Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Forest of No Return (5)
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Hydra.
Demons only earned their names once they grew three horns. Yet despite having just two, the hero party had bestowed that name upon this one. It had put them through ordeals worse than most greater demons, so it had certainly earned the title.
This demon shared many traits with the mythical beast that was its namesake. Nine heads. Necks that regenerated even when severed. Even the detail that cauterizing them with fire prevented regrowth.
But in the original myth, there was no tale of the monster reviving after being reduced to complete ash.
Kadim tensed his abdomen to keep his body from trembling. Then he fixed his gaze on the Hydra's central head.
"I clearly burned every last bit of you to nothing. How did you come back?"
A forked tongue flicked out as if it had been waiting. The Hydra twisted its neck muscles with a sticky rasp and lowered its head.
- Hiss... Why should I tell you? You've taken my life before, and now you've stolen one of my minions'?
"......"
- That leper turned out more useful than I expected. Humans seemed to find dying at the hands of a nine-limbed wretch far more horrifying than a mere snakebite. Thanks to him, I reaped a fine harvest of pain and despair for a good while.
"......"
- Still, no great loss in his death. He fulfilled his role to the end. For such a pathetic hunk of meat, his attachment to life was astonishing—he radiated despair right up until his consciousness faded completely. Hiss...
Embarrassment clouded Kadim's face. The Hydra leered at the barbarian and thrust its head forward.
- Behold, son of the wilderness. The mark of ascension forged by your own ruthlessness.
Two intact horns protruded behind its eyes.
One had a horn ring at the base and was far paler than the other—a sign it had only recently evolved into an upper demon, using agony and despair as catalysts.
Kadim ground his teeth.
Killing the leper had been unavoidable. But if he'd known the cost would be this steep, he probably would have forced another path, no matter how grueling.
Upper demons were perfected beings. Their power and abilities were incomparable to lesser or mid-tier demons. Without his first playthrough's strength, weapons, or allies, facing one now was practically impossible for Kadim.
The demon knew it too. Arrogant leisure laced its chilling voice.
- Rather, I should be the one asking. Don't humans die after a measly hundred years at most? How are you still alive after three centuries? Did that primitive, dirt-stinking god of yours bless you?
"......"
- Well, you're not the only one from that group still kicking...
"......!"
It felt like lightning striking his crown.
Kadim's eyes flew wide.
His sword hand shook uncontrollably. He might be falling for the cunning demon's wordplay. Even so, he couldn't help but ask.
"You've seen someone else besides me?"
Its tongue slithered in and out.
The demon made no effort to hide its glee at grasping an enemy's weakness. Its sinister tongue writhed mockingly.
- Hiss... So that's what you want to know? Not hard to share, but I can't just give it away for free... I saw you picked up a new companion...
"......"
- What a useless one, from the looks of it. Trembling at the mere sight of a snake corpse? A coward like that. Where are those fine comrades of yours? Why travel with such trash? Hoping to feel superior, maybe?
"......"
- But... he did have one merit. A fierce attachment to life.
The serpent's mouth twisted into a sinister curve.
- Bring him here. Gouge out his eyes and rip off his limbs. Shred his guts or skin him alive—whatever. As long as he meets a thoroughly agonizing end... I'll tell you where your old comrade is.
Kadim bit his lip until it split.
The demon's offers were always like this—irresistible bait hiding a barbed hook.
"......"
Objectively, sacrificing the merchant made sense.
Demons couldn't lie in proposals or contracts. Killing the merchant would surely yield the comrade's whereabouts.
Kadim felt no affection for the man. A mere month together hadn't softened his heart that much. No pity either—if family back home were reason enough to spare lives, Kadim wouldn't have killed anyone worth killing thus far.
The merchant wasn't useless. But he had no irreplaceable talents. No aspects worthy of respect. Learning a comrade's fate—one who'd helped slay archdemons—mattered far more than some weakling's life.
In truth... the merchant's assessment had been spot-on: he'd be discarded if circumstances demanded it.
"......"
But he would never die by Kadim's hand.
Objectivity was just an excuse for the feeble.
This was a proposal with not even a grain of room for acceptance.
