Awakening of the Weakest Slayer

The echo of those footsteps devoured the silence, filling the cold air of the cell block with a dread so sharp Sezel could hardly breathe. The beast entered, about two meters tall, its body twisted from darkness, every movement a chill crawling down the spine.

The beast halted at the entrance of the cell area. Its figure looming in shadows.

Tip! Tip! Tip!

Black blood trickled from its scythes on both hands, echoing like drops falling in a still pond. The heavy stench of that black blood filling the surroundings.

Sezel gulped the dry knot in his throat, breathing slowly and subtly, not allowing any kind of noise.

Sezel pressed himself deeper between the cells, every muscle cramped and locked, breath shallow. From his narrow vantage, he caught a clear glimpse of the abomination: arms ending in blade-like scythes, both stained, still wet with the ichor.

Its whole body was glossy black, insectile, built like a monstrous grasshopper with long-bent legs bristling with spikes. Antennae swept from its head, and its face was unmistakably predatory, dominated by empty, pitiless eyes that stared constantly at the assessment device that buzzed in front of it.

Its screen glowing with the name (Raelion) and a green button hovering beneath the name.

'A very good time to call indeed' Sezel cussed. It had already been a little over 4 hours since he entered the gate. And Raelion chose to contact him now of all times.

The assessment devices were especially made for contact inside the Spirit Realm.

The beast tilted its head after observing the device for a little moment, until it buzzed and then after it had stopped, the monster moved closer to it. As soon as he reached a certain radius the device chimed announcing a death sentence.

[Enhanced Beast - Flesh Reaper Detected]

[Rank - 4]

Sezel's heart stopped, 'An enhanced beast' but that was not even the main problem, it was the rank. It was a Rank-4 beast from the enhanced category.

A wave of despair and fear clashed over Sezel, considering that he struggled against the White Hunter which was just a rank 2 and moreover a common category beast.

The categories in which Spirit beasts are divided are based on intelligence, so an enhanced beast was more intelligent and capable than a common beast for the most part.

It was clear as day, Sezel was going to be the prey here, and a confrontation at this point was inevitable. He was pretty sure the beast could see in the darkness, it lived here and must have been acclimated to the darkness around.

A lost fight as far as one could think, an inevitable death. Sezel's mind churned, his thoughts were chaotic.

'Think of something, think damnit' he bit his lips in desperation.

THUD!

With a lightning jab, the creature's scythe cut through the assessment device, shattering it to pieces and digging a small crater in the stone floor. The single, false comfort of contact was gone. What replaced it was worse: the girl's soft, terrified sobbing broke through the silence, shivering with stark helplessness.

Sezel could see what would happen next. The beast, responding to sound like a living blade, turned immediately toward the cell where the girl wept. Cold horror turned the edges of his vision black.

'Damn, I have to distract it'

His mind suddenly turned over to the weapons he had on his waist, the katana and the 'Revolver'.

Sezel gulped, there was no other way around, he had to do it. But why? Why would he do it for someone he doesn't even know? Why would he risk his life for an unknown child?

Who knew if she was even real or just a fabrication of this cruel realm. Amidst all these uncertain questions in Sezel's mind, flashed the memories of his sister.

He couldn't make any clear distinction of what was right and what was a wrong thing to do.

If he wanted, this was a perfect moment. He could just run away while the beast was still interested in the girl.

But he chose otherwise. Heart slamming, he made his choice. He drew the pistol, adrenaline sharpening his hands to steel.

He leaped from his hiding place. The pistol snapped up, locked onto the girl's cell. The beast's head twisted instantly—bug eyes drilling into him, black as oblivion.

SHOT!

Sezel fired the shot, the bullet traced to the lock of the cell the girl was in and struck stone a meter beyond.

As if acting on instincts the beast slashed at the sound on reflex, not logic. Its massive red scythe sliced through air as effortless as tipping a blade of grass and the next moment the lock and the wall behind were cut in two pieces.

Sezel gritted his teeth, this was not the end, but he did achieve one of his goals. The lock was no more. The girl was free from the prison. Now what remained was to get the little lady out of the beast's reach and run away from here.

But this exactly was the most difficult part, the beast was clearly annoyed by the two intruders on its territory.

The girl sat frozen inside the cell, the rusted gate creaked open, and just the next moment, reacting to the sound, the beast slashed it into tiny pieces, the noise of metal falling on tiles filled the entire castle.

And to Sezel it rang like a death bell, the next target was him. But he pulled his mind out of the whirl and shot another bullet, this time directly at the beast.

The bullet struck its black carapace, the chitin so tough that the metal simply bounced off with a sharp, metallic click, ringing impossibly loud in the oppressive dark.

'What!' Despair clawed at Sezel's mind. The bullet hadn't even bruised the monster, and with that revelation, his chances of winning died down.

Just the next moment, with a blur of motion, the beast disappeared from his vision. Then appeared right next to Sezel before he could react.

All he could see was the red scythe, coming towards him, the bloodthirsty eyes of the beast pinning him down with the cold certainty of death.