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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Goblins, Demons, Children (4)
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Demons are cunning and sharp-sensed creatures. They reveal their sadism without restraint against the weak, but won't hesitate to flee from the strong. Normally, the demon would have bolted the instant it saw Kadim drinking blood.
However, the freshly sprouted horns at its temples clouded its judgment.
After finally gaining even greater power, flee? And against an opponent who'd been nothing more than a toy just moments ago. It simply couldn't stomach the idea of cowering before a mere human just for sipping some blood.
The demon ignored its instincts and took up an attacking stance.
– Grk, die, you... Disobedient ones die.
Thud!
It kicked off the ground and charged at the human like a shot from a bow.
Three claw-like talons stretched out toward him. Kadim lowered his stance to match the demon's height. Before, its movements had been too fast to track, but not anymore. His enhanced dynamic vision read the demon's motions perfectly.
Clang!
The moment hand axe met talons, a flicker of alarm crossed the demon's face.
It pulled back the deep slash it had aimed to deliver and retreated in a hurry. One of its outer talons was slightly bent. Had it followed through, it probably would have been severed clean off.
But the hand axe hadn't emerged unscathed either. Its blade was chipped where they'd collided. Fighting like this would wear his teeth down in no time.
Kadim didn't care.
If the axe broke, he'd switch to his sword. If that shattered too, he'd fight barehanded. Weapons were irrelevant. Right now, his thirst for blood and boiling murderous urge were all he needed.
"Hraaaaaargh!!"
The berserker bellowed a war cry as he lunged. An ominous instinct snagged at the demon's ankles once more. It growled like a enraged beast to mask its unease.
– Grrrrrr!!
Whoosh!
The demon leaped to the left, dodging the furious axe swing. In that evasive instant, another strike flashed from Kadim's side like lightning.
Swish!
He'd swung the axe with his right hand while drawing and slashing with the sword at his waist using his left. The demon barely avoided the razor-sharp blade by a hair's breadth.
– Grk!
There was no time to catch its breath. Kadim hurled his axe at the retreating demon. Imbued with far greater power than before, the axe tore through the air.
Whistle, boom!
Rumble...
The demon ducked its upper body just before impact, evading the axe. Instead, it smashed into the stone pillar behind, pulverizing the beam-thick column in one blow. The ground rang out with a high-pitched whine, and flying debris scratched the demon's skin, leaving shallow gashes.
The demon's hackles rose. A direct hit from that would have turned it into mincemeat in an instant. It was monstrous strength far beyond any ordinary human.
– What... are you...? Not human, right? How can a human have this kind of power...?
No answer came. Instead, a sword blade thrust straight for its heart.
"Hup!"
Whoosh!
Kadim was suddenly right in its face. His swollen muscles had boosted his speed to match the demon's swiftness. The demon recoiled in terror, reflexively swinging its talons in counterattack even as it tried to dodge.
Kadim swiftly pulled back, and the talons sliced through empty air. Every follow-up assault was blocked by his blade. Soon, its movements were being read, and it started taking counterattacks instead.
The demon gnashed its saw-like teeth. Speed was useless, and it was overwhelmingly outmatched in raw power. A head-on fight seemed hopeless.
The demon sprang up like a coiled spring and clung to the ceiling. It crawled between the stalactites toward the human holding the torch, planning to snuff out the light and ambush from the darkness. Even a monster disguised as a human couldn't handle that.
Meanwhile, Duncan was struggling against the goblins.
"Gah, get away! Get away!!"
The blinded goblins hesitated to swarm him after getting singed by the torch once. Unfortunately, their tempers had only grown more savage.
– Kieee!
– Kieeek!
Their relentless pursuit of any opening left Duncan unable to think straight. It was no wonder he didn't notice the demon approaching.
Kadim spotted the demon's scheme first.
He had no intention of letting it play out as planned. His blood-red irises gleamed with ferocity. His grip tightened on the axe haft, heavy power surging into his hand.
...Fast little bastard. Even if I aimed for it, it'd dodge anyway.
Kadim decided to deliver a massive shock to the entire ceiling instead.
He reversed his grip on the axe to wield it like a club. Muscles tensed like drawn steel wires, building power. He twisted his torso for extra torque, pulling his right arm back fully. His bulging forearms and biceps channeled that full might through his fingertips as he hurled it.
Whistle—
The axe struck the ceiling like a cannonball, triggering a small explosion.
Boom!!
A heavy vibration shook the entire cavern. Stalactites and pillars shattered, cracks spiderwebbing across the limestone ceiling. The shockwave sent the demon crashing to the floor, dust and rubble raining down on its face.
– Kyaaak!!
Rumble...
The demon writhed in agony, groaning. Dirt filled its bulging eyes. Its ears rang from the impact, leaving it completely disoriented, unable to tell floor from ceiling.
The berserker didn't miss the opening.
Stab!
– Kyaaaaaaa!!
The vertically plunged blade crushed its nasal bone and pierced straight through its skull. Its eyes rolled in opposite directions, blood gushing from nose and mouth. Yet the demon didn't die easily, thrashing its limbs and screeching.
Kadim lifted the sword, still embedded in its skull. The demon's body slid down the blade, weight pulling it lower.
– Kyaaak, kyaaaaak!!
The demon refused to give up to the end. Even as its brain was shredded by the blade, it swung its talons at Kadim.
That strike never landed. Once enough of the body had slid down, Kadim regripped the sword for a proper edge-up hold. Then, combining his strength with the demon's weight, he swung viciously.
Crunch!
A gruesome flower bloomed. The skull split in two, pinkish brain matter bursting forth.
