Chapter 183
Chapter 183
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: Blood-Eyed Children
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***
"Alteon! Look over there!"
Bukas pointed from the mountaintop at something unidentified racing down madly.
Seeing it, Alteon shouted.
"All hands, battle stations!"
The Horcamun tribesmen gripped their swords tightly and assumed combat stances against the foes.
They held like that for a moment.
Moonlight illuminated the path down which the creatures approached, revealing their forms hidden in the darkness.
"What the hell?"
They were all children.
Dozens of naked children, without a stitch of clothing, were pouring down as if fleeing from something.
'Could His Majesty have...?'
Alteon wondered if Arthur, who had climbed to the summit, had rescued them.
There was no other way so many children could appear here.
"Don't attack! Everyone, stand by!"
At Alteon's shout, the Horcamun tribesmen relaxed their stances and looked at the children.
As the distance closed, their expressions came into view.
"......!"
Everyone's eyes widened.
Contrary to expectations of terror-stricken faces, the children were smiling.
Meeting their gazes sent chills down spines.
'Something's wrong!'
Alteon shouted quickly.
"Stay sharp!"
"What if they attack us!"
Alteon had no easy answer to Bukas's question.
In the meantime, the children closed to within about ten meters.
Now it was clear.
Their blood-red eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
Alteon gripped his sword tightly and yelled.
"If they attack, counterattack!"
The moment his words fell, the children kicked off the ground and lunged.
Like beasts, they clung to the Horcamun tribesmen and bit mercilessly.
"Uwaaaah!"
"Uwaaak!"
"What are these things!"
They were under attack, but couldn't swing swords at children.
Instead of blades, they tried peeling them off somehow, but the kids stuck like leeches and wouldn't let go.
"Get off!"
"Get off, or you'll die!"
The men yelled desperately to hold them back, but the children ignored them and bit like animals.
"Damn it!"
"Vice Captain! What do we do with these!"
The men cried out in desperation.
Alteon was barely blocking a child gnashing teeth at him with his sword, his mind in chaos.
Their strength was unbelievable for kids, and the killing intent they exuded was beyond imagination.
Above all, those blood-red eyes seemed bent on destroying and killing everything.
"Why are they doing this......?"
Alteon wore a pained expression.
Around him, comrades' agonized screams and desperate cries never ceased.
At this rate, they'd be wiped out.
Yet no one swung at the children.
Alteon's eyes reddened as he looked at one.
"Sorry."
He shoved the child away and swung his sword.
The small body flew limply, crashing into a tree and tumbling forward.
The sight tore at his heart.
But if he didn't step up, these soft-hearted men would all die, so he steeled himself.
Alteon unleashed his killing intent and mercilessly swung at the charging children, shouting.
"What are you doing! I said counterattack!"
Seeing the children who attacked Alteon flung back, the Horcamun tribesmen's faces hardened.
Alteon swung without pause, yelling.
"Think only of the families waiting for you to return safely! Hesitate, and these monsters will devour you!"
"Treat them as monsters and attack!"
Bukas began swinging his sword too.
Then, the reluctant men started swinging one by one, shouting.
"You monsters!"
"Yeah, you're monsters!"
The Horcamun counterattack began.
At first, the children crumpled easily, but as time passed, their movements grew agile.
Soon too fast to follow with the eye, their attacks landed on nothing.
Meanwhile, the enraged children charged like猛 beasts.
"Damn it!"
"They don't even die in one hit now!"
"Tough little bastards!"
The Horcamun tribesmen trembled with rage amid the fierce exchange.
The children either fought them or bypassed, rushing downward.
Like a tidal wave surging forth.
Boom!
Millerph and Arthur plummeted from the sky.
"Pull back from them!"
At Arthur's shout, the Horcamun tribesmen retreated swiftly, and Millerph cast a defensive spell.
A transparent barrier rose like a castle wall between the two sides.
The charging children slammed into it and bounced off.
They growled, repeatedly headbutting the barrier.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Blood streamed from their foreheads, but they seemed to feel no pain.
Arthur sliced through the defensive wall with his dagger and walked toward the children.
Alteon and Bukas hurried after, but Arthur raised a hand.
"No one interfere."
"They're no different from monsters!"
"I know."
As Arthur entered their ranks, all eyes fixed on him.
"Grrr......"
For the first time, the children growled warily, circling and slowly closing in.
Their faces grimaced, but their reactions were uniform growls.
"Hmm......"
Arthur realized their movements were purely instinctive.
