Chapter 50: The Commander of the Gluttonous Legion (3)

The flames from the deepest part of hell erupted as if roaring.

When the heat of the flames surpasses a reasonable level, rather than burning its target, it vaporizes it.

This is because the target dissolves faster than the flames can spread and ignite it.

The magic that Tarkus just used was exactly that.

Unreasonable firepower that far exceeded the level of ordinary flame magic. Quite literally, ‘Hellfire.’

The sharp red fangs raced through every corner of the cave, indulging in new victims. Stalactites caught in the storm instantly melted into liquid.

Unfortunately, a few slaves who had collapsed in the front row were long gone, consumed by the carnivorous flames and annihilated.

All that remained in the places where they once stood were black shadows imprinted with the screams they couldn’t fully let out.

Only a few survived.

“Haah, ugh…!”

Isabella, one of the survivors, groaned as she barely stood in the middle of the searing passageway.

It was truly by a narrow margin. The result of pouring in all the magic power she and Marianne had.

Isabella had erected a Wall of Ice, and Marianne had layered a Divine Shield on top of it, creating their joint masterpiece.

It was the strongest shield the two could muster at that moment, poured entirely into durability without any regard for duration or efficiency.

Only after going that far did they barely survive.

At the cost of completely exhausting all their magical power, just barely.

…Their opponent, however, still had plenty of energy left.

“!!”

Isabella staggered a couple of times before finally collapsing to her knees.

At the same time, Marianne, who also seemed completely drained, fell unconscious where she stood.

This was it. This was the limit of what they could do.

No matter how much people praised them as a genius wizard or the descendant of a Demon Lord, this was as far as they could go.

To the Legion Commanders, beings who truly belonged in myths, this was nothing more than a bit of amusement or a warm-up.

-Thud, thud…

Through the steam formed by the melting of the Wall of Ice, Tarkus slowly walked toward Isabella. He grabbed her by the collar and lifted her.

Isabella let out a low scream as her throat was suddenly squeezed.

“Ugh…?!”

“No matter how I think about it, something’s off.”

Glancing over the four people who had collapsed in shambles, Tarkus muttered.

“No matter how much Karma, the traitor, helped, Tartarus isn’t a place that could be wiped out by mere brats like these.

Even if I were to concede a hundred times and say it was possible, they would’ve had enough time to signal for help. So why was there not a single message until I returned?”

“Did Sophia become blinded by arrogance? No, that’s not it. She’s arrogant and impulsive, but she’s not stupid.

She knows better than anyone that in times of crisis, I’m the first one to be called. In other words, she and the others were taken down without even a chance to act.”

Crunch.

Tarkus’s grip tightened slightly.

“There’s another culprit who annihilated this base, isn’t there?”

“Guh, agh…!”

Isabella clutched Tarkus’s wrist and flailed her legs.

She couldn’t breathe. Her vision whitened. She couldn’t think straight.

A mage who had used up all their magic was no better than a rural housewife. They couldn’t even resist against a mere goblin if faced with one.

To go up against a Legion Commander, known for wielding one of the greatest powers within the Demon King’s army—there was no need to even consider it. There was no hope of survival. Even with a slight increase in his grip, Isabella’s head would be crushed. It was truly a life-or-death crisis.

“Who are you? Dogs of the Inquisition? Or maybe that detestable elf leader from Anatolia?

Answer honestly. Then, at the very least, I will ensure you and your friends die without pain.”

“Hah… huff…”

Isabella gasped for breath but still stared at Tarkus with defiant eyes.

“Heh… If I don’t answer, what will you do…?!”

“What do you think?”

Tarkus raised the corner of his mouth slightly.

Then, suddenly—

-Rip!

“AAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

Isabella’s right arm was mercilessly torn off.

Tarkus tossed the severed arm behind him as if discarding a broken branch.

Blood gushed out from Isabella’s right shoulder, staining the ground.

“I’ll just make you writhe in pain until you’re about to die. If that’s your preference, I won’t stop you.”

“Urgh… Aaaaaghhh…!!!”

Isabella’s face contorted into a form no girl should ever make. The agony from her lost arm was immense.

Tarkus, enjoying her suffering, continued speaking.

“Where should I rip next? Your left arm? Your right leg? Left leg?

Tell me which part you want gone. Since it’s your final moment, I’ll give you that much consideration. Out of mercy.”

He smiled wickedly, his eyes gleaming with the same disdain one would show to an insect.

At this point, no one could even imagine Isabella’s side making a comeback.

Therese and Lancia had been knocked unconscious after crashing into the cave wall, Marianne had collapsed after exhausting her divine power to the limit, and Karma had been split in two and killed at the start of the battle.

The prisoners were all passed out, and even if they woke up, they’d be useless.

