Chapter 175: Nightmare (11)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 175: Nightmare (11)
As Elipheed was dragged inside in an instant, the Hero's party froze, bewildered.
Screeeeeeeech—!!!
Her blood-curdling scream jolted them back to their senses.
"You crazy son of a bitch!"
Han Jisu belatedly rushed the Iron Maiden, swinging his sword down vertically. The screams meant Elipheed was still alive. He intended to cut the Iron Maiden open and rescue her.
But his sword bounced off, and his plan failed. It was the same no matter how many times he swung, or even when the entire party rushed in to try and tear it open.
—It hurts! It huuuuurts!!!
In fact, the more they struck it, the deeper the iron spikes dug into her, and her screams became laced with resentment.
The 4th Legion Commander, Erikis, sneered at them.
"It's useless. That is my power. It will not disappear until I die."
"Then we just have to kill your ass."
Jeral's face twisted in fury as he fired an arrow. An arrow brimming with magic power. It failed to pierce the 4th Legion Commander's thick armor and bounced off.
The Hero's party's all-out assault that followed unfolded in much the same way.
Not a single attack dealt any significant damage to the 4th Legion Commander.
—It hurts... Save me... Hero... Jeraaaal...!
Her voice, slowly fading, spurred them on like a whip.
We have to kill him, now. Or Elipheed will die. We have to save her. She's in so much pain. We have to get her out of there.
Quickly.
Quickly.
But their impatience and desperation only gnawed at them, dulling their minds. In a fight, such feelings were of no help at all.
The pointless battle raged on until Elipheed's screams had faded to a faint whisper.
At that moment, Felix stopped.
He sheathed his sword and closed his eyes. No one knew what he was thinking. No one but him knew what realization he had come to.
The only thing that was certain was that when he drew his sword again and cut through the air, the body of the 4th Legion Commander, which had been impervious to every attack, was split in two.
"...!?"
Han Jisu's eyes widened at the unbelievable sight. He rushed over to Felix, who was collapsing powerlessly, and supported him.
Felix's face was deathly pale, like a man on the verge of death.
"Ash! Ash!!"
Han Jisu immediately called for her.
As a Paladin, she could heal people with her holy power.
"..."
Ash's expression darkened as she channeled her holy power.
"Hero... I can't heal him..."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Felix used his innate life force..."
She bowed her head deeply, as if ashamed. Just as Han Jisu was about to yell at her to do something, anything, Felix grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.
"I... am fine. Since becoming a swordsman, I have always been prepared for death..."
"Hey, hey! Can't you read the room?! This isn't the time for you to be spouting that weak shit. Get up and start going on about guts like you always do!"
Seeing Han Jisu's contorted face, Felix was slightly surprised.
'So he could make a face like that.'
He thought Han Jisu was a cold-blooded man, since his expression never changed even when people died right in front of him. He thought the face he showed his companions was just a mask.
'It seems the opposite was true.'
With a faint smile, Felix parted his heavy lips.
"Hero. Please, do not forget the sword I just showed you. My talent may be meager, but that was a technique I spent my entire life honing. I am certain that to you, too... it will be of... help..."
The focus in Felix's eyes vanished, and his hand fell limply to his side.
Startled, Han Jisu shook his body.
"Hey, Felix. Stop messing around. This isn't your personality. Hey...!"
But no matter how much he shook him, Felix didn't stir. The dead, after all, do not move. Just as he was refusing to accept his companion's death, continuing to shake the corpse, a sound rang out.
—Uwaaaaaaah!!!
A grief-stricken scream echoed out.
He turned to see Jeral wailing, clutching a mangled lump of flesh that was barely recognizable.
—Aah... Elipheed... Eli... Ugh...!
Despite gagging at the horrific stench, Jeral didn't let go of the lump of flesh in his arms. He clutched it tightly, as if it were his most precious treasure.
And he wept.
Jeral, who had always been so stoic and blunt with everyone, was crying his heart out like a child.
Watching him, Han Jisu had no choice but to accept it.
The fact that his companions were dead.
"...Fuck."
An indescribable, heavy feeling washed over him, and he lowered his head.
"Hero..."
As if to comfort him, Ash gently took his hand.
*
Even after burying Felix and Elipheed, the Hero's party's journey continued. This was due to the Emperor's command: do not return until you have retrieved the Holy Sword. Not wanting to lose any more companions, Han Jisu had tried to turn back, even if it meant defying the imperial order, but he was met with opposition from the others.
They argued that if they returned now, not only would Elipheed and Felix's deaths be in vain, but the Emperor would also likely refuse to grant the rewards he had promised the two.
In the end, their words forced Han Jisu to change his mind.
And so, after overcoming many hardships, they arrived at the dungeon where the Holy Sword was sealed. They thought they could finally see the end of their long, arduous journey, but they were mistaken.
As it was the dungeon where the Holy Sword was sealed, a powerful guardian was there to protect it.
