Chapter 27: Before the Cruel Waves (4)

Boom! Crash!

Each time I leaped into the air and unleashed a barrage of sword energy onto the ground, a pack of demon hounds was wiped out.

Alongside the Black Iron Brigade, I had already cut down nearly half of the remaining demon hounds.

And not a single casualty on our side.

“Come on, Captain! You can do better than that!”

“We all know that’s not the extent of your skills, Captain!”

“Shut up, you brats! Do you have any idea how much mana I’m pouring into each of these strikes?”

Though I said that, the truth was, having the Black Iron Brigade fight alongside me made things much easier than if I were facing them alone.

With their shields holding the demon hounds in place, I could conserve mana and take them out with precise, efficient strikes.

At this rate, wiping them all out wouldn’t be difficult.

Even after fighting for over two hours, my body still felt strong. The grueling training we had endured was paying off brilliantly.

It’s going smoothly. Almost too smoothly. But the real issue is…

Cerberus—watching, waiting.

He remained motionless, observing carefully as we slaughtered the lesser hounds.

I was burning through a lot of mana, but honestly, I didn’t mind. If we eliminated all the small fry first, leaving only Cerberus, the battle wouldn’t be so bad.

Once he was alone, the other captains and I could overwhelm him with a coordinated assault.

But still… something’s off.

This was a first.

I had never seen Cerberus act so cautiously.

The one I knew from my past life would have lost his mind at the mere sight of living prey, charging in like a rabid beast.

But the one before me now… he was watching. Calmly.

No… he’s not watching me.

As I took a brief pause to steady my breath, our gazes locked.

In that moment, a voice echoed in my mind.

[I see it. Your weakness.]

…What?

[You are strong. Yet, you waste your strength protecting those who only hold you back.]

The moment the voice faded, Cerberus lowered his stance.

“Uh… Captain? The three-headed one is up to something!”

“I know. Looks like it’s finally making its move—brace yourselves!”

Honestly, this wasn’t bad for us.

If Cerberus charged before I became too exhausted, the Black Iron Brigade could hold him off while I struck him down.

Once he fell, the others would gain the morale to finish off the rest of the demon hounds.

That was the plan.

But then—

What the hell is that?

I doubted my own eyes.

A crimson glow flickered around Cerberus as he prepared to lunge.

That fiery aura… I could feel it.

This wasn’t the same Cerberus I knew.

And then, at last, he charged straight for me.

“Captain! We’ll block the first hit—take your shot then!”

“No. Run. NOW.”

“What? But we can’t just leave you—”

“RUN! RIGHT NOW!!”

I shouted, but it was too late.

Before they could retreat, I dashed beyond the defensive formation and raised my greatsword as a shield.

Boom!

“Ugh…!”

I caught Cerberus’ charge head-on.

“C-Captain!”

“Get out of here! I’ll hold him off!”

My entire body ached from the impact.

The Cerberus I fought in my past life had never been this strong.

Back then, I struggled at first, but once I got the hang of it, I could take them down in less than thirty seconds.

Growl…

But this one…

This one was leagues beyond anything I had ever faced.

Damn it. He’s not quite at the level of a Fury Demon… but still…!

And then—

A new threat.

I heard the demon hounds charging at my unguarded back.

“Bark!”

“You bastards—!!”

The hounds lunged—

Only to be impaled mid-air, sent crashing to the ground.

“We won’t let them reach the Captain!”

“What the hell are you doing?! I told you to run!”

“We refuse! We already stood back and watched you charge in alone once! We won’t be cowards again!”

“…Damn it.”

With frustration burning in my chest, I shoved Cerberus back and lunged, aiming my sword at one of his heads.

But as expected of a hunting hound, he reacted instantly, tilting his head just out of my reach.

Then, he lowered his stance and started circling—sideways, slow, deliberate.

A predator, sizing up its prey.

“Come on, you bastard! If you’re gonna attack, then do it already!”

Grrrrr…

He didn’t lunge, but the moment I let my guard down, he would.

Then—

“Aaaagh!!”

A scream. The worst kind.

“Ivan!!”

“Captain!!”

I turned just in time to see Ivan being dragged away.

Too many hounds had swarmed the formation.

I couldn’t get to him in time.

A demon hound’s fangs sank deep into his chest.

“Damn it… Just hold on! I’ll finish them off and get to you—!!”

There was no time to waste.

I concentrated my mana into my legs and launched myself forward at Cerberus with explosive speed.

But once again, Cerberus slipped away just before impact, maintaining a careful distance as if he was deliberately stalling for time.

