Ch.182182. Judgment

# Horror Legion

Originally an Imperial Legion of the Rom Empire, this corrupted legion is, in a sense, the most realistically corrupted legion due to Horus’s deception.

Horus infiltrated in disguise, tricked them into performing an Aura awakening ritual, and used this to make the legion sell itself out by its own hands.

As a result, these soldiers were forced to serve Horus against their will, and as time passed, they gradually suffered mental deterioration from being made to do things they never wanted.

Eventually, the Horror Legion completely lost their sanity and began to act recklessly under the logic that their lives were ruined anyway.

The three atrocities committed against civilians—looting, arson, and murder—were considered mere initiation rites for new legion members.

Horus openly declared to them that death would make them eternal slaves, causing them to suffer from a terribly severe fear of death. They didn’t want to experience this fear alone.

Thus, under the utterly selfish notion that “I shouldn’t be the only one suffering,” they spread their notoriety far and wide by committing all manner of cruelties and atrocities.

When Horus realized this was effective at drawing out fear, he began actively encouraging such behavior from the Horror Legion.

As a result, the Horror Legion had recently split into units of about 100 men each, focusing their efforts on guerrilla activities and enjoying slaughter.

Of course, most targets of these guerrilla activities were territories under neighboring evil gods, but would these insane soldiers refrain from doing the same in their own lands?

Naturally, under Horus’s tacit approval that spreading fear was all that mattered, these legion members had come to attack without hesitation anyone who didn’t feel fear.

There was no reason for these Horror Legion members not to attack passing worshippers of the Vengeance cult.

Of course, there were more complex circumstances behind this incident.

For one, Horus had wanted to avoid conflict with “Vengeance” if possible, and had instructed his followers not to disturb the Vengeance cult.

The problem was that Horus had only informed the cult leadership of this fact, and the guerrilla unit that attacked the worshippers had never received this message.

Therefore, this 100-man guerrilla unit, upon discovering a group of passing worshippers, charged at them in their maddened state with their grotesquely shaped weapons—

“Prepare to fire! Stop those monstrosities!”

“Yes, Veteran Azkalan!!”

“I’ll help too! «Lesser Strength Enforcement»!! «Blessing of Vengeance»!!”

They were mercilessly cut down by the coordinated attack of 30 Avenger Legion members escorting about 200 worshippers, along with the priest in charge of the underground church.

Having focused on causing fear rather than any productive purpose, and relying too heavily on ambushes and atrocities to instill terror:

“Hee, heeeee!!”

“T-too strong…!!”

Without proper training and with deteriorating quality compared to their days as the Imperial Legion, they shamefully fled in terror themselves once the tide of battle turned against them.

Thus, the Horror Legion was easily repelled.

“Kill them! Kill them all!!”

“Guh, aaaaargh—”

—CRUNCH!

“Let’s show pride to these prideless worms!! Oh God of Vengeance!!”

“”””””Oh God of Vengeance!!!””””””

More than half of the Horror Legion was slaughtered, with three apparent high-ranking officers captured, while the Avenger Legion suffered only 2 dead and 5 wounded.

Looking at casualty ratios alone, it was clearly a victory for the Avenger Legion, but what mattered wasn’t the outcome but the very fact that they had been attacked by the Horror Legion.

Naturally, envoys dispatched from the Cult of Fear desperately tried to downplay the incident, claiming it was an accident and the act of individuals rather than the cult itself, but…

Would that work?

“Ben… This can be considered an insult to our authority, can it not?”

[Indeed, Apostle of the Lord. Even if their words were true, incompetence is no excuse.]

The question of where responsibility lay wasn’t particularly important; the very fact of being attacked had provoked the leadership of the Vengeance cult.

《What? Those bastards?》

Moreover, their actions had reached beyond mortals to the ears of the god himself. The moment it was confirmed they had been attacked despite prior agreements:

《…I’ll kill them.》

With half personal vengeance and half judgment that an example needed to be made, Ma-Duk, the evil god of vengeance, sent his messenger directly.

[T-the god…?!!]

“I behold the messenger sent by the Great Bleeding God of Vengeance.”

The werewolf messenger who appeared in Bjorn’s office while he was handling affairs spoke in a voice devoid of emotion, as always.

“Apostle Bjorn, He has issued a command.”

“…Yes, I am listening.”

“He said, «Take vengeance. Deliver appropriate punishment to those who dared lay hands on my children.»”

And with the delivery of this command complete, she disappeared without a trace, just as she had appeared…

They began to move without hesitation.

“Prepare, Ben.”

[Do you intend to go yourself?]

To Ben’s question, tinged with worry though in a somewhat different direction, Bjorn opened his mouth with a strangely twisted smile—

“Yes, it is His command… And I’m a little angry too.”

This was a declaration that the Empire’s End, the Harbinger of Destruction, would take action personally.

※ ※ ※

Shortly after, Bjorn spread his wings and disappeared somewhere.

“……”

Flapping his shadow wings, which had completely changed in specification since becoming a transcendent, he instantly arrived in the airspace above territory occupied by the evil god of fear.

“W-what is this…!”

“Something… feels strange.”

The followers of fear on the ground sensed the energy Bjorn was emitting and instinctively felt that something ominous was about to happen.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know, Commander…”

The ground below fell into chaos, unable to regain composure, and this chaos intensified with the oracle transmitted from the temple of the Cult of Fear.

“G-Grand Priest…!! An oracle, an oracle!!”

“What?!! What, what does it say?!!”

“T-the Empire’s End is coming!!!”

The Empire’s End, the God Slayer, Bjorn who became an object of fear and awe after ending the Pantheon.

His personal visit—no matter how one looked at it—could not be seen as positive.

Even if it were truly a positive situation, it would be concerning, but especially now, when they owed quite a substantial debt to “Vengeance”?

Therefore, they tried to prepare by readying whatever trump cards they had for negotiation or other means, but…

“…The time of judgment has come.”

The problem was that Bjorn was at least tens of times faster than they had anticipated.

Having traversed hundreds of kilometers in a single breath, Bjorn focused his inner power with a cold determination.

His aim was just one thing: to establish a hierarchy in their hearts.

Having no intention of negotiating or compromising even slightly, he extended his hand, mocking those who were trying to somehow engage him in dialogue.

The demon sword? Drawing it to deal with such insignificant beings would be disrespectful to the blade.

With this thought, Bjorn extended his right index finger forward and began to concentrate his “power” into it.

And then… the time came.

“Cannon.”

With Bjorn’s utterance, a beam of black energy shot from his finger and struck the ground—

—KWAAAAAAAAAANG!!!!!!!!

The next moment, as the beam exploded upon hitting the ground, black flames spread in all directions from the point of impact.

These flames, paradoxically reflecting the abyss in their color while still emitting light and heat, were the flames of hatred.

A type of sacred fire unique to those who serve the evil god of vengeance, fueled by hatred and vengeance.

It devoured everything impious that opposed the will of the god (Vengeance), spreading endlessly—

After some time, all that remained was gray dust blowing in the wind.