Chapter 80 - Please Don't Do This (5)

It seems my vision has been a little red for a while now.

I felt slightly puzzled by that fact but soon stopped caring. I figured it was just my imagination, and even if it wasn't, it was probably just a few drops of blood that had splattered into my eyes.

It wasn't particularly bothersome anyway.

More than anything, I had too much to do to pay attention to my vision.

"Run!"

"Gaaah!"

Look, even now. A bug is running away alive, isn't it.

Ah, not a bug. A person. Was I too engrossed in my Demon Knight concept? That was a mistake in my word choice.

"Keuhuk!"

'But couldn't I just call them bugs? They're so unsightly.'

I pierced the back of the one running away from me. My scimitar was broken and my two-handed sword was hard to use indoors, so I had no choice but to use my hands this time.

"Is this too cruel."

I pulled out their heart and crushed it just like that. It felt a little grotesque, but then I thought, so what. Killing by stabbing with a sword or killing by stabbing with a hand, it was all the same.

Besides, who were these guys. Weren't they mass murderers. The mass murderers who ruined this city, the previous city, and several other villages, plunging the people who lived there into misery.

Even a death like this was a luxury for such people. They needed to be torn apart more miserably, to the point where their pieces couldn't even be put back together.

「Madness Gauge 54%」

In that regard, hands were very convenient. Humans were all so soft that they died easily without even needing to use a weapon... and tearing them apart one by one was easier with hands than with a sword.

「Madness Gauge 57%」

But when did the Madness Gauge cross 50%?

I fell into deep thought over this belatedly realized fact. Of course, having concerns didn't mean I could stop my actions, so I didn't forget to grab the one trying to flee.

'It shouldn't matter. There doesn't seem to be any particular problem anyway.'

I slashed their back open with my fingertips. It left four streaks of marks like a beast's claws, slightly revealing the guy's bones and internal organs.

It was a pretty sight to see. Only the marks were pretty, though.

"Did they get dirty?"

I suddenly realized my hands had become quite messy. To think they were caked with blood and crushed flesh.

I know they'll get clean later, but it's still unpleasant. Should I have just picked up any random sword to kill them?

'But if these guys weren't here in the first place, my hands wouldn't have gotten dirty, right?'

「Madness Gauge 60%」

Once my mood plummeted, it didn't easily recover.

It's because of those guys. Those guys are the ones at fault. A grouch in a corner of my mind chattered away, shifting the blame.

"You bugs."

Of course, I knew it wasn't their fault. But knowing that didn't soothe my anger. That was just the nature of irritation.

"All of you, die."

So what could I do. I just had to kill them.

"Keuhuk!"

"Gaaah!"

"Keuheup."

「Madness Gauge 61%」

「Madness Gauge 62%」

「Madness Gauge 63%」

I advanced, snapping the neck and trampling the internal organs of every person I saw.

They were things that deserved to die anyway, I was just killing them a bit more to vent my anger, so there was no need to care about what others thought.

"Open the door, open the door!"

"Those damn bastards blocked the door from the other side!"

"Do something about it!"

"You pirate bastards, go out there and buy us some time!"

"Fuck, how are we supposed to buy time against something that cuts swords with its bare hands!"

Then, I saw a familiar hallway. It looked like the path to the central garden...

It seemed the shallow bonds of criminals had caused trouble again in the meantime. I chuckled as I watched them struggling against the closed door.

"He's coming, he's coming!"

To kill things like that all at once, a slash is definitely the best. But I don't know if it'll work without a weapon.

I briefly checked around to see if there was anything worth swinging.

'With my bare hands?'

Then suddenly, my hands caught my eye. It wasn't anything strange. Wasn't it a body that could shatter boulders and do whatever else if coated in mana.

If considered a vessel for holding mana, there was no real difference between a sword and a physical body. Then shooting mana out shouldn't be any different either.

Mana began to sizzle and gather in my hand.

"Damn it, I won't just die without a—!"

I swung my arm smoothly in a diagonal motion. Then a thick, rough slash shot outward. It seemed slightly more unstable than when fired from a sword.

SLICE!

But its power was comparable. The bodies of the guys at the end of the hallway were sliced diagonally.

「Madness Gauge 64%」

A faint sense of pleasure sent a thrill down my spine.

CRASH.

