Chapter 71 - The Blood-Stained God
Meanwhile, in Yafenon.
The soldiers of Krata, who arrived late at the completely devastated capital, were each letting out sighs of dismay.
"They're all, all dead."
"Another disaster…"
"We're too late."
Yafenon was a member of the Holy Kingdom Alliance. Despite this, Krata's Emperor Lutan had not immediately sent reinforcements.
It was a small mercy that the Demon King's army had not occupied the land of Yafenon and had returned, but the result was gruesome.
'It's horrible.'
The Knight of Krata, Pendel, who was leading the soldiers, swallowed hard.
The buildings were burned to ashes, and corpses were strewn around like garbage.
'The Demon King really appeared.'
The story that the executed hero had not died and had returned as the Demon King was enough to make Pendel, who was just a low-ranking knight, shudder.
'What on earth is he thinking?'
The only thing Lutan had sent to the site of such an unprecedented event was a few hundred soldiers led by a low-ranking knight.
'It's not a small number, but…'
The composition was the problem. There were few experienced soldiers here. Most of them were greenhorns being sent to a place like this for the first time.
Moreover, the only one leading these soldiers was a low-ranking knight—himself. It was by no means a normal troop composition.
'Well, maybe I'm overthinking it.'
The Demon King's army had already retreated, and all that was left was ruins. The only thing to do would be to help with Yafenon's reconstruction.
"Alright, stop talking and move! Look for survivors, and put out any fires that are still burning!"
Pendel had just finished organizing his thoughts and was giving orders to the soldiers.
RUMBLE.
Suddenly, the ground began to vibrate.
"Wh-what is it?" "Is it an earthquake?"
Pendel quickly turned his gaze, seeing the soldiers muttering with uneasy expressions.
'No, this is…!'
Even as a low-ranking knight, Pendel, who had constantly trained himself, could feel it. This was not an earthquake.
CRACKLE!
Something was rising up.
"Th-the ground is collapsing!" "Run!" "Aaaahhhhh!"
The ground, which had been cracking like a spiderweb, began to collapse instantly. The soldiers, whose faces had turned pale, ran in every direction and fell into the newly formed pit.
"E-everyone, get away!"
To the soldiers who were already running, all Pendel could do was shout for them to run faster.
"Agh!" "Aaaah!"
In the meantime, dozens of soldiers disappeared below the collapsed ground. In front of the flustered Pendel, one soldier, with his hands gripping the edge of the pit, shouted.
"P-please save me!"
Pendel saw it.
The way the soldier's body instantly shriveled.
No, to be exact, the process of his body turning into a pale corpse as all his blood was drained.
"Wh-what!"
The startled Pendel stumbled backward and fell.
『This place is full of fresh blood for me.』
Step.
In the frozen gaze of Pendel, a crimson figure that had just climbed up from the pit was visible.
Step, step.
The figure looked like red liquid had taken on a human shape. Every time he took a squelching step, drops of red liquid fell.
"Gasp, gasp."
That red liquid was none other than blood. The metallic smell pierced his nose, and Pendel was so overwhelmed by fear that he could only crawl backward.
"Sh-shit!" "What is that!" "It's a monster!"
In the meantime, the soldiers, unable to overcome their sudden fear, instead raised their swords and spears.
『…Foolish.』
The Lord of Blood turned his body toward them.
『I have answered the call, yet why do the offerings bare their teeth?』
Offering.
At that word, Pendel's eyes went wide.
'Offering?'
Only then did his eyes confirm something he had been missing.
The ground hadn't just cracked. As if drawing some kind of shape, there were lines glowing within it.
'Oh, for crying out loud!'
It was a summoning formation. Someone had prepared a foundation for that being to appear in this city.
"O-offering?" "Stop talking nonsense and die, you monster!"
The soldiers swung their swords and spears at the Lord of Blood who had come closer. But,
『Will that work?』
The trajectory of the weapons passed right through his body.
The soldiers were dumbfounded, seeing him standing with his arms wide open as if to tell them to do their worst.
"Th-that's impossible." "Our attacks…"
SWISH.
Suddenly, the soldiers' muttering stopped.
『I am still thirsty.』
Without anyone noticing, the heads of all the soldiers had been severed by a blood sword that he had created. The Lord of Blood walked through the gushing blood and raised his head.
『This will quench my thirst, if only for a little while.』
He stood there as if in a rain, as if he had found a puddle after wandering in the wilderness for a long time, and remained still in one spot.
'So that's what it was.'
Pendel realized belatedly.
'To give the summoned god a little more life force…'
He had only thought it was a rumor until now. The rumor that Lutan was trying to awaken the ancient gods.
But now, he understood.
Why there was no blood around the corpses here. Where all that blood had flowed.
And what that being was.
'Vlad.'
The Lord of Death, known as the Lord of Blood, who needed someone's blood to live, endlessly.
"Lutan, what on earth…!"
What was he trying to do by summoning a monster like this?
"This is no different from the Demon King…"
THWACK.
Pendel's words could not continue. A flying blood sword had pierced his body.
『Demon King.』
A torn mouth appeared on Vlad's face and formed a smile.
