Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Resoluteness
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At first, I was puzzled.
Rophuk's resolute attitude clearly seemed rooted in unshakable confidence in his own combat abilities.
But that same logic should have applied just as much to the demons swarming beyond the temple entrance.
The demons weren't intimidated by a mere man. After all, he was just a guy.
So it was only natural that bewilderment spread across their faces.
That bizarre obstacle blocking the temple entrance had kept them from entering, and now a lone male who had been safely hiding inside had stepped out on his own.
On this planet, ordinary men ranked at the very bottom of the food chain. Life on an alien world, starting from a crash landing, was inevitably a long, grueling ordeal that broke them in the end.
Numerically and physically, the women here held the advantage.
These women, who looked like a mishmash of various genes, treated males from distant stars as mere breeding tools or possessions.
Yet Rophuk strode out without a care for such power dynamics.
The only thing controlling Rophuk was himself.
A man of meticulously flawless plans,
and a body strong enough to stand firm against anything.
"Who are you?"
Lilith asked Rophuk.
But Rophuk didn't bother answering.
Instead, he toyed with the [negotiation card] he'd prepared,
then glanced my way and murmured,
"Joo-ho, there's no need to talk with the enemies blocking your path. Didn't I tell you to cast aside your kindness?"
At first, I couldn't grasp what he meant.
I even wanted to snap back, asking why he was giving advice out of nowhere in a situation like this.
But then I saw the [negotiation card] he raised above his head,
radiating malice so thick it made the demon women's title feel inadequate.
"You have to give monsters fair warning."
In Rophuk's left hand was a fist-sized heart still twitching faintly.
Before anyone could even realize what that meant, Rophuk shouted clearly to everyone.
"Take a good look at these two things I'm holding. By your standards, the one in my left hand is the heart of that bitch you came searching for. The one in my right is what I call a signal device. Press the big red button, and it'll trigger a superheated explosion that turns everything within about a 20-meter radius to ash."
It was a declaration that left even me stunned.
Not content with hiding the succubus's existence, Rophuk had carved out her heart and brought it here.
"Wasn't easy extracting it. Tougher body than it looks. Kept regenerating no matter how many times I cut, so it took a bit longer."
Only then did the demons grasp the situation, their smirks vanishing from their faces. The succubus's big sister glared at Rophuk with a mix of disgust and horror etched into her fierce features.
"...Do only what you can handle, male."
"You'd do well to hear me out, female."
Rophuk didn't flinch under the ancient one's gaze that promised to tear him apart. Instead, he continued in an even calmer tone.
"I've planted a bomb inside that bitch's gaping ribcage in place of her heart. Try anything funny, and I'll hit this signal right away."
No one dared make a move. Of course, the succubus's big sister considered sending other demons to steal back her sibling's heart and the signal device—
"Right, better to show you than tell you."
Pfshk!
A new mechanical device hidden near Rophuk's shoulder emerged and fired off a small, round projectile.
Bang!
The moment it hit the ground, a massive explosion erupted. All the demons except Lilith, who was glaring daggers at Rophuk, turned to look.
"Kyaaak! Aaaak!"
Demons caught in the blast were already screaming as their bodies were flung away.
Only then did the demons realize Rophuk's words weren't empty bluster. Chaos and unease spread in an instant.
"Everyone, stay put!"
Lilith had to turn this unfavorable situation around. But no matter how powerful she was, with her little sister held hostage, she couldn't act rashly.
"...What do you want, male."
And so Lilith was at Rophuk's mercy. Even I, watching this unfold, felt repulsed by his inhuman words and actions, so her emotions must have been far more intense.
"Feeling like negotiating now?"
"Yes, name your terms."
Emotions,
they're the driving force that moves us, a source of hope...
and a curse at the same time.
Her resolve to save her sister made Lilith vulnerable. If they truly clashed head-on, she could surely defeat Rophuk.
But her fixation on reclaiming the succubus's heart
and seizing Rophuk's signal device ironically became the greatest obstacle restraining her.
