The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound - Chapter 303: Age of War Enthusiasts (5)

Chapter 303: Age of War Enthusiasts (5)

Covered in tough muscles, it had four legs, black fur cascading like a waterfall, two ominously glowing eyes, and a giant horn missing its tip. A unicorn. However, this creature exuded overwhelming malevolence and terror far from the holy and sacred aura often mentioned in myths.

While typically humans hold the reins and handle the handle of a horse, in the case of this peculiar being, it was the opposite. It held the reins and extended them to the human below in an unusual manner.

[The Fifth Corpse Amdusias]

Danger Level: S+

Size: ?

Discovery Location: ?

Also known as the ‘Fifth Corpse.’

One of the ten calamities leading to the era of destruction, an enemy of humanity, impervious, invincible, known as Amdusias.

“Reap the lives of those born that year.”

『Ten Commandments』 10: Top –

The fifth demon lord, Amdusias!

As Vikir looked at this muscular demon form, memories of the nightmare that attacked the academy just before the era of destruction flashed before him. The central clock tower, a symbol of the Colosseo Academy, collapsed due to the sudden arrival of the unexpected demon lord. Many young heroes who could have become the pillars of the empire perished that day.

When the sword of the cold students broke, and the fire of the hot students dwindled.

Only then did the empire truly grasp the impending doom.

“…The deaths of young students had a tremendous impact on the future of the empire.”

This catastrophe even angered those who had left school for various reasons, such as Figgy and Sancho, and brought them back to the Academy.

Vikir looked at Winston in front of him and Amdusias who had descended behind him.

“Now is the time to kill.”

The reason he had spared Winston until now was that there were many tasks to be done at the academy before killing him. Also, due to a certain type of ‘dangerous superpower’ he possessed.

At that moment, Amdusias turned his head and began to gaze in their direction.

[…The scent of a demon hunter. Are you that Night hound?]

Vikir pressed his mask even deeper.

The opponent was one of the ten supreme demons, ranking among the top three in terms of one-on-one combat ability.

…Flash!

A solid aura, symbolizing a swordmaster, spread widely in the shape of a crescent moon, cutting through space.

Clang! Crash!

Vikir’s attack struck the tip of Amdusias’ horn, skimming upward, tearing through the ceiling into two halves.

[Indeed. It looks like my comrades had a tough time.]

Amdusias murmured in a low voice.

Belial, who excelled in cunning deception and legion tactics,

Sere, who specialized in creating numerous subordinates with black magic,

Decarabia, focused solely on defense,

Dantalian, focusing on deceptions and mental degradation,

and Andromalius, who died too early due to laziness…

However, unlike them, Amdusias was a true combative demon.

Its combat power as a single entity outperforms any demon king encountered thus far in terms of strength.

Crash!

Amdusias kicked forward. Vikir, caught by the sweeping hind leg at an incredible speed, was sent flying backward.

‘Strength, speed. Nothing is lacking.’

Vikir bit back the blood rising in his throat. ‘…But I know that’s not all.’

He knew that Amdusias still concealed a terrifying ability. The power that had taken the lives of many figures at the academy in his past life.

Hence, extreme caution was necessary.

At that moment, Amdusias turned its body and thrust its horn towards Vikir. It seemed like it would pierce through everything. However…

Swoosh!

A giant snake that intruded from the side coiled around Amdusias’s horn, diverting its trajectory.

Crash!

Amdusias slammed its head a little away from where Vikir was. The powerful shockwave shook the entire grand hall to its foundations. Soon, amid the scattering debris and dust, Amdusias’s yellow eyes gleamed.

Using Winston’s voice, it inquired, […Sadi?]

Indeed, there stood Sadi, holding the whip entwined around Amdusias’s horn.

Then, Amdusias’ form momentarily blurred, and Winston’s eyes, which had been hazy, regained focus. Winston fixed his gaze on Sadi’s trembling pupils.

[Sadi. Why’d you do this? I raised you with love. But how could you do this to me…]

Winston had consistently supported Sadi to prevent her from being dismissed from her professorship. He had been the one supporting her with regular sponsorships for a superior education since she was a newborn.

However…

“You’re talking nonsense.”

Sadi’s reply was cold. “The granddaughter of a war criminal can’t grow up on the right path. Do you think the system has really changed? People’s gazes will never change.”

The constant disdain, condemnation, and fearful glances since her childhood. And one day, when she accidentally discovered her grandfather’s memoirs hidden deep in the ruins of the fallen family castle, Sadi realized that Winston, the sturdy supporter and sponsor, was actually the one who caused the downfall of her grandfather.

