Chapter 192: Karelvo the grotesque demon (3)
“You’re alive…! I’m so glad you made it back!”
“I have questions about that outfit and mask of yours… but more than that, let’s just rejoice that you are safe.”
Marcellus, seemingly overwhelmed with emotion, grasped my shoulders and even seemed close to tears with joy. Decius, too, welcomed me with a gentle smile.
Right after being thrust into battle by the empire, I was keenly aware of how fortunate I was to have met people like these two who didn’t discriminate against someone like me, a demon. It was indeed a good decision to help them. They were the kind of people who made me think like that
“We should postpone our celebrations of this reunion. We need to exchange information about what’s happening in the imperial capital.”
“Yes, that’s right. There seems to be much we need to inform each other about.”
While I was grateful for their joy of our reunion, the situation at hand was too pressing for pleasantries. They understood what I wanted to say without me having to voice it, and their expressions became serious as they urged us to share what we knew.
Tigar and I exchanged knowing looks before summarizing and explaining what had happened. There was a strange noise, after which Asumi and the other demons started acting strangely. Simultaneously, demons began rampaging throughout the entire imperial capital, which was then exploited by Remus’s forces to launch their attack.
“And then, when we went out to intercept the invading soldiers, we were attacked too. That was a close call.” Tigar said.
“So, it’s as I suspected… you were attacked by the soldiers as well?”
“You too? Don’t tell me; you were attacked as well?”
My question was met with troubled nods from the two of them. Given the demons’ rampage, it was an unwelcome but understandable reality that we, being demons ourselves, would be attacked. However, the perplexing question remained: why were Marcellus and Decius also targeted?
Tigar and I must have looked puzzled as the two of them then began to recount the events leading up to their arrival here. They had been fulfilling their duties as imperial soldiers just as they had the day before, but their standing had deteriorated rapidly once the demons began to act up.
More specifically, they had come under suspicion of treason. Naturally, the two had no idea why the demons were in a frenzy and vehemently denied any knowledge of it, but their protests fell on deaf ears. It appeared that any imperial soldier connected to the demon regiment had been promptly detained.
However, as evident by their presence here, they had managed to escape. The distraction that allowed their getaway, ironically, was caused by Karelvo. It seemed that Marcellus and Decius were in a nearby building when Karelvo made his appearance. They were about to be captured and bound when that building collapsed.
It turns out that Marcellus and Decius were the only ones who survived the collapse among those inside. Though they were somewhat distanced from the front lines, they still retained strength that was more than sufficient for battle, which allowed them to protect themselves instantly.
“However, many knew the face of the demon regiment’s commander. So we were pursued relentlessly after that.”
“So that’s how it went. As for me, I joined Tigar and the others in battle upon my return to the imperial capital. After driving away the imperial soldiers, we came here to put an end to the cause of the demons’ rampage.”
We resumed our tale, which had been interrupted, to inform them of our circumstances. The neutralization of the device emitting strange sounds, our subsequent battle with Karelvo who had transformed into a grotesque dragon, and how we had broken away from the frontline during the assault by the “Imperial Sword Knights” who had surged in through a breach in the walls that was opened by Karelvo’s breath attack.
“Is that really Lord Karelvo…?”
“The man who unabashedly proclaimed demons to be mere tools, why would he transform himself into one? He might have been driven mad by desperation…. but it doesn’t quite add up.”
Marcellus stared in disbelief at Karelvo who continued to rampage a short distance away. In contrast, Decius pondered why he had actually become a demon.
When I started thinking about it, it was indeed odd that Karelvo had become a demon. Although he had stolen the demon’s technology from Orvo to secure his position, Karelvo looked down even on the demons he created. Would he, when cornered, really turn himself into a demon?
“It’s certainly peculiar, but… I have something more pressing to say. We intend to escape the imperial capital.”
While the reason behind Karelvo’s transformation was of interest, our lives and freedom were of greater importance. We were about to take advantage of the chaos to flee from the empire. I honestly conveyed my plan to the two of them.
At my abrupt declaration, both Marcellus and Decius widened their eyes in surprise. Tigar, too, opened his eyes wide in shock. I knew what he wanted to say. He was probably wondering if it was okay to tell them. But I had never intended to keep it hidden from those two.
“It must be fate that we helped you here. Marcellus and Decius, won’t you come with us?”
At first, my intention was to flee the empire following this flow of events. However, we had this opportunity to talk with the two of them. Considering the future, I decided it would be beneficial to recruit the two, who were naturally accepted as fellow soldiers within the empire.
