Chapter 44 - Volume 3 (1/2)
Volume 3, Chapter 14: Unleashed, Part 2
Author Note: Lots of gore again. Entirely in third person.
Kord was confused.
It’s understandable. His Daemon King had spent several years…… if you included the preparation period, nearly 20 years had been spent on trying to summon this thing, and here it was right in front of him.
“It can not be…”
It couldn’t be that a【Demon Beast]was in front of him. The documents that spoke of its existence was thousands of years old.
Who could believe that one would encounter such a legendary existence this easily even if they asked for it?
[ShaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!]
However, Kord’s dream was shattered as the small golden cat let out a cry, and the entire castle shook, cracks appearing in the thick walls and stone floors. In the midst of the enormous swirling magic power and miasma, the shadow of the cracks materialized and began to flow and spread, and he could feel a sheer amount of corruption that exceeded that of an 【Arch Demon].
It looked like a thin, short-haired golden cat.
Along its small back, wings that were the same colour as its golden fur that were disproportionately larger than the body by a few tens of centimeters spread out. then, flapping a single time with its huge wings that exceeded 5 metres, the 【Golden Beast] slowly floated into the air.
What was this Demon going to do…?
The 【Golden Beast] let out a low growl as it faced a certain direction, and Kord, noticing that the direction was the [Daemons’ territory], turned pale, even as he bled from his face and side.
“…Oh, Ohhhhh, so this is a Demon Beast!”
Calling out in joy, Duke Kapell forgot himself as he neared the 【Golden Beast]. He hadn’t noticed what happened, and he hadn’t even noticed that it had been Yurushia.
“Now, Demon Beast, kill the weak Royal family, and all the other obstructive Ducal houses! Obey me, and I will sacrifice thousands to-,”
The foolish Duke Kapell believed Kord’s lies and was convinced that the summoned Demon would obey him.
His grandfather was the youngest brother of the king, so he believed that he had only been unlucky, thinking that if he could become king he would be able to subjugate all the surrounding countries including Shiguresu and Terutedo and lead them into being a true Holy Kingdom.
Duke Kapell had tried several strategies, and was related to both Demon summoning incidents: supplying money and information to the one thought to be the mastermind, Marquis Bruneau.
Since his plan that had taken him such a long time at last to reached its final stage, Duke Kapell lost his calm and became talkative, and in the middle of his words, and carelessly stepped into the blanket of [Darkness] that spread across the floor.
*splat*…
“…GyyaaaaaaaHHHHHHHHHHH, aAAaaAAa, Aa……”
Duke Kapell turned into a skeleton as thousands of years seemed to pass in an instant, the man who had been secretly maneuvering behind the back of the Holy Kingdom crumbled away like a pile of dust in the wind, closing the curtains upon his life.
His soul was inhaled by the 【Golden Beast] with great relish, who chewed it for a bit before swallowing.
Whether [She] was in the form of the 【Golden Beast] or not, she was still a gourmand, and there was a hint of pleasure as she pulled out all the weak-willed humans’ [Souls]. All the subordinates who knew of Duke Kapell’s plans simply ceased to live without a single outward injury.
For an upper-class Demon that’s beyond the realm of mere Greater Demons (Arch Demons), there wasn’t even a need for her to even lift a finger to take a human’s [Soul], just like a believer would dedicate [Offerings] to their gods, so did the weak-minded humans offer up their souls.
Their dead faces showed not joy, but an [Anguish] that caused one to wonder just how much pain they went through.
No one would ever think of wanting to die like this.
The only one who survived was Kord, who believed not in God but the Daemon King, and Callisto, who was able to use a little Holy Magic.
“Th-that… I… God……why…”
Frozen in fear from seeing that unbelievable thing, Callisto shook his head like a small child while crying.
Callisto had believed that everything would be perfect if God descended.
If God descended, this world would find peace, so he had no qualms about destroying the little peace of the people who lived happily now.
He believed with all his heart that if the Holy Kingdom threw away all of it’s military for a God, even the Daemons would relent.
Not realizing that he had merely replaced [Military] with [God] to protect the people, he couldn’t understand the reason for his exile from the Holy Kingdom, and didn’t realize the contradiction of harming others’ happiness for peace.
