Volume 11 Chapter 21 Rutgal's Regret - Sur's Suppression
As Sur and Toxy walked together, Toxy couldn't help but think about it.
Sur is lying. Either he's hiding his motivation for eating his family, or he doesn't have the resolve to do it.
If he's lying, the content of the lie could make him our enemy. On the other hand, if he doesn't have the resolve, he'd be more of a tool for us to use rather than an ally.
In other words, Toxy, Philia, and Mudi could disable Sur's family together, and then completely suppress them, using them as a tool.
She thought about it that far, but then she shook my head.
At first, she thought that's what she'd do, but maybe it's not necessary. If everyone's already been disabled, then it's fine as long as he stays in his cage until the Demon King is defeated.
Sur... if he's an ally, he could be a force to be reckoned with. Even if he's a bit of a hindrance, he's a Demon so he won't die easily, and they don't need to help him.
She thought to herself, "What a cruel thought," and laughed at her own wickedness.
―――She decided to make Sur into a monster for Wade's sake.
But, on the other hand, there's no need to be like that all the time. Normally, it's fine to just act naturally.
What's important is... being able to take ruthless action when necessary.
She looked at Sur again. Sur was walking ahead, looking very tense.
"...you said your father is a scary person, didn't you?"
When she said that, Sur flinched for a moment, then forced a bitter smile, saying, "Yeah, that's right. That's true."
"I only know about my father from our training days. I have memories of him challenging me with weapons and sorcery, but I lost to him. And with all of that, I was crushed. I'm not an opponent who can win against him alone..."
Sur bit his lip, feeling tense and terrified. Although he was trying to put on a brave face, his fear was palpable.
It was probably the latter. Sur didn't have any resolve. He was just pretending to be brave.
That's what he thought.
Confronting one's parents was a scary thing. There was the debt of gratitude for raising him, the fear of facing a superior opponent for the first time, and the love-hate feelings that came from spending a long time together.
As far as Toxy knew, only someone like Wade could confront their parents with resolve.
"Toxy-sama... do you suspect me?"
Sur said, and Toxy's heart skipped a beat.
"Eh, wha..."
"No, that's correct. It's only natural. I still fear my father. It's not surprising if people think my resolve is just lip service."
And then Sur continued.
"That's the truth. I'm... scared of my father. Can I really stand up to him? And even if I defeat him, can I really... eat my family?"
Sur was uncertain. He wondered if he could be merciless to his family, and how far his conscience could endure.
Toxy let out a wry smile and patted Sur's shoulder encouragingly.
"Leave it to me to see if we can defeat him. As for eating him, that's up to you at that time. It'll be tough if there are a lot of people like in the Slum, but I think we can manage if it's just 3 of us."
"...Yeah. No matter what happens, we have to face what's in front of us and finish it."
"Thank you," Sur said, but the tension didn't dissipate as they pressed on. Toxy thought they would have to take the lead in battle, and so she followed suit.
After a little while, the two sensed that something enormous was moving.
"Giant."
"Must be Father... over there."
Sur seemed to be trying to fulfill his role as a guide despite being terrified. That was fine. Eliminating the enemy was Toxy's job.
They ran. They advanced. And then, they faced off.
It was a giant made of fire.
Flames erupted from all over its body, burning intensely in every direction. Even the Demon King's army and the demons that attacked would be crushed and incinerated by its flames. The ruler of fire.
The Demon King's Commander-in-Chief, Rutgal, stood before them. The strongest of them all, tasked with protecting the Demon King.
There was no one around him who was unscathed. All the demons had been carbonized, crushed, and reduced to nothing.
Rutgal then turned to face them. Toxy let out a deep breath and stepped forward, while Sur gripped his sword of flames, ready to strike.
Rutgal opened his mouth.
"...Rupt and Sirina, I see. I never thought you'd point your swords at your father..."
Toxy raised an eyebrow. Sur whispered to Toxy, "He's talking about my brother and sister." Ah, I see. Toxy thought that Rutgal must be misunderstanding because he couldn't distinguish between friends and foes.
Rutgal paused for a moment before continuing.
"...But I'll say it now――you two have done well. You may not be as talented as your younger brother Sur, but you certainly have skills."
That phrase made Toxy furrow his brow. What Sur said was different from what he said earlier. Sur had called himself a failure.
Sur looked at him. Sur was gazing at Rutgal with a mix of confusion and frustration.
"Originally, there were 3 of you, all of were my split selves. The ten towers that one person couldn't protect. Rather than letting those incompetent demons guard them, I... no, I created you guys."
Rutgal spoke, his tone filled with pride as he looked at Rupt and Sirina, Sur's siblings.
"You guys have reached Domain Control. It's the result I was expecting. I did guide you strictly, but compared to Sur's, it was much easier, I suppose."
But Rutgal's tone changed. He seemed to be filled with regret, or perhaps remorse.
"He's... Sur is different from you guys. His talent is terrifyingly..."
"...What are you saying? What are you saying, Father? I was a failure, was I? I'm the one who died many times in your training..."
"I understand what you're saying. That's right. Sur has returned. But I didn't forcibly bring him back because of what you guys said. ...I was afraid of his talent."
The conversation wasn't going well. Sur and Rutgal's hearts weren't in sync. But the reasons for their misunderstanding were becoming clearer.
"You guys must have hated me. That's why I kept Sur away from you. If Sur faced me, I would lose. He has that much talent."
"Hey, what's with that?! What are you saying?! I was a failure, wasn't I?! I died many times in your harsh training! That's why I had no choice but to run away!"
"Forever, forever, Sur was terrifying. Even though it was just a small split personality, I saw a figure that surpassed me. That's what was terrifying. So I crushed him. I kept crushing him. Ah, that terrifying talent..."
"―――――."
Sur fell silent. Rutgal continued to observe Sur's behavior and spoke.
"I think I love you two. So even if you're planning to rebel against me, I'll forgive you. I didn't bring Sur here, that's all I'll forgive."
"...Father."
"You two are different from Sur. Your talents are balanced, and you fulfill your roles. There's no reason to hate you. As a split personality, as family, the only one I didn't love was Sur alone."
Rutgal tried to hug Sur, opening his arms wide. Toxy felt a strong sense of disgust towards that.
But what Toxy felt even more strongly was the presence of Sur standing beside him.
"――――――."
Sur's eyes were wide open, his pupils dilated to the limit, and his face was twisted in a cruel expression. His entire face was drained of power, but he was fixated solely on Father Rutgal.
"...Toxy-sama, I have a request."
Sur said to Toxy.
"No matter what happens, please don't interfere. If I lose, please take care of the aftermath."
"Uh, yeah... ah, Sur."
Sur drew his sword, its tip quivering. He thrust it into the ground, his voice filled with hatred as he spoke.
"Domain Control 'Bifrost'."
The sword began to glow. A rainbow bridge appeared. The surrounding scenery changed to a sky. Locally, this area was completely sealed off by Sur's Domain Control.
"――――ッ!? What is this, this Domain Control? You're kidding me, you're...!"
Rutgal was left speechless by the commotion, but Sur just stared at his father with an unsettling, emotionless face, his sword pointed at him.
"Shut up. I don't even want to think about how I was born from you. I'll take you down right here, devour you, and erase your existence."
Toxy was left speechless by Sur's intimidating presence.
And so, the gruesome patricide began. A brutal, terrifying, and detestable act of killing one's own parent.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)