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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Innocent Prisoner (2)
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Most of the soldiers were green recruits with barely any experience under their belts.
It couldn't be helped. The elite troops with real battle experience usually served under high-ranking Knights of Elga. A fresh-faced knight whose holy water from the ordination ceremony hadn't even dried yet had no choice but to lead soldiers straight out of training camp or those lacking in know-how.
That was why it was inevitable that they couldn't stop the savage who tore into the demon with his teeth.
"Ugh, ugherrr..."
"My god, E-Elga preserve us..."
"Urk, guh! Guwaaack!"
Hands frantically traced the sign of the cross here and there. Not only did they fail to approach and restrain the savage, they couldn't even muster the nerve to grip their weapons. Some soldiers even doubled over, vomiting uncontrollably.
In the meantime, Kadim ripped out the demon's throat and greedily sucked down its blood.
The stomach-churning stench didn't faze him in the slightest. His experiences from the previous playthrough had toughened his gut. He gulped down the pus-like, sticky blood. His heart began pounding wildly, and a scorching heat welled up in his muscles.
He had taken in enough blood now. Kadim wiped his mouth and stood. He slowly closed his eyes, focusing on the changes surging through his body.
'Strength enhancement... No other special effects, huh...'
Not all demon blood produced the same results. Depending on the type and rank of the demon, different buffs would manifest. This time, it was the blood of an unremarkable low-grade demon, granting only the most basic "strength enhancement" buff.
But for now, that was plenty.
The pain from the spear wound below his shoulder had vanished. A faint dizziness lingered, and his blood bubbled throughout his body. Muscles that were already massive swelled even larger.
His unique trait, Blood Berserker, was starting to do its work.
Now he could unleash power that clearly transcended human limits.
First things first: escape the restraints. Kadim tensed his forearms and biceps. Then he wrenched his shackled arms outward.
Clank—creeeak, tick, tick, ping!
The iron rings turned white and stretched, snapping strand by strand under the terrifying tension. Twisted and deformed metal shards flew in all directions.
Crack! Thud, thud-thud—
In the blink of an eye, the chains shattered like rotten rope. Kadim shook off the pile of links and flexed his wrists.
Monstrous strength no human could possess. The soldiers were dumbfounded. Trembling, they backed away in unison, forgetting they were armed while he was empty-handed.
Not everyone panicked. The squad leader, who had faced demons before, kept his wits. He gripped his spear and bellowed at the others.
"Don't retreat! Form ranks and subdue the prisoner! He's unarmed and wounded! A few more spear thrusts, and he'll drop dead!"
The soldiers hesitated, glancing at each other before shuffling closer. They managed to raise their spears toward the savage, but none burned with resolve.
His lack of weapons offered no comfort. Who in their right mind would want to fight a lunatic savage with that kind of brute force? It'd be less intimidating to face a raging troll—at least those were dumb.
The soldiers all adopted similar stances: half-crouched legs, rigid neck muscles, torsos subtly turned for a quick escape.
No stance like that could withstand a single blow from a blood-drunk berserker.
Kadim coiled his calves like springs and launched forward. His fist, heavy with momentum, smashed the face of the soldier in front of him.
Splack!
A nose bone crumbling without resistance, the entire face caving in around the impact point, an eyeball popping free. It looked like a watermelon smashed by a mace.
"...Huh?"
The next victim was the bewildered soldier beside him.
Crack—
Kadim struck the soldier's jaw. The joint tore apart, lower teeth and bone ripping clean off in one chunk. The man collapsed, blood gushing, only to take a follow-up strike to the crown of his head. His eyes rolled back as he went limp.
"Ugh, uherr, uwaaaaaah!!"
One panicked soldier charged wildly, spear thrust forward. Kadim sidestepped effortlessly, evading the blind stab. He grabbed the shaft and snapped the spear with a flick of his thumb.
Snap—
"This'll make a fine shortspear. Thanks."
