Chapter 203
Kas poured alcohol into my glass.
He looked unrealistically handsome.
As if he was fabricated.
"You're quite accomplished for someone so young."
"I was just lucky."
"Not thanks to your parents?"
Kas just smiled.
"Soon, our proudest singer will perform. The empire's top singer. I hear them every day, and I never get tired of it."
"Let me pour you a drink."
"Gladly."
I poured Kas a drink.
His hands were pale white.
As if he'd never seen sunlight.
He wore a dark, thin shirt with the buttons slightly undone.
His hair was long and golden, his eyes a soft blue.
His body was slim but firm.
Even though I had punched his face, there wasn't a single bruise. He knew who I was. The crux was whether he would lure me somewhere, or do it here.
"Ah, here they come."
The singer was stepping up and greeting everyone.
The patrons whistled.
Soon, the song began.
Today I had confirmed it at the Imperial Archives.
The son of the True Demon vampire.
Kasel.
One of the two sons of the True Demon vampire—one had died, one had disappeared. The disappeared one was the very Kas in front of me. Still with a youthful appearance.
The surprising part was that the True Demon vampire had married a high-ranking angel. It was a book compiling oral traditions from the ancient war—so I couldn't know whether it was true.
In other words, kas was the offspring of a devil and an angel.
Mrs. Mien was half human, so she couldn't have been born a vampire. She must've become a vampire later.
His gaze moved to my hand.
"But you're only wearing a glove on one hand."
"I have burn scars."
"You must've been mischievous."
I stared at Kas and spoke.
"Since when have you known the grand duke?"
To my words, kas grinned.
"Since I was a child."
"You must be much older than you look."
"I'm not as young as I seem."
At some point, the place grew quiet.
Everyone in the tavern was watching us. I knew it. I knew that all the patrons and staff were vampires.
"Did you think I wouldn't know?"
"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you."
He was sitting there, knowing who I was.
The song climbed to its climax.
Kas spoke.
"You're quite something. You even managed to beat the grand duke. They say you wield a sword that slices everything with rays, don't they?"
"And yet you still came before me, knowing that?"
"I think I can handle it."
Could he, really?
Kas smiled again.
"I'm not bragging here, but I'm stronger than the grand duke. No human can defeat me."
"Is that why you spent so much time running away?"
"Mien mattered more."
"Because she's your daughter?"
He grinned, revealing his fangs.
"How amusing. The grand duke was an interesting man, but you're even more intriguing. When you've lived as long as I have, nothing in the world is fun anymore, but people always pique my interest."
"Do you not know what the grand duke was trying to do?"
"I know."
"You helped him."
"I helped a little. It's entertaining to watch humans struggle to live."
He was not particularly close to the grand duke.
And the grand duke had only used him.
"You didn't really know the grand duke."
"I did know him. Among humans, he was the strongest. And he died at your hands."
"He hid his strength. You only remember the grand duke who came to visit you in your youth."
Kas smiled again at my words.
I continued to speak.
"And you don't really know what the grand duke was trying to do. When you were treating the world as your playground, thinking yourself a transcendent being, he was busy fostering great power."
Kas nodded, smiling.
"But in the end, he was still human. No human can defeat me. If he hadn't died at your hands, he would've died by mine."
The song had ended at some point.
A tense silence filled the tavern.
I looked at him and spoke.
"That arrogance and misconception are why you'll die here tonight. You don't really know me."
"I think differently."
"Hearing and experiencing are—"
Slice—
"Not the same."
Kas desperately blocked my passing hand with his left. But it wasn't my hand I had swung.
A bloody line appeared on Kas's wrist.
Blood began to ooze out.
Slice— With a sound, his hand was severed and fell.
"Ugh."
Kas leapt back in shock. At that instant, his neck suddenly twisted and dangled. His neck muscle had been cut and had snapped.
All at once, the vampires around us rushed me. Like wolves leaping in unison! But by then, I had already kicked off the floor and leaped.
I flew straight at Kas, who was recoiling backward. I saw him trying to reattach his dangling head to his body. As if that would work.
He landed and spun around, dashing toward the exit. Naturally, I pursued.
As he was about to make it through the exit—
Swaaahhh—
I instantly unleashed freezing cold air.
The area around the stage exit froze over in an instant. Kas was paralyzed in the posture of trying to dash out, frost forming all over his body.
The same happened behind me.
The vampires who had jumped at me on all fours all froze and crashed to the ground with heavy thuds.
I promptly drove a dagger into the back of Kas's head.
My blade wouldn't go in?
Right then—
Crunch—
Crimson energy erupted as the frozen body of Kas was freed. At the same time, he swept his hand through the air.
Something enormous rushed in.
There was no way to dodge. I projected the Sword of Light, slicing through the surging force and withstood it.
Bang-bang-bang—
The gigantic gravitational wave split against the Sword of Light and spread backwards. I, too, kept sliding while standing my ground.
Crash-crash-crash—
Everything in the tavern was swept away and slammed against the walls, a tangled mess. Even the vampires.
Swaaaahhh—
A gravitational aftershock swept through.
Kas walked forward slowly.
He was in a berserk state. Crimson, sinister wings flared on his back, and his entire body blazed with red energy. His cut neck had already reattached.
"Come at me again. Human."
"So this is your true form, devil."
"I will eradicate your clan."
Enormous gravity began to emanate from his body. He always possessed tremendous power. That red aura appeared to be the authority of the True Demon bloodline.
As he swept his hand again—
I dashed at full speed, burrowing into his left side. As he was about to throw a gravitational wave, he abruptly shifted his aim.
Crack—
I slugged his face, but it only turned his head a little. He quickly swung a knife hand.
