Chapter 403: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today.[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 403: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today.[R-18]
“Nom nom, this is so good…!”
Bi-yeon exclaimed, sucking the sauce from her fingers. She stuffed a piece of a chicken leg into her mouth, her face a picture of pure bliss.
“This crispy breading, the sweet and savory sauce… and this ice-cold cola! From now on, this is my favorite food!”
Bi-yeon licked her sauce-stained lips in admiration.
“Could you try to eat with some manners?”
I took a wet wipe from my inventory and handed it to her. She made a show of wiping her hands before gulping down more cola.
“Ahhh~ From now on, you’ll serve me chicken and cola for all three meals. Got it?”
“Yeah, I get it… but be quiet for a second. I feel a strange energy coming from the village.”
At my words, Bi-yeon put down her can of cola. She narrowed her eyes, sensing the air around us.
“…Hmm. It’s a fiend.”
“A fiend?”
When I asked, Bi-yeon shrugged and answered.
“Yep. After absorbing Minerva’s essence, memories of the beings she fought against have been seeping into my mind.”
“You absorbed her memories, too… Then you must know about spirits now.”
“Of course. And as a bonus, I can summon cute little things like these.”
She snapped her fingers, and the wind swirled, conjuring small, transparent beings that floated around her one by one.
They were small entities cloaked in a clear blue light, with shimmering hair. They were lesser spirits—sylphs.
“Sylphs?”
Nearly a hundred sylphs floated in the air, staring at me. The sight of all their translucent eyes on me at once was quite impressive.
“What do you think? The wind can summon spirits like this.”
Bi-yeon hummed a tune as she gracefully moved through the sylphs.
“But if you get on my bad side… they might just attack you, too.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Nope~ It’s a warning.”
Bi-yeon lifted her chin and held out her palm.
“So, get me another chicken.”
“Later. For now, check what’s happening in the village.”
“You promised! Hey kids, go to the village and see what’s going on.”
The sylphs rose into the air, carried by the wind. A few minutes later, Bi-yeon spoke again.
“A guy named Carter turned into a fiend in the village. He’s fighting some knights, but a kid named Eric seems to be holding his own.”
“A fiend… Alright, we’re going to the village.”
“Okay.”
I ran at full speed. I passed the village gate in an instant and soon reached a place thick with the aura of demonic energy.
As the scene came into view, I saw several of my knights fighting a man who had turned into a half-monster.
His eyes were glazed over as he screamed, coughing up blood.
“Marienne…! Mari…! Answer meee!!!”
The magical power swelling within him seemed ready to burst, distorting the air around him.
Seeing this, Bi-yeon wrinkled her nose and muttered under her breath.
“…Ugh, how disgusting. He ended up like that because of you.”
“Shut up and turn into a sword. I’m going to cut him down.”
“What? You want me to cut that sticky, filthy thing?”
“Don’t you want any more chicken?”
“Ugh… You cheap bastard.”
Bi-yeon ground her teeth, spun in the air as a faint light, and transformed into a sword. The familiar, heavy weight settled into my hand, the sensation seeping into my fingertips.
I slowly raised the sword and walked toward the center of the fiend’s rampage. Eric, spotting me, widened his eyes.
“My Lord Marquis! It’s dangerous!”
“Eric.”
I spoke without turning my head.
“Stay quiet and watch from there.”
[Ugh, you’re putting on such airs. It’s making me sick.]
Ignoring Bi-yeon’s sarcastic remark, I walked slowly toward the fiend.
“You… you, youuuu…!”
The moment it saw me, the fiend began to shriek. Madness filled its eyes, and its blood-soaked mouth twisted into a grotesque snarl.
“How pathetic. To make a contract with a demon just because you lost a woman. You’re beyond saving.”
“Gyaaaaaah!! I’ll kill youuuuu!!!”
The creature’s arm swelled to a deformed size, and it swung it wildly. The ground buckled under the massive force, and the surrounding air vibrated.
‘Judging by its raw power, Eric should have been more than enough to handle it… Why was he struggling so much?’
I ducked and swiftly dodged to the side. Just then—
Fwoosh!
A black liquid shot out from the creature’s arm, flying toward me. I dodged reflexively, and the ground where the liquid landed began to rot at a terrifying speed.
“…So that’s why.”
At that moment, the fiend’s mouth opened impossibly wide. A viscous poison dripped from between its blackened teeth.
“Dieeee!!!”
KWWAAAAAAK!!!
A black liquid with a ghastly stench poured from its mouth. It sprayed out like a waterfall, tearing through the air like acid rain.
I moved out of the way with ease. The black liquid ate into the spot where I had just been standing, decaying the ground.
[Hey, how long are you going to play around?]
Bi-yeon’s irritated voice echoed in my head. I let out a quiet laugh and replied.
‘If I end it too quickly, the rumors won’t spread properly.’
[What, is this for showmanship?]
‘That’s right. Fame isn’t free.’
Sword in hand, I walked slowly toward the fiend. One step, then another. With each step I took, the air around me warped, and the sword force gathering at the tip of my blade made the air tremble.
“That, that’s…!”
Eric stared at the sword in my hand—at Bi-yeon—with eyes full of shock.
“An Aura Blade…?!”
At his words, all the knights held their breath. Their gazes, filled with reverence, focused on me.
‘Good, they’re all watching.’
