Ch.403EP.83 – The Knight’s Compass Has No Needle (2)

Crumble…!

An ominous rumbling echoed.

Though Ihan had controlled his power, the underground structure had suffered significant damage from the tunnel he’d created. In this weakened state, soldiers had fired thousands of mechanical crossbow bolts, destroying pillars and supports.

The initial destruction and secondary impacts had already made the underground prison unstable, and now…

Crack!

With such fierce combat taking place, it was no wonder the underground prison was screaming in protest.

It was like watching flames slowly begin to rise, and yet…

Whoosh! Whoosh!

BOOM!!

The clowns were deliberately fanning those flames.

“Are you all crazy enough to want to die?”

Some surrounded him with weapons like hunters cornering prey, while others focused entirely on destroying the underground structure.

They even had dynamite—setting that off down here would be nothing short of mutual suicide.

He’d known they were insane from the start, but this was beyond comprehension.

However.

“Not at all. We have no intention of dying,” replied the clown who appeared to be their leader, contradicting him.

“Rather, we’re doing this for your sake, Errant Knight. We’re being considerate enough to make this underground your tomb.”

The female pierrot giggled.

Though her murderous intent toward him was palpable, contrary to her words, she was gradually moving toward the exit.

She was trying to escape.

“Scurrying like a rat.”

Whoosh!

Did she really think she could escape from a space he controlled?

Ihan’s Hundred Step Divine Fist erupted, aiming to strike the pierrot’s head with devastating force.

Thwack!

“…If I can survive you, losing a comrade and an arm is a small price to pay.”

Thud, thud.

However, another clown blocked Ihan’s attack, reducing the impact that reached the pierrot. She lost only an arm but managed to survive.

“Goodbye.”

With that playful farewell, the pierrot and her clowns began their escape, while the remaining clowns…

Hissss!

Charged at Ihan with dynamite strapped to their bodies, fuses lit.

* * *

BOOM!!

Rumble….

“How many were sacrificed?”

“Thirty, ma’am.”

“Not worth it.”

The pierrot shook her head.

Then.

“Count, I told you to stay put. Why did you have to make things worse?”

“Urgh…”

“What a pathetic wretch.”

Count Deniro was still writhing and screaming in pain.

Though she had brought him along because he was still useful to their plans—unlike the other clowns she’d abandoned—she was already regretting it.

‘Is he broken?’

Whatever the knight had done to him, Count Deniro was in a miserable state.

‘Holy power? …No, it’s different. Some kind of alien force.’

Tsk!

This was troublesome.

Why had they spent four years working to drive out the priests who served the Light of Radiance?

Because their annoying holy magic posed a potential threat to their plans.

That’s why they had proceeded cautiously, naturally guiding the priests to be expelled from the city.

‘Because of this useless fool…’

Without being asked, he had acted on his own, forcibly capturing priests, and even taking the knight and remaining priests who had been watching their performance…

“He wasn’t originally this stupid. Has the hell magic filled his marrow and made him like this?”

Count Deniro hadn’t always been such a fool.

Rather, he had been a competent lord who knew his place.

But perhaps everyone has hidden desires?

Four years ago, when the Black Moon first met Count Deniro, they made him an offer.

– We will give you eternal life and power befitting it.

From her memory, he initially rejected such an offer and became angry.

– How dare you heretics try to ensnare me in your schemes!

Something like that.

…Yet, barely three days later.

– …Can you really give me eternal life and power to match? Are you saying I could obtain power equal to that of a grand noble?

He revealed his desires.

In truth, Count Deniro had merely been suppressing his enormous lust for power, and thus began his cooperation with the Black Moon.

He voluntarily gathered all the criminals in the city.

He succeeded in summoning demons using them as sacrifices.

He forcibly captured criminals and vagrants to continuously provide “food” for the summoned demons.

It was no exaggeration to say that Count Deniro had become the greatest contributor to advancing the Black Moon’s plans by four years.

Remarkably cooperative, burning with ambition and self-sacrifice.

For this, the pierrot found him both grateful and amusing.

…What was this obsession with power that made him willing to sacrifice his family, loyal knights, and citizens?

A personification of insatiable desire, even when he already had everything.

Count Deniro had already crossed the line and wanted to go further.

Utterly disgusting.

…However.

– I like him.

Their master, the Three Apostles, favored the Count.

They had shown goodwill toward this foolish and stupid man, and that was why they had saved him.

This foolish creature had a “role” to play in the game their master had created.

Until he fulfilled it, he couldn’t be allowed to die.

…Not yet.

Rumble!!

“…Do you think he can survive down there?”

“Impossible, ma’am.”

“I like that answer.”

The ground was collapsing.

True to their nature as explosives created by the Three Apostles themselves, the dynamite had absurd explosive power, completely destroying the underground structure just as they reached the surface.

