Parallel (A Virtual Gamer's Story) [Vol.1 - Vol.4 Complete]

Chapter 98: Reviewing Maggots

"AAARGH!"

The deceased's screams wrought through the coliseum as fountains of blood erupted from within the Chaos Brotherhood's ranks. Heads and torsos were flung into the air as the Maggots cleaved through the masses like incarnations of divine judgment. The air itself was so saturated with blood that several warriors breathed the blood of their brethren shortly before theirs was added to the thickening red mist.

Zeing observed the slaughter from Froy's (soon-to-be-former) VIP seat with a grim smile. His nostrils greedily drank in the blood mist, but it was not nearly enough to excite him to take action. "Ahhh..." He sighed as Syèl clenched his fist, causing a corpse to explode. "Back in the day..."

The cruel one-sided slaughter reminded Zeing of a time long gone past, a time when his tribe had to fight tooth and nail to survive. Traditional dwarfs ostracized them because they were the rampaging giants' bastard children.

Zeing recalled the taste of metal and blood he'd consumed daily for him and his 'siblings' not to perish in a world that loathed their existence. With a tribe less than a hundred strong, with no one above thirty years of age, he and his tribesmen still managed to forge a bloody path to survival, forcing the world to acknowledge their existence. Only then did the dwarves realize they could not ignore this tribe, ultimately giving Zeing's people a mountain peak in which to create their abode.

The fact that this mountain peak was kilometers away from the main dwarven settlements was something everyone noticed, but no one chose to point out for various reasons.

Zeing, having secured a place for his tribe, then set out to get revenge against the giants who brought them into existence without their permission then abandoned them as they liked. Who would imagine that after extensive training, even going so far as to sign up as a mercenary to encounter the greatest dangers, that right when he made his way to slay the giants, someone beat him to it?

That damned human, after defeating the ruler, even went as far as to take the giants across the Forever Sea to another continent entirely, thoroughly destroying any hope Zeing had of gaining revenge. Even worse, the defeated giant king happened to be the one who left his seed in Zeing's mother. The man Zeing once wished to destroy with his own hands.

Zeing's brows furrowed, and his mood grew irritable as he recalled the indifference of that damned human when he challenged him a year later, only to be defeated without even managing to lay a finger on him. That was the first time the dwarf ever felt true difference in power. How many times did he challenge that human after that? Fifty? A hundred? He could not remember. Back then, whenever he felt a significant increase in his strength, he would once again challenge that human, and without ceremony, he would be staring at the clouds seconds later.

Zeing could not recall why he challenged that human any longer. Was it for pride? To reclaim his tribe's honor? Maybe? In fact, he was not sure if he hated the human or not. All he knew was that he wanted to destroy him with his own hands.

"You just want to fight," a voice suddenly proclaimed behind him. "Thinking too deeply has never been your strong suit."

Zeing's eyes widened as he shot off the chair and spun around. There before him stood a man who some might mistake as a simple vampire at first glance. Dressed in rich black garments, the pale-faced hybrid had a hint of a smile as he gazed at his old companion.

"Fight!" Zeing roared with excitement as he rushed at Rider without another word. However, Rider vanished. Instinct guided Zeing to the right, where his fist struck forward.

Unlike when Zeing fought with Kashi, there was nothing showy about this fist. It was not exceptionally fast, nor was there wind generated around it. Even his muscles didn't seem to be bulging as they should when exerting tremendous force, yet the smirk on Rider's face dimmed a little as he appeared at the exact spot where Zeing's fist shot to.