Chapter 653: The one they call the Butcher [3]

Curiosity killed the cat.

It was a rather common metaphor.

One that Osvald knew well. He had never given the quote much thought, but for the first time, he began to truly think about it.

A pair of ominous, blood-red eyes stared his way. A suffocating pressure surrounded its body as it gripped the knife. As Osvald faced the pig, he felt a force strong enough to make his skin tingle.

’...This is quite something.’

To make matters worse, the pig’s strength even seemed to be overpowering the eye behind him.

And soon⎯

Step!

The pig took its first step forward, the sound echoing in all directions as the pressure surrounding its body continued to build. Following this single step, the pig stopped as faint yet unmistakable cracking sounds echoed from deep within its body as its bones started to turn and twist.

One could only imagine the pain it was enduring, and yet the pig stood completely still, not making a sound. Instead, the bloodlust emanating from its body only seemed to intensify.

"This is ridiculous."

Osvald muttered while facing the pig.

’He’s tearing his body apart, let alone his mind. Does he not care about his own well-being?’

Suddenly, Osvald was reminded of what had happened in Malovia. The events were still vivid in his mind, and naturally, he was aware of everything that had happened. A certain thought crossed his mind then.

’...Is he going to repeat the same thing?’

Did he have a sort of doppleganger?

His brows furrowed tightly.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have much time to think about such matters. Whatever the case was, there was one thing that he was certain of.

’He’s not right in the head.’

He was dealing with a complete psychopath.

Step!

As the sound of the step echoed again, Osvald shifted his attention back to the pig as its movements grew faster and smoother. The massive eye behind it darkened to a deeper shade of red, yet even that wasn’t enough to restrain it as Osvald took a deep breath.

’He’s starting to tear away from my control.’

Honestly, this was fairly troublesome, but not enough to truly concern him. There were several ways he could think of to handle the situation.

Step. Step⎯

Hearing the approaching steps, Osvald canceled his nodes, and the eyes fixed on the pig vanished at once. Another node churned to life, but at the exact moment the first one ceased, and the eye faded, a thunderous bang rang out as the pig’s back hunched and he flung the knife forward.

"⎯⎯!"

The knife shot through the air like a bullet, moving at incredible speed. Without hesitation, Osvald activated one of his nodes, and a massive eye formed in front of him, ready to shield him from any incoming attack.

However⎯

"Hueek!"

The attack never reached him.

Instead, it veered elsewhere, and a pained shout reached Osvald’s ears. He didn’t need to look to understand what had happened.

His thoughts immediately drifted towards the knife.

...The source of everything.

"The knife! Grab the kni⎯"

An eye appeared behind him in that moment as he tried to see what was happening, but it faded almost immediately as he heard a soft giggling sound. His nodes stopped churning at once.

"Hihihi~"

".....?!"

His nodes faltered for only a brief instant... just one moment. Yet even that was enough for him to lose track of the pig as its body melted into the ground and reappeared in front of the Team Leader, who had been struck by the knife.

"Haaak⎯!"

A loud shout followed.

One that seemed filled with agony.

That scream was soon followed by another, and then another.

"Haaa! Haaaaa!"

The screams persisted, growing more pained, more mournful as they filled the entire space.

They were loud enough to give anyone chills.

"Haaaa!"

But with his back turned, Osvald wasn’t able to see what was happening, as he was caught by another distraction. One in the form of a long, skinny figure holding a violin as a tune drifted through the air.

The tune was soft, not overbearing. It drifted gently through the air, filtering into Osvald’s ears as his mind was once again forced to pause.

This entire sequence of events took no more than a couple of seconds, but given the pig’s current strength, such length of time was a lot. As Osvald reached up and touched his ear, pressing the earring, his mind cooled, and he turned toward the pig.

The situation was worse than he had expected, with blood leaking from the Team Leader’s arm as the pig gripped the knife once more.

’He seems to have gotten stronger again.’

As if sensing his gaze, the pig’s head turned, and Osvald felt his chest grow heavy at the sight. The sheer weight of its blood-red gaze pressed down on him, but it wasn’t enough to leave him completely unsettled as his nodes churned once more.

’It’s pretty much confirmed now. His anomalies move independently of him. Given his current expression, I can see that he’s completely lost his mind. This might not be too bad. He’s strong, but he’s lost complete track of his mind.’

As his thoughts ran wild, Osvald retrieved several items from his pocket while glancing at the Team Leader. Despite being injured, he was still alive.

He considered using him to get rid of the pig, but the thought had barely surfaced before the pig moved again, its body melting onto the floor before reappearing right in front of him. Its movements were incredibly fast, but Osvald merely smiled as his nodes churned wildly at once.

"Been waiting for you to come."

Having observed what had happened with the Team Leader, Osvald had long been prepared, and the moment the pig appeared, numerous eyes manifested from all directions, each a different color as the pig’s movements slowed down.

Seeing this, Osvald frowned.

’He’s only been slowed?’

That spoke volumes about his power. Nevertheless, he had accomplished his goal as he turned to look in the Team Leader’s direction.

"I can get rid of him. You⎯" His eyes flicked toward the source of the music that continued to swell in the background, "⎯get rid of them. Or take control of them."

Since they were anomalies, Osvald was confident that he could control them.

"If you do as I say, I’ll consider letting you go."

The Team Leader didn’t say anything, his gaze settling on Osvald, then the pig. For a fleeting moment, it shifted toward the exit of the room. This didn’t go unnoticed by Osvald, but he said nothing and simply smiled.

Perhaps because his fear of Osvald outweighed that of the pig, the Team Leader made his decision quickly and dashed toward the source of the music.

"Good choice."

Osvald’s smile widened as he shifted his attention back to the pig, who struggled against his control. However, Osvald had absolute confidence in his abilities as all six nodes churned at once.

’It’s a little tough on my nodes, but it’s still manageable. Now...’

His eyes narrowed, locking with the pig’s blood-red gaze, which for a moment seemed to still.

The two stood face to face, seemingly observing one another.

For just a moment, the surroundings seemed to quiet as neither side moved. But the silence was soon shattered by Osvald’s voice as he muttered,

"...How should I handle you?"