Chapter 189: I Will Die a Thousand Deaths Without Regret
A frigid cavern.
Within a shrine resembling a limestone cave.
Drip, drip—
Water droplets slowly fell from the inverted stalactites, the entire shrine so silent that even these faint dripping sounds were clearly audible.
Right at the center of the shrine, on a raised stone platform, stood a longsword thrust straight into the stone. Its crossguard and pommel were forged from gold, while the slender blade appeared to be made of a material like mithril, engraved with unknown strange symbols resembling some form of writing.
It was a sword as ornate as a decorative piece.
Yet, though the enshrined hall stood empty, the air was thick with a heavy pressure.
Outside the shrine, a man stood at the cavern's entrance, halting his steps as he gazed from afar at the Holy Sword enshrined within.
The man appeared to be around thirty-five, in the prime of his life, with neatly combed gray hair.
Even concealed beneath noble attire, his well-trained physique was difficult to hide.
At this moment, his sharp eyes fixed on the Holy Sword within the shrine, burning with fervor.
"That's it, no mistake. This is the ancient relic—the legendary Holy Sword of Severion!"
"With this, just by obtaining this, and delivering that girl to the Order along with it, I'll surely qualify to become a Knight of the Round Table!"
"That way, I can save my daughter!"
The man pulled a pendant from his chest, containing an old photograph.
The girl in the photo wore a radiant smile.
A doting expression surfaced in the man's eyes.
"Milia... wait for your father. Father will definitely save you!"
His whisper echoed through the vast underground hollow of the mine.
"Lord Orba, the daughter of Baron Kagenou has awakened."
Just then, an arriving soldier interrupted the man's thoughts. He carefully tucked the pendant back into his chest.
When he turned to face the soldier, his expression turned stern.
"Take me to see her."
"Yes, Lord Orba!"
The soldier saluted Orba and led him to the end of another underground mine passage.
"Please be cautious. Though she's been restrained, she still resists fiercely."
The soldier cautiously reminded him.
After all, many of their men had already been attacked.
"Hmph, who do you think I am?!"
"Guh! M-my deepest apologies!!"
Orba's sharp gaze swept over them, and the soldiers shuddered, hurriedly opening the door with deference.
Inside was a dim dungeon built from stone bricks. At the end of magic-sealing chains embedded deep into the wall, a young girl was shackled.
"You're Claire Kagenou, I presume?"
"Heh... You already know the answer. If I said no, would you let me go?"
Claire responded with a cold laugh, slowly raising her head to look at the man before her.
Perhaps because she had been captured while sleeping in her room, she still wore her nightgown. Her ivory-white, supple legs lay casually stacked on the ground.
Traces of blood remained nearby.
Her gaze toward the man remained as defiant as ever, her crimson pupils like those of a crouching beast.
"I've seen you in the royal capital before. You must be Viscount Olba, right?"
"Oh? I once served as a royal guard... No, you must have seen me at the Martial God Festival?"
Considering the girl's age, Olba immediately corrected himself.
"That's right, it was the Martial God Festival. You were utterly devastated by Princess Iris back then."
Claire let out a light chuckle, her laughter dripping with contempt and mockery.
"Hmph! I was merely constrained by the framework of a competition and had no choice but to go easy on her. In actual combat, I wouldn't lose!"
"Even in actual combat, the outcome wouldn't change, Viscount Olba, who got eliminated in the championship preliminaries."
"Ridiculous! How could a little girl like you understand what a magnificent achievement it is just to qualify for the championship tournament?"
Olba glared at the girl, as if venting his inner frustration and dissatisfaction.
"What a pity. In another year, I'll be stepping onto that stage and claiming the championship."
"How arrogant. Unfortunately, you won't get that chance. You won't live that long."
Clatter!
The chains binding Claire's wrists suddenly pulled taut.
The moment Olba finished speaking, she nearly sank her teeth into his neck.
If Olba hadn't reacted in time and turned his head, the girl's teeth would have torn out his throat.
Her instincts and explosive strength were no different from a wild beast's!
"Who exactly won't live that long? Me or you? Want to find out?"
"No need. It's definitely you, Claire Kagenou."
Facing the grinning girl, Olba immediately threw a powerful punch, trying to subdue her.
Yet his fist was dodged by the girl and instead slammed into the wall behind her, sending dust flying!
Immediately followed by another sharp clack of teeth snapping together.
"What a shame. I didn't get to bite you to death."
Claire lifted her moist lips and sneered.
Olba narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Even with the Magic Sealing Chains suppressing most of your magical power, you can still dodge my attacks."
"So what? Someone taught me that the key to magical power isn't about quantity, but how you use it."
"You have a good father."
