Chapter 29: Absorption (1)

As the retreating members of the Squad rejoined us, the situation quickly took a turn for the better.

With the number of demonic hounds significantly reduced, we were no longer at a severe disadvantage in numbers.

Most importantly, my Black Iron Brigade—who had been struggling from exhaustion—finally had a moment to catch their breath.

Seeing my direct subordinates pulling the wounded to safety made me feel an undeniable sense of relief.

“Are you alright?”

Avelin reached out a hand to me as soon as she had driven Cerberus away.

“Can you stand?”

“Of course.”

“As if. You were about to get crushed to death.”

“Who? Me? When did that happen? I don’t recall.”

“Ugh, you and your bravado… Looks like I didn’t need to save you after all, since you’re still full of talk.”

“I’m just joking.”

Grabbing Avelin’s outstretched hand, I pulled myself up and made sure to say it clearly.

“Thanks. Lately, I feel like I’ve been thanking you quite often.”

“…As long as you know.”

She wasn’t wrong.

If it had been an ordinary Cerberus, I could’ve taken it down with sheer brute force. But this one was different.

“Grrr…!”

Even after Avelin had driven her sword straight into its face, it was still standing.

To deal with an opponent that was stronger and more intelligent, a special strategy was necessary.

But fortunately, I had just the right person by my side.

“Hey, Silver Flash.”

“W-What now? Why are you suddenly calling me by that embarrassing nickname?”

“Let me ask you one thing. If this works, just the two of us should be able to take it down.”

“Then ask already, before that thing tries something again.”

“You’re fast. Really fast, aren’t you?”

“…”

Avelin didn’t bother responding.

Because she didn’t need to.

“Can you move faster than that thing?”

“Then let me ask you something in return.”

Avelin narrowed her eyes and shot me a glare.

“Do you really think I’m slower than that thing?”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear!”

“Hmph…”

She tapped the ground lightly with her foot a couple of times.

A crisp snap echoed as if to show she had already reinforced herself with mana.

“To be honest, I’m not sure. But if it’s necessary to take it down, I’ll try.”

“Then our plan is simple. That thing’s been keeping its distance, waiting for an opening, right? So…”

“You want me to cut off its escape route.”

“Exactly. You don’t need to attack it directly. Just disrupt its movements—make it hesitate, even if only a little. Can you do that?”

“Wait a second. That sounds like way more work for me than for you.”

“I am making you do the hard part. But you know why, right?”

I grinned.

“Because you’re the only one who can do it.”

“…Ugh.”

Avelin let out an inexplicable groan before slightly bending her knees.

“Let’s just get started. I’ll go first!”

She vanished, leaving only a faint afterimage.

In an instant, she was already behind Cerberus.

Now, it was time to tighten the noose.

I grabbed the greatsword I had dropped when it lunged at me.

“You oversized mutt. Let’s end this. Come at me fair and square!”

As I charged forward, Cerberus howled and pulled its remaining hounds in front of it to block my path.

“This won’t even slow me down!”

Two swings.

That’s all it took to cut down the stragglers in my way.

As I got closer, Cerberus once again tried to flee with its quick reflexes.

But this time—

“Not so fast!”

“Grrr…?”

Cerberus came to an abrupt halt.

Standing right in front of it was Avelin.

It swung its massive paw at her, but she effortlessly dodged, moving with ease.

“You’ve got the size, but you’re sluggish.”

“GRAAAR!!”

The beast lashed out several more times, but Avelin slipped through every attack as if it were child’s play.

“Slow. Too slow. If I’d known you were this pathetic, I would’ve taken you on myself from the start.”

“You’re doing great, Avelin! Just hold it there a little longer!”

Cerberus grew visibly anxious as I closed in.

Realizing it had no other choice, it gathered all its strength and leaped as far away as it could.

But the moment it thought it had escaped—

A shadow loomed over its head.

“Grrrrr…?!”

“You told me just to stall it, Kayron… but that’s not enough for me!”

From above, Avelin rained down a relentless barrage of stabs, her sword piercing deep into Cerberus’s body over and over again.

