The Traitor’s End (4)

“…Kulluk.”

As the gale that had been raging as if to turn the world upside down subsided,

Oscar, who had been lying as if dead, roughly expelled air from his parched lungs and staggered to his feet.

“…”

A huge cavity came into Oscar’s blurry field of vision.

A desolate horizon where things that should be there—the sparsely grown trees, the fortress walls that had filled one side of his vision—were nowhere to be seen.

“…What is this.”

Amidst the ruins that looked as if a dragon had swept through, Oscar anxiously looked around.

“KAAAAAAK…!”

Someone’s scream echoed. Oscar hurriedly turned his head toward the direction of the sound.

The black knight, wearing tattered armor, was holding up Aslaksha’s head with one hand.

“Aghk, aaaak…!”

Aslaksha’s face, caught in the grasp from which ominous black smoke was seeping, was contorted as much as possible.

From between the white cloth covering her lower body, a mysterious liquid was dripping.

“Even defecating. You put effort into unnecessary parts.”

The black knight evaluated the completeness of the vessel in an indifferent voice. Aslaksha answered with a scream full of pain.

From the nostrils of the vessel, whose eyes had rolled back completely, a sticky liquid began to flow.

Too dark to be blood, too thin to be mucus.

“…Interesting.”

The black knight shrugged.

“Instead of preparing a separate life vessel, you tore the soul itself into pieces and inserted small amounts into each vessel. A method I hadn’t thought of.”

“Aghk…”

“The original plan was to find the hideout where the life vessel was hidden by ransacking the brain…”

The black knight murmured as he released his grip on Aslaksha.

“But hunting humans after so long isn’t bad either.”

-Tuk.

Aslaksha’s vessel fell face down like a soaked stuffed doll. The same black liquid was flowing from all seven holes in her face, not just her nostrils.

“…”

“You’re awake.”

The black knight said indifferently toward Oscar, who was blankly staring at him.

“Quite sturdy. I thought you were just a frail mage.”

“…Evangeline.”

Oscar said in an anxious voice.

“Where is Evangeline?”

At Oscar’s words, the black knight remained silent for a moment, as if carefully selecting his answer. But only for a moment. The black knight replied without even turning his head.

“Somewhere in the West Continent, I suppose.”

“Don’t dodge the question, answer me…!”

Forcibly holding onto his trembling voice, Oscar raised his voice. The black knight slowly turned his head toward him.

Between deeply hollowed eye sockets, lifeless, pitch-black eyes shone.

Pitch-black light. It was a contradictory expression, but Oscar couldn’t think of a better modifier to describe those eyes at the moment.

“I truly don’t know.”

With his eyes locked on Oscar’s, the black knight answered quietly.

“Heoshae is not my power, but a sword bestowed by the Demon King. Those sucked into the gap in space torn by Heoshae are scattered somewhere in the West Continent.”

“…Scattered?”

Oscar anxiously asked again. The black knight tilted his head, then promptly added.

“To give an example… the upper and lower body might be separated and scattered.”

The black knight spoke indifferently while simultaneously swinging his sword.

The magic circle that Oscar had deployed as he rushed toward him was split in half, and a pitch-black fist flew through the scattering magic circle in the air and struck him.

Despite having enhanced his physical abilities with the circulation breathing technique, Oscar rolled on the ground like a young pickpocket hit by an abusive adult.

“…Ptui.”

The color of the phlegm he spat out was red. Looking down at him, the black knight said.

“Did you not hear Aslaksha’s advice?”

“…”

Oscar silently clenched his fist. Gritty sand filled his grip.

“You are a fly. Not even worth remembering the name of.”

“They say some flies carry germs.”

Oscar shouted, raising his hand full of dust as if to shake it off.

The black knight frowned, and simultaneously, refined mana spouted white flames over Oscar’s other hand.

“…Sacred fire, is it.”

The black knight murmured, feeling the unpleasant heat of the flame perceptible even with closed eyes.

Sacred fire, the flame that burns undead. Though it possesses exceptional strength, it was undoubtedly the best option Oscar could take against Aubil, who was clearly undead.

“However.”

Aubil extended his hand.

“It’s weak.”

-Kwadeuk.

Aubil’s grip seized Oscar’s head.

“Even if it’s an oil fire that can instantly burn a person to nothing, if it’s only the size of a candle flame, it won’t even cause a burn.”

“Keuu…”

Oscar screamed as if about to break. Aubil tightened his grip with cold eyes.

“There’s no way such pure sacred fire capable of burning Necromancer Ruina’s greatest masterpiece still exists in this world.”

“KEUAAAK!!”

A muffled crackling sound echoed. Just as the strength was gradually leaving Oscar’s hand gripping Aubil’s wrist.

-Jjeoeng!!

A blade wrapped in snow-white aura collided with the black knight’s black sword.

The black knight immediately turned his head, released his grip on Oscar to grasp the hilt of his black sword, and Oscar rolled on the ground, coughing dryly.

-Kwang!!

With a single explosive sound, the black knight rolled on the ground. Quickly regaining his posture and standing up, before the black knight’s eyes stood Scabbard, wearing tattered armor.

“You must really hate the world? Saying all those unnecessary things.”

Instead of answering, Aubil alternately clenched and unclenched the hand holding the black sword.

Scabbard slightly shifted his gaze to look down at Aslaksha’s vessel lying on the ground and said.

