Chapter 464: Thanathos Faction
Celine’s body was broken, sprawled across the crimson-puddled ground. Her severed wrist still dripped crimson, and her remaining hand clawed at the ground as she dragged herself forward, inch by agonizing inch. Her voice came out cracked, desperate, each word a struggle against the pain.
"Stop... please stop...!"
Adam didn’t even glance at her. His fist rose and fell, each blow landing with devastating force against Deiora’s battered form. The demon’s body convulsed with every strike, blood spraying in thick arcs, his regeneration too slow to keep up with the relentless assault.
"AAAGGGHHH—!"
Celine watched as her lord was being savagely tortured, her voice breaking as she spoke.
"Don’t you understand?! Lord Deiora is one of the Four Heavenly Kings! If you kill him, the Demon King will not stand by! This will spark a war between demons and humans! Entire kingdoms will burn because of your arrogance!"
Adam paused.
Adam’s fist remained suspended above Deiora’s broken body as he turned his head, his eyes locking onto Celine’s trembling frame. When he finally spoke, his voice was cold and utterly indifferent.
"And? Do you think I care?"
Celine’s breath caught. Her mouth opened, but no words came.
Adam’s voice dropped, calm and sharp.
"The Demon King wants a war? Then let him come. I’ll kill him too."
Celine’s face went pale, her body trembling as the weight of his words settled over her. She opened her mouth to speak, to plead, to do something—
Adam’s fist descended again, driving into Deiora’s chest with brutal force.
"HAAHGG—!!"
Deiora’s body arched, blood spraying from his mouth, his eyes wide with pain.
Adam’s voice rose, cold and commanding.
"If the Demon King wants to burn the world, then I’ll make sure he burns with it. Now stay down. Your begging is pathetic."
Deiora’s body convulsed, his regeneration sputtering and failing as Adam’s fist rose once more. The demon’s eyes, once blazing with defiance, were now glassy and unfocused, his consciousness slipping away.
Adam’s fist hovered, ready to deliver the final blow.
But Celine’s voice tore through the chaos, sharp and desperate.
"PLEASE—!"
Her body was broken, her severed wrist still dripping blood, but she forced herself forward, her remaining hand clawing at the earth as she dragged herself toward the brutal scene unfolding before her.
Deiora’s voice came out weak, strained, his eyes still fixed on Celine’s desperate form.
"Stop... don’t... it’s pathetic..."
Adam’s fist hovered, his gaze shifting to the broken demon at his feet.
"Still able to speak? I’m impressed."
Deiora’s lips curled into a faint, bloody smile.
"Better... to die fighting... than to grovel..."
"This isn’t pathetic, Lord Deiora! As demons, we must survive! We must endure so we can fight another day! We can’t just—"
"...I’d rather die standing... than live on my knees..."
Adam’s gaze lingered on Deiora for a moment, a flicker of something passing through his eyes.
"That’s a worthy pride. I respect that."
Deiora’s bloody smile widened, just slightly.
"Isn’t that... what every true warrior wants...? To fight... until the very end...?"
Isolde’s voice drifted from across the clearing, colored by a melancholy understanding.
"...You never change, do you?"
Deiora’s laugh was weak, but genuine.
"Haha... I don’t want to hear that from you, Isolde..."
Isolde turned her gaze to Adam, her voice soft with a quiet plea.
"Adam... before you end this... may I speak? About what happened before?"
Adam’s eyes narrowed, his hand still raised. His voice was flat, but carried an edge of cold impatience.
"Is that really more important right now? You and Lilith are hurt. That’s the only reason I want to kill him."
Isolde’s voice was steady, unwavering.
"It is. Please."
Adam’s hand lowered slowly, his gaze fixed on Deiora’s broken form. The air around them grew still, heavy with the weight of unspoken history.
"Alright," Adam finally said after a long sigh. "Tell me everything from the beginning."
Isolde took a breath, then began.
"This whole mess started because of Lilith."
Adam’s eyes narrowed. "Hah!? What do you mean?"
Isolde continued, "You know what Lilith is like. She saw the situation and found it interesting, so she stirred up trouble. That’s how we got dragged into this conflict between humans and demons. And then that big idiot over there—" she gestured toward Deiora, "—came after us too because we were getting in the way of their plans."
Adam stared at her in disbelief. "Then why didn’t you stop her?!"
"Because it had already gone too far. There was no other way."
Adam let out a long sigh, his gaze falling on Lilith’s unconscious form. "Haaah... so she got hurt because of her own reckless actions..."