The beast, caught completely off guard, lost its balance and crashed to the ground.

And when it finally struggled back to its feet—

“At last.”

By the time I closed the distance to the point where it could no longer escape—

“Well, now… Who’s the prey here?”

“Grrrr…! KRAAAH!”

Sensing that there was no way out, Cerberus lunged at me first, its massive claws slashing through the air.

But this time, there were no distractions. No one I needed to protect.

Clang! Claang!

My sword and Cerberus’s claws clashed repeatedly.

Meeting it head-on, I could feel its sheer strength reverberate through my body.

But—

‘This is manageable!’

I channeled even more mana throughout my body, reinforcing my sword with greater force, swinging it even faster.

At first, it seemed like Cerberus had the upper hand, pressing me back.

But before long, it was the one retreating.

“Grrr… Grrrng…!”

The once-commanding tone it had used to lead its demon hounds was gone, replaced by pathetic whimpers.

It was afraid.

Even as it flailed its claws frantically in a last-ditch effort, it kept darting its eyes around.

“Grrrr…!”

Then, the moment I swung my sword a little wider, it took the chance to bolt—

“Not so fast!”

Boom!

A deafening impact echoed as Avelin delivered a lightning-fast kick to Cerberus’s side, making a sound as if something had exploded.

“Where do you think you’re looking, you damned beast?!”

Caught off guard by the ambush, Cerberus shrank back and hastily swung its claws to block my incoming sword.

But—

Shhk—!

“KUAAAAARGH…!!”

The poorly positioned front leg was severed cleanly.

“Grrrrrrrrrr”

-Lick… Lick…

It even began licking its stump, letting out pitiful cries.

Everyone else having just finished off the last of the demon hounds, stared at the sight in sheer disbelief.

“W-Wait, is it… crying?”

“That’s the thing we were struggling against…?”

Seeing Cerberus cower, the squad’s morale soared.

Seizing the moment, a few captains shouted to rally the troops.

“Remember this moment! We have the power to make even demons tremble! As long as we stand together, we can overcome any danger!”

“…Well said.”

“I’ll admit, it’s a great speech. But we can’t ignore the comrades we’ve lost. And more importantly…”

Though Cerberus seemed completely broken, Avelin never let her guard down. Her sharp gaze remained locked onto the beast.

“You see that?”

“See what? Oh…?”

The wound Cerberus was licking—

From it, albeit slowly, a new leg was regenerating.

“We need to finish this before it recovers.”

“Less talking, more killing!”

Without hesitation, Avelin and I lunged forward.

Cerberus panicked, trying to flee.

But before it could-

Avelin drove her sword deep into its already bleeding wound.

“KUOOOOH…!!”

As the beast stretched its neck and howled in agony—

“This is the end, you wretched mutt!”

I concentrated my mana, my sword flaring with a fierce blue glow, and in one swift motion—

Slaash—!

The long, outstretched neck was severed cleanly.

Thunk!

“U-UAAAAAH!”

The sight of Cerberus’s severed head flying through the air and landing with a dull thud sent some squad members into panicked screams.

But the head, now separated from its body, twitched once before its tongue lolled out lifelessly.

And with that, the eerie red glow seeping from the rift in space flickered and vanished completely.

Finally, at long last, the storm had passed.

“We did it!!”

The surviving squad members erupted in cheers.

The few remaining demon hounds, intimidated and overwhelmed by the roaring celebration, hesitated before being swiftly eradicated.

“You pulled it off again, Kayron.”

“Yeah. Somehow. But…”

Something felt off.

Normally, when a demon dies, its body turns to ash and disappears.

But for some reason, Cerberus’s corpse remained, still radiating an ominous red glow.

“…It’s not fading?”

“I was just thinking the same thing. Could it still be alive?”

“No. It’s definitely dead. The breathing has completely stopped.”

“Then I’ll check.”

“Be careful…”

I cautiously approached the collapsed, motionless body.

Then, as soon as I placed my hand on its chest-

“…Huh? W-What…?”

The red energy swirling around Cerberus suddenly surged toward me—

Through my hand, into my body.

-- The End OF The Chapter --

 

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