Chapter 221
Chapter 221
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 221
Chapter Title: Extermination Corps (1)
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The next day, Demian left the mansion at the time the Sword Saint had specified.
It was dawn, so the streets were deserted. Only soldiers on patrol were visible.
Upon arriving at the north gate, he saw three people gathered together.
Two men and one woman. All three were dressed simply and carried swords at their waists.
They were an unremarkable group at first glance. But Demian couldn't ignore them.
Each one exuded an immense aura. Even from a distance, it was immediately perceptible.
All three were undoubtedly Master Class.
"Hey, there he is. Over here! Over here!"
One of the three waved toward Demian. It was a woman with her hair tied back in a ponytail.
Demian headed toward them. As he drew closer, their faces came into clear view.
Judging by their faces alone, all three appeared quite young.
But that alone wasn't enough to judge their ages. Once one reached Master Class, aging slowed dramatically.
"I'm Demian Haksen, right? I've heard a lot about you. No, 'a lot' doesn't even cover it. Lately, it's all about you."
The woman seemed quite talkative. The moment she saw Demian, words poured out of her nonstop.
"They say His Majesty knelt before you? I couldn't believe my ears when I heard. I was dying to know what kind of person you are... Never dreamed I'd meet you as a fellow Extermination Corps member."
As Demian had expected, the three were members of the Extermination Corps.
Extermination Corps.
Its full name was the Demon Extermination Knight Order. But since it included not just knights but also mages and alchemists, it was more commonly called the Extermination Corps.
"I'm Rainy Bell. This is Wilhelm Wilson. And that gloomy guy over there is Roger Crimson."
Demian mulled over the three names.
They were names he had never heard in his previous life. Faces he had never seen, either.
There was no way he wouldn't know Extermination Corps members. After all, he had personally wiped them all out in his previous life.
They must have died before the Destruction War, which was why he had never encountered them.
"I'm Demian Haksen."
Wilhelm Wilson greeted him with a bright smile. Roger Crimson, on the other hand, simply spat on the ground.
"Wilhelm can't speak. He had a rough incident as a kid. As for Roger, he's just rude, so don't mind him."
"Sis, do you have to phrase it like that?"
Roger said curtly. Rainy clicked her tongue in disapproval.
"Forgive him. Master... uh, the Sword Saint's been talking nonstop about you lately, so he's pretty pissed. I mean, how old is he to act this childish?"
"S-Sis, who said I-I'm pissed? Wh-Wh-Wh-Who said th-that!"
Roger protested loudly. But Rainy ignored him completely.
'As expected, they're the Sword Saint's disciples.'
He had already guessed as much from the mana they carried, which resembled the Sword Saint's.
It wasn't surprising. The Extermination Corps had been formed by the Sword Saint gathering his disciples in the first place.
"I have so many questions for you... but we're on a tight schedule, so let's get going. If we dawdle, the Great Fiend might slip away."
"Understood."
"Huh?"
Rainy Bell tilted her head curiously at Demian's response.
"The Sword Saint hasn't arrived yet. You sure we should head out?"
Rainy Bell said with a mischievous grin.
As she said, there were only four of them there. The Sword Saint was nowhere in sight.
It didn't make sense to go fight a Great Fiend like Vanexia without the Sword Saint.
Even so, Demian nodded.
"From what I can tell, the Sword Saint isn't coming."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because the two of you are more than enough."
At those words, the three pairs of eyes widened slightly. They all looked a bit shocked.
"What? How'd you know?"
"I have a good eye for these things."
Among the three, Rainy and Wilhelm weren't ordinary Master Class.
They were powerhouses more than capable of taking down a Great Fiend who had died before the Destruction War.
"Impressive... You're right. Master isn't coming. Vanexia is no match for me and Wilhelm alone."
"Sis, why are you leaving me out?"
"Hey, what makes you think you can butt in? I'm ranked 4th in the Extermination Corps, Wilhelm's 3rd, but you... Sigh."
Rainy sighed and shook her head. Roger's face flushed bright red at her gesture.
"J-Just you wait! I'll climb into the single digits within a year!"
"Sure, you do that."
Demian inwardly marveled as he listened to their exchange.
'No wonder they're so strong. The 3rd and 4th in the Extermination Corps.'
Among the three, Rainy Bell and Wilhelm Wilson had already surpassed the wall.
The next realm after Master Class was Grand Master. But ascending from Master Class to Grand Master was unimaginably difficult.
