124. Brutality (3)
124. Brutality (3)
- 1 -
【Red Wall】
Kwarrrrng - !!!
The power was unleashed the instant it was freed.
Its appearance and speed lived up to its name: 'Red Lightning'.
- Kraaak!!
In the shape of a wolf, formed of crimson lightning.
"Kugh...!"
The one who stopped Shue's explosive charge was neither the White Wolf human nor the master of that blood-red demonic power.
Nor was it Tarshela, who had failed when she tried to use her accumulated power for defense rather than attack.
"Stop - !!"
It was not even Dungeon Lord Kyricia, who was on the verge of setting aside honor and everything else to intervene and block the attack.
"Enough."
Just a single word.
The moment that low, softly resonating word was heard, the frenzied, ferocious charge halted its fangs from snapping shut on its prey.
"Hup - !"
To be precise, its trajectory twisted.
Because the charge she had executed had not been launched with enough leeway to stop instantly.
Udeudeuk!
"Kughk!"
A crimson form that shattered two of Tarshela's arms, passed by her head, and shot toward the floor behind her.
Kwang - !!!
The center of the area struck by Shue's hand exploded, and a spiderweb of cracks cratered around it.
"Huu......"
A deep, long sigh.
With that sigh, Shue rose from where she stood, sweeping back her hair, which had lost its red hue and returned to its original white light.
And Libertas, who had watched the scene, spoke toward the Dungeon Lords on the opposite side.
"The second match has been decided as well."
Her voice remained low.
Yet that voice strangely resonated through the entire space, reaching everyone's ears.
'Something's wrong.'
'We're being underestimated...!'
The voice was utterly calm, but some of those who heard it regarded it as akin to that of an unsatisfied predator or hunter.
"...Huu."
And in truth, it wasn't far off.
'They're holding back more than I expected. I did figure the absolute strongest wouldn't all come out for the champion duels.'
Libertas's eyes swept across the Dungeon Lords' formation, locking eyes with a couple who hadn't stepped forward.
Even without reading their status windows, she had accurately singled out the strong ones on her level through sheer presence alone.
Her magical and demonic capabilities were increasing by the day.
She had been growing rapidly from the beginning, but even more so with the 「Mana Overadaptation」 she had gained from Sonia as her wings.
"You lot are underestimating me far more than I thought."
"You wench..."
Kkeudeudeuk.
At the words delivered in that calm voice, the sound of Zarkra, who had suffered the most grievous damage from her, grinding her teeth rang out.
Even so, this time she did not step forward in further rage.
Libertas's eyes narrowed, but she added no further words.
Because she knew the reason Zarkra was exercising patience so unbecoming of her.
'Even if they had support from senior Dungeon Lords, there were limits. They must have figured my forces wouldn't be that different, no matter how strong they are.'
It was true that, as subordinates of the Archdukes, they held an edge over other Dungeon Lords who had reached the same rank.
It was just that the gap wasn't that overwhelming.
'In the first place, the reason the Archdukes raise them isn't for those individuals' own growth anyway.'
The reason the highest-ranking senior demons on the surface selected and nurtured survivors among the Dungeon Lords growing inland was, ultimately, for themselves.
To sow chaos in the human world and expand their territory further, and to solidify their own positions as successors to the Demon King.
In such a situation, even if their subordinate Marquis or Count Dungeon Lords sponsored a newcomer, it was inevitable they wouldn't raise them to the point of becoming a rival.
Therefore.
'Even if the one "sponsoring" me is an unknown variable, they must have thought that shaving down my strongest forces even a little through wheel battles would be a gain.'
Common sense dictated that the elite-grade forces a high-rank Dungeon Lord could field had limits.
That was also the reason they were conserving their strength.
'They're thinking that even if they lose now, they can turn it around later.'
And she, too, acknowledged that possibility wasn't zero.
'Even if there's a gap in specs, the enemy's forces are still the elite among the elite.'
Evangeline and Shue were overwhelmingly strong for now, but that gap would diminish as the fighting went on.
And if that happened, this war would be a failure.
Even if she had recruited Kyricia, one of the Seth, in advance, the moment Libertas showed signs of losing, Kyricia would simply withdraw from this place first and seek her own preservation.
In the first place, that was the meaning behind telling her to 'surrender if it looks like you'll lose'.
"Come out quickly now. Next is..."
But such a thing would not happen.
Because.
"Eve."
She had a 'hero'.
"Yes. Master."
"Step forward."
"I receive your command."
Bleached-white hair cascaded from under the black hood, and a smile revealed itself among the shadows.
Her gaze lacked Shue's intensity, but it was restrained, simmering while concealing its heat and light.
- 2 -
Evangeline's victory was predetermined.
They wanted to conserve their forces, and she wasn't so easy that she would lose under such circumstances.
'If she had faced all five, she might have gotten a little tired...'
Shue had taken care of the first two, and the next two who came out were more daunted by Shue's performance than the ones before them.
As a result.
After I checked Shue's body for injuries and held her tight once, stroking her head to force her to rest halfway through.
"I've returned. Master."
She truly returned 'unscathed'.
Thanks to chopping up the subordinate of Melzeros who came out third, and cutting the throat of the Kyricia faction warrior who appeared fourth in a single breath.