It didn't stop there, and the door leading to the garden was sliced away along with them. Beyond it, the central garden in question came into view.

"H-He's here!"

"Prepare to attack!"

"Just do as planned!"

I wondered where the Demon Contractors had gone, and it seemed they were all camped out here.

I glanced at the magic circle densely drawn on the floor, then looked back at the Demon Contractors. Their trick was so obvious. It was probably an attempt to eliminate me using the gathered blood and sacrifices.

"What are you doing, not using your magic!"

"I-I can't use it."

But yeah, it seemed a problem had occurred. None of them were able to execute their magic. Even the urge I had to briefly watch their final struggle had cooled down completely.

"You can't use it, what...!"

"... It's a demon. A demon is trying to kill us."

That's rude. I haven't even done anything demon-like yet. I just have a concept of harboring a demon in my right arm; I'm not actually a demon anyway.

"Is everyone done running?"

Still, watching the enemy die helplessly had its own sort of amusement. I just lightly waved my hand at those who realized their attacks weren't working and tried to flee.

SLASH!

Dozens of lives were taken away at once. Really, humans were just this fragile.

"Heh."

「Madness Gauge 65%」

To the point where laughter came out naturally.

"Heuk, heuk..."

"Heup."

But what is this...

I stopped smirking and spotted the captives scattered messily across the garden. They were flattened against the floor like bugs, so I almost walked past without noticing them.

'Should I kill them?'

I was briefly tempted, but quickly shook it off. They were the people I needed to save. Not targets I needed to kill.

'Really?'

... It must have been so.

I pressed my fingertips against the area around my eyes. It was a little strange. I don't know for sure, but for a while now... my head has been a bit...

'This isn't the time for this.'

... I don't know. My fatigue has piled up a bit, so could it be because of that. Or maybe the penalty effect of the Madness Gauge is brain fog.

"Go."

Clearly sensing my mood suddenly sinking, I tore apart the people's shackles. Once I properly figured out how to coat my hands in mana, it wasn't even very difficult.

"H-Hyaaaak!"

But why do they scream every time I approach to help them. Making a person feel bad.

Even those I had already untied ran away without looking back. There wasn't even a word of thanks.

It's a bit, unpleasant.

'If someone hates me without a reason, shouldn't I give them a reason to hate me.'

I considered giving these people a real reason to be terrified, but held back in the end. I can't harm civilians. That went against ethics. It went against it, so... I, have to...

「Madness Gauge 66%」

「Madness Gauge 67%」

Have to what?

「Madness Gauge 68%」

It's annoying, it's unpleasant. Everything gets on my nerves. It was definitely fun just a moment ago.

「Madness Gauge 69%」

I felt something hot rising from within. Everything was annoying. No, I was angry.

Would it be easier if I just erased everything in front of me? Or should I just kill them all? If I rip apart everyone's limbs, dig out their guts and scatter them over the ground, and burn them all like that, will this feeling lessen?

「Madness Gauge 70%」

I don't know. I was just overwhelmed with 'Wrath'.

An anger that felt like it wouldn't be extinguished even if it burned the whole world down.

My vision grew even redder.

* * *

The Inquisitor managed to reach the castle somehow by dealing with the swarming demons. It wasn't a very difficult task either, because from a certain point onward, the demons ran away instead of attacking them.

"Are demons creatures that naturally run away without a reason?"

"... No. Demons do not run away."

With the exception of a single case, demons never easily run away.

"Everyone, raise your weapons. And... if it comes down to it, run without looking back."

There is only one case where they run away. When a high-ranking demon overwhelmingly stronger than them tries to hunt them down.

"Pardon?"

The Inquisitor stepped toward the castle that grew more chilling the closer she got. Near the far end of the castle's front, the dim outline of a hill could be seen.

"It looks like the ground is caved in in a straight line?"

"It really is... Who did this?"

They approached the hill, following the unnaturally drawn mark.

"That's..."

The first to witness its true nature was Deathbringer, who had the best night vision.

"... It's gruesome."

However, he couldn't bring himself to continue speaking, and another Thief spoke up in his place. The eyes of the Inquisitor, who was of the Middle race and didn't have good night vision herself, briefly glared into the darkness.

"I can't see it well, what do you see."

"... Demon corpses."

She walked ahead without letting her guard down. The Thief's words were only added after she had taken three more steps forward.

