"Here goes!"
Geno stomped his feet, and with a roar, he dashed toward the Dead End Butcher.
Facing this inexplicable attack, the Dead End Butcher simply held its weapon horizontally in front of itself, blocking Geno's assault.
On that abstract face, which resembled a piece of painted art, one could almost make out the Dead End Butcher's mocking emotion.
However, Geno's attack didn't end there. He braced his hands against the flat of the blade, flipping himself upward with his legs pointing to the sky. He then twisted his waist to rotate, landing a solid roundhouse kick right on the Dead End Butcher's face.
Over the past year, he had learned quite a few combat techniques from the sisters in the Silver forces.
If he were to encounter that Doppelganger that nearly killed him back then, he could now finish it off in less than a single move.
This was the confidence that power brought him.
Geno's kick was particularly solid, even causing the Dead End Butcher's footing to become unstable, stumbling a bit before barely steadying its form.
But before the Dead End Butcher could fly into a rage, Geno's follow-up attacks came one after another. A greatsword, pulled from who knows where, struck directly at its face.
The Dead End Butcher instantly flew into a rage out of humiliation. A mere Level 3 Ethereal should have been bowing down in submission before him, existing like an ant. But now, it dared to push its luck and climb all over his head.
How could the Dead End Butcher tolerate this? It turned to throw the weapon in its hand, intending to nail Geno down from the air.
But it ignored the fact that it wasn't just facing Geno alone.
Nekomata moved with agile steps, circling behind the Dead End Butcher. Then, with a slash of her twin blades, she cut through the Dead End Butcher's heels completely.
"ROAR!?"
Losing the support of one foot, the Dead End Butcher naturally tilted backward without exception.
Its grip on the weapon weakened, and it was flung into the air along with the movement of its arm.
Geno naturally wouldn't let this good opportunity pass. He twisted his body in mid-air, used the weapon the Dead End Butcher had dropped in flight as a stepping stone to jump, and accelerated toward the Dead End Butcher.
With a loud bang, Geno's greatsword shared a solid 'kiss' with the Dead End Butcher's face.
The massive body fell to the ground, kicking up a large amount of muddy water that splashed in all directions.
Nekomata inevitably got soaked. She subconsciously shook her body, but her eyes stared unblinkingly at the Dead End Butcher, maintaining vigilance.
At this point, only a minute had passed since the battle began.
Geno, who was pressing down on the Dead End Butcher, stood up. He didn't stop just because the Butcher had fallen. He waved the weapon in his hand ceaselessly, hacking at the Dead End Butcher's face one slash after another.
His strikes were extremely heavy; with every slash, waves of muddy water would rise from the ground, shaking the earth like a small earthquake.
But a Level 4 Ethereal was a Level 4 Ethereal. Geno's full-power attack was effective against the Dead End Butcher, but not by much.
Instead, it mostly incited the Dead End Butcher's fury.
"ROAR!!"
The heaven-shaking roar created waves of sound, shattering much of the falling rain into a fine mist that scattered away.
Geno was also blown away by this move, spinning twice before landing on the ground.
Seeing the situation was wrong, Nekomata gave up the idea of going in for a finishing blow and returned to Geno's side.
Compared to Geno's combat power, her damage was truly like scratching an itch. Sneaking around to interfere was fine, but if she really went head-to-head, nine lives wouldn't be enough for her.
As if to verify that Nekomata's decision was correct, the Dead End Butcher pushed up with both hands and climbed up from the ground again. The heel that was sliced off earlier had already recovered at some unknown point.
"Meow, this guy's condition isn't right. You beat it up like that just now; theoretically, it shouldn't be completely fine."
But as the Dead End Butcher stood up, that already abstract face became even flatter. Looking closely, there seemed to be a few cracks, comically looking like a mustache had been drawn on.
"Pfft~ Now we know where the injury is."
The cat covered her mouth and snickered, but Geno beside her didn't have such an optimistic mood.
His brows were tightly furrowed. He knew clearly the damage he had dealt. He hadn't held back any strength at all; he had poured it all out.
If it had smashed onto a guy of Dullahan's level, it would have turned into a pile of slag long ago, but the Dead End Butcher only had its skin broken a little.
What to do? Can't beat it in a head-on fight, can't run away. We're really going to die this time.
He felt a sudden despair in his heart, but his gaze shifted slightly to the little Nekomata beside him.
At least, let Nekomata...
But before Geno could react, a strange sensation flooded his whole body. Then he discovered that the Ether in the space suddenly became active.
Looking closely, the source was actually the Dead End Butcher.
The Dead End Butcher spread its arms. Intense Active Ether gathered on its body, then two meat-tumor-like, colorful, unidentified protrusions bulged out from its shoulders.
At the same time, the back of its head changed, gradually tearing open to both sides to form a huge fissure.
Revealed from within was the Dead End Butcher's true core. And those two meat tumors grew longer and longer, finally turning into two brand new arms.
This was the Dead End Butcher's true form, the appearance of a true Overlord of the Hollow.
This change came suddenly; the whole process took no more than two seconds.
The Dead End Butcher let out a sky-shaking long howl, followed by a huge leap toward Geno and Nekomata.
Shocked by this sudden change, Nekomata didn't react at all, watching helplessly as the opponent attacked toward her.
"Damn it!"
Geno leaped, shielding Nekomata under him, using all his strength to condense a thick, heavy defensive shell, attempting to block the Dead End Butcher's attack this way.
With a loud thud, like striking a large urn, the sound echoed in Geno's ears, followed immediately by pain in his back, and then he flew out and hit the wall.
The Dead End Butcher followed closely, wanting to pursue, but when it arrived, there was nothing there, leaving only the large hole smashed by the shell and the shell abandoned by Geno.
"ROAR?!"
Realizing it had been tricked, the Dead End Butcher subconsciously sensed the Ether in the air, trying to find the pair's location. But with heavy rain falling from the sky, how could it distinguish where Geno and Nekomata were?
It instantly exploded with rage, its four arms destroying the surrounding abandoned buildings in a vent of fury, roaring repeatedly.
After venting, it began to search for traces of Geno and the other bit by bit.
Although the rain interfered with tracking, as long as the two couldn't escape the Hollow, it would sooner or later find its delicious meal.
This was its confidence as the Overlord of the Dead End Hollow.
—————————
____
New Story: Danmachi: But I am a God, time to make a family!
🔥 25% off something at the funeral parlor... care to take a look? 🔥
✅ Get immediate access to 40 early chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive material and special announcements!
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters across ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan