Ambush (2)
Ambush (2)
Several hours earlier, Gaf and Johan lay prone on a high cliff, observing below.
As expected, a long procession entered the valley below.
It was the Pilgrimage Group.
Even in the darkness of night, bright light surrounded them. Pure white divine power protected the procession.
The Radiance of Demon Banishment. Low-ranking demons would be blinded just by seeing the Pilgrimage Group.
Gaf glanced at Johan.
“Doesn’t it bother you? That divine power.”
“It’s nothing but cheap glow-in-the-dark.”
The grotesque Ring of Kazan blocked the divine power.
‘It was good that I corrupted it first.’
It was proving as useful as ever. Without the ring, Johan himself would have had a hard time enduring it.
Gaf clicked his tongue.
“A demon who disregards divine power is a first for me.”
“Don’t be surprised every time. You will witness many things beyond common sense from now on.”
As they exchanged words, the procession began to split.
From within the white-clad group, a duller contingent broke away down a side path.
Krill and his subordinates.
Roughly around ten people. They turned south toward their stronghold, while the Pilgrimage Group, bound for the capital, continued north.
Gaf spoke.
“This time, it’s going according to expectations.”
There were no anomalies. As Johan had said, Krill and the Pilgrimage Group separated at the end of the valley.
It was a route anyone could have predicted.
If Krill did not turn here, he would lose considerable time.
He would have to circle around a large mountain.
Johan nodded.
“We no longer need to pay attention to the Pilgrimage Group. Let’s follow Krill.”
They planned to strike during camp. Attacking while the target was resting would reduce the chance of resistance.
Gaf climbed down from the cliff and mounted his horse.
He spoke.
“Krill is a seasoned warrior. If we tail him too closely, he will notice. You follow from a distance. This time, I will take the lead.”
Naturally, stealth was second nature to a mercenary. If it was Gaf, he could tail Krill without ever being noticed.
“Understood. Go ahead.”
Gaf and Rail spurred their horses simultaneously.
Shortly after, Johan unfurled his massive wings.
***
In the dead of night on the mountainside, a soldier standing guard died without even being able to scream.
Gaf’s iron sword had pierced his heart in an instant.
Immediately, Gaf scanned his surroundings.
The other guard was nowhere to be seen.
Typically, guards operated in pairs, but there was no sign of anyone nearby.
‘I need to find him quickly.’
If the other guard discovered the body, all of Krill’s escorts would go on high alert.
The difficulty of the mission would spike.
‘Where is he?’
As Gaf swiftly turned his head, a sharp whistling cut through the air.
Swiish.
An arrow flew toward him from above.
“Damn it!”
Gaf quickly twisted his body.
The arrow buried itself in the ground.
His gaze moved upward to the large tree.
Through the dense leaves, a soldier in leather armor was looking down with a horrified expression.
How could he have dodged an arrow from a blind spot? The target’s reflexes were beyond human.
Realizing he couldn’t win, the soldier immediately pulled out a whistle.
Just as he was about to alert the camp, Gaf threw a dagger.
The flying piece of steel pierced the soldier’s hand.
He dropped the whistle and fell from the tree.
Gaf shot forward like an arrow.
He had intended to finish him off in an instant, but it was impossible.
The soldier tumbled down the slope.
‘If I chase him, I won’t make it in time.’
The plan was for Rail and Gaf to spread out, kill all the guards, and then regroup at Krill’s campsite.
If he went down the slope, the regrouping would be delayed.
Gaf immediately looked up at the night sky.
Fortunately, Johan was sitting lazily on a cloud with a bored expression.
“I’ll leave it to you.”
Gaf pointed down the slope and ran toward the campsite.
Johan found it absurd.
‘Did he just stick me with this?’
Dumping his own role onto him. Soldiers were the same in every world.
Johan clicked his tongue and descended.
He would deal with this first before complaining.
Landing on the ground, Johan scanned his surroundings.
A narrow forest path. Between the dense undergrowth, a soldier lay on the ground.
His eyes met Johan’s.
“A-A demon!”
The soldier jumped up, clutching his left arm, which appeared dislocated.
His eyes were filled with fear and wariness.
The being before him was no common lesser demon.
A horned, grotesque creature. Though still only adolescent in size, it was undoubtedly a dangerous demon.
The soldier drew his sword.
“The Great Saint is watching over me! Begone, vile demon!”
Johan responded without a word, stepping forward.
As he approached, the soldier’s face twisted in terror.
“Wh-What do you want from me?!”
The soldier stumbled backward.
His fear gave Johan a small thrill.
“I’m sorry. I have no feelings toward you.”
At the same time, Johan kicked off the ground. His wings spread wide.
In an instant, the distance between them closed.
As Johan swung his arm, long red claws slashed toward the soldier.
Clang!
A metallic screech rang out. The soldier had barely blocked it, but his sword shattered into pieces.
The impact sent the soldier sprawling. He could not get up again. He seemed to have lost the will to fight.
An overwhelming difference in strength. Johan looked down at the soldier with a rather surprised expression.
This human was too weak. This was supposed to be one of Krill’s elite soldiers, yet he could not even put up a fight against Johan.
To defeat a trained human so easily, even as an adolescent demon.
Johan could not help but become more curious about the bloodline of the body he had possessed.
“P-Please spare me!”
While Johan was lost in thought, the soldier began to wail, his eyes begging for mercy.
‘I have to kill him.’
Mercy would only bring consequences later.
There could be no witnesses.
Johan bit his lip.
It wasn’t his first kill, but this was different from when he had killed Betra.
This time, he would end the life with his own hands.
He would tear human flesh and stain his hands with its blood.
The weight of murder pressed down on Johan.
He clenched his fist tightly.
