Chapter 55: This is Bullshit (1)
Chapter 55: This is Bullshit (1)
“What’s the item?”
“Ugh…. Argh….”
“You’re a Dark Mage, aren’t you?”
“…N-no, I’m not.”
“Do you really think I’ll believe that, looking at you?”
“…….”
The man was currently draped in a pitch-black robe, clutching a staff made of bone in one hand.
The Dark Mage’s face flushed red.
Indeed, dressed like this, no one would believe him if he said, ‘I’m not a Dark Mage.’
Patrick looked at him and let out a smirk.
It’s easy to track him since he’s leaking Demonic Energy all over the place while he runs.
He had expected it to some extent, but the mana these so-called Dark Mages used was similar—no, it was identical to the Demonic Energy emitted by the demon warriors of the Martial World.
There were differences in how it was manipulated, but the sensation of the energy was unmistakably Demonic Energy.
As long as he couldn't hide that aura, he could never escape Patrick’s energy sense.
Patrick looked at him with cold eyes.
This disgusting sensation.
A foul energy that felt like a mixture of thick mud and filth.
It was Demonic Energy, without a doubt.
Yes. This was the very energy Patrick knew.
With the Dark Mage before him, Patrick hesitated for a moment, which was unlike him.
Then, letting out a small sigh, he spoke with some difficulty.
“Hey.”
“W-what is it?”
“Do you know the Heavenly Demon?”
“…Huh?”
“What about the Blood Demon?”
“…What are you talking about?”
Patrick stared blankly at his opponent.
Though he had heard the names of the Heavenly Demon and the Blood Demon, the Dark Mage had an expression that clearly said, ‘What kind of bullshit is that?’
It didn't look like an act.
He genuinely had no idea.
So there really is no connection. None at all.
Patrick let out a deep sigh.
That sigh was a cocktail of complex emotions.
At the very least, terrifying entities like the Heavenly Demon Cult or the Blood Demon Cult did not exist in this world.
The Demonic Energy these people emitted was similar to that of the demon warriors in the Martial World, but that was where the connection ended.
While that fact brought a sense of relief…
To think I’d feel disappointed….
Patrick himself was quite surprised by the emotion rising from within.
The Dark Mage before him was not a demon warrior.
He was a being who had nothing to do with the demon warriors of the Martial World.
In this world, Patrick Schneider was the only being with a connection to the Martial World. That fact…
Is disappointing?
“Ha….”
A hollow laugh escaped him.
It had been a long time since he had felt this pathetic.
“Did I still have lingering attachments? Even now?”
He thought he had cut them off.
He thought he had settled everything.
He thought he could leave his past connections as mere memories.
But every time the soldiers swung the swords of the Twin Dragon Sect he had taught them…
Every time he discovered faint traces of his sworn brother’s techniques in the way the orcs swung their blades…
Every time he saw a shadow of his Master in his father’s words and actions…
“This is bullshit.”
Irritation surged within him.
Irritation directed at himself, and no one else.
A thick killing intent overflowed from Patrick’s body, enough to make the Dark Mage in front of him flinch.
Then, Patrick spoke.
“What was the thing you said you were going to retrieve earlier?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about….”
Thud.
The sound of something hitting the ground echoed.
The Dark Mage reflexively looked down, only to see a human ear lying there. And then…
“Aaaaaaaagh!”
The Dark Mage rolled on the ground as agonizing pain erupted from his right ear.
He didn't even know when he had been cut.
The intense pain only flooded in after his brain processed the fact that his ear had been severed and fallen.
“Uuuuugh….”
Watching the Dark Mage groan in pain while leaking tears and snot, Patrick spoke indifferently.
“It seems you have no resistance to pain. Your physical abilities are just those of a soft scholar.”
“Y-you… how dare you….”
“I’ll ask again. What was the thing you said you were going to retrieve?”
“I won’t tell you—”
Thud.
Something fell again.
This time, he realized it much faster.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaagh!”
His nose had been sliced clean off and fell to the ground, leaving the Dark Mage writhing on the floor.
Then Patrick said:
“Next is your eye.”
“Ugh…. Uuuu…. You devil.”
“Coming from someone reeking of Demonic Energy, that’s quite a blow to my conscience, isn't it?”
Patrick’s general knowledge of Dark Mages was simply that they were evil and filthy humans.
He had learned they were losers who had once tried to overthrow the world by bringing in the Demon Clan, only to fail miserably.
Since he had never actually seen one, he had just taken it at face value. But seeing one in person…
“How much blood do you have to spill to gather that much Demonic Energy? Just how many filthy things did you have to do?”
“Khhh….”
Fundamentally, Demonic Energy was not an energy that could be accumulated through normal means.
It was gathered and refined from the Aura of Death emitted when humans died gruesome deaths.
In other words, the energy inside that man’s body was obtained by sacrificing countless people. The reason he had fought the Subjugation Force here was likely for a similar purpose.
“The thing you’re hiding. Shall I take a guess?”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
The Dark Mage barked, but Patrick replied with a sneer.
“You’ve probably gathered people’s life force, or the Aura of Death created when they die in agony, into some kind of form. Am I right?”
“……!”
There was no answer, but the Dark Mage’s body stiffened instantly.
“You were trying to take whatever held that energy before you retreated. Weren't you?”
“W-who are you? How do you….”
“How do I know?”
