Chapter 12: The Man Who Became a God (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 12: The Man Who Became a God (3)
Korean Sushi, with its main branch located at the Academy, was always crowded with customers.
However, inheriting the legacy of the previous owner of Korean Sushi, Kang Geomma, the current co-owners—Chloe and Nox Auditore—did not accept reservation inquiries.
| All customers are equal before the sashimi knife. |
| Entitled patrons are not customers. They are mere sashimi. |
| If someone acts up, stab them. Forgiveness is easier than permission. |
Everyone—or more precisely, with the exception of maybe 'one person'—was required to wait on-site.
Two honored guests paid a visit to the restaurant.
"Welcome-!"
Nox Auditore greeted them with his usual bright smile.
Or tried to, before the corners of his mouth drooped limply.
"...What are you two doing here?"
It was Ryozo and Abel. Their appearance instantly drew every eye in the restaurant.
"We came to a sushi place to eat sushi."
"No, I mean, didn't you two have dinner plans with Kang Geomma... Whatever, just head into a private room."
"Thanks~"
Ryozo and Abel coolly swept past the gazes of the crowd and walked into private room SSS.
Knock, knock.
Not long after, Nox arrived carrying a heavy haul of fresh fish, cutting boards, steaming hot rice, and other ingredients.
"The usual?"
"Yep."
"That sounds good to me as well."
"Sigh..."
Nox began deftly pressing the sushi rice into shape.
"You've been at this for ten whole years, yet your skills keep improving by the day," Ryozo marveled, resting her chin on her hand. "Why not quit assassination for real and just focus on sushi? You've earned more than enough money anyway. Thanks to you and Chloe, the Auditore family is set for ten generations, isn't it?"
"If you only came here to chatter nonsense, just eat and leave. If you have something to say, say it now."
"Geez, no sense of humor." Ryozo reached out with her chopsticks and spoke. "Lately, the nobles are acting suspicious."
"I know. Word is the British Empire is stirring."
"If they were merely stirring, that would be fine." Abel demurely tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and added, "There are reports that they are holding secret meetings inside Gehenna with demons who harbor grievances against Joaquin Academy."
The fingertips pressing down on the raw fish twitched.
"...With demons? Are they insane?"
"Misery loves company, as they say. Since neither side can act freely, they're joining hands to make a move, treating the Academy and my husband as their common enemy."
"Fucking idiots," Nox spat out a twisted smirk. "Don't they know? Even if both factions brought everything they had, they couldn't leave a single scratch on the Heavenly Sword."
"They know, and they're doing it anyway." Ryozo nonchalantly chewed her food. "Geomma might be reckless, but he doesn't cross major lines. They're taking advantage of that."
"No way."
"That's right. Those crazy nobles are using their own children enrolled at the Academy as hostages."
"Rotten to the core. So foul even spoiled fish wouldn't go near them." Nox bit his lower lip hard.
Only after his chest heaved up and down in a deep breath did Nox speak in a calm voice.
"What do you need me to do?"
"Geomma and Leon are keeping an eye on the Demon Realm. Nox, keep tabs on the nobles' movements."
"Understood."
Nox replied while continuing to shape the sushi.
Once the full meal was laid out and he stood up, Ryozo tossed a casual question at his back.
"Speaking of which, what's Chloe up to these days? I haven't seen her around at all."
"..."
His lower lip, bearing the imprint of his teeth, trembled violently before he forced it open with great effort.
"...She went to bridal lessons."
"What kind of lessons?!"
"...She said being the third wife was fine by her..."
Without another word, Nox exited the room.
Ryozo and Abel's chopsticks hovered blankly over the sushi. The image of Nox's glistening, teary eyes was intensely burned into their minds.
* * *
Demons possessed a deeply violent nature.
"Is everyone ready?!"
"I, Snugal, am ready at any moment!"
"Révolution! Révolution!"
Born and raised in a barren environment, every last one of them was fierce and aggressive. The Dragons, being less affected by their surroundings, were relatively gentle by comparison.
And yet, such demons were currently living under oppression.
Submitting to overwhelming might was simply part of demonic nature.
But the fact that the absolute power was a human left an indelible scar on their pride.
The Heavenly Sword.
The existence known as Kang Geomma.
