Chapter 8. Goblins, Demons, and Children (4)
Demons are cunning beings with keen instincts. When they meet the weak, they reveal their sadism without reservation, but when they encounter the strong, they do not hesitate to flee. Under normal circumstances, the demon would have bolted the instant it saw Kadim drinking blood.
However, the horns that had only just sprouted at its temples clouded its judgment.
After finally obtaining greater power, run away? And from a human it had toyed with like a plaything just moments ago? Just because he drank a little blood, to be frightened by a mere human—such a fact was utterly unacceptable.
Ignoring its intuition, the demon took an attack stance.
– Grrk, die, you.... Those who don't listen, die.
Thud!
It kicked off the ground and charged toward the human like an arrow.
Three talons stretched out like hooks. Kadim lowered his posture to match the demon's height. Until before, its movements had been too fast to follow, but not anymore. His enhanced kinetic vision read the demon's motions precisely.
Clang – !
At the instant the hand axe collided with the claws, agitation flickered across the demon's face.
It hastily withdrew, abandoning the deep downward slash it had intended. One of its outer claws was slightly bent. Had it extended fully, the claw would likely have been severed completely.
The hand axe, however, was not unharmed either. The edge at the point of impact had chipped slightly. If the fight continued like this, it was only a matter of time before the blade was ruined.
Kadim didn't care.
If the axe broke, he would use a sword, and if that shattered too, he would fight with his bare fists. The presence or absence of a weapon was not the issue. Right now, his thirst for blood and overflowing killing intent were enough.
"Hraaaaaaah!!"
The berserker charged with a thunderous roar. A sense of foreboding seized the demon once again. To conceal its unease, the demon growled like an enraged beast.
– Grrrrrrk!!
Whooom – !
The demon leapt to the left, evading the furious axe swing. In the moment of evasion, another strike flashed out from Kadim's flank like lightning.
Swish!
With his right hand he swung the axe, and with his left he drew the sword from his waist and slashed. The demon barely evaded the keen blade by a hair's breadth.
– Grk!
There was no time to breathe. Kadim hurled the axe at the retreating demon. The axe, imbued with far greater force than before, tore through the air as it flew.
Screee, bang – !
Rumble—
Just before impact, the demon ducked its upper body, avoiding a direct hit. Instead, the axe struck the stone pillar behind it. The beam-thick pillar shattered in an instant, and the ground shuddered with a whining tremor. Flying debris scraped the demon's skin, leaving small cuts.
The demon's hair stood on end. Had that struck directly, it would have been turned into minced meat in one blow. It was monstrous strength far beyond the level of an ordinary human.
– You, what are you...? You're not human, are you? How could a human have such power....
Instead of an answer, a blade thrust toward its heart.
"Hrup!"
Whoosh!
Kadim had already closed the distance. With his muscles swollen, his speed rivaled the demon's. The demon recoiled in terror, reflexively slashing with its claws to counterattack.
Kadim swiftly pulled back, the claws slicing through empty air. The follow-up attacks were all blocked by the blade. After some time passed, its movements were read, and it began to suffer counterattacks instead.
The demon ground its saw-like teeth. Speed no longer mattered, and it was overwhelmingly outmatched in strength—there was no hope in a frontal fight.
The demon sprang up like a coiled spring and clung to the ceiling. Then it crawled between the stalactites toward the torch-bearing human. If it extinguished the fire and ambushed from the darkness, even that human-shaped monster would be helpless—or so it judged.
Meanwhile, Duncan was struggling against the goblins.
"Ahh, get away! Get away!!"
Once scorched by the blind-swinging torch, the goblins hesitated to rush him. Unfortunately, their temper had only grown more ferocious.
– Kieee!
– Kieeek!
Besieged by their vicious, obsessive attempts to exploit any opening, Duncan could barely keep his wits about him. Naturally, he failed to notice the demon's approach.
Kadim was the first to realize what the demon was aiming for.
He had no intention of letting it proceed as planned. His blood-red irises gleamed ominously. Heavy strength filled the hand gripping the axe handle.
