Chapter 29 : I’ve never seen it, but…

A sword brimming with unmistakable killing intent.

Drak instinctively raised his massive arms to protect his neck and chest.

If the opponent intended to kill him, the target was obvious.

However, Kan’s sword did not rise high.

Swiish.

A sword strike flew at a speed incomparable to the previous beastman swordsman, Rain.

But the blade struck his instep instead.

It was likely because the two massive arms guarding his vital points prevented a reckless strike.

Drak sneered at the effective but ultimately meaningless attack and lunged at Kan like a thunderbolt.

Kan twisted his body slightly, dodging Drak’s attack, and sliced at his left heel.

“You slippery little bastard!”

Drak’s roaring punch once again failed to reach Kan’s skull.

Blocking with his sword was an option, but Kan stubbornly stuck to evasion.

As Drak became more aware of potential counterattacks and shielded his vital points again, Kan’s sword slashed at his calf.

Low. Always aiming low.

Drak’s eyebrow twitched.

‘So he’s aiming for a prolonged battle.’

He swallowed a laugh internally. He was confident in his stamina.

Even as an undead, while he couldn’t die, he still had strength and stamina. The skeleton would tire first—undoubtedly.

At some point, as if confirming his prediction, Kan withdrew his sword and stepped back.

Drak didn’t miss the opening.

“Hah! You loud-mouthed skeleton, are you already tired?!”

As he charged at Kan—

Thud.

Drak’s legs buckled, and his knees slammed into the ground.

“…!”

Drak looked down in disbelief at his blood-soaked legs.

The intent was clear. His opponent had deliberately sliced the tendons in his feet and legs.

To bring him to his knees.

Swish.

A few strands of hair floated into the air.

“I warned you to know your place, Drak. It seems you’ve crossed the line.”

The sword only cut empty air because Drak’s head slammed into the ground—not by his will but through magical interference.

Beside them, Aishi clutched her chest and cheered.

“L-Lord Beal!”

The Demon King Beal had stepped in, but Kan didn’t even spare her a glance as he reversed his grip on his sword and drove it toward Drak’s head.

Beal swiftly grabbed Drak’s massive horn and yanked him aside.

The sword narrowly embedded itself into the ground.

Kan spoke in a low voice.

“Your interference is pointless. I’ve already decided to sever his head.”

Beal shrugged with an emotionless face.

“I told you he’s one of my favorites. For my dignity, why don’t you step back?”

“…You’re mistaken. This isn’t a negotiation.”

The icy chill in his voice froze everyone around them.

“I’m demanding his head. This is a threat.”

For the first time, Beal’s eyes narrowed. A subtle but undeniable hint of anger flashed across her face.

The Demon King’s magic roared like lightning, defying even the laws of the Sky Island, overwhelming the entire area.

Beal glared at Kan.

“Do you have a death wish?”

Not just Rain and Damon, but even Drak and Aishi cowered, their bodies trembling.

But Kan met her gaze head-on without flinching.

“Hah… what’s there to fear in death for someone already dead?”

The storm of lightning and wind grew even more ferocious, tearing apart the surroundings. Debris spiraled like a tornado, and the ground shook violently.

Neither side yielded an inch as they glared at each other with murderous intent.

In the end, it was Beal who backed down first.

As the red glow faded from her eyes, the storm consuming the area vanished in an instant.

“You’re stubborn—no wonder, given how long you’ve lived.”

Her voice softened slightly.

“But does your master share your sentiments?”

At her words, Kan instinctively turned to look at Rupia, who had been trembling behind him.

She clung to him, shaking uncontrollably, fear etched on her tear-streaked face.

Rupia repeated herself in a broken voice:

“G-General, I’m fine… P-please, don’t fight. I’m okay… Hic…”

She was already at her limit after the confrontation with Drak on the airship and the earlier Demon Lord assembly.

Her courage had run dry, and she could barely hold back her tears.

Kan silently looked between Rupia and Drak.

