Chapter 335: Time to Settle Old Scores

Let’s cut to the chase.

Killing Develania was quick. Commander Derniban of the 5th Corps, who had somehow managed to kill the Commander of the 4th Corps, provided ranged support with his bow.

Actually, calling it a kill is a bit ambiguous. When Derniban’s arrow flew in, Develania realized that the only legion commanders left alive were from Deon Hart’s side. With a hollow laugh, she stopped in her tracks and wrapped a thread around her own neck.

“From the start, we didn’t expect much from our side, since many legions had vacant commander positions… But even with the Demon King’s forces present, to think only Deon Hart’s commanders would survive.”

“…We’re not exactly unscathed either.”

Just a quick glance around showed that there wasn’t a single one of them who was completely unharmed, and wasn’t Lirinel as good as dead?

“Well, yeah, I guess.”

Better to die here than to live and face something even more gruesome.

Instead of adding anything to Trober’s murmur, Develania smirked and pulled the thread. Her head fell, and a legion commander’s life ended meaninglessly.

Silence descended.

As the situation seemed to be somewhat under control, Commander Jaykar of the 1st Corps leaned against a boulder and sat down. Commander Trober of the 9th Corps, scratching his head as if the quiet atmosphere was awkward, opened his mouth.

“So… is it really all over now?”

“…Who knows.”

Jaykar lifted his downcast eyes.

His indifferent and quiet gaze slowly rolled over and landed somewhere beyond Trober’s shoulder.

“At least, it doesn’t seem like it for you.”

“…!”

Before he could even grasp the meaning of those words, Trober, sensing a foreboding, quickly twisted his body. Simultaneously, sharp nails tore through his shoulder.

…If he hadn’t twisted his body, his neck would surely have been torn off. Feeling a chill run down his spine, he glared at the attacker. A wolf, its eyes gleaming with malice, came into view.

“…Derniban.”

Knowing the attacker was Derniban, there was nothing more to figure out. Trober grit his teeth at the truly persistent grudge.

“You bastard, you just had to!”

It was obvious why he was doing this, without even needing to ask.

Oel! What’s the big deal about killing one incompetent legion commander!

“Isn’t it about time you forgot about it?!”

“If I could have, I would have forgotten it a long time ago. If that were the case, this whole thing wouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

Derniban calmly checked his own condition.

His physical state was the worst, and he had run out of arrows long ago. His shoulder, pierced by the 12th Corps Commander’s spear, was hindering his ability to draw the bowstring. Besides, he had been picking up and reusing arrows that had already been spent for quite some time.

He roughly scanned the surroundings, where even usable arrows were no longer visible, and thought.

‘No problem here.’

Pain could be ignored, and arrows could be made with magic power. Magic arrows were an unbelievable waste, but he was a demon who could barely manage to focus on one thing.

He wasn’t thinking about the future and planned to pour everything into the present moment. As long as strength entered his body, he could fight sufficiently, whether at close range or long range.

Derniban fiddled with the bow that had been Oel’s but now belonged to him, and said.

“It was bound to happen anyway. You knew that it was just postponed, didn’t you?”

“It didn’t have to be right now!”

“I felt like there wouldn’t be another chance if not now.”

Call it a beastly instinct. Derniban vaguely felt that he shouldn’t miss this opportunity.

‘Allies’ were the only ones left, so there was no one to interfere, and it was a situation where it wouldn’t be strange no matter who killed whom.

‘Speaking of ‘interference,’ the remaining 1st Corps Commander is a bit of a concern….’

He glanced back at Jaykar, who was sitting in his place. When their gazes met, he slowly blinked a few times, and then closed his eyes completely, as if to say he wouldn’t get involved.

Derniban turned his gaze back to Trober.

“Now it’s time to settle an old score.”

“Ha, fine. Whether you die or I die, let’s do it.”

Trober, having confirmed that he had no choice but to fight from the moment Jaykar closed his eyes, finally let out a hollow laugh and took a stance.

…….

The battle to kill each other unfolded quite sordidly.

Throwing dirt in each other’s eyes and striking at injured areas were basic tactics. In desperate moments, they even boldly rolled on the floor, discarding any semblance of legion commander dignity.

Derniban, ignoring the blood flowing from the wound in his shoulder and other parts of his body, focused solely on ensuring his trembling arm could stably draw the bowstring. Trober, despite the cracks already forming in his body and growing larger around his injuries, showed no sign of caution and swung his fists with all his might.

There was no choice. If they lost, they would die.

If they were going to die either way, they had no choice but to fight with the thought of killing that bastard before dying themselves.

The battle, which had seemed so evenly matched, suddenly shifted. Derniban, who had been about to draw the bowstring, faltered and tilted to one side.

Trober, sensing something was wrong, quickly closed the distance and smirked.

“What’s wrong, can’t move your arm anymore?”

“……”

He needed to lift the bow and draw the string, but his arm only trembled and wouldn’t lift any further. The bow, which had been so light, felt like a boulder, and the string, which had been easily drawn with a little force, was as tough as steel.

However, there was no time to dwell on this.

…First, he had to deal with the enemy closing in. Derniban hastily transformed his hand again and swung it to parry.

“─Kugh!”

Trober easily deflected it and seized the opponent’s neck.

Confirming the small but deep wounds engraved all over Derniban’s body, he spat out words laced with mockery.

“Come to think of it, you fought Idelia, didn’t you? You must have been hit by her thrown weapons too.”

“……!”

Derniban’s eyes flickered slightly as he belatedly grasped the cause.

“It wasn’t just once or twice, you seemed to have been hit quite a lot. Didn’t you know there’s poison in her thrown weapons?”

