Volume 11 Chapter 18 Sur Speaks Of Family
Toxy, Philia, and Sur, who were enveloped in Domain Control, didn't move after being petrified, unsure of who their enemies and allies were amidst the eerie shadows lurking nearby.
After a while, a small shadow appeared――probably something Philia did. Then, Toxy and Sur were released from Domain Control's recognition interference, and they could understand the situation.
"No way, you two were so calm and helped me out. I was thinking I'd have to kill someone if they got too reckless!"
Philia said with a playful tone, and Toxy stroked her chest. That's because Toxy knew this little master of her.
―――Philia would do it. She would definitely do it.
After all, Philia was kind compared to Mudi, and that's just it. The comparison was to Mudi, so she would do it. Philia would kill if she said she would.
As they strengthened their guard, Sur spoke up.
"But we were lucky, weren't we? We got the information and were enveloped in Domain Control in a secluded area, away from the crowd. If we were surrounded by people during the battle, it wouldn't have ended like this."
"We might have gotten caught up in the fighting and separated. Maybe we would have had a real showdown."
Sur's words were followed by Philia's. As Toxy listened, she thought about what to do next.
"...You two, are you okay? I mean, what do we do next?"
"Oh, Toxy-chan's all fired up! The leader's on board too! You're so reliable, little brother-lover!"
"Hey, Philia, stop! That hurts! Your armor's too heavy, and it's painful when you hug me!"
Toxy pushed Philia back with Hydra's illusion and continued talking.
"For now, I don't know what's going on, and I think we can't do anything about it. But, I'm guessing... probably, this is the Domain Control of the circus leader we heard about, right?"
"Yeah, that's probably it. I have no idea why the circus leader showed up, but it's almost certain. He's doing some crazy stuff, like overlapping Domain Control over a huge area."
"Overlapping Domain Control, you say... If that's true, it's not just impressive, it's divine. I can't even begin to understand it."
Sur shook his head with a bitter expression. Toxy thought for a bit and then made a proposal.
"Hey, maybe this is an opportunity?"
"An opportunity, you say?"
"Yeah. If we can't tell friend from foe, that means our enemies can't cooperate with each other either, right? The 3 strongest generals of the Demon King's army, Sur's family, can't work together in this situation."
Sur's eyes widened at Toxy's proposal, and Philia exclaimed, "Ah, that's right!"
"We were supposed to do reconnaissance, but since things have gotten this out of hand, we might as well take advantage of it. In other words... we can take down the Demon King's army ourselves this time, and――."
"That's..."
Sur leaned forward, trying to say something but unable to put it into words, and shook his head, "No, it's not that..."
"Yeah, that's right. This is a great opportunity. The more I think about it, the more I think we'll never get a better chance than this."
"...Sur, you're not against it, are you?"
Sur looked down, avoiding Toxy's suspicious gaze, "No, it's not that... just..."
Philia patted Sur's shoulder and said to Toxy,
"It's a matter of resolve, Toxy-chan. We're going to kill his family, after all. If we make a plan and prepare our mental state by then, that's one thing, but since we've got a chance now..."
With Philia's backing, Toxy nodded in agreement.
Toxy had done something similar before. She knew the weight of killing family members. And Sur was trying to do the same. The resolve required was no small thing.
And then there was one question.
Was Sur really going to eliminate their family?
"Hey, Sur... how do you plan to eliminate your family? I mean, just killing them won't work, right?"
So Toxy asked, trying to gauge Sur's resolve.
Sur took a deep breath and said,
"――I'll eat them. I'll seal them inside me with my demonic power. No matter what the circumstances, I can disable the Demon King's army until the Demon King is defeated."
"Well, there's no other way, is there? Only Sur-chan, the demon, can do that."
"Huh? Philia, Sur is a half-demon."
"What?! You're telling such an obvious lie, Sur-chan! That's impossible, considering demon nature!"
Philia flat-out denied it, and Toxy froze, saying "eh". Sur looked down, muttering "sorry" in a small voice.
"Well, it's just that my mother... I mean, the woman who raised me, was a witch, a human. And demons don't really have blood ties, you see."
"So, does that mean what you said about your father was a lie too?"
"No, I can't say that's a lie. There's something more than just a blood connection, I'd say. Perhaps..."
Sur looked straight at Toxy and said.
"I'm a 'split soul' of Demon King Army Commander-in-Chief Rutgal, my father."
"...Split soul?"
"Demons have the ability to split. Since they're originally spirits, they can divide and become separate beings. That's what we call 'splitting,' and the ones who split are called 'split souls'."
"..."
Toxy remained silent for a while, then asked Philia.
"Hey, Philia, did you know about this? Wade said the demon siblings didn't know about it."