The next warrior of the Kyricia faction didn't share Tarshela's luck.
"I apologize. They were too weak."
"How could that possibly be your fault?"
It was a speed that even Libertas couldn't stop, and Evangeline hadn't expected the opponent to be able to block it either.
"You've worked hard. Come here. I wish to receive your greeting."
"If Master requests it, gladly."
Though her words were like that, she approached with an expression that revealed even greater joy and kissed the back of my hand.
As always, in a way that pressed her lips stickily.
"You truly did well."
"Thank you. Master."
I examined her overall appearance as she kissed somewhere between the back of my hand and my wrist.
'Clean.'
It was something I had already guessed from the clean, sharp sword strikes she had displayed in the duel.
There wasn't a single wound on her body, and not even one torn part of her clothing was visible.
Unlike when she sparred with Shue, it was as if she hadn't fought at all.
Or rather.
'As if she knows exactly what appearance would please me most.'
It was a strange feeling.
The time since she and I met was five months at most, but her heart and values were all aligned with me as if 'optimized'.
That fact gave me considerable mental pleasure.
And it made me want to treasure her all the more.
"Let the last champion step forward. The opponent you'll fight next is..."
In this decision of mine, that sentiment held a sizable share.
"Me."
- 3 -
Unlike the two Dungeon Lords who believed they would ultimately win, the atmosphere among all three factions was utterly subdued.
It couldn't be helped.
The surest way to set the tone before full-scale war was the duel between champions, and in that duel, nothing but defeats had occurred one after another.
"What is she doing?"
"No way..."
In the midst of that, when Evangeline returned to Libertas's formation and a small woman carrying a black parasol stepped forward, everyone stirred.
Because they thought, since the outcome of the preliminary battle was already decided, she was about to suggest moving straight to group warfare.
Tok-tok. Tok-tok.
What was heard was the sound of small boots, cute enough to be endearing, but the expressions of some of the demon beasts who heard it rapidly changed.
Demon beasts who had reached elite-grade, or whose thinking ability was at least human-level.
All of them, except for a few with deep loyalty, were seized by fear.
'Am I going to die like this...'
'Should I... run away.'
Most demon beasts below high-rank often lacked thinking ability, so they were fine, but these were not.
They knew well what would happen to them if the battle started like this.
'I don't want to die in a place like this...!'
'To have to die not for honor but for greed!'
And the future that awaited them if they met their deaths and their masters lost the war.
They were summoned creatures and certainly possessed loyalty to the Dungeon Lords they served, but it wasn't enough to overcome the instinct that wavered before the crisis of their own lives.
"Let the last champion step forward."
Therefore, they were surprised when she opened her mouth and deliberately revealed an intent of mercy, or perhaps mockery.
"The opponent you'll fight next is me."
And when they heard the words that followed, they were shocked.
"What does she mean by that?"
"Is she... insane?"
What was the reason for all this fighting?
In the end, it was to hunt the Dungeon Lord or eliminate them from the competition.
Also, the Dungeon Lord themselves was practically the strongest force at their level.
If they dealt a critical blow to the Dungeon Lord here and now, or assassinated them outright, this war would be as good as over immediately.
'If a capable person on our side wins...'
'The situation could end without us having to fight!'
Realizing that, numerous gazes filled with hope turned toward their Lords.
If they just accepted this exception here, things could end without any of them getting hurt.
"Wait. What do you mean by that? You'll step forward yourself?"
"That's right. Don't make me repeat myself."
Libertas herself spoke as if it were only natural, but of course, the process leading up to her naturally stepping forward had not been easy at all.
[No!!]
[Denied. Absolutely.]
[If you get hurt doing that, I shall bite my tongue and...!]
[Master, that is...]
There had been opposition from many demon beasts and people, including Evangeline, Shue, Ran, and Sonia.
[Listen to what I have to say first.]
But she enforced her decision.
Because she believed it was the best course.
Firstly, in the small-scale group warfare that would follow, the Dungeon Lord's presence was completely excluded, so there would be ample time to recover.
Secondly, and accordingly, she could buy recovery time for the dungeon's top-priority main forces, Shue and Evangeline.
Thirdly.
[Just as you hate the thought of me getting hurt, I too hate the thought of any of you getting even a speck of injury afterward. So I shall personally fight and soothe that unpleasant feeling myself.]
There was a heartwarming confession that left her summoned creatures with no choice but to relent.
"Fine... Don't regret it!"
- Whatever scheme this is...
"What scheme! We can just kill that wench right here and now! As luck would have it, it's my turn! I'll change the warrior!"
Of course, the opposing Dungeon Lords had no reason to oppose this.
No matter how powerful a Dungeon Lord's strength was, combat skill was usually proportional to experience, not mana reserves.
And Libertas's known time living in this world was not even half a year.
'What on earth is she thinking?'
Libertas, who gave a slight eye-smile toward Kyricia and Melzeros, who were watching this side with complicated gazes.
She folded and put away her parasol, then gripped her staff.
"Stooooop...!!!"
"Kuaaaaak - !!!!"
And a moment later, screams and shock did not cease within the dueling ground for quite some time.
Because of the drawn-out scene of 『Punishment』.