Chapter 121: Hunt for the Second Son (2)
“…H-How?”
Seth raised his head with wide-opened eyes.
Vikir Van Baskerville. Hugo’s illegitimate child.
He was undoubtedly a mundane, unremarkable lineage, hardly worth a second glance.
Just a hunting dog to be discarded after its use.
But from the moment he was born, he passed through the cradle of the Sword Arts in the shortest time in history, receiving the protection of the Styx River, and from a young age, he had hunted high-level demons like trolls and Cerberus. His talent was undeniably exceptional.
To eliminate him early on, they even put two vipers in his cradle, but they couldn’t succeed.
Not long ago, he miraculously revived, revealing the astonishing achievement of being a Mid-Tier Graduator.
At the age of seventeen, a Mid-Tier Graduator, a feat that no one in the Baskerville Bloodline had achieved.
Even Osiris, who was rumored to be a genius, only reached Mid-Tier Graduator at the age of about thirty.
So, when Vikir displayed his strength from the dining table, Seth couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.
“Tsk, only by hiding your foundation can you not die under my name.”
Power should be displayed moderately and hidden appropriately.
That way, one can plan for the future without too much restraint from the surroundings.
Revealing everything you have without reservation is something that children who seek praise from adults do.
In that regard, Vikir was just a child who didn’t need to be guarded against yet, at least in Seth’s opinion.
…But.
Vikir’s foundation that Seth experienced firsthand was much more incredible than he had thought, even when seen with his own eyes.
Who would have known that he could reach the realm of Peak Graduator at such a young age, barely reaching adulthood?
“High-Tier Graduator… No, is it Peak?”
Seth half-opened his mouth in amazement at the unreal sight.
If it weren’t for the fact that he was an enemy, he might have thought it was a waste to keep this display to himself.
Meanwhile, facing Seth’s blank expression, Vikir unleashed all the combat power he had hidden without hesitation.
“It doesn’t matter since there are no eyes to see anyway.”
“…Why do you say there are no eyes to see? I’m watching, little brother.”
“Those eyes will soon disappear.”
Vikir’s next move made even the slight hint of ease on Seth’s face vanish.
Kwakikigikigikik-
Baskerville Style Seventh Form. Only the chosen ones can master the seventh fang, which flashes slightly sharp when combined with the aura of a Peak Graduator.
“Crazy! How can you handle the Seventh Form that only the chosen can?”
Seth exclaimed in surprise, but he couldn’t afford to be just surprised.
Vikir didn’t even bother to mention that he knew how to use the Eighth and Ninth Forms, and even the method to unfold the Tenth Form.
He just continued to swing his sword silently, aiming to perfect the Seventh Form and break through the wall beyond.
Kang! Pukang! Kagagagak-
The surrounding stalactites and stalagmites bent like reeds.
Seth was pushed into a corner without even a proper breath.
“He’s a seasoned one. Even the worn-out knights of Baskerville haven’t… ”
It felt like facing Mount Tai, a similar feeling to when he sparred with one of the Seven Counts in the past.
Eventually, Seth brandished his Flamberg with an evil smile.
Baskerville’s Fangs. Six fangs collided with seven fangs.
But.
The fangs drawn by Vikir’s sword were slightly different in shape from the fangs Seth created.
“Piercing fangs? Is that it? What is this?”
When he wondered, it was already too late.…Pupupupupup!
Seth’s body exploded in all directions.
A diversionary explosion only exists to inflict pain on the opponent.
It pierced deep into the gums and struck deep within, delivering deadly and irresistible stabs to Seth’s body in seven directions.
“Argh!?”
Seth staggered back, his body in tatters.
Perhaps it was because his left arm had already been severed, he couldn’t even maintain his balance.
And Vikir, like a seasoned veteran, didn’t miss the hesitation of his opponent.
…Tak!
Taking one step back, he followed with two steps.
Bwoong-
He swung once and then twice, striking and pressing down.
Pupupupupupup-
Baskerville Style, Piercing fangs, ruthlessly tore into Seth’s body.
It would be more appropriate to say it stabbed with fangs rather than bending with a sword.
“Ugh!?”
Seth couldn’t resist, even as he watched pieces of his flesh turn into shreds.
He couldn’t regain his composure at all.
With the relentless onslaught of these sword strikes, it was clear that Vikir had killed more than a few times.
“It’s unbelievable! How can a mere human, and at the age of seventeen at that, have killed so much!?”
Seth barely managed to wield his sword.
However.
…Hook!
Vikir closed the gap more and more.
In an instant, Seth caught a whiff of a scent emanating from Vikir.
No matter how much he washed, it wouldn’t go away, a scent that penetrated not the body but the soul.
The scent of magic, or more precisely, the smell of pain that magic exuded!
A glimmer of light flashed on Seth’s black sword. It was a light of terror.
