Chapter 243
Chapter 243
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 243
Chapter Title: New Holy Knight Azadin 4
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The dwarf warrior known as Kallan the Bear-Tearing Berserker had actually ripped a bear to death with his bare hands.
Berserker rage. It was a disease that spread among humans and dwarves alike, turning those afflicted into terrifying combat machines that fought on heedless of severed limbs until they died or lost consciousness.
Dwarves already possessed greater physical strength than humans to begin with.
And Kallan, stricken with berserker rage on top of that, was a monster who had once clung to the back of a bull-sized red bear, tearing into its hide with both hands, then plunging his fists into the flesh beneath to rip and tear and rip again until the bear's skull was laid bare in the open air while it still lived.
It was because of such an unbelievable feat that Kallan had become an object of terror in Vermilion Fortress.
No matter that the opponent might be of the Herald race—no one caught in Kallan's grasp could possibly emerge unscathed.
Even in his right mind, without the berserker rage, he had the strength to rip a person's pinky finger clean off raw.
And yet...
A moment later, everyone was stunned.
Azadin had moved like a bolt of lightning, slipping behind Kallan and throttling his neck.
Even in that situation, Kallan raised a hand to gouge out Azadin's eyes, groping for them with his fingers—but as Kallan's arm came up, Azadin simply released his chokehold for a moment, seized the arm, and wrapped his legs around it.
Kallan, with his monstrous grip that tore human flesh, dangled there limp as a child, utterly helpless.
"Th-that's impossible."
"...Kallan, taken down that easily?!"
"As expected of the Herald race—no, even for a Herald, that's too much!"
Azadin, having already put Kallan to sleep, laid him down and rose. Then he crooked a finger toward Legion.
"All right, next. You come out, Legion."
"Haha. You mean me?"
"If you don't want to fight, get down on your knees, bawl your eyes out, and swear eternal loyalty to me from now on. I might let you off if you do."
Azadin said this after subduing the berserker Kallan with such ridiculous ease.
He had every reason to be confident. But Legion just sneered at him.
"Khkhkh. Impressive as it is to put Kallan down so easily, I'm a bit different from him."
Even after seeing a berserker fall that swiftly, Legion showed no hint of unease. It was the attitude of someone utterly convinced of his superiority over Kallan.
"Which is why—could you take off that mask for a moment?"
"What?"
"I might end up killing you this time, squad leader. Your face might not stay intact, so I'd like to see it beforehand."
"Hahaha."
Azadin burst out laughing at Legion's words. Even after witnessing him effortlessly subdue the berserker Kallan, Legion seemed convinced of his own victory.
'Is... is this okay? The squad leader's got the skills to back up the big talk, sure...'
'But Legion's got that thing, you know. That.'
'And Kallan's a dwarf—short limbs and all. Probably some special magic. Bad matchup, that's all.'
The soldiers watched the tense exchange between Azadin and Legion with rapt fascination.
"Fine. We'll be seeing plenty of each other from now on anyway."
Azadin removed his mask.
-Krrrrumble!
Lightning tore across the sky behind Azadin's back, casting a long shadow. In the darkness, purple eyes gleamed.
"...Huh?"
Legion was startled by Azadin's revealed face.
"Squad leader. Are you... a woman, by any chance?"
"Are your eyes fucked?"
"N-no, not a woman... but..."
Legion looked disappointed.
"It pains me to think I might have to kill someone this pretty. On the other hand... the thought of devouring the captain fills me with joy."
"No need to worry about that. Come at me."
"Oh, and this is for fairness' sake, but you should arm yourself, squad leader."
"Arm myself?"
"Yeah. For fairness."
"I don't think I need a weapon against you. Getting hit by a Seramite longsword won't just hurt—it'll end you."
"Sigh. I did warn you."
With that, Legion suddenly dropped flat to the ground.
In that instant, his body swelled to twice its size, and coarse, wire-like sharp hairs sprouted all over. His mouth elongated, revealing razor fangs.
"Eek?!"
The soldiers hurriedly fetched a wooden barricade and huddled behind it, trembling.
The half-elf Legion was a werewolf.
"You! I'll kill you and eat you!"
Saliva drooling from his maw, the werewolf Legion smacked his lips at Azadin. Hunger, violence, and lust all mingled, driving him into a frenzy.
"Eek!"
Even the soldiers recoiled in horror at their ally Legion's transformation.
"Oh? That's what you were banking on?"
Azadin leaped straight at Legion. Reflexively, Legion swung a forepaw at the head-on charge—but it sliced only through Azadin's afterimage.
"Huh?"
Illusory Phoenix Dance: Twilight. An utterly convincing phantom charged at Legion.
And following right behind it, Azadin leaped and drove his heel into the crown of Legion's skull.
-Bam!
