Chapter 7: Saviour of the Demihumans – 1

The day before the Academy entrance ceremony and the first day the Tower of the Labyrinth opened, Demihuman King Brigand, who entered the second floor of the Labyrinth, was heading towards a huge structure that felt strangely familiar.

Kwaaaaang!

As he swung his fist containing condensed power, a massive explosion occurred.

“Kieeek!”

The giant scorpions caught in the explosion twisted and writhed before quickly quieting down.

“Hoo. Is this all?”

Brigand looked around at the overturned monsters nearby.

Due to the chaotic magic of his destructive power, most of the scorpion corpses couldn’t maintain their original forms.

“Indeed, compared to the monsters scattered throughout Rudera, these are stronger.”

In Rudera, the levels of monsters ranged from 1 to 10 in beginner areas, reaching up to the 50s in more challenging zones on the central continent, known as the toughest terrain.

However, the desert monsters Brigand encountered were in their 60s, surpassing 50.

“If we compare this to reality, they would be equivalent to A-rank upper-tier monsters like Ogres.”

“These are the kinds of monsters guarding this place. What kind of hardships and challenges await inside?”

With a twisted smile, Brigand surveyed the overturned monsters around him.

The familiarity he continued to feel in this unfamiliar place was what exactly?

As if the instincts of a Demihuman were desperately yearning for this place.

To discover the identity of this feeling, Brigand slowly walked into the pyramid.

The area around the large hole in the rock wall allowed some distinction due to the light of the outside sun, but as he ventured further inside, he was met with perfect darkness where not even a ray of light could be found.

“It’s dark.”

His magic gathered around his eyes, and with the special vision of a Demihuman, he could see clearly even in this pitch-black darkness.

“!?!?……”

Then he could discover a huge wall.

“A painting?”

A huge mural of enormous size was drawn on the wall.

The figures seemed to be drawn as flat human shapes.

“Beautiful.”

As Brigand, it was a form of art he encountered for the first time.

Nevertheless, he unconsciously thought the painting was beautiful.

It seemed like a brilliant legacy of an ancient lost civilization.

“Currently, it’s not preserved, a lost ancient artistic style? Like our history.”

Brigand moved along the wall, scanning the painted picture.

An ancient civilization capable of constructing huge structures difficult to build even with modern magic and technology.

It looked more superior than the known ancient states of humans or elves.

Therefore, at first, it was thought to be a collapsed ancient empire, just a legacy left by unfamiliar humans or elves.

“This painting. Not human or elf.”

Those painted on the wall didn’t seem human.

Without a doubt, it was the ear of a cat.

It was undoubtedly a Demihuman race’s ear.

“Isn’t it true that Demihuman! Impossible!”

The history of the Demihumans has long been wiped out, making it impossible to know.

Therefore, other species could have dismissed the history of the Demihumans as an inferior history.

After all, was Brigand not the one who personally gathered the Demihumans to change such recognition and built the country?

However, the grand structure depicted in this mural seemed to be the legacy of a country composed of the Demihumans.

More brilliant and more beautiful than the ancient empires of humans or elves.

“We have lost… Is this our history?”

Brigang ventured deeper into the pyramid.

Huge statues with animal heads lined the sides, dozens of them towering around.

Brigand was certain.

This structure belonged to the demihumans.

Even the imperial palaces of humans, the elven world trees, none could match the beauty of this structure.

Brigand delved into the innermost chamber of the pyramid, the ‘King’s Chamber,’ in search of the lost history of the Demihumans.

“This place…”

As Brigand began to inspect the room, suddenly there was a rumble.

“Have you come, my warrior?”

And a hologram appeared in the air.

“You are…”

“I am Duamutef, your god.”

A hologram of a giant with an eagle’s head.

“Our god?”

Brigand’s eyes widened.

“For ages, my message has finally reached my people. It is truly fortunate.”

“Our god? What does that mean!”

His voice echoed loudly.

“The forgotten god of the Demihumans. With their history erased, the Demihumans lost even their faith. Among the many races with existing gods, they alone were left without. Consequently, the Demihumans were considered an abandoned race.”

“You mean you’re our god? Then why have you forsaken us! For millennia, we have suffered without you!”

“All my warrior, I have not forsaken you.”

“Really?”

“In a distant past, in an age mixed with gods and magics, a great war erupted. I had to protect my beloved people. War, you say? In the distant past, the mythic era when even records were not kept, it was the established truth of the continent’s history. Because I was inadequate, my only means to protect you was through my sacrifice alone.”