Valerion, the current Dragon Lord, thought to himself. He stood on high ground, quietly observing the demons.
'If that person would just rule the Demon Realm, order would be restored swiftly.'
However.
'I refuse.'
Kang Geomma had flatly shaken his head.
—B-But physically speaking, aren't you native to the Demon Realm? You're literally Ly—
'Then I'd have to explain everything from the beginning, and that's just a hassle. I have a family in the Human Realm, and those close to me don't know the identity of this body. Nor do I have any intention of telling them. Got it, Lord?'
—...I shall obey.
Kang Geomma had firmly nailed down his identity as a 'human.'
Divine power, a demon's body, a human spirit.
At least in Valerion's eyes, he had chosen the fragile 'human spirit' out of the three.
'Well, if that is how you think...'
Valerion respected his choice.
Until a proxy was found, he had decided to temporarily act as Gehenna's supreme commander.
'Strictly speaking,'
Temporarily.
It was not official.
As a Dragon with a neutral alignment—and its Lord at that—he had no desire to become an official ruler.
Thus, Gehenna lost even the bare minimum of structure. It had turned into a literal lawless wasteland.
Valerion muttered bitterly to himself.
'At least this way, they won't completely explode.'
Because of that, demons unable to suppress their drive for power triggered riots day in and day out.
"How long will we live oppressed under humans, my brothers?! We are demons! Humans are merely prey for us to trample and devour!"
"Uwoooooh! Human meat is delicious!"
The main forces consisted mostly of races that suffered fewer casualties in the 2nd Human-Demon War. Looking closer, young demons born after the war formed the core.
"That's right! Survival of the fittest is the law of the universe! It is time we obey that law! Ten years of patience is long enough, brothers!"
When intelligent demons—such as Medusas or Elves—stoked the flames of pent-up anger,
"Rook- Tarrr-!"
"Ororo- Garrr-!"
Somewhat dim-witted but physically massive creatures like Orcs, Ogres, and Trolls roared in agreement.
Meanwhile, High Elves, the high demons, stood a step back, gloomily inciting the lower ranks.
'What an absolute mess.'
Well, their fighting spirit was intense enough to put a real army to shame.
Watching them even made the watching Dragon's Mana Heart throb with excitement.
Ah well, youthful foolishness is meant for that age.
No complex web of interests was involved. They simply couldn't escape their voracious lust for slaughter.
But what could be done?
'It's in their nature.'
He could understand it, he really could, but...
"It's been a while since we've had a day like this."
Suddenly, someone chimed in from beside him.
"The rhetoric is unusually extreme today, as is the level of violence. Foolish..."
The Dark Elf Elder stepped up next to him. Valerion glanced sideways at him and spat out,
"You weren't exactly a saint back in the day yourself."
"That was all in the past."
"Is that all? You tried to eat human flesh and nearly had the entire Dark Elf race wiped out by that man."
"..."
The Dark Elf Elder stared straight ahead, groaning softly. Vivid memories of violence engraved behind his retinas resurfaced.
The Dark Elf Elder had survived from the time Balor Joaquin was still alive until now. He had survived countless bloodbaths, which was why he stood in this position today.
Yet even for such an elder,
there was a moment where he truly came close to dying, without a shred of exaggeration—exactly once.
'When I talked shit to that man.'
A chill crept up his spine. It felt as though the cold had taken physical form and squeezed his heart tight.
'K-Kang Geomma...!'
Merely catching fleeting thoughts of those black hair and black eyes made his teeth clatter like castanets.
"Hey, aren't you shaking a bit too much for an esteemed elder?"
"L-L-L-Lord, you wouldn't understand. You were on decent terms with him from the start!"
The elder's face went deathly pale.
The entire Dark Elf race had been forcefully stripped of their meat diet due to 'someone's' coercion.
As a result, their dark skin had turned pale. The elder's face blanched even further, making him look like a paper doll roughly drawn with dots and lines on a white sheet.
"...That's why you shouldn't have tried acting tough with him."
"Isn't that true for those fools over there as well?!" The elder pointed a trembling index finger toward the young demons. "He...! He is coming...! Ahhh!"
"He loses his mind whenever that person's name is mentioned. He used to be quite sharp in the past." Valerion shook his head as he said that.
Overcome with terror, the elder was frantically scratching beneath his eyes until they bled.
