Wolves of Hader

At the break of faint dawn—

Kudo and his group had gathered.

It was a warehouse near the wharf, close to Goro's merchant guild.

Not only myself and the Berserkers, but Kudo and his people were also suited up in armor.

It was the leather armor brought from Urada castle for the soldiers.

Even if struck by an arrow, it wouldn't kill instantly.

"Did everyone move?"

"They all relocated last night. Goro must've noticed. He was watching us."

"It doesn't matter. How many have gathered on that side?"

"It's swarming like crazy. Over a hundred mercenaries arrived just yesterday. They've filled the merchant guild's building and the surrounding ones. There must be more than five hundred."

Over 500. That was now—after today, with all the new mercenaries coming, it'll surely surpass a thousand.

"My squad and I will go in first. Kudo, you and your people, once the fight breaks out, take care of the archers in each building, then come inside."

Kudo glanced at his subordinates.

"You're saying you'll take on five hundred with five men?"

"Why? Getting worried now that it's real?"

"That's not it. Their guys aren't brawlers like us. Sure, we'll fight tooth and nail, but with just five—honestly, it'll be tough."

"Just make sure your people don't get hit by arrows."

Kudo nodded.

"Damn it, let's do this! No matter how strong a mercenary is, anyone can be overwhelmed if mobbed. Once you're down, you're finished!"

"Let's go."

No need to hide my identity, so I didn't bother with a mask.

I even wore armor and carried a greatsword.

Slaughter wasn't my intention, but there was no other choice this time.

The mercenaries needed to know that even the name Hader should make them shake their heads.

They needed to realize that standing in our way meant death. After all, mercenaries were just hired hands.

I stepped into the alley.

Already, a large number of mercenaries were waiting at the far end of the empty alley. The sun hadn't even risen.

Step, step.

My footsteps echoed through the alley.

Behind me, four Berserkers followed.

On the rooftops, mercenary archers were stationed, many wielding crossbows.

These were repeating crossbows, and their arrows packed a punch.

But once Kudo's people pushed in behind shields, those guys would panic.

Once spears started thrusting at them, there'd be nowhere to run.

No sign of Tris's patrols anywhere. Goro's side must've sent official documents too.

They needed to make this fight part of the territorial war to legally hire mercenaries.

Srrrng. Srrrng.

Roughly a hundred mercenaries blocking the alley all drew their weapons at once—two-handed swords, spears and shields, axes, maces, you name it.

A burly man stepped out among them.

He was the captain of the mercenary corps.

"Still hungover from last night? Why are you all roaming around at dawn! Go home and hold your fat wives!"

"Hahahaha!"

Laughter erupted among the mercenaries.

They were the famous Geroz Mercenary Corps, said to be the continent's best.

They'd been security for the divine order and on the Isle of Indulgence.

Especially, that captain had been a security deputy-commander at the Isle of Indulgence.

After escaping the castle, he'd rushed here first under the divine order's command.

"We have no business with you! If you block us, you're participating in the second territorial war of the five houses!"

"That's nonsense! We're just on guard duty!"

"I warn you again! Whoever joins this war opposes our house. None shall be left alive!"

"Do you even know who's backing us?"

"That's right! Hahaha!"

"Hahahaha!"

Laughter again.

Only Goro's leader had any idea of our fighting power.

Those mercenaries, the divine order—they had no clue about our strength.

"One last warning! If you have a family to provide for, if you want to retire and live peacefully, leave now! I'll count to ten! This is your only chance!"

"Hey, do you guys even know what these back-alley toughs want?"

"Aren't those the young master's drinking buddies?"

"Hahahaha!"

"One! Two! Three!"

My shout echoed down the alley.

Gradually, the laughter faded and tension spread. The mercenaries sensed it too.

They knew that myself and the Berserkers were different.

"Four! Five! Six!"

Magical power began to radiate from the Berserkers.

That was the final warning.

This was when the mercenaries' faces froze.

"Captain! They're releasing magic power!"