Isolde nodded. "You could say that."
Adam shook his head. "But that doesn’t mean I can just tolerate you both getting hurt. You almost died out there."
Celine’s voice cut through the tension, sharp and defiant despite her broken state.
"If only you hadn’t interfered, my plan would have gone smoothly. I would have killed that one-armed knight by now."
Isolde’s eyes sharpened, and when she spoke, her voice carried a cold, knowing edge.
"I know your plans were bigger than that. You’re from the Thanatos Faction, aren’t you?"
Celine’s composure cracked. Her eyes widened, a flicker of genuine shock passing through her features.
"How... how do you know that?!"
A faint, chilling smile spread across Isolde’s face.
"So it’s true. I didn’t expect that fanatical faction to still exist to this day."
Adam’s brow furrowed, his gaze shifting between the two women.
"What faction? What are you talking about?"
Isolde’s voice was calm, measured, as she explained.
"Among demons, there has always been internal conflict. Driven into a corner by humans and divided by differing ideologies, they eventually split into two factions. The Luminaris Faction, which seeks peace with humanity. And the Thanatos Faction, which believes humans should be wiped from the face of the earth."
Adam’s brow furrowed as Isolde’s words sank in. He let out a low, thoughtful hum, his gaze drifting toward the unconscious forms of the Melium soldiers.
"Ohh, I see. So they want the conflict between humans and demons to escalate even further."
Isolde nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on Celine’s tense, wary form.
"Exactly! And by interfering, we’ve made ourselves enemies of the Thanatos Faction. Since our goal is to reach demon territory..." She paused, her voice dropping. "If we kill them now, It will only make our journey more difficult."
Adam rubbed his chin, his crimson eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"Hmmm.. when you put it that way, it does sound like a problem." He let out a long, reluctant sigh. "But I’m curious about that one-armed knight. I was so focused on the demons that I didn’t even notice the humans."
He walked toward Seraphina’s crumpled form, his footsteps slow and calm. He crouched beside her, his gaze sweeping over her face—pale, bruised, but unmistakably familiar.
Adam’s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of recognition passing through them.
"Seraphina...?"
Isolde’s eyes narrowed as she studied Adam’s expression.
"You know her?"
Adam nodded slowly, his gaze still fixed on Seraphina’s pale, bruised face.
"Yeah. We traveled together for a while. She was... a companion."
His hand moved to his Alvarich Maw, withdrawing a small vial of Ouroboros blood. He uncorked it gently, tilting Seraphina’s head back and letting the dark liquid flow past her lips. Her throat moved instinctively, swallowing even in unconsciousness.
Isolde’s gaze followed the motion, her voice calm and questioning.
"Did Lilith attack the demons because she wanted to protect her?"
Adam shook his head slowly, his brow furrowing.
"No... that doesn’t seem right. She wouldn’t have started a fight just to protect someone she didn’t even acknowledge."
Isolde’s voice was dry. "Then it was just Lilith being Lilith."
Adam let out a low, humorless laugh.
"Yeah. That sounds about right."
He straightened, his gaze still lingering on Seraphina’s unconscious form. The wound on her chest was already beginning to seal, the Ouroboros blood working its way through her system, knitting flesh and mending bone.
Adam’s voice was quiet, almost to himself.
"But her wounds are severe. She’s lucky she’s still alive."
He looked up, his crimson eyes sweeping the battlefield. The Melium soldiers, the demon corpses, the shattered earth.
"Now the situation is getting complicated."
Isolde’s pale blue eyes fixed on Adam as he straightened from Seraphina’s side.
"Do you want to kill them?"
Before Adam could answer, Celine’s voice cut through the tension, sharp and defiant despite her broken state.
"Go ahead. Kill us if you dare. But know this—our lord will not stand idle. He will hunt you to the ends of the earth. There is nowhere you can hide from his wrath."
Adam’s gaze shifted to her, cold and flat.
"From the very beginning, you’ve been interrupting our conversation. Do you even understand your position right now?"
He walked toward her, each step deliberate, his crimson eyes fixed on her trembling form. He stopped before her, looming over her broken body, his voice dropping to a low, cold murmur.
"Do you think I’m afraid?"
Celine’s jaw tightened, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. Her voice came out strained, but still carried that edge of defiance.
"Then you’re a fool. It is your mistake to side with humans. The Thanatos Faction has already begun to take control of Kaelthar. And when the time comes, no one will be able to stand against us."
Adam’s eyes narrowed. His voice dropped, carrying a note of sharp interest.
"Kaelthar, you say...?"