Slum Patrol (2)

Monster roars echoed through the air, mingled with the screams of slum residents rising from every direction.

It was still the dead of night. Residents who had evacuated clutched torches here and there, but their feeble flames were laughably insufficient to pierce the all-encompassing darkness.

Only the vague outlines of alleyways were visible. Amid that pitch-black void, I closed my eyes instead.

I sensed a monster nearby.

'Half-hearted vision would only get in the way.'

I hurried toward it, channeling mana more swiftly into my mana roads. The mana circulated rapidly through my body, sharpening my senses.

The circulation method I was using now was an improved version of the Orhain clan's foundational technique. It wasn't fully refined yet, so I hadn't named it.

And due to the side effects inherent to attribute-based circulation methods, I avoided directing mana into certain mana roads.

'Especially those leading to the head. I have to be careful.'

If that rampaging mana flowed into the mana roads in my skull, it would disrupt my composure.

Just like when I saw Lilia in the Imperial Central Library. It turns violent.

Following Lilia's advice, I kept the attribute circulation confined to the area around my mana heart. Even that yielded tremendous benefits.

I found the monster. With a swift swing of my imperial sword—

"Kyaa—"

It couldn't even finish its death cry. With a deflating hiss, the goat-headed beast's neck flew clean off in one strike.

'Even faster in real combat. Good.'

The attribute circulation temporarily boosted my physical abilities dramatically. From sensing the demon aura to severing its neck took a mere five seconds.

Movement and sword strikes as swift as Lucia's preemptive assaults. But I didn't linger on the sensation—instead, I moved straight to the next monster. And...

'3, 2, 1. That's all of them.'

Three captain orc-class monsters. One by one, their heads fell to my blade.

That cleared out the monsters ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'd first detected. But the situation was far from over.

'Monsters crossed the gates alongside the beasts.'

Roars ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still emanated from various spots in the slums. And Rene of the Fragments—that witch wouldn't end the night's chaos with just a handful of monsters.

Rene was at the bottom rung of the Execution Squad. Her inferiority complex over that position was why she'd planned this massacre tonight.

Finding that woman had to come first.

'Plus, the Soul Dagger. She's carrying that item.'

The slum residents dying in tonight's raid.

Especially those perishing in terror amid the darkness, without aid—they were destined to become vengeful spirits.

And those spirits were perfect fodder for that soul-devouring dagger.

Rene, the black magic witch, planned to harvest masses of them with the Soul Dagger and offer it as tribute to contract a high-ranking demon.

Normally, the death toll tonight would number in the hundreds. Yet even that many casualties in the imperial capital's slums wouldn't raise a ripple.

'This is the abandoned slums, even by the capital's standards. That's why Lucia's debuff builds up more here.'

But not tonight. In Demon King Slayer, Lucia failed to stop Rene. I, however, intended to neutralize the witch and seize her Soul Dagger.

I leaped swiftly onto a nearby tall tree. Beyond it, the torchlights converged in one direction.

Meaning Lucia was successfully evacuating residents to the church.

But screams erupted again from not far off. Some hadn't made it out in time.

I rushed there. The necks of ten goblins lunging at the residents flew off in an instant.

"W-We survived! It's the Imperial Guard! A knight from the Guard!"

"How did he kill the monsters in one strike...? Unbelievable!"

"We're alive! Thank you! Sir Knight!"

The residents, escaped from death's jaws, shouted. I'd been mistaken for an Imperial Guard knight again, but...

Rather, the rewards made it worthwhile. I hurried them to safety and headed toward where Rene would be. Her location was obvious.

'I know that woman's habits well.'

Sure enough, the witch would perch at the highest vantage point overlooking the slums.

***

A witch with blonde hair so deep it verged on orange.

Rene sat on the broken window frame of a ruined tower, gazing down below.

The tearing roars of monsters and beasts. The death cries of the insects perishing beneath them.

Those sounds were like sweet heavenly music, filling her with bliss.

"Hehehe! Good! Rampage more, my lovely monsters. That's why I deployed markers to induce a sudden gate here, right?"

Mercenaries driven purely by coin. The Byrea Mercenary Corps upheld that iron rule more perfectly than any in Iseland.

They took on imperial territory disputes and even monster subjugation requests without discrimination—as long as the pay was right.

Of course, fail to pay, and they turned from mercenaries to bandits in a heartbeat.

Rene had used monster cores from those subjugations and black magic secrets passed among witches to craft the special magic tool called a marker.

Install a marker in a spot thick with demon aura, and it could induce a sudden gate. With impressive accuracy.

That marker was why Rene, whose black magic hadn't reached 3rd tier, had joined the Execution Squad.

'And once the Soul Dagger's filled with vengeful spirits, contracting for 4th tier will be a breeze. Hehe.'

She wouldn't stay at the bottom doing grunt work forever.

This filthy, stinking place was unbearable even for a moment. But it teemed with fodder for her Soul Dagger.

Pathetic humans unable to wield a scrap of mana. Slum dwellers suited the term "insects" even better.

And watching those insects drop dead one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by one? Utterly delightful.