"Torn to shreds into dozens, hundreds of pieces."

Only then did the true nature of the hill become visible to her eyes as well. It was the remains of giant demons that had been minced like minced meat.

What was even more horrifying was the fact that the mincing wasn't done with a blunt weapon like a mace, but with a sharp blade. The evidence was that the cross-sections were straight, as if they had been diced.

"... Who did this?"

One of the Thieves muttered to themselves. And the answer to the question it implied was someone the Inquisitor and Deathbringer knew. They had never seen it with their own eyes, but they could be certain.

"Sir Knight, I suppose."

Including the mark carved into the ground, there was no one else but that man who could do something like that.

A veil of silence fell over the group.

"We are going in."

They passed the hill in silence and entered the interior of the castle. The castle, devoid of even faint moonlight, was so dark that there was barely anything visible.

"There are no signs of anyone, should I light a fire?"

"... Do so."

Flick, flick, fwoosh. After a few attempts, a fire finally caught inside the oil lantern.

At the same time, the world was illuminated in an orange hue. The stone walls, the floor covered with a worn carpet, the ceiling too. And even the puddles of blood pooled everywhere, along with the former owners of that blood.

"...!!"

In truth, it wasn't a surprising sight. If the Demon Knight was the one who killed the demons outside, and if he had entered the castle instead of heading out, there was no way he would have let them slip by.

Because these were all people who had sold their souls for wealth and glory.

However...

"There's no way the Knight would kill people this cruelly."

Deathbringer felt doubtful. It was because the way the corpses were killed was vastly different from the Demon Knight's killing method that he knew.

No matter what, even if the Demon Knight wasn't particularly merciful, he at least tended to end people with a single strike. Furthermore, the weapon he used was always a blade, whether a short sword or a longsword.

If he didn't hold a sword, it was often for the sake of subduing them. It was called subduing, though he would still break a limb or so, but anyway.

"Besides, this... wasn't done with a sword."

But analyzing the cause of death of the corpses, this wasn't done with a sword. This was rather...

"Did he rip them apart with his hands?"

It looks like they were killed by hands.

"Hands?"

"The wounds are too rough for it to be a blade. There are also many wounds split into four streaks. More than anything, this person... their heart was ripped out."

It was too large to have been stabbed with a knife, and the wound was too rough for the heart to have been carved out by a blade. No weapon he knew of could produce such a shape.

"The Knight knows how to reinforce his body with mana... if he coated his hand in mana and ripped out the heart, that would explain it."

Of course, he didn't know if that was actually possible. He hadn't even encountered a mana user until he saw the Demon Knight.

But if it was the Demon Knight he had seen, or more accurately, his martial prowess. It didn't seem entirely impossible.

"Could it be that you can't do it?"

"... If you are asking about the possibility, it is possible."

Moreover, when even the Inquisitor, who had similar combat power to the Demon Knight, admitted that it was possible.

"... We should prepare ourselves."

From the fact that demons were killed, they learned that the Demon Knight hadn't fallen to the demons. But there were too many suspicious signs to just consider him an ally.

At Deathbringer's words, the Inquisitor pressed her lips tightly together. For some reason, she felt as if her instincts as a Heresy Inquisitor were sounding an alarm.

"Wait, I hear the sound of people running this way."

Just then, one of the Thieves pricked up their ears. Those words weren't a lie, as a group of people soon began to appear from the other side.

The Inquisitor stood at the very front, holding up her shield. The source of the shield was a full plate armor suit that had been standing as a decoration.

"Who goes there!"

"Hyaak, p-please spare us!"

The Inquisitor examined the faces of those who had run over with sharp eyes. She didn't particularly feel any demonic energy, and their clothing was messy. Just like the slaves they had seen before, and the one they had even brought to their hideout.

"We are those who came to kill Bipurit. Who are you?"

"W-W-We are..."

But she couldn't be sure. She knew of corrupted heretics who had no demonic energy at all, and even those who had infiltrated the Temple.

The Inquisitor never let her guard down.

"They are safe."

She would have likely stayed that way for quite a while if a familiar voice hadn't spoken up for them.

"You are...!"

Was her name Lukkwan? She definitely remembered her following the Demon Knight.

"You were alive!"

