Chapter 47: Venomous Spearmanship
[Venom Virtuoso’s Instruments (F)—the title given to Venom Virtuoso, perfectly compatible with the Venom Virtuoso (SSS) Title, upon him obtaining and connecting with the first weapon. The meaning of this title is to facilitate Venom Virtuoso’s methods of controlling poisons. Due to its compatibility with the SSS title, the title is highly versatile and will rank up with each weapon acquired, evolving every weapon up to SSS (1/9). It has a single skill—Instruments (F).]
[Your first instrument—The Spear of Starvation (S)—has high compatibility with your Venom Virtuoso (SSS) and dormant skill, Embodiment of Venom (???). On top of the spear’s ability to weaken enemies’ immune systems by an additional 100%, you can now use poisons dwelling within you through the spear.]
Within the dark mist, Nith and his weapon vanished. Though his domain halted its expansion, it continued billowing like a cloud, bouncing off the floor. As a result, there was constant movement within it.
Feeling like a fish in water, Nith approached the loud man and thrust his spear at him, matching the dynamic flow of the mist and fluidly sheathing his spear within it.
Though sheathed, Nith’s weapon was deadlier than a cobra.
As the spear slid into the man’s throat and crushed it, the man had no idea where the spear came from. Was it from behind? The front? Maybe the side?
He couldn’t tell, as the pain disrupted his thought process. When Nith retrieved his spear and walked past his foe, the man fell to the ground, clutching his throat until his last breath, still clueless about his death.
The Hunched Grim Reaper, along with the other snake people, continued dominating their opponents now that the tides had turned.
Despite the waves of mana passing through them—perception skills similar to the one the bald man had used against Medusa—none were strong enough to blow away Nith’s Black Haze, which came as a pleasant surprise.
Slashes paved Nith’s march until an earth-shaking force swept a significant portion of his domain aside.
“Looks like we’ve got some advocates of brute strength here,” Nith sneered as the wind caused by five strong enemies raked his hair, revealing him to both enemies and onlookers.
Two pairs of snake people stood behind Nith, warily keeping their guard up.
A male criminal screamed, “No mercy for a bastard who fancies disgusting, maltreated snake women! You’re fucking dead.”
“You’ll regret playing the hero for them,” another barked.
The other three lacked the brain cells to spew more insults. Nevertheless, years of being part of the same gang had forged their muscles into a well-oiled machine that worked in tandem.
All five leaped at Nith, each wielding different weapons with different advantages.
Holding his spear single-handedly, Nith stretched his dominant hand to the side and stopped his allies. “They want my ass, so I’ll entertain them alone. Don’t butt in.”
The snake people exchanged looks and tentatively nodded.
The extent of his spearmanship would now be proven!
‘A sword, a mace, an axe, a club, and a broadsword,’ Nith quickly assessed the weapons his enemies wielded as they advanced.
A clear distinction had been drawn between him and each weapon. Anyone could tell that the broadsword, being the heaviest, would come at him last, while the sword would reach him first. Nith had fought various classes in the past, so a single glance was enough for him to gather all the information he needed.
However, he didn’t have much experience with spears yet, having only fought other spearmen.
‘We’ll do this my way,’ he thought, responding to the attack with a sudden plunge.
Thrusting his spear into the ground, he pole-vaulted over everyone, then coalesced his weapon and hurled it at the fastest enemy—the swordsman. It cut through the air like a falling star and lodged itself deep in the man’s flesh.
The man hit the ground and remained pinned.
Nith flicked his fingers, causing the golden blade to part like a snake’s jaw. Eclipse Venom spread in both gas and liquid form, invading the man’s compromised immune system.
The surge of strength visibly buffed Nith’s muscles. He cracked his neck as the remaining four enemies pivoted to catch up with him.
Quickly forming a plan, Nith threw himself into the chaos. He ran like a certain ninja against an army, caught his spear with both hands, and thrust it at the axe user when in range.
This forced the axe wielder to adjust his grip and take a more defensive stance.
That, however, was Nith’s bluff. He shifted his weight into the shaft, forcing it to change direction into a wide sweep, far more flexible than it should have been.
It bent as though it were made of thin, blue bamboo—if such a thing even existed in this world.
The sweep’s result was better than Nith had hoped. It knocked both the mace and club wielders onto their backsides, leaving two enemies still standing.
