Chapter 80
Chapter 80
“Pandemonium.”
The moment that name brushed past my ears, it felt as if my entire world had come to a halt. My mind turned blank, and a sharp ringing echoed inside my head. Forgetting even to breathe, I was crushed beneath the weight of that name.
Pandemonium. The capital of Hell. The assembly hall of demons. The meaning behind that name sent a chill slowly crawling up my spine.
Gradually regaining my senses, I mulled over the reason for their obsession. Why were they chasing me—no, perhaps the entire Winterbell Ducal Family—so persistently? What did we look like in their eyes?
The images of their members I had encountered before flickered through my memory. Each and every one of them radiated a terrifying presence—no ordinary figures. Their gazes, their gestures, their manner of speech. Everything about them proclaimed they were far from common enemies.
Letting out a deep sigh, I looked back at the man before me. His trembling voice, the sweat-soaked forehead, the fingers fidgeting restlessly. All of it spoke of the weight of the information he carried.
“They commissioned Zephyr?”
My voice rang out sharper than intended. The man flinched and nodded.
“…Y-Yes.”
At his stammering reply, I narrowed my eyes. There had to be more.
“What exactly was the commission?”
Pressed by my questioning, he bit his lip and hesitated for a moment. Then, as if making up his mind, he continued.
“They said they would act as our backing and told us to run rampant in the North as we pleased.”
He paused to steady his breath, then went on. Fear was evident in his voice.
“And if the Winterbell Ducal Family sent hunting dogs… they said they would provide information, so we should set a trap and hunt them instead.”
I shook my head in disbelief. It was an incomprehensible situation.
“I don’t understand. No matter how ignorant and lowly your Zephyr band may be, there’s no way you wouldn’t know what kind of place the Winterbell Ducal Family is.”
The Winterbell Ducal Family. The great shield and blade of the North. Who would not tremble before that name? And yet they dared to devise such a reckless plan against us.
The man nodded as he answered. The confusion he must have felt at the time lingered clearly in his voice.
“Of course, our leader and I thought the same. But they offered an absolutely absurd sum of money, and they even paid in advance before we began the mission.”
At his words, I raised an eyebrow.
I could easily imagine just how outrageous Pandemonium’s proposal must have been.
He continued speaking. Fear still clung to his voice, mixed now with a faint trace of excitement.
“They also said they would give us information related to the Winterbell Ducal Family, and if their information turned out to be wrong, we could withdraw from the mission.”
Hearing that, the gravity of the situation became even more apparent. Pandemonium was not merely trying to use Zephyr. They had some greater scheme in mind, and at the center of that scheme stood the Winterbell Ducal Family.
“And the information was correct?”
“Yes. They knew that the youngest young master of Winterbell would move to subjugate us.”
The information had leaked again.
Thinking about it, it was only natural.
Unless they had obtained in advance the information that we were coming here,
A thought crossed my mind that perhaps what Pandemonium was truly aiming for was the Winterbell Ducal Family itself.
“That is all I know. As promised, please at least spare my life……”
At that moment.
I swung my sword.
Slash!
The man’s neck split like tofu, and his head rolled across the ground.
My companions looked at me. Cecil wore an indifferent expression, but Camille and Darius seemed slightly startled.
“Why?”
“…Uh. I didn’t expect you to cut him down in one stroke like that.”
“Ah, because I said I’d spare him?”
“…Yes.”
“Of course that was a lie. Why would I bother sparing a trash-like bandit?”
“…….”
“It may seem too cold, but this is who I am. I’m not kind enough to show mercy to those who tried to kill me and my people.”
Camille, the mercenary captain, nodded.
“You are correct.”
Darius, who had been pondering, added,
“In a way, it was only natural… It seems I made things awkward for no reason.”
It was then.
A scream pierced the silence of the midnight, and my eyes snapped open. In an instant, every sense in my body sharpened.
“Young Master!”
I heard the urgent voice of a mercenary standing guard outside.
“Zephyr bastards have launched an attack!”
I sprang to my feet and grabbed my sword. As I rushed out of the room, the sight of the village in chaos came into view. Flames soared, and screams mixed with the clash of weapons.
Then the scene before my eyes stole my breath.
The entire village—no, everywhere my gaze could reach—was filled with Zephyr’s forces. There were too many to count. It was as if a black tide had swallowed the village whole.
“Damn it.”
I ground my teeth and muttered,
“This isn’t a simple raid.”
Cecil and the others ran over.
“Young Master, the situation is dire. The Zephyr bastards who disappeared have regrouped and returned. And more are pouring in from outside the village.”
I closed my eyes and drew a deep breath. They had waited for the moment we let our guard down. And they had come in overwhelming numbers.
