Level Eater

Hello, Jonathan Titan here!

I have been referring to the leader of the thieves as bandit leader, I will continue to do so in this chapter as well.

Since the thieves here have captured a town, I don't think thieves is a normal word to describe them, which is the reason why I am referring to them as bandits.

Thanks for reading. This is the second chapter I am releasing for free to make up for the delays in uploads this week.

—

While the two of them appeared pensive, the bandit leader was laughing.

"Just by looking at your faces, I can tell you want to help someone, don't you? Hehe, well, that can be arranged quickly. Join our group and help us. I'll grant you that much authority okay?" (Bandit Leader)

"How many times do I have to say it? I have no intention of becoming that kind of person." (Tatsuro)

"You're persistent!" (Ai)

"Yeah, I mentioned hostages earlier right? But if you two run away, it might be interesting to find some of your close friends and, well, take care of them too." (Bandit Leader)

While considering the best course of action, he blurted out something outrageous.

As the two looked at him in shock, the man continued in a more casual tone.

"Or perhaps we could pretend the town's people are you and indiscriminately start killing. I think their names were Tatsuro and Ai, right? We could even name it ‘Tatsuro and Ai Killing Game' and hold it as a grand event—" (Bandit Leader)

"Shut up." (Tatsuro)

"Silence." (Ai)

"Even if I'm silent, nothing will change." (Bandit Leader)

"If I make sure you can never open your mouth again, things will change." (Tatsuro)

The name of the previous game bothered Tatsuro too much, and he half-seriously pointed the tip of his staff at the man.

However, the man remained unfazed.

"I have an acquaintance who's an excellent life mage. No matter what condition you're in, they'll heal you as long as you're alive." (Bandit Leader)

"So, what if I said I'll… kill you?" (Tatsuro)

"Tatsuro!?" (Ai)

Even Ai was surprised to the point where she couldn't tell if Tatsuro was serious or not.

"Can you do it? Become a murderer, huh? Hehehe." (Bandit Leader)

"Haa!" (Bandit Leader)

"Goo!" (Bandit Leader)

"Don't you realize how annoying your voice is?" (Ai)

In an attempt to silence him, Ai struck the man's abdomen with the hilt of her sword. However, the man didn't quiet down. He was accustomed to pain, and most importantly, he didn't believe for a moment that these two would kill him.

"Haa, haa… I have a wide network in the underworld, you know. Even if you leave Lyadas territory, you won't be safe. As long as I'm alive, someone will be targeting you like a daily nuisance. You might be walking through a crowded city, and suddenly, a knife stabs you. They might break into your room while you're asleep. Will you be able to sleep peacefully at night?" (Bandit Leader)

"Shut up—" (Tatsuro)

He attempted to use magic to silence the man, but it was interrupted by Cardina's cry. It turned out to be reinforcements of nearly a hundred more bandits.

"Judging by your expression, it looks like my comrades have come for me. It was a good call to have them come if I didn't send word by the predetermined time. So, what will you do? Will you kindly capture all of them too?" (Bandit Leader)

It was definitely too many of them. Escaping was the quickest and safest option. However, leaving this man unchecked could result in him carrying out his earlier threats.

Moreover, the most frightening part was that even if they used [Dispel magic], it would be challenging to identify threats within a crowded place. Avoiding it was difficult, and even if Cardina kept watch while they slept, frequent attacks would take a toll on them mentally. So, what should they do? What could they do? Those thoughts swirled in Tatsuro's head, and his thinking grew sluggish.

"Tatsuro, are you okay?" (Ai)

"Yeah. I'm fine." (Tatsuro)

Ai became even more worried by the lackluster response. And sensing her anxiety, the man said as if delivering the final blow,

"If you won't join our group by any means, I'll kill your woman using any method. Even if I get caught, and this plan falls apart, I'll carry out that part. If you don't like it—" (Bandit Leader)

"Who would you… who are you going to kill?" (Tatsuro)

"I'll kill your woman." (Bandit Leader)

"You can't possibly kill me!" (Ai)

"No matter how strong you think you are, there are countless ways to do it. People have surprisingly many ways to kill. Some of those methods are beyond your imagination, unlike you, who live a sheltered life. Do you think you can protect her from that? The people here have also memorized your faces. Besides me, there might be others who act on their own. But follow me. You will only lend a hand when necessary, and you can live the rest of your life without worry. You see, you don't have to worry because we'll handle the killing." (Bandit Leader)

The man spouted such words and mocked, but Tatsuro was no longer listening. His mind was consumed by the idea that leaving this man and his associates alive could put Ai's life at risk, even if it was just a one percent chance.