In the silence, Beal interjected.

“Let’s negotiate. If you insist on cutting him down, I’ll allow everything… except his head.”

“…!”

Aishi’s glasses trembled slightly. Damon, watching from the side, was no different.

Neither of them had expected the word “negotiation” to come from Beal’s mouth.

But the most shocked was Drak.

“L-Lord Beal!?”

“Only.”

Kan tilted his skull slightly.

What Beal raised was her own little finger.

“No cuts bigger than this. I’ll say it again, he’s someone I cherish.”

Smaller than a pinky finger—that was Beal’s final condition. There would be no further negotiation.

Kan once again glanced at Rupia. His young lord was trembling.

He couldn’t leave behind potential repercussions, but his opponent was Beal. A Demon King who, with just a fraction of her magic, had managed to deceive his eyes.

It was impossible to gauge how many monsters on this Sky Island followed her.

Could he protect Rupia, Rain, and Damon while facing Beal and her forces?

He wasn’t sure.

“I’ll accept.”

If so, he needed to make the most out of the opportunity given to him, even if it was as small as a pinky finger.

Kan lowered his sword and stepped in front of Drak.

The moment Kan accepted the condition, Beal cast a magical shield around Drak’s neck.

It was a precaution against any sudden change of heart.

Realizing his life wouldn’t end today, Drak let out a twisted smile.

“Heh heh. What a shame. Now is your only chance since I can’t use my power. Will just a pinky-sized cut really satisfy you—”

“Huh…?”

Kan silently looked down at Drak.

“I threw your little lord aside and even groped your subordinate’s chest. I won. I won! Heh heh!”

He wanted to sever Drak’s head immediately, but doing so in one strike was impossible.

If he broke the promise a second time, Beal would intervene. There would be no turning back then.

“A pinky-sized cut, huh…”

Kan made up his mind and raised his sword.

And then—

Slash.

“—!?”

He had sliced Drak’s groin.

Aishi, Damon, and even Beal widened their eyes in shock. Beside them, Rain quickly covered Rupia’s eyes to prevent her from seeing.

Without hesitation, Kan kicked the severed piece with all his might, launching it out of the dock.

It fell below the Sky Island, ensuring it could never be reattached.

Kan spoke to Beal in a low voice.

“The size should be about right. Though I’ve never seen it.”

For a brief moment, Beal’s pupils quivered without focus. The same turbulent emotion she felt when Kan had threatened to cut her down earlier surged again.

It was already the second time that day.

She clutched her chest, glaring at Kan as he passed her by.

Ignoring Drak, who was rolling on the ground and screaming in agony, Kan issued an order to Rain.

“Rain, take our lord to the airship.”

“Y-Yes! Understood…!”

Rain, trembling uncontrollably, somehow managed to stand and embrace Rupia.

Walking between Beal and Aishi was terrifying, but with Kan watching from behind, he felt reassured.

After ensuring Rupia’s safety, Kan turned and glared at Aishi.

Aishi swallowed nervously, nearly choking on her breath.

“W-What! I-I didn’t do anything!”

Aishi looked pleadingly at Beal.

She knew her chances of survival were higher if she appealed to her rather than Kan.

After staring at Aishi for a moment longer, Kan moved to support Damon.

Damon’s chest brushed against Kan’s shoulder bone.

Still shaken, Damon stumbled as they walked past Drak, who was clutching his groin and foaming at the mouth.

Damon let out a loud, mocking laugh.

“Pfft.”

He deliberately pressed himself closer to Kan, as if to rub salt into Drak’s wound.

It was his way of warning and taunting him: “Don’t mess with me.”

Drak’s bloodshot eyes looked as if they would pop out of their sockets.

Beal stood silently beside them, her gaze fixed on Kan’s retreating back.

At that moment, all of her magic and focus were entirely locked onto Kan.

Flap, flap.

Because of this, she failed to notice the presence of the Evil Eye watching from a much farther distance.