Chapter 204
Chapter 204
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 204
Chapter Title: Red Night (4)
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"...What a shitty night."
Talion Armang muttered as he narrowed his eyes.
This should have been the time to raise a toast to the birth of a new hero, to get royally drunk with Eliya.
He'd come all this way to cheer her on.
But starting last night, something inexplicable had happened. The trial's winner hadn't even been announced, and time had just dragged on ambiguously.
And now.
Everyone had lost their minds and was attacking each other.
He took a deep breath and retrieved his spear.
All around him lay the people he'd knocked out.
Just ordinary humans. No mana training, no divine power—plain civilians.
In an instant, they'd lost their reason and started unleashing extreme violence. As if they'd been brainwashed or something.
Probably because of that.
He glanced over. Even from this distance, the scorching heat carried by the massive pillar of fire rising into the sky reached him.
No imperial citizen could mistake the sight.
The Red Night Incident.
The worst disaster, where entire cities burned to the ground in a single night.
Identical. Perfectly so.
'...To drive this many people completely insane just by looking at it.'
"...Impressive handiwork."
At the voice flying in from the side, he slung his spear over his shoulder and turned.
Warrior Luca. Mage Falco. Archer Grid. Priestess Trisha.
Familiar faces. Eliya's close companions, known in rumors as the 'hero party.'
"You took down this many all by yourself?"
"Yeah."
"...You admit it so casually."
Falco pushed up his glasses and scanned the surroundings in disbelief.
Dozens of people littered the area, at least.
Sure, they were untrained civilians without abilities, but right now, they were steeped in the thick demonic energy nearby, gone fully berserk.
Their physical abilities amplified several times over—and he'd subdued this many alone?
"...After all the ridiculous shit I've seen."
Talion gave a wry smile in response.
Honestly, sticking by that guy's side, he'd witnessed demons, ancient gods, everything under the sun.
So now, even a second Red Night breaking out? He'd think of countermeasures before panic set in.
"Thanks to you, we found a way too. Guess we owe you some gratitude."
"A way?"
At the warrior Luca's words, Talion cocked his head.
"A way to resist the demonic energy. You're using it right now, aren't you? Around your body?"
"... "
No doubt about it—Dawood had once told him, "Someday it might come in handy," and taught him the method.
And they'd just seen it and copied it straight onto themselves?
"...You guys aren't your average monsters either."
He could see why Dawood and Eliya always kept a watchful eye on them.
Their true power wasn't at a fearsome level yet, but that potential? Even Dawood watched it closely.
Of course. Still.
"No, but to call it that..."
Falco's gaze drifted toward the distant spot.
A dimensional gate opening under the demonic energy's influence.
The thickest concentration of it, and from inside, ominous lifeforms pouring out—observable even from afar.
"...Wouldn't that side be more fitting?"
And there.
A handful of humans leisurely blocking what could be called an army.
Blocking? Not sure if that's the right word.
Watching everything emerging from the gate get obliterated into dust one after another—it almost inspired pity.
"What the hell are those people? Students like us?"
"...Probably."
"Huh?"
"Students, yeah. Whether they're human... that's debatable."
"..."
Hm.
Harsh words, maybe. But watching what was unfolding there, it made sense.
'...Big bro only attracts people like that.'
He realized anew: if he tried fitting in there, he'd last less than a month.
If those kinds of people were all hanging on one guy? Honestly, how many could bear that pressure without crumbling?
"Still, thanks to them, things have calmed down a bit, right?"
Grid, ever with his drowsy eyes, spoke up.
"...Grid. No more ominous lines. Please."
"No, but the demonic energy really feels like it's—"
-!!
-!!!!!
"..."
"..."
Before Grid could finish, the pillar of fire swelled further, as if screaming in agony.
Everyone narrowed their eyes and glared at him.
"...That's why I said stop."
Falco clutched his head and muttered.
Meanwhile, the crimson pillar expanded its fury even more. Demonic energy spewing blood-red hue blanketed the sky.
Seeing it, Talion unwittingly let out a groan.
"...My god."
The demonic energy unleashed so far felt like a joke compared to this. Curses overflowing, unfathomable, horrific aura streamed from it in torrents.
The night was gradually.
Dyeing blood-red.
As if only just beginning.
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"244."
"...For real?"
"Yeah."
Serath and Riru exchanged those words back-to-back.
This show of camaraderie now wasn't because they'd suddenly gotten friendly.
It was just that the 'enemies' emerging around them had grown so overwhelming they had no choice.
"...Let me ask again."