"Don't waver! There's only five of them!"

"Seven! Eight! Nine!"

A moment of silence.

I shattered that quiet.

"Ten!"

Thwack—

The moment I yelled "ten", an arrow struck the mercenary captain right in the eye.

That was the signal.

"Waaaaah!"

The mercenaries charged as one.

Right at that instant!

I unleashed the horizontal sword line at full power.

Ping— SHWEEE—

A crimson beam pierced through the bodies of the incoming mercenaries and shot on through to the back.

KA-BOOM—

The red light carved through most of the packed mercenaries in the alley, struck the building wall, then faded away.

Yet, despite this, the rest kept rushing at us.

SPLATTT—

The first thirty or forty charging mercenaries' torsos were all severed at once, their upper halves tumbling forward. A geyser of blood shot up all at once.

THUD-THUD-THUD—

The severed torsos hit the ground in heaps, lower halves ran another few steps before collapsing.

Those at the front.

Those behind them.

And even farther back, everyone's waists had been sliced apart. One by one, they toppled and fell.

Even those at the far rear weren't unharmed.

If those in front were severed completely, those behind were slashed deeply across chest and stomach, rolling in agony.

"Uaaargh!"

"Ughaaagh!"

Only then did the desperate screams ring out.

Among the hundred or so that blocked the alley, barely twenty remained standing—the few scattered at the edges.

The remaining twenty just stared blankly at the now blood-soaked alley.

Some lost their minds and collapsed where they stood, others began to retreat.

"Sp-spare me!"

"I already warned you!"

As soon as the words left my mouth, our Berserkers ran for the merchant guild.

Kudo and his people, who had watched from behind various buildings, fanned out to take care of the archers.

I stood motionless, looking at the merchant guild building.

Mercenaries inside the building watched us. No one could speak or move.

Some eighty had fallen in a single blow.

The alley reeked of blood.

By a sword technique they'd never seen nor even imagined.

Our Berserkers stormed directly into the building.

The mercenaries on the first floor tried to block them in confusion but had lost the will to fight. No, they'd lost their minds.

"We surrender!"

"We yield! We're leaving!"

"Aah! Spare me!"

"Damn it! Die!"

CRASH— SMASH—

The first-floor window shattered, a severed corpse flung out.

Screams poured out as if from the depths of hell.

If I let these mercenaries live, would they quit the corps?

Unlikely.

They'd become the divine order's sword again, lurking, targeting us, kidnapping one of ours.

If you strike softly, they keep coming.

You must beat them nearly to death, break their joints, so they never dare return.

That's especially true for those who believe themselves strong.

The Geroz Mercenary Corps.

In truth, their master is the divine order.

They were the ones who escorted the priests and committed countless atrocities.

They are the divine order's security force, a militant group called the priesthood, destroyers of many houses.

In the southern Beltern, they are notorious as colonial oppressors.

That's why they must die.

Maybe not every Geroz member, but those sent by the divine order deserve it.

The divine order would sneer even if they died.

Squelch, squelch.

I walked slowly to stand before the merchant guild building.

Four Berserkers had already taken care of the first floor and were charging upward.

Slash—

"Guh!"

Two who tried to escape down the stairs were cut down by my sword and tumbled to the ground.

No one would leave.

The next arriving mercenaries had to see these corpses.

The mercenaries on the second floor had also been wiped out.

The Berserkers, already at the third floor, slashed and slashed without mercy.

Our Berserkers were those who had broken through the Syren family's elite knights' siege.

These mercenaries couldn't even scratch our team's armor.

"Block them! Do whatever it takes, even your body!"

"They're too strong!"

"If they reach the fifth floor, it's over!"

"Hurry, evacuate!"

"HOLD THEM NO MATTER WHAT!"

The moment I heard that, I charged after them.

I skipped the third floor and flew straight to the fourth.

A dozen blocked the stairs, but I cut through them with Whirlwind as I soared upward.

THWACK-CRUNCH—

With the sound of bodies breaking, I reached the fourth floor in an instant.

