The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

Chapter 409: End Game (1)

A Catastrophe.

The current state of Nouvellebag could best be described by that word. Just hours, no, minutes, no, mere seconds ago, everything was as usual.

Guards, armed and vigilant, controlled the prisoners, who were slowly withering away, shackled by terrifying restraints that drained their Aura and strength.

But then, at a moment that no one could clearly remember, something happened.

Thuk—

All the handcuffs, shackles, and iron bars that had confined the prisoners’ wrists, ankles, and entire bodies vanished. This happened simultaneously throughout the expansive Nouvellebag.

“…What?”

Both guards and prisoners froze, their faces blank with confusion. They couldn’t comprehend what had just occurred. Why did this happen? Was there a problem with their eyes? Was it a minor accident? Did it only happen to them? Was it just a small anomaly in this area?

They soon realized it wasn’t just a localized incident. Every cuff, shackle, and iron bar in all of Nouvellebag had disappeared. The handcuffs that seemed to crush their wrists, the shackles heavy enough to break their ankles, and the iron bars that made even thinking about escape impossible—all gone. The restraints that had suppressed their bodies and minds for what felt like an eternity had vanished, as if all their past hardships had been just a dream.

The prisoners felt Aura flooding back into their bodies. Strength returned. The desires and rage that had been thoroughly suppressed reignited in their hearts. The prisoners undergoing the induction process were the first to adapt to this new reality.

“What? What is this? My Aura is back!”

“The BDISSEM cuffs are off!”

“Yippee! I don’t know what’s happening, but this is great!”

“Die, you bastards!”

The prisoners crossing the Blade Bridge suddenly turned on the guards, attacking them. The rest of the prisoners also rose up.

“Kill all the guards!”

“Smash everything! Kill them all!”

“Burn it down! Blow everything up!”

“Open the Gate of Good and Evil! Let’s get out of here!”

“The 5th floor! There’s a gulper eel farm on the 5th floor! Let’s take the eels and escape!”

Though they hesitated momentarily upon regaining their freedom, the prisoners soon reverted to their former ferocity. Their true nature was unchanged.

…At that very moment.

Boom!

A tremendous explosion echoed, and the prisoners undergoing induction were blown away.

Thud-thud-thud-thud…

Amidst the blood-soaked scene and the billowing sulfurous smoke, two head guards stood up. D’Ordume and Souaré. Each of them had pinned a bloodied prisoner beneath their hands and feet.

Thud—

D’Ordume tossed aside the corpse he was holding and spoke.

“Get a grip. This place is 10,000 meters under the sea. You won’t get out of here. You might have the advantage in numbers for now, but reinforcements from the surface will arrive soon. What will you do then?”

Indeed, they were right. Even if the prisoners managed to overpower the guards in their uprising, escaping from this place was impossible. Gaining their physical freedom didn’t mean they had a way out from the depths of the sea trench 10,000 meters below the surface. Moreover, if Lieutenant Colonel Flubber decided to abandon the waterproofing, the entire facility would flood immediately.

At that moment, Souaré, who was beside D’Ordume, also shook off the corpses impaled on her heel and spoke.

“Hehehe—I’ll give you a chance even now. If anyone joins us and help suppress the revolt, I’ll make sure you become suckerfish. Your workload will be reduced, and your sentence might even be shortened. No, I might even promote you to a lower-rank guard. But it’s first come, first served~”

The aura emanating from the two head guards was overwhelming. Within seconds of their appearance, they had turned dozens of prisoners into bloody messes. Moreover, behind them stood the imposing wall known as the “Gate of Good and Evil,” which itself exuded an intimidating presence.

Gulp—

Some prisoners swallowed nervously. Voluntarily joining the guards would certainly make their lives much easier from now on. Not only would the labor become less strenuous, but the quality of their meals would also improve significantly.

‘Well, we probably can’t open that Gate of Good and Evil anyway… In that case, isn’t it better to side with the guards and earn some points?’

They were all thinking similarly. Though they had initially burst out in repressed anger and hatred, they realized that a harsh and severe consequence awaited them after the brief euphoria of freedom.

“……”

“……”

“……”

As their excitement subsided, rationality returned. The prisoners began to become aware of the reality. Crossing the Gate of Good and Evil was impossible. Those who had spent years in Nouvellebag knew this well from experience.

Seeing the prisoners’ momentum wane in an instant, D’Ordume and Souaré thought the situation might settle down more easily than expected.

However—

“A key! There’s a key to the main gate here!”