Finally given the means to make his ideal a reality by Duke Kapell, on the verge of seeing his dream a reality, Callisto preached an incredible dream.
Before him, with the beauty and power of God, was a Demon……
Unable to accept reality, Callisto’s spirit gave way to the fear from the miasma, foaming at the mouth with bloodshot eyes wearing a thin smile.
As a matter of fact, this loss saved Callisto’s life.
Callisto’s soul that had suffered a mental collapse and had no more value and so became of no interest to the gourmand【Golden Beast].
But with all of the living humans gone and only the grating rasp of a mentally deranged human, a hint of annihilation was shortly aimed towards him, but then,
“GaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAA!”
Kord’s greatsword slashed down, releasing a shockwave toward the 【Golden Beast].
It wasn’t that Kord was going to help Callisto. Rather, that his warrior instincts told him that if he didn’t use his greatest attack during this small gap in its defense, he wouldn’t even be able to scratch this Demon Beast.
As the impact crushed the stone wall, and enormous rubble fell, Kord felt a little chill and dodged, the 【Golden Beast] tore off his right arm, and broke apart his greatsword.
“GowaaaaaaaAAAAAA”
Kord released his [Human] illusion, and reverted to the figure of a [Daemon] with grey skin. Along with that, he released magic power to heal his injuries, also raising his offensive and defensive power, but that 【Golden Beast] tore through it like thin paper.
Daemons couldn’t use Holy Magic, but they could use Water Magic to close wounds and improve healing. In the first place, Daemons had way more physical strength than a human, but every strike from the 【Golden Beast] on his flanks and his arms left a curse-like miasma coiling about them, which degraded his body from the inside.
“……Monster…”
“Master!?”
As the attendants who sensed that enormous presence returned, they were surprised by Yurushia returning to the form they dearly missed…… the 【Golden Beast].
“Tina!”
[ShaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!]
As Nia raised her voice, the 【Golden Beast] struck the exact same moment with terrifying speed and bit off Tina’s arm clean off her shoulder.
“……Ah!”
“……*kuu*”
Instantly Noa used 【Unleash] and stopped Tina from collapsing using his magic power, but Tina who had turned pale refused to believe her eyes about her [Master]’s body.
“Can you still move? Tina?”
“…Ye, Yes, but leaving that aside, our Master”
“We’ll be back!”
Fannie’s voice brought everyone to attention. Having a taste of a lower-rank Demon, the 【Golden Beast]brimmed with a brutal presence, and, spreading its golden wings, it attacked them again.
“Yurushia-sama!”
Nia immediately took the blow with her Cursed Blade, but was unable to fully 【Absorb] the power of the blow and was blown off into the wall, falling to her knees.
“*cough*……so strong”
“You brats!”
Kord called out to the attendants who were somehow able to battle that [Monster].
“Help me! I am General Kord of the Daemon King’s army. If you leave this monster be, the human nations will be finished!”
The only thing in Kord’s mind, was the Daemon King’s territory and the Daemon King himself.
Why the [Saint’s] disappearance would cause the [Demon Beast] to appear was beyond his understanding, but when the 【Golden Beast] turned its head toward the direction of the Daemons’ territory, Kord knew that it was seeking out the magic power that he had transferred.
{I won’t let you get to the Daemon King-sama…!}
He prided himself as being one of the top five of the Daemon King’s subordinates, but he was being trampled to his wits’ end by this little Demon.
Kord had already resolved to die, for the sake of the Daemon King he chose to throw away his pride and work together with the [Humans].
“…… Monster…?”
“…!?”
As Kord turned to the sudden voice coming from behind him, he saw a boy wearing an enraged expression staring at him.
Noa didn’t even give him the time to raise his voice, and used the greatest force of【Unleash]to instantly pulverise his body and soul.
“…Low-life.”
As Noa spit out the words, half the castle collapsed under the force of the 【Golden Beast] and his 【Unleashing].
*Gagin*
“…kuhh”
Meanwhile, Nia who held the power of 【Absorption] was barely taking the attacks of the【Golden Beast].
The attendants couldn’t strike Yurushia.