Those Worse Than Demons (2)

"What? Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

It had been hours after Hyun and Ellie unleashed their fury upon the mana-wielders. The fate of the ambushers reached the ears of the report's recipient roughly three hours later, and the man who heard it could only stammer that it was impossible — and then, unable to contain his rage, his entire body began to tremble.

Mose, vassal of Haizi and master of a castle far too grand for the city it stood in, glared bulge-eyed at the messenger before him.

This was a territory beyond even the reach of Grand Lord Alice's power — in other words, here, he was the supreme authority. Which was precisely why the man delivering the report had begun to sweat buckets.

"You call them Silver Plate adventurers, so I personally dispatched my mana-wielders to capture them and bring them to me... and what? They're *dead*?"

- CRASH!

Unable to restrain himself, the gaunt man smashed the table beside him to pieces with a single blow.

The table exploded into splinters under monstrous force. Had someone merely told another person what happened rather than letting them see it, would anyone believe that Mose had shattered that table in one strike?

But Mose had done it — unleashing staggering strength in a single instant.

"This is your last chance. I will give you ten humans who can wield mana. Bring them to me."

"Y... yes, my lord...!"

"If you fail, the next thing on the chopping block will be your life."

"....."

"Get out. I need to personally 'educate' this thing for a while."

Beneath him, a female adventurer lay limply, reduced to nothing more than his plaything. The focus had drained from her eyes — she seemed caught between refusing to accept her fate and quietly slipping toward death itself.

The man who had received the order was the first imperial auditor ever assigned to this territory.

Despite rigorous training and a carefully hidden identity, the lord had somehow seen through him the moment he arrived. He had assumed he would be killed — but instead, the lord spared his life, planting watchers all around him.

Worse still, the threat followed: attempt escape, and your family dies with you. He could resist no longer.

It was only natural.

The lord's personal strength was such that he could slaughter a dozen elite ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mercenaries — men who handled only high-tier commissions — without even bothering to divide his attention among them.

In Cumul Territory, someone had apparently sensed the situation in Haizi and dispatched an auditor at once — but he too was discovered immediately. Contrary to the man's expectation that his life would be spared, the lord declared that a single puppet was all he needed, brutally murdered him, and dumped his corpse into the river.

Even in this bleak reality, the auditor had refused to give up hope that salvation would come from Cumul Territory.

He prayed, and prayed again, that that wise, brilliant lord would notice quickly and put a stop to it all — utterly unaware that the lord of Cumul Territory and her Successor guardian were already inside the city.

"Ellie. Are you okay?"

Neither of us trusted the city's inn, so Ellie and I had decided to camp out on the road. We were both accomplished warriors, more than capable of resting our bodies even in fairly rough conditions.

Except Ellie's mental state was far more serious than that.

She had wept with rage, and now she wasn't saying a word. The body follows the mind — that much was true of any human.

Left with no choice, I used my authority to summon Jeongryeong and four wind wolves, asking Jeongryeong to stay by Ellie's side. Then the wolves and I went out into the street as dusk settled and darkness began to pool between the buildings, gathering branches and fallen leaves.

The city was managed so abysmally that although the road tiles themselves were luxurious, branches and leaves lay scattered everywhere.

I gathered up the leaves and branches, and by the time I'd found a flat spot and gone back to fetch Ellie, her face had flushed a deep, alarming red.

"Ellie?"

"Hyun... I'm sorry... I, I have a fever...!"

Extreme stress, most likely, sending her body into violent revolt.

I quickly moved her to the spot I'd scoped out, spread my cape beneath her, and piled the collected leaves and branches together before running a current through them to light a fire.

- Crackle! Fwoosh—!

A thread of electricity bloomed into a small flame, and soon the fire raised the temperature around us. On top of that, I materialized the four wolves so they could lend their body heat.

The wolf spirits seemed unsettled by the Ellie they were seeing now. They padded around her in anxious circles until, without any command from me, they curled up beside her and began sharing their warmth.

As for me, I intended to keep watch at her side through the night — but more than that, I was worried about Ellie.

Ellie was a lord. And not just any lord — one with enormous experience.

That Ellie, who had always worked with unshakable seriousness at everything she did, like a fortress wall that never cracked —

"Hnn... hahh... Hyun..."

— was showing me a weakness like this.

"Brionic."

