Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Roar (3)
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Among the demons who served the Demon King, there wasn't a single one that could be taken lightly, but three legions stood out as the most difficult to deal with.
The Gluttony Lord led the Cannibal Legion.
The Incarnate Witch led by the [Witch of Betrayal].
The Maggot Legion, kin to the [Fly King].
Luke had dubbed them the [Zombies], [Cat Mom], and [Shitflies].
At some point, the names stuck so well that others started using them too, and they even became their official nicknames. It was one of Luke's achievements (though he'd never admit it...).
The zombie bastards devoured anything.
Whether it was humans, corpses, or animals. Devoid of will or ego, they bit into enemies to multiply their ranks, leaving countless comrades in tears of blood.
Having to cut down the throat of a comrade you'd shared meals with using your own hand... How tragic was that...!
The Incarnate Witch led by the Witch of Betrayal was even worse.
A mere devil worshiper who, one day, killed the demon she served...! She usurped its position to become a legion commander and sacrificed hundreds of thousands of humans, turning an entire city into a land of death overnight. No human didn't curse her for it.
The funny part? The reason she betrayed humanity wasn't anything grand.
She just hated humans. The trigger was something as pathetic as her beloved familiar cat getting hurt during a solo stroll.
It was absurd enough that she betrayed over something no one even knew who caused, but to value a cat more than humans and gather six more lunatics like herself to kill people? Seeing that, Luke even uttered a nonsensical piece of wisdom.
"So that's the final evolution of a cat mom..."
Six one-woman armies of madwomen!
That's why they were more often called the Six Madwomen than the Incarnate Witch.
The Fly King's forces.
Honestly, they were just a disgusting bunch.
Those who became kin to the Fly King lost their human form, turning into insectoids that devoured humans and laid eggs in corpses to increase their numbers!
Wherever they passed, only the stench of rotting bodies and swarming maggots remained, earning them the derogatory name Maggot Legion—which eventually became their official title.
As dangerous and loathsome as they were, the Five Kingdoms and five Hero Parties joined forces to exterminate them thoroughly.
Without leaving even a trace...!
Yet...
"...Survivors, huh?"
"As far as I know, no. Have you forgotten how we burned them all to ash?"
"......No way I'd forget."
The moment seven 8th-circle archmages gathered to unleash a disaster-class forbidden spell to completely incinerate the Fly King's forces was something she'd never forget until her dying day.
'Inextinguishable Flames.'
A forbidden spell that summoned the sun's flames. Once cast, it wouldn't extinguish until it incinerated the target and everything within hundreds of kilometers. Even after dying down, the scorched land couldn't support any life for a century.
Mirni, who had witnessed it closest, couldn't believe there were maggot survivors.
And yet...
"Those maggot shits... they could pull it off..."
"......"
Mirni had never seen demons as tenacious as them.
Relatively weak in strength and ability compared to other legions, but their tenacity and survivability outstripped even cockroaches...!
If even they outlived their own lord, the Fly King, then survivors from the Inextinguishable Flames...
'Wouldn't be surprising.'
"...Should we interrogate the secretary?"
"You think someone's gonna show?"
"......"
"We saw the Fly King die with our own eyes, so that's impossible. But even a general-class or just a Rank-2 demon, and we can't win."
"......"
As a seasoned high warrior among barbarian fighters with innate battle sense, he knew the difference between honorable combat and foolish risks.
Charging in without mana or even decent gear was pure stupidity. It would only harm his comrades—something Valian knew all too well.
"Foolish acts are for greenhorns who haven't lost their baby teeth yet."
"...I know."
Only then did Mirni cool the heat rising to her head and focus on what they could realistically do.
First, relay the info to Luke.
"Hey, you got that smartphone thing, right?"
"Y-Yes? Oh! Yeah, I do, sis."
"Contact Luke with it. Tell him I have something urgent to say."
"Got it, sis. Just a sec... Huh?"
"What?"
"...Uh, sis... It says suddenly out of service area?"
"......What?"
"Internet's gone too...? Why's it cutting out!?"
"......"
Only then did Mirni accept it.
'Looks like we're already...'
Trapped.
This place was already enemy territory.
"Ahaha, sorry about that. I was gone too long talking with the secretary."
"No worries. More importantly, smartphones aren't working here. Something wrong?"
"Smartphones? Oh, it happens sometimes in this area. Give it time; it'll go back to normal. Anyway, what do you think about the offer...?"
