Chapter 52 - Invasion
-Geshkafo.
-Take good care of my legacy.
"Gasp?!"
Geshkafo startled and sat upright.
"Was that a dream...?"
Kopetal, one of the former Four Heavenly Kings.
It was none other than he who had taken in Geshkafo, born in a barren land and trembling from the cold.
CRACK.
Before the Demon King appeared, Kopetal had even proposed cooperation with the humans on the border, just to survive in the desolate land.
But all he received in return were spears and swords.
The humans who governed the North, especially their leader Selbaro, saw demons merely as beasts lacking reason.
That view wasn't entirely wrong.
Demons were beings inherently accustomed to fighting.
However, precisely because of that, Kopetal had done his utmost.
He had tried to do what an ordinary demon could not.
As a result, Kopetal, having proposed cooperation only to be rejected and witness bloodshed, grew furious with humans.
That was how he became a Heavenly King.
-If I am gone, succeed me in my place.
Geshkafo recalled that trivial request and once again clenched his fist tightly.
"Succeed what?"
If some incompetent fool was occupying the Demon King's seat, he planned to immediately beat him up and restore discipline to the demon race.
He was confident in a war against humans.
He believed he had the ability to do as Kopetal had said.
'I was foolishly defeated.'
He hadn't even had a proper fight with the Demon King.
Everything had gone to waste because that Athanasia person had interfered.
'She was strong.'
That woman pushed him back without even touching him, knocking him unconscious.
She had overwhelmed a candidate to succeed Kopetal, even if not Kopetal himself.
'I can't understand.'
Where did he pick up such a woman?
He didn't know how strong she was, but he clearly had a knack for recruiting people.
There was no need to say more if even Beatrice had gone over to his side.
"You're awake?"
At the sudden words, Geshkafo flinched and looked to his side.
There was a small woman with twin tails.
"W-what is it!"
Geshkafo, completely startled and now fully upright, then realized that shackles were fastened to his wrists and ankles.
"What is this, too!"
"What do you mean 'what'? It's so you don't rampage like this."
She introduced herself to him.
"I'm Rin. A magi-scholar. I mainly conduct forbidden research..."
"What did you say?"
"Kkkk!"
It was then.
Another voice intervened.
"I knew it. Were you trying to rummage through his mind without Golche?"
A massive figure with sluggish movements, covered in stitches as if sewn together, approached.
"The Demon King told you to cooperate with me."
"Ah, seriously."
Rin frowned deeply at Golche's words.
"Disgusting! Don't come any closer!"
"Kekekeke. Saying that just makes me want to torment you more."
"Kyaaaah!"
Geshkafo made a bewildered expression, watching the two chase each other.
"What in the world is this..."
THUMP.
Suddenly, the door opened, and another figure appeared.
"Awake?"
The appearance of a grim reaper.
The Demon King, Clay, who hadn't properly fought Geshkafo, had reappeared.
"Demon King!"
Geshkafo immediately screamed as if struggling.
"You won so cowardly, how shameless!"
"Cowardly?"
"Yes! You called in another person!"
At those words, Clay nodded slightly.
"That's not entirely wrong."
"At least you understand! If so..."
"So what do you want?"
Geshkafo furrowed his brows, looking at Clay, who suddenly had a question mark above his head.
"What?"
"I asked what you wanted."
Geshkafo was speechless, looking at Clay, who showed no change in expression.
After a slight pause, just as Geshkafo was about to open his mouth again.
"Geshkafo."
Clay spoke first.
"I have no intention of wasting time with someone who lacks understanding."
He approached right in front of Geshkafo's nose.
At the sudden overwhelming pressure, Geshkafo froze, unable to do anything.
"Athanasia also came here thinking she could defeat me. What about you? Can you even defeat Athanasia?"
At that question, Geshkafo was dumbfounded.
He had thought Clay had merely recruited Athanasia.
But Clay was saying he had subjugated Athanasia.
Geshkafo let out a hollow laugh for a moment and was about to scoff, asking if he expected him to believe such nonsense, but he paused.
Because Clay's foot was placed on top of his own.
"What are you doing... ACK?!"
Geshkafo, who had just opened his mouth, screamed as his foot felt like it was being crushed.
GROOAAAN.
Clay's foot pressed even deeper into Geshkafo's instep.
Geshkafo writhed in pain, flailing his arms.
Despite being in shackles, he was close enough to grab Clay.
'He's not moving...!'
Like a stake, Clay didn't budge at all.
All Geshkafo could do was scream and struggle to push Clay away.
"Get off! Get off me!"
Geshkafo pounded on Clay's body.
Realizing it was useless, Geshkafo shouted with bloodshot eyes.
"I, I lost! I lost!"
Only then.
SLIDE.
Clay lifted his foot and took a step back.
Geshkafo, unable to support himself with his deeply dented foot, eventually slumped to the ground.
"Ugh, g-ugh, my foot...!"
Golche, nearby, picked up a saw, looking at him muttering wretchedly.