Amid the intense earthquake that followed, the pierrot finally felt at ease.

“If anyone survives that, they’re not human.”

No matter how monstrous a knight might be, how could anyone survive when the ground itself had collapsed?

He would be crushed under the immense weight of the building and massive amounts of soil.

That was the logical outcome…

Wooong-.

“?”

WOOOOONG-!!!

“…What’s that sound?”

Feeling a vibration reminiscent of a hornet’s wings, the pierrot hesitated.

From the collapsed underground came a grinding sound, and the ground began to tremble!

It was an instinctively terrifying vibration, and she urgently…

“E-evacuate!!”

She ordered the clowns to retreat, and that decision…

BOOM-!

Was absolutely correct.

CRASH!

If they had remained there, they would certainly have been caught in the shockwave and suffered severe injuries.

Rumble!

The next moment, “pulverizing” the massive weight of soil, building fragments, and rocks, he emerged on the surface. Through the thick dust cloud, he revealed himself.

“-You cruel bastards, burying your comrades alive just to save yourselves? Kids these days have no camaraderie, none at all. Back in our day… Ah, we were even worse, weren’t we?”

Patting the dirt from his body and head, he grumbled as he slowly approached them.

“H-how are you still alive?”

The pierrot couldn’t help but ask.

Beyond the explosion, how could he have broken through that massive weight…

“I ground it up.”

“?”

“Blocked the explosion with my body, and ground up the falling soil and rocks with my Rebounding Energy Technique. That’s how I came up to the surface.”

“…”

“Coming up was actually easy. I was buried underground similarly in the past, but back then I didn’t have the Rebounding Energy Technique, so it was harder. But now it was manageable. The technique is still energy work, but maybe it’s because I have experience?”

“???”

“You look like you don’t understand.”

After all that explanation.

Thud.

“Hey, what’s your name anyway?”

“…”

“I thought you might want to leave your name behind before you die. How about it? Isn’t your senior’s kindness touching?”

“…What exactly are you?”

The pierrot trembled.

Despite the distance between them, without even blinking…

In an instant, he had placed his hand on her head and asked in a low voice, causing the pierrot to wear an expression as if she had witnessed supernatural horror.

That’s why she asked.

What exactly was he, what kind of monster was he.

To such questions…

“I told you to tell me your name, and you’re saying strange things.”

Crack!

Without hesitation, he twisted the pierrot’s neck 180 degrees.

* * *

Thump….

The pierrot’s body went limp and her legs gave way, but Ihan’s hand still gripped her head.

It might have seemed excessive to do this to someone already dead, but Ihan intended to be thorough.

He needed to crush her head…!

These were Black Moon operatives.

That meant they were members of the Blood Crusade.

Unless completely destroyed, there was no telling how they might revive.

So Ihan didn’t spare any cruelty.

Dealing with “demons” rather than humans meant exactly that.

“Haaaaa…!”

But the enemies weren’t unaware either.

Swish!

Slash-!

The clowns shouted battle cries as they wrapped themselves around Ihan’s arms, legs, and waist, swinging swords and whips.

Of course, this alone wouldn’t be enough to make Ihan release his grip on the pierrot, but…

“Glory to the Black Apostles!”

BOOM!

One of the clowns clutching Ihan’s body exploded, finally creating an opportunity.

Hiss…!

“…Well, you’re better than the White Cats.”

The mere ability to release battle energy proved they were warriors with extraordinary vitality.

And the explosive power of such a living bomb with this vitality wasn’t something even Ihan could easily handle.

For a moment, his body went numb, creating enough of an opening.

In truth, if not for his Diamond Body and Indestructibility techniques, Ihan would have suffered massive damage.

Although they were demon-like creatures and enemies that must be killed…

“Tough ones.”

He had to acknowledge their spirit.

Facing the clowns who had rescued the limp pierrot, and those who were prepared to self-destruct to bring him down, Ihan picked up the sword left behind by the one who had exploded.

“None of you are pushovers.”

Since this was going to be a fairly difficult battle…

Whoosh!

-Plum blossoms bloomed from the sword.

*

*

*

Twitch-.

…Count Deniro’s body stirred.

Still unconscious, with his facial skin and other skin melted, he trembled slightly while bleeding profusely.

The trembling intensified, growing worse with each clown that died.

Then suddenly.

Flash!

The Count’s eyes flashed with a blood-red light.

[…More, many more….]

The Count didn’t open his mouth, yet strangely, a voice resonated from his body.

Crunch, crunch.

Gradually his body swelled, transforming into a rounded shape, becoming grotesquely distorted.

That shape, how to describe it…

[-Delicious.]

─It resembled a snake’s egg that had completed its preparations for birth.