I dodged fast and again—
Thud— Slice—
I swung my dagger up, cutting under his armpit, then twisted his right arm and slashed at his wrist too. No, I sawed it.
"Argh!"
His wrist wasn't fully severed, but the tendon snapped. I instantly climbed onto his back and choked him. It was a rapid succession of chained attacks. Then,
Boom—
He exploded his magic power. He was trying to shake me off, but it was useless. My magic was greater, after all. He only had his bloodline's authority.
I drove my dagger into his crown, channeling magic through it, but the blade still wouldn't penetrate! He erupted in force again, but still couldn't dislodge me.
He burst through the door. Even then, I kept stabbing down at his crown. No matter how much I stabbed, the blade wouldn't go in. Was it some kind of physical resistance?
"Haaah!"
He ran wild, wildly thrashing to shake me off. He swung his arms trying to grab me, but with both wrists cut, he couldn't.
Meanwhile, I channeled tremendous magic into the dagger. It could now slice through metal. I drove the blade, now transformed into the Sword of Light, deep.
Thunk—
That time, the blade embedded about a quarter of the way in.
Yet he still didn't falter.
Thud-thud-thud-thud—
I kept hammering the blade into his head. It went a little deeper, but wouldn't go further.
Definitely a high-level devil bloodline!
"Why did you remain in this world!"
"Graaaaargh!"
"Why didn't you return to your world! Were you waiting for the devils to return!"
Thud-thud-thud—
He was losing his sense of self. Suddenly, he darted into a narrow space and plunged down.
I tumbled after him into madness.
It wasn't a well—where was I?
Thump—
The impact as we hit the floor was huge. Even then, I didn't lose my grip on him. He howled and took off running again.
It was a very old underground waterway.
Did he build this?
Or was it always here, just abandoned?
He dashed frantically down the dry underground channel. My downward strikes drove the blade deeper into him. Even his authority had its limits.
Kraaaargh—
Did using his authority trigger a transformation into devil form? Whatever the reason, he was obviously running to avoid death.
We came upon a vast space.
Corridors branched off in all directions.
Splash, splash.
He dashed straight north. Rotting water flowed there. The faint power of darkness brushed my senses.
Thunk—
At last, the dagger stuck deep.
"Graaaah!"
He screamed and staggered. He almost collapsed, but kept running.
Then, a pitch black sphere appeared ahead.
A devil's door?
It wasn't shut.
Power of darkness was pouring from it.
It looked like a gateway to the world of devils!
He was trying to enter that door.
I couldn't let him go in with me still attached.
I would be tainted by the darkness.
Kraaargh—
He raced madly, throwing himself toward the door of light. There was no helping it; I might never come out if I followed.
Thump—
I jumped off Kas's back.
He leapt through the door of light.
"Whew—!"
Was devil blood always this powerful?
He did claim he could beat the grand duke—it wasn't just talk. He was entirely different after transforming into a devil.
I approached the door of light.
Who could've guessed a devil's door would be open in the middle of the capital? Even the symbols on the wall were devilish sigils.
Kas hadn't only lived in this world. He must have traveled frequently between this world and that of the devils. For devils, the power of darkness is the power of life.
I approached to destroy the door of light.
Suddenly, a figure burst from the door. I thought Kas had come out again, but it wasn't him.
It was a monster I had never seen.
The first one came out, then hordes burst forth, like sprinting zombies.
Their faces had melted and run together.
No eyes or nose—only a hideous mouth.
Their bodies were decayed and molten.
Kuaaaagh—
A flood of them poured out, piling up and falling in confusion at the foot of the devil's door.
The ones that got to their feet attacked me.
Thunk—
I tried to behead one as it lunged, but couldn't sever it. Slow as they were, the power of darkness was overwhelming.
They swarmed at me like evil spirits. Even if I kicked one, it only staggered back a couple steps. Without a greatsword, I couldn't cut them. Yet they clearly had human forms.
Come to think of it, he's abandoned his house.
Maybe I should ransack the empty nest.
What had he been stockpiling for a thousand years?
"Donnie! Come down here!"
― I'm on my way!
The squad had been waiting near the tavern. When Kas and I left, they must have stormed in and dealt with the vampires. Probably set the place on fire as well.
This underground waterway seemed enormous. There must be other exits to the surface. If these monsters kept pouring out and reached the surface, it would be a disaster.
I kept retreating.
I took only the new broadsword from my magic bag and started cutting them down one by one. Hundreds had already poured out.
"Are those devils?"
"Probably!"
Donnie let out a hollow laugh.
The other squad members' faces were grim.
"A devil's door in the heart of the capital...?"
"If we kill them all and destroy the door, that'll be the end of it!"
"Split up and lure them off!"
Everyone was already in full suit of armor. I left the monsters to the squad, donned my own armor, and grabbed my hammer.
Donnie shouted.
"These look like ghouls from the books!"
"Ghouls?"
"When humans are thrown into hell, that's what becomes of them! They're one of the plagues of darkness! In the ancient war, countless humans became ghouls!"
If the plague of darkness spreads, countless people would turn into these monsters. That is why the power of darkness is even more terrifying than the devils themselves.
Once they were mostly lured off, I headed toward the devil's door. I smashed down the approaching monsters' heads and hammered the arch behind the devil's door.
Crash—
The structure shattered and caved in. But the devil's door remained. Was it because it was fully open?
I struck the door of light, pouring lightning into my hammer, but nothing changed. This door wasn't electromagnetic; it was summoned by a devil's authority.
"They're coming out again!"
More ghouls began spilling out.
It was a horrifying sight, like monsters being dumped out endlessly.
The squad kept retreating.
The grand duke must have known Kas's true nature.
Then what was he trying to do?
Was he planning to open the gates of hell?