Tatsuro gripped his staff tightly, infused his magic to the maximum, imagined the spell, and activated [Level Eater] once again in a fit of rage.

"Tatsu—" (Ai)

"You don't have to watch, Ai." (Tatsuro)

Tatsuro held Ai tightly, pressing her face into his chest. Even he shivered at how much colder his voice sounded than he had anticipated. However, he had decided this a long time ago. If there was any chance of Ai being harmed in this world, he would do whatever it took.

"Hehe, threats are useless." (Bandit Leader)

"…" (Tatsuro)

"Tatsuro?" (Ai)

——————————–

Level: 67

Skills: [Human-Demon Transformation], [Demon-Human Transformation]

[Axe Arts Lv.0], [Unarmed Combat Lv.0], [Focus Lv.0], [Frenzy Lv.0]

[Body Strengthening Lv.0], [Ki Regeneration Lv.0].

——————————–

To make sure he succeeded, he absorbed all of his levels. Then, before the man could sense something was amiss, he activated his magic.

First, he brought Cardina and Jeanne back into himself. Then, he erected two barriers around Ai and himself using a mix of wind, earth, dark, fire, and light magic. One barrier consisted of small, sharp pieces of earth hardened with dark magic within a swirling layer of wind. The other barrier absorbed heat completely.

Next, he sealed off the area where the bandits were with a high-temperature dome made of a mix of fire and light magic.

"W-What… what are you planning?! —ha" (Bandit Leader)

"If you're going to keep bothering us forever, I'll take care of that spark." (Tatsuro)

As the man's hand within the outer layer of wind and earth pieces was torn to shreds and blood sprayed around, Tatsuro calmly watched. He pressed Ai's face even harder into his chest.

With that, Ai understood Tatsuro's determination and clung to him in silence. Tatsuro proceeded with the final steps. First, he used dark magic to shroud the surroundings with darkness within their protective barrier, intentionally obscuring their vision.

Then, while simultaneously controlling multiple spells, he unleashed the ultimate spell.

"What's… that…?" (Bandit Leader)

The one conscious man outside the barrier covering only Tatsuro and Ai suddenly saw a blinding red light sphere, about one meter in diameter, emerge directly above him.

It started to slowly spin, absorbing the surrounding oxygen and Tatsuro's mana, gradually expanding while increasing in both luminosity and heat. Without any protection, looking at it with the naked eye would cause blindness, and the skin would blister and burn.

"Hehe, in the end, it fire magic! But am I—" (Bandit Leader)

The man spoke with enthusiasm, making sure not to let the light damage his eyes. However, he suddenly felt breathless and tilted his head. It was only then that he grasped Tatsuro's true intention.

"No way, but what about you guys?" (Bandit Leader)

"We're maintaining air in the layer of wind." (Tatsuro)

The first layer with earth fragments was not just about repelling enemies. It also blocked off their surrounding air supply while providing oxygen to the sealed space, which was akin to a pseudo-sun created by Tatsuro's mana.

The second layer absorbed the heat, and the final layer of dark magic acted as a light shield to protect their eyes.

"Ah… ah… ah…"

The bandits who weren't shielded against high-level fire magic, who were sleeping, had their flesh burned away and melted without uttering screams. The man who knelt in front of them, despite having resistance, couldn't breathe due to his oxygen being consumed, and he gasped like a fish out of water.

The pseudo-sun continued to absorb Tatsuro's mana, growing larger, and changed its shape to spread throughout the entire interior of the dome, expanding its coverage.

At that point, Tatsuro started to feel the heat even within the second layer of the barrier, which he thought would completely block the heat. He stopped supplying magic to that layer and focused solely on maintaining the magic he was using now as if he had forgotten that he was in the act of killing.

