Volume 10 Chapter 21 Chasing The Wolf
I couldn't find Don Fen no matter how hard I looked, so I decided to take a break and released the Second Protection Tower.
"Huh? What's with this light?"
Just as I released it, I was blinded by the light coming in through the window. I quickly recovered and looked outside to see a shadow carrying a dragon illusion flying in the sky.
"Toxy, huh? Ah, the mist is gone, and the filthy mud is gone too. That means... haha, amazing, everyone! They killed all the evil gods together!"
I couldn't help but laugh with joy. I used to be afraid of being left behind, but not anymore.
"Everyone's getting stronger and stronger. I can't lose either!"
I turned around and called out, "Renril, let's search for Don Fen again!"
But Renril was lying on the ground, exhausted.
"...Renril? Hey, let's go, get up..."
"...I'm going to die..."
...I'm going to die..., he's saying. ...I'm going to die...
"What's wrong, are you tired? We just used [Weight Reduce] and did a water dash before Poseidon's sea pulled us back, and we kicked those disgusting creatures' butts while walking..."
"Master, if it's just going to be like that, then my entire life so far has been just 'existing'... please stop..."
Renril said with a worn-out expression. I just brushed it off, saying "That's not true."
"Either way, we can't go back unless we defeat Don Fen, right? We can't just leave it like that after summoning the evil gods and causing chaos in the Slum. Come on, let's do this, Renril!"
"No way, no way! If that's the case, then Master can just do it alone! I'm not useful at all, so it's fine if I just stay behind!"
When I tried to lift Renril up, he refused to budge, looking like a stubborn dog that's been cornered.
This guy, he's like a dog that's been caught and won't move.
"Is that okay?"
I said, trying to intimidate him a bit, and Renril flinched, looking at me.
"What, what is it?"
"The others probably did their part. Sur must have used Domain Control, and Rollo worked hard because she was afraid of being killed by Ice if she slacked off. But, Renril... what about you?"
"U..."
"It's just a casual stroll for me, and I'll make some noise... I wonder if you can participate in the strategy again next time..."
"Ugh, ugh."
Renril made a bitter face, then stood up and said, "Hey, I'll show you my determination! Is that okay?! Yeah?!"
Yeah, Renril's got spirit. That's amusing.
"Alright, let's go. Next, we'll search around that area."
Just then, I heard a bird's chirp, and I turned around. There, Ice's ice bird was perched on the window.
"Oh Ice. Did you come to help? I was in trouble because I couldn't find Don Fen."
When I said that, the ice bird chirped again. I guess it came to help.
No, I'm really grateful, and I felt a little relieved.
I was searching with Ajna Chakra, but it only gave me a rough idea of the area. When I tried to investigate further, the Demon King of Deception would appear, and I was stuck.
Hermes has been really tough lately. Seriously annoying. Stop changing your mood and punishing me.
In that case, Ice's ice bird is excellent. It can detect enemies at a wide range and track them down automatically once it finds them.
Of course, if it's physically eliminated, it's no good, but Ajna Chakra is conceptually eliminated in hell, so this is much better.
"Alright, guide us."
As we approached, the ice bird flew off, showing us the way. "Let's go," I said to Renril, and I jumped out the window.
The direction we were headed was, as I saw with Ajna Chakra, near the wall of the second residential district, where Toxy had won.
I'm going to say, "Demon King of Deception is glaring at me, so I'm going to search for you from here!" But Ice's ice bird guided us without hesitation.
So, after walking for a while, the Ice Bird stopped on my shoulder as if it had finished guiding me.
"Is this the place?"
What I saw in front of me was a well-maintained house, unlike the vacant houses in the surrounding area.
It was located along the city walls, narrowly escaping the damage from Toxy's god, Hygieia. The entrance was quite impressive, and it seemed capable of accommodating a large number of people.
"Is Don Fen here, Master...? I don't know this hideout."
"Ice guided us, so it's probably here. Let's go in quickly."
"Yes."
I reached out to the door, and it opened with a creak. There was no lock on the entrance, and it swung open easily.
The first thing I heard was a groaning sound. And it wasn't just one or 2 people. A large number of people were lying around the big room, groaning in pain.
"What's..."
"Those are probably Poseidon's injured soldiers. They must have been rescued from somewhere... This is bad, Renril."
"Bad?"
I nodded at Renril's words, crouching down to check on the injured soldiers. From what I saw, they seemed to be unconscious.
"They're not conscious. That means the revival point hasn't been updated to this location."
"Ah, I see. So, all our efforts to create a wide-range revival point were for nothing, and Ede Wolf just updated the revival point."
I nodded at Renril's words.
It was clear that this time's rampage was aimed at destroying Ede Wolf.
Destroying Ede Wolf, a powerful group of dark assassins, was different from capturing one demon and isolating them deep underground.
Capturing them was difficult, and maintaining the isolation of a thousand people was impossible. If we skimped on food costs, they would die and revive outside, and if we let our guard down, they would all escape.
So, we used the evil god's power to destroy the slums and turn the entire area into a death zone.