'...It's quick on its feet. Throwing at it directly would just let it dodge anyway.'
Instead, Kadim decided to deliver a powerful shock to the entire ceiling.
He gripped the axe in reverse, intending to use it like a blunt weapon. Muscles tightened like drawn steel cables as he stored strength. Twisting his upper body to add rebound force, he pulled his right arm far back. Bulging forearm and biceps—he drove all that power to his fingertips and hurled it.
Screee—
The axe shot forth like a shell, and the instant it struck the ceiling, a small-scale explosion erupted.
Kwa—ang!!
A heavy vibration shook the entire cavern. Stalactites and stone pillars shattered, and cracks split across the limestone ceiling. The aftermath slammed the demon to the ground. Dust and rubble poured down over its face.
– Kyaaak!!
Rrrrumble—
The demon writhed, groaning in pain. Dirt filled its bulging eyes. Its ears rang from the shock. It completely lost its sense of direction, unable to tell floor from ceiling.
The berserker did not miss the opening while the enemy lay defenseless.
Thud – !
– Kyaaaaaaak!!
The vertically driven blade crushed the nasal bone and pierced straight through the skull. Both eyes rolled in different directions, and blood gushed from nose and mouth. Even so, the demon did not die easily, flailing its limbs in a frenzy.
Kadim lifted the sword with the demon still impaled. Under its weight, the demon's body slid further down along the blade.
– Kyaaak, kyaaaaaak!!
The demon refused to give up until the very end. Even as its brain was being ground away by the blade, it slashed its claws toward Kadim.
That strike never reached him. Once the body slid down far enough, Kadim adjusted his grip so the edge would bite cleanly. Then, stacking his strength with the demon's weight, he swung the blade with full force.
Crack – !
A cruel flower bloomed. The skull split in two, and bright pink brain matter burst forth.
The demon collapsed to the floor with a thud. From the halved skull, remnants and blood spilled out. The demon's trembling hand finally went limp and dropped uselessly to the ground.
"...Hoo."
Kadim exhaled softly and wiped the blood from the blade. The bloodlust that had gnawed at his nerves was rapidly subsiding. He should have ended it faster, but it had taken longer than expected. He had nearly had to face the demon without a buff.
Still, it couldn't be helped. The demon had been extremely nimble, and the environment had been poor. For now, he should count it as fortunate that he had slain the demon without major injury.
– Kiee, kiee....
– Kirrk, kirrr....
The goblins who had lost their master let out pitiful moans. With the demon dead, they would no longer be affected by demonic energy, but they had already become 'demonic beasts' once. Before going to find the children, Kadim decided to finish them off.
He beheaded a goblin wielding a rusty sword. He pierced the heart of a hesitant goblin. He stabbed a fleeing goblin in the back. He extended his blade toward a torch-bearing goblin—
"Mi, milord! Wh-what are you doing!! It's me!! M-me!!"
He stopped short, barely managing to halt the blade.
The blade was only about half a handspan from the chest. A great disturbance rippled through Kadim's eyes. The features gleaming in the firelight stiffened. Duncan wiped his pounding chest.
"A-are you all right, milord? Y-your complexion looks bad. Could it be the demon, the demon...."
He couldn't bring himself to finish with, 'did it get to you?' Kadim understood perfectly what he meant. Sheathing the sword, he apologized with a troubled expression.
"...No, I'm fine. Sorry. It was dark, I couldn't see clearly."
"I-is that so? Whew, so that's all it was. I thought...."
"The demon is dead. The surrounding goblins seem mostly dealt with as well. The children are probably deeper inside. Let's hurry and take them back to the village."
"Y-yes! Understood, milord!"
The relief of having survived the threats of demons and goblins was overwhelming. Because of that, Duncan failed to immediately consider a certain question.
Someone who had tracked them through the night, piercing even the faint moonlight... could that person really fail to recognize a face right beneath a torch?
*
The demon was cunning and vile.
The children were exactly as Kadim had expected. Not a single child was dead, yet not a single one was unscathed.
"Gyaaah!! Gyaaah!!"