"Mm, good. Ah, hold on! I've got one more thing I brought. Wait a sec. Take this first."
Seizing that opening, Rophuk acted.
He tossed both the heart and the signal device at Lilith simultaneously.
"What? Wait—"
Could Lilith have anticipated that, with her full attention on those two items?
As both the [dangerous device] and her [precious sister's heart] threatened to hit the ground, she hurriedly raised her arms to catch them both.
But that created the perfect opening,
and Rophuk pointed his finger at her without hesitation.
Crack!
With a bizarre sound, Lilith's body was sliced apart. In combat, even a brief lapse in attention is a fatal mistake.
And with that, the battle began. The demons lunged at Rophuk, stabbing, smashing, and striking to control his emotions or body with their tails...
Vrrr—
But Rophuk's body had already surpassed its previous functions, primed and ready for something new.
Not satisfied with the surprise attack that baited her guard down, he'd even timed his actions to preheat his combat engines.
Auxiliary engines roared to life with a red glow at incredible speed, spewing plasma energy wildly,
and Rophuk turned his mechanical body into a launchpad, firing and swinging the deadly plasma at the demons.
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"Kek—!"
Unbelievable.
The battle, which I'd thought would be a one-sided slaughter, turned into a fierce clash, and amid the blood-soaked violence, Rophuk ultimately gained the upper hand.
The red plasma swirling around his entire body repelled the demons and mercilessly targeted Lilith's wounded form.
"You bastard...!"
Lilith displayed physical prowess befitting her presence and speeds too fast to track with the eye, but having allowed that initial ambush, she could no longer surpass Rophuk.
A hole still gaped in her abdomen. The wound from Rophuk's plasma beam wouldn't heal easily.
Kwachik—
His red fist slammed into Lilith's face like a bolt of lightning. Unable to dodge the heavy blow, she was sent flying, but her tenacious vitality refused to end so easily.
"Kill him! Kill that bastard!"
Even as other demons swarmed Rophuk in this chaos, the tide didn't turn easily. He wasn't a living being, so their mystical powers had no effect.
But numbers were a crucial factor in battle,
and with the demons, the mummies they dragged around, and all sorts of grotesque creatures endlessly charging at him...
"Joo-ho!"
Rophuk looked my way, calling for aid.
No matter how strong he was, he wasn't invincible. Battles were decided by big and small mistakes and variables, so for a more certain victory, he reached out to me.
With that outstretched hand,
he desperately pleaded for me to step in.
"I need your help...!"
Yet I gripped the monomolecular cutter Rophuk had given me, unable to join the fray easily.
It wasn't fear.
After crossing the line between life and death dozens of times, would I shrink from a fight like this?
"Elder, what will you do...?"
The reason I hesitated to step out from the entrance
was uncertainty and a sense of betrayal toward this man named Rophuk.
Everything he showed only deepened my confusion. The brutal negotiation, the radical plans without mercy or consideration...
I wasn't incapable of understanding Rophuk's mindset. Perhaps he was just fighting desperately to survive.
We were alike.
Hadn't I clung on tenaciously, doing whatever it took to survive until now?
"...Joo-ho! Alright, I'll apologize first. Sorry for using that demon girl. I get why you're disappointed. I understand!"
Rophuk shouted at me while cleaving a massive scorpion-like creature in two. His voice rang out unusually clear and sharp.
"But trust me! It's for everyone's sake...! I can explain everything! Let's deal with these monsters first and talk after! If they get into the temple, all our plans go to waste!"
Even so, could you guess the doubt lingering in my heart?
Was that really a plea directed at me?
Or just a way to buy time, keeping me from heading to the basement?
Wasn't it all an act?
This was a man who knew the succubus was my comrade yet still ripped out her heart to use as a bargaining chip. Could I really believe his concern and care for me were genuine?
"..."
When I snapped back to reality,
my impatient footsteps were already racing toward the damp, dark basement of the temple.