Everyone in the slums, including Ede Wolf, was trapped in the death zone, and even if they revived, they would be buried under the rubble.
In other words, what we did was create a system that would trigger a large-scale skill release.
But Don Fen was proceeding with rescuing his subordinates. The injured soldiers still hadn't regained consciousness, but when they did, they would update the revival point to this location.
It's just a matter of dying and reviving. That way, they'll be perfectly fine, without a single scratch. Demons can do that kind of thing.
"Then..."
I think to myself.
I need to take down Don Fen quickly. If the top is safe, and the subordinates are gathered, Ede Wolf won't be destroyed.
And then, I see the wounded. The pitiful figures of the wounded. And I feel a sense of guilt.
We're the ones who created these wounded. In that sense, it's best to kill them before they regain consciousness.
But... somehow, that feels wrong. Even though I know it's for the best, my human instincts won't let me do it.
As I'm thinking that, Renril lets out a "ah" and speaks up.
"Then, shouldn't we just kill them all before they regain consciousness?"
"Huh?"
"Yeah, let's do it quickly."
Renril starts stabbing the wounded with a knife, without hesitation.
The wounded start dying one by one. Renril seems to be doing it with a sense of detachment, occasionally yawning as he kills.
I feel a mix of fear and admiration for his actions.
"Yeah, that's right. As a demon, he doesn't hesitate to get his hands dirty. They can just die and revive, so it's not a big deal. There's no culture of helping the weak, anyway."
Being able to do cruel things without hesitation is a kind of strength.
I'm the type who feels meaningless and empty when it comes to bullying the weak, so even if I can go all out against an enemy, I'm not suited for one-sided slaughter.
I'm glad Renril is here to help. If I were alone, I might not have been able to kill them, and would have left a root of evil.
Even now, as I watch Renril calmly kill the wounded, I feel a sense of guilt somewhere. Logically, I know Renril is right...
So I say,
"Renril, can I leave this to you? I'm not suited for this kind of thing, especially when the enemy is weak."
"Huh? You're not suited for it when the enemy is weak? Haha, what's that supposed to mean? You're a weird person, Master."
I couldn't understand what he was saying at all, and Renril laughed loudly while killing the wounded.
"Anyway, if that's going to raise my stock, then I'll leave this place to you, Master. I can't handle that ridiculously strong Don Fen."
"Ah, strong opponents are my specialty. Leave it to me."
I left this place to Renril and went up the stairs to the second floor. I sensed a presence on the other side of the door, so I approached quietly.
Even with a light scan using Ajna Chakra, it seemed like there was only one person in the room. Then, there was no need to hesitate.
I opened the door. There, I saw a large strategy map on a blackboard, and Don Fen was standing in front of it.
"Still, what's with Poseidon...? Why would a god from another mythology appear in Nilfheim? Well, whatever. Then, I'll just――"
Just then, Don Fen noticed me and turned around. His massive wolf-like face had a pair of round glasses on it.
I raised one hand and greeted him with a "Long time no see."
"―――Oh! You, I remember you. We met at the Dark Guild, Wade. Nice to see you've come to a good place. You've seen the state of this slum, right? I'd like you to lend a hand too―――."
Don Fen said, mistaking me for an ally, but his tone changed halfway through, and his gaze turned sharp.
"...You're looking pretty relaxed, aren't you? And the way you're looking at me... What's your intention in coming here?"
He's got a good intuition. I closed the door behind me and opened my mouth.
"Don Fen. Did you see what's going on outside? Not what we were talking about earlier. I'm talking about now."
"...What do you want to say?"
"Poseidon is dead. My family killed him."
At my words, Don Fen's eyes widened. "Is that true?!" he exclaimed in a joyful voice.
I smiled and continued.
"And that filthy god, Hygieia, who was spreading poisonous mist around here, is also gone. My family killed that one too."
"Oh! So that's it! You're quite something. You've got the power of this slum... no, wait."
Again, Don Fen scowled at me, his face twisted in anger.
"What's going on? How do you know the internal workings of that filthy mud? Poseidon's fine. If you have other mythological knowledge, it's possible to make an educated guess. But can you really understand what's inside that mud just by looking at it?"
At first, he seemed pleased with my report, like a good guy.
But then, his expression changed, and he became even more vigilant. He noticed the contradictions in my story and sensed my suspiciousness.
"Why do you know this, Wade? Who are you, really?"
I smiled faintly and replied.
"Those evil gods were summoned by us. Our target was you, Ede Wolf. We did it to destroy you."
When he heard that, his expression froze for an instant. The sounds around us disappeared, and a silent, tense moment arrived.
Then, the sounds of Renril's slaughter from downstairs began to echo up to the second floor. The cruel, merciless sounds of "Slash, slash" faintly resonated.
"Wade, you...!"
Don Fen removed his glasses. In his true form as a ferocious wolf-like beast, he stood before me, baring his teeth.
I said.
"You're the last one, Don Fen. Come on, let's do this. Entertain me."
"WADEEEE!"
With intense ferocity, Don Fen charged at me. I blocked him with my greatsword, Durandal, and, with the same momentum, smashed through the wall and leaped out into the city.
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