"That's right. When demons split, their knowledge is also divided. If one side knows, the other side won't. That's just how it is with split souls."
"I see... So, about Sur's siblings, didn't you have an older sister?"
"That's right. There's no man who's completely without femininity, and no woman who's completely without masculinity. So, when they split, a man can become a woman, and a woman can become a man."
"I see... That's how it is, I guess..."
Toxy nodded for the time being. But she still couldn't grasp the extent of Sur's determination.
Rather, the hurdle had become even higher, she thought. How much resolve would it take to kill one's own family?
So, she asked.
"Hey, Sur. We've been together for a long time, but... How did you spend time with your family before? Tell me. I won't be able to ask about it after this is all over."
Toxy asked in a casual tone, out of curiosity. Then, Sur opened his mouth again.
"Yes, that's right. It's weird to be talking about old memories in a situation like this, but..."
With a self-deprecating smile, Sur began to speak.
"...I realized that I was the youngest son of that family. My oldest memory is of my father, Rutgal, giving us 3 siblings harsh training and saying this."
―――You guys will protect the Demon King. Until the day Ragnarok comes, you will hone your skills.
"My father's training was extremely harsh. I died many times. I was a dropout. My siblings didn't die from my father's training, though."
And I ran away.
Sur continued.
"I ran away and continued training to escape my father's illusion. I obtained Domain Control, but it didn't mean anything anymore... That's when I was picked up by Alex-sama."
As a guest, Sur was treated with respect by Alex. Originally, aside from training, Sur was like a noble. Alex's kindness and good people skills also helped them quickly become close.
"There, I told Alex-sama about Ragnarok. I told them about my past. Then Alex-sama had a fortune teller predict about Ragnarok..."
Ragnarok is approaching.
Send the person with the most terrifying abilities to hell and crush Ragnarok.
"...So, Alex-sama introduced me to Wade-sama. As soon as I met them, I understood the meaning of having the most terrifying abilities."
"Yeah, that's right. Wade is scary."
Toxy simply nodded at Sur's story.
Wade's talent. It's driving everything crazy. Even though she loves him so much, and she wants to live with him, if she thinks about him, she need to have the power to kill him.
But that's unnecessary talk for now. Toxy wants to hear something else.
Why did Sur eliminate his family, even if it meant eating them? What was the reason he had to do it? If Toxy can't understand that, he can't trust Sur.
So, let's wait. Let's hear the rest of the story. Let's hear Sur's resolve.
But Sur stopped talking there.
"...My life story is like this. It's not a big deal, but...I've calmed down a bit talking about it."
Sur says.
"I'll eat my family. Even if they're split into different bodies, the one who eats them gets to control their personalities. I promise I won't become your enemy."
Toxy nods and smiles at Sur.
"Yeah, I understand. I trust you, Sur."
Toxy thinks. Sur can't be trusted. He's not trustworthy.
Is he hiding something, or is there nothing to hide? Even if he's useful, he can't be relied on as a friend.
Philia seems to have noticed Toxy's thoughts, staring at her with a "you're so slow, haha" expression. This teasing master is.
So, the approach will change. Since Sur is a nearby demon, only he can eat and defeat them. However, that doesn't require any intention. Defeating and eating are 2 different things.
Toxy thinks for a bit, then opens her mouth.
"So, how should we take them on? There are 3 enemies, but relying on Sur alone is a bit uncertain in terms of battle power. We're a bit short on manpower to divide the work."
Even if it's about battle power, Toxy talks about suppressing Sur's solo actions. In reality, Sur's abilities are inferior to Toxy and Philia, so this makes sense.
Someone interrupts Toxy's proposal.
"That's right. The brown demon is lacking in battle power. You, the second wife of the foolish disciple, team up with the brown demon and take on the Commander-in-chief role."
"Ah, Mudi! Mudi!"
Philia suddenly gets excited and dashes towards Mudi. Mudi doesn't flinch even when Philia, clad in full armor, charges at her, and continues.
"The brown demon's older brother will be handled by me. Philia, you take care of the older sister."
"Roger that! Then, Toxy-chan and Sur-chan, let's do our best! I think the Father is still the strongest, but with the two of you... well... maybe... just maybe we can win!"
"Try to cheer us up a bit more, Philia."
Toxy glares at Philia with a half-closed eye. Philia, as usual, gives a playful wink.
But it was helpful. Toxy thinks that Mudi arrived at just the right moment.
―――Mudi is looking at Sur with an unusual gaze. At the very least, it's not a gaze towards a friend. It's more like a child gazing at a toy, with that kind of look.
Sur doesn't notice Mudi's gaze and says,
"I understand. I will take down Commander-in-chief Rutgal, my Father."
Sur clenches his fist tightly. Toxy watches Sur's behavior with a suspicious gaze.
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