It was no way for Atala's Great Warrior to live.
To Kadim, demons weren't partners for deals. They were prey to tear flesh from, rip meat off, shatter bones of, gut, crush skulls of, and drink the blood from slit arteries of.
He found his momentary hesitation laughable. What was there to waver over? His usual solution lay right before him—why cower now and negotiate with the enemy?
Better to perish fighting to the end than survive as a coward. Staring into its slit pupils, Kadim curled his lips in a crooked grin.
"How about you hear my proposal instead?"
- ......
"I'll kill you cleaner than last time. In exchange, you tell me my comrade's whereabouts."
A wrathful ripple raced along its scales.
Fury gleamed in all eighteen eyes. The nine heads lunged without hesitation.
- Foolish enough to choose a stupid death. No need for further talk.
The central head charged, radiating murderous intent.
- Hiss!
――――― Cra—sh!!
The damp ground exploded pitifully. The head that gouged a deep furrow twisted and shot toward Kadim again.
- Hiss!
Kadim ducked low and raised his sword. The blade grazed the demon's neck underside. Its missed charge let the edge scrape long along the olive surface.
Scraaaape—!
Yet not even a scratch. Mosquito's edge failed to pierce scales hard as iron plating.
The Hydra shot him a contemptuous glance and flicked its tongue.
- Pathetic sword. Stolen from some peasant's kitchen?
"......"
Another head hurtled in.
- Hiss!
- Hiss!
This time, not alone. The fourth and sixth heads bared fangs and swarmed fiercely.
―――――― Cra—sh!
He rolled desperately, nearly throwing his body aside. The sixth head smashed the ground. The fourth veered mid-dive, twisting agilely in the air instead of striking down.
Kadim sprang up and thrust at its eye. But the fourth was bait. As he lunged, the third head whipped from behind like an iron mace, slamming his rear.
――――――― Thud—ack!
"Guh!"
A spine-shattering impact hit. Kadim tumbled across the ground several times before rising.
The central head lowered, eyeing him curiously.
- Baffling. Can't even dodge this? You don't seem decrepit after three centuries—why so weak?
"......"
- Hiss... Holding back, perhaps?
He wasn't holding back. It was just that this body—compared to his superhuman first playthrough—was merely a well-trained mortal's.
But Kadim did conceal one 'trump card.'
He couldn't use it yet. Only when preparations were complete and the decisive moment arrived. Silently, he raised Mosquito again.
The Hydra glared sharply and muttered.
- Enough games. Fight at full strength, or your corpse will soon rot in the swamp.
- Hiss!
- Hiss...
Then came relentless barrages, offering no respite.
The nine heads shrouded in misty demonic energy, then struck like lightning. Not just ambushes—they menaced with cries, sometimes exposing flesh blatantly to sow chaos.
- Hiss, hiss!
Attacks from all directions. Staying grounded meant he couldn't evade them all. Kadim leaped high to stomp heads or clamber over the body before dropping off.
But there were too many threats. Perfect evasion was impossible.
Kwach!
He dodged fangs by a paper's width. Yet his body was wrecked. Multiple charges had cracked his collarbone and ribs. Demonic energy already made breathing hard; now it was agony.
"Hah, hah......"
Still, he'd bought enough time.
Glancing back, he saw torchlight approaching through the brush. Kadim bolted that way on buckling legs. For some reason, the Hydra watched without pursuit.
As he neared, Duncan thrust out the torch, sweating profusely.
"M-my lord! S-sorry! The dampness made it hard to light... Here, the torch......"
"Run, merchant. Before the demon attacks."
Kadim snatched the torch and shoved Duncan. Sheathing his sword, he drew a throwing axe from his belt.
Torch in one hand, axe in the other. He charged through choking miasma like a gale, steeling his resolve calmly.
'One chance...'
Bzzz—
Hallucination? A vibration hummed through his fingers. The axe's wail for blood. If anything, it felt like that.
His sprint built momentum. Through the hazy veil, a faint silhouette appeared. Target: the central head, the core nexus. As its twin horns jutted into view, he hurled the axe with explosive force.
Whoooosh—!!
