Chapter 651: The one they call the Butcher [1]

"We should do something about that knife."

Cedrick’s voice spread calmly as his eyes settled over the knife. By now, he understood exactly what the knife was.

’A growth type item. One that grows with the number of anomalies that it absorbs.’

Feeling the growing power emanating from the knife, his expression became slightly more serious. Especially when he saw Seth retrieve another anomaly, the blade cleaving down once more as its power continued to rise.

’...I’m surprised he managed to get his hands on a growth-type item, but I’m sure there must be some sort of side-effect to using such a knife.’ Cedrick’s eyes narrowed as he observed the pig-like face that stood opposite him.

He wanted to observe more, but he knew that he couldn’t.

"Not bad for a trump card."

While mumbling such words, his nodes churned.

The next sequence of events occurred extremely quickly.

Adjusting his clothes, Cedrick blinked once. The exact moment he blinked, the space behind Seth tore apart as a massive, yet strangely beautiful and eerie eye appeared.

It was enormous.

Far larger than Seth, or anyone within the room. The iris was a deep, bruised gold, and the pupil shifted slowly, settling on Seth with an almost casual weight. Dark veins crawled outward from its edges, pulsing faintly with each beat. From the corners, thin trails of black-red bled downward before disappearing into nothing.

It didn’t move aggressively. It didn’t make a sound.

It just looked at him.

And somehow, that was enough to make Seth pause as Cedrick activated his first Node.

[Judgement].

A faint, squeamish sound filled the air as the eye blinked, soft droplets falling; in the next moment it opened again, revealing a completely different pupil. One made of an eerie blood-red hue as the air seemed to shift.

Subsequently, the pig’s movements became far more sluggish.

Cedrick adjusted his clothes once more.

He was far from done.

[Observe]

The eye blinked once more, the pupil’s color shifting from blood red to celestial blue. In that instant, it seemed to change from something demonic to something more angelic, the heaviness in the air fading. And yet, as the Team Leader observed from the side, he couldn’t help but feel suffocated as he stared at Cedrick.

’What sort of Decree is this?’

His lips trembled slightly as he looked around, his mind scrambling for a way out of his current situation. Everything had unfolded in a way he hadn’t expected. From the start, all of this had been prepared in order to deal with Seth.

And yet⎯!

Not only did he seem aware of his plans, but even ’they’ had gotten involved. And with him having lost control of the anomalies he had set up, the situation wasn’t in his favor. With only one anomaly under his control, he was no different from a regular human.

Thankfully, he still had reserve items in case things turned for the worse, but he was still at a complete disadvantage.

’I’ve got to think quickly of a way out. As things stand, I⎯!!’

The Team Leader’s thoughts came to an abrupt end the moment he turned around. Behind him hung a massive eye, its glossy exterior catching no light, its celestial pupils fixed on him with an unsettling stillness.

The darkness within the pupil didn’t reflect the room.

It swallowed it, pulling the light from the surroundings into something that gave nothing back.

"H-ha."

The breath seemed to leave the Team Leader’s body as he stared at it, subconsciously stepping back. As he did, his gaze couldn’t help but move in Cedrick’s direction as he turned to meet his gaze, his lips pulling into a thin smile.

The Team Leader’s heart sank.

’Shit.’

But just as quickly as the thought arrived, he moved. His hand flicked, sending something hurtling toward Cedrick. The speed was exceptional. Even faster than when he had attacked Seth, as he reached into his pocket to grab something.

He didn’t even look up to see whether his attack had landed or not.

He had only one thought at the moment.

’Leave! I need to leave this place!’

There was one item he had kept in reserve. Something he’d only intended to use in an emergency. But looking at the situation now, he knew that if he didn’t use it, it would be too late for him.

"Hmm, no. I don’t think so."

A soft whisper brought him to a complete halt, the eye before him suddenly widening as the Team Leader felt his entire body freeze at once. He didn’t even get a chance to properly assess the situation before he heard the calm sound of a couple of footsteps, and Cedrick appeared before him, his hand reaching for his pocket.