"Wha—what?"
The broken spear became the savage's weapon. Kadim closed the distance in a flash. The soldier's confused yelp became his final words.
Stab—
The spear tip pierced his throat. When Kadim yanked it free, blood sprayed from a coin-sized hole. In that instant, he sensed movement from behind. Wiping blood from his face, he whipped around and hurled the shortspear.
Whish—
The metal streak impaled the stealthily approaching soldier's gut. His belly skin and intestines wrapped around the blade, protruding from his back. He dropped his weapon, collapsing and shrieking like a little girl.
"Uwaaaaaah—."
Crack!
The scream cut short. Kadim's fist pulverized the fallen soldier's skull. Clear cerebrospinal fluid mixed with nosebleed and poured out. The man slumped lifelessly.
Kadim pulled the shortspear from the soldier's belly. He glared impassively at the rest. Their faces drained to waxen pallor, shoulders shaking.
Four dead in moments. It felt like a nightmare to the soldiers. This wasn't a fight—it was a massacre, a merciless slaughter.
Even their shaky formation crumbled. Nearby soldiers' legs gave out, and they sank to the ground. Those farther back dropped weapons, screaming as they fled.
"Ugh, uherr, s-spare me, spare..."
"Uwaaaah, uwaaaaaah!!"
"A demon... Th-that's a demon!"
"It's not a demon, it's human! Get a grip!! There's only one enemy! If we rush together, we'll win for sure!"
The squad leader's shouts fell on deaf ears. No one believed him—not even himself.
He thought: even twice as many soldiers might not have sufficed against this savage. Numbers meant nothing against such overwhelming might. No matter how many chicks, they couldn't stop a lion, right?
To stop a lion, you needed another lion.
"Wh-what is this outrage, heretic...? How dare you... to my soldiers..."
Elga's young lion belatedly bared its fangs.
The soldiers—even the squad leader—hid behind the knight, forgetting all dignity. The knight grimly surveyed the corpses. Then righteous fury blazed in his eyes.
"Filthy bastard! Sold your soul to a demon for that power? In the name of the sublime guide of light, Elga, I shall judge you, heretic!"
Kadim eyed the knight carefully.
Left foot forward, right heel slightly raised behind, gripping the spear that had pierced his shoulder. He held it one-handed now, but would switch to two soon enough.
His gear and stance far outclassed the ragtag soldiers, but he was still green. Compared to the monster-like high-ranking knights from the first playthrough, it was laughable.
But no room for carelessness. His own combat prowess wasn't much better. He wasn't Atala's great warrior who beheaded great demons with a single axe anymore.
'...Just a savage prisoner rampaging on a single buff.'
This demon blood offered no defense or regeneration boosts. One vital hit, and he was done.
Kadim scooped up the fallen longspear, vowing to end it quickly.
Whish—!
The air screamed with ferocious speed. It rivaled a crossbow bolt from a master. The soldiers couldn't even track it.
Thud—!
Astonishingly, the knight dodged. The spear merely shredded grass and churned dirt. His plate armor made him look bulky, but he was far nimbler than the lightly armed troops.
Kadim clicked his tongue.
'Guess he didn't get ordained just for show.'
But for a split second, the knight's eyes wavered. Had it hit, instant death. He dodged on reflex, but terror of mortality was seared into his mind.
He couldn't accept his own fear. Gritting his teeth, he thrust the spear skyward.
"Lord of eternal light, Elga! Let your proxy smite this wicked minion of demons!"
A pure white flash danced down from the heavens, flowing along the spear into his body. Elga's divine technique banished fear and enhanced his physical abilities. Terror faded from his pupils, replaced by calm resolve.
With the god at his side, nothing frightened him now. He charged like a thunderbolt, invoking the holy name.
"For Elga!"
Collision was inevitable. Kadim charged too.
The spear aimed for his heart, quick as a jab; he evaded, waiting for an opening; then it struck like a venomous serpent.
