Dual System: Ascension of A Nameless Nobody

"Huh?!"

Though he tried cutting through it, the tongue shifted direction on its own–bending around to avoid the edge of his spear in an unnatural way.

"What the–?!"

Catching him by surprise this way, the tongue wrapped around his left arm, binding it with a squeezing tightness.

"Re-he-he!" The Grin-Grin demon laughed.

Feeling the slimy rope of flesh slithering around his bicep, wriggling and squeezing, the young man let out a squeal that was anything but "masculine."

"Let go! Let go! Let go–!"

As he tried to swing his spear again to free himself, the demon moved its strong tongue to hoist him up, tossing him across the aisle.

"Aaah-!"

He yelled out before crashing into one of the shelves, wincing before fishing rods crashed down on top of him.

As he groaned out, he was forced to immediately jump back to his feet as the heavy steps of the grinning demon were heard–STOMP. STOMP. STOMP.

"--Come on! Gimme a break!"

He was forced to throw himself to the side as that vicious tongue lashed out towards him again, managing to evade it as the fleshy whip crashed into the shelf.

This is my chance! He realized.

Sol rushed forward as the grinning demon's tongue was seemingly stuck in the shelf, shaking it violently in an attempt to free himself, but he aimed his spear forward.

"Cast: Haste!"

The basic spell amplified his speed as he launched forward, using the momentum to back his strength before–

"Ah."

–Reeling back like a tape measure, the demon's tongue flipped back, smacking his ankle amidst his dash as he tumbled forward.

"Gaaah!"

While Sol had less of an elegant start against his opponent, the young man with sharp, blue hair had his own issues to tackle with the grinning demon he faced off against.

"C'mon!"

Yeong-Un roared out as he flipped around the outstretched tongue, evading its slippery, floppy movements with acrobatic-like jumps.

While he was combatting the torso-faced demon, Eunji struggled to try and aid him as the way in which he fought was so erratic and fast-paced.

I can't keep up…! Eunji thought.

Just as he drew in close with both of his blades reared back for a strike–that tongue zipped back, splitting into five different tongue snow before springing out towards him like a cobweb of slimy flesh.

"Ngh!"

He halted his attack, slashing at the split tongues that hurled his way like whips, though he was unable to cut through them as that same steel-like armor protruded from the tongues.

Whatever that shit is, it's tough! I won't be able to cut through it with half-assed strikes! He realized.

"Try this on, ya' bastard! Red Whirlwind, Crimson Storm!"

From each of his black-and-white blades, a spiral of pure-red flames birthed, roaring out as he spun himself around, unleashing a flaming spiral of slashes that managed to slice through the armored tongues with the heat supplementing his blades' sharpness.

"Gyugh–!?" The Grin-Grin demon yelped out.

He smirked as his blue-and-gold eyes sparkled with a fiery passion, "--Don't like it very much, do ya'?! Too bad!"

Without an ounce of hesitation, he carried his momentum forward–running as he continuously slashed his fire-bearing blades against the splitting-tongues. Embers danced in the air wildly as it looked like a storm of flames burrowing forward before finally–

"Here I am!" He yelled out.

"Kree–?!" The Grin-Grin demon let out a surprised noise.

He spun around again, gathering force behind his blades as he intended to cleave straight through the abnormal demon in one strike, but once again–

CLANG.

"Gh-!"

It was that armor again–this time, it was much more thick and protective, stopping his blades from bisecting the creature as it immediately grinned once again.

"Re-he-he!"

Shit–! This armor again! It can make it thicker?! He thought.

He was forced to jump back as the armor-clad tongue slammed down towards him with a heavy impact, shattering the floor below as debris propelled outward.

"Eunji!" He yelled.

"--I'm trying!" Eunji yelled in response.

With the way that he fought, using acrobatic movements and rapidly hopping around and attacking, it was incredibly difficult for the support mage to assist him.

Though she wasn't planning on using any offensive spells, as she had only a few and they hardly did anything, the supportive spells she planned to use in an effort to bind or momentarily stun the demon could accidentally land on Yeong-Un.

