Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Kill Each Other From Now On (3)
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As the sun set and rose again, time flowed on, and Duncan came to a realization.
Agon’s Furious Horn was at least far more sociable than Kadim had been when they first met. Thanks to Duncan diligently reading the room and flattering him at every turn, he managed to hear all sorts of stories from the gladiator during their shared journey.
“……The previous Great Warrior vanished without a trace. It’s just regrettable that more legends of his life and deeds weren’t passed down.”
“Ah, i-is that so. Still, the fact that his fame endures to this day means he must have been an incredible warrior!”
“……Indeed.”
“B-but…… how did you come to hear this story, my lord? You said there are hardly any legends left about the previous Great Warrior……”
“……”
Of course, his reactions were better than Kadim’s at the start, but that didn’t mean there weren’t still plenty of topics to avoid. Every time Duncan accidentally brushed against one, he had to desperately change the subject.
“……Once this subjugation is over, I’ll bestow the name ‘Indomitable Legion’ upon the warriors who follow me. It’s modeled after the legendary army said to have exterminated ancient demons in service to Atala.”
“I-is that right? Th-that’s a truly magnificent name……”
“No need to force flattery. That said, it would be ideal if your companion, that ‘Demon Slayer,’ could join us.”
“I-I think so too……”
Duncan moistened his dry lips and hurriedly shifted the topic once more.
“B-by the way…… does that mean all the warriors following you, my lord, were originally gladiators who fought in Agon’s arena like yourself?”
“That’s right. There’s hardly anywhere in the world that warriors of this caliber could gather while avoiding prying eyes. We honed our battle spirit behind the cramped bars of the arena, waiting for a battlefield worthy of us.”
“……”
“It may be a distant dream for now, but we believe this subjugation will be our springboard. In time, the might of Atala and the Indomitable Legion will echo across the entire continent.”
If anyone else had said something like that, Duncan would have dismissed it as the ravings of a madman swollen with delusions. But this man was different. His deep, resonant voice carried a mystical authority that made you believe it would surely come to pass. After all, hadn’t Agon’s Furious Horn himself risen to fame across the Alliance without any backing whatsoever?
A chill crept up Duncan’s spine, making it tingle. He sat there with his mouth agape, unsure how to respond.
‘No wonder those warriors follow him……’
Even as they conversed, the legion steadily pressed onward toward Soltana.
Perhaps because the vanguard subjugation force had already cleared the way, they encountered few demons or monsters. The occasional unlucky beast that crossed paths with the warriors was utterly annihilated, not even leaving bones behind.
But soon, they ran into some unexpected figures.
“……Perun?”
“Great Warrior?!”
A one-armed warrior knelt in shock, followed by the other Atalan warriors dropping to their knees. The subjugation troops chattered excitedly like feelers waving in the wind.
“My god, it’s really…… ‘Agon’s Furious Horn’?”
“No doubt about it! No other warrior wears horns on his helmet like that……”
“N-no way…… how did a big shot like him end up all the way out here……”
It was the vanguard subjugation force that had departed first.
The subjugation force was a detachment sent ahead from this legion. Had they swiftly exterminated the demons, that would have been the end of it. But with the rampage causing severe damage, the main body had come as reinforcements.
Agon’s Furious Horn furrowed his brow and cast a puzzled gaze.
“Perun, why are you lot still here? How did you lose your arm? And where’s Toondal?”
“Well, you see……”
Perun gave a brief report on what had happened in the subjugation force. Hearing the full story, Agon’s Furious Horn wrinkled his brow and his eyes gleamed sharply.
“So, that man ordered you to fall back to the defensive line and went off alone to take down the ‘central demon’?”
“Yes, that’s right……”
“Why follow such a foolish order? No matter how skilled he is, there’s no way he could face a demon like that single-handedly.”
Perun’s lips twitched. He confessed to the feat he’d witnessed with his own eyes yet still struggled to believe.
“That brother…… I mean, Brother Kadim…… already slew a high-rank demon all by himself, without our help.”
“……”
“……And without receiving any ‘divine artifact’ like we did.”
The eyes beneath the horned helmet widened in shock.
It was hard to believe, but the other subjugation warriors nodded in affirmation. The warriors behind Agon’s Furious Horn flinched, exchanging stunned glances.
