Chapter 146. Dog Father, Dog Son (1)

I eavesdropped on the barbarians' conversations and deduced their tactics, which was useful, but it wasn't enough to completely turn the situation around.

'The most important thing is to strike the head.'

These barbarians harbored some level of 'demonic energy', making them eligible to receive orders from the 'one-armed demon', yet, at their core, they remained human.

Should they lose their leader, the barbarians would surely devolve into disarray without a focal point.

'But can I get in there and kill the commander?'

A sudden sense of unease arose.

While I was confident in my abilities, I couldn't sweep through everything like a storm.

If the commander's power proved stronger than anticipated, it would take longer to deal with him.

That would undoubtedly give the other barbarians time to swarm around me.

Moreover.

'There's the one-armed demon too.'

Casually, I turned my gaze to where the one-armed demon stood.

Being the most formidable foe, a large number of soldiers were stationed there. Furthermore, Zahard and Rinne were present there as well.

'Can Zahard prevail?'

It wasn't that I doubted his skills, but he was someone prone to being easily swayed by personal feelings.

But now wasn't the time to leisurely entertain such thoughts.

Any delay would worsen the situation, and the "Wedge Knights" would seize the opportunity to capture the 'one-armed demon'.

'First, I'll take care of these guys.'

With that thought, I climbed the crumbling watchtower nearby and leapt down toward where the barbarian commander stood.

"Kaahhhhh!"

The barbarians let out an eerie wail as they saw me diving down.

'My concern isn't that.'

Falling from a height, I needed to consider my landing...

'Where would be ideal?'

Instead of landing properly, I decided to use a nearby barbarian's shoulder.

When my foot touched down, the barbarian couldn't bear the weight and stumbled.

"Kraaah!"

A defiant one, indeed.

As he twisted to grab me, I had no choice but to quickly plunge the Moonstone Sword into his neck.

With a gurgle, the barbarian quieted, and something akin to demon's blood began oozing from his mouth.

'Most likely...'

That seemed to be a side effect of housing "demonic energy" through the process of eating demons.

"Kiaaahh!"

When their comrade was felled, the barbarians let out another scream.

It was a raw wail driven by unfiltered instinct and savagery.

Excitement, anger, heightened heat, fear, and dread blended together.

And in response, my own dormant instincts were beginning to awaken.

===

⇒ Emotions have heightened.

⇒ Trait, 'Open Eyes', has manifested.

===

The iconic trademark of the slit-eyed villain, 'Open Eyes'.

Among the emotions exuded by the barbarians, the clearest color was none other than 'fear'.

Already sensing danger from 'Yulian', witnessing his essence-filled gaze pierce them, the barbarians were utterly overwhelmed by his presence, recoiling in terror.

"Take a good look with those cursed eyes. Here's the face of the one who'll deliver your end."

Confidence-filled words I'd never speak under normal circumstances.

Though I knew it was the influence of 'Open Eyes', I was unbothered.

"Via, cha!"

"Viacha, via, cha!"

The barbarians shouted in their language to kill me, but none dared approach.

'It's infectious.'

Fear spreads.

They were frightened out of their wits by witnessing a monster mercilessly slay their comrade.

'I'll charge in and strike swiftly, riding this momentum.'

Just as I was about to slash the nearest barbarian with the Moonstone Sword.

〈Remarkable Intuition〉

A tingling sensation coursed through my entire body.

Crash!

Sensing the danger and retreating, a massive halberd struck where I'd just stood.

'Finally, it appeared.'

The emergence of the final boss, the commander.

He glared at me with fierce eyes, intent on tearing me apart.

The intensity was somewhat piercing, but.

'It doesn't... seem all that dangerous?'

My red eyes, out in the daylight after a long time, fixated undisturbed on the halberd embedded in the ground.

Perhaps because of his higher rank among the other barbarians, the halberd appeared heavy and unwieldy, nearly impossible for a regular person to wield.

