Kays Translations

Chapter 140

It was a scene straight out of a nightmare.

The time was about five minutes earlier—

Abyss Fang was infamous throughout Lindblum for maintaining the most impenetrable and untouchable stronghold, a base said to boast an ironclad defense.

They controlled the underside’s black market, trafficking in illicit goods, sometimes even outright contraband. They had committed countless acts fitting for the name Abyss—a realm beneath even the “Underside,” truly an “Underground” in every sense.

Because of this, they were considered far more dangerous than the underground brokers of the Cursed Face Trade Association, and their brutality was said to be unmatched in all of Lindblum.

Inside their stronghold.

It was evening, when members gathered to drink, chat, play games, and report on what had happened aboveground.

At one table, a low-ranking member was desperately pleading with the men engrossed in a card game.

“Seriously, this is bad! Three of the guys with me just got taken out! That thing ain’t normal! We need more soldiers right now—we gotta crush it before it’s too late!”

“Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. Damn it… we’re already short-staffed keeping an eye on Cursed Face’s men. Who the hell is this old bastard you’re on about?”

“I don’t know… but I already sent more guys after him, and none of ‘em have come back!”

An officer paused his game to listen.

But his opponent grew irritated and—

“Hurry up and play already. Don’t hold up the game with some dumbass report, just—hu…huh?”

Suddenly, his words slurred.

The last thing he saw was his opponent’s shocked face turning upside down—no, it was his own head that was spinning 180 degrees as it fell from his shoulders.

What had actually fallen upside down… was his severed head.

“Wh-what the hell! Everyone, gather up! Something’s—ghhhk—”

Another body collapsed.

A lone shura (warlike demon) strode casually through the hall near the base’s entrance.

He walked as if unnoticed, weaving through the crowd without a single soul able to stop him.

“…Such low quality.”

Behind Rue, only countless heads rolled.

There was no sound of blades cutting—only the thump of heads bouncing on the floor, and the crash of headless bodies falling onto tables and floors.

He wasn’t moving quickly, merely walking. Yet with each step, the mountain of corpses grew—an unnatural sight beyond reason.

For those further back who could only watch their companions’ heads drop without warning, it was truly nothing less than a living nightmare.

“…Upstairs, then.”

The scene returned to the present.

Rue judged this floor clear of survivors and quietly ascended the stairs.

What awaited above was another evening banquet, the revelers unaware of the massacre below.

There was gluttony, and worse—women, likely kidnapped refugees, forced to serve as playthings to satisfy lust, that third of mankind’s base desires besides food and sleep.

“Hey! Pass her over already! You can’t enjoy her once she’s used up!”

“Bwahaha! Impatient bastard, aren’t ya! Hold on, I’m almost done!”

“Y’know, these refugees ain’t so bad once you look at ‘em this way!”

Depravity spread unchecked. Amid the din, a different kind of scream pierced through.

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

“Shut it, bitch! Keep your mouth shut and—wha—”

In the middle of an act meant to create life, lives were snuffed out.

One by one, men’s heads rolled.

“…Forgive me for startling you. Get dressed and leave this place. The royal knights are patrolling underground as well. Seek their help. Can you do that?”

Rue’s savage beast-like smile vanished, replaced by a soft and gentle tone as he addressed the women who had been reduced to toys—most of them refugees. He urged them to escape.

“Eek…!”

“…I see. Forgive me. I’m still a man… even an old one like me must be unpleasant for you to have near. My apologies.”

He hid his face, averting his eyes as much as possible, and guided them toward freedom.

But then, suddenly—Rue swung his blade.

“You die here.”

“Ghhk—!”

One woman fell dead.

Her head and body were split apart, blood spreading across the floor. The chamber of headless corpses transformed into a swamp of gore.

“This one, wasn’t she? The one who tricked you and brought you here?”

“Y-yes…”

“Hmph. I thought as much. Now go—quickly. Once you change, head outside. You should find royal knights on patrol before long. Escape safely.”

She had been hiding among the victims, but Rue had already suspected her.

From her heartbeat, breathing, eye movements, and behavior—even amidst the chaos—he sensed something off.

And the fear in the other women’s eyes toward her only confirmed it.

“Um… Grandfather, won’t you come with us?”

“Not yet. The one who built this rotten organization is still above. I must defeat him. Only then can the people of Golda, who’ve finally escaped here, live in peace. Listen well—make sure every one of you reports what happened here to a physician.”

“…Yes. Thank you so much for saving us.”

Wearing the bare minimum of clothing, the women fled the hell their captors had built.

Rue watched them go, then twisted his face with fury. His entire body radiated killing intent.

“…Filth. Don’t think you’ll be granted an easy death.”

Because the base itself had been built into the massive foundation, the interior space wasn’t all that wide.

However, due to its sheer size, multiple small corridors had been carved inside the foundation for workers to move through during construction. Along the outer walls, sheds and small rooms had been added, creating staging areas for members all the way up to the topmost floor.

In every one of those spaces, Rue’s flawless swordsmanship was unleashed.

No death cries were heard. Before the first severed head could even hit the ground, the next had already fallen. By the time the first rolled across the floor, everyone on that level was already dead.

His sharpness only grew stronger.

With each kill, as he put his techniques into practice, Rue’s vast martial knowledge settled more deeply into his body.

He had already stepped into a realm no ordinary human could ever reach.

And then—

“…Two people? One is… a prostitute? Or perhaps a victim…”

His grip on his blade tightened.

At the topmost floor of the base, before the door where the boss surely waited, Rue quietly pushed it open.