A gruesome crack of shattering bone echoed as Legion's body crumpled. For an ordinary person, it would have caved in the skull and snapped the neck.
'Ugh! You bastard! What kind of weird kick—'
Legion was shocked by the unexpected trajectory and power of Azadin's kick.
But a werewolf wouldn't die from this. Legion shook off the impact in an instant and lunged to grab Azadin.
'No matter what, he's human! If I just grab him, I can tear him to shreds... Huh? What the hell is this guy doing?'
As Legion reached out, he faltered at the unexpected response. Azadin was reaching out to him as well.
Until now, whenever he'd extended his claws in werewolf form, most people fled in terror or faced him with torches and puny swords, only to die.
Who would ever come to grab his hand?
'Is he insane?'
But Azadin's reaction surpassed Legion's imagination.
Azadin seized the werewolf's hooked, claw-tipped fingers and vaulted over him, flipping through the air.
"Huh?"
-Crack! Crunch!
Legion's arm and fingers twisted and broke.
Yet Azadin didn't let go—he dragged Legion along behind him.
Legion's feet scraped across the ground. He tried to push back, but with his whole body hoisted upward, his legs pedaled futilely in the air.
"When raising a dog, walks are very important!"
"No way!"
The onlookers gasped in shock.
A werewolf that could drag off a bull—being dragged around like a dog by a human.
The soldiers, who knew all too well how ferocious Legion was, couldn't believe their eyes at the sight of him being walked on a leash.
"I hope your thick skull can take this!"
Azadin wrenched Legion's arm as he hurled him into the well.
The moment Legion, jammed into the stone-lined well, lifted his head—Azadin charged and punted his jaw like a ball.
Legion's head snapped back, smashing into the well's stone wall.
"Gah?!"
The massive impact made stars explode before Legion's eyes.
Azadin pinned Legion's head against the stone wall and unleashed another kick.
-Thud! Crack! Grunch!
'He said he wouldn't kill him...'
'He's trying to murder the guy!'
Watching Azadin stuff Legion into the well and beat him senseless, the soldiers felt their legs turn to jelly.
Seeing the rookie squad leader they'd dismissed pummeling Legion barehanded sent chills down their spines.
A normal person would die just from having their head slammed into the well's edge—not to mention the kicks piled on. This was no ordinary brutality.
No doubt about it—there had to be some pent-up grudge. Otherwise, beating a man this viciously with zero emotion would mean the beater's character was just that rotten.
-Rumble!
A moment later, as the well collapsed, Azadin finally halted the beating.
"Ah. It caved in. Well, werewolves are tough—should survive this much."
Azadin shrugged and turned away.
"B-be careful! Azadin!"
Camilla, who'd been watching, cried out in alarm. From the rubble of the ruined well, the werewolf Legion was rising again.
But...
"Urgh... hngh..."
Legion gasped for breath. His expression was unmistakably off.
What to call it?
Ecstasy?
Had the beating broken his mind?
-Rrrumble!
With a thunderclap, Legion shuddered violently.
"Y-you're the best."
"Uh... um. I'm not one to get scared easily, but you're kinda terrifying."
Even Azadin, who'd just toyed with the werewolf barehanded, admitted his fear at the sight.
"Squad leader. I lose. I swear my loyalty to you. Hngh..."
Legion collapsed forward in a posture that could be prostration, unconsciousness, or both, and began snoring through his nose.
For a human, collapsing after a beating and snoring like that signaled brain damage—usually fatal soon after.
But as a werewolf, Legion would recover.
"No, seriously, this guy's scary."
Azadin, the one who'd laid him low, got goosebumps at Legion's creepiness.
*********
Once the rain stopped, the soldiers set to repairing the collapsed well.
Kallan and Legion, who had challenged Azadin and been thoroughly(?) thrashed, along with Komek who'd just gotten dragged into it—the squad leaders of Vermilion Fortress knelt before Azadin.
"Get up. Why are you kneeling?"
"We apologize for our past rudeness, captain."
Kallan bowed his head.
"Don't call me captain—it's squad leader."
"You deserve to be called squad leader, but we know you're not the type to stay cooped up in a little fort like this forever. We'll serve you for life, captain. Please allow us to devote our lives to you."
The half-elf squad leader Legion echoed the sentiment, bowing to Azadin—his face utterly entranced.
His gaze fixed on Azadin, wearing an expression of bliss...
It was creepy.
"...Uh, um. For life might be a bit much."
"No. We'll serve you for life, no matter what. I've realized my reason for being born into this world was to meet you today, captain."
"......"
Azadin felt true terror for the first time, staring at Legion who looked ready to pounce at any moment. He hadn't been scared at all when the werewolf had lunged—but now it was billions of times worse.
"Whatever. Now, tell me about this curse."
"Well, you see..."
The squad leaders, as if they'd never been cocky, eagerly explained the situation to Azadin.