Since then, Sadi’s gaze had changed.

While enduring insults, discrimination, unjust treatment, and secret violence, her eyes, which had persistently borne all these, began to flicker with the madness inherited from her grandfather.

War enthusiast. A world where only the powerful ruled.

Sadi, sharpening her knife toward Winston, spoke. “While reading my grandfather’s memoirs, I discovered something. I empathized with and immersed myself in my own being like never before!”

[…]

“In a world where those in power must be mindful of the powerless! I’ve also learned how to get past that absurdity and contradiction!”

Sadi grinned at Winston. “And I’ve gained assurance that within your guise of humaneness and peace, there was actually a demon lurking. Now, I will avenge my grandfather.”

Gradually, a terrifying aura emanated from Sadi’s entire body.

Crack! The whip started writhing like a snake with raised thorns.

A thick, sticky aura, like gooey honey, followed the results of the whip’s thorns, turning everything in all directions into rubble. However, Winston remained calmly standing with a silent expression.

[…Is this what it means to be human?]

Eventually, Amdusias’s blurred form regained its full shape.

[It is definitely worth denying three times.]

Muttering incomprehensible words, Amdusias rose against the storm of aura that Sadi was creating with the whip. The result…

Squelch!

Amdusias asserted dominance. No matter how strong and experienced Sadi was, ultimately, she was a Peak graduator and could not surpass the level of a demon lord. Facing a demonic being of that caliber was a daunting task unless she becomes a master.

Thud!

Sadi was thrown aside like trash into a pile of debris. As she spat out blood and organ fragments from her mouth, Amdusias aimed its massive horn at her.

[In the end, it’s futile. Fragile human-]

However, Sadi showed no signs of yielding.

“Cough! Do you think so?”

[Pretense won’t work.]

“It’s not pretense. I’ve bought time. Ho-ho-ho.”

Just as Amdusias smirked at Sadi’s words…

Swoosh!

Winston’s waist bent sharply, a crimson blade piercing through near his heart.

Vikir had silently approached from behind, gripping Winston’s back.

“It’s over, It’s time to die, This is your grave, There is no hope left for you… I’ve heard them all many times before.”

[…]

“But guess what? I’m still fucking alive.”

In the blink of an eye, Vikir had stabbed his back multiple times. Although Amdusias hastily withdrew Winston’s body and stepped back, Vikir, as if waiting, followed suit.

…At that moment.

Suddenly, Winston’s eyes were stained with a bright red hue.

Thud! With unexpected strength, Winston, who had been just a mere host, reached out and grabbed Vikir’s arm.

“Who’s the demon?”

In that moment, Vikir felt the foul odor emanating from Winston disappear and hesitated. Winston didn’t miss this brief moment of hesitation.

…Bang!

He pushed Vikir away and leaped backward. Looking at Sadi writhing amidst the debris in the distance, he asked, “Demon and human. Which is more evil.”

Humans reject demons. That’s the reason they’re considered malevolent beings. However, sometimes humans go beyond the ‘demon’ created by their own ideology of evil.

“Opposition to justice is not necessarily evil. It’s just another form of justice…”

Winston seemed to be pointing out that very aspect.

…But.

“I’m not interested in your four-cent philosophy. Don’t try to teach me.”

Vikir, a seasoned veteran who had spent countless hours on the battlefield, was not someone easily swayed by the enemy’s logic.

“Demons need to DIE.”

The first principle of a demon hunter. An unwavering belief in any circumstance.

Vikir was embodying that very principle.

…Swoosh!

The blades once again impaled Winston, reaching beyond him to Amdusias.

[So, you were a quite skilled hunter despite your youthful appearance.]

Amdusias began to gather its strength in earnest.

A massive Dark Unicorn and Night Hound were about to clash, Horn vs fangs.

Just then.

“Uh-… Where did it go?”

A somewhat lax voice, not quite fitting the tense atmosphere of the battlefield, echoed.

Amdusias and Vikir momentarily paused.

Walking through the rubble with a hunched back, an old woman appeared. Vikir, catching a glimpse of her face, couldn’t believe his eyes.

‘Nabokov? Why is she here…!?’

The Pope.

A figure that should not have appeared on this battlefield as per Vikir’s past life. A face that should have long disappeared, poisoned to death by Humbert.

Even Vikir hadn’t expected this unpredictable variable.

The old woman’s sudden appearance at the final battlefield was truly surprising.