"Hmm?"
Footsteps resounded from behind.
Turning around, two beings who didn't fit the Demon Realm at all—no, wait, three beings (?) if you counted the squirrel perched on Leon's shoulder—were walking toward them.
"Haha, my word. They say bad news travels fast, but it reached your ears remarkably quick."
"It's been a while, Elder." Leon greeted politely.
"No need to be so formal between us. And..."
"First time meeting you, Lord."
"I didn't expect you to come in person." Valerion looked visibly uncomfortable.
That was because Metatron, former leader of the Archangels, had personally graced them with his presence. And right in the heart of demon territory, no less.
"In any case, I am currently taking refuge in Gehenna. I felt the need to observe the situation with my own eyes."
"You are welcome here. It's just embarrassing that you arrived at such a disgraceful moment, leaving me quite humiliated as the temporary leader."
"I completely understand how you feel. I, too, was once in your position." Metatron turned his gaze toward the rioting mob.
The sight was reminiscent of Grigori, who had rebelled under Kuarne's lead.
Metatron himself had personally wiped out Grigori single-handedly.
Perhaps because of that, watching them left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"K-K-Kang Geomma... He... He is coming...!"
On one side, the Dark Elf Elder was curled up like a pill bug, his shoulders quaking uncontrollably. Watching this, Leon asked,
"Why is the Elder acting like that?"
"He acts like that whenever the Heavenly Sword is brought up."
"If he's already like this, what's he going to do in a moment...?"
It happened in an instant.
Rumble!
Grrrrrr--!
BOOOOOM!
The clear sky let out a furious roar. The fighting spirit of the young demons was instantly swallowed whole by the thunder.
Everyone scrambled to look up.
Demons, angels, and nephilim turned their heads toward the exact same spot. Terrified by the heavens' rage, the demons recoiled.
Even the bizarre, fanged beasts roaming for prey fled in utter terror.
Dark clouds gathered. The Black Sun quickly darted behind the curtain of night as if it, too, was afraid.
CRASHHHHH!
As if to fill that void, a massive hole tore through the storm clouds. A single dot marked its very center.
Thick tears streamed down the Dark Elf Elder's unfocused eyes. He muttered,
"Inevitably... inevitably..."
A silhouette. The figure of a human.
A human with black hair and black eyes.
The sashimi-wielding devil was there.
WOOOOOOSH!
Kang Geomma plummeted straight down with his hands thrust into his pockets, shrouded in wind smooth as velvet. Soon, a resounding roar echoed out.
BOOM!
He bent his knees as his feet struck the ground.
Right in the heart of the rioting mob. From within the crater of dust, a voice echoed across all of Gehenna.
"Are you scared?"
"..."
Their pores constricted tight. It felt as though icy water were flooding every crevice of their brains.
Cold air swirled like mist. Horror, despair, fear—negative emotions exhaled like frosted breath.
Snap!
The sound of something breaking. The Medusa giving the speech had taken a step back and stepped on a twig...
"If you bastards are so terrified..."
"..." "..." "..."
"..." "..." "..."
"...why do you keep asking for a beating?"
He withdrew his hand from his pocket and raised it into the air.
Then, he yanked the air downward in one swift motion.
As if a celestial entity beyond the ink-black clouds had pricked it with needles, the hole in the sky split open dramatically.
Every opening harbored the tempestuous force of a storm. That is to say—thousands of Daixo Sashimi knives were revealed to the world, aimed squarely at the demons.
Light flowed along every single blade, glistening like grains of sand basking under the sunlight on a beach.
These were no ordinary sashimi knives. Each one was clad in lightning. Chilly blades of light, brimming with rays of thunder.
"Sword Control."
He chanted.
"Heavenly Thunder."
Rain down.
SHRRRRRRRIEK---!!!
The roar of thunder and the tearing of wind.
Followed by screaming and the screech of slicing flesh.
Flashes of sword light scattered through the air as the earth grew damp with a bloody stench. Deep red puddles spread across the ground.
Watching the lightning sashimi knives purge the Demon Realm, Metatron stood dazed. He gave a hollow laugh.
"He truly is a human who has become a god..."
—You are mistaken, Metatron.
Lycan's cheeks puffed up with pride.
—He is the God-Slaying Sword.