- Yes, Successor.

"Ellie's condition is serious right now. Would you lend me your authority?"

- .....

I knew full well that a Guardian Dragon's authority was far too great to be squandered like this... but right now, her help was desperately needed to break Ellie's fever. From the state of the ground I'd examined earlier, there was no well or water source to be found, and even if there were shops, it was the middle of the night — nothing would be open. Honestly, given how few shops this city had, I doubted there'd be anywhere selling water even in daylight.

Brionic, grasping my situation, exhaled once and filled my canteen with cold water.

- This is the last time, Successor... your contractor's condition looks dire, so I will not refuse.

"Thank you. And I'm sorry, Brionic."

- I will withdraw now. Please take care of yourself.

"Right."

With those words, Brionic dissolved into grains of ice and vanished. She had cut the summoning outright, it seemed.

I pulled a handkerchief from my pouch, soaked it in the cold water, and laid it across Ellie's forehead.

Please — let this bring her fever down.

How much stress must she have been under?

Ellie was the one who had watched, closer than anyone, as her father poured his life and his years into cultivating this territory. And she herself had toiled through that long span of time to protect it — the result of all that struggle was the Cumul Territory of today, this eastern frontline.

Guilt at having failed to notice the rot until it reached this point. Fury that anyone would dare commit such atrocities in her own domain.

This ordeal must have shaken Ellie to her core in more ways than one. Of course, Ellie had her own reasons — her own trials — that had kept her from returning to the territory...

But telling her that would change nothing. Worse, it would sound like I was telling her to look away from the situation, and only make things harder.

All I could offer was to stand silently at her side and help. This matter had meaning only if she resolved it with her own hands.

And even if Ellie rose to her feet this instant and declared all-out war on the lord, I was fully prepared to see it through.

The Azure Dragon's authority was never granted for the punishment of humans. It was a weapon bestowed upon those who butchered and violated the innocent — who found *pleasure* in the process — bearing a single message: trampled no longer. Rise, and judge them in turn.

I had never once killed a human being. The only things I had killed were demons and demonkin.

Could I truly bring myself to kill someone who, unbowed by any dark power, committed atrocities identical to a demon's?

And why did the moment demanding such a decision always arrive so quickly?

- Thud.

- Thud.

- Thud.

The moment I laid my hand on the Sword of the Azure Sky to ready for battle, they finally revealed themselves.

"Huh?"

- Tremble, tremble...

"P... please save us!!"

They were children. Nothing more than filthy rags draped over their bodies — kids who couldn't even manage proper clothes.

Only then did I release my killing intent and lower my sword.

"What brings you here?"

"We... in the back alley, a man and a woman said they were looking for black-haired adventurers..."

"And so?"

Were these children in league with the lord too? Or were they simply being used, too powerless to resist? Just as that thought formed — the children spoke to me.

"Run away..! They'll be here any moment..! They're so strong...! Even the swordsman with the Gold Plate lost to them..!"

Listening to the children, it seemed even Gold Plate adventurers had been no match for the ambushers and had fallen outright. A child who, despite being terrified of the sword in my hand, had realized I was a target and come anyway to warn me of the danger. Behind that child, four more cowered, trembling.

I held out my hand to the children and invoked the Authority of Moonlight, conjuring before them an illusion of a sparkling fireworks display, brilliant as starlight.

"Waaah....!"

The kind of thing we'd call a sparkler back on Earth. The moment I showed them the flames, every last one of the children was utterly captivated — every last one except the apparent leader.

That child was still trembling with unease. I ruffled the kid's hair once, then led them over toward the wind wolves. When I brought the children to Ellie's side, the wolves stiffened slightly, wary.

"Don't worry. They're all good kids."

At my words, the wolves relaxed, and Jeongryeong padded closer. Before long, the spirit seemed to realize these weren't bad children after all — yip! — and gave the leader's cheek a gentle lick, a signal to loosen up.

"It's okay. I just wanted to be your friend."

And so, while I was protecting the children —

unwelcome guests arrived.

"Kids. Would you watch over her for me?"

Nod, nod!! Every head bobbed in agreement, their trust in me absolute and unquestioning — and I slowly raised the Sword of the Azure Sky, then moved swiftly toward the place where I sensed their presence.

"Well, well... look who it is."

"Yo. Where's your girlfriend? You came alone?"

