Lacha and Gregor were immediately blasted back as horror filled their faces. There was only one thing in this world that had an aura this dark and this demonic.
"You're a Necromancer! An evil being that needs to be destroyed!!!"
Their roars were filled with disgust, a disgust so strong they clearly didn't see him as a human anymore. From his point of view, their logic had made way to tribalism, and their survival instincts, to arrogance.
Such ignorance, such... foolishness. A wicked smile grew on Derricks' cold expression. The time for dialogue had ended.
So this is what the system meant...
The violent commotion had also attracted every soldier in the vicinity, as dozens pilled inside the hut, their weapons all pointed at him.
"Human, do you need my help? Breathing on them should be enough to kill them, kekeke..."
Drakos' hoarse laugh resonated in Derrick's consciousness.
"Letting you out for these pathetic weaklings would tarnish all the efforts I've made so far. I won't even use my weapon."
With the soldiers in tow, Lacha and Gregor lunged toward him again, their actions brimming with even greater killing intent. After all, they had heard stories about Necromancers, stories of torture and experiments, stories of how they represented the roots of all evil in this world.
This was about doing the right thing, they both thought. There was no hesitation in their movements, just the will to extinguish his existence.
Derrick's smile never subsided, choosing instead to take one step forward to meet them head-on.
Just as they were about to vindictively swing their weapons, his aura once again viciously exploded.
Death. Death had come.
Their expressions fell, and despite them desperately trying to stop their momentum, it was in vain.
*BANG*
With an inhumanly fast swing of his left arm, he violently knocked Lacha to the side, sending her crashing against the wooden wall. His right, meanwhile, smoothly pierced Gregor's chest, his beating heart now being squeezed in his hand.
Fear, anger, disbelief, grief...
A torrent of emotions rushed through Gregor as he looked at the bloodied arm inside him.
"Pl... Plea... Please... It... was... a... mis... misunderstanding..."
The chief could barely talk as blood invaded his trachea.
This couldn't be happening... It had to be a nightmare, right?
Derrick's smile vanished, followed by his bottomless eyes displaying a fury rarely seen in this world.
"You tried to kill me, lost, and yet you still have the audacity to beg!?!"
Without hesitation, his hand clamped with all his strength, crushing Gregor's heart into mush. His body then went stiff before falling to the ground in a dull thump.
The soldiers, who had just witnessed their leaders being routed, stopped advancing, stupefied.
Their chief and strongest fighter had just been unceremoniously killed while desperately pleading for his life.
Terror invaded their bodies, and they couldn't move an inch. At that very moment, they all felt one emotion : despair.
Meanwhile, the injured Lacha could only watch in horror.
Why... Why was this happening?
No... She knew why...
They had rushed into this situation without assessing their opponent's intentions or strength. In a way, they had signed their own death warrants.
Her body was uncontrollably trembling.
What have we done...
Derrick's icy gaze then turned to the soldiers, the hut now completely silent. The soldiers knew it, Derrick knew it, Lacha knew it... This was the last stand, and only one side had proven stronger than the other.
Without waiting another instant and without saying another word, the necromancer lunged forward, leading to a merciless rampage where limbs, organs and blood flew in all directions. It was like the God of Death had descended, coming to collect these poor, ignorant souls.
After a moment that seemed to last an eternity, silence once again reigned, the sole survivor being Lacha.
However, her mind had gone blank, unable to process what she'd just witnessed.
In Derrick's mind, a new prompt flashed, and he went wild with joy.
[You have obtained a new skill called
Marvelous! This skill would be invaluable to his growth and, more importantly, to the projection of his strength.
After savoring this win for a bit longer, he then started looking at the surrounding aftermath.
The large hut was practically destroyed, with corpses littering the ground. His clothes were also covered in blood and guts, making him slightly frown.
"This'll stink if I let it be."
He started cleaning himself just like he had done with the mud, although in a much more disturbing setting.
"What a pity... All I wanted were directions."
During this brief moment of respite, he also couldn't help but think about the apathy he had felt while killing these men, only to swiftly compare them to beasts. Be it a human or monster, it seemed that the rules were no different, with the strong deciding the fate of the weak.
Derrick's voice forced Lacha out of her stupor, leading her to difficultly get up. Her short bout had only led to a few bruises, which was a miracle when considering the force of Derrick's strike.
"Sir, you said your name was Derrick? Please spare this village... They're innocent."
He had forgotten that there was even someone left, causing him to spin around to face her.
At that moment, his green eyes were unfathomable, almost like those of a beast at the end of its hunt. Her blood curled in fright while goosebumps reverberated throughout her skin.
But an entirely different scenario was occurring inside Derrick's mind. After his demonstration, he thought the natural reaction would be begging for one's life. Yet here she was, unabashedly defending others at the risk of her own...
Displaying such backbone was rare, especially among humans, his old self included.
After paying her more attention, he also noticed that her figure was really nice.
She had luscious black hair, piercing blue eyes and tanned skin. Her face had some freckles as well, giving her a haughty air which, when paired with her large chest and middle-30s, granted her a mature charm.
She can heal as well, which can definitely be useful in the future...
He started pondering on what he should do next before it suddenly occurred to him.
"Follow me, and I'll take care of this village. Hell, I'll even transform it into a kingdom!"
Of course, this was a disguised threat, as he never had any intention of killing anyone else in the village. His code was simple and had remained so ever since his reincarnation: only those threatening him would be disposed of.
Derrick also remembered one of his promises. What was the point of life if not for enjoying its moments of respite? Just having a woman by his side was already quite the leap in his case, a fact that made him uncomfortably grimace...
Nevertheless, this was progress.
As for the idea of a kingdom, it stemmed from his planning during his grueling fighting months. Based on his estimates, he had figured out that he couldn't take effectively take revenge without an empire of his own, or more precisely, an army of his own. He had seen the limits of mankind when faced with a great evil, so he wasn't deluded enough to think that a single man could take on the entire world.
Meanwhile, Lacha paled when she heard his demand. She had never expected that this murderous man would ask him to side with her, especially not after brutally murdering some of her closest friends.
She was beyond terrified, yet saw little to no alternative. Declining meant death, and probably even Akita's annihilation, or so she thought.
While thinking of everyone, she gritted her teeth and closed her fists before lightly nodding.
Derrick smiled. The village wasn't very big, but it was a very good foundational piece, especially with its defenses.
"As long as you follow my orders, no harm will come to you or the villagers. You work for me, and only me."
When she heard his grave tone, she trembled even more. He was serious, and incurring his wrath was not an option.
With that out of the way, he then looked at the gory scene and smirked. It was time to test his new skill.