The demon collapsed in a heap. Remnants and blood oozed from the bisected head. Its twitching hand finally fell limp to the floor.
"...Hoo."
Kadim let out a small sigh as he wiped the blood from his blade. The bloodlust that had clouded his mind was fading fast. He should've ended it quicker, but it had taken longer than expected. He'd nearly had to face it without buffs.
Still, no helping it. The demon had been nimble, and the terrain unfavorable. For now, he could count himself lucky to have slain it without major injury.
– Kiee, kiee...
– Kiruk, kirrr...
The masterless goblins let out pitiful moans. With the demon dead, they wouldn't be influenced by its demonic energy anymore. But they'd already become "demonic beasts" once. Kadim decided to finish them off before searching for the children.
He severed the neck of a goblin wielding a rusty sword. Pierced the heart of a hesitating one. Stabbed the back of a fleeing goblin. Extended his blade toward the torch-bearing goblin...
"M-Master! Wh-Why, why are you doing this!! It's me!! M-Me!!"
He halted the sword just in time.
The blade hovered mere inches from Duncan's chest. A massive ripple of shock filled Kadim's eyes. His sweat-glistened face stiffened. Duncan clutched his pounding chest in relief.
"A-Are you alright, Master? Y-Your face looks pale. Did the demon, the demon...?"
He trailed off without saying "possess you." But Kadim understood what he meant. He sheathed the sword and offered an apologetic look.
"...No, I'm fine. Sorry about that. It was too dark to see clearly."
"I-Is that so? Whew, I thought... for a second there..."
"The demon's dead. Looks like we've cleared most of the goblins around here too. The kids are probably further in. Let's grab them and head back to the village."
"Y-Yes! Right away, Master!"
The relief of surviving the demon and goblins was overwhelming. So Duncan didn't question it right away.
Could someone who'd tracked them through pitch-black night really not recognize a face right under the torchlight?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Demons were cunning and wicked.
The children were exactly as Kadim had feared. None were dead, but none were unharmed either.
"Gaaaaah!! Gaaaaah!!"
"Maatum, Gehenna, Maatum, Golgotha, Maatum, Grimos..."
"Humanity's ruin and death come from the white valley teeming with maggots and bones, where birds that devour eyeballs steal the light of the seers..."
"Don't throw me away!!! Don't go!!! Don't leave me!!!"
Until moments ago, they'd been frozen in the darkness like broken dolls. But as light fell upon them, they began convulsing and shrieking.
"K-Kids? Are you okay? Uh, uh...?"
They showed no sign of understanding. Duncan turned to Kadim with a pale face.
"Wh-What in the world happened here, Master...?"
Kadim didn't answer. There was no time or situation for explanations. Instead, he gave orders for what needed doing now.
"Tell the kids to follow you and lead the way. I'll bring up the rear."
"Y-Yes? But they're all like this... will they even follow me...?"
"...They'll follow."
Kadim bit his lip. It wasn't a method he wanted to use, but he had no choice. He couldn't carry all these kids, nor could he leave the deranged ones and keep roaming the cave.
Thud!
He moved to the rear and slammed the wall hard to draw attention.
"Everyone, look here."
Then he hoisted up the demon's bisected corpse.
"Kyaaaaaaa!!!"
"Uwaaaah!! Uwaaaaaah!!"
"Uhguh, uheuhuh!!"
The children bolted upright, screaming hysterically. Duncan freaked out alongside them. He barely regained his composure and herded the kids.
"F-Follow me, kids! Don't be scared! The demon's already dead. Just stick with Uncle, okay? Good kids?"
"Uhuhuheng, uhuhuheng, Mommy..."
"Uheeeeee..."
The process wasn't pretty, but the result was.
The children stopped screaming or chanting eerie incantations. They meekly clutched at Duncan's sleeves and pant legs, trudging out of the cave. None lagged or hesitated. A massive barbarian carrying the demon's corpse followed behind.
Outside, dawn had already broken. Duncan had never been so glad to see morning sunlight filtering through the leaves. He wiped each child's snot and tear-streaked faces with his cuffs and headed to the village.
At the village edge, parents waited. Fathers cleared their throats and glanced sideways, while mothers ran forward, calling their children's names desperately.
"Amelia!"
"Roni! Roni!!"
"Serin! Are you okay? Not hurt anywhere?"
"Lord Elga, thank you. Thank you..."
It looked like a touching reunion on the surface. In reality, it wasn't. Only the mothers wept with emotion; the children's eyes were vacant as they stared at the ground or wore expressions gripped by alien terror.
The parents soon noticed. Most dismissed it as temporary. The kids probably didn't understand what happened. They were just traumatized from the demon's abduction. They'd recover soon.
Only one person knew better.
Kadim looked up at the sky and let out a short groan. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.
After the reunions, the villagers' gazes shifted to the barbarian.
Blood-soaked, carrying the demon's split-open corpse. He'd truly slain it alone. Overwhelmed by his sheer power and savage appearance, the villagers froze in fear for a moment.
But he was still the benefactor who'd saved their many children. Hesitantly, they approached one by one, bowing and expressing gratitude.
"Thank you so much, sellsword. If not for you, who knows what would've happened to our child..."
"I've got stew with chicken and barley on. You've worked hard—please come to our home and eat first..."
Kadim shook his head firmly.
"Give that meal to the kids who just returned. They've been crying all night without sleep—they must be starving. I need some rest first."
"..."
To survive, he'd cross blood-soaked mires and drink filth without complaint. But if life wasn't at stake, he'd hand his crust of bread to the hungrier one.
It was his final creed to avoid becoming a humanity-less fiend.
Kadim turned his back on the watchful villagers and entered a nearby hut. Time for some overdue sleep.