◆ Royal Capital Mizkal – Basement of a House ◆
“Gyah! L-Let go! Shin is on our side!”
“What’s this about being on the same side after you’ve been chummy with those guys?”
Pansard had a firm grip on Shin’s neck, ready to slam him against the wall. Naturally, Shin thrashed and struggled, but it was a futile resistance.
“You’re not going to cry to the Demon Lord now, are you?”
“Sh-Shin is… the Demon Lord…”
“You useless piece of trash.”
“Let go of Shin!”
I couldn’t bear the situation any longer, with Pansard’s foot pinning my head down. My head throbbed painfully, and without Disballade, I was honestly in no condition to fight. But I couldn’t let him kill that child. Shin was part of the Demon Lord Army, but deep down, he was still just a kid who wanted to play, just like us. He still liked the Demon Lord, but that was it. Even if he wasn’t human, he was just a child. That’s why we could get along. At the very least, he had a far more righteous heart than this hairy monster. Pansard was despicable and cruel, a monster that shouldn’t even be allowed to exist.
It was then that I realized I was losing my grip on rational thought.
“Hey, what’s this hand doing?”
I grabbed Pansard’s thick leg. I pushed it away from my head; he probably thought of me as nothing more than a nuisance. I didn’t even know what I was going to do next.
“If you resist…”
【The Merciless Beast Emperor Pansard took 18,908 damage! HP 90,992/109,900】
I took a bite. It wasn’t fur; it was flesh. It felt surprisingly soft, almost like cotton. Were monster legs this fragile? Well, whatever.
“Zzzzz! Gaaaaahhh!”
I wouldn’t let the opportunity slip by as he recoiled from the pain of having his flesh torn. First, I needed to silence that obnoxious throat of his. Battling through the headache and nausea, I stood up and grabbed the wolf-like creature by the neck, pressing him against the wall. His neck was too thick for me to grip with one hand, but it was enough to stifle his voice.
“Ugh…!”
“I won’t let you signal for the hostage’s death. In that moment, Kurinka, please.”
I hadn’t given her specific instructions, but with just a glance, Kurinka managed to stand up unsteadily and began to climb the stairs along the wall.
“Wh-where… Ugh!”
“Stop talking.”
Even as I looked at Pansard, completely restrained and powerless, the fear in the eyes of the people around us didn’t fade. No, it wasn’t fear of this beast. It was fear of this very scene. Some were so terrified they couldn’t even stand and ended up wetting themselves. I had scared them, but it was also because these people had deceived us in the first place.
My thoughts felt jumbled, as if I was in a daze, and nausea threatened to overwhelm me. To be honest, I felt terrible.
“H-Ha… Haha…!”
Pansard raised his right hand, not towards me, but towards the ceiling. With a force like an uppercut, he smashed through the basement ceiling, and it didn’t stop there; he pierced through the roof of the house. The loud noise surely reached the Blast Chimera hovering above.
“What was that?”
“The hostage… is dead!”
【The Merciless Beast Emperor Pansard took 16,912 damage! HP 74,080/109,900】
I crushed his raised right hand. This arm was the source of his mischief.
“Haah… Hah…! You’re really going to do this, huh?!”
【The Merciless Beast Emperor Pansard roared!】
He jumped back with more force than I expected, pulling away from me. Even considering the alcohol, I hadn’t thought he still had that much strength left.
Pansard leaped straight up through the hole he had just created. The Beast Emperor roared across his entire territory. At that moment, the ground trembled violently, and the basement was starting to feel precarious.
“Everyone, run!”
I didn’t say this coldly just because they had deceived us. That was part of it, but I felt something had already snapped inside me. I couldn’t hold back any longer; I was going to crush him. I wouldn’t let him remain intact; I would make him suffer the most. My heart, my strength, everything was spiraling out of control.
It wasn’t just the alcohol; it was because he had gone too far. Nanoka, Konoka, and all the people of the Kingdom of Mizkal. He had involved so many. He shouldn’t be forgiven. No, whether to forgive him or not was my decision. I wouldn’t let anyone complain.
“What’s this shaking? I don’t care what it is.”
No matter what, I was going to crush Pansard.
◆ Royal Capital Mizkal ◆
“All beasts! Gather at my feet!”
【Monsters rush to the Merciless Beast Emperor Pansard!】
The monsters from the Garden of Beasts were gathering here. If that happened, the Royal Capital Mizkal would be doomed. Even if there weren’t many people around, there were still memories tied to this place. Perhaps there were still people who needed to come back. If that was the case, how could I not protect it?