"Let’s have a look at what you have here."

He calmly retrieved a folded piece of paper from the Team Leader’s pocket, revealing what appeared to be a chipped piece of metal. Giving it a quick scan, Cedrick smiled.

"I see. So that’s what you were betting on."

His gaze fell on the frozen Team Leader whose eyes shook. With the eyes staring back at him, he... couldn’t feel his body at all. He was completely frozen in place, with his nodes slowing down with each passing second as Cedrick pocketed the scrap metal.

"I’ll take good care of it."

N-no...!

The Team Leader’s face shifted further, but the change lasted only a few seconds before they heard something splatter. When both eyes turned, Cedrick’s gaze fell on the pig-like creature.

The eye behind the pig stayed perfectly still. It watched him in the dim surroundings as the "pig" didn’t move, its red eyes flickering ominously while fixed on the two of them. It was such a lack of action that made the two unable to tear their eyes away from him.

More importantly...

’Where did the sound come from?’

Cedrick’s gaze wandered across the surroundings before eventually falling toward a certain area where a dark figure stood, knife in hand and anomaly in another. Cedrick’s brow rose in surprise.

"Your node is working? That shouldn’t be the case."

His ability should’ve nullified his nodes. How was he...?

"What do you think my Decree is?"

The pig suddenly asked, his voice sounding hoarser than before. Almost as if something was threatening to take over his mind.

Cedrick blinked slowly before looking at the Team Leader. Though he didn’t say anything, his actions spoke volumes.

"Not quite~"

The amusement lingered behind the pig mask as a soft "thump" echoed and the anomaly dropped to the ground. Cedrick’s gaze stayed on it for a moment, until it fell onto the knife.

’It’s even more powerful.’

He felt an ominous feeling when looking at the knife.

A completely bloodthirsty one.

But above all...

"You won’t be able to contain such a thing. Your mind..."

"That’s not something for you to worry about."

The pig hoarsely spoke, his eyes turning a deeper shade of red as the anomaly under his control brought out another anomaly and slashed down with the knife.

SPURT!

Blood spurted in all directions, and the eye behind the pig widened. Once more, he tried to cancel out Seth’s nodes to stop him, but...

Nothing.

...Nothing at all.

The anomaly kept moving on its own, bringing out another anomaly as the bloodthirsty aura around the knife grew even more pronounced.

’This situation is pretty bad.’

Cedrick realized rather quickly that if he let things keep going, things would become troublesome even for him. He wanted to move and get to him, but Seth wasn’t the main issue at the moment. It was his anomaly, and with the anomaly not under Seth’s control, Cedrick was put in an awkward position as he found himself unable to stop it.

Especially since he was already using several of his abilities at once.

’But more importantly, if he takes that knife, his mind will be consumed. He’ll become a mindless monster that only knows how to slash. I already knew that he wasn’t right in the head, but I didn’t expect him to be so crazy he’d push himself to a point of no return. No...’

Cedrick was suddenly reminded of the World Congress.

’...Right, I should’ve realized it sooner.’

Still⎯

"Why is his anomaly still standing? It shouldn’t be the case. I should’ve ⎯"

"He’s... not of the same Decree as me."

The Team Leader’s voice reached Cedrick softly, cutting past his words as Cedrick’s other nodes started to churn and even more eyes started to appear across the entire room.

The pig’s body hunched under a massive weight, but he remained standing, his eyes locked onto him as the red glow in them intensified, almost blazing. As more blood spilled onto the floor, the Team Leader’s voice finally reached Cedrick’s ears.

"His anomalies are independent of him. He..."

The voice whispered.

"...doesn’t control them."

"Not quite."

The pig’s voice grew even hoarser as he locked eyes with Cedrick, whose frown tightened as he extended his hand toward the Realmwalker. Staring at the knife, Cedrick’s six nodes churned at once as he spoke.

"Don’t do it."

Alarm was clear in his voice.

"If you take that knife, you’re⎯"

"Too late~"