Chapter 272: Sacrifice (2)

Yuri quickly pulled his foot back. Then, the tentacle that had grabbed his ankle was drawn back underground and disappeared.

“There’s something underneath.”

Yuri pointed Guilty at the ground.

“It’s not just corpses—I think that damn tentacle monster is down there too.”

“Under the ground?”

“Yes.”

Both Laurent and Jared moved cautiously, keeping their eyes on the ground.

“What do you plan to do? We could ignore it and move on.”

“I don’t know…”

Using the vision of the domain of The Cut of the Soul and the Heart, Yuri surveyed the area.

The black magic’s energy was corrupting the earth.

The Empire had sacrificed the inhabitants of this village as an offering to create a creature made of black magic. No—if he remembered that in the past they had summoned a god from another world, perhaps what they had brought here was an entity from another dimension.

Yuri made his decision.

“Let’s catch it.”

“Is that necessary?”

“It wouldn’t hurt to test the kind of enemy we’ll have to face in the future. And besides…”

Yuri’s eyes turned cold.

“It’s the one that devoured all these people. I don’t want to leave it behind.”

“Understood.”

Jared nodded, while Laurent, saying nothing, kept his gaze fixed on the ground.

Yuri once again felt anger toward his brother.

“Cedric…”

He remembered the plan Cedric had shown him—manipulating the world with his own hands to create an ideal that came close to a dream.

But all that, though beautiful on the surface, was nothing more than a facade.

Beneath the soil of those beautiful landscapes lay countless corpses like these.

To Cedric, humans were nothing more than resources to be used and discarded at will.

This village seemed like a harbinger of the future Cedric sought.

“It won’t be weak. Be ready.”

Once resolved to fight, Yuri’s mind began working quickly. This was a monster summoned with the lives of so many people; it couldn’t possibly be weak.

He placed his hand on the ground and waited for some vibration. There was no response.

“Maybe we should wait for the main army,” Jared suggested.

“There’s no need to waste time. I’ll call it out myself.”

Yuri coated Guilty with sword energy and drove it into the ground. Then, the blade struck a buried corpse just below the surface.

“Damn it…”

Muttering a curse, Yuri shifted his position and drove the blade in again, spreading his mana in all directions.

It was a technique possible only thanks to Yuri’s absolute control over his mana. Like a net of fine threads, his energy spread out while keeping precise spacing.

His perception drew a picture of the underground in his mind.

The image of the mangled bodies filled him with rage, but the first priority was locating the unknown monster.

Suppressing his anger, he focused again. Soon, he detected movement.

Yuri sent a sharp vibration through his mana.

“Eh?”

The ground trembled. Laurent and Jared braced themselves.

When Yuri’s mana touched the monster, it surfaced.

Kieee!

Its head was covered in tentacles like an octopus, and its body, with arms as long as an ape’s, warped with tentacles that appeared and disappeared, as if it had no fixed shape.

“That’s it.”

“Ugly thing.”

“They’re all like that.”

While Yuri and Jared exchanged quips, Laurent was the first to charge in.

Ever since he had returned from the curse of black magic, he no longer used his old white mana; a dark energy flowed from the tip of his sword.

His hatred for Cedric and black magic was no less than Yuri’s.

Laurent swung his sword without hesitation. The monster extended its long arm.

A metallic clash rang out.

“…”

The monster caught Laurent’s sword as if it were a mere stick, taking no damage at all. Laurent twisted the blade in annoyance.

Kieee!

The monster let out a shriek that turned into a sonic wave against Laurent.

He tried to pull back, but the creature refused to let go of the sword.

“Tsk…”

Laurent twisted hard to free himself and stepped back a few paces. He had realized that attacking carelessly could cost him his weapon.

“It’s not normal…” said Yuri.

A creature summoned by sacrificing an entire village—killing it would require full commitment.

Yuri raised Guilty and advanced.

“Laurent, distract it.”

“Don’t give me orders.”

Even so, Laurent did exactly what Yuri wanted—circling the monster to draw its attention.

Jared rushed forward.

“Let’s fight together, Sir Laurent!”

“I told you not to call me Sir.”

Splitting into two fronts, Laurent and Jared harassed the monster, dodging its tentacles whenever they lashed out. The creature, enraged, began focusing solely on the two of them.

For Yuri, that confirmed it wasn’t very intelligent; otherwise, it would have been watching for the one hanging back.

Calmly, Yuri gathered sword energy into Guilty, mixing it with the chaotic energy that had already become familiar to him.

Many had warned of the danger of this technique, but for Yuri, who had to stake the fate of the continent against Cedric, it was the most efficient method. He had already accepted any necessary sacrifice.

“Good thing I came.”

He watched the fractal spiral pattern appear along the blade and stepped forward.

He hadn’t chosen to fight out of mere pride, but because Cedric would sacrifice many more lives. When the war truly began, he might even kill all the citizens of the imperial palace to use them as black magic fodder.