"Hah? That baldy could never teach me this. It was that perverted teacher who taught me."
Recalling her training up to now, Claire's face flushed slightly even as she shouted.
Though that perverted teacher's methods were unorthodox, and she had no idea how many times she'd been harassed over these three years—probably every inch of her body had been explored—overall, it was truly effective.
"Then you have a good teacher indeed."
"Heh, good? That guy is a damned perverted bastard... but he did teach me a lot, and not just a little bit either!"
Suddenly, a faint light flashed in Claire's pupils as she yanked hard on the chains with both hands again.
Crack!
With a sharp sound, the chains fixed to the wall were torn right out!
During this period, the small amount of magical power she had accumulated had even allowed one of her hands to break free from the chains!
Like a beast unleashed from its cage, she pounced directly at Olba!
Olba was greatly shocked upon seeing this!
She actually broke free from the bondage of the Magic Sealing Chains?!
She even went so far as to scrape off the flesh from her palm using the shackles, not hesitating to deform her bones, forcibly tearing herself free!
"What a terrifying girl. What kind of teacher could have trained such a monster?! To still be able to use such power under these circumstances!"
Olba couldn't help but think.
"But, this is as far as it goes."
Just as Claire in the depths of the prison was resisting Olba,
the cult's stronghold was also under attack.
Squelch!
The sound of tearing flesh quietly echoed. An assailant suddenly emerging from the darkness shredded the soldiers defending the stronghold.
Though her face was hidden behind a mask, her slightly curved figure, sharp claws, and the fluffy tail extending from her rear indicated she was undoubtedly a female beastkin.
There were six more like her, all beastkin and elves, all clad in black attire as if to better conceal themselves in the darkness.
Even their presence was remarkably faint.
With extremely strong magical power control, they completely suppressed the aura they emitted.
Had they not taken the initiative to attack, and were it not for the faint moonlight filtering down from the ceiling, their existence would have gone entirely unnoticed.
Soon, the cavern stronghold had turned into a sea of blood.
Blood stained the ground and soaked the surrounding rock walls, with dismembered limbs scattered everywhere.
The terrified soldiers trembled as they backed away from these girls.
Who are these people...
"Just who are you?!"
"We are the 'Shadow Garden'," Alpha stepped forward and spoke, her waist-length golden hair swaying like a field of autumn wheat, her ethereal voice enough to captivate all.
But the soldiers had no mind to appreciate it, only growing more fearful.
They had heard of Shadow Garden; it was said that many of the cult's strongholds had been wiped out by this group!
To think they were all petite girls!
"We lurk in the shadows, delivering the blade of divine punishment upon the cult," the silver-haired elf beside her added.
"We see through everything. The Demon Diablos, the Curse of Diablos, the descendants of heroes, and... the truth of the demon-possessed," each spoke in turn, stepping forward gracefully.
But they were just ordinary soldiers; how could they know such things? They only followed orders from above.
That was all.
Meanwhile.
When it came to the two blood-soaked beastkin, the tone changed abruptly.
"The purpose of our existence is to bring divine punishment upon you villains!!!"
The two beastkin instantly charged into the crowd, unleashing a quadruple kill.
Compared to the golden beastkin, the black-haired girl, wild like a wolf, reveled in savagely devouring their lives.
Without mercy!
Tap, tap, tap—
When the enemies at the cave entrance were completely cleared, the bloodstains on the seven figures instantly vanished as footsteps echoed from the dark passage behind them.
Those footsteps rippled with magical energy, potent enough to weigh on anyone's heart.
"BOSS!!"
The beast-eared girl who had been wreaking havoc on the battlefield moments before twitched her ears at the sound—her ferocious bloodlust immediately transforming into joyful tail wagging as she tried to rush forward.
But then—
"Delta, mind your manners."
"...!"
Startled by Alpha's command, the wild wolf girl named Delta instantly transformed into an obedient pup, halting mid-step and meekly crouching on a rock.
"As you requested, the outpost has been cleared," Alpha reported respectfully.
"Well done. You've worked hard."
"It's no trouble at all, Mahiro-sama. This is our duty."
The six bowed to him in unison, with Delta hurriedly mimicking their gestures.
One thing remained consistent—their faces all bloomed with joyful smiles as they gazed with admiration at the figure emerging from the passage.
Mahiro appeared from the tunnel clad in a black overcoat, his hands tucked in the pockets as the long hem swayed gracefully with his steps.
"As expected of Mahiro-sama, ever dashing and handsome~"
Beta's soft murmur voiced everyone's thoughts—none could disagree.
"Alright, alright."
