Chapter 197: Escape from the Imperial Capital (1)
“Eeek!?”
“T-too strong…!”
The disparity in strength between myself and the band of demon thieves was, frankly, overwhelming. It seemed that although these demons were accustomed to using violence, they had hardly any experience in formal martial arts training.
They were very bold, and there was no hesitation in their intent to take my life. However, their movements were sloppy and full of openings. Their blades did not even reach me, who had learned martial arts while being beaten to a pulp by my master and refined them on the battlefield.
Witnessing how I effortlessly cut down those who leaped at me without sustaining a single injury, it was clear to the demons that no matter how many attacked, victory against me was impossible. The demons were visibly frightened, showing no signs of attempting another attack.
“What are you doing? Just kill him already!”
“It’s impossible, boss! This thing’s a monster!”
“We’ve just gained our freedom! I don’t want to die here!”
The insect demon, who appeared to be their leader, was the only one who still seemed willing to fight, but the rest were clearly intimidated. Confronting an opponent they knew they couldn’t defeat, especially when aware of their impending death, was impossible without some strong conviction. And it was unlikely that these former thieves possessed such conviction.
As one of the demons had exclaimed, they had luckily been freed from their enslaved state. Knowing the taste of freedom, it was hard for them to accept death without enjoying the liberty they had regained. All except the insect demon had lost their will to fight.
“If you retreat here, I won’t pursue you. Consider it a small act of mercy to a fellow demon.”
“Mercy…?! Don’t you dare look down on me!”
“Look down on you…? That’s not my intention. Also, we plan to escape the Imperial Capital. We can’t take you with us, but you should do the same. Let’s part here and avoid any further involvement…”
“Shut up! We are thieves! We are the ones who take! Do you think we can stand being looked down upon like this?!”
My proposal was outright rejected by the insect demon; it seemed like he wouldn’t even consider it. Ah, I see. He had lived as a thief, constantly taking from others. He might have initially become a thief out of necessity, but as he continued, he probably started to find pleasure and a sense of superiority in the act of stealing itself.
Over time, the act of stealing from, mocking, and looking down on others had become his identity. However, he was captured by the empire, enslaved, and transformed into a demon. He lost his freedom, dignity, and even his human form. Being someone who used to take from others, this must have been a particularly bitter humiliation for him.
Perhaps as a reaction to this, he seemed determined never to experience such humiliation again. This was evident in his behavior towards Decius and his rejection of my proposal. For me I thought one should prioritize their life over pride….so, his thought process was baffling to me.
In fact, the other demons seemed relieved at the prospect of escaping with their lives. It seemed that only this one individual was peculiar enough to risk his life for his pride.
Seeing the reaction of the other demons, the insect demon clicked his tongue in frustration. Once they saw a chance to survive, they would no longer think of opposing me. The only one left with the spirit to fight was the insect demon himself.
“Scared, useless underlings! I’ll kill you myself!”
Perhaps realizing his subordinates were of no use, the insect demon jumped at me with his two swords in hand. Ironically, he too seemed to be a dual-wielder, just like me.
Surprisingly, the insect demon, unlike his subordinates, showed signs of having learned martial arts. His dual swords worked in perfect unison, and he skillfully incorporated kicks and attempted to slash with the spines on his arms. He was used to combat. His movements were markedly different from his underlings, which took me by surprise.
Dual-wielding was rare, and I had hardly encountered it on the battlefield. My own technique with dual swords was a personal style, developed through experience and based on the fundamentals taught by master. I didn’t plan to prolong the fight, but I thought of borrowing some techniques from the demon before me.
“Hmph!”
“Guh… Shaaaah!”
There were several aspects of the insect demon’s dual swordsmanship that I found instructive. It seemed that a structured technique indeed had its advantages over a self-taught style.
However, having superior technique didn’t necessarily mean he could defeat me. I parried his dual swords with my own and absorbed his kicks with the hardness of my exoskeleton. I managed to defend against all of the insect demon’s assaults.
“You bastard! Just die already!”
“You’re the one who’s going to die.”
“Gah?! Gahh…!”
Even after crossing swords and realizing he couldn’t win, the insect demon continued his relentless attack. Because we were both demons, I had offered him a chance to flee, even though I knew he was a scoundrel. But now, I had no intention of further engaging with these former thieves.
I aimed for the base of the thumb holding his sword and sliced it off. The dual swords fell from the demon’s hands as he lost the strength to grip them. Without giving him a chance to recover, I swiftly plunged my poisonous stinger into his side.
To study the insect demon’s dual swordsmanship, I had purposely refrained from using my tail until now. But then I observed all the noteworthy aspects of his dual-sword technique. Since I didn’t have a lot of time to spare, I mercilessly injected my poison into his body.
The insect demon collapsed onto his knees and pulled out my tail that was stuck in his side. With many times the lethal dose of poison inside his body, I withdrew my tail without feeling any kind of resistance. He reached out his thumbless hand towards me but collapsed, foaming at the mouth, before he could reach me. His dead face bore a terrible expression of resentment and anger.
“Our head… have been defeated so easily…?”
“G-great, I’m free now! I’m going to take my chance and run!”
The reactions of the other demons to the insect demon’s death were divided. Some stood frozen in their place, unable to believe his defeat. Others immediately turned their backs and fled.
The insect demon, though hardly a commendable character, had a strength that stood out among the thieves, seemingly translating into a sort of charisma. It appeared that although he thought of his comrades as mere pawns, some seemed to hold him in high regard.