“Too bad! The hostage just died! This is all the seed you sowed! Everything is your fault!”
【Kurinka’s Dragon Roar!】
As if to echo Pansard’s words, Kurinka, the dragon heading towards Mizkal Castle, roared. The windows of the houses shattered, the fountain rippled, and cracks appeared in the walls. The volume was so immense that even I wanted to cover my ears; it was as if the very earth trembled.
No, it wasn’t just the earth. It felt like that rumbling echoed across the entire continent. It was as if even disasters had fled from the scene, leaving behind a silence after the storm. In reality, it was more accurate to say that they had fled before the storm arrived.
“Is that… a monster? That roar!”
“Everyone seems to have stopped.”
No fierce beast would want to venture into a place where a creature far more terrifying than itself resided. Beast-type monsters had a keen sense of danger, far superior to others. They could instinctively sense the presence of dangerous creatures. Scary beings were sensitive to other scary beings.
Yet, even with one of his arms crushed, Pansard was still far too lively.
“Blast Chimera! Don’t mind it! Roar!”
【The Blast Chimera is frozen in fear!】
That lion-like monster was completely intimidated by Kurinka. It didn’t even heed Pansard’s orders. After slowly flapping its wings, it landed on the ground, not fleeing but sitting down like a cat, behaving submissively.
“This is Pansard giving the orders!”
Even in response to the Beast Emperor’s shout, the Blast Chimera ignored him and began to wash its face. It was as if it wanted to submit to Kurinka or erase its very existence. Either way, the outcome seemed all but decided. Anything further would just be bullying, a massacre.
“Just so you know, even if you apologize, I won’t forgive you.”
“What did you say, you brat?! I should have crushed you back then!”
【The Merciless Beast Emperor Pansard’s Beast Drive! Pansard’s abilities have greatly increased! HP 109,900 → 187,000】
The surrounding buildings crumbled into rubble, and the ground around Pansard transformed from the cobblestones of the town into barren earth. The soil was exposed, and only the area around Pansard became a wasteland. His brown fur shimmered like an aura, and his eyes were completely red. This was a level of seriousness far beyond what he had shown before.
【Due to Beast Drive, the Merciless Beast Emperor Pansard’s HP has fully recovered! HP 187,000/187,000】
“I didn’t want to show my true strength! It’s a drag! Hunting should be done more smartly!”
Listening to him, it seemed he truly disliked fighting, just as Shin had said. He found it tedious and preferred hunting.
【The Merciless Beast Emperor Pansard’s Hunting Step!】
“With my top speed, I could circle this continent in two days! So how about this cramped little town?!”
He attacked from all directions—front, back, left front, right front, right, left. His powerful claws dug into me, but unfortunately, the alcohol had dulled my senses. So I caught his arm.
“N-No way…!”
“Now that I think about it, I’ve never fought seriously with my bare hands. If I apply the Sonic Ripper technique to close combat…”
【Lua’s Sonic Knuckle!】
I struck the captured Pansard’s belly without holding back. In an instant, the massive flesh and organs exploded, evaporating down to the bones. A gaping hole formed, the force of my attack eroding through his torso. It engulfed him completely, from his head down to the tips of his toes. In other words, not even a scrap of meat remained; Pansard wouldn’t even realize how he had met his end. Perhaps he didn’t even notice that he was dead.
【You dealt 875973 damage to the Merciless Beast Emperor Pansard!】
The power of my attack was so immense that I couldn’t help but think about it. This was bare-handed, not with a sword. It was clearly absurd. I couldn’t shake the feeling, even as I unleashed it. The buildings of the Royal Capital were pierced one after another, reduced to rubble, leaving a half-moon shaped scar on the ground as if a giant serpent had slithered through. Eventually, I crashed into Mizkal Castle.
“Oh no! That place…!”
【You have defeated the Merciless Beast Emperor Pansard! HP 0/187000】
I blew apart the castle gates, transforming the area into a wasteland, creating an unnatural tunnel through the castle itself. In other words, I had penetrated the castle.
“What should I do?!”
As I paled at the sight, Kurinka was doing something ominous. She charged into the castle, her massive body smashing through the debris of the upper floors, forcing her way inside. Seriously, what is she doing? What if there are hostages inside? I can’t really say anything, though.
“This is a complete mess…”
It was far beyond a joke; I was genuinely worried that hostages might get caught up in my Sonic Knuckle. I dashed toward the castle with all my might, and as I ran, I felt that this power was indeed strange. It was as if the ground and obstacles offered no resistance at all, completely erasing everything in my path.