One of them caught up to Nith and raised his weapon overhead. A massive broadsword dangled above him, its blade glowing as mana gathered in it. Finally, the man swung down, only for the sword to stop midway.
Nith caught it with his bare hand, wrapped in Eclipse Venom. He’d gathered enough strength to form a demonic glove.
Rolling his eyes upward, he glared at the man, lips curling into a wide smirk.
That expression threw the man off, compelling him to add more strength—but to no avail.
Nith yanked the blade from his enemy’s grasp and threw it aside. At the same time, he ducked, avoiding the arc of the axe, which would have beheaded him. From below, he twisted his torso and used his free hand to thrust his spear, splitting the axe wielder’s chest open.
Nith slithered away nimbly, rising to his feet and summoning his spear again. With his back to his opponents, the weaponless enemy saw an opportunity, extending his balled fist toward him.
Nith, however, used the spear’s other end to barrel its strength into the man’s fist, crushing it before the punch could connect.
One does not simply touch the hunched bastard’s back.
Glaring at the other enemies, Nith confirmed that the first man to receive his spear attack couldn’t fight anymore. He must have been hit directly in the spine, rendering him paralyzed. He became a perfect strength source for Nith.
The remaining three continued relentlessly, determined to save what was left of their pride.
Nith deemed this much doable for a tango.
Sneering, he stepped forward. What greeted him first was an air-shattering smash, which he intercepted with his spear’s shaft. The crushing force pinned him to the ground for a moment, just as the mace wielder had hoped.
The mace slammed into Nith’s side, its head adorned with pointed blades that sank deeper into his flesh upon impact.
Nith puffed his cheeks and spat dark-purple venom—his blood, which he’d transformed into poison before expelling it from his body.
The venom splashed across the club wielder’s face, flooding his eyes.
The mace man stood in shock. Nith hadn’t fallen. He had taken the full force of the blow and remained standing!
Half of that was Nith’s natural build. Proper footwork covered the rest.
“I ain’t getting swatted like a fly,” Nith growled at the bewildered man.
Meanwhile, the axe wielder caught up again, swinging arcs lethal enough to cut deep into Nith’s flesh. In response, Nith switched to defense, blocking the man’s advances as easily as the old man had with his face.
When Nith found a gap in the man’s attacks, he countered like a machine, striking the man’s exposed skin. Each cut was precise and fast, but none of it scared the axe wielder.
It was Nith’s range.
Once the other two closed in, their attacks hurled toward Nith, their teamwork ensuring they didn’t strike each other.
Nith, however, had warmed up enough to respond in advance. He used every inch of his weapon to defend himself and strike back.
And when he saw enough of them, he could sense the extent of their abilities. He entered a mental state where he could foresee the battle’s outcome in multiple versions.
Unknowingly, Nith sped up. What frightened the axe wielder soon enveloped his two friends as well, as Nith began swinging his spear in wide arcs, deeply cutting through armor and flesh.
His spear even slithered behind him, slicing at enemies from the rear.
The way he flicked his fingers to direct the cuts resembled a pianist playing, the way he moved his weapon mimicked paddling across a river of blood and flesh, and the way he spun around was akin to a break-dancer, which quite concerned the other snake people.
“Can his spine endure that much strain?”
“Who knows? I hope it can…”
“If he were one of us, this style would be perfect…”
“Bro, can you imagine vaulting with our snake bodies?!”
This style was only possible because Nith could summon and conjure his weapon at will, with no cost at all! Otherwise, it would have been impossible for a human to achieve this snake-like style of spearmanship, coiling around enemies and presenting them on a silver platter.
“I call this… Venomous Spearmanship,” Nith smirked as all his enemies crumbled to the ground around him.
Even the man whose hand had been crushed fell to his knees, groveling before Nith.
“You’re alive only because I’m human. I said I wouldn’t kill people outside my domain, and I keep my promises,” Nith said.
He then walked toward the snake people.
On his way, he stumbled upon the swordsman he had defeated with a single strike to the spine…
Nith kicked him out of the way. “Dispose of this trash somewhere.”
Had Kyouka been there, Nith surely would have earned himself a slap for that comment.
A/N: Fighting scenes are my bane. Please, tell me if there’s anything I should work on and your thoughts on it! I want to improve more!
