Chapter 562: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (49)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 562: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (49)
Tens of thousands of soldiers had set up camp, yet they couldn't stop a single woman. The Kaisern encampment was already a scene of utter chaos, filled with a mixture of roars and screams.
“Damn it! Stop that monster right now! What are the mages doing?!”
A middle-aged man who appeared to be the commander shouted, his face covered in blood.
A young officer dressed as a nobleman ran up to him, gasping for breath.
“M-My Lord Count! The, the mages… they've all been wiped out…!”
“What…?!”
Just then—
CRASH!
A torrent of blood-red spears rained down from the sky. The ground split apart and tents were torn to shreds. From a pool of blood, a woman emerged. Her golden hair, drenched in moonlight, shimmered, and her eyes burned red like a wild beast's.
Lucy sneered, revealing sharp fangs that glinted red.
“Hmph~ So you're the one commanding these insects here?”
As she took a step forward, the surrounding shadows wavered and reformed into spears. Dozens of lances forged from blood materialized in the air, aimed at the man as if ready to fall at any moment.
The Count's legs trembled uncontrollably. His lips quivered, but he forced himself to shout.
“…A v-vampire…! Then this is the work of the demons…!”
Lucy tilted her head in amusement, narrowing her gleaming red eyes.
“Demons? Would you mind not comparing me to such lowly creatures?”
With a light movement of her arm, the blood spears floating in the air trembled in unison, emitting a sinister vibration.
CRASH! CRASH-CRASH-CRASH!
The spears rained down. The earth was mercilessly pierced, and the soldiers' screams erupted like a tempest. Those impaled by the spears withered in the blink of an eye, their blood absorbed back into the air and seeping into Lucy's crimson weapon and body.
The commander fell to his knees at the horrific sight and muttered.
“…This is… divine punishment…”
Lucy chuckled, pressing the tip of her foot onto the man's head.
“No, you're mistaken. This isn't divine punishment.”
Her fangs glinted in the moonlight.
“It's simply… the price for making an enemy of Papa.”
With those final words, Lucy applied pressure, crushing the man's head.
SQUELCH!
With the sound of his skull bursting, blood splattered in all directions. Lucy raised her head and surveyed the battlefield. Thousands, no, tens of thousands of corpses were piled up like mountains. Terrified human soldiers were throwing down their weapons and scrambling to escape.
“I suppose there's no need to chase after fleeing insects.”
She immediately turned her gaze to find Sora.
“Hmm, it looks like Milky Boy has cleaned up most of them.”
Just as Lucy was about to call Sora over to leave, a colossal energy surged toward them. An overwhelming pressure, like a giant tidal wave, pricked at their skin.
“Unni!”
Sora, having sensed it as well, immediately leaped to Lucy's side.
Soon after, a black mist rolled in, swallowing the battlefield. From within it, a massive greatsword flashed as it struck down.
CLANG!
Lucy and Sora simultaneously swung their spear and greatsword to block the attack. Blood, flames, shadows, and shockwaves clashed, splitting the earth and shattering the surrounding corpses into pieces.
And from within the mist, a low, cool voice echoed.
“Oh-ho… To parry my attack so lightly. How very interesting.”
Sora spat out in a low voice, her eyes cold as she raised her greatsword.
“…What are you.”
The mist slowly receded, revealing the figure within. He wore black armor engraved with red patterns, his pale face held a sneer, and his red eyes were impossibly deep.
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Barqued Lastro, the Count of Black Iron, ranked 49th among the demons.”
He glanced between Lucy and Sora, the corners of his mouth slowly curling into a smirk.
“Today… it seems I'm in for an interesting hunt for the first time in a long while.”
“Hah. You dare hunt us?”
Lucy scoffed. In response, Barqued swung his jet-black greatsword, which Sora casually parried.
CLANG!
“Are you strong?”
Sora asked coldly. He didn't hide his sneer.
“My, my. To ask the 49th-ranked demon if he is strong… How cute, and yet how rude. But more importantly—”
He let out a breath through his nose and licked his lips.
“The two of you have such a fragrant scent. You're perfect for my nourishment. What do you say? Won't you willingly become my meal?”
“Get lost!”
Lucy's eyes flashed red.
“I belong to Papa. I can't forgive an insect like you laying a hand on me.”
Barqued's smile widened.
“Oh...? In that case, this 'Papa' of yours must be quite delicious as well. Hehehe... To violate you both in front of him, and then devour you all together... Isn't it a wonderful thought?”
In that instant, the air froze.
Lucy's expression was as hard as ice, and an explosive energy was erupting from Sora's body. The greatsword she gripped trembled minutely, sending vibrations deep into the earth.
“Hey,”
Lucy muttered in a low voice.
“You just... made a very big mistake.”
At that moment, a red aura enveloped Jin Sora's entire body. It was a madness that resembled flames yet carried the stench of blood.
