Dominion Bond System: The Only Man Left Has A Yandere Girlfriend

Chapter 69: Thorn Blade Bird (I): The Battle Begins Now

Reiji took one last look at his surroundings before heading south. He didn’t use Shadow Step. Not yet. He wanted to conserve as much mana as possible until he truly needed it.

He didn’t move recklessly.

Every few hundred meters, Reiji slowed his pace and carefully observed his surroundings.

The scenery gradually changed as he continued south.

The endless sea of grass slowly gave way to scattered ancient trees whose trunks were several times wider than those found on Earth. Their branches stretched high into the sky, casting long shadows across the ground despite the bright daylight.

Some of the trees bore enormous fruits that shimmered faintly with mana.

Others had bark that looked almost metallic.

"...Everything here is strange."

Even the rocks weren’t ordinary.

Several crystal-like minerals protruded naturally from the ground, emitting a soft blue glow that pulsed like a heartbeat.

Reiji resisted the urge to collect them. His inventory wasn’t the issue.

His curiosity was.

The system had thrown him into an unfamiliar realm with only one objective.

Survive. Anything beyond that could wait.

As he continued forward, he noticed deep claw marks carved into several enormous boulders.

Each groove was nearly as deep as his forearm.

"...Whatever left these behind..." His eyes instinctively drifted toward the distant forest. "...I hope it’s not nearby."

He also spotted footprints larger than a truck tire pressed into the earth.

The prints had long since hardened, suggesting whatever creature made them had passed through a long time ago.

Even so, Reiji quietly memorized their shape.

Information was often more valuable than strength. Especially inside an unfamiliar environment.

Only after making sure there was nothing unusual nearby did Reiji begin running.

The air roared past his ears as he sprang forward. He was moving faster than the average speed of a cheetah.

The additional fifty stat points were definitely no joke.

He also remembered the fifty free stat points he had yet to distribute, but decided to save them for later.

They might prove useful during a desperate situation.

The air was fresh and rich with mana. As he ran, he felt lighter and freer than ever before.

’How long has it been since I had a proper run?’

Reiji remembered that even back on Earth, he had never been good at sports, so he had never experienced the joy of running like this.

It was exhilarating.

For a brief moment, it even made him want to become an athlete after everything was over.

But that was impossible for now. Growing stronger came first. Any personal interests, like running, could wait.

"...Except buying crepes, of course." A faint smile appeared on his face.

Reiji increased his speed.

Then he jumped.

BOOM!

The ground beneath his feet cracked as he soared through the sky like a bird.

KWAAAAAA!!!

A piercing shriek ripped through the air.

Before Reiji could even react, a tremendous force slammed into him.

Luckily, he had instinctively crossed both arms over his chest.

Even then, the impact rattled his bones and sent him crashing back toward the ground.

BOOM!

He rolled several times before finally stopping.

’What the hell was that?!’

Reiji immediately sprang back to his feet, scanning his surroundings with extreme caution.

His body was riddled with dozens of tiny holes.

Thin streams of blood seeped from the wounds, staining his clothes red.

Whatever had struck him wasn’t an ordinary creature.

It had to be at least C-Rank. Maybe even the peak of C-Rank.

’Why is my luck this bad? I had to run into a C-Rank monster already...!’

Reiji grumbled inwardly.

He couldn’t even detect the creature with his heightened perception. Even Detect Presence was completely useless.

Reiji clenched his fists tightly. The wind rustled behind him.

"Ahhh!"

He spun around and instantly fired Soul Torture Flame from his fist.

VWOOM!

Golden flames shot forward.

There was nothing.

’I need to calm down.’

Reiji took a deep breath.

He activated Detect Presence once again and carefully scanned every direction.

Nothing.

Not even the slightest abnormal reading.

’So what the hell was that?!’

He hadn’t even seen what attacked him.

Whatever it was, it was fast, ridiculously fast.

’Is it a bird... or something else?’

Reiji remained completely alert, carefully listening and observing every movement around him.

Hours passed. Yet the creature never attacked again.

Reiji had a feeling that the moment he lowered his guard, another surprise attack would come.

’If that thing really is a bird, then it’s probably hiding somewhere among the trees.’

’And if it isn’t...’ His expression became serious. ’...then this quest just became a whole lot harder.’