Barbarians empowered through eating demons possessed strength befitting the term 'demon', exceeding that of ordinary humans.

This commander seemed like a standout even among such 'barbarians'.

Heh.

Seeing his face brought a smile to mine.

Such a reaction was likely due to the heightened emotions caused by 'Open Eyes'.

The thought of testing my accumulated skills against whatever this foe might reveal was exhilarating.

With a smirking face, as I beckoned with my hand, the commander leapt from his horse, charging at me with a reddened face.

"Graaaah!"

'He's got some brains for a barbarian.'

Nearby barbarians, paralyzed with fear, couldn't even move a finger.

In such a situation, it was natural for morale to completely collapse if the commander fled.

Thus, despite being in a position to be commanding, he chose to charge at me.

Unaware that it was a shortcut to his fate.

Wham.

'And a kick...'

However, there was a lack of finesse in his movements.

A simplistic, straightforward attack.

Despite its lack of "technique," it was laden with immense power, to the extent that such finesse seemed unnecessary.

Evading and distancing myself from his attacks, he promptly drew out the halberd and began chasing me.

Thud, thud, thud.

'Oh. Quite fast, huh?'

To carry such a hefty halberd and still be able to match my speed.

'I should commend him for that.'

===

⇒ The Moonlit sword imbues its light.

⇒ "Moonlit Sword Energy" is activated.

===

Fortunately, I possessed the finesse he lacked.

Directly confronting the straight-charging foe, I unleashed sword energy infused with aura.

Shwooo—

Unleashing the might of the 'Moonlit Sword', the sword energy cleaved through the air toward the commander.

Relying on his "demonic energy" imbued body and formidable physicality, he attempted a rugged deflection with his fist.

Or, rather, he tried to.

Crk-crack─!

"Graaaaah!"

If it had been the sword energy once wielded by the old 'Sword Saint', there might've been a chance of deflecting it with a toughened body.

But this was sword energy bearing the "Moonlit Sword's" properties.

The aura, rotating akin to serrated blades, dealt even more grievous damage the harder the target.

"Haha, a sight to see."

A chainsaw-like gash appeared on his fist, and approaching the reeling barbarian, I began swinging my sword indiscriminately.

"Uuuuugh...!"

He defended against each strike with his halberd.

Protecting critical areas with a hunched posture, he managed to fend off fatal injuries.

Raising the Moonstone Sword to break through that defense, the commander swiftly charged, striking my hand with the halberd's handle.

Thud!

"Ugh."

A sting of pain.

Fortunately, I didn't lose grip of the Moonstone Sword, but a slight gap had formed.

Seizing the opening came the savage strike of the marauding halberd head.

I'll retract my earlier statement about a lack of finesse.

'He doesn't even know what finesse means.'

Thunk ──!

I swiftly drew Sombra—no, "Angelica"—from my coat and plunged it into his side.

"Graaaaaah!"

Overwhelmed by the searing pain, he finally let out a howl he'd been suppressing with a furrowed brow.

Finesse is a skill.

Creating the illusion of an opening is also a skill.

Angelica has recovered, and with the Moonstone Sword, I severed the commander's knee.

A single sweep.

"Grrruk...!"

Foaming at the mouth, wincing, yet the large form remained upright.

Stubbornness will break under pressure.

The second sweep.

Whish ── thump!

With the succeeding attack, the barbarian commander finally fell to his knees.

The barbarians watching the scene attempted to rush forward to save him, but stopped the moment I placed my blade to his throat.

"Barely... barely a barbarian."

The commander addressed me as a 'barbarian'.

"You speak the common language of the continent?"

I remarked, feigning surprise as I looked at the commander.

"A moment ago, that shadow..."

Shadow? Ah! He must mean Angelica.

"You're a demon, yet you know our tongue."

So what?

"You are like us, why are you there?"

Like them...

In truth, it's not entirely inaccurate.

Even if I chalked up learning the northern barbarians' language to a fleeting fandom.