“…A demon hunter!?”
That’s right. Vikir before him, was the perfect embodiment of an adult.
Incredibly, the stench of a slaughterer who had killed countless of his own kind wafted from his soul.
Do dogs recognize their masters by their scent?
Seth felt his entire body stiffen.
Just how many monsters had he killed all this time?
With each burst of Vikir’s momentum, a gruesome landscape unfolded before Seth’s eyes, as the corpses of monsters formed mountains, and the rivers of blood flowed between them like a dreadful scene that briefly flashed across Seth’s vision.
“It’s, it’s impossible!” “How could someone so young have experienced such an otherworldly hell!”
Seth opened his mouth wide, but it was only to widen his body as a target for Vikir’s attack.
Snap!
Vikir’s thrust struck.
It pierced through Seth’s gums, cut off several teeth, and sliced through the tongue and throat inside.
Sshh-
Vikir neatly retrieved the blade that had cut Seth’s left cheek and gave it a firm tap.
“……”
Vikir seemed to want to ask something but refrained. He already knew the man’s plans and intentions.
Considering the knowledge from before and after the regression, it was something he could easily speculate.“The guy is a Demon from the Demon Realm. He was probably aiming for the destruction of the human realm.”
Before regressing, there were ten Demon Kings who opened a gate leading to the depths of the Demon Realm and it started the era of destruction.
They were called “The Ten Corpses,” a term that referred not only to the ten Demon Kings but also to the ten corpses whose bodies were taken by them.
Some of them had been revealed, and some had not, and Seth Baskerville before him was one of those who had not been revealed.
“…It’s incredible that even I didn’t know his true identity until the day I could have been executed.”
Even the heroes who closed the gate and ended the era of destruction couldn’t wholly condemn the Ten Corpses.
But now, things were different.
The era of destruction had not yet begun.
The gate leading to the depths of the Demon Realm had not opened, and the ten Corpses who would open that gate had not revealed themselves.
And Vikir had already found one of them.
“You will die here,” Vikir declared.
If he could kill this man here, the future would change.
Killing one of the Ten Corpses might not entirely prevent the era of destruction, but it would at least significantly delay it.
That would give Vikir much more flexibility in his plans.
He would be able to strengthen his plans and prepare for every contingency.
“I will not lose a single battle.”
Vikir, who had preemptively blocked and sealed all errors and variables, wielded his sword with the power he had fully regained before the regression. His swordsmanship had become much more refined than before, and his aura had grown even more formidable, incinerating everything with a radiant enemy light from the Gluttonous sword Beelzebub.
And, of course, Seth couldn’t withstand Vikir’s blade.
“Aaaah!”
Seth cried out in agony with his mangled body. Even though he might be considered weak by Baskerville’s standards, as the legitimate son of Hugo, he was born with talent that shouldn’t be underestimated. However, due to the unfortunate inheritance of his mother’s frail bones and thin skin, he couldn’t contain the powerful potential he inherited from Hugo.
So, no matter how hard he tried, the limit for Seth was a Mid-Tier Graduator.
Still, it wasn’t something unfamiliar to Seth. Because Osiris had been the same way before Vikir.
“Ugh… Ugh!”
Dark, black blood flowed from Seth’s eyes, nose, and mouth. His extreme sense of inferiority overwhelmed him, leaving no room for anything else.
Seeing this, Vikir hesitated for a moment.
“Was Seth’s soul still lingering?”
Certainly, Seth’s flesh had been taken by the demons after his death.
However, it seemed that somewhere deep in his soul, Seth’s memories and personality had remained.
“But that’s that, and this is this.”
Even if he hesitated for a moment, it was a matter of mindset. His hands and the sword continued to ruthlessly assault Seth.
Pff! Puuk! Bbudeuk-
Seven fangs flew out and diligently shaved down Seth’s entire body.
In the end,
“Ugh! You, you filthy Baskerville! How dare a mere hunting dog like you!”
Finally, Seth, or rather the facade of Seth, revealed his true nature.
Tss-tss-tss-tss-tss-tss…
Invisible magic spewed out from the holes in Seth’s battered body.
It wriggled like mud applied to a doll and gradually took on a gigantic form.
And Vikir recognized the true identity of the demon that had been consuming Seth’s body and soul.
[Andromalius of the Ten Corpses]
Danger Level: S+
Size: ?
Discovery Location: Depths of the Gate of Annihilation, ‘The Serpent’s Womb’
Also known as the ‘Tenth Corpse…’
An enemy of humanity, inscrutable, and unkillable, one of the ten calamities known as the ‘Unruly,’ ‘Unkillable.’
“It shall swarm like a swarm of flies.”
『The Decalogue』 10:1 –
Final boss, ‘The Tenth Corpses.’ One of the ten superior demons.
One of the ten keys that opened the era of destruction revealed its form.