Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: From Now On, Kill Each Other (1)
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Beyond the walls of Soltana stretched the ruined heart of the city.
High Battle Mage Uldren of the Magic Tower muttered curses under his breath. He couldn't spit them out loud, so they stayed trapped inside.
'Fuck, goddamn it. I had a bad feeling from the moment they said I'd be stuck going with these desk-jockey fossils who've never left their studies their whole lives...'
'Battle Mage' was a role dedicated solely to mastering combat spells and honing skills in real fights, forsaking all theoretical research. They had ably served as the Magic Tower's strategic weapons—subjugating powerful demons and monsters, responding to border skirmishes, guarding their allies like a sharpened blade.
But the high-ranking Battle Mages were always seething with discontent. On the surface, their treatment in the Tower wasn't bad. Yet there was an insurmountable wall.
The Tower prized magical breakthroughs over battlefield feats. No matter how many merits a Battle Mage racked up, 'Conqueror Tier' was their ceiling. Promotion to 'Sage Tier'—and entry into the real power structure, the Elder Council—was practically impossible.
That was why Uldren, the most battle-hardened and grizzled mage among them, had been reduced to a nagging sidekick instead of a commander. This high demon extermination squad included no fewer than three Elders of higher rank.
The moment the black-robed Elder finished his incantation, mana surged wildly. Metallic spheres heavy with condensed power coalesced in the air. They rocketed out with a deafening roar, skewering every building blocking their path.
――――― Kraka-boom-boom-boom, kraka-boom-boom-boom-boom!!
Rumble, rumbllle...
Buildings crumbled and collapsed, clearing a straight path to the city's core in one brutal sweep. The casting Elder flashed a smug grin, while the other two shot him envious glares. The accompanying Battle Mages showered the spell with insincere praise that never seemed to end.
But Uldren let out a sigh and tried to intervene.
"Elder Delpharus, please refrain from such flashy, attention-grabbing magic if possible. It risks drawing the high demon's gaze—curses or possession by its demonic aura."
"..."
"Plus, wasting mana here could leave us short at a critical moment..."
Elder Delpharus of the Magic Tower didn't hide his irritation. He cut Uldren off and prodded his forehead with his metal staff—tap-tap.
"Uldren, how many years have you been in the Tower?"
"...I'll hit thirty next year, Elder."
"I'm at fifty-four this year. Meaning even when you were a green rookie with no mana stone embedded in your heart yet, I was already a mage at the pinnacle. And now you're daring to lecture me? Think a few pathetic demons make you something special?"
"..."
"Don't forget: in this extermination, you're the hunting dog. Do what the master says and obediently fetch the prey. Ever seen a dog give its master advice?"
Uldren ground his molars to the breaking point. Delpharus was undeniably a brilliant mage with dazzling achievements. But holing up in a lab researching spells was worlds apart from facing demons.
"My overstepping advice was regrettable, Elder. That said, demons are..."
"You know it's overstepping, so shut it. I know plenty about demons. Come on, everyone—move! The Tower Lord is waiting with bated breath! We need to lop off that high demon's head before we're late!"
Another Elder approached and chided Delpharus.
"Hey, why humiliate him in front of everyone, Delpharus? The kid's respected among Battle Mages, at least..."
"Quiet! He's been nitpicking from the start like some Battle Mage hotshot—gotta hammer manners into them early! Otherwise, they'll forget their place and start dreaming of the Elder Council..."
Delpharus bellowed it loud enough for all to hear as he strode ahead. Uldren flushed crimson, glaring at the leading Elders and the sidelong glances from his fellow Battle Mages.
'Fucking goblin-dicked geezer... No, even a goblin dick would stand better. Hope you run into a demon on the way and get cursed, you limp old fuck...'
Even as he thought it, Uldren busily chanted a veil of concealment. If the Elder actually drew a demon's curse, the whole squad could wipe. In the Magic Tower—gathering of solemn seekers of mystic truths—even underlings cleaned up after superiors' messes.
But as the saying goes, words can jinx you.
Uldren's eyes bulged wide.
A chilling sensation squeezed his throat and slithered down his spine. Actual 'demonic aura' was closing in. He swiftly rolled up his sleeve and triggered the wide-area protection spell pre-etched on his forearm.
Vwoooooom—!
But he was a step too late.
The distance wasn't enough. Before the barrier could reach, black haze clung to those ahead. Uldren stifled a sigh and rushed to the Elders and comrades.
Then his face twisted in shock.
"Urk? Uldren, why'd you get so tall...?"
"W-what the hell? Why is my body...?"
"..."
His companions were gone. In their place stood bewildered snot-nosed kids.
Yet the baggy black and red robes draped over the children were unmistakably the squad's gear. True to his veteran Battle Mage instincts, Uldren pieced it together fast.
'Goddamn it, a demon with this kind of authority... But wait—where's Delpharus...?'
The instant he looked up, razor-sharp beams lanced down from the sky.
―――― Thuk, puk, thuk, thuk!
Metal thorns whipped down mercilessly like a barrage. They pierced flesh from crown to toe, shredding skin and guts before burrowing deep. The over-rejuvenated mages collapsed like porcupines, bristling with spines.
Uldren minimized his profile to dodge instant death. But one thorn had punched through his skull and out his eye socket—he knew he wouldn't last. Through his halved vision, he glared at the source of the carnage.
Delpharus, enthralled by the demon.