“A fighting style that mixes swordplay and bare hands might be interesting… No, no, right now it’s about the hostages!”
Thanks to that tunnel, Mizkal Castle was on the verge of collapse. When I reached where the castle gates had been, I realized it was barely standing. Cracks had formed, and dust was beginning to fall. It could crumble at any moment.
◆ Mizkal Castle – Interior ◆
“Kurinka! What are you doing?! You could have easily gotten in without all that!”
“If I transformed in mid-air, I would have fallen! Besides, you’re the one who’s worse!”
I couldn’t retort; it was too true. Despite our bickering, we managed to capture a monster that had been in a daze and forced it to reveal the location of the hostages. Apparently, no one had been captured on the first floor that I had destroyed. I felt relieved, but it seemed they were in the underground, and one wrong step could have led to a disaster.
The monster that had been keeping watch had completely lost its will to fight thanks to Kurinka’s roar. Nanoka and Konoka were locked up naked in the dungeon. I trembled at the thought that I had caused their abduction; I was overly sensitive to being disliked. I remembered the times I was mocked by adventurers in Queemil, the disdain from those incited by Ganoas, and the times I heard tongue-clicks while walking down the street. I had always been scared. This was far more nerve-wracking than any battle.
But as soon as the two saw us, they rushed over, their faces streaked with tears.
“It’s our fault that things turned out like this… I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!”
“I’m sorry for causing this…”
“…We owe our lives to you and Roel, you know? You saved us from the Ash Death Disease and invited us to such a wonderful place in the Azuma Mountains… We can never repay you for that, and yet you saved our lives again… right, Konoka?”
“Yeah… yeah…”
I never expected to be thanked while they cried. I felt so relieved that my legs nearly gave out beneath me. When I noticed Konoka was having trouble standing, I realized she was naked. I quickly gave both of them cheap cloth capes and managed to lead them outside the castle.
Including the remaining hostages, there were probably over four hundred people. They were emaciated, on the brink of starvation, having received barely any food. There were women wearing what looked like dog collars, and I couldn’t even begin to imagine what had been done to them.
“I can’t forgive this…”
I had no feelings of mercy for those who had lost their will to fight. It took less than a minute to wipe out the beasts inside the castle; the cleanup was swift. I crushed those trying to escape, silencing their screams as they thrashed about in a frenzy. I felt no guilt at all. After all, these monsters had killed countless people who begged for their lives.
In the midst of all this, I found my Disballade and Kurinka’s Staff of Scorching Tales. I had expected them to be carefully stored, but they were clutched in the hands of a lizard-like monster. However, that creature was nothing but skin and bones, lying quietly. There was no need to think about what had happened; it was clear that it had been killed by Disballade.
After everything was settled, I checked the hostages and found that they were mostly soldiers from the Gunpowder Corps and civilians; there were no signs of the King or his retainers. It seemed the rumors of the King’s death were true.
◆ Royal Capital Mizkal ◆
“So this country is…?”
“Ah, it’s practically a ruin now.”
A girl with long black hair emerged, panting as she carried someone who was battered and bruised on her back. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was Aleid and another child.
“You’re…”
“I need you to help Aleid and Roin. I know it’s selfish of me, but please…”
Even though I couldn’t manage the people I had freed, more problems kept piling up. At that moment, something massive crashed down with a thunderous roar. Everyone’s gaze turned toward Mizkal Castle. No, what had once been Mizkal Castle. The tower, the roof, everything was collapsing as if it were being torn apart.
“Oh no…”
“It was destined to end up like that sooner or later. The beasts had ravaged it, and it was falling apart.”
The one who spoke so calmly was an elderly man I didn’t even know, a former hostage. The collapse of a kingdom’s castle symbolized the end of the Kingdom of Mizkal. A nation that had once flourished would eventually meet its end. Both Kurinka and I would die someday. The obvious truth was brought back to my mind by the sight of that destruction.
◆ Shin Report ◆
Shin, let me go
Hehe, let me go, I just wanted to try saying it, heheh
Huh?!
P-Pansard is dead? Rua, did Shin die at the hands of that beast?!
No, no, no! Just a moment ago, I confirmed that Pansard had vanished!
That brat punched a hole through the castle!
If I accidentally roll over, I might explode along with Shin!
Ah, how terrifying, how terrifying!
Speaking of which, I haven’t written about Rua’s weaknesses lately.
Weakness: Alcohol
I absolutely must refrain from this, noted!