Inside, whether too absorbed in his pleasures or simply unable to sense Rue’s presence, a man continued his act, completely unaware of the intruder.

The man looked to be in his thirties. Muscular, rough-featured, somewhat reminiscent of Silent. He was in the middle of thrusting his strength and lust into a woman’s body.

“Yeah…! That’s it! I like it! Not many beastmen in this city, so this is rare! Come on, howl for me! Scream like a beast!”

The woman’s pained cries sounded reminiscent of the Silver Fox Tribe.

But in truth, the girl was likely of the White Fox Tribe, pleading through tears rather than moans.

Rue’s eyes flickered—just for a moment, her figure overlapped with the image of his beloved granddaughter.

And so—

“—!”
“Who the hell are you!”

For the first time since entering, Rue’s blade failed to end it in a single stroke.

The man had blocked it. His weapon was a steel gauntlet, which managed to intercept Rue’s sword.

“Oh? You didn’t see me, but you still sensed my presence? Impressive.”
“The hell are you!?”
“Just a passing old man… I’m in the middle of killing everyone here because they’re in my way.”
“What—”

In the next instant, Rue’s blade sliced through the man’s arm, severing it at the joint between gauntlet and flesh.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”
“Now, are you the boss or not?”
“I’ll kill you! I’ll fucking kill you!!!”
“And how exactly will you do that?”

The man tumbled from the bed, but only his severed legs remained atop it.

“Answer me. Are you the boss?”
“Gh… ugh…”
“Hmph. Dead from shock already. No backbone.”

The man perished—the only one to die with his head still attached to his torso.

“…Young lady. The others have already been evacuated. Get dressed, and I’ll guide you out.”
“Uuuh… why… why me… why did this happen to me…”
“…Forgive me. If only I had come sooner… forgive me…”

And so, in the span of a single night, one of Lindblum’s four great powers was annihilated.

Of course, not every member had been inside the base. But with over ninety percent of their numbers slaughtered, and their leader dead, Abyss Fang was—in every sense—destroyed.

“Look, you see that armored knight over there? Go to him for help. I’ll linger a little longer to check the area.”
“Grandfather… thank you… thank you…”
“Make sure you tell the doctor everything. You don’t want to bear a child from such monsters. Listen well—no matter how hard it is, do not take your own life. Live. Keep living, and claim a better life than this. No one will torment you anymore. …I’m sorry… I was too late…”

While seeing off the beastman girl, Rue shed tears of regret alone.

“Why couldn’t I have foreseen this situation sooner?”

“Before I even began drinking, I had already sensed the unrest in the city, the sparks of conflict. If only I had acted then, perhaps more people could have been spared from harm.”

“Forgive me… don’t give up… don’t give up on living…”

Murmuring softly, Rue returned alone, once again, to the depths of the Underside—
to finish his last task.

He had been careless. Overconfident. Though he understood the dangerous elements at play, he had prioritized his own fleeting desires.
When he recalled the story he had carried on his back, he realized—there had been something else he should have truly prioritized.

The ultimate goal of his tale was the peace of his homeland.
For that purpose, he had wandered, striking down the strong, punishing corrupt rulers, and even while branded a demon of war, he wielded his blade only for the sake of peace.

To protect the resting place of his lost family, he had stood alone, sword in hand, against mighty foreign powers.
That was the kind of tale it should have been.

And yet—what had he been so elated about?
He had rejoiced too much in gaining a family again, and in doing so, dulled the blade and vision he should have kept sharp.

“…Show yourself. My mood is foul. If you delay, I’ll kill you from here.”

In the plaza before the Abyss Fang’s hideout, Rue projected his killing intent toward the shadows.

“…I don’t know which faction you belong to, but you allowed victims to be brought here unchecked, didn’t you? Then you share their guilt. Apologize and die here.”

He drew his sword. The slash he released cut through everything, shifting the very scenery.
Walls, ground—everything was evenly cleaved apart and displaced.

“…Impressive. You blocked it.”
“…I won’t make excuses. But to strike at them alone, I bore a little too much responsibility on my shoulders.”

From the shadows emerged a man—the first in this country besides Rue himself to wear a sword at his hip.
…So it was him.

“The bodyguard of Curse Face, is it? You were watching over this lot?”
“…So you know me. Then you too must be hired by someone.”
“No. They merely angered me. That’s all. Scum have no right to live for tomorrow.”
“…True enough. I do not intend to oppose you. But it seems I must bear the weight of your anger.”

If he remembered correctly… his name was Galian Gasfield.
The man whom Melt had called “clearly stronger than me”, and whom Shizuma, in Same’s guise, had judged “possibly stronger than myself.”

And rightly so. This man, too, seemed to be stepping outside the bounds of humanity.
To have withstood Rue’s strike… he might well be the strongest foe Rue had yet encountered in this world.

…Not that Rue felt the slightest chance of losing.

“Then will you let yourself be cut down quietly?”
“…I will resist.”

Their gazes locked.
The man met Rue’s eyes head-on, endured his killing intent, and conveyed his will—that if it came to a fight, he would answer it.

…Strong. Incredibly strong. But that strength lay only in his technique and his body.

“…I have no intention of cutting down one who is not vile. Nor do I wish to cross blades with one whose heart is weak.”
“…!”
“I do not know where you broke, but you’d best think more carefully about your employer and how you live your life.”
“…I stand corrected. You’ve given me something to reflect on.”

With that, Rue turned on his heel.
It seemed the presence he had sensed was not that of a villain after all.

“…Time to go home. Melt and Lady Remiya are waiting, after all…”

Still so green.
Both he—and that man.

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