However, the majority chose to flee. They likely followed him only because of his strength, aiming for profit. With the insect demon dead, there was no longer any reason to stay. They chose to escape, prioritizing their freedom and survival. Only five of them remained.
“Aren’t you going to run?”
“…No, we’ll run. Even if we sought revenge, we can’t beat you, who’s stronger than our head. We don’t want a pointless death.”
“We owe the head, but he was just as likely to beat or kick us senselessly. We’re not about to throw our lives away for revenge.”
“I see.”
For a while, the demons were in a daze, but once they came to their senses, it seemed they had no intention of fighting me any longer. They might have admired the insect demon’s charisma, but not enough to seek revenge for him.
To show their lack of intent to fight, they sheathed their weapons. Seeing this, I also sheathed my twin swords. However, I remained vigilant, not letting my guard down even for a moment in the presence of my most recent opponents; I wasn’t going to allow any surprise attacks.
“Hey, before you go, could you tell us your name? We’re outcasts, but we admired our head’s strength. We want to know the name of the one who is even stronger than him.”
“My name?”
If someone had asked for my name in the past, I would have had no answer. But now, I have a name that was given to me by Aiwass. So I proudly announced it.
“Antares. That’s my name.”
“Antares, huh? It’s a unique name, but that’s why we won’t forget it.”
“See ya, Mister Antares. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”
With those words, the remaining demons left the place; they picked up the insect demon’s dual swords with them as well, perhaps as a tribute to their once-revered head.
Unlike those who fled first, scattering in all directions, these five formed a group. In the current situation, dispersing would make them less likely to be found and increase their chances of escape. In this respect, those who stayed were less efficient.
However, if they operated individually and were confronted by imperial soldiers, they would have to deal with them alone, a challenging task given their abilities. In contrast, moving as a group increased the risk of being detected, but it also meant they could address crises together. Both strategies had their advantages and disadvantages.
“Well, for us, escaping as a group is the only option we have.”
I muttered, even though no one was listening, and started running towards my comrades. My first priority was to catch up with Tigar and the others.
Chasing after the trio was easy. The smell of burned flesh and blood emanated from Marcellus, who was being carried by Decius. His scent was so distinctive that one could notice it even if they weren’t a demon with a keen sense of smell. Following this smell, it was evident that I would soon catch up with them.
It was clear from the scent trail that initially, Tigar and his group had run straight to get as far away as possible. Once they felt they had gained enough, they started turning into alleys multiple times. It seemed they were being careful not to be discovered.
“Gaooo! Don’t come any closer!”
“…Have they been found?”
As I followed the smell, I heard a familiar angry shout and the sound of something being destroyed ahead. Tigar and the other two were currently quite close to the building where our comrades were waiting, but it seemed they had been discovered before they could join them.
In truth, I wasn’t very surprised by this. Tigar, a frontline commander who also led battles, was not skilled in stealth. He could lie in ambush without being detected, but he had never been trained to move stealthily and avoid the enemy’s gaze. It was more a matter of luck that he hadn’t been discovered earlier.
Judging from the sounds surrounding Tigar and the others, there were more than ten enemies. Even for someone like Tigar, defending while fighting would be a tough battle. Considering the situation, it was better to hurry and join them to ensure their safety rather than continue moving in hiding. I climbed the walls in the narrow alley and rushed over the roofs towards Tigar and the other two.
“I kept you waiting.”
“You’re a lifesaver!”
“What’s this!? Reinforcements!?”
“Just one more doesn’t make a difference! Crush them!”
Tigar had been defending Marcellus and Decius while swinging his greatsword to keep the enemies at bay. However, when I landed beside him, he visibly relaxed, his cheeks softening with relief. The Imperial soldiers surrounding him had been startled by my sudden descent from above, but once they saw I was alone, they calmed down and started to close in on us.
They seemed to be well-trained soldiers, but they weren’t equipped with Republic armor. This meant they weren’t members of the Empire’s strongest unit, the “Imperial Sword Knights”. Therefore, they were not a match for us.
“If I can leave the back to the boss, I can easily blow you guys away! Gaoooo!”
“”””Gwaaaah!?””””
As if to release his pent-up anger, Tigar stepped forward sharply while emitting lightning from his entire body and his greatsword. With a roar, he swung his sword mightily, sweeping through the soldiers. His strike, which seemed too powerful for even my exoskeleton to withstand, sent several Imperial soldiers flying along with parts of the surrounding buildings.
Tigar immediately ran through the gap he had created in the encirclement, followed by Decius. I took the rear, guarding them as the last line of defense. The Imperial soldiers naturally tried to pursue us, but this time I held them back with my twin swords and tail.
“A scorpion’s tail… could it be, this is the rumored demon?”
“The one who defeated Prince Remus! If we take him down, the reward will be ours!”
“Ah, so you are on that side.”
These imperial soldiers seemed to be underlings of Remus, who had attacked the imperial capital from outside. They were unfazed by the loss of some of their comrades, seeing me only as a prize. True to being Remus’s soldiers, they were veterans of the front lines against the Republic and were not easily intimidated, even by a show of force.
The soldiers blown away by Tigar weren’t dead; they pushed aside the rubble they had fallen into and joined the pursuit. While cutting down the persistent soldiers of Remus, we finally reached the building where our comrades were waiting. However, it was surrounded by Imperial soldiers.
In order to escape from the imperial capital, do we have to defeat both the encircling imperial soldiers and those chasing us? Apparently, the plan wasn’t going to go smoothly. I suppressed the urge to sigh as I stabbed the imperial soldier, who lunged at me from behind with my poisonous stinger.
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