Instantly, the bandit leader and his lackeys freeze like ice sculptures. The only part of their bodies they can still move are their eyes, and those eyes are filled with dread, they knew it was over for them.
Fufufu… HOLY…CRAP.
My excitement dies down when I notice Sayo and Leyasu staring at me in confusion. It was obvious that several thoughts were running through their heads.
Well, I'll deal with them later.
I walk toward the bandit leader and take a closer look at the gauntlet he was wearing. It was indeed silver metal, and the red crystal embedded in it glowed faintly. I raised my head, staring at the bandit leader eyeball to eyeball. Though, I remained extremely cautious in case he somehow broke free from my command.
"Hey, tell me. Where did you get this?" I asked. But the leader stays silent. I then curled my mouth as I remembered I needed to give him permission to speak.
"You can speak now. What is this and where did you get it?"
The moment I spoke, the bandit let out a panicked voice.
"P-Please s-spare my life. It's called a Shingu, and it was given to me by a mysterious man. Please forgive m-me," the bandit leader pleaded fervently.
But I, on the other hand, was confused. Since I've slowly been losing memories about the plot of this series, I completely forgot there were weapons called Shingus. They were created to surpass Teigus but ended up being subpar compared to actual Teigus. Now, that leaves me with the daunting question of whether what I have is a Shingu or Teigu. But considering its capabilities, I strongly doubt it's the former.
"Who is the mysterious man that gave you this item?" I asked the bandit leader again.
"I…I swear to God, I don't know him. When I was a rookie bandit, we tried robbing him, but he beat the shit out of us and told us to work for him in exchange for sparing our lives. Ever since then, he's been taking ninety percent of the loot and gives us ten percent. We dare not complain because he is insanely powerful. P-Please spare my life, sir—" I slapped my hand across the bandit leader's mouth, covering it and shutting him up.
He wasn't lying, after all, I used my Teigu to force the truth out of him. Who would be powerful and confident enough to give a bandit a Shingu? Since the man intended for the bandit to deliver to him, that guy isn't good either.
"Well, now that the tables have turned, it's only fair if I loot you guys instead, right?" I said with an evil sigh as a terrified expression formed on the bandit leader's face.
"Where is your camp, and where do you keep the things you guys loot?"
"D-Deep inside the forest," the bandit leader answered frantically.
"What a bummer. Unfortunately, I don't have time for that. But let's start from here," I muttered and began trying to take off the gauntlet from the bandit leader's hand. "You two should check for valuables on the bodies of the other bandits," I said to Sayo and Leyasu, who jerked in shock before immediately getting to work.
For some reason, I couldn't get the gauntlet off the bandit leader's hand. If anything, it kept tightening around his arm as if it didn't want to let go.
Sighing, I picked up a dagger and cleanly cut off the bandit leader's hand, blood oozing from the severed limb, yet for some unknown reason, the gauntlet refused to release its grip on the detached hand.
"Why won't it come off?" I asked the bandit leader, who was crying while a shit ton of blood spilled from his freshly severed arm.
"I-It won't release unless I order it to or the user dies," the leader replied, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"You should have done that but well, too late." I thrust the dagger into the bandit leader's neck, cleanly slicing his artery, and within a minute, he died.
With a clicking mechanical sound, the Shingu finally let go of the severed hand and suddenly began climbing my left arm, its parts spreading out like a spider. Before I could yank it away, it wrapped around my hand and suddenly, tiny needle-like points stabbed into my skin, forcing a small sound out of me.
Now, I noticed the crystal embedded in the gauntlet was crystal clear and now slowly turning blood red as the needles that pierced me sucked my blood. After a few seconds, the entire gauntlet turned bright blood red and the needles retracted, sitting comfortably on my hand as if it were the extension of my own limb.
Did it choose me as its master after the bandit passed away? This is strange. Still in shock, I decided to test the gauntlet's power. I faced the forest and suddenly, with a burst of speed, I swiped my hand in a clawing motion.
SHIMMM!!
A loud supersonic sound erupted from the gauntlet along with a burst of energy as trees and bushes suddenly toppled over. Just like when the bandit leader attacked earlier, the trees were cleanly cut within a surprisingly large range.
So, this gauntlet can create invisible slash attacks, cutting things down within a specific distance. I need to know its exact range and full capability. Next, I imagined the gauntlet leaving my hand and it did, mechanically shifting and turning into a small ring. I wore the ring, and it fit perfectly around my finger, surprising me even more.
Glancing behind, I noticed Sayo and Leyasu crying while staring at the blood covering their hands. I also realized the bandits I told them to loot had already escaped. I instantly figured that using the Shingu canceled out my Teigu.
But the most important thing right now is that Sayo and Leyasu look traumatized and lifeless.
"W-We killed people. We killed people…" Leyasu muttered while tears streamed down his face. Sayo also looked equally traumatized, staring at me like I was some kind of demon.
FUCK.
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[Author's Note: Well, I just published the last chapter from my Patreon, so I've completely exhausted everything there. I did this because I went on a long hiatus, but I'm fully back now. I'll refill my Patreon tomorrow after editing all the chapters, so anyone who wants to read advanced chapters can join my Patreon and further support me. Thanks to everyone for encouraging me in one way or another. It truly means a lot to me.]