Riru said as she rubbed her aching shoulder.
No telling how many she'd mowed down. Even for her brutally trained body, fighting this much meant fatigue was inevitable.
Chatting amicably with this woman she'd nearly killed recently was probably thanks to that too.
Fight together, and grudges turn to bonds, after all.
"Excluding the monsters popping out of the existing dimensional gates, the 'newly spawned' gates number 244?"
"Yeah, you musclehead."
"..."
Correction.
She and this woman weren't destined to get along till the end.
"Hey, why don't we just wipe 'em all out and call it?"
Riru shook off the black flesh chunks clinging to her hand and suggested.
The sticky sensation wasn't pleasant. Pandemonium lifeforms didn't take hits easily and didn't die clean—you had to pulp them completely to stop the movement.
She could probably grind them all if she unleashed the 'blue thing' inside her fully.
But from earlier, whenever they tried drawing out their inner colors, someone sharply reined them in.
"Honestly, it's getting too much! We're following your lead even if it's a ragtag bunch, but we can't hold like this!"
Riru yelled at Elnor like a scream. Elnor quietly sighed and brushed back her hair.
Then, in a soft voice, words flowed.
"...You."
Elnor’s eyes gleamed sharply. Crimson irises glinted coldly.
"Did you do your makeup?"
"...What?"
"I mean, did you put on makeup? Your face looks brighter than usual."
"... "
No way this fit the situation.
But Riru's face flushed wildly at the words.
As if hit right on the mark.
"W-what does that have to do with anything right now...!"
"...Wait. You actually came out here made up?"
At Elnor's question, even Serath turned to her in bewilderment.
"For real? Seriously? A tribal alliance warrior? To a fight?"
"... "
"You're insane...?"
Good lord.
A tribal alliance female warrior slathering on cute makeup for battle.
From a culture that treated fighting like a religious rite, this was wildly unusual.
Practically declaring her interest lay more in 'something else' than combat from the start.
"You're radiating excitement from every pore. Not here to fight, but to snag first-night rights and jump Dawood the second tonight hits, admit it."
"... "
Riru pursed her lips, body trembling.
Blushing to her earlobes, eyes teary and darting—she couldn't even deny it.
"Be honest. Not that it's too much, but you wanna charge ahead solo?"
"... "
"Feels like you've got some secret weapon up your sleeve. Impressive."
"... "
"From the start."
Elnor sighed and continued.
"This isn't fully our battlefield now."
"... "
"Heard it from that ghost. Using this... 'authority' too much around here is dangerous. That man would hate it."
At that, Serath, listening quietly, brushed back her hair and sighed.
"...Even if not using it risks our lives?"
"Of course."
"... "
The answer came without a second's hesitation. Serath stuck out her tongue in dismay.
This man's blind 'possession' toward them was terrifying.
Twisted, at times.
'...Well, out here myself, I'm not exactly free of it.'
Serath's feelings for him weren't outright affection.
But enough to feel irked if he lost first-night rights or whatever to another woman—
"For someone saying that, you've got some pretty striking underwear on too."
"... "
"Frills, lace, and... hm. Too embarrassing to describe outright."
"... "
"Can't exactly talk when the chieftain's daughter shows up like that. What lewd thoughts prompted that outfit?"
Serath clamped her mouth shut.
Her face flushed soon after.
"... "
Busted.
Thinking that, she stammered out words.
"Y-you too! You didn't come just to help him purely...!"
"Right. Not at all."
"... "
"I did flawless makeup, dressed in battle lingerie, and I'm fighting conservatively to avoid messing it up."
"... "
"Honestly, I came planning to drain him dry tonight from the get-go."
"... "
She's a lunatic.
Perverted maniac fit better.
As Serath and Riru stared at Elnor in stunned silence,
But.
'Please hurry, Dawood.'
Elnor gripped her sword tighter and murmured inwardly.
'We won't last long, that's certain.'
They were bantering leisurely now.
But the dimensional gates opening around them were no joke. More, stronger summons incoming, clearly.
If Dawood and Eliya dragged this out.
"... "
She'd have to use.
This 'thing' inside her.
No matter the cost.
As she thought that.
-!
-!!
Not far off, blinding 'radiance' shot skyward.
Not far from the blood-red pillar staining the heavens.
"...Huh?"
"That's...!"
Amid voices mixing shock and awe, Elnor narrowed her eyes and spat with a bitter mutter.
"The holy sword?"
Someone.
Had been chosen as the holy sword's master.
Undeniably, the phenomenon proved it.
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