The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

Chapter 411: End Game (3)

Rumble…

A heavy aftershock shook the entire cavern.

The massive body of a crocodile sank into the ground.

…With a single blow!

Major D’Ordume, a candidate for the next warden was defeated.

One of the five pillars of Nouvellebag, and one of the two pillars responsible for actual combat power, was defeated in an instant.

In the face of this absurd and shocking situation, everyone was left speechless, frozen in place.

…

Everyone, both prisoners and guards, fell silent. A brief stillness descended upon the battlefield that had been a chaotic mess just moments before.

Particularly shocked was Head Captain Bastille, who was directly under D’Ordume’s command, looking as if his heart might jump out of his throat.

“M-Major D’Ordume?”

But D’Ordume, whose head was buried in the ground, remained silent.

Judging by the tongue hanging out of the corner of the deep dent, he was either unconscious or dead. One of the two was certain.

…From the perspective of the watching guards, they could only hope it was the former.

Meanwhile.

Vikir took off his hat, once again revealing his face to Nouvellebag.

“Greetings, ladies and gentlemen of Nouvellebag.”

Night Hound, who had escaped and was said to have met a tragic end in the deep sea, reappeared.

Moreover, in the hand of this brazen escapee was the Winter’s Sword, Orwell, the key capable of opening the ‘Gate of Good and Evil,’ the symbol of Nouvellebag.

It was now clear who had caused the major disruption during the induction ceremony earlier.

Seeing this, Head Captain Bastille’s expression turned to shock once again.

“W-Why is that there? The sacred artifact that should be with Sir Winston, the headmaster of Colosseo Academy, why is it here!?”

The presence of Winter’s Sword, Orwell, was more shocking than the fact that Night Hound, presumed dead after escaping, was alive.

But no matter how many questions he had, Vikir did not answer.

At that moment.

Swish—

Through the flames and fumes, large shadows appeared.

Level Nine and Level Eight prisoners had gathered around Vikir.

“Too bad. D’Ordume was my prey.”

“Kid. You hit pretty well. What’s with that guard uniform?”

“Do you know anything about Orca? When is that old man coming?”

“Taking down D’Ordume in one hit? I could do that too… if I had enough to eat…”

Prisoners of various appearances surrounded Vikir.

Their gazes were all fixed on the key in Vikir’s hand.

Vikir spoke briefly.

“Friends, I don’t intend to monopolize this key.”

If he had, he wouldn’t have thrown the key into the middle of the chaos earlier.

Once again, Vikir threw the key far away.

The key drew an arc and landed precisely in the middle of where the prisoners and guards were confronting each other.

Vikir had no intention of picking up the key again.

In this urgent situation, the key had already served its purpose by attracting attention twice.

“Whoa! It’s the real key!”

“Open the Gate of Good and Evil!”

“Let’s head to the cherished surface!”

“Wait! Shouldn’t we steal the gulper Eels first?”

The prisoners rushed forward to grab the key.

Seeing this, Vikir sensed it was time to make his exit.

While everyone was looking up, Night Hound was gazing deeper than anywhere else.

‘…Now is the perfect time to head to Level Ten.’

Down there, surrounded by lava, lied ‘Poseidon,’ humanity’s ultimate weapon.

While everyone’s attention was fixed on the ‘Gate of Good and Evil’ on the first floor, those who were thinking a bit more shrewdly were eyeing the ‘Balloon Eel Farm’ on the fifth floor. Meanwhile, the one who saw through everything had his sights on the tenth floor, aiming for ‘Poseidon.’

As Vikir threw away the key, he turned and ran.

All eyes, both prisoners’ and guards’, were on the Gate of Good and Evil and the key.

Surely, where the key landed, another fierce bloodbath would erupt.

‘…I was right to bring the key. Nothing draws attention like it.’

For both guards and prisoners, what could be more intriguing than the key to the prison’s locks?

Vikir recalled the face of Professor Sadi, whom he briefly cooperated with while confronting Winston at the Academy.

After all, it was thanks to her stealing Winston’s sword, Orwell, that this plan was possible. He thought it would be nice to thank her if they ever met again.

‘…If she’s still alive.’

Operating under the alias Miss Ouroboros, she had completely disappeared after the incident with Winston and the Abyss tree, and her whereabouts were unknown.

However, the words Sadi had spoken to him when handing over Winter’s Sword, Orwell, were still vividly in his mind.

‘Hand it over.’

‘Sure, I will. I do need the ‘Main Gate Key,’ but… there are other ways.’