…If he could just stand still for a moment–no, this is my role…I have to find the opening myself! Eunji thought.

It was incredibly difficult to concentrate on that. The entire store had turned into a battlefield–between the two boys fighting the grinning demons and Ma-Ri tackling the reaver demon all on her own, the sounds of battle filled the sports store in the deathly night.

Eunji positioned herself, drawing in a quick breath.

I'll do it…! She resolved.

–

Still fighting in his own secluded section of the store, Sol found himself scrambling to his feet as the slithering tongue sought after him.

"...No! No! No! Get away!"

–It was less of a fear of pain, injury, or even death that flooded the body of the cowardly young man, but it was simply the sheer disgust of the wriggly tongue that continued to chase him down the aisle.

Though as he rolled over, feeling fear trickling through his veins with a quake that shook his fingertips, he breathed in–remembering the promises made to himself, and more harrowing memories.

It was still so fresh in his mind: the memories of the dreadful night against the player killing group. The death of his comrades, the icy-grip of death, and the introduction to Hell itself: these experiences reminded him of his own conviction–

I can't keep running away! I have to move forward! He thought.

If it wasn't for himself, he told himself that it was for his comrades–just hours away from the opening of the Tower–he decided to face his enemy head on.

"Through The Wind: Sonic Blitz."

As he summoned the will to fight, he pressed forward, feeling the swirl of mana in his body, allowing it to burn up with a vigor born of his sheer intent, igniting in the bowels of his body like an engine revving up.

–But, just as he set off, he flinched–seeing that grinning demon in front of him, everything in his body cowered away as the very idea of heading straight into the arms of that demon unsettled him.

"Gh-!"

He launched forward with a burst of one-directional speed that shattered the sound barrier with a whip of the wind, scooting the surrounding shelves back.

But, due to his own hesitance, he completely missed the grinning fiend.

"Kre–?"

The Grin-Grin demon seemed taken aback by the imposing burst of speed–standing there for a moment, idle in the aisle with its elongated tongue still laid out across the floor before it slowly turned around with its smiling expression.

"...Huff…"

He had crashed into the boxes at the far wall, laying in them for a moment before he jumped back to his feet.

Damn it…! Why am I so scared?!...I can do this! I know I can! Why am I shaking?! He questioned.

As he questioned his own mindset, he was caught off-guard as that abnormal tongue lashed out with monstrous speed, striking him with a whip-like attack. Though he tried to raise his spear, it was knocked out of his hands–

The unexpected outcome led him to being unable to catch his spear as the powerful whip knocked it to the ground away from him.

"--No!"

Crap! He thought.

Before he could rush over to retrieve his spear, the fleshy organ lunged towards him again, forcing him to scramble away, nearly falling down as he crawled out of the path of the tongue's strike.

SLAM.

It broke through the cardboard boxes behind him, tossing them around as the tongue wriggled. He sat on his rear for a moment in a panic, crawling backward as his trembling eyes darted between his spear and the grinning demon itself.

What do I do?! He questioned.

While his mind was flooded with indecisiveness, the grinning demon once more attacked with its weaponized tongue–launching it directly towards him.

Pressed into the corner, all of that panic somehow wound up into a dead calm as he instinctively uttered the word–

"Through The Wind: Sonic Blitz."

FWOOOM.

The sound-piercing speed was used to launch himself directly upward as he evaded the tongue. It crashed into the wall behind him as he was now roughly ten meters high, flipping around and planting the bottom of his shoes against the roof.

Displaying some level of intellect, the grinning demon murmured as it set its sights on his spear, sliding its tongue towards the dropped weapon as it predicted he'd go for it–

–Again.

"Through The Wind; Sonic Blitz."

To the shock of the torso-faced demon, the hazel-haired young man launched himself with that otherworldly speed, but not towards his lost spear.

He propelled directly towards the demon.

"Kre–?!" The Grin-Grin demon let out.

Don't think! Don't think!--Don't think! He repeated in his head.

Clutching his eyes shut, he launched downward towards the demon, using the momentum gathered from his meteoric launch to use himself like a cannonball. With a heavy impact, he held his arms up before crashing against the stomach-mouth demon.