The two seemed overwhelmed by the abruptness of the situation, but after exchanging a serious glance, they appeared ready to speak. Just then, I felt an immense spiritual power rising behind us.
“Watch out! It’s coming again!”
“Get down!”
Before Karelvo’s breath reached us, we huddled close to the ground, and I raised pincers of sand to shield us like a roof. Thanks to my quick reaction, we were spared a direct hit from Karelvo’s breath, but fragments of the crumbling buildings rained down upon us.
The pre-raised sand pincers deflected the debris. Without it, the two, who did not possess a demon’s robust body, would have been in grave danger.
We were safe, but the damage to the imperial capital was incomparable to the first onslaught. This was because Karelvo, while releasing his breath, swung his head from side to side, scything through everything.
Although the sand pincers obscured our view above, I could still see directly behind. My compound eyes caught sight of the scorching breath sweeping from right to left. As a result, the cityscape of the imperial capital was scorched, turning into a sea of fire.
The angle of the breath was diagonally downward, so it did not collapse the walls like the last time. As such, its heat ravaged the imperial capital without restraint. Buildings in the path of the breath crumbled entirely, and the overwhelming heat melted the gouged earth into molten sludge. Parts of the imperial capital had become an inferno of searing heat.
“What a… What is this…”
“The imperial capital…!”
“GRAAAAH… GUOOOOOON!!!”
Marcellus and Decius stood speechless at the sight of the imperial capital’s devastation, but Karelvo, oblivious to them, let out a victorious roar that resembled a triumphant cry. I shifted the sand pincers to catch a glimpse of his condition. What entered my compound eyes was his torso, now partially charred.
The “Imperial Sword Knights,” who were supposed to be battling him, lay dead, charred to a crisp. It seemed that Karelvo’s torso had sprouted countless mouths that were now capable of emitting a breath as potent as that from his dragon’s maw. The charring suggested that these new mouths couldn’t withstand the full force of his breath… Had Karelvo become stronger in this short time? This was bad.
Considering they had taken the blast at close range, even the elite unit equipped with high-performance armor could hardly be expected to survive. Rather, one could even praise the armor for maintaining its shape after such exposure.
It appeared that the “Imperial Sword Knights” hadn’t been defeated without a fight. Numerous spears and swords, likely theirs, were embedded in Karelvo’s torso, warping his shape even more.
He must have been wounded and, in response, grew new beastly heads; each time one was damaged, another replaced it. His arms were also disfigured, clearly having been savagely hacked.
Even knowing it would damage his own body, Karelvo had unleashed the full force of his breath from the beastly mouths on his torso. The charred flesh would heal soon enough. Perhaps being burned by his own fiery breath was insignificant to him, who could bite with enough force to shatter his own teeth.
However, having been wounded by the “Imperial Sword Knights” and then burning himself seemed to have caused a significant injury to his massive frame. The charred parts were peeling away, but the pace of regeneration was slow. It seemed there were limits to his healing abilities.
“Grrrrrrrr..?”
“Ah, crap.”
“We made eye contact, or at least I hope it’s just my imagination.”
“Face reality. All four of us have been seen for sure.”
In a sense, Karelvo was at his weakest now, yet he ceased his howling and lowered his head. The upper part of the building was completely blown away, so there was nothing that could be considered a cover. In such an exposed place, four men lay side by side. We surely stood out.
The moment of mutual gaze between Karelvo and us was brief. However, to me, it felt as if it lasted an eternity.
Clink. Fragments of the ruined buildings fell to the ground. This tiny sound, which could easily have been drowned out by the clamor of battle, seemed disproportionately loud.
“R-Retreat!”
“GRUOOOAAAARRRRR!!!”
As if time had resumed its course, we sprang to our feet and fled like hares. At the same time, Karelvo wriggled his various arms as he started to chase after us.
Karelvo’s movements, awkward as ever, didn’t seem swift. However, having grown physically larger by consuming the citizens of the empire, his strides…though I don’t know if it’s appropriate to call them that—had lengthened considerably.
“Damn it! Can’t we outrun him?”
“We have no choice but to fight. I’ll take the lead. The support is up to you.”
As a result, he had become faster, and the distance we had gained was quickly closed. If we couldn’t escape, and if we wanted to live, then we had to fight. With that decision made, I immediately turned around and charged towards Karelvo, who was rapidly bearing down on us from behind.
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TN: It seems like I have been calling Karelvo as “Kalervo” sometimes; sigh. I’m correcting it in every chapter.
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