A loud, unidentified shout echoed from somewhere. At the same time, something was hurled into the center of the battlefield. A blade fragment with a white lower part, a black middle part, and a red upper part, featuring an impressive spiral pattern.

…Thud!

It flew into the high ceiling where all the prisoners could see it. Several knowledgeable prisoners opened their eyes wide in astonishment.

“That, that’s the main gate key!?”

“The key to the Gate of Good and Evil!”

This object, resembling the horn of a unicorn, was a fragment of Orwell’s Winter Sword!

A legendary sword said to only allow its handle to be held by those who had reached the pinnacle of mastery. It was once the sacred treasure of Winston, the principal of Colosseo Academy.

D’Ordume and Souaré’s eyes widened in shock.

“…The key!?”

“It’s the key to the Gate of Good and Evil! Why is it here…!?”

Long ago, Winston, the principal of Colosseo Academy, and Orca, the warden of Nouvellebag, had joined forces to imprison a certain prisoner. To commemorate his imprisonment, they had split the keys into two sets, one kept underwater and the other on the surface. Why was one of those keys here now?

“Who is it!? Who the fuck was it?”

Souaré scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes, but it was impossible to identify a single culprit amidst the chaos of the prisoners’ revolt.

D’Ordume shouted at the prisoners, incredulous.

“I don’t know why the key is here, but it changes nothing! Even if you open the Gate of Good and Evil, there’s no way for you to get out…” D’Ordume’s words were abruptly cut off.

Roar—

A tremendous roar of excitement drowned out D’Ordume’s voice in an instant. Life doesn’t always proceed rationally or logically. As soon as the prisoners confirmed the existence of the key, their hesitation vanished, and their eyes turned wild once more. Collective madness needs only an excuse to ignite—whether it’s valid or not, large or small, it will explode once sparked.

“It’s the key! The key!”

“That can open the Gate of Good and Evil!”

“Waaah! That key will lead us to the surface!”

“With the key, we’re set! Kill them all!”

They had now almost sanctified the key as a divine tool. D’Ordume spoke, incredulous.

“Hey! Get a grip! That key is only half of what you need! Even if you open the Gate of Good and Evil, all you’ll get is a flood of water and the pressure of being 10000 meters below sea level! Think rationally! What do you think you can do in these depths…”

“Hey, hey. Stop it. Do you really think those idiots have the intelligence to think about that?” Souaré stepped forward, irritated. She kicked a Level One prisoner who was charging at her, killing him instantly, then drew the sledgehammer she carried on her back.

…Bang!

A large prisoner charging like a boar lost his head to Souaré’s sledgehammer. The battle had begun. The elite guards gathered to control the induction process launched a ruthless slaughter.

“No need to hold back now!”

“Kill them all!”

“They’re just starving wretches anyway!”

Even though the prisoners from the lower levels had regained some strength, they were still physically weakened from harsh labor and poor meals. No matter how mad or numerous they were, they stood no chance once the guards regained their composure. Especially with the overwhelming presence of the two head guards rampaging at the front lines of the suppression unit.

Rumble! Boom!

The axe blade attached to D’Ordume’s forearm created a vortex of aura, shredding nearby prisoners into minced meat.

Gurgle… Gurgle… Bubble, bubble—

The ground beneath Souaré’s feet melted, turning into boiling lava that swallowed the surrounding prisoners.

The two pillars of Nouvellebag held the front lines, causing a massive number of prisoners to be cut down. Even the burliest fell, and the fastest were all captured and killed. The two Majors, aiming to become the next warden of Nouvellebag, turned everything in their path into blood-soaked pulp.

One against a hundred. One warrior defeating a thousand. An enemy of ten thousand.

Where D’Ordume and Souaré stood became the center of a long trail of carnage—a bloody Maginot Line.

Prisoners who tried to rush through were ruthlessly cut down. The elite guards, under the direction of the two head guards, formed an impregnable line of defense.

“As expected! The majors are amazing!”

“They are the symbol of Nouvellebag’s strength! The core of our combat power!”

“Truly heroes, vying for the position of the next warden!”

“We can do it! Let those prisoners come, we’ll take them all on!”

The guards, having almost completely suppressed the coup by the prisoners undergoing induction or revolting from the lower levels, were cheering with renewed courage.

…However.

From far below, a terrified guard’s voice echoed up from the lower levels.

“Le-Level Nine! Level Nine! Prisoners from the ninth floor are coming up—!”

The report was like a bucket of cold water thrown over the heated atmosphere of the guards.