During this time, the man desperately tried to crawl outside the dome, but the squishy, bubbling ground, like molten lava, impeded his progress. His limbs were ensnared, and his consciousness drifted away.

(Even though he was so adamantly against killing me, why now!?) The bandit leader thought

The man had never trusted or loved anyone. That's why he had no idea just how important Ai was to Tatsuro and how much his hurtful remarks could wound his heart. And until his consciousness faded, the man never reached that answer.

"Is it over?"

After some time had passed, Tatsuro cast [Dispel Magic] around him to confirm that there were no living beings left, and then he began to slowly stop the magic. Finally, in the newly opened field of view, the red-hot ground still stretched out, with no signs of life except for the bandit leader who lay fallen.

"Ai, I'm sorry. Did it get too suffocating for you?" (Tatsuro)

Tatsuro finally realized that even after removing all the magic, he had kept Ai's face pressed against his chest. However, Ai shook her head while still hugging him tightly, not loosening her grip from his arm but rather hugging him back with her arms.

Tatsuro adjusted the grip of his arms, and despite the urgency of the situation, they embraced each other for a brief moment before separating.

Then, with a somewhat surreal and detached feeling, Tatsuro approached the lifeless body of the man as evidence. Suddenly, the body twitched and started coughing.

"No way… He was dead, right?" (Tatsuro)

"Actually, he was dead, wasn't he…?" (Ai)

Tatsuro prepared himself for another potential battle, but the man did not attempt to get up. Suspicious, Tatsuro quickly used [Dispel magic] to analyze the situation. It appeared that the Demon's blood had sensed a life-threatening situation and forced him into a temporary state of pseudo-death. When oxygen returned, his lungs reacted by causing him to cough.

Currently, the man was in a state of unconsciousness and would need several hours for his body to recover. This meant that if left undisturbed, he would inevitably wake up.

Tatsuro was about to approach the sleeping man to finish him off for good when Ai tugged at his sleeve, stopping him.

"Ai, I appreciate your concern, but if we don't kill this guy right here and now, we don't know what he might do later." (Tatsuro)

"I do have concerns for Tatsuro, but this time, I'll do it." (Ai)

"…Wait, what?" (Tatsuro)

"I won't wait." (Ai)

Ignoring Tatsuro's attempts to stop her, Ai walked boldly towards the man. Tatsuro quickly reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Wait a moment. To be honest, using magic makes me feel like I haven't killed anyone. So, I'd prefer to handle that part myself, and Ai, you can—" (Tatsuro)

"Listen, Tatsuro. I appreciate your concern, but do you think I don't know how much you're suffering right now? Maybe you haven't realized it, but I can tell. Regardless of the method, Tatsuro, you should know that it's still taking someone's life. So this time, it's my turn." (Ai)

"Even so…" (Tatsuro)

"I'm not the kind of woman who'd let the person she loves bear all the burden and just laugh it off. If it means carrying the same weight that Tatsuro carries, I'll do it and let you bear it. Otherwise, I won't be able to smile by your side ever again."

Ai's gaze showed her unwavering determination, and Tatsuro finally realized that there was no use arguing with her.

"I can't have you not smiling by my side…" (Tatsuro)

"Right. Not being able to see such a cute smile is a lifetime's worth of misfortune." (Ai)

"Indeed. A life where Ai doesn't smile has no value." (Tatsuro)

At this point, Tatsuro knew that Ai wouldn't back down. However, he couldn't help but feel that there was a difference between doing it directly or indirectly. So, he recalled Ai's words about carrying the same weight and proposed.

"Then, let's do it together." (Tatsuro)

"Together?" (Ai)

"Yes, that's my compromise. Will you carry it with me for a lifetime?" (Tatsuro)

"If it's with you, gladly." (Ai)

With that, the two of them approached the man and held the gem sword to his throat. Tatsuro took the left side, and Ai took the right.

"On three, let's do it." (Tatsuro)

"Okay." (Ai)

"One, two, three!" (Tatsuro)

*Swish*

With a swift, quiet sound, the blade effortlessly cut through the neck's bones, piercing the man's throat.

|Your level has increased to 50|

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