I raised my sword high and, infusing it with my internal energy, shouted so that everyone on this land could hear.
“Behold this wretched monster who has joined hands with a demon! To one who has cast aside his humanity, blinded by desire, and become a slave to demons—I, Jin Alcladion, shall deliver judgment myself!”
With my cry, a massive gust of wind spread out behind me like a pair of pure white wings.
It wasn’t my doing. The wind had surged at Bi-yeon’s will, becoming a stage prop that made my performance all the more magnificent.
[Hmph, I guess I helped you save face. That’ll be two extra chickens.]
Bi-yeon’s voice echoed in my head. Before I could argue, another bestial roar erupted from the fiend’s mouth.
“Dieeeeeee!!!”
I slowly raised my sword.
“I’ll end this in one blow.”
Moon Shadow Sky Sword Dance (影月天劍舞) ― Phantom Moon Lotus (幻月蓮華).
I swung the sword. In that instant, dozens of invisible sword strikes bloomed in the air, and a sword force imbued with the blue light of the moon burst forth like a lotus flower.
—KWAAAAAAANG!!!
The fiend was at the center of the explosion. The sword force scattered like lotus petals, tearing its body to shreds.
“Guaaaaaaaah—!!!”
A final scream, and all that remained was ash and a toxic miasma, with not even a trace of demonic energy left behind. Even the smell of blood vanished as if swept away by the wind.
I slowly sheathed my sword and turned around. The wind behind me died down, and the ravaged earth settled into a quiet breath.
At that moment, a single voice cut through the silence.
“The Marquis, Jin Alcladion… has vanquished the vile demon’s minion!”
That cry spread like wildfire.
“Waaaaah!!!”
“Long live the Marquis!!”
Cheers erupted from the villagers and the knights.
I quietly looked down at the people and slid my sword into its scabbard. Then, I muttered to myself.
‘Perfect.’
[Yeah, yeah. You were cool. Now give me my chicken.]
‘…Hah, I was trying to set a mood here.’
[That crappy mood doesn’t suit you. Hand over the chicken!]
Ignoring Bi-yeon, I spoke quietly.
“Eric.”
At my call, Eric immediately ran over.
“Yes, my Lord Marquis!”
“Bring a priest from the nearest temple. As quickly as possible.”
“As you command!”
Eric bowed his head and swiftly gave orders to a few of the waiting knights and soldiers. They too saluted and moved quickly.
My gaze returned to the spot where the fiend’s body had vanished. A black, distorted stain was still spreading across the ground. It was a contaminated land, emitting a sinister energy different from blood.
‘The corpse needs to be burned.’
The remnants left by one who sided with demons are no simple contamination. They are the seeds of corruption. They sicken the land, and over time, this place would become infested with undead or demonic beasts.
‘I suppose I should try using it now.’
The fire qi (火氣) that had naturally accumulated in my internal energy after repeatedly fucking Im Hye-rin. I hadn’t used it properly yet, but I had a vague idea of how.
‘Should I do it like this?’
I quietly opened my palm and focused my energy on it.
—Fwoosh…
A pure white flame bloomed on my hand. Not red, not blue… but a white flame. At that moment, the villagers began to look up, one by one.
“……!”
And then, they all began to fall to their knees.
“Ah…!”
“Oh, gods…”
It was as if they were seeing a saint, as if they were witnessing a being descended from the heavens.
‘It’s just fire qi, though?’
It was certainly pure white. But what I felt was nothing more or less than fire qi, condensed from my internal energy.
[Hehe, they think any white flame is holy. Humans are so simple.]
I smirked at Bi-yeon’s mocking words.
“Well, it’s not bad for putting on a show.”
I slowly waved the fire qi gathered at my fingertips toward where the corpse had been. The black residue rising from the fiend’s remains instantly began to burn.
The flames burned without a sound.
The villagers watched the scene, holding their breath.
“It’s the flame of a god… Truly, divine judgment has been delivered…”
As someone muttered those words, a murmur quickly spread.
“He burns the sinner with a sacred flame…”
“The Marquis… is a messenger of the gods…”
I stood my ground until the flames died out completely. To me, it was just a performance, but to these people, it was a miracle.
*
I used my fire qi to dispose of the bodies of the villagers killed by the fiend as well.
Amidst the burning, ashen smoke, they silently bowed their heads. They simply offered prayers of gratitude as they watched the bodies being purified.
It was then that a figure who had been rushing from a distance came into view.
“Priest Armon, of the Order of the Pale Star. At your service, my Lord Marquis.”
An old priest in a white robe bowed his head deeply. The center of his forehead was completely bald, and in his hand, he held a silver, window-shaped pendant symbolizing the starlight of his order.
The Order of the Pale Star. One of the four major religious orders in the world of Yong-Oh-Pae, it boasted the most extensive influence. They were a holy order of pilgrims who protected the peace of the dead and purified the undead and demons.
I gave a calm nod.
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Jin Alcladion.”
Priest Armon observed me for a moment before speaking cautiously.
“A moment ago… that pure white flame you used, my Lord Marquis. If I may be so bold as to ask… are you perhaps an apostle of Lady Bel Moria of the Ash Covenant?”
“No. It is merely a power of my own.”
“…I see.”
Armon said nothing more.
But his gaze remained fixed on the still-burning flames. He seemed lost in thought as he watched the bodies disappearing within the pure white fire.