He glanced around.
Many dead children met his eyes.
"Hmm......"
Arthur let out a troubled hum.
"Grrr......"
As one bared teeth and narrowed the gap.
A group from Tagrum's squad appeared from the second line.
Dumbfounded by the scene, they stared past the barrier at the children.
"Their eyes are......"
"Blood-red!"
"How are they like us......"
Bewildered, they struggled to process the situation.
Tagrum approached Millerph.
"Who are those children?"
"All I know is they're sacrifices for the ritual."
"Then what is His Majesty doing?"
"No idea. But he seems to know something, so let's wait."
"He's not going to kill them all, is he?"
"That I don't know either."
"They're children?"
Tagrum frowned.
Millerph looked at the children with pity.
"We can only hope they really are."
"Nothing will happen."
Arthur calmed the children while drawing up mana.
Golden aura bloomed, exuding immense presence.
The children reacted instantly, growling.
One lunged at him.
Arthur grabbed it and slammed it ruthlessly to the ground, responding firmly.
But it had little effect.
As others bared savage intent to charge.
"Stop!"
Arthur bellowed deeply.
In that instant's hesitation, he unleashed all his power.
Blood-red aura slowly rose amid his golden one.
This time, the blood hue was vivid enough for all to see.
'The Tyrant's Disposition has deepened.'
Millerph instantly recognized his state, worry flooding in.
It meant his nature had grown more domineering.
If the children didn't calm and attacked...
Millerph's face darkened.
'My lord......'
"Look at me."
Arthur gazed at them with golden aura flowing from his eyes.
They still oozed killing intent, waiting for an opening.
'What?'
Just like Tagrum's group, they should kneel before him.
But they still oozed killing intent, waiting for an opening.
Arthur decided to draw more of the Tyrant's power.
The golden aura from his eyes turned blood-red, unleashing ferocious momentum.
It pressed the children like raging waves.
Their eyes flickered, fear making them step back.
But none knelt to Arthur.
'Why? If they're Barbarian descendants, they should kneel to me......'
Arthur's mind grew complicated.
As his gaze deepened, pondering a solution.
Someone stepped forward from the children.
It was the child the shaman had taken to the altar.
Tears of blood streamed as it looked at Arthur.
-Help us!
"......!"
Arthur's eyes widened.
"Help how?"
-Our souls......
The child collapsed, fainting.
'Souls?'
Suddenly, Arthur recalled the shaman.
He hadn't realized at first, but so many children staying quiet in the tower made no sense.
They must have been terrified.
Naked too, even young ones would feel shame.
Yet he'd seen no such emotions on their faces.
Why?
If their souls were suppressed by someone, it all made sense.
"Millerph, handle these for me."
"Understood."
Millerph began casting sleep spells on each child.
The growling ones toppled one by one, soon all asleep.
***
"No one can stop it now."
The shaman gazed at the pitch-black sky with a mad expression.
Blizan surged with rage at her lack of remorse after her atrocities on the children.
"You bitch."
He pinned her throat with his foot, radiating killing intent.
"Ugh, ugh......"
The shaman's face paled, writhing in agony.
Her limbs stiffened, eyes rolling back, so Blizan lifted his foot.
"Hah, hah, hah."
Terrified, she gasped for breath.
"Smile or laugh even a little, and I'll smash your limbs. Then rip out your guts and crush your skull. That's the punishment for your crimes."
"Kekeke, kahahaha!"
The shaman burst into mocking laughter.
"You bastard."
Blizan seized her head and hoisted her up.
Eye level matched.
"I'll kill you."
Drawing killing intent, sparks flew from his eyes, pupils clouding over.
"Gasp! That's Beast Mode......"
The shaman's eyes shook wildly, and Blizan asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You...... a descendant of Helka?"
"Helka? What's that?"
"You don't know?"
The shaman looked puzzled, then laughed loudly again.
"Hahaha! So that's it."
'She knows something about me!'
Blizan's eyes sharpened.
He gripped her head tighter.
"Uwaaaah!"
Her head throbbed like bursting; she convulsed violently.
"What do you know? Spill everything."
"Ugh...... The Helka family......"
As the shaman began to speak.
"Blizan!"
Arthur's voice rang out.
Blizan whipped around.
Arthur raced toward them at ferocious speed.
Blizan tossed the shaman aside, clasped his fists in salute, and bowed deeply.
Seeing this, the shaman smirked venomously.
'Bowing loyalty to your mortal enemy? They'd rage if they knew.'