So our god did not abandon us…

“I burned my sanctity to make you whole.”

To sacrifice oneself to protect us…

“I am now just a remnant of sentiment. I will soon disappear.”

Brigand stood dumbfounded, lost for words.

“Beyond this, there is a gate leading underground.”

The hologram pointed to a corner of the room.

“Underground… You mean?”

“Yes. In this underground, the worst demon I sealed is sleeping. Defeat the demon. Both I and my people will be liberated. And take my final legacy prepared for you.”

Liberation.

Even though they lived like those who had no leash, these people were Brigand’s people, the Demihumans.

Brigand could endure any suffering to free them.

“Understood. Please open the gate.”

“If that is your will.”

Wuuung

A wave of blue magic began to move from the gate.

Brigand slowly walked towards the gate.

“My people.”

“Please speak.”

“I apologize for burdening you like this.”

“No. If it means saving our race, I can jump into hell.”

A ridiculous feat for the salvation of a race.

“If you ever feel weak, he will help you.”

“…?”

“Even the fact that I, who have already disappeared, can meet you again, is all his mercy. Entrust all your sanctity to him.”

With that said, the hologram made a creaking sound and faded away soon.

“…Our god. Duamutef. Rest in peace.”

The being who allowed us to meet our god again… ‘He.’

Whoever he is, he is the benefactor of our race.

We’ll have to repay him later.

Chin

Brigand plunged his body into the inside of the gate.

“First, I’ll exterminate the enemies of the Demihumans.”

Shuuuuu

A deep pit extending long underground.

Thud

Brigand landed at the deepest bottom of that pit.

A space covered in pitch-black darkness.

It was a space so engulfed in abyss that even an ordinary person would go mad without a single ray of light.

Shiiii

At the very bottom, Brigand faced a serpent of immense size.

A mythical creature from ancient times.

The first and last enemy of the Demihumans…

Even Brigand, who confidently faced any hardship and adversity, took a step back.

He felt a fear he had never experienced before.

Brigand could now truly feel why the ancient Demihuman empire that had built such a brilliant civilization had fallen.

Even with a physique that surpassed walls countless times, he couldn’t move his body.

He felt an immense difference beyond what he could have imagined.

It’s not an enemy that mere mortals can face.

Not even a challenge that could be overcome by gathering all the strong ones of the continent here, the disparity in power was so great.

He despaired.

-Can’t win.

Shiiii

The giant head of the serpent slowly approached Brigand.

Despite Apophis’ mouth widening and approaching him, Brigand couldn’t move.

Can I defeat such a monster…

Can I really defeat such a monster…

Brigand, the king of Demihumans who had never been stopped by any hardship or adversity, stood still.

No existence on the continent could surpass the insurmountable mountain in front of him.

Brigand, who had exhausted all his strength, slowly fell down.

If someone who knew him saw this scene, it would be such an unreal sight that they wouldn’t believe their own eyes.

Ah, my beloved Demihumans.

May you be eternal…

Just as Brigand was about to give up everything,

Ding

-The blessing of the GM temporarily empowers the challenger ‘Brigand’ in the trial of the labyrinth.

-The power of Duamutef, the god of the vanished desert, is added to the challenger ‘Brigand’.

-Overcome the serpent of chaos following Duamutef’s will.

A system window appeared before him.

Hwaah

And an incredibly dense force flowed into his body.

Omnipotence

Brigand felt a sense of omnipotence, feeling like he could accomplish anything.

“…The power of Duamutef? What on earth…”

It felt like someone had bestowed upon him the power of the god of the Demihumans.

Only then did Brigand understand.

That ‘he’ mentioned by Duamutef was the god of Rudera, GM.

GM, in order to save the demihumans, resurrected the power of Duamutef, who had perished.

And gave this power to him to break this cycle with the hands of the Demihumans.

“…Thank you, GM.”

He tightly clenched his fist.

Now, he felt like he could tear apart the enormous serpent right in front of him.

“I will serve your blessing to save our race.”

Shiiii

The giant head of Apophis approached him.

“Together.”

Brigand’s fist extended towards Apophis,

Quaaaang

A dense cloud of dust covered the surroundings.

“Inherit the will of Duamutef who perished and serve you.”

Stepping on the shattered and scattered head of Apophis, Brigand stood up.

“Our eternal saviour, GM.”

Of course, if Albus had seen this spectacle, he would have thought it was some absurd nonsense, but that’s another story.