Without pause, I leapt for the stairs to the fifth floor.

As I flew past the ones gathered on the steps, I slammed down the sword of flame explosion.

KABOOM—

My greatsword split the mercenaries and smashed the stairs.

At the same moment, flame and magic power exploded together.

Those blocking the stairs were flung helplessly both up and down.

Those in the fifth-floor hallway were swept away at once. Only a few crawled backward, left at the end of the hall.

Goro's corps leader was nowhere in the hallway.

So I walked past the crawlers. Goro's office was the last room on the right.

I stopped before Goro's door.

I heard voices inside.

"If you go out, you'll die!"

"You won't die from a few arrows! Get out there!"

"Boss! I want to live!"

"Get out there, you bastard!"

Creak.

I opened the door.

"Uwaaah!"

A man lunged at me with a dagger.

I rammed his head into the wall.

Thud—

And he collapsed on the spot.

Five remained in the room.

The mercenary captain, the leadership of Goro's merchant guild, and Goro himself with a large bag on his back.

They'd tried to escape out the window, attaching a rope, but couldn't go; arrows had come flying through.

Two men already had arrows stuck in their heads.

Tuji was on the rooftop of the building opposite.

The captain outside had been shot by Uson.

Tuji was nearly Uson's equal in archery skill.

Goro looked at me.

There was no look of despair, no trace of fear.

Just a calculating glint, struggling to figure out how to survive.

But something strange emanated from Goro.

That hellish, chilling aura I'd sensed beneath the coliseum.

Maybe that was why—I could spot truth and lies.

"You thought you could win?"

"Spare me. I made a huge mistake."

Goro knelt before me.

He'd decided survival came first.

He spoke again.

"I never imagined things would escalate this far! If we pay all the war reparations, the merchant guild is finished—what am I supposed to do?"

"What's in that bag?"

"Everything the merchant guild owns! Here!"

He handed over his bag.

Facing certain death, what did a merchant guild matter anymore?

"Does that file include information about the divine order?"

"Yes! Not just them—all the corruption and crimes of the Barako merchant guild and the Geroz Mercenary Corps too!"

"Goro! What are you saying!"

"You bastard!"

Goro lunged at the mercenary captain.

But the captain stabbed him in the side with a dagger and he collapsed immediately.

Then, the mercenary captain spoke.

"We were just hired by Goro's merchant guild. This man's words and evidence are nothing—"

Skk—

"Guhh."

The mercenary captain clutched his bleeding throat and fell.

He toppled with Goro, blood spattering over his face.

"Aaaugh!"

Goro, soaked in blood, convulsed and screamed—like a man gone mad with shock.

He desperately crawled over and clung to my leg.

"Please, save me, young master! I really didn't know! I had no idea you were so strong! Spare me! Please, spare me!"

Clinging to my leg, Goro wailed. So terrified, he seemed insane.

Pathetic.

"Will a higher-ranked priest come from the divine order?"

"Please, young master!"

"Do you believe things will change if that priest arrives? Are you trying to stir my emotions to survive today, no matter what?"

"Please! Please!"

I pressed my sword to Goro's hand. He flinched, quickly releasing my leg and crawling backward.

"Stop pretending. That doesn't suit you."

"Young master?"

"I'll let you live. Cooperate with me."

"R-really?"

Goro's expression changed instantly.

His body acted like a madman, but his eyes plotted something else.

How could someone be like this?

"If you want to live, you'll testify to everything that's happened. You started this."

"Can you guarantee... you won't kill me?"

"If you testify properly."

Goro fell to the floor.

"I will! Barako, the divine order, I'll say everything! Just let me live! If you really let me live, I'll do anything—anything at all!"

Goro bowed again and again, tears and snot streaming down his face, pleading and pleading.

I suppressed my boiling rage.

A deep darkness seeped from this man.

Just as when I first met Art Syren.

Why is that?

It didn't matter.

Goro would die—by someone else's hand.