“First, form ranks. Cecil, create disruption from the rear. Camille and Darius, gather the members and deal with them. I’ll open a path.”
Everyone nodded and took their positions. As if they had been waiting, hundreds—no, perhaps thousands—of enemies began charging at us from the darkness.
Yet my gaze fixed on only one man.
The one standing at their center…
It was the village chief.
His once gentle smile had twisted into a sneer.
“Young Master of Winterbell.”
I replied coldly.
“…Has this damned old man gone senile? So you were toying with me while deceiving me. Not even knowing your place.”
“Hoho. Perhaps because you came back from the dead, your tongue has grown quite sharp, Young Master. But what a shame. It seems you’re about to die again.”
“What a delightful dream you have.”
With a gesture from the village chief, Zephyr’s forces attacked all at once. Like a black wave crashing forward, they surged toward us. Their numbers were so vast that even the horizon was obscured.
Blue aura began to blaze around me. A cold energy froze the surrounding air. I raised my sword high.
“Come at me!”
I swung it. As a blue arc split the air, dozens of enemies froze where they stood. But their numbers seemed endless. Fallen bodies were immediately replaced by new foes.
“Cecil!”
As if answering my call, Cecil appeared in an instant and began slicing through the enemies’ necks at tremendous speed.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Darius’ massive axe sent enemies flying, while Camille’s dagger severed throats like a shadow.
But Zephyr’s assault showed no sign of stopping. For every one we cut down, new enemies appeared. It felt as though we were fighting an infinite army.
Darius muttered,
“Does this even make sense?”
The surviving Harlan Mercenaries moved in perfect coordination, as if proving the results of their training, and confronted Zephyr’s forces. Yet the overwhelming difference in numbers was taking its toll.
Camille, gasping for breath, shouted,
“Just how many of them are there?!”
There was no time to answer as the enemies surged again. Each time I swung my sword, dozens fell—but the number filling their place showed no sign of decreasing.
“So they plan to crush us with sheer numbers.”
The enemies themselves were not particularly strong.
Judging by individual ability alone, the Harlan Mercenaries far surpassed them. But the disparity in numbers was too vast. To close that gap…
I would have to step forward.
Blood God.
The blood throughout my body began to boil violently. My veins swelled, and beneath my skin, crimson strands writhed visibly. My heartbeat accelerated until its pounding roared in my ears like thunder.
My perception sharpened to the extreme. Everything around me began to appear slow—no, almost completely still. Each particle of dust floating in the air became distinct, and I could even perceive the rotation of arrows flying from afar.
“Haa……”
As I exhaled, white breath poured from my lips. It spread slowly, as if in slow motion. It was the result of the heat radiating from my overheated body meeting the frigid air.
My accelerated body moved.
The sword imbued with aura began to dance brilliantly. A blue glow wriggled and flowed along the blade, as if it were a living creature.
Shrrraaaak!
With each swing, a sound like space itself tearing apart echoed out. A blue afterimage lingered along the path of my blade, and along that trail, the necks of Zephyr’s bandits were severed.
The first strike.
A bandit’s head slowly separated from his body. From the severed surface, droplets of blood hung suspended in the air as if frozen in place.
The second strike.
Another bandit’s head fell away. There had not even been enough time for fear to take root in his eyes.
Slash!
They did not even seem to realize what had happened. With their dynamic vision, they could not even begin to follow my movements.
The third and fourth strikes came down in succession.
The bandits’ bodies split into multiple pieces. Severed flesh spiraled slowly through the air.
From the fifth strike onward, my movements became too fast to track with the naked eye.
My blade tore through their bodies, leaving behind only a fading afterimage of light.
Flesh, bone, and muscle fragmented into countless pieces, floating in midair.
The tenth strike.
All the surrounding bandits collapsed at once. Their bodies were shredded beyond recognition.
The droplets of blood gathered along my blade fell slowly to the ground. At that moment, time returned to normal, and the delayed screams of the fallen bandits rang out.
It was nothing short of a massacre.
In the distance, the face of the village chief, who had been watching me, stiffened rapidly.
I did not bother to speak.
Just wait a little longer.
I conveyed it with my eyes.
Slash! Slash!
Before I knew it, corpses filled the ground around me. Realizing something had gone terribly wrong, the village chief shouted urgently.
“K-Kill that bastard first! Your lives don’t matter! That man! If you capture Ran Winterbell, this fight is over!”
But at this point, no one was willing to heed his words. After witnessing their comrades’ heads torn apart like paper before their eyes, how could they possibly stake their lives?
“W-What are you doing?! Do my words mean nothing to you?!”
No one moved.
As I approached the village chief, his face turned cold.
“Damn it!”
Then, with the resolve of a desperate man, he charged at me.