『That is your wish.』
With that, Vlad followed the traces left on the ground and walked somewhere.
"...Well, I didn't even have to lead him here, did I~?"
Labi, the Third of the Guardian Knights, who had been watching the scene from a short distance, grinned and disappeared into the darkness.
Part 2
"After I came all the way back after doing my job, too."
The Witch of the North, Selimia, looked around Clay's office with a twisted expression.
"Why am I the only one left out while all the riff-raff are gathered here?"
"Riff-raff?"
Atanasia let out a hollow laugh at her words.
"Wouldn't the real riff-raff be you? Since you just came back after doing a little chore while we were here."
"A little chore?"
Selimia's eyes went wide.
"Are you done talking, you shabby god?"
"What? Shabby? You're just a shard of ice who only ever played around in the North!"
Atanasia also stood up and bared her teeth. It was then that Clay put his hand to his forehead at the sight.
"My Demon King."
Kardin, the only one who came in to work, looked around with a bewildered expression.
"I came to report… but perhaps I should come back later?"
"No. Report."
At Clay's answer, Kardin cleared his throat and began to speak.
"As you predicted, a new ancient god has appeared in Yafenon. The personnel we left behind have raised a beacon."
"What?"
Atanasia, who had been pulling at Selimia's cheek, turned her head with a look of surprise.
"A new ancient god?"
She pushed Selimia away and rushed in between Clay and Kardin.
"Who! Who is it!"
"Atanasia!"
As Selimia, holding her reddened cheek, raised her eyebrows and quickly followed behind her.
"Stop."
Clay raised his hand.
"Stop it, Selimia."
At his serious voice, Selimia froze in her tracks.
"But, my Demon King, Atanasia…"
Selimia, who was about to complain, finally fell silent at Clay's steady gaze.
SWISH.
She then turned around and left the office. Seeing her, Beatrice sighed and spoke.
"It seems we'll need to settle this once and for all sometime."
Despite the commotion, Clay's gaze was fixed on Kardin. Kardin, too, seemed to have no intention of delaying the report further.
"It's the Lord of Blood, Vlad."
"Vlad…!"
Atanasia muttered with a pale face.
"That bastard, really?"
Vlad.
He was a being who engaged in unlimited slaughter to live, a great disaster who was considered an evil god from the beginning among the ancient gods.
He absorbed the blood of living beings to use as his life force, but the part of the blood that wasn't used was converted into power, and he was a battle-crazed warrior who would exhaust it all in the end.
He had not saved his energy even in his battle with Elheim and had exhausted almost all of it before going into a long hibernation, so he was considered to have sealed himself, in effect.
"If that bastard devoured the blood of the dead Demon King's army and humans there…!"
A disaster of a nation-level scale might have been born.
"Clay!"
She shouted as she looked at Clay.
"If it's really that bastard, it's dangerous! If he even heard about you, he'll come straight here!"
Not all blood was the same. The blood of one who possessed great power was converted into even stronger power when absorbed by Vlad.
"He'll try to get stronger by eliminating you!"
Despite her shouting, Clay just sat there with his chin resting on his hand.
"Are you listening?!"
"Yes."
Clay slightly raised his head.
"I'm listening to everything."
"What…?"
Atanasia, whose eyes met his, suddenly swallowed hard. It wasn't because she thought he wasn't listening properly.
Thoughtlessness.
No emotion was visible on his face.
As if he had already prepared a countermeasure for this.
"Clay, you…"
"Atanasia."
Seeing Atanasia calling him in a dazed manner, Clay spoke.
"The person I am right now is not someone who can beat the Lord of Blood."
"What?"
But the answer that came back was utterly absurd from her perspective.
"You can't beat him?"
"Yes."
"Then why are you so calm?!"
Atanasia spread her arms wide.
"I can't properly face that bastard right now either! He's not a guy you can reason with!"
"Listen until I finish, Atanasia."
Clay opened his mouth again.
"I said the person I am right now can't beat him, not that I can't beat him at all."
"What? Wh-what do you mean by that?"
"Before I answer, there's something I need to ask you to do."
Drag.
From the desk drawer, Clay took out a map.
"A map…?"
"It's where the blacksmith Altanato is sleeping."
Altanato.
The legendary blacksmith who forged the weapons of the ancient gods.
"Altanato?"
Atanasia gasped when she heard the name.
"Altanato is sleeping?"
After all, Altanato was one of the ancestors of the dwarves. No matter how much longer dwarves lived than humans, their lifespan was only about 300 years.
Since the battle between the ancient gods and Elheim was already thousands of years ago, it made no sense for Altanato, who lived at that time, to be alive now.
"Altanato made a piece of equipment that could withstand centuries of hibernation from one of the items entrusted by the gods, according to the former Demon King's diary here."
Thud.
Atanasia swallowed hard, seeing Clay open and close an object that looked like a book. She, too, knew of Altanato. But she hadn't thought she would be able to meet him even in this era.
"Clay, you… what are you planning to do with him?"
Seeing Atanasia, who was just asking in a dazed manner, Clay showed a faint smile.
"I have to make it so that my demonic sword can plunder the blood of the Blood Eater."