Chapter 26: As a Murderer, It Should Be Fine if I Kill You Here—Wouldn't It?
Alcides snapped his head up, his sharp gaze shooting toward the church bell tower.
Despite the distance of hundreds of meters and the obstructions of the night and buildings, Olga Marie could clearly feel that the killing intent and fury in that gaze were almost tangible enough to form blades.
She let out a "Heh," the corners of her mouth curling into a mocking arc.
"His reactions are quite fast."
Flat also noticed Alcides shifting his gaze.
"Miss Olga Marie, he seems to have found you."
"Let him find me," Olga Marie said dismissively. "Do you think I'm afraid of him?"
"That's true..."
Flat nodded and turned his gaze back to the street.
By this time, Alcides was clearly thoroughly enraged.
The frustration from the Gobi earlier that day, the humiliation of having his arrow easily crushed just now, and the nauseating, omnipresent gaze of that god.
All his fury blended together, boiling in his chest like magma.
"Aaaaaah—!"
He tilted his head back and let out a roar, dark red magical energy erupting from his body.
The wind pressure triggered by the surge of magical energy radiated outward from him, whipping up dust and gravel from the ground to form a small whirlwind.
The police officers were tossed about by this sudden magical shockwave. Several standing nearby were blown away entirely, slamming heavily against walls with dull thuds.
Amidst the chaos, Alcides moved.
Ignoring the police, he launched a charge toward Olga Marie.
His speed was extreme; every step he took left cobweb-like cracks on the asphalt, leaving a trail of afterimages behind him.
The twenty-eight monsters belonging to the police department, holding various weapons that could be called Noble Phantasms, attempted to intercept him.
But weapons alone were clearly not enough for them to fight Alcides. Upon the moment of contact, they were easily repelled, rendered unable to rise again.
Consumed by rage and hatred, Alcides had no intention of wasting time with them. His mind was filled only with Olga Marie, who was close at hand, as he commanded:
"Cerberus! Tear them apart!"
The Hellhound growled as it closed in on the group from the police station.
Just as Alcides was about to have the Hellhound end their lives, a group of middle-aged male officers—all identical in appearance and dress—suddenly emerged from nowhere, attacking the approaching Hellhound and Alcides with pistols.
"This is..."
Alcides looked up.
"Humans?"
Numerous figures continuously emerged from the shadows of stairwells, the corners of corridors, and every nook and cranny.
They wore identical deep blue police uniforms, were of medium build, and looked exactly the same.
In just a few seconds, their numbers exceeded fifty.
And they were still increasing.
Bullets poured onto Cerberus and Alcides.
"..."
Alcides knit his brows.
This kind of attack couldn't wound him, but it was annoying.
Cerberus opened its three mouths simultaneously, and eerie blue flames erupted like three intersecting pillars of fire, sweeping through the crowd.
"Whoosh—!!"
Wherever the flames passed, the clone police officers were instantly vaporized by the high temperature, leaving not even ashes behind.
A single round of fire cleared nearly a third of their numbers.
However, even more clone police officers stepped out from the shadows.
It was as if they could never be killed off; as soon as one batch died, another immediately took its place.
Expressionless and moving in perfect unison, they continued to raise their guns and fire.
"..."
Cerberus was clearly provoked.
It let out a low growl from all three heads, the eerie blue flames regrouping in its mouths, preparing for another sweep.
"Cerberus."
Alcides spoke, his voice low.
The Hellhound paused, all three heads turning toward him.
"Stop playing around, you foolish beast."
Cerberus bared its forest of white teeth in dissatisfaction from all three heads simultaneously.
It shook its heads, broke free from Alcides's chain, and began to accelerate, lunging and biting.
Its massive frame crushed the clone police officers along its path, plowing a blood-soaked trail through the crowd.
The sounds of gunfire and shattering bones mixed together.
Atop the church bell tower.
Flat leaned over the railing, staring unblinkingly at the chaotic scene near the hospital, occasionally letting out exclamations like "Wow," "Oh," or "That's amazing."
"Miss Olga Marie, look at that three-headed dog! It runs so fast!"
"Oh."
"So why stop me from acting? Clearly, if I just lent a hand, everything would be resolved very quickly."
Flat glanced at her and flashed a smile. "I already said, just have a good rest today! Besides, Mr. Berserker is performing quite well, isn't he?"
"So reckless... I don't understand what you're thinking at all."
Olga Marie responded half-heartedly.
Below them, dust filled the air and firelight flickered.
Severed limbs and broken bodies were everywhere, flesh and blood flying—it was like a living hell on earth.
This caused the group of police officers, who had finally caught their breath and stood up, to frown, their stomachs churning.
"Who on earth are they?"
"They all look the same?"
"Are they magecraft puppets? Or Servants?"
Just then, a footstep echoed through the dust.
It drew everyone's gaze.
A clone police officer walked out of the smoke.
Like the other clones, he wore a deep blue uniform, his eyes dull.
But as he passed by the police officers, he suddenly spoke:
"We were already demons from hell; being torn apart by the Hellhound is only fitting."
He looked at Alcides, a strange light appearing in his previously dull eyes.
"And you."
"The fallen Great Hero."
"Since you deny your own past, deny your glory as a god and a hero—"
He raised his gun, pointing it at Alcides.
"—then I can view you as a human, as well?"
Alcides watched him in silence, a low hum coming from beneath the pelt.
"Who are you?"
"Me?"
The clone split his mouth open, revealing a distorted smile.
"I am merely an insignificant murderer, nothing more."
The moment his words fell, his body began to disintegrate.
His skin cracked, his clothes shattered and peeled away in flakes.
Underneath the peeling parts, what was revealed was not flesh and blood, but something darker and more chaotic.
The last piece of human skin fell away, and in its place stood a pitch-black figure nearly two and a half meters tall, dressed in a well-fitting suit.
He had a humanoid silhouette, but his body was pure blackness.
A single demonic wing unfurled from his back, spanning over four meters, flapping in the air.
He had no facial features, only a pair of crimson eyes staring at Alcides.
"Now then—"
The pitch-black figure gripped his cane, his knuckles cracking.
"As a murderer, it should be fine if I kill you here—"
He split his mouth into a predatory grin.
"—wouldn't it?"