"If it hurts too much, we can just replace it. Kekeke."
"Golche."
Clay calmed him.
"Do what you want to do later."
"Yes, understood. Kek."
Clay, having sent Golche away, sat down next to the slumped Geshkafo.
"Geshkafo."
"..."
"Answer me."
"Y-yes."
SMACK!
Then Rin ran over and smacked Geshkafo on the head.
"Still not back to your senses?! Who are you talking down to?!"
"S-sorry."
Geshkafo apologized without realizing it.
"Geshkafo, I have a question."
Clay questioned him.
"What is the state of the North right now?"
"Huh? S-state, you mean..."
"Exactly."
The North, already a barren land, had barely managed to stay united under Kopetal's influence.
Now that Kopetal was no longer exerting influence, the situation was obvious, but Clay wanted to confirm it.
"Did you take over the North after Kopetal?"
"That's..."
Geshkafo, who had been silent for a moment, avoided eye contact and replied.
"No, I did not."
"You are pathetic."
Clay rebuked Geshkafo.
"You were asked by Kopetal to do so but could not even manage that much? To think you'd try to challenge me without even taking over the North. You're truly worse than a beast."
GRIT.
Even Geshkafo, whose momentum had been broken by those words, couldn't help but frown.
"Good."
But Clay smiled, as if that was precisely the reaction he wanted.
"Even if you submit to me, you need to have the spirit to do your duty."
Then he asked again.
"Tell me everything you know about the North."
♧
"Geshkafo, did that guy really go to find the new Demon King?"
"They say Kopetal designated him as his successor among the Four Heavenly Kings. So he must have gone for that."
"No. He looked like he was going for a fight."
The North was abuzz with talks about the potential showdown between the Demon King and Geshkafo.
"But won't the new Demon King get completely beaten up?"
"Yeah. He seemed like a complete fake. I wonder if he'll die."
The content was filled with mockery, suggesting the new Demon King would be reduced to rags.
BANG!
A loud bang was heard from somewhere, but the nearby demons merely scoffed.
It was an everyday occurrence in the North, after all.
Many even rose from their seats, as if something entertaining had happened.
"Should we go see if there's anything to pick up?"
In a chaotic situation, it was usually fine to knock someone out and pickpocket them.
It was then, as the demons headed towards the commotion.
KABOOOOM!
A demon was flung through the air like a thrown stone and tumbled across the ground.
No, "tumbled" wasn't enough to describe it.
BLOODY PULP.
Something utterly ruined beyond recognition, embedded in a chunk of ice, lay there.
The demons' gazes unanimously turned to one side.
It was towards the border with Hanumeyer.
"What..."
Since the Hero's death, no soldiers from Hanumeyer had crossed this border.
So everyone hadn't paid much attention.
"S-shit!"
"Is it a Hanumeyer knight...!"
As the demons, belatedly tensing and adopting battle stances, looked, a single figure was seen walking through the white smoke.
"W-what is it."
It was a woman.
With white hair reaching her waist, and a small crown on top.
"Royalty?"
As soon as someone blurted that out, the demons' expressions changed.
"It's Hanumeyer's royalty!"
"The royalty crossed over!"
The demons were already grinding their teeth at Hanumeyer, who occasionally crossed the border to slaughter demons.
In this situation, where the relatively fragile-looking royalty seemed to have brought knights with her, no one wanted to miss this opportunity.
"I! I'll kill her!"
"Get out of the way! She's mine!"
"I'm first!"
The demons shoved each other, rushing towards the woman.
However, they were too complacent.
"Ah, how crude."
The woman raised her hand, spreading her fingers, with a gaze that viewed them as trivial.
"It doesn't seem suited as the land that he will rule."
CRACK! SQUELCH! CRACK!
Something generated in the air and instantly flew towards the demons.
"Gasp?!"
The demons, with holes in their chests, belatedly identified what it was.
Ice blades.
The demons raised their heads again, their eyes catching sight of numerous ice blades formed above the woman.
"Bloom like flowers."
CRACK! CRACK-CRACK-CRACK! CRACK!
The demons were impaled by dozens of ice blades, unable to even scream.
"U-ugh, aah!"
"Run!"
Flowers made of ice blades continued to bloom.
After blooming and blooming,
"..."
The surroundings became silent.
"I still don't feel like my full power has recovered."
She, who had arrived here alone, with no knights in sight, folded her fingers into a small fist.
"To recover my power before he arrives, I need to make this my territory."
Having decided so, she vigorously nodded her head.
CRACKLE!
Then, an ice field formed around her and spread outwards.
"P-please save me..."
A demon who was still alive was crushed by the ice field and frozen solid.
CRUNCH!
She walked over and stomped on the frozen demon's head, shattering it.
"You insulted him, didn't you? Him, who even promised to marry me."
SHIIIIIIIISH.
On the land that had instantly become a frozen waste, she gazed far into the distance.
"I'll clean up the trash."
Her words were filled with a chilling cold.
"I alone will be enough as a soldier."