"Dunno lol. She tried to ditch him and bolt, and unlucky for her, she ran into us.. lmao"

"Hell yeah! Then let's head back quick — I get first tur—"

"Move from this spot, and you all die."

Mana-laced voices poured power into their words, giving them force. If I were a dragon it might have worked on me — but as it stood, I was merely a human who could borrow the dragon's strength.

They must have had some real skill, because they were still moving despite the weight of the dragon-tongue pressing down on them.

"You f***ing bastard... what did you just say? To us? *Die?*"

"You — you get to keep breathing and watch your girlfriend become our toy right in front of you. You should be grateful. I won't kill you. But the moment she dies, you die too. Think about that."

"And you'll watch every second of what we do to her."

I see. So this is how it felt. This is what Ellie felt.

Right... there was no need for petty agonizing — can I kill them? Should I?

These things were demons. Human-skinned demons.

And so, you die here. You who laid hands on what is precious to me have no right to survive.

Pay the price for touching the reverse scale of the Azure Dragon's Successor.

As though embracing both me in the woods and the kidnappers entire, moonlight spread across everything around us. Not a harsh light — a soft, silver glow.

"Let me introduce myself. I am the 7th Successor of the Azure Dragon, Lee Hyun."

"What? Successor? You mean the one I've heard about?"

"F... f***...! Why is a Successor here...!"

"There is exactly one reason I told you who I am. I have no intention of letting any of you live."

With those words, the head of the man at the very front flew through the air along with the moonlight.

"Go ahead. Resist. If you can."

"Die! F***! Successor or whatever! You come at us, you're dead!"

The ambushers came at me, a sword thrust straight at my stomach, a black barrier shrouding them as they attacked.

- CLANG!

Moonlight-carrying steel collided with a blade steeped in dark power.

"You idiot. Anything that touches my sword breaks. One hundred percent!"

"We'll see."

- SHATTER!

The moonlit blade snapped his sword-qi and his steel in a single stroke, crushing his expectations beneath it — and moments later, his life met its end on my sword as well.

Next, the woman in dark crimson.

"Die!"

She twisted her stance in an instant to drive a blade toward my back; I evaded, shifted my posture, and answered with a spinning kick.

- BOOM!

A sound no living body should make rippled outward as she was launched far away, skidding across the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ground, unmoving.

Two more came at me, daggers whirling.

- Ting!

- Tscching!

I deflected the descending daggers, sealed off the gaps they tried to slip through, and held their blades at bay.

"Running, are y—!"

"Where do you think you're—!"

They had assumed I was fleeing and lunged after me — and in perfect unison, both men were cleaved diagonally through the torso and crumpled.

Demons might survive that, but for humans ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this was more than fatal. It wasn't as if I'd cut them shallow.

Five remaining.

"You Successor bastard...! You're supposed to protect humans! Using that power on humans!"

"And the bastards who try to lay hands on what a Successor holds precious — are *those* the sane ones? Say it out loud. Doesn't your own logic sound absurd even to you?"

Even as I spoke, I hurled my sword forward with all my strength. It streaked through the air and buried itself in the gut of the man preaching that idiotic philosophy.

The speed was far beyond him; he couldn't even react before the blow landed clean.

Vomiting blood mixed with shreds of his own innards, he sneered at me.

"Ghhk...! S... still... you dropped your weapon... now you're...!"

"Dropped my weapon, you say. Then how do you explain the sword in my hand?"

Contrary to his expectation, a pristine Sword of the Azure Sky rested untouched in my grip.

The man glared at me with dying disbelief — *impossible* — and then simply stopped moving.

In that brief span, six people had died.

The gap between them and me was obvious at a glance. And from the instant they provoked my wrath, any chance of closing it had vanished forever.

By my blade.

- CLANG!

I parried the reckless sword of the man charging blindly at me, then — mimicking Ellie's swordsmanship — ignored the crossing of blades entirely, simply tipping my edge slightly sideways and driving it in.

- SCREEEEECH!!

Metal shrieked against metal as my blade slid lightly into effective range. The man barely escaped.

But the flow of the fight had long since passed to me. I seized his sword and hand with my left hand and drove my knee upward.

- CRUNCH!

"GAAAAAH!!"

The fingers bracing the hilt shattered against my knee — unable to hold the sword, he let it drop from his grasp.