That’s when I realized it.

“You bastard… Don’t tell me—!”

This cunning high-ranked demon knew exactly what he was doing.

By pretending to attack, only to retreat and lure me away from the Black Iron Brigade, he was slowly wearing them down. He understood that if he kept this up, the Black Iron Brigade would eventually be wiped out, leaving me alone.

I lunged at him again, but he only widened the gap between us.

“Get over here! What kind of so-called ruthless demon are you?!”

“C-Capt… Captain”

“…Ivan?”

In the middle of this fruitless chase, a weak voice called out to me.

I turned my head.

Not far away, a demon hound stood motionless, its jaws clamped tightly around Ivan as it dragged his limp body forward.

As if mocking me.

As if taunting me with the life I had failed to protect.

“Captain…”

“Stay with me, Ivan! Just hold on a little longer, I’ll get you out of this!”

“…It’s too late for me.”

“……”

I clenched my teeth.

He wasn’t wrong.

The demon hound’s fangs had already pierced deep into his chest.

Far too much blood had already been lost. There was no way to stop the bleeding now.

“I’m sorry, Captain… I should have followed you sooner…”

“Don’t say that. You fought well. I’m proud of you.”

“…Haha.”

His voice was growing weaker. A hollow chuckle escaped his lips.

“Captain, you know… why I ended up here, right?”

“…Yeah. You got caught stealing a single loaf of bread.”

“So you even remember that…”

“How could I not? You spilled the whole story when you were drunk.”

“…Even so…”

His gaze grew unfocused.

“Do you think… my life… even made the slightest difference in protecting this world?”

“…Yeah.”

I swallowed hard.

“The whole world… owes you— No… No, damn it!”

No matter how hopeless it was, I refused to let my subordinate die inside that monster’s mouth.

Without hesitation, I spun and charged at the demon hound.

“Yelp—! Guh—!”

The beast barely had time to react before my blade cleaved through its body, splitting it clean in two.

“I won’t let you die like that!”

With that, Ivan was freed from the beast’s jaws.

“Ivan! Can you move?”

“…Captain… behind you…”

Before he could even finish speaking, I felt it—

Cerberus lunging for my throat.

I twisted my body just in time, catching his massive jaws with both hands before they could sink into my flesh.

But my sword slipped from my grasp, and his enormous frame crushed me beneath him.

It was a bad position.

A very bad position.

“Grrraaagh…! GRAAH!”

“Damn it… I knew you were waiting for this opening… but—!”

I was in a bad position, pinned beneath Cerberus.

But as I focused all my mana into my arms, I could hold him off—just barely.

Even so…

“Captain! We can’t hold on much longer! We’re at our limit!”

“We should’ve trained harder…! Just leave us behind and run, Captain!”

“Ahhh—!!”

“Jeff! No!”

I gritted my teeth.

If only I had been stronger.

If only I had the strength to cut through these demons alone, without my men having to protect me…

[Do you desire power?]

The voice returned, echoing inside my mind.

It was strangely familiar, as if it had always known me, seen through everything I was.

[Then hate. If you desire power, then burn with hatred. Hate those who seek to take your people from you. Crave their blood…]

A whisper, laced with temptation.

[I will quench your thirst for power. Say the word—say you desire it.]

I didn’t know whose voice it was.

I didn’t know why it was speaking to me now.

But I knew, with absolute certainty—

If I said yes, it would give me power.

“Captain! Stay strong! Even if we die, you must survive!”

If I could protect my people…

Then my answer was obvious—

Thunk!

A blade shot through the air, burying itself deep into Cerberus’ face.

“GRAAAAHH!!”

The beast howled in pain, leaping away to widen the distance.

“…Sorry I’m late.”

“You should’ve been here sooner.”

“I know. I’m sorry. Call me a coward if you want… but—”

The swordsman knelt beside my fallen soldier, Ivan, and gently closed his lifeless eyes.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, he wiped the demon’s blood from his sword with a surge of burning blue mana.

“I swear, Kayron. I’ll never leave you to fight alone again. Never. Not ever.”

The Silver Flash of the Crusaders had returned.

Avelin locked eyes with Cerberus, his jaw clenched with determination.

“Everyone—charge! Support the Black Iron Brigade!”

“We abandoned our comrade to the jaws of death. We’ll wash away this shame with the blood of demons!”

Inspired by the Black Iron Brigade’s unwavering spirit, the other warriors finally made their decision.

At last—

It was time to end this battle once and for all.

-- The End OF The Chapter --

 

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