The capability to accept the 'demon', Angelica, likely stems from the northern blood coursing through me.

Since my mother, Milena, hailed from the north.

Sure, he was correct—he wasn't wrong.

However, it wasn't a matter that needed soul-searching.

Thunk!

Providing no verbal reply to the commander's remark, I simply drove my sword into his neck.

Even as blood flowed down the Moonstone Sword, vivid moonlight continued to shine from the blade.

"Phew..."

Maybe because I maintained "Open Eyes" for so long, fatigue started to set in, and a sigh unconsciously escaped my lips.

However, this wasn't the time for rest. The battle wasn't over yet.

As that realization reignited emotions momentarily dulled by fatigue.

There were still many foes to deal with...

"Kiaahhh!"

Fortunately, I didn't need to unleash the violence building in my chest. The barbarians, having lost their commander, were retreating.

'Hoo.'

Another sigh.

This time, tinged with slight relief.

'... The one-armed demon?'

With the barbarians mostly subdued, it meant all that remained were the demons.

As I turned my gaze to where the one-armed demon was last seen, to my dismay, the situation wasn't resolved.

If anything, the "one-armed demon" seemed to be overpowering Zahard.

***

― Those eyes, filled with disappointment because I couldn't become a knight, I thought I had forgotten...

'That is a demon mimicking a human.'

Zahard repeatedly reminded himself in his mind.

Not to heed those words.

Though he continuously tried to rouse himself internally, the demon's words began engraving themselves into his psyche.

― You looked at me with eyes filled with disdain, didn't you!

Each time the demon's overpowering right arm reached him, it felt as though a piece of his heart was being chipped away.

Yet, for some reason, Zahard's aura began to grow clearer.

'Is this demon really my son?'

Mapedralling his aura over the demon's body, Zahard sought it out to discover it.

A demon.

This is a demon.

He should have convinced himself of this.

― Why don't you draw your sword? Are you pitying me?

The beast-like voice, steeped in resentment, sounded so much like Razid when he was alive that Zahard couldn't easily wield his sword.

If this demon truly possessed the spirit, the soul of 'Razid', then by killing the demon would be akin to taking his son's life a second time.

Of course, he understood he had to do this, but he struggled to compel his body to move.

As the one-armed demon howled, raising its massive right arm to strike him down.

Thud──!

― Graaaaaah!

Thankfully, just before the blow fell, someone interposed themselves.

"Sir Zahard, get a grip!"

'This aura... Rinne, it's her.'

Noticing Zahard standing dazed while she was dealing with the surrounding demons, she interjected herself to assist.

"A parasitic demon is deceiving you using memories of the past!"

... He knew that.

"So finish it!"

Who would've thought he'd be so susceptible to sentiment?

Before standing in front of the one-armed demon, Zahard couldn't have known. Perhaps he knew from the moment he first encountered it.

Because the situation now mirrored back then.

Thunk!

At some point, Rinne had driven her sword into its side.

The demon writhed to shake her off.

'I should, I should be moving.'

In a self-recriminatory thought, as it crossed Zahard's mind, a moonlit sword strike pierced the demon's shoulder.

"If you can't handle it, didn't I tell you to step aside?"

A voice distinctively filled with arrogance.

Even without recognizing the aura's nature, it was apparent who it was.

Despite the demon frothing at the mouth and thrashing its sole arm, neither Rinne nor Yulian were easily shaken off.

"A son becoming a demon creating this mess, and a father unable to handle it. The term tiger father and tiger son doesn't fit here. It's more like dog father, dog son."

It was a severe criticism.

It brought him to his senses.

Whether the one before him was a parasitic demon or Razid, the situation was beyond turning back.

'I have to end it. That was the resolve... I made.'

With resolve in his grip, while employing 'aura',

Zahard located where the demon's core resided.

Just above the dantian.

With a final wish and regret in his heart, he thrust his sword toward that point.

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