Chapter 123: The Hunt for the Second Son (5)
Hugo Les Baskerville asked.
"..., son, what are you doing there?"
An expressionless face. The tone so casual.
It's like a father coming out of a bar and seeing his son on the side of the road.
Hugo's casual tone was calm enough to make Andromalius continue his mimicry of the set.
[Ah, father, you're here on business...!?]
Andromalius' face lit up, and then he realized what was happening.
He was now in demonic form.
A demon that had taken over Set's body.
He's been seen. He had been caught.
There's no point in trying to mimic it anymore, since he's been caught right there on the spot.
But the way Hugo looked down at Andromalius was as consistent as ever.
Trash.
It didn't matter if it was Set or Andromalius, Andromalius with Set's body, or Andromalius with Set's soul.
At some point, the unpleasant object becomes invisible.
Hugo was looking down at Andromalius with such a gaze now.
"You look terrible, my son."
Hugo said, still with the same horrible indifference.
For a moment, Andromalius gritted his teeth.
["Son, son, don't do it. How dare you mock me on a human subject!"]
Andromalius' anger exploded at Hugo for daring to call him son when he knew better.
...that moment.
[...!?]
Andromalius felt the snake on his left arm stiffen as he reached for Hugo.
"What?
Andromalius started to surge out of the cavity, but stopped.
His feet were tingling like rats.
With Hugo in front of him, he was frozen in place.
'Why is my body stiffening? Why?'
Andromalius is the king of the demons. Ten demons who crossed over to the human realm to bring about an age of destruction.
But why does he freeze at the sight of a mere mortal?
'Fear? That's impossible. Even if you're a Sword Master, you're just a human in the end!'
Nevertheless, Andromalius found himself unable to move.
As much as he hated to admit it, it was obvious that this uncontrollable emotion surging within him was fear.
Andromalius finally understood the phenomenon.
I'm not afraid, but I'm afraid? It sounds strange, but it's possible.
Andromalius was clearly not afraid of Hugo.
The problem was the body.
Set Les Baskervilles.
His body is afraid of Hugo.
Andromalius's mouth is half open in disbelief.
A dog is an animal that cannot move before its master.
It is their destiny to go when their master calls them, even if they know they will die.
'But he died a long time ago.'
Andromalius thought.
But the fear that Set felt for Hugo was beyond his imagination.
A fear that was imprinted in his bones. A fear he would never forget, even in death.
And it was affecting the next user of the body, Andromalius.
'Oh, no, no, no, no, this is off the table! I have to move fast...!'
Andromalius's face showed his impatience.
He turns his head and sees the river in the distance.
All I have to do is burst the dam in front of me and draw the water into this cave, and it will be over.
But the corpse's feet, already frozen, don't move at all.
They're even shaking, making it difficult to stand on the ramp.
Andromalius is just rolling his eyes.
"...I'm sorry."
An unfamiliar voice rang out.
Andromalius looked up, and there was Osiris.
He was shaking his head with an expression he had never seen before.
"I'm sorry, brother. I didn't expect you to be so crowded."
Hearing this, Andromalius was filled with joy.
So he turned his face to Set's and cried out mournfully.
[It's all because of you that I'm like this! If only you'd acknowledge me! If only you'd guided me to the right path, I wouldn't be like this! I wouldn't have sold my soul to the devil!]
"...."
With those words, Osiris shakes his head, his expression even more somber.
Andromalius was about to move when he realized that the direction Osiris was standing was the only way out.
...Pfft!
A dagger pierces his back, protruding from his breastplate.
[What the hell, this asshole is doing it again...!]
Andromalius cried out, spewing black blood from his mouth.
Before he knew it, Vikir, who had approached from behind, had driven his sword through Andromalius' spine.
"I'm used to rock climbing."
He'd spent days and days climbing on the way to raid Madame's nest, so he was good at it.
Vikir lifted his head and looked up at Osiris above.
He had once thought Osiris cold-blooded, without blood or tears, but now that he had grown older, he could see his true colors.
Vikir said.
"Don't pay any attention to what he says, brother."
"...!"
Osiris looked up.
Vikir spoke briefly.
"Brother Set has already died in childhood, and this demon has only been acting, hiding in his skin."
It was half a lie, but there was no way to prove it, so what the hell.
Given the circumstances, I can't say much more.
As Vikir comforted Osiris, he placed three or four more stabs into Andromalius' body.
Only when Andromalius stretched out the snake on his left arm to counterattack did Vikir fall backwards, kicking off the rock wall and onto the ceiling.
Then, Vikir and Hugo's gazes met.
Nod.
Hugo nodded.
He was the Lord of Baskerville, but he was not authorized to call upon the dogs of Baskerville at this time.
Half a day.
For half a day, Vikir is their master.
That was what Hugo had promised when he brought the Pomeranian to him.
Vikir glanced up.
The moon in the dark clouds was slowly falling.
Until its light faded and the dawn's first rays rose, all of the Ironbloods belonged to Vikir.
Then the master gave the hounds their first command.
"Bite and kill."
The target is self-explanatory.
"Heh heh heh... ... You're cutting through all the demons like that in my life."