For most, bodily aging meant waning strength—but mages were the opposite. The already-elderly Elder had regressed further, transforming into a monster at the peak of magical prowess.
Uldren squeezed shut his remaining eye and left a final lament.
"Goddamn... fucking geezer... Listens to demons... like a champ..."
*
Splak—crack, crrrunch!
A silvery axe blade arced up diagonally, pulverizing the jawbone, shattering every tooth, splitting the cheekbone, and bursting out through the temple. Blood trailed like a comet's tail across the air as the demon—its face flayed to rags—screamed and flew back.
- Queeeeh!
- Queee, k-kill, kill it!
Another demon lunged in the gap, only to eat an elbow strike.
Bludgeon—!
The barbarian's iron-hard elbow, bone bulging like a sledgehammer, caved the nose flat—then the whole face imploded. Blood-mixed vitreous humor gushed from the mangled sockets. The demon staggered off the parapet, trailing fading screams.
- Grraaaaa...
"...">
Atop Soltana's walls, thick with the stench of blood.
Above and below the battlements, every path Kadim had carved was heaped with corpses. If they paid extra bounties per demon slain, Galentana's council coffers would be drained dry.
But demons and monsters still swarmed in droves.
- Krrraaah!
- I'll chew you up! Rip your limbs, snap your neck, crunch crunch crunch!
Kadim narrowed his eyes to slits. He'd planned to mop up every last one here. Even after slaying the 'center demon,' these wouldn't vanish—they'd just scatter. Better to cull the herd while clustered; far more efficient.
But their numbers were overwhelming. Worse, a few demons invoked the 'center demon's' name, reverting their flesh to youth or evolving to stronger forms.
- Keekekeek, all growth and decay of creation lies in 'Pebilatus's' grasp...
- 'Pebilatus'! Grant me your exalted authority...!!
"...">
This was like bailing an ocean with bare hands. Kadim made his call: kill the center demon first, then sweep the rest.
"...Stay put. I'll be back soon to carve you up."
- Kyaaaaak!!
- Prey's fleeing!! Grab it!!!
Kadim vaulted over the parapet into the city. A few hobgoblins and kobolds—eyes mad with demonic command—chased heedless of flanks.
- Kehehehehek!!
- Huweeeek!!
Even in freefall, the monsters flailed weapons at empty air.
Kadim ignored them entirely, focusing on mounting acceleration and rushing ground. When close enough, he gripped the haft two-handed and slammed the axe blade into the wall, braking his plunge.
Kraka-gaga-gagagak—!
Stone shards flew mercilessly, gouging a long scar—but Kadim landed solidly.
Thud—! Splat, splat, crunch—!
The monsters weren't so lucky. They smashed down, bounced like boneless meat puppets, or impaled limbs on rocks—bones ripping free as they clutched in agony.
- Kreeee...
Crack—crunch!
Kadim buried his axe in a twitching monster's skull. The blade bit keen as ever. At this point, he wondered what the ancient dwarves fed on to forge such a thing.
"...">
No time for idle thoughts. Scanning the city interior, Kadim spotted unwelcome traces.
Monster corpses piled high, deaths varied: charred by fire, frozen solid, crushed by rock, skewered by metal. Guessing who'd passed through first wasn't hard.
'Damn, the Tower's mages beat me here...'
Had he dawdled too long? His worst fear had come true. If the mages bagged the 'center demon' and claimed the corpse, getting that blood would be a hassle.
Small mercy: it hadn't happened yet. The piercing demonic pull that lured him here stabbed unchanged. Using the loathsome sensation as his guide, Kadim hurried into Soltana's depths.
"...">
The city had forgotten all prosperity and peace. Sidewalks held geometric skeletons and rubble, not neat brick facades. Shattered walls, smashed debris, sewage, rotten veggies—all jumbled into a desolate carpet. Distant monster howls mingled mournfully with the barbarians' heavy footfalls.
Finding human corpses was tough. Spotting where they'd been? Easy. Every street bore bone scraps and bloodstains like filthy meal remnants.
Some feasts were still in progress.
- Sizzle!
- Sizz...
Splatak, crack—crunch!
- Chit!
Kadim delivered death to gut-munching ratmen mid-stride. Fly swarms pounced on the fresh meat; the corpses quickly looked black-speckled husks.
How long had he prowled this dark, blighted city? Deep in the core, Kadim confronted an absurd sight.
"...">
Buildings razed in a straight line, like cannon fire had blasted through.
The rubble reeked of muddled mana—not demonic, but mages'. The energy they called 'mana.'
No ordinary caster wielded such power. Likely stronger than that adjutant he'd butchered near Remta. The Tower wouldn't send third-rate hacks after a high demon, after all.
Still, Kadim stepped into the debris without hesitation. The cleared path led city-centerward, where the demon's aura pulsed. No choice but to follow.
At the city's heart—likely once the council hall's ruins—Kadim came face-to-face.
Mage corpses pulped by brutal impalement. And one shriveled like a drowned rat, skin wrinkly and decayed—yet eyes blazing with heavenly fury.
The demon-possessed mage rasped the incantation. Sinister metal thorns coalesced in the air.
Tssing, ching, ching, tsss...
No chit-chat, straight to combat—Kadim approved. He grinned feral and launched his battle-worn axe.
Splaaaak—!
―――――― Splak, splak, splak!
To block the metal downpour, he instantly invoked his fresh tattoo's power.