+++ Calamity of Cowardice +++

"I am Lieutenant Hans Hoffman of the 1st Anti-Demon Unit, attached to the Ygeian Expeditionary Force. We are here to offer you a chance to parley. Come to our custody, and you shall not be harmed."

"What are you—"

"I am Lieutenant Hans Hoffman of the 1st Anti-Demon Unit, attached to the Ygeian Expeditionary Force. We are here to offer you a chance to parley. Come to our custody, and you shall not be harmed."

"Are you mocking me?"

"I am Lieutenant Hans Hoffman of the 1st Anti-Demon Unit, attached to the Ygeian Expeditionary Force. We are here to offer you a chance to parley. Come to our custody, and you shall not be harmed."

Cowardice couldn't believe what she was seeing. This thing, this machine, and the man inside it—it was simply advancing toward her like a lifeless creature. Did it not fear death? Pain? What was it?

It was no angel, like the one who nearly killed her earlier, no, this was merely an underling. Yet such boldness…

"Is this…but a professional formality for you?" Cowardice muttered, the pain in her body flaring as she turned fully to face him. "Does my weapon…"

She tried to pull her molten flail, but her muscles ached so much that it was impossible.

"Do I not register an ounce of fear in you?"

"Surrender, and this will end," the monstrosity demanded before her. "It's a simple decision, Cowardice."

"I…I am not a coward."

"Your knees…"

She narrowed her eyes painfully.

"What of it?"

"It trembles."

With those words, Cowardice felt her energy collapse, as her body hair, whatever remained of it, rose and a cold tingle shot up her spine.

The 1st Anti-Demon Unit, the Ygeian Expeditionary Force, and this man—Lieutenant Hans Hoffman—they were an immense professional force.

Was it true then, that they who had ascended from the mere frivolities of common mankind, now beaten again by mortals?

On her knees, she stared at the machine as it stopped. Out of it came a young man in uniform she didn't recognize. He looked at her coldly with his blue eyes, as he brandished a gun resembling that of a short musket, yet jet black.

"If you're asking about formalities," the man said, as he aimed his gun at her. "Consider this an extra term once you accept being in our custody."

"P-please," she squeaked out. "I surrender."

A barrage of gunfire struck her, and before she knew it, she was blind to everything.

Then, she found her body taking in shot after shot, more than a hundred bullets, each of them interspaced in waves of thirty rounds each. When all was said and done, she had practically no AP left to resist. After every attack she tanked, especially from the feared 'Angel of Justice', now, everything left was gone.

She felt her body collapsing like a pathetic sack of potatoes on the fields, her blood flowing warmly on the ground below.

"You made the right choice, Lady Cowardice."

Then, she felt her consciousness fading.

+++

[1 CALAMITY DEMON SUBJUGATED!]

[LEVEL UP! NOW LVL.39!]

[PROGRESS TO LVL. 40: 35%]

[AVAILABLE AP: 8900 PTS]

Heh…so only one level left before a mech upgrade.

That was good. Considering they were about to race to the Imperial Capital soon.

"Now, about this…"

Hans knelt close to the knocked-out form of the calamity demon in front of him. Gingerly, he poked her cheek with his gun.

"No response…" he grinned, now imagining every possibility that may come from this. "Haha, finally, I got one of you bastards! I've been waiting for this day—!"

"Hans!"

Adelyn's voice reverberated as her mech drifted to a hard stop. Then, she emerged from the hatch, and she was running at him, clearly frightened.

"I know we knocked her dead, but get off there! One swipe, and she might kill you!"

"Don't worry about it. It's clear she accepted defeat."

"Huh?"

"Get the rest of the expeditionary force to begin the restraining phase."

"We'll…w-we'll actually do that?"

"Yes."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"I see."

Soon, Emilia and Valeria, including the Empress alongside a bunch of Royal Guard knights arrived. Hans stood in the background, lighting up a cigar from Terra, which he still had, while behind him, they conducted a multitude of torturous rituals and spells to fully ensure that the calamity was restrained.

Chains that pierced her body. Cuts so deep that it nearly amputated her limbs. Her eyes were gouged out. Everything, they did it, before placing her in a magically reinforced cage. Even if she woke up within an hour, she wouldn't be able to do anything.

Her body would be quite literally busy repairing all the heinous wounds they inflicted on her before it could even think of fighting.

And so, as the day passed, with the rest of the lesser demons cleared out methodically by the rest of the 1st Anti-Demon Unit, Hans found himself victorious. He died in her trap once, and yes, she didn't die.

But arguably, by being a coward who refused to fight to her death, her fate became worse.

"I…" Emilia looked at the cage, her face pale. "I can't believe I can actually do something like this."

"I had fun," Valeria grinned.

"Isn't using my cryofreeze rounds for this a bit overkill?" Adelyn mumbled.

"Shit, if it weren't for the fact that this bastard killed hundreds of thousands of people, I would have felt pity," Jonas cracked a grin as he looked at their masterpiece.