‘…’

‘Just promise me one thing… if you get the chance, please… get ‘him’ out.’

‘…Understood. If I get the chance.’

‘Wonderful.’

To keep his promise to Sadi, Vikir needed to go to Level Ten again.

Her request could be fulfilled while activating Poseidon.

Feeling everyone’s gaze shifting to the opposite side, Vikir sprinted down the sloped path.

Then.

…Crash!

A sharp rock protruding from the wall grazed Vikir’s cheek.

“…!”

Vikir leaned back, dodging it.

Had he not, the momentum from his run might have caused his head to burst from the impact.

Looking ahead, Vikir saw the figure who had moved the rock.

…There was one person who wasn’t distracted by the key.

Major Souare, another one of the pillars of Nouvellebag.

She stood blocking the entrance to the stairs leading down, glaring at Vikir with cold eyes.

Souaré glanced between Vikir and the collapsed D’Ordume behind her and spoke.

“You’re the one I threw into solitary. Doesn’t that mean you owe me a ‘debt’?”

“Ah, right. Shall we settle it now?”

“If you can.”

At her nod, Vikir readily agreed.

“Of course.”

Simultaneously, Souaré’s hammer and Vikir’s sword clashed.

…Boom!

A heavy shockwave rippled out, twisting and turning like countless spreading snakes.

Flames, fumes, gas, and dust swirled, creating a terrifying scene.

Boom! Clang— Thud! Crackle! Bang— Boom! Crunch!

The demonic sword Beelzebub and the massive iron hammer clashed with astonishing speed.

Souaré gripped her hammer tightly, causing it to glow red hot from the friction, but she was gradually being pushed back.

‘What kind of strength is this…?!’

She now understood why D’Ordume had been defeated with a single blow.

Her opponent was a seasoned warrior, lacking in neither strength nor speed.

Realizing that she stood no chance in a direct confrontation, Souaré retreated.

Boom!

Where she stomped, a wave of lava surged towards Vikir.

Vikir slashed through the lava, but it quickly solidified and crumbled into thick dust.

Following this, second and third waves of rock pounded in succession.

“…Annoying tactics.”

This wasn’t an attack meant to wound Vikir but to waste his time.

Souaré had figured out that Vikir had some purpose in creating chaos and was trying to get to the lower levels.

“Whatever you’re aiming for, give it up. I’m pretty good at defense.”

Souaré grinned, exhaling a puff of smoke.

The two pillars of Nouvellebag had distinct characteristics.

D’Ordume was offense, Souaré was defense.

D’Ordume specialized in relentless, offensive slashes, while Souaré was adept at pulling in surrounding rocks and minerals to create infinitely stacking shields.

Their abilities were stark and clear-cut.

Vikir frowned at the rock and alloy barriers Souaré was layering up.

‘Not a good match-up, huh?’

Souaré was another formidable foe he had to defeat to progress.

It seemed the time he saved by taking down D’Ordume swiftly would be wasted here.

‘It can’t be helped. Even if it takes a lot more time, I need to take her down for sure…’

As Vikir was thinking this over, an enormous explosion erupted from the front.

The sheer force of the shockwave was enough to burst the eardrums of the lower-ranking guards standing nearby, causing blood to spurt out.

“Gah!?”

Souaré’s head twisted violently as if it would be torn from her shoulders. She was flung off her feet, hitting the wall horizontally and immediately passing out, her eyes rolling back.

The same fate as D’Ordume.

“…?”

Vikir raised his head, peering through the thick dust.

A slender figure stood over Souaré’s prone body, crushing her face beneath her boot.

Murmurs spread through the surrounding crowd.

“Haaa! Isn’t that the new prisoner?”

“Is it her? The one destined for Level Ten?”

“They say she was sent straight here without a trial, and she just took Souaré down with one hit.”

“Another monster, it seems.”

Fragments of information Vikir had casually overheard before began to piece together in his mind.

‘Did you hear? There’s a new transfer headed for Level Ten. Sentenced straight to Level Nine without a trial. And it’s a woman. Apparently, she’s even pretty.’

‘Are you crazy? If she’s sent straight to Level Nine without a trial, she must be a monster among monsters. You really think she’d still look like a woman?’

The most dangerous prisoner.

Black hair streaked with silver, pointed ears shaped like triangles, and a face smudged with ash.

Piercing eyes that were large and clear like lakes.

She was smiling at Vikir.

“Long time no see, my dear husband.”

The new Night Fox, the successor to the Night Fox Aquilla, had appeared.

Aiyen.