The 2nd Legion Commander of the Demon Army and a lich, Zered.
It was said that in terms of magic alone, he surpassed even the Demon King. He awaited the Hero's party, having laid all manner of traps.
A powerful enemy on top of disadvantageous conditions.
The Hero's party was inevitably pushed back. They chose to flee, but Han Jisu and Asgarth were captured.
The only silver lining, if one could call it that, was that Jeral and Ash had managed to escape.
"I've always felt this way, but magic is truly sickening. There's no manly passion to it," Asgarth complained, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva while bound in magical chains.
"Tell me about it."
Han Jisu, bound beside him, glanced over at Asgarth.
"More importantly, are you okay?"
"Ha! Who do you take me for? I am Asgarth, King of the Barbarian Warriors! This is barely a tickle!"
"Oh, is that so?"
A tickle, after being pummeled by one high-level spell after another? He could clearly see the man's bones were shattered. Did forcing himself to endure it make the pain disappear?
Han Jisu suppressed a sigh.
'Anyway, what does that lich bastard plan to do with us?'
Hand them over to the Demon King?
Or execute them on the spot?
Either way, it was undoubtedly not going to be good for them.
'It would be nice if those two could rescue us before then.'
But that seemed unlikely.
Han Jisu's thoughts trailed off as he watched the lich approach the iron bars of their cell.
"The Hero... I've caught quite a big fish. But this is a little strange. You're strong for a human, but you're lacking for a Hero. Is it because you don't have the Holy Sword?"
"Cut the chatter. What are you going to do with us?"
"What, were you worried about that? Don't worry. I have no intention of killing you both."
"...What?"
"Though I may belong to the Demon Army, I don't feel a particularly strong sense of loyalty. If you can satisfy my need for amusement, I see no reason why I can't let one of you live."
"...Are you going to make us act like clowns?"
"It will be far more amusing than that."
The lich snapped his bony fingers.
—Urgghhh.
A crowd of low-level zombies gathered near the lich, just outside the iron bars.
"If one of you two quietly allows himself to be devoured by these zombies, I will release the other."
"Don't fuck with me. How could we possibly trust your word?"
"I swear it on my honor and that of the Demon King. If that is not enough, I will form a formal contract with you. That should be sufficient to earn your trust. So, what say you, Hero? Will you lay down your life for your companion?"
"..."
Han Jisu bit his lip hard. While he hesitated, unable to give a clear answer, Asgarth lifted his head.
"I'll go."
Han Jisu's brow furrowed.
"Hey! You believe that bastard? He's just trying to toy with us..."
"This is a hopeless situation anyway. It's better to cling to even the faintest hope than to do nothing at all."
"A human who knows a thing or two, I see."
The lich released the chains binding Asgarth's legs. Asgarth rose to his feet and walked steadily toward the iron bars.
"Hey!"
Asgarth paused at Han Jisu's shout.
Han Jisu tried to reason with him.
"You said an honorable death for a warrior is to die in battle! You said the ancestor gods won't accept a warrior who dies a dishonorable death! No matter how you look at it, this is a dishonorable death. Are you really okay with this?!"
"It is fine."
The reply was immediate.
Han Jisu's eyes widened.
"It's... fine?"
"It is for the sake of a companion. The ancestor gods will surely understand."
"No, it's not that simple a problem..."
Asgarth didn't wait for Han Jisu to finish before stepping outside the cell. He turned his head slightly, his eyes meeting Han Jisu's.
"Hero... no, Han Jisu. There was something you always used to tell me. To hell with honor and all that crap, just survive no matter what. As long as you survive, you can figure out the rest, whatever it may be."
He grinned.
"Live on. The warrior I acknowledged—"
Crunch-!
Unable to overcome their hunger, the zombies lunged at Asgarth.
Rip. Chew. Slurp.
The sounds of flesh being torn and chewed filled the air. With his muscles, a slight flex would have been enough to prevent the teeth of such low-level undead from even piercing his skin, but Asgarth relaxed his body and quietly accepted his fate.
Han Jisu could only stare blankly at the scene.
The sight of the man who had foolishly obsessed over honor now quietly offering his flesh to the undead.
It felt completely unreal.
"You had a good companion," the lich said with a wicked grin.
*
The lich kept his promise and released the Hero.
After all, the dumbfounded look on the Hero's face as he watched his companion being eaten alive was more than amusing enough.
As a reward for sating his curiosity, he even told the Hero the location of the hidden Holy Sword.
Freed from his bonds, the Hero went to the location the lich had mentioned and retrieved the Holy Sword.
As he left the dungeon, he made a vow.
He would have his revenge, no matter what.
He would join forces with his remaining companions and pay them back a hundred, a thousand times over.
However, his vow was shattered the moment he stepped out of the dungeon.
"—So you're finally out?"
It was shattered by something thrown by Jeral, who was standing outside as if he had been waiting.
That something was the head of a beautiful woman with hair as fine as silk.