If Cedric had sealed a pact with a god from another world, the enemies he would bring forth would be beyond anything seen so far.

He wanted to see if a creature born from the sacrifice of so many people was truly worth it to its summoner.

“Move!”

Yuri shouted and lunged forward.

His figure flashed like lightning. At the moment Laurent and Jared pulled away, his sword slashed at the monster head-on.

Dozens of tentacles bunched together to form a shield, blocking his way—an unprecedented reaction.

It seemed the creature had sensed the magnitude of Guilty’s power.

The blade cut through the tentacles, spraying blood in all directions.

Yuri, pushing through the shredded flesh, reached the creature’s octopus face.

Its unnatural appearance stirred instinctive revulsion, but Yuri didn’t look away. On the contrary, he brought his face even closer and stared straight into its eyes.

The tentacles on its chin stretched toward him, but at that instant the blade sliced between their faces, severing them all in a single stroke.

With his face covered in the monster’s blood, Yuri grabbed it by the neck.

“Can you speak?”

The creature only let out a strange groan. Yuri drove Guilty into its abdomen again.

The monster collapsed.

A bubbling liquid spilled out from inside it.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

“Something’s wrong.”

Yuri, who had subdued the monster, looked at Jared.

Jared’s eyes were dyed black.

“This…”

Jared put a hand to his head and shook it. As if dizzy, he staggered a couple of steps and bent his head low.

Harsh breaths came from his mouth.

Soon, a dark energy began to flow from his body.

“Jared?”

Jared gripped his sword.

At that instant, Laurent struck him in the face.

It was a clean uppercut.

“Ugh!”

From the sudden blow, Jared’s head snapped back sharply, and he was sent flying upward before collapsing to the ground.

Laurent, wearing a cold expression, shook his hand and looked down at him.

“Are you just going to stand there gawking like an idiot?”

“Uuh…”

Jared, groaning on the ground, clutched his jaw. His eyes had returned to normal.

“Still, to hit me…”

“If I hadn’t, you’d already be swinging your sword at us.”

“Mmh…”

“Yuri.”

Laurent turned his body and called out to Yuri.

He no longer spoke to him with formalities and, from time to time, addressed him only by name. To others, it might have seemed disrespectful, but to Yuri it was a sign that they had become friends, and that pleased him.

“What is it?”

“Don’t you feel it?”

“Feel what?”

“That thing is emitting a mental wave. If you stay still, you’ll end up hypnotized and attacking anyone.”

“And you’re fine?”

“This is bearable.”

In fact, Laurent had dealt with black magic countless times. His body had been so saturated with that energy that he apparently now had some degree of immunity.

Yuri called to Jared.

“Is it serious?”

“I let my guard down for a second, and in an instant it got into my head.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m fine now… though my jaw hurts.”

Yuri looked at the monster, which was still convulsing on the ground. Foamy bubbles continued to form from its bubbling bodily fluid.

Just as he was about to kill it, the foam piled up and took the shape of a human figure.

Yuri’s eyes widened.

[Long time no see.]

***

Ever since he had followed Cedric, Cory had devoted himself entirely to perfecting his Dragon Tongue, because Cedric wanted him to. His mastery was incomplete, making it difficult to use effectively.

“Cory.”

“Yes.”

“Can you go to a place called Zveta?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve gathered many test subjects there.”

Cedric smiled. With his allies, he always showed infinite kindness.

“Train there as much as you like. Especially that technique called Execution Order with the Word of Authority. I find it very interesting. Don’t you think you should try it on people?”

“On… people?”

“You will, won’t you?”

Cedric looked straight at him, still smiling. Cory hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Alright…”

“When you perfect it, you’ll be even more important to me, Cory.”

That was how Cory set out for Zveta.

There, a massive internment camp full of prisoners awaited. Most were foreigners, though there were also citizens of the Empire who had shown subversive behavior.

As Cedric’s trusted man, Cory was received with full honors.

Whenever he moved within Zveta, he was escorted by numerous soldiers, and the residents didn’t even dare meet his eyes.

He had never been treated this way before.

By contrast, the prisoners in the camp threw him looks filled with hatred.

“Sir Cory.”

A knight accompanying him spoke.

“How many will you need today?”

“Eh? What?”

“I heard you’re going to test a spell. I can get you as many people as you need.”

“Ah… uh…”

Cory, a bit confused, replied,

“I think… just one will be enough.”

“Only one?”

The knight nodded.

“I think that’s too few, but if you need more, I can bring them.”

“No, one will do for today. I’m not quite ready yet.”

“Understood.”

The imperial knight nodded without expression and left the room.

A while later, he returned with a woman.

“I’ll take my leave.”

The knight exited, and Cory remained looking at the woman, who kept her head lowered.

For some reason, she seemed vaguely familiar.

Frowning, he studied her face.

“Haven’t we met before…?”

“You’re…?”

The woman lifted her head and opened her eyes in surprise.