Asking about the contract before even explaining the terms? This branch manager...
He must be so desperate for Mirni that he'd lost his reason—worse than incompetent.
Mirni barely held back a torrent of curses with her iron will.
"Thanks for the kind words, but I need more time to think. It's not something I can decide lightly..."
"...Ah, right. I haven't shown you the contract terms yet! Just wait a sec; I'll get them right—"
"No. I want to head out now."
"......"
Mirni cut off any room for negotiation and stood up abruptly.
Heading straight for the exit before he could even try to stop her.
Unlike the fidgeting O Myung-tae, Mirni felt relieved.
'Just get out like this. Just get out...'
Clunk clunk...
"Huh? Th-the door won't open?"
"......"
They say to be most cautious when everything seems to go perfectly?
Her smiling face hardened coldly as Mirni glanced at Valian.
Whoosh—!
Their eyes met, and without a second's hesitation, Valian raised his iron-club-like fist high.
A punch from fists never ceasing training even for a moment.
BOOM!!
The reinforced glass door shuddered violently, but it didn't budge.
"......"
"B-Bro! What the hell are you doing all of a sudden?! What if it breaks...!"
"...I hit it to break it. But... not even a scratch."
"Huh?"
This door wasn't nearly hard enough to withstand Valian's massive fist...!
Moreover, no damage after shaking like that defied common sense.
This was...
"Tch, you caught on."
"We got played."
Mirni and Valian clicked their tongues in unison.
"--."
"---."
"----."
The agency staff, perfectly normal moments ago, now stared at them like soulless puppets.
In this horror-movie scene, Kang Gam-chan collapsed to the floor, but even they couldn't afford to check on him—they were in the same boat.
Click, click.
"—Sorry. I got ahead of myself."
"......"
The stern-faced male secretary.
He gazed at them with stealthy steps that no one noticed until now.
The secretary leisurely adjusted his glasses and spoke.
"The president wants to meet you."
"Pfft, not your master~?"
"You knew that far...? What the hell are you...?"
The secretary tilted his head curiously, but Mirni scoffed in disdain.
"Cut the crap. Acting human when you're just emotionless vermin."
"......"
"The faint stench fooled me into thinking you were a worshiper... Turns out you're just wearing human skin. Typical maggot bullshit."
"...You watch your mouth, bitch."
"No need to hide anymore~?"
"......"
"Eh, kinda weird to ask now, but how'd you know?"
"...He said the stench of foul beasts stung his nose."
"Eww, gross! Demons are all filthy like that! Goosebumps~!"
"......"
The secretary's eyes gradually split into compound fly eyes.
Insectoids felt no emotions since transforming, but they reacted to insults against their master.
Classic minion behavior. It confirmed the 'president' was definitely a demon.
And one of...!
'At least Rank-1, maybe higher...'
To turn everyone here into kin required at least that.
Mirni immediately turned to Valian.
"Can you break through?"
"This many? Easy."
"Get us out of the building?"
"Hrm... I can extract one greenhorn."
"That's enough."
Mirni looked at Kang Gam-chan.
"You."
"......"
Slap!
"Stop spacing out and get your head straight."
"Y-Yes?!"
Kang Gam-chan, soul shocked out of him by the surreal scene, finally snapped to as he rubbed his stinging cheek.
He had a million questions, but her steely gaze silenced him before he could ask.
No, even before he tried.
"Listen up. We'll clear the path. Your job is to get out and link up with Luke. He's gotta be nearby—find him somehow. That's your mission."
"B-But I..."
"Didn't you say you wanna be a cop?"
"......"
"Cops save people, right? Whether these zombies get saved depends on if you do your job. So, you gonna save 'em?"
"......"
Her provocative words, invoking his dream and stoking his male pride, drew an instinctive response from Kang Gam-chan.
"I-I can do it!"
"That's more like it—for a man."
"......"
Not the right words for the situation, but Kang Gam-chan finally got why men turn dumb around women.
In that fleeting moment, her smile bloomed like a flower, igniting courage he didn't know he had.
"...Males are pitiful creatures."
Valian muttered sadly about another victim, then spread his arms wide and stepped forward without hesitation.
"'Demon Hunt'... It's been ages."
The crisis remained, but Valian seemed thrilled.
Combat and the hunt.
"Time to enjoy it."
A true warrior relished this...!
The Hero Party's tank, the spear piercing enemy hearts.
His name was Valian Rex.