“Can you swear on Atala’s name that there’s not a shred of falsehood in your words?”
“Yes. Of course, Great Warrior.”
“……”
As Perun swore without the slightest hesitation, Agon’s Furious Horn’s face grew gravely serious. The massive warrior stroked his thick beard, deep in thought.
“……”
After agonizing so long that the kneeling warriors’ legs cramped and went numb, he finally spoke.
“In that case, I’ll head out first.”
“……Pardon?”
“I’ll go on ahead to Soltana. Even if he can take down high-rank demons alone, tackling the ‘central demon’ by himself is impossible. If we don’t hurry to help, we might lose a valuable talent.”
“……”
“I left some troops at the base, so no need to worry there. How’s your arm injury faring, Perun?”
“Yes, no major issues.”
“Then I’ll entrust command to you. Lead all the warriors and follow me to Soltana. We’ll treat your amputation once the subjugation is done.”
“……Understood, Great Warrior.”
Perun swallowed his questions and assented.
Agon’s Furious Horn seized the reins and galloped off like he was chasing an enemy general. His towering figure shrank to a distant speck in an instant. Thus, the newly appointed one-armed commander missed his chance to resolve two burning questions.
One was the identity of that scrawny man riding behind him.
“Eh? W-wait a moment, my l-lord, my loooord……”
“……”
The other was whether he knew anything about the vision Perun had seen.
“……”
He still couldn’t forget it. The vision from days ago burned hotter in his heart than the searing pain at his severed arm. Perun closed his eyes and vividly recalled that moment.
On a cracked, barren wasteland, Kadim stood proudly, raising high the ‘Judgment of Atala.’
*
At the heart of Soltana, beneath the collapsed government office, a passage led to a certain cave.
Thick, condensed demonic energy oozed from the cave entrance, so dense it was almost liquid. Like chimney smoke, it climbed the stairs and spilled outward. The ink-black thunderclouds blanketing the sky undoubtedly originated from here.
“……”
Kadim steadied his breath and stepped into the cave.
The demonic energy was so thick that ordinary people couldn’t even see, let alone breathe. Corpses clutching their throats in suffocation lay here and there. Yet Kadim’s lungs, tempered by relentless battles, handled even this toxic air with ease. His nose and throat burned, but that couldn’t be helped.
The cave widened as it went deeper. What started as a narrow path barely wide enough for two or three abreast gradually broadened to fit five comfortably, and eventually grew vast enough for a band of ogres to pass arm-in-arm. Wet footsteps echoed repeatedly through the broad, empty passage.
Kadim frowned slightly.
This was far too grand for a mere secret underground storeroom of the government office. It seemed more like a space deliberately carved out by demons as a lair. Indeed, there were no stalactites or stalagmites—only crudely hewn stone floors stretching on.
And besides the central demon’s energy, he sensed other presences. Surely gatekeepers blocked the path ahead.
His expectations proved correct. At the end of the passage lay a vast cavern, where Kadim came face-to-face with the guardians of the way.
Though they were ‘mere’ gatekeepers, they were far too formidable for the title.
“……”
Ominous glares twinkled thickly in the starless night of darkness, like harbingers of calamity. Clusters of light mingled with the dense demonic energy, spreading blackish halos. Monstrous malice fixed on Kadim all at once, sharp as a guillotine blade.
As his eyes adjusted to the familiar demonic aura, the gatekeepers’ forms came into view one by one.
- Krrrh, finally here. The little wild pup who mistakes himself for a wolf of the plains……
A guttural growl like scraping metal plates. A wolf-headed warrior in plate armor wielding a massive greatsword. Two horns protruded from its temples.
- Kyahahaha! Up close, he doesn’t look that big. This puny thing killed all those demons? Even that creepy wooden log that kept spouting nonsense?
A ghostly woman in a gaudy dress, her body semitransparent. Two horns jutted from her temples as well.
- Fresh prey, sweet prey, juicy prey……
- Still, don’t get careless. He has strange powers. Remember, our top priority is extinguishing any spark that threatens Lord Pebilatus. The moment he dies, it’s all for naught—stay sharp.
- Stab, skewer, stab……
Next to them stood a tongueless monster with entrails writhing like octopus tentacles from its face, a skeleton in a skull mask clutching a bone staff, and a floating eyeball with dozens of pairs of wings…… Every last one bore two horns on its head.