Hans on the other hand stared at her brutalized, and mangled body.

"She looks like she's in the perfect interrogation condition," Hans said.

And soon, the creature and her cage were pulled out of the battlefield by a group of land dragons, under heavy escort.

+++

Astelia City

August 3, 1539 CE

"Well, the piss stain still refuses to wake up," General Kohler angrily grunted.

It had already been a week since the woman named 'Calamity of Cowardice' was captured by mankind. Her arrival leaked to much of the general public rather quickly, even when the Ygeian Expeditionary Forces tried its best to keep the matter hush-hush.

Unfortunately, it almost caused a bout of panic and paranoia in Astelia and the rest of Asfaleia, but the Imperial Army managed to largely subdue the public unrest.

Now, it was decided that the Calamity of Cowardice would be kept on a newly renovated and upgraded fortress—Fort Knox. They had diverted immense resources, equipment, weapons, magical artifacts, and precious specialized mages just for the project of containing one monster.

But it was all worth it. They have already observed her for the past few days. Every time her body tried to heal itself with its powerful demonic abilities, it was unable to do so with the amount of damage their measures inflicted, and continued to inflict.

In other words, she was effectively sealed.

"Does that mean we'll have to reduce the severity of the sealing measures?" Ebert asked, and Hans frowned.

"Quite frankly, that would be an unfortunate requirement," Hans said. "It might risk her breaking the measures we put in place. That wouldn't be acceptable."

"I mean, even if she did, it's not like she'll get that far," Elisa spoke at last. "Besides, I think we've been so overzealous, that, quite literally, she wouldn't even be able to speak if she woke up."

"Right. Whose bright idea was it to stab three blades from below her mouth straight to her tongue?"

"Well," Hans winced a bit. "I just thought we needed to place permanent damage on as much surface area as possible."

"Yeah, maybe we can remove that part," Jonas nervously laughed.

"On that matter, I've been informed that you told her that she won't be harmed if she surrendered," General Kohler said, frowning. "Is that right, Lieutenant Hoffman?"

Hans stiffly nodded.

"Yes sir. Though, of course, considering she's a calamity demon, it's only fair that we're flexible in our terms."

"Uh-huh…"

They were soon rudely interrupted from their meeting when an aide of General Kohler knocked on the door. General Kohler of course said, 'Enter', and the aide went in, saluting.

"Report from Fort Knox! Cowardice is awake!"

+++

"I…I thought I wouldn't be harmed…"

Hans stood outside the darkly lit chamber as Cowardice rasped. While her eyes were still stabbed in place, her mouth was now freed, allowing her to speak at the very least. She still couldn't move though.

Even the lightest twitch would make her rip her heinous wound, and blood would drip on the already blood-soaked floor. It was like she was placed inside a cage with a thousand sharp blades permanently lodged into her.

"Well, yeah," Hans neutrally replied. "Consider this an extra formality."

"What…do you want…from me? I just…want this to end…"

"Color me surprised. So you wish to be freed from this misery now?"

"...Do you not understand? Do I look…like I'm enjoying this…?"

"All the other calamities before you seemed like they didn't mind the pain. Then again, they weren't kept like this. They died rather quickly when they finally lost."

"...My only role was to kill her…I failed in my task. I can't even…"

Tears, mixed with blood, streaked down her cheeks.

"I just want out…"

"I can imagine all the people you killed thought the same. Yet you seemed like you enjoyed fighting, a lot. You even arrogantly strode into this fate."

You even killed me quite brutally too.

"...Again, what do you want? Just have mercy, please…"

"You really are a coward. You'll bend just because of the pain?"

"..."

Hans heard murmurs from behind.

"Geez, this partner of yours, he seems truly sadistic."

"Guess that makes him the best interrogator."

"I was planning to do it myself, but this kind of mental torture seems better than what I had planned."

"H-hey, Hans isn't that awful. He's just asking questions!"

That brief defense from Adelyn made Hans feel a little better. Truth be told, he was somewhat of a last option for this role, considering the danger involved.

But, that was precisely why Hans chose to be here. Even in the worst-case scenario, he'd simply die and reboot. In fact, he intended for this. He'll repeat whatever loop may result from this decision endlessly until he gets what he wants.

"Then speak," Hans coldly said. "Where is each one of the remaining calamities? Where is Hubris, Hate, and Avarice?"

"They're all…in the Imperial Capital."

"What are they doing over there?"

"Serving in the Holy Church. They've…taken over."

"Wild. But I see. What of the pope's plan? What does he intend to do? Why did he take the Imperial Capital hostage?"

"Y-you know?"

"Speak."

"What even awaits me once this is all over? Will this pain end?"

"You'll find out once you answer me."

Cowardice took a pause, clearly in great pain. Then, her hoarse voice finally came out.

"Hubris…he intends to consume everyone in the Imperial Capital…to attain true immortality. To become the one and only Death God."

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