Even Isabella, the only one still conscious, was bleeding profusely, nearing death.

Without a miracle, everyone’s death was certain. Absolute despair.

And because of that—

The last remaining princess grinned even wider.

“Heh… Heheh…

Uh-heh, hehehehe…!”

“…?”

Tarkus frowned at Isabella’s sudden laughter.

What was this? Why was she laughing? Had she gone mad from the pain?

Humans are always so weak.

“Seems there’s no choice. I’ll kill you and interrogate another one—”

“[Pull it toward me]…!”

“What?”

Tarkus furrowed his brows even further at Isabella’s cryptic words, but she continued, unfazed.

“[Miracles never happen on their own. You must pull the inevitability of that miracle toward yourself]…

That’s what my sister always used to say. So this time, I decided to put it into practice myself.”

“You… what nonsense are you spewing now—”

“Do you know what this is?”

Isabella pulled something out from her robe with her remaining left hand.

It was a plain, unadorned book, seemingly ordinary at first glance.

『Isabella’s Magnificent and Splendid Spellbook』 

『Owner: Isabella de Salem & Sion』

“What? And what of it?” 

Tarkus tilted his head in even greater confusion. After all, what she had pulled out was just an ordinary spellbook. 

On its own, it had no significance in the current situation. It was just one of the many books any human mage might carry. 

What could she possibly hope to do with that?

“Heh… Hehehe… Don’t you get it? Of course you wouldn’t… Ugh!”

Isabella coughed up blood onto the ground. 

But despite the intense pain, the smile on her lips remained intact.

“Well, the book itself isn’t anything special… As you can see, it’s just a plain old spellbook. 

But what’s important is that I have it in my hand right now.”

Isabella chuckled.

“You wouldn’t understand what that means, would you?”

The spellbook was marked with a tag labeled [Name of Retrieval]. A temporary device Isabella had devised to transmit signals across the gap between the surface and the underground.

It was an enchanted artifact, programmed to teleport to the hand of whoever was registered as its owner when their name was called. 

Originally, it was Isabella’s personal item, but for this operation, Sion’s name had been temporarily added after hers to grant her access. The purpose was to send a signal to the surface.

However, according to the original plan, the only one meant to use the retrieval function was Sion.

The idea was that after she infiltrated the underground and destroyed the teleportation jamming barrier, she would summon the book to inform the surface of her success.

That was the crux of the mission. 

There was no intention for Isabella to summon the book again afterward. She didn’t need it during combat, after all. 

So, by all accounts, this book should currently be in Sion’s possession.

But why was it now in Isabella’s hands?

‘That’s because I called it ahead of time.’

Indeed, the timing was just after Karma had been split in two by the axe. 

Even as Isabella struggled for breath after being struck by Presence, she had managed to summon the book, squeezing out the last of her strength.

While she couldn’t cast a spell, simply saying its name was something she could still manage.

Of course, there was no guarantee that her actions would bear any fruit.

Even if the book disappeared from Sion’s possession, that alone was merely a phenomenon. Whether Sion would interpret it as a meaningful signal was entirely up to her discretion.

Since it wasn’t part of the original plan, Sion could easily overlook it without blame. She might simply dismiss it as an accidental drop during battle.

However, Isabella believed in her.

If it was Sion—her respected older sister—there was no way she would ignore this “unexpected signal.”

Sion’s meticulous and thorough nature ensured that she wouldn’t miss even the smallest inconsistency. 

And as a result—

“You’re done for, you horned freak.”

Isabella raised her trembling left hand and flipped Tarkus off.

And at that very moment—

-Slash!

A blade of energy shot through the mist, slicing Tarkus’s wrist clean off.

“!?!!!?!?”

The Legion Commander, now abruptly missing an arm, let out a short scream and staggered back. At the same time, Isabella, who had been held by the throat, was freed and collapsed to the ground.

Grabbing his wrist, which was gushing red blood, Tarkus roared in fury.

“Who is it!? What filthy dog dares!? Show yourself now!!!”

His voice boomed, so powerful it could make even the mountains and trees cower in fear. His furious shout was enough to send shivers down any mortal’s spine.

In response, the one responsible for the blade slowly emerged from the mist.

It was the very person Isabella had longed to see.

“Just arrived, so I don’t fully grasp the situation yet,” the figure said.

Long, silver hair flowing down to her waist. 

A massive golden sword as large as her body. 

A calm expression, utterly unbothered by the suffocating pressure in the air. 

In this moment, at this place, there was only one girl who could face Tarkus without being outmatched.

“I figured cutting off his arm was a good start. Hope that wasn’t a problem.”

“Sister…!”

Isabella looked up at Sion with teary, overwhelmed eyes.

Finally, the miracle she had desperately wished for had become reality.