Chapter 346: Bread and Dagger (44)
Chapter 346: Bread and Dagger (44)
The word 'Fiend' was a synonym for terror.
It was impossible not to fear these monsters, who commanded the surrounding demonic beasts and served as the vanguard of Delphirem’s army. Furthermore, each of them was a formidable powerhouse in their own right.
After all, they were individuals who had contracted with the Evil God in exchange for power.
A Fiend could not be born without a fitting price. Take Guildford, whom I had faced at the orphanage, for example.
He was strong as a human, but he became even stronger as a Fiend. Even with my current strength, I wondered if I could even manage a draw against him.
Nevertheless, Guildford had been a relatively manageable opponent for me.
This was because I had sparred with him for days before his transformation, allowing me to familiarize myself with his techniques and combat style. Even after becoming a Fiend, the fundamentals of a master swordsman did not change.
However, the Snow Leopard Fiend I was facing now was different.
This was an enemy I was encountering for the very first time. It was only natural that I had no idea how it would choose to attack me.
In the silence, my sword-point and the Snow Leopard Fiend’s blood-red eyes gleamed. The Fiend’s breathing was already ragged.
It looked as though it was eagerly anticipating the taste of the blood it was about to spill.
It was then that the Snow Leopard Fiend’s muscles contracted.
Its hulking body suddenly curled into a ball. It was a startling sight—muscles that looked as hard as stone curling so fluidly.
Of course, I didn't have a spare moment to be impressed.
Boom!
An explosive sound erupted. A sudden hot wind swept across the snowfield. This happened despite the Snow Leopard merely slamming its entire body forward and me absorbing the impact with the flat of my blade.
The power was beyond imagination.
As I staggered backward, the Snow Leopard immediately swung its forepaws ferociously. Sharp, linear streaks were carved into the air along the intersecting trajectories.
It was a textbook response.
Just in case, I narrowed the sensory range I had kept open.
In that split second when my vision mapped out the space and glowing threads came into view—
My staggering hand violently tore at a thread of light. With a shloop sound, the Snow Leopard’s two arms slid away along the warped space.
Just before the Snow Leopard could howl in panic, my hand drew my hand axe with the speed of lightning.
Splat!
Blood sprayed into the air.
The hand axe, imbued with Aura, easily pierced even the hide of a demonic beast. Though it didn't manage to sever the bone, it was clear that I had landed a solid hit.
"ROOOOAR!"
The Snow Leopard Fiend howled like a beast that had lost its reason. It then rolled backward, using its uniquely elastic muscles to leap a great distance away.
I had heard that the animal known as the 'snow leopard' wouldn't die even if it fell from a great height. I learned this was due to their highly developed flexibility, and it seemed the Fiend had inherited that trait perfectly.
Could it be that it has no other special abilities besides that?
Just as I thought that this might be a winnable fight—
"Kh... Hehehe..."
Suddenly, the Snow Leopard’s mouth crunched and shifted, and its snout shortened slightly.
Only then did human speech begin to flow from the Fiend’s mouth.
"To think you are difficult to handle even with this blessed body... Humans truly are strong. I suppose that is why we have been reduced to such a miserable state."
"I'd say you just ran out of luck," I replied, hanging the hand axe back on my belt. "There are quite a few special guests in the Yurdina army today. Normally, I don't know, but this isn't a level you guys can aim for... Why don't we call it here?"
It was sincere advice.
There wasn't a single flicker of hesitation on my face as I confronted the Snow Leopard. If it were a Fiend on Guildford’s level, perhaps, but I wouldn't be defeated by a Fiend whose only merit was slightly superior physical abilities.
Of course, I had to be wary of overconfidence.
"You've seen enough blood already. Go back and tell your leader... don't even dream of leaving the coniferous forest for a while."
"Then are we Elves supposed to live forever being plundered?"
I fell silent for a moment at the question mixed into its ragged breath.
The Snow Leopard Fiend wore a pathetic smile. It was a look that didn't suit its ferocious appearance in the slightest.
"Since being trapped in this cold, barren coniferous forest, we have never attacked humanity first... Yet, was it not you humans who stole our food and drove us to the brink of death?"
"Nonsense."
I cut off the Snow Leopard Fiend’s words with a hollow laugh.
"Why would we humans go out of our way to provoke Elves who are staying quietly in the coniferous forest? Especially when the morale of the soldiers on the frontlines is already plummeting..."
"That is what we should be asking!"
ROAR!
A sonic wave erupted, momentarily deafening me. The Snow Leopard Fiend was now so agitated that saliva was dripping from its mouth.
"Why did you torment us?! We didn't even intend to resist anymore! Whether we died quietly in the forest or not, we just didn't want to suffer any longer!"
Nonsense, I was about to snap back again, but I hesitated at that scream filled with such poignant resentment.
Could those be the eyes of someone telling a lie?
I wished the Princess were here. I felt like only then would I be able to know the truth of that Elf’s heart.
Until now, the Elves' survival strategy had been simple: kill and plunder to survive. This was attested to by the numerous private homes looted during their migration to the North.
So, when they suddenly insisted they weren't doing that anymore, it was only natural to be suspicious.