Patrick spoke with a chilling smile.
“I know because your methods are so familiar.”
“What… Kuaaaaagh!”
As promised, one of his eyes was gouged out this time.
Patrick spoke to the Dark Mage, who was convulsing in pain.
“Don’t talk if you don’t want to. Now that I know what you’re looking for, I can find it myself without your help.”
“Lies…. Kuaaaaagh….”
“Think it’s a lie if you want. However….”
Patrick continued, his words heavy with cold killing intent, like a sentence being passed.
“Don’t expect a quick death.”
“…….”
The Dark Mage trembled violently.
This guy was the real deal.
“W-wait, I can’t speak. It’s not that I won’t, I can’t! So…. Gyaaaaagh!”
“I see, a taboo must have been placed on you.”
“…Khhh…. Y-yes. So….”
“So what?”
“Aaaaagh!”
Patrick’s sword carved away only the flesh from the most painful parts of the Dark Mage’s body.
Ears, nose, eyes, lips….
Setting aside swordsmanship, it was difficult for a human to do such things to another unless they were exceptionally cruel.
Seeing Patrick slice away human flesh without a hint of hesitation, the Dark Mage felt a terror even greater than the pain.
“Whether you can’t speak? Or won’t?”
“Ugh…. Uuuuu….”
“If the result is the same, the process should be the same too. Right?”
“You… you monster.”
“Accept it gracefully. Think of it as lessening the weight of your sins, even if only by a little.”
“N-no. If you kill me, you won’t be safe either. I’m serious!”
“That’s such a cliché lie.”
Then, Patrick’s twin swords rained down ruthlessly upon the screaming Dark Mage’s body.
I have to finish these types of guys off for good.
If handled sloppily, they were the type to potentially come back to life.
In fact, among the demon warriors, there were those with such strong vitality that they continued to fight for nearly an hour even after being cut in half at the waist.
Therefore, he intended to mince the body into dozens of pieces, leaving no room for any tricks.
“Well, this should be enough.”
After hacking the enemy apart, regardless of head or torso, Patrick sheathed his swords.
If he could still pull some trick after this, Patrick would have to admit he was even more of a monster than those from the Heavenly Demon Cult or the Blood Demon Cult….
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, Patrick took a step back and drew his sword again.
The Dark Mage was dead.
No trace of life could be felt from the corpse anymore. However…
The Demonic Energy grew?
On the contrary, the Demonic Energy intensified after the man died.
As the energy continued to swell, a single red line appeared above the Dark Mage’s corpse.
At first, it was just a line in the air. But then…
Creeeeeak.
A black hand burst through that red line.
Then, as if prying open a closed gap, the hands pulled wide to the left and right…
“Gwaaaaaaaaarrrr!”
A repulsive screech began to emanate from within the rift.
Seeing that unbelievable sight, Patrick recalled what the Dark Mage had said moments ago.
[N-no. If you kill me, you won’t be safe either. I’m serious!]
Ah…. Right, he definitely said that.
Patrick spoke toward the mangled corpse of the Dark Mage.
“Sorry for not believing you.”
And finally, emerging from the widened rift was a mysterious knight, clad in black armor and exuding thick Demonic Energy.
Upon seeing Patrick, the knight’s eyes flared with a sinister red light as he roared.
“Gwaaaaaaaaarrrr!”
“Are you an orc too?”
Seriously, everyone in this neighborhood just goes ‘Uwoooo’ at the drop of a hat.
* * *
“Hmm?”
“What is it, Condor?”
Count Parmas asked his mage, Condor.
It was because the expression of the man beside him had turned grave.
“For a moment, I felt a powerful surge of dark mana. It was as if a gate to the Demon World had opened….”
“Hahaha. You must be joking….”
“…….”
“You’re not joking?”
Seeing the mage’s serious expression, Count Parmas’s face also stiffened.
His mage was an elite who had reached the 4th floor of the Tower of Truth.
To be honest, he was such an excellent mage that it would have been difficult to hire him if not for a personal connection.
When such a man wore such a serious expression, the Count couldn't help but worry as well.
“I’m not entirely sure.”
“You’re not sure? Does that make sense?”
“I felt a vast amount of dark mana fluctuating for a moment, but it vanished quickly. Perhaps a Dark Mage tried to do something and failed.”
“That’s an optimistic view. Can you give me a pessimistic one?”
“Must I?”
“It’s my job to assume the worst-case scenario.”
At those words, Condor shrugged and spoke.
“Perhaps a Dark Mage used his own life as bait to summon a being he normally couldn't. A creature of the Demon World, like a Succubus or a Cerberus.”
“If that happens, what then?”
“…We must run.”
“What?”
“If a race from the Demon World has truly been summoned, it will be difficult to face them with the forces we have here. we must flee and seek help from the Tower of Truth or the Temple.”
“Mmm….”
Seeing Count Parmas’s grim expression, Condor smiled and said:
“Don’t worry too much. I was only describing the absolute worst-case scenario. Surely such a being hasn't actually appeared.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. What I described would only happen if a Dark Mage sacrificed his own soul to summon a being from the Demon World. Dark Mages, who know full well what it means to offer one’s soul to the Demon World, wouldn't easily commit such madness. Unless someone forced them to.”
“Then there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Yes. Rest easy.”
Only after hearing Condor’s explanation did Count Parmas feel somewhat relieved. And while they were doing this…