“Haven’t you done everything you came to do here?”

“…”

“Just go now. Don’t cause more trouble and gather people.”

“…One like you is no problem.”

“Really?”

Scabbard shrugged.

“Would you say the same thing if the old hag Nerkel came?”

“…”

At his words, Aubil’s expression hardened.

Scabbard gave a grim smile. Aubil turned his back and swung his sword into the void.

A gap, as if torn in the void, split open, and Aubil casually walked through it.

“…”

Scabbard silently watched him.

“…Is it alright to let him go like this?”

“Better than all of us being annihilated here.”

To Oscar’s question, Scabbard answered indifferently.

“That story about your master coming.”

“That was a bluff. I haven’t been in contact with that old hag for quite some time, and how would I know where she is or what she’s doing, and how could she know to come here.”

At Scabbard’s words, Oscar silently bowed his head. After glancing at him, Scabbard spoke.

“And, while it’s just a prediction… the Princess should be safe.”

“Do you have any basis for that?”

“Didn’t that guy casually walk through that gap? She went through a much larger gap, so surely she wouldn’t have died by being split in half as he claimed.”

At Scabbard’s words, Oscar closed his mouth and nodded instead of arguing.

He understood that arguing here would only make the atmosphere worse, with nothing to gain.

“…What about Aslaksha.”

“She’s dead. Even if it’s just her vessel.”

Scabbard answered.

“During the war, knights captured as prisoners by the Demon King’s Army were often found in precisely this state. Corpses with seven holes in their faces, leaking black water.”

“…”

“It’s a fact that was only revealed after the war ended, but the Demon King’s Army uses this to read people’s memories. With this, they comprehensively grasped our side’s operations, hideouts, and military secrets before striking.”

Scabbard said while nudging Aslaksha’s limp vessel with his foot.

“I don’t know why he dug through the memories of an ally rather than an enemy and killed her, though.”

Oscar silently got up.

And slowly walked toward somewhere.

“…”

It was where Cardinando lay unconscious.

Standing in front of Cardinando, Oscar kicked him.

-Ppagak.

With the sound of something breaking, Cardinando rolled on the ground.

“Keuik, keuk.”

“Did you think I’d let it pass if you pretended to be unconscious?”

Oscar growled in a hoarse voice.

“…Planning to vent your anger…?”

Cardinando croaked, cradling his arm that seemed broken from Oscar’s kick.

“Must be really sad… about your lover’s death…? Finally showing your true colors…”

-Ppak.

Oscar didn’t argue. Instead, with his mouth tightly shut, he repeatedly kicked Cardinando.

But with each kick, instead of feeling relief, his sense of frustration only grew.

Contempt toward himself, who couldn’t do anything against the black knight who was the true culprit for what happened to Evangeline, raised its head inside Oscar’s heart.

He even felt that what he was doing was ugly.

“It’s fine to vent your anger, but do it moderately.”

Scabbard said quietly to him.

“Just don’t kill him. He’s someone we have many questions for, one way or another.”

-Tuk.

Onto Cardinando’s body, being repeatedly kicked, a clean drop of water fell.

“…Kulluk, uweok, keok.”

Spitting out phlegm mixed with dust from deep in her throat, the blonde girl slowly raised her body.

The greatsword in the girl’s hand had a broken tip, giving it an oddly short and stubby shape, and the metal prosthetic attached to her severed left arm was making a creaking metallic sound.

“Heok, wek…!”

Having finally vomited something mushy from her stomach, the girl distanced herself from her own secretions as much as possible and then collapsed face down on the ground.

“…I’m alive.”

Evangeline murmured with a dumbfounded expression.

“…Where is this place.”

Evangeline slowly raised her screaming body and looked around.

It was a bizarre landscape. The trees growing from the ground didn’t grow straight upward but were leaning to one side like the Tower of Pisa.

The reason for their strange growth was immediately apparent. All the trees were growing as if advancing toward a single point.

Like sunflowers turning their heads toward the sun.

“But, can giant trees grow like this.”

Evangeline murmured involuntarily. Some trees, despite being quite old and tall, were growing in a straight line while bent, without breaking or bending downward due to weight.

It was more peculiar than bizarre. Not to mention the color of the leaves, which was closer to black than green.

“…Excuse me.”

At that moment, a human voice reached Evangeline’s ears. Quite close, and clearly addressing her.

“…!”

Evangeline turned her head sharply, with her vigilance heightened. Before her eyes, a giant shadow revealed itself.

“Are, are you alright?”

“…Ah.”

Evangeline let out a short groan. Before her eyes, a massive reptile standing on two feet was giving her a concerned look.

“It’s dangerous here. When night falls, red-eyed wolves roam in packs…”

She had never even dreamed that ‘that thing’ would show her any emotion other than killing intent.

And for good reason, as Lizardmen were magical creatures.

Magical creatures were soldiers of the Demon King’s Army. Enemies to be killed.

Those who would kill you if you didn’t kill them first.

In this way, they were not the kind of beings with whom one could have such a peaceful conversation.

Gripping her broken greatsword tightly, Evangeline asked in a trembling voice.

“Where… is…?”

“…Are you from the East Continent?”

Seeing Evangeline’s terrified expression, the old female Lizardman slowly nodded.

“This is the West Continent. The place you commonly call, the Demon Realm.”