CRACK!
The ground beneath her feet caved in and split apart. The horns on her head grew longer, taking on a dark, crimson glow. Each of her breaths burst out like steam, and her eyes held nothing but killing intent.
Lucy shrugged and let out a small laugh.
“When my big sister uses her Beastification… honestly, even I get scared. You'd better figure out how to stop her yourself~”
Despite her half-joking, half-serious words, Barqued merely smiled, still intrigued.
“How amusing. To think you can become even stronger. But that only means your value as my prey has increased.”
Lucy raised her spear, glaring at him with her red eyes.
“No, you're finished. When my sister goes into berserk mode… I don't even need to lift a finger.”
VWOOOSH!
As Sora swung her greatsword, a storm of crimson flames erupted, seeming to boil the very air. The Count of Black Iron, Barqued, raised his jet-black greatsword and smiled.
“Excellent. Let us enjoy this night.”
*
Meanwhile, in the encampment of the Kaisern vanguard, the lanterns remained lit even in the late hours before dawn.
Inside a tent, pieces stood on a long tactical map, around which nobles and a knight commander sat, continuing their discussion with grave expressions.
The one leading the meeting was none other than Leonir the Iron-blooded of Kaisern.
Clad in silver armor, his face seemed frozen cold even in the firelight, and the surrounding nobles looked as if they could barely stand to meet his gaze.
Leonir pressed a hand clad in a thick gauntlet onto the map.
“Marquis Alcladion has already arrived at the border fortress. As you all know, the news that the bastard has reached the rank of Swordmaster has already spread throughout the land.”
At his words, one of the nobles scoffed.
“Hah, even if some greenhorn becomes a Swordmaster, how could he possibly be a match for His Grace the Duke, who achieved that rank over a decade ago?”
The other nobles nodded in agreement.
“That's right. And don't we have another Swordmaster on our side?”
“Then there's no need to be so tense.”
Leonir gave them a heavy look.
“Do not let your guard down. The Alcladion family is the most dangerous in the entire Sibern Kingdom.”
“If you say so, Your Grace, then we must be cautious.”
After a brief silence, another officer spoke up hesitantly.
“More importantly… what is the Hero's condition?”
The question made the atmosphere in the tent unsettled once more.
One noble clicked his tongue in response.
“Tsk, he's still living dissolutely, surrounded by whores. We treat some rootless bastard with a little respect, and now he dares to ignore us... It's truly infuriating.”
Another noble snorted and chimed in.
“To think a thing like that is the Hero… It's simply absurd.”
Then, one noble asked hesitantly.
“But… are we truly certain we can control the Hero completely? If he were to become even stronger, couldn't he break free from our control?”
The atmosphere in the tent grew heavy. No one could readily answer.
After a long silence, Leonir looked down at the map and muttered in a low voice.
“The possibility exists. But for now, we have no choice but to trust the Empire. We must wait for the court mages to completely analyze the technology used to control the Hero and make it our own. This issue… we will discuss it again at a later date.”
At his words, the nobles forced themselves to nod. Just as they were about to turn the conversation back to strategy—
Sliither…
A blue light flashed from a crack in the floor. Something squirmed and slithered into the tent.
“What the…?”
A noble sitting nearby shoved his chair back in horror.
The blue thing was no simple stream of water. It writhed as if alive, shot up like a snake, and instantly wrapped itself around one noble's neck.
“Ghk!”
SNAP!
With the sound of breaking bone, the noble's body turned blue and began to melt. Unable to even finish his scream, his corpse dissolved into a sticky puddle of liquid on the floor.
“Everyone, fall back!”
Leonir roared, drawing his sword.
But the blue substance began to take on a more human form. The liquid gathered to form curves, skin was revealed, and soon, a captivating silhouette was complete.
Damp blue hair, blue eyes that shone like the moon, and a voluptuous body from which droplets of water trickled down.
A woman was now standing in its place.
“Oh my~ What is everyone staring at?”
Jin Ha-young gave a chilling smile as she slowly pulled up a slipped bikini strap with her fingertips. At that simple gesture, the nobles and knights in the tent held their breath.
“Sorry, sorry~ I was playing with Papa and completely forgot, so I showed up in my human form.”
Leonir quietly spat out, trying to discern her identity.
“…What in the hell are you?”
Jin Ha-young's lips curled into a smile as she replied.
“Well now~ Let's just say I'm 'Papa's' daughter, shall we?”
As she lightly opened her palm, the blue liquid that had looked like water on the floor instantly shot up like tentacles, piercing the nobles.
“Aaargh!”
“R-Run!”
A few nobles scrambled to escape, but they were quickly ensnared by the blue tentacles and crushed until their bones and flesh were indistinguishable.
Ha-young watched the scene, licking her lips with the tip of her tongue.
“Huhu.”
Leonir gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
“…Stay back. That is no ordinary monster.”