They had thought she would be dead. If the Demon Knight had fallen into a trap, Lukkwan, who lacked combat strength, would have surely had a hard time surviving.

"Lukkwan!"

"Noonim, you were alive."

But she was alive. She had kept her life perfectly intact.

The Inquisitor felt momentarily relieved at that small bit of luck.

"I got lucky."

Meanwhile, Lukkwan approached with a complicated expression and gestured to the people with her chin.

"I have a lot to say, but... for now, those people were the ones meant to be used as sacrifices. They are safe."

"Is that so."

They weren't affectionate enough to absolutely trust each other, but they weren't in a relationship where she couldn't even give this much trust. The Inquisitor believed Lukkwan's words and lowered her shield.

The people who had been watching their reactions let out breaths of relief and showed slight urgency.

"W-We must run away."

Then, one of them mustered the courage and stammered out words. Those were strange words.

"What is inside?"

"T-There's a monster..."

"It's going to kill us all."

"Please let us go!"

When they asked back what it was, almost hysterical reactions returned.

"Kill you all... just what is it."

"They must be talking about the Demon Knight."

However, when a reality that she had anticipated but hadn't prepared for suddenly struck. The Inquisitor couldn't help but become agitated, just like the people.

"He has... become strange."

The Inquisitor's hand gripped her mace tightly.

* * *

Kill them, don't kill them. But I want to kill them. But why? I don't know, I'm angry. Everything is annoying and getting on my nerves.

Isn't it okay to just kill a few?

"Go!"

No, it's not okay.

"Get out of here right now!"

I roughly snapped the rope that bound the people together like a string of dried fish. I had no leeway to untie their shackles one by one.

I at least broke the rope that restricted their movement distance, so I hope they will just run away on their own.

"Heu, heu-euk."

"P-Please spare me."

I've already shown enough mercy, so why are they begging again. Making me want to kill them.

「Madness Gauge 74%」

SMACK!

As soon as the desire to kill the running people arose, I smacked my own head hard.

This isn't normal. It's not intermittent explosive disorder, and it couldn't possibly be normal to feel such excessive anger in a situation that is fully understandable.

Especially if it went beyond just getting angry and led to me thinking about killing civilians!

"Get lost before I kill you!!"

"Hyaaaak!"

"Run away!"

I hurriedly chased the people away while grabbing my throbbing head. I had no time to care about concepts or whatever anymore.

It felt as if something had taken root in my brain and was endlessly whispering to me, or injecting into me. A boiling murderous intent tried to send my hands out on its own.

I felt like I would slaughter the people if I let go of my sanity even a little.

「Madness Gauge 76%」

Could this be because of that Madness Gauge? No way?

"Ugh..."

'Kill them, kill them. Please kill them. It's so annoying. This situation is so fucked up. So let's blow it up. Let's kill them all.'

"Fuck, for a shitty game!"

「Madness Gauge 77%」

Anger directed at no one in particular filled my throat tightly. It wasn't an anger with a clear trigger.

Such emotions usually burn along a set path like a lit fuse, but right now it was spreading sporadically like a wildfire, heating up my vision as it pleased.

My eyeballs felt stiff and my whole body was restless from the surging anger. My mind was divided into reason, emotion, and something else, squawking at each other.

Kill them. Are you crazy? Let's kill them. Fuck off. Why won't you kill them? Does it make sense to kill people just because you're angry? But your anger isn't going away. It's frustrating. The damn Madness Gauge.

My vision is red. It was red. Even that was annoying, making it harder to think. I just wanted to leave my body to the flow of my emotions.

But where on earth is this emotion coming from? Ah, is it that damn Madness Gauge?

But does it make sense for a mere game to mess with a player's emotions as it pleases?

It's annoying, no, it makes me angry. Why am I trapped in this damn game suffering like this—.

「Madness Gauge 78%」

No. Don't be swayed. Hurry up and reflect on modern ethical codes. Repeat after me, killing a person just because you're angry makes you a beast, not a human being.

「Madness Gauge 79%」

No, but that motherfucking game provoked me first.

"Demon Knight?"

Amidst the ringing of tinnitus, a voice calling me barely reached my ears. I raised my head as if possessed by it, and...

"Are you alright?"

I discovered a lump of unpleasantness.

「Madness Gauge 80%」

Ah, I can't hold it in anymore.