"Hmm. Still, fewer vengeful spirits gathering in the Soul Dagger than expected. Maybe scatter more markers."

Below the ruined tower, a yellow gate writhed in midair.

Monsters and beasts pouring from it labored diligently for her sake.

Gates that all Iselanders feared and loathed. To Rene, they looked utterly adorable.

She tossed a cube-shaped marker nearby. Demon aura in the air concentrated toward it.

Moments later, a new yellow gate spawned.

"Well, double the monsters, and the corpses will pile up fast, right? Hehehe!"

Thus, Rene savored the scene below with evident pleasure.

But as time passed, she grew puzzled.

'Why? Fewer vengeful spirits in the Soul Dagger than anticipated.'

Five initial monsters and miscellaneous beasts. Plus an extra gate.

Surely the screams meant the raid had begun.

The Soul Dagger in her bosom should have resonated as it absorbed spirits by now. But silence.

"What the hell? What's going on?"

Rene peered more intently into the dark slums beyond. The dark night revealed torchlights from residents fleeing the monster assault.

Something was off.

The lights should have scattered in panic, darting everywhere. Instead, they moved orderly toward one spot.

The residents were evacuating.

"Did the Imperial Guard crawl out already?"

Impossible. Months had passed since the Execution Squad entered the capital. She knew full well how incompetent and lazy the capital's guards and military police were.

They wouldn't scramble over a few dead slum bugs...

'Then the holy priests at that church? No. No one there has the skill to evacuate residents while fighting monsters.'

A chill ran through Rene. She didn't know exactly what, but her plan was unraveling.

Hold off on more gates for now. She needed to check the situation below.

"Familiar..."

She extended her pale, slender finger to summon her servant beast.

That instant—

"Uwah!!"

Someone yanked her viciously from behind. As her body spun around—

Puk. Agonizing pain erupted in her abdomen. The impact was so severe she couldn't even scream.

***

I headed for the slums' high ground. From Teria's days as a holy city, ruins of that era dotted the area, crumbling.

The stone tower visible above seemed a remnant of those times. And the closer I got, the thicker the demon aura grew.

'A gate opened up there.'

Plus, Rene of the Fragments was a witch with a shattered S-tendency personality.

No sane member of the Byrea Mercenaries existed, but Execution Squad ones were worse.

That witch would watch her massacre from the prime viewing spot.

Always dissatisfied with her bottom-rung status, she'd surely climbed that tower to soothe her inferiority complex.

'That's why she goes even madder in Demon King Slayer part 2.'

Neutralizing her now was a golden opportunity.

En route up, I encountered four new monsters—and a horde of their minion beasts.

I itched to unleash White Night and end them at once, but held back. White Night's mana flash was too bright.

'If Rene spots it and flies off on her broom like Rozette, it'll be a pain.'

Cautious woman, witch-like. I restrained my mana blade, confronting them with pure swordsmanship.

Thick demon aura pulsed from the pack.

'All 4th form. Minions are goblins. No problem.'

Good that Rene hadn't mastered higher-tier black magic yet.

Her markers would later induce superior gates. For now, 4th form beasts were her limit.

Reinhardt blood already boiled within me. No need for the imperial sword's rune shield against demon aura.

Shuuuk—

In a flash, I turned the monsters to corpses. Then leaped toward the tower.

Its interior was surprisingly spacious. Likely one of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the larger relics from the holy city era.

I dispelled the circulation method, muffling my footsteps. Soon reached the top.

'There you are.'

Orange short-haired woman in a witch hat. Rene sat on the tower's window frame.

I crept up silently. Then seized her nape.

"Uwah!!"

Utterly unexpected, she came without resistance. I spun her around and drove a fist into her gut.

"...Hng... ugh..."

Pain enough to stop her breath. Her face twisted horribly.

But she wasn't some ordinary woman. A punch that could kill a grown man outright.

"Hah... ngh... wh-what... who the hell are you?!"

Even groaning, she mustered words. Probably protected by a ward on her witch robe.

I didn't answer with words. My palm spoke instead.

Smack!!

"Wh-what... aaak!"

The slap echoed through the space. I gave her no time to recover.

Smack again.

Relentless slaps across her cheeks. Finally regaining her wits, Rene spat an incantation.

"Kgh... hng... Blood Fog!"

Blood-mixed spittle flew from her mouth—cheeks busted open. From it rose a crimson mist.

'Just as I thought.'

That was why I hadn't struck with my blade from the start. Rene was a black mage and blood mage.

Any wound leaking blood would only make her trickier to handle.

And if she realized I wasn't some ordinary knight? She'd bolt.

'Too much to gain from her. Can't let that happen.'

So I attacked barehanded. Painful but non-lethal. And that humiliating beating?

'Torture for this sadist bitch.'

In other words, I'd baited her. And Rene took it.

"Capital's dog... Imperial Guard knight, huh! You fucking bastard! I'll repay this humiliation tenfold! Nail you to a cross so you never die and drain your blood forever!"

"Try it. If you can."

Her face—sultry and pretty if not twisted in rage—contorted wildly.

Soon, the red mist morphed like serpents, coiling around my body. Rene's prized blood magic.