It was a hundred, no, a thousand times harder than the path to Master Class.
That was why Master Class warriors referred to the process as "the wall."
Rainy Bell and Wilhelm Wilson had taken the first step toward becoming Grand Masters.
They weren't boasting idly about handling a Great Fiend with just the two of them.
"So don't worry, Demian Haksen."
Rainy said in a confident voice.
And so, the four passed through the north gate and headed toward where the Great Fiend Vanexia lurked.
* * *
"What bullshit is this!"
In a dark cave.
A man with sapphire-blue hair erupted in rage.
A large mirror stood before him. But it wasn't reflecting the man—it showed a certain woman.
-Vanexia. Don't get too worked up.
"How can I not? That bitch is outright disrespecting me!"
When he had received word from Sla, Vanexia had secretly harbored expectations.
Men's hearts stirred at the sight of a beauty. And Sla was the most beautiful woman in Pandemonium.
But the conversation with Sla didn't unfold as Vanexia had hoped.
-When did I ever disrespect you?
The woman in the mirror sighed. Her red eyes and lips felt maddeningly seductive.
Vanexia swallowed hard without realizing it. Even in his peak rage, his gaze was momentarily stolen.
-I only said not to touch Demian Haksen because I plan to offer him to that lord.
But her following words snapped Vanexia's reason back into place.
"Bullshit! That's exactly what disrespecting me is!"
A few days ago, "that lord" had issued a command to the Great Fiends.
Whoever captured Demian Haksen alive and brought him would have any wish granted.
Considering the knowledge and treasures "that lord" possessed, it was a command no one could ignore.
Fortunately, Vanexia had established a dungeon near the capital, where Demian Haksen was located.
He had been planning to capture Demian Haksen.
Then Sla had pulled this thinly veiled threat disguised as a request.
-Vanexia. Does that mean you won't honor my request after all?
Sla furrowed her brow in displeasure.
Though both were Great Fiends, Sla and Vanexia were not equals.
Sla was one of the top figures in Pandemonium, after all.
"Yeah! I'm doing whatever the hell I want!"
But Vanexia had his pride as a Great Fiend. He had no choice but to yield here.
-Haa... In that case, no helping it. I'll have to exercise my authority directly.
"Ha! Go ahead, do your worst!"
-I figured you'd say that, so I've already sent someone. They'll arrive soon...
Vanexia cut off the communication. He couldn't bear to listen anymore.
"...Damn it."
After venting his anger, his head cooled slightly. Then unease washed over him.
No matter how he thought about it, Vanexia couldn't stand against Sla with his own power. Her faction was just that overwhelming.
"Who the hell is she sending?"
Sla's lovers were all extraordinary powerhouses.
Especially the "favorite concubines" she doted on—they were infamous as monsters rivaling Great Fiends.
If a favorite concubine came, even Vanexia couldn't guarantee victory.
As Vanexia agonized over this,
The mirror's surface suddenly shifted, revealing the image of a man.
"Weapon Master? What do you want?"
Vanexia asked in an irritated tone.
His head already hurt from Sla, and now this guy he wasn't even close to was contacting him. No wonder his mood soured.
-Vanexia. I heard you're planning to attack Demian Haksen.
"Damn it, now even dogs and cats know. So what do you want to say?"
-I marked Demian Haksen long ago. So don't touch him. If you ignore my warning...
At that moment, Vanexia's lid blew off.
"You damn bastards, ganging up on me with your bullshit! Cut the crap and get lost!"
Weapon Master merely blinked at Vanexia's bellow.
-You've bulked up on liver in the time I haven't seen you.
Weapon Master was a Great Fiend with a faction rivaling Sla's.
But to Vanexia, consumed by rage down to his bones, that meant nothing.
"Liver my ass! Get the fuck out now!"
-Fine, if that's how you want it, no reason for me to hold back. Brace yourself. My disciple will come collect the price by today.
"Fine! Bring it!"
Shouting that, Vanexia severed the communication again. Even so, he couldn't suppress his fury and grumbled for a while.
"Lord Vanexia!"
At that moment, a black mage entered the lab. Vanexia bellowed.
"What!"
"I-Intruders! Intruders have entered the dungeon!"
"What? Is it Sla? Or Weapon Master?"
Vanexia shouted in surprise. His subordinate replied with a flustered face.
"N-No, neither."
"What the hell?"
"Knights from the Empire have appeared!"
At those words, Vanexia's eyes widened as if they might pop out.