Whoosh, thrust, thrust!
The blue steel blade scattered frost, tracing savage arcs. The spearhead pulled back tight before lunging for gaps. It grazed Kadim's right cheek, drawing bloody frost.
But Kadim felt his tension easing.
The knight's moves were too straightforward.
Without seasoned foundation, even fierce technique was predictable. Especially against someone who'd slain countless humans and demons.
He'd lost physical prowess, but experience remained intact. Kadim could read every move. After the cheek graze, the spear never touched him again.
The counter came in a flash.
'Side thrust this time.'
Kadim exposed his flank invitingly. Sure enough, the spearhead dove for it.
Thrust!
He twisted aside effortlessly. Then he surged in like lightning.
The knight panicked, yanking the spearhead back short, but it was futile. Kadim had already clamped the shaft under his armpit.
"Wha—what...?"
It wasn't just the blade that chilled. Bone-numbing cold seeped into his skin, but Kadim endured. The spear was pinned like in a rock crevice.
He might have fled if he'd dropped it immediately. But panic clouded the knight's mind. His young face paled. Kadim intoned gravely, like a death sentence.
"May you join that damned god even in the afterlife, pup of Elga."
"N-no... S-spare..."
Thud—!
The knight's skull shattered under the savage's fist. Blood gushed from ears and nose. Despite his fine weapon and skill, his end was no different from the common soldiers.
It didn't end in death. Kadim's eyes gleamed obsessively at the corpse. The knight still owed him.
He seized the knight's spear. Crackle—his palm froze instantly. Rejection reaction for non-owners. Enduring the chill, Kadim thrust hard into the knight's shoulder—the exact spot.
Crunch! Stab—
The spear pierced breastplate and pectoral. Same wound as his. The knight twitched reflexively from the cold before stilling. Kadim released the shaft before frostbite set in.
Debt paid in full.
Silence blanketed the plain.
The knight, their last hope, met an empty end. Soldiers shook like they were seizing. No sense of duty remained amid the carnage.
"N-no way... Sir Linton..."
"Uwaaaaaah!!!"
"Run!!!"
Soldiers crawled like dogs or bolted on foot.
Whish, whish—
No loose ends. Kadim returned the abandoned spears. Massive barbs sprouted in their backs; they collapsed after a few steps.
"What are you...? A demon's minion...? How do you have such power...?"
Splack!
Even the squad leader who held his post till the end. Not a single soldier spared.
Kadim paused, closing his eyes calmly to sense his body's changes.
Muscles deflating, wound pain returning—the buff was fading. Low-grade, rotten blood meant short duration. But he wasn't just checking the buff.
'Side effects... still mild, huh?'
Thankfully, no accelerated onset in the second playthrough. Madness hit in the first after downing blood from a dozen mid-grade demons. One low-grade shouldn't trigger much.
Kadim opened his eyes. He surveyed the knight and soldiers' corpses belatedly.
Blood-soaked chaos across the serene plain. He'd kicked off the second playthrough with ruthless slaughter.
"..."
Yet no guilt stirred.
Baths of blood like this were routine in the first playthrough. Kill or be killed. Wallowing in remorse at every turn meant no survival in this godforsaken world.
Clank, clank—
Not everyone on-site was dead. Prisoners peeked out. They'd hidden in nearby bushes when soldier attention lapsed.
They'd witnessed Kadim's superhuman might firsthand. Shocked, but none fled. No one saw him as an enemy.
Instead, they viewed the savage who routed the soldiers as a benefactor or fitting leader for rogues. Some already schemed to team up for a big score.
One prisoner approached Kadim, envisioning using this brute for dirty work.
"Hey, big guy! That was impressive! Got a proposition—mind freeing me from these chains first?"
That hope shattered with his skull.
Crack—
Kadim left a curt reply to the prisoner with a caved-in forehead.
"No."