Metal wings unfurled; the axe struck true once more.
―――――― Cra—kack!!
The blade pulverized olive scales and split the brow.
The shock popped its eyes nearly out. Venom sacs and skull tore, mixing blood, poison, and brains into a mess. Caught off-guard, the Hydra thrashed with a piercing shriek.
- Hiiiisss!!!
But such wounds healed fast. To stop regeneration, fire was needed. Kadim grabbed a camellia oil vial from his belt.
He flung it at the writhing head.
Waiting for it to face downward, he dashed in and hurled the torch.
Whoooosh—roooar!
- Hiiiisss!!!
Flames caught. Its agonized spasms intensified. Sizzling flesh stench rose. Dank miasma and acrid smoke twisted the air above into eerie shades.
"Hah......"
Kadim exhaled deeply. With the core head burning, the others would move on instinct alone. He could take a breath, then methodically sever and cauterize them.
The barbarian warrior would once again slay the Hydra by fire, like some mythical hero...
- ...Did you think I'd fall for the same trick twice, foolish son of the wilderness?
Kwa—chak!
Suddenly, fangs sank deep into his forearm.
'Sank into his forearm' understated it. The teeth were massive—his left arm severed clean. Forearm and bicep hung by a flap of skin.
So abrupt, Kadim barely felt pain. The second head kept its grip. He stared in dismay.
The central head—fully regenerated—stared back.
- Three centuries ago, after losing my neck to your flaming axe, I vowed: if reborn, I'd gain a body that regenerates even in fire.
"......"
- With my new horn and evolution, I fulfilled that wish. Nothing can stop my regeneration now. Even if hellfire engulfs this forest, I'll shed my skin as fresh flesh and plunge the world into ruin.
His trump card was blocked. The enemy unscathed. Himself critically wounded, beyond recovery.
No escape from this dead end.
Kadim sighed softly and closed his eyes.
He'd thought once: how nice if this tale he lived were a game's scenario or heroic myth.
Stories facing dire trials, overcome by brilliant wits. Desires fulfilled by miraculous fortunes. Rising from hardship to claim all ambitions. Converging on a predestined happy end.
But this wasn't that tale.
No predestined happy endings here. No safety nets for failure. He walked a razor's edge, ever one slip from the abyss of doom. Even 'ends' looped back to the start; now he doubted if this path had one.
And he was no hero.
No brilliant wits, no serendipitous boons, no heroic nobility. He sought bonds himself, judged all alone, eradicated foes without loose ends. Thus, he became a blood-soaked fiend, footprints pooling crimson.
A life with barely a speck of humanity left.
A saga of naught but pain and despair.
A relentlessly brutal, horrific, furious tale.
"......"
Yet.
Yet.
Even so, this story.
Would never be a frail human's tale of defeat and fade.
- Hiss?!
The second head screeched and recoiled. Blood streamed from its palate. The central head's pupils narrowed in undisguised shock.
- ...How?
Kadim slowly raised his pierced left arm.
Bone and flesh filled the hole; the wound knit rapidly.
He languidly lifted his sword.
The blade, glutted with demon blood, glowed faintly crimson. Now, even mid-battle, it could draw demon blood freely. One stab, and Mosquito would feast, offering it to its master.
True to its regenerative nature, the demon's blood buff shone brightest in healing. But it didn't end there.
Muscles swelled unbound. Bones hardened beyond steel. Senses sharpened to razor edges. Fierce bloodlust surged from spine to nerves. Longing for gore-soaked battle and slaughtering foes brimmed full.
Worthy of an upper demon's blood, potent buffs stacked fiercely.
Kadim bared a ferocious grin.
"Filthy tongue, but decent blood."
- Hiss...
"Still not enough, though. Need to quench my thirst a bit more."
The serpent's jaundiced eyes quivered faintly. A lantern-slide of uncountable eons flashed across time into its mind.
A berserker hefting a blazing axe, burning with slaughter's zeal fiercer than hellfire, beheading all nine necks, drinking its blood.
The Hydra flicked its parched tongue and averted its gaze.
A blood-eyed berserker glared up at it.
Identical to the one faced in the demonic realm three centuries past.