death. He held up his spear, pointing the blade down. “Seven more times.”

Though he put up a fight each time, he still died seven more times.