Mahiro habitually stepped forward and patted the heads of the two beast-eared girls, Delta and Zeta. As they melted under his touch, he spoke:
"I need you to handle one more task—extract the location of that holy relic from the people here and retrieve it."
"Our Lord, your command is our mission. There's no need for such courtesy."
Zeta spoke these words, her golden beast ears twitching slightly.
"Indeed, Mahiro-sama. Your orders define our purpose."
"That's right! Delta will work hard for BOSS!"
The silver-haired Beta and all the others bowed slightly.
Their very lives, and everything since their rebirth, were gifts from Mahiro. What could be more natural than fighting for Mahiro-sama?
If anything, this was the very meaning of their existence.
"Very well, I'll leave it to you then. I'm going to find Claire's detention site first."
"Yes, Mahiro-sama!"
As they watched Mahiro disappear deeper into the cave, the girls' eyes shone with unwavering respect.
"..."
Claire lay prone on the ground, a trickle of crimson escaping her lips.
Her once delicate, fair face was now bruised and swollen, her pure white nightgown soiled with dust and covered in footprints.
"You damn brat...!"
Olba glared down at the girl, his face pale with rage, teeth clenched in a vicious expression.
The web of his left hand was mangled and bloody—clearly missing a chunk of flesh!
Undoubtedly, this was Claire's doing.
But this was all she could manage.
The loser of this match remained Claire.
However, facing a girl almost the same age as his own daughter, Olba showed no mercy, grabbing her hair again and brutally dragging her up.
Just as he was about to resume his abuse, a soldier suddenly burst through the door, panting heavily.
"Lord Olba! We have intruders!"
"Intruders? Who are they?"
Olba casually tossed Claire aside and asked with confusion.
"..."
Before the soldier could utter the final word, his head was already sent flying.
Right before Olba's eyes, the headless body that hadn't even collapsed yet exploded into dust.
A black-clad youth holding a pistol walked in.
"Oh, found you, found you."
Noticing the girl lying on the cold stone floor, barely breathing, he walked straight toward her.
Completely ignoring the prison bars blocking his path, the thick iron grating disintegrated the moment he passed through.
He crouched down, gently poking Claire's swollen cheek and whispered:
"Oi~ still alive?"
"...?"
Claire barely opened her eyes. Seeing that familiar face, her heart inexplicably calmed for some reason.
Ah, teacher came to save me... This shouldn't be a dream, right?
As she thought this, her heavy eyelids could no longer hold out, gradually closing.
"Seems you're really badly injured, don't even have the strength to scold me."
Just by looking at Claire's wounds, he could already guess the general situation.
He had to admit, Claire's temper was really stubborn. Wouldn't it have been better to just wait quietly here for rescue?
In the end, she ended up like this. Especially seeing her bloody left hand, no longer soft and beautiful but instead becoming gruesome and terrifying—even he couldn't help feeling a bit distressed.
"Rest easy. Leave everything to your teacher from now on."
Mahiro stroked Claire's long hair, then aimed his CAD at the girl.
"Regeneration activate."
As the trigger was pulled, the previously battered girl instantly returned to her original state, while the magic-sealing chain locked on her right hand had already disintegrated.
Witnessing this miraculous scene, Olba, who had been in shock, finally regained his senses.
He loudly demanded: "Who are you?! How dare you intrude here!"
"Oh, so you're still here."
While taking off his coat to cover Claire's delicate figure, Mahiro stood up and smiled:
"First time meeting. I'm Yotsuba Mahiro, this child's private tutor, and then... farewell."
Swish
Mahiro instantly appeared before Olba, simultaneously flipping his palm to reveal a dagger, which he swung down in one motion.
Clang
The silent dungeon echoed with the sound of metal clashing, sparks flying illuminating Mahiro's slightly surprised expression.
"Oh, not bad. You actually blocked that attack. You're a bit stronger than people from other cult strongholds.
But, how about this!"
Olba was already sweating profusely from blocking one attack.
But he never expected the next strike to be even faster, leaving him no time to react!
Suddenly feeling a sharp pain in his neck, his vision began to spin, and in the process he seemed to see his own headless body.
Am I dead?
"Not yet."
Mahiro smiled faintly while raising the "Nightmare" pistol.
Just as Olba felt his consciousness gradually sinking into darkness, a beam of light enveloped him, pulling him back to reality.
"...?!"
"Of course. You've tormented my disciple so severely—how could I, as their teacher, let you off so easily?"
The corners of Mahiro's lips slowly curled upward, forming a smile as gentle as a spring breeze in May, yet the words he spoke sent chills down one's spine.
"Naturally, you must repay it with ten thousand deaths."
Before Olba could even shed a cold sweat at these words—
The next instant, he was disintegrated into dust.