The Snow Leopard Fiend growled, spitting out words laced with hatred.
"And you're mistaken about one thing... You said we've seen enough blood?"
Hehehe, a mournful laugh leaked from the Fiend’s mouth.
He took staggering steps forward and looked up at the sky. The northern night sky, without a single point of light on the ground, was breathtakingly brilliant—so much so that it made the lone figure standing below look wretched.
And when the Snow Leopard’s eyes turned back toward me, they were bloodshot.
"Don't be mistaken. We didn't come here to live."
At that moment, I felt a strange presence.
Several Elves were staggering out from behind the Fiend. Every one of them had a face weathered by hardship, and their eyes held nothing but deep despair.
I shuddered at the gloomy atmosphere they created. It was an instinctive rejection.
They were closer to the dead than the living.
"...We came to be 'liberated'."
I can't let this continue.
My intuition rang an alarm immediately after. My hand fumbled to grasp the hand axe.
The hand axe drew a long arc, creating a sonic boom.
However, the Snow Leopard Fiend’s action was more immediate.
The Fiend’s forepaws grabbed two Elves by their collars. Its purpose was clear.
It was to throw them.
My eyes widened; I hadn't expected him to throw his own kin. I had anticipated they might perform a collective chant or something similar.
What was even more terrifying was that this was only the beginning of the horror.
One of the thrown Elves was clearly intersecting with the trajectory of the hand axe.
Slice.
Without even a death rattle, the Elf’s body was split open, spilling entrails. The end of that life, sliding onto the ground with a thud, was hollow. For a moment, I suffered from cognitive dissonance.
Could a person's life end so futilely?
The answer to that question was revealed shortly after.
The moment I tried to swat away the Elf flying toward me with the flat of my blade, I briefly locked eyes with him.
He looked sad, yet happy.
And when the man’s mouth opened, I finally understood the Snow Leopard Fiend’s intention.
A hideous eyeball was rolling on top of his tongue.
Space was warping around it.
Instead of swinging my sword, I followed my instincts and curled my body as tightly as possible. I even shrouded my entire body in the Mana that should have gone into my sword.
It didn't take long to prove that my choice was correct.
KABOOM!
Thunderous explosions slammed into my ears one after another. Soon, even that sound turned into a high-pitched ringing.
My body was suddenly flying through the air.
The flight distance was quite long. I heard the sound of trees splintering several times. Every time it happened, a dull impact jolted through my body.
Even the sensation of pain was vague.
When I came to my senses, I was rolling across the snowfield. Even though I had shrouded my body in Mana, my vision was momentarily blurred.
Cough!
I spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered to my feet.
Faint heat shimmers rose from the spot I had been blown away from. There were scorch marks all over my clothes.
It was fire.
The acrid smell creating an updraft in the distance proved it.
Elves setting fire to the forest? And using their own kin as sacrifices?
These were not the Elves we knew.
I found this reality hard to believe. Yet, at the same time, it was an undeniable truth.
Against the backdrop of the fire shadows, a hulking figure was trudging forward. Several Elves were already held in his hands and draped over his shoulders.
I hurriedly scanned my surroundings.
I had been pushed back quite a distance. Not only was the airtime long, but the ground was slippery because of the snow. It seemed I had tumbled a long way after hitting the ground.
The clashing of metal behind me gave weight to that fact. I had been pushed back near the boundary where the two armies were clashing.
It was a level of power that brought a cold sweat to my brow. It was a force that would be impossible without sacrificing an entire life.
As I stared at the Fiend, a presence approached me.
It was Yuren.
He ran over and stood by my side, staring blankly at the burning coniferous forest.
"...What is that?"
"A monster."
It was the word I chose from my meager vocabulary. I couldn't think of any other way to define someone who brutally murdered his own kin.
I said to Yuren, "We have to run right now. We need to pull back to the rear first, then deal with it with support from the comrades waiting behind."
"Is it that bad?"
Yuren’s voice was thick with disbelief.
I didn't bother explaining.
Because before I could, another Elf was already flying toward us from afar.
The Snow Leopard’s flexible muscles were useful for throwing as well. By utilizing that elasticity, his throwing range was wider than I could have imagined.
I shouted urgently, "Yuren, get back!"
But Yuren didn't retreat.
Perhaps worried about me since I was already injured, he lunged a step forward and spread his Aura thin.
A sword-barrier.
I didn't yet know how to manipulate Aura as delicately as that. It was an excellent choice for defense.
Even though the power of the 'Elf sacrifice' far exceeded its threshold.
What followed was a repetition.
The only difference was that I hid behind Yuren’s back and flew a shorter distance. Thanks to that, I was able to prevent further injuries to some extent.
Though Yuren, who sprawled out beside me, had to cough up a mouthful of blood.
He looked much like I did after taking the first hit.
The only difference was that, unlike the first explosion which caused flames, the second explosion generated an electrical charge. Faint currents were still running through Yuren’s limbs.
The conclusion he reached was simple.
"Fine, let's run."
My friend had the temperament of a battle maniac, but he wasn't suicidal.
I was immensely relieved by that.
In the distance, the flames flickered, swallowing the hellscape.