"Matum, Gehenna, Matum, Golgatha, Matum, Grimos...."
"The ruin and death of mankind comes from the white valley where maggots and bones swarm, the bird that devours eyeballs steals the light of the forerunner..."
"Don't leave me!!! Don't go!!! I said don't go!!!"
Just moments ago, they had stood motionless in the darkness like completely broken dolls. As the light fell upon them, the children began thrashing about in frenzy.
"H-hey, kids? Are you all right, uh, uhh?"
They showed no sign of understanding his words. Duncan turned to Kadim, his face drained pale.
"W-what on earth happened, milord...?"
Kadim did not answer. This was neither a situation that could be explained nor one that allowed such leisure. Instead, he gave instructions for what needed to be done now.
"Tell the children to follow you and lead the way. I'll come behind."
"Y-yes? But they're all like that—will they even follow me...?"
"...They will."
Kadim bit down on his lip. It wasn't a method he wanted to use, but there was no alternative. He couldn't possibly carry all these children, nor could he keep going back and forth through the cave while leaving children who weren't in their right minds behind.
Thud!
Kadim went back and slammed his fist hard into the wall, drawing everyone's attention.
"Everyone, look here."
Then he lifted the demon's corpse, its head split in half.
"Kyaaaaaaaah!!!"
"Uaa—uaaaaaaah!!"
"Uheok, uheheheheok!!"
The children sprang up with convulsive screams. Duncan also shrieked in shock, nearly collapsing. He barely managed to regain his composure and began guiding the children.
"F-follow me! Kids, don't be scared! The demon is already dead. You just have to follow this uncle, okay? Be good, all right?"
"Uhheong, uhheong, mom...."
"Uheoooooong...."
The process was far from pleasant, but the result was good.
The children no longer screamed or chanted bizarre incantations. They quietly clung to Duncan's sleeves and trouser legs as they moved out of the cave. No child hesitated or lagged behind. After all, behind them followed a hulking barbarian carrying the demon's corpse.
When they emerged from the cave, it was already morning. Duncan couldn't have been happier to see the morning sunlight breaking through the leaves. He carefully wiped each child's runny nose and tear-streaked face with his sleeves and headed for the village.
At the village entrance, parents were waiting. Fathers coughed awkwardly and glanced sideways, while mothers ran forward, desperately calling out their children's names.
"Amelia!"
"Roni! Roni!!"
"Serin! Are you okay? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
"Elga, thank you. Thank you...."
At a glance, it looked like a touching reunion. In truth, it was nothing of the sort. The only ones shedding tears in emotional relief were the mothers; the children merely swept the ground with hollow eyes or wore expressions seized by unfamiliar terror.
The parents soon noticed this as well. Most accepted it as a temporary condition. The children probably didn't fully understand what had happened. They simply hadn't yet escaped the shock of being abducted by a demon. They would get better soon.
Only one person knew that wasn't the case.
Kadim looked up at the sky and let out a short, low murmur. Somehow, an unpleasant bitterness lingered in his mouth.
After the reunions concluded, the villagers' gazes shifted toward the barbarian.
He stood there drenched in blood, holding the corpse of a demon with a split head. He truly had slain the demon alone. Faced with such overwhelming martial power and an appearance steeped in violence, the villagers couldn't help but be seized by fear for a moment.
Even so, he was the benefactor who had saved countless children. Hesitating, the villagers approached Kadim one by one. They bent their waists and bowed their heads in gratitude.
"Thank you so much, mercenary. If it weren't for you, we can't imagine what would have happened to our child...."
"We've prepared a stew with chicken and barley. You've worked so hard—please come to our house first and have a meal...."
Kadim waved his head dismissively.
"Give that food to the children who just returned. They cried all night without sleep; they must be hungry. I should rest first."
"...."
To survive, one does not hesitate to cross blood-soaked mud and drink filth. But when life is not at stake, one hands over the bread in one's grasp to someone who is hungrier.
It was the last creed to avoid becoming a fiend that had lost its humanity.
Turning his back on the villagers who watched him cautiously, Kadim entered a nearby hut. It was time to take a belated rest.