"If you call yourself a swordsman, you shouldn't let go of your blade — not even in agony."

By the time he understood that simple truth, at the very last moment of his life, it was far too late. With those words, I cut him down where he stood.

Two men left. And even those two, swords raised, could do nothing but tremble.

"How many people have you kidnapped in your time?"

"....."

"No — don't answer. It suits you better this way."

".....What's so wrong about it? This pays better than being a guard ever did."

"What?"

"There's nothing money can't buy. Even love can be bought with coin."

"......"

"For money, I'd kidnap ten times as many! Hunt as many as you like — as long as you pay!!"

"Do you know what separates you from demons? Whenever I argue with demons about the difference between us and them, I always tell them the same thing."

"That we repent. Even when it costs us our own lives."

"Give us money — just enough to feast and fatten ourselves — and we'd give up our humanity a hundred times over!!! Successor!"

"Then don't repent. You're filth that hell itself wouldn't bother to burn. Just drown in suffering — forever."

Moonlight began to fill the space around me and them, imitating the delicate bloom of white flowers. Soon those blossoms wove themselves into one enormous circle.

As I swung my sword at them and lunged forward, the white full moon painted across the ground was sliced diagonally, becoming two moons. One more pivot, one more cut — four pieces.

With every strike the moon held together less and less, splitting further and further, until the severed shards of moonlight became blades themselves — countless fangs that tore into them without mercy.

- Shshshshk!

- Shshkkk!

Seeing that avalanche of blades rain down upon them, the two men flailed their swords desperately in a bid to survive — but the blades of moonlight came without end, and in the end both collapsed where they stood, drenched in their own blood.

Just like the others, the last two ambushers died without even managing to resist.

I shook the blood from my blade, sheathed the Sword of the Azure Sky, and stood there.

I couldn't quite explain it, but the form of Full Moon — Blossoming Flowers had changed. Before, it had simply been moonlight wreathing my sword and body as I charged. Now it felt as though the blade itself cut through the moon.

......

"Ugh... hrrgh...!!"

The sensation of cutting through a person was far more horrifying than I had imagined. Was it because I was a modern man at heart? Even with my mental barrier in place, it felt useless.

To clear the bodies away, I disposed of them the same way I'd handled the corpses in the daytime. I didn't want to look any longer at the ones my sword had silenced.

So I turned my eyes away, and to scrub the sight of them from my mind, I tried to focus on the newly evolved sword art instead...

"...Doesn't look like it helped."

Even having steeled myself beforehand, it had been harder to stomach than I'd imagined. Still — for now, back to the camp. The children would be with Ellie...

I invoked the Authority of Purification, erasing every fleck of blood still clinging to my clothes and sword, and walked back wearing the most unremarkable expression I could manage. The children beamed at the sight of me returning alive.

I ruffled their hair and looked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠straight ahead — where, having come to her senses at some point, her hair restored to its original color, Ellie was watching me. Surrounded by the wind wolves, she spotted me and started to rise.

But of course, trying to stand with no strength left in her body meant her balance failed her. The instant she began to tip —

I caught her, timing it just right.

"Why did you get up? You're sick."

At my words, Ellie buried herself in my chest, breathed in my scent, and spoke quietly.

"Hyun... you smell like blood... Did you... the kids said suspicious people were after us, but... really..?"

She stared at me with an expression of sheer disbelief. When I'd told her I'd met the White Tiger, she hadn't been this stunned. And I hadn't thought about the smell of blood, either.

When I smiled sheepishly back at her, she pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Thank you. I love you. And I'm sorry. It must have been hard for you. It must have hurt. So I'm going to change things — I'm going to make sure nothing like this ever happens again."

"So stay by my side and keep protecting me. From now on too... okay?"

Looking at that smile — a smile brimming over with every emotion she was feeling, threaded with tears — there was only one thing to say.

"Of course."

There was still so much left for us to do.

When I turned my head toward the children, they were shuffling awkwardly, watching us. I almost apologized, thinking they were embarrassed at witnessing our vows to each other —

but looking again, that didn't seem to be embarrassment at all.

Among them, the one who seemed to be their leader walked up to me, clenched her fist as if steeling herself, and spoke.

"We know where the people are being kept."

That one sentence was so certain it seized not only my attention but Ellie's as well.