There was no answer, but his expression spoke volumes. He knew, but he had forgotten.

It seemed he had forgotten because he was too focused on the battle, excluding his own physical condition. Well, thanks to that, he had seized the advantage, so it was a gain.

“It was a bit annoying, but it was quite fun in its own way.”

“……”

“But what to do.”

Trober crooked up one corner of his lips.

“I don’t want to let you die peacefully.”

Honestly, right? What great wrong had he committed to make him come at him with such animosity?

He was the one whose body was severely damaged because of the fight with Oel. Yet, this new 5th Corps Commander, of all people, was searching for any opening to take his life with eyes blazing with anger. It was understandable that his nerves were frayed.

So, this much venting and revenge was only natural.

“You don’t have to be so nervous. We have some history, and I’m too exhausted to torture you. Just listen to one thing I say, and I’ll send you off cleanly.”

“……”

“Your eyes are still defiant. Don’t forget that your fate is in my hands.”

As he slightly tightened his grip, the wheezing sound intensified, and a short cough escaped.

Regardless, since he hadn’t tightened his grip to the point of death, Trober paid no mind and racked his brain. What kind of order could he give this guy to inflict humiliation and disgrace?

He didn’t bother considering the possibility that the guy might not accept. Of course, he would resist. Just hearing the order itself would be humiliating, so whether he accepted or not didn’t matter.

Then suddenly, Derniban’s dry expression caught his eye.

“Ah, right. Since you’re going to die anyway, how about giving me some fresh entertainment before you go? For example….”

This was a demon so emotionless and expressionless that there were even rumors that he genuinely lacked emotions.

Even when Oel died, his expression remained indifferent.

Recalling that there had never been a single change in his expression so far, Trober smirked while gripping Derniban’s neck.

“Smile for me.”

“……”

“Or cry, if you prefer.”

He was even fine if he frowned at this unpleasant order.

Anything was fine, as long as he could bring some change to that boring expression.

“……”

Predictably, or perhaps inevitably, a consistently boring reaction returned, defying Trober’s expectations. Derniban silently raised his gaze and met Trober’s eyes.

Thorough indifference, devoid of anger at the humiliating words, shame, or even a desire for survival. Even knowing that Trober could break his neck in an instant if he wanted to, he remained expressionless.

Trober, briefly pausing as if gauging the reaction to that dry gaze, crooked his lips.

“Well… fine. I expected you to react like that.”

“…Cough.”

“But it’s still a shame to just kill you like this….”

Jaykar’s gaze landed on him, as if asking when he was going to stop playing around.

Knowing that his body, already wrecked from fighting Derniban, would be finished off with one stroke of Jaykar’s blade, Trober quickly changed direction of his words, not wanting to die before killing Derniban.

“Then, how about a final comment on your life?”

“……”

“Honestly, isn’t this reasonable enough? I think I’ve conceded as much as I can. I’m planning to keep doing this until I get something back.”

He sneered, tightening and loosening the hand gripping his neck as if playing around.

Separately, his eyes were resolute, showing he had no intention of backing down any further. Derniban, meeting this with his dry gaze, slowly tilted his head to the side. His tightly closed lips parted, and a parched voice squeezed out.

“Woof.”

“……”

For a moment, Trober’s expression went blank.

“You, just now….”

Did he just bark? Derniban? Like a dog?

The answer that came back to the question asking for a final comment on his life was a dog’s bark. He had imagined countless answers and reactions, but who would have thought he would give an answer that transcended all of them.

Staring at Derniban with wide eyes, as if at a loss for words, he slowly raised his free hand and covered his face.

“Pfft.”

Under his palm, the corner of his lips, which couldn’t be fully concealed, lifted as if tearing.

“Pwahahahaha! Ahahahahak!!”

Who knew that emotionless guy could be so funny? It was almost a shame that he had to kill him here.

“Puhuhuhut… Ah, seriously….”

He had been laughing like crazy, and it seemed he had unknowingly put strength into his hand. Trober, meeting eyes with Derniban, whose eyes were bloodshot red from being strangled, smiled brightly.

And then he spoke.

Without loosening the hand gripping his neck, but rather tightening it even more, as if he was hilariously amused.

“You’re the best, Derniban.”

Crack.

…….

It seemed his energy was depleted with this, as his body wouldn’t move anymore. If he rested a bit, he might be able to move again… but that guy wouldn’t leave him alone until then.

Leaving Derniban’s lifeless body in front of him, Trober rolled his eyes to the side. Someone’s shadow was slowly approaching.

“Is it my turn to die now?”

Stop. The shadow stopped walking.

“Yes.”

“……”

He didn’t feel betrayed anew. Once it became clear that Deon Hart wanted their deaths, and he learned about the guys who remained silent knowing this, he figured that even if this battle ended, the fighting wouldn’t. It wasn’t hard to predict that even if only ‘allies’ remained, they would try to kill each other for a perfect finish.

Without bothering to turn around, he spoke to the shadow cast behind him.

“It’s a bit of a shame. If my body could move, I would have at least put up some resistance.”

Still, he felt relieved that he had killed the annoying guy who had been constantly after his life. Perhaps he should be satisfied with just this much.

“By the way… what are you planning to do after killing me?”

“…Disabilities are fatal in the Demon Realm.”

One eye and one arm.

Jaykar had sustained irreversible injuries while fighting the particularly strong Commander of the 7th Corps and the particularly troublesome Commander of the 2nd Corps. Even compared to the other legion commanders who were already dead, the one who was still alive was in a more tattered state, so the severity was obvious without needing to elaborate.

“Ah, I see.”

Trober chuckled softly.

“You’re going to take your own life?”