Five gatekeepers in total. All high-rank demons on par with the Hydra, the seductive demons, or the woodification demon.
A sharp pain stabbed his temples like an awl. Kadim suppressed his incredulity and let out a cold sneer.
“I didn’t realize high-rank demons were so common. Is there a workshop nearby stamping them out?”
The wolf-headed demon straightened its hunched form. Standing tall, its bulk nearly doubled Kadim’s.
- Krrrhahaha, not wrong…… With Pebilatus’s authority alone, even runt demons can sprout horns overnight. Though, not many have ‘potential’ like us……
- Watch your tongue, wolf-head! Why give the enemy a hint about his power?
- Quiet, skull-for-brains. Don’t you want to see this brave little pup, who charged in all bold, wallow in despair like a drowning rat?
- ……
The skull-masked skeleton looked displeased but clamped its jaws shut. The wolf-head glared ferociously at Kadim, baring its fangs.
- Krrrhahaha…… Anyway, get it now? Pebilatus has the power to elevate demons in an instant. Right now, it’s just the wooden log you killed and us—six in total. But by the time the great city falls, there’ll be dozens more high-rank demons. This place will be no different from a demonic realm.
Kadim shot back a murderous glare. The demon curled its muzzle in a smirk.
- Ha, nice eyes. So, to stop that, you’ll charge right in?
“……”
- Krrrh, truth be told, I’m itching to play with you now. But with five demons here you can’t handle, you’d just get crushed without a proper fight. So…… I’ll give you a special chance, just this once.
“……”
- Leave this place now. Run without looking back. Thrash about as much as you can. Fight the runt demons, watch the city crumble and humans get butchered, curse your own weakness, and sink into deep despair. But don’t give up too soon. When your despair has ripened sweetest amid futile resistance, then I’ll come personally to crush your bones and flesh……
The skeleton slammed its staff down with a crack! in outrage at those words.
- What nonsense is that? Didn’t you hear me? We can’t let any threat to Lord Pebilatus slip away, yet you’d deliberately let him go?
- Ha, bonehead, how do you think this puny human made it here? If Pebilatus wanted him dead, he’d have used his power long ago……
The two demons bickered sharply for a while. The others watched idly, as if it were a fire across the river. The tiny human before them wasn’t even worth noticing.
Kadim gritted his teeth, brow furrowed.
He’d expected a tough obstacle, but this was excessive. Five high-rank demons gathered together? This was the kind of lineup you’d face in the deepest heart of a demonic realm, not some secret cave under a government office.
No matter how superhuman Kadim’s strength, clashing head-on with this many was impossible. At best, he’d take two down with him. With heaven’s luck, maybe four—but no more companions for the afterlife.
Truth be told, the wolf-head’s offer wasn’t bad. He could survive now and challenge them again later.
Yet, even so.
Kadim had no intention of accepting.
That wasn’t how a Great Warrior of Atala lived.
He hadn’t forgotten. Demons weren’t for negotiation or bargaining. They were existences to be crushed—skin and flesh pulverized, bones shattered, arteries ripped open, their blood guzzled down.
He didn’t seek death. Unresolved questions and lingering regrets still bound him. But if he fled in fear at strong foes, what meaning would any of it hold?
Besides…… victory in this fight wasn’t impossible.
While the demons were distracted, he finished his preparations. Kadim swallowed the blood in his mouth and steadied his breath. Then, in a detached voice devoid of emotion, he replied.
“No. I’ll pass.”
- ……What?
“Can’t put off bags of decent blood like these dangling right in front of me.”
A prickly silence fell.
Moments later, the semitransparent woman burst into shrill laughter. The tongueless one and the eyeball twisted their entrails and wings threateningly. The skeleton’s eye sockets gleamed with eerie light from beneath its skull mask.
―――――― KWA-ANG!!!
Kurrrr rumble……
The wolf-headed demon slammed its greatsword down hard enough to make the space quake. Then, it roared down at Kadim with blazing eyes.
- I know you drink our blood to gain strange powers. But isn’t this overreaching hubris? We’re five. You’re just one.
“No. At least…… I’m not the only one.”
- ……?
Doubt flickered in the wolf’s glowing eyes.
Kadim wiped the seductive demon’s blood from his lips with his sleeve and growled.
“……From now on, kill each other.”