***

Meanwhile, back at Reiji’s apartment...

His phone suddenly vibrated before ringing loudly.

The caller ID displayed:

"My Love" with several heart emoji next to it. It was obvious Hina had saved her contact under that name.

The phone continued ringing. No one answered.

Eventually, the call ended on its own.

Vel, who was still curled into a fluffy ball beneath the blanket on the couch, twitched his ears.

’That’s strange... His Majesty never leaves his phone at home...’

The cat thought to himself as the ringtone echoed through the quiet house for the seventh time that day.

At first, Vel assumed Reiji had gone out to buy that delicious dessert he never shared.

But, Reiji always took his phone with him.

Always.

Vel stretched his chubby body before jumping off the couch and hurrying upstairs.

Using his paw, he pushed the bedroom door open.

A small frown appeared on his feline face. The windows were closed. Reiji hadn’t left through them.

’If His Majesty isn’t home... then where did he go?’

Vel decided to check the bathroom.

He padded over and gently tapped the door several times with his paw as though knocking.

No response. Vel blinked.

He walked over to the bed and jumped onto it. The phone was still ringing.

He stared at the two buttons on the screen.

For a brief second, he felt tempted to touch one.

But remembering it was His Majesty’s fiancée calling, someone he had been told was even stronger than His Majesty...

He immediately abandoned the idea.

’I don’t wish to meet an early grave.’

Vel quietly jumped off the bed, closed the bedroom door behind him, and headed downstairs.

Wherever His Majesty had gone he believed he would eventually return.

***

Meanwhile, Reiji stood alone in the empty field. Another hour had passed already.

But still no movement.

’If this keeps up, I’ll waste an entire day staying alert because of one stupid bird.’

Though he could stay awake for two or even three days without much trouble, eventually fatigue would catch up to him.

And once he became tired, he would no longer be at his strongest.

That would make him easy prey.

’I’ll lure it out.’ A thought formed in his mind.

Reiji relaxed his shoulders and began running once again. Hidden deep within the dense trees, a pair of sharp eyes quietly narrowed.

Reiji started slow weaving through the tall grass. His pace increased gradually.

He didn’t turn his head to look at which direction the bird would come from, but focused ahead.

Seeing no movement Reiji decided to make his act more believable as he jumped into the air.

BOOM!

The ground beneath his feet shattered even more violently than before.

KWAAAAAA!!!

The familiar shriek echoed across the field once again.

Reiji unconsciously gritted his teeth. His entire body tensed.

He could feel it. The creature was approaching. He didn’t no where but it was fast.

[Shadow Step!]

Reiji vanished from midair.

The creature abruptly halted. Its prey had suddenly disappeared. Before it could react...

A presence appeared directly above it.

’Got you, bitch!’

[RUPTURE!]

BOOM!

The creature exploded.

But instead of blood and flesh...

Hundreds of tiny birds scattered in every direction.

Reiji’s pupils shrank.

’Shit.’

He immediately activated Shadow Step again and reappeared safely on the ground.

Just moments ago, he had believed his plan was flawless.

Lure the creature. Use Shadow Step to appear above it. Finish it instantly with Rupture. Simple.

Instead...

The creature had split into countless miniature versions of itself.

Reiji looked up.

Several small birds were circling high above him. A status tag floated over them.

[Thorn Blade Mini Clone Bird (D+++)]

’Huh? D+++?’ Reiji narrowed his eyes. ’Its speed must be insanely high. Even the Undead King wasn’t this fast.’

He was nervous. But at the same time...

He could feel his blood pumping.

This was a fight whose outcome he couldn’t predict. The bird possessed incredible speed.

Its body was covered in razor-sharp thorns.

Judging from its name, it likely possessed blade-type abilities as well.

And on top of that it could split into countless miniature clones.

He didn’t know why. But his heartbeat quickened. The thrill of battle filled his eyes.

A slow smile spread across his lips as he stared at the birds circling overhead. He didn’t know what they were planning. But he wasn’t about to let them make the first move.

[Soul Torture Flame.]

VOOOM!

Amber flames erupted and wrapped around Reiji’s fists.

His dark eyes glowed faintly beneath the dancing fire.

"The battle begins now."