"A demon of the highest rank. This will be a good experience."
Count Boston Terrier and Count Great Dane sheathed their swords.
All the seven counts, who were just gathering at the family to see Vikir, draw their swords at once, and terrifying killing intent burst forth.
Thud.
Osiris Les Baskervilles, a young master of the Iron Blood Sword Family, also drew his sword.
A brotherly love that has never been shown because it is clumsy in expressing emotions.
When Osiris touches his sword, it spreads to a pale bloody color.
It fluttered.
And then. The black robes fluttered in the wind.
Seven hundred Graduators, led by the Seventh Count, raised their swords.
Puff-puff-puff-puff-puff!
Andromalius's entire body began to explode.
Slash, slash, slash. Stab, stab, stab.
Countless fierce teeth oviposited Andromalius' entire body.
Andromalius was immobilized by Madame's poison and the fear of his body's original owner.
[Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]
Andromalius unleashed his demon power with all his might.
Countless bloodsucking flies were unleashed.
A family of grave-dwellers. The great insects that once ruled this world soared high into the air.
But they could not rise too high, pickled in the water that ran down the cave walls, the groundwater tainted with spider venom.
Thud.
Even more so after Osiris' sword split Andromalius' spirit body and Set's body in half at the same time.
[...urgh!?]
As Set's head flew into the air, Andromalius' head was also severed.
It was a fitting end for a man who had brought the continent to the brink of destruction before his regression.
And now. The situation was settled.
Each Knight made their way into the training hall where Set had been staying.
With Set gone, it was easy for anyone to enter the training hall.
The foul smell of magic and poison, the corpses of flies, and the bones of children strewn about were enough to make anyone cringe.
"You've done it again."
"He's my nephew, and he's amazing. I'm so proud of him."
Boston Terriers and Great Danes come up to pet Vikir's head, showing off their inner faces.
The other Seven Counts also sneak up on Vikir, pretending to know him, and showering him with praise and compliments.
"...."
Meanwhile, Hugo and Osiris are silent as they look into the depths of the training hall.
Countless strewn bones, strewn miasma, the rotten and twisted interior of the cave.
"...is this the inside of Baskerville."
Hugo's voice rose from the depths of his lungs.
He didn't show it, but he, himself, seemed shocked.
Is it because of the corruption and death of the second son, or is it about a mighty demon hiding nearby, or both?
I don't know what else is in his mind. No, maybe even himself.
Osiris's mind, on the other hand, was a little easier to read than Hugo's.
"...Set."
Osiris stared into the deep pool where Set supposedly resided.
A cold, narrow, lonely den. Was this where Set had spent all those years sharpening his sword and harboring his poison?
Osiris thought back to the long years of Set's training.
Where had it all gone so wrong.
Then.
Vikir stepped forward.
"You have nothing to blame yourself for, brother. This is all the work of demons."
But Osiris shook his head.
"No. I'm just as guilty of giving the demon a chance. I am to blame. Set has been a great admirer of mine since he was a child."
The confession was somewhat surprising coming from his mouth. Vikir's eyes widened a little, but he didn't show it.
Osiris spoke, a hint of sadness radiating from his expressionless face.
"It is the second thing to feel sorry for the corruption and death of flesh and blood. Prior to that, the people of Baskerville, the children who would become the future of the family, had been sacrificed so many times... ... And I regret that I have been neglecting it until now."
"...."
On that point, Vikir could only nod.
But this happened even before the regression. It wasn't something that could be stopped.
... Just then.
"What!"
A member of the Pit Bull Knights shouted in the distance.
Staffordshire Baskerville. The knight who assisted Vikir in the past stretched out his sword and shouted.
"Enemy, the enemy is alive, fleeing!"
At those words, more than seven hundred eyes turned in unison to one place.
It was the mask that underestimated the amazing vitality unique to demons.
[Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, you stupid hounds! Die!]
Andromalius was fleeing with only his head.
He stretched his winged serpent tail down the cut side of his neck and flew away at tremendous speed. Toward the river in the distance.
[The time to open the gate will be delayed, but it can't be helped! That's what the other brothers will do! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha-]
Andromalius cursed at the Baskervilles and charged toward the dam.
....
...No, he was not going to run.
Thwack-
He would have if Hugo hadn't drawn his longsword from his belt.
...Flash!
A sound like explosives, a strike faster than lightning.
In that brief moment, every knight in Baskerville saw it.
Seven crimson thunderbolts, powerful enough to split the sky into seven pieces.
It evaporated a thick layer of dark clouds in an instant and aimed for Andromalius beyond.
[hahahaha... ha?]
Andromalius didn't even finish laughing.
digig-
He disintegrated in midair without leaving a single scrap of meat behind.
Even his soul was shredded to pieces.
"...."
All the swordsmen of Baskerville were humbled by Hugo's incredible strength.
Even the Seventh Count and Osiris the young master, stared at Hugo's back with trembling pupils.
Meanwhile. Hugo muttered as he looked up at the sky split into seven pieces.
"...mustache. I'll shave it."
It seemed that he was remembering the only traces of Roxana and Penelope, who had parted a long time ago, and the only traces of their reunion.
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