‘Even if not today, this is something I would have to face eventually.’
Having resolved to survive, he would have to get used to killing.
Survival in this world meant someone else’s death.
Johan raised his arm.
“P-Please!”
Splurt.
Blood spurted up. Long claws pierced the soldier’s throat.
The soldier died instantly, unable to even close his eyes.
At the same time, a horrifying pleasure washed over Johan.
A sense of fulfillment born from instinct. As always, Johan began to go mad.
He laughed while crying.
His body twisted violently as if he would pass out from the pleasure.
He wanted to resist this pleasure.
He wanted to suffer from guilt, like a human.
Johan convulsed as he took to the sky.
***
Krill could not believe his eyes.
The soldier who had gone to relieve himself returned with his head severed, and from the bushes, an unexpected figure emerged.
“…Aren’t you Rail?”
The knight’s sword was caked with blood and flesh.
Krill’s last subordinate shouted.
“Sir Rail! Did you do this?!”
There was no reply.
Rail only stared at Krill with empty eyes.
Krill spoke.
“What in the world happened? You disappeared without a trace, and now you show up like this—what betrayal is this?”
Rail walked forward silently.
Sensing the danger, the subordinate immediately blew his whistle.
No one responded.
“I-I think everyone is dead.”
They had all been killed.
Krill shouted.
“Draw your sword!”
The subordinate never even grasped the hilt.
A steel sword flying from behind pierced through his spine.
“Gah!”
He vomited blood as he collapsed.
Krill snapped his head around.
A large figure wearing a black mask was approaching.
“And who are you?!”
When the man removed the mask, Krill’s brow furrowed.
“You were in the castle…”
“I am Linus of the Kandeya Mercenaries.”
Linus was Gaf’s alias, a name any knight or warrior would have heard at least once.
Krill let out a short laugh.
“So you’re the Lion of the East?”
“I have been called that.”
Krill’s eyes scanned Gaf as if measuring him.
The description matched.
Hair sticking out in all directions like a lion’s mane, an overwhelming physique, a balanced body. Though his appearance alone did not confirm the man’s identity as Linus, it was clear he was a powerful warrior.
“How could a man like you serve under my brother? Come to me instead. I will promise you proper rewards and treatment.”
“Can you handle a man burdened not only with a demon but also with a witch?”
“What?”
“It would be impossible.”
Gaf pulled the steel sword from the subordinate’s body.
“You’ll be in trouble if you kill me.”
“I have no intention of killing you.”
At the same time, Gaf charged at Krill.
The massive steel sword arced toward Krill’s neck.
Krill bent backward to avoid it but could not block the follow-up strike.
Crack!
Gaf kicked Krill in the solar plexus.
“Damn it!”
Krill clutched his abdomen and staggered back.
Without even a moment to catch his breath, something wrapped around Krill’s neck.
“Guh!”
A rope thrown from behind.
It was Rail’s ambush. Krill could not withstand it and fell backward.
He struggled desperately, but it was futile.
The more he struggled, the deeper the rope cut into his throat.
Krill groaned, glaring at his betrayer.
His bloodshot eyes were filled with fury.
Despite the hateful glare, Rail did not flinch.
He simply carried out his assigned task like a machine.
“…You bastard!”
Krill could not comprehend Rail’s actions.
He at least wanted an explanation.
Coldly, Rail dragged Krill to a tree and began tying him up.
Krill’s entire body was bound tightly.
Finally, Gaf loosened the rope around Krill’s neck.
“Why?!”
As soon as he could speak, Krill roared.
Rail did not answer. A chilling voice answered in his place.
“Because his soul has been taken by a demon.”
Everyone looked up.
A demon with white horns was slowly descending.
Krill’s face twisted in shock. His eyes trembled violently.
“A G-Gakgwi!”
Gakgwi referred to horned demons.
They rarely appeared except in the north, never in the south.
As the demon landed, black Miasma rose around him like dust.
The demon spoke.
“Do you remember the conversation we had a few days ago?”
Not to mention a conversation, Krill had never once met a Gakgwi in his life.
“I warned you. If you did not give up the barony, you would die the moment you stepped into your stronghold.”
At the same time, Johan’s threat flashed through Krill’s mind.
—The moment you leave the Miyatro Territory and arrive at your stronghold, Uncle, you will become a corpse.
His nephew had certainly said that.
“I have come to keep my word.”
Krill’s mind could not keep up with the situation.
Just as he was beginning to think, “No way,” Johan snapped his finger.
The Miasma in the air began to swirl.
“Don’t resent me too much. I didn’t want it to come to this either.”
As a reader, Johan had liked Krill quite a bit.
He did not want to kill him.
Emotion and reality were separate.
Krill had to disappear for Johan to survive.
“I will take your soul.”
The Miasma stiffened.
The clumps of dark smoke reflected the moonlight, flashing sharply.
Krill swallowed dryly. He could not even imagine what would happen next.
“Farewell.”
Immediately, the Miasma slashed at Krill’s heart.
Like a sickle harvesting grain, the sharp smoke severed Krill’s soul.
Soulkill. A power that annihilated the soul of the target.
The light vanished from Krill’s eyes.
He had become an empty puppet, just like Rail.
Witnessing this horrifying act, Gaf turned his eyes away.
Johan spoke indifferently.
“There is a way to avoid responsibility even after killing Krill.”
“…What are you planning to do?”
“Borrow the hands of another.”
Johan looked at Krill.
“Kill yourself.”
Now a puppet, Krill had no choice but to obey Johan’s command.
Just as he was about to bite off his tongue, Johan shook his head.
“No, in front of your subordinates.”
Krill would return to his stronghold and kill himself.
With everyone witnessing that scene, no one would be able to blame the Miyatro Barony.