“Release… the regrets sunk into the abyss.”
Lesser Demons. Intermediate Demons.
They took shape, swarming Gagiur in droves.
[GIGIGIGI… GROOOOOOOOOOAAAH!!]
So long as “death” had touched them, Bifrons’s power applied. It sculpted corpses from mana, resurrecting them as thralls.
Endless undead soldiers served as a shield as Bifrons launched his assault.
Gagiur—now a chaotic hellscape—was crushed beneath the screams of fleeing citizens and the resurrected demonic horde from the underworld.
Then—
“Ice Capital Skadi.”
“…Hn?”
Crack… crack-crack.
A creeping frost slithered through the streets, freezing everything in its path.
The city, now overrun by demons, belonged to them.
The flesh puppets under Bifrons’ command recognized humans as targets to be purged, attacking without hesitation.
Four mid-tier demons—Devils—
pursued the fleeing prey: a bipedal beast, a quadruped, a winged insect, and an armored beetle.
“Move! Get outta the way!”
“I go first!!”
“Mama… where…?”
“G-Gods… save us from our sins…”
Merchant carts, stalls—the narrow streets were clogged with panicked crowds.
The cold touch of death crept up their spines, stealing their thoughts.
The mid-tier Devils advanced mechanically, targeting those trapped at the rear.
“H-Hurry! Clear the path!!”
“S-Somebody…!”
“Ha… hahaha… why…?”
Some clung to life, others begged for help, a few laughed in resignation.
As if summoned by their cries—
“…Ah.”
The frost caressed the city.
Buildings, streets—anything inorganic was frozen solid, reshaping the city’s very form.
And then—
[GUOOOOOAAAGH—!]
A mid-tier Demon was crushed beneath a falling iron hammer.
“Never thought my first fight in ages would be in Gagiur’s heart…”
The towering figure standing before the crowd was the symbol of the Steel City—
Gurba, the hammer-wielding giant. He crushed a mid-tier Demon underfoot, his gaze locked on the masses.
“Glad y’all gathered here. Makes protectin’ ya easier.”
[G-Gurba-SAMAAAA!!]
Cheers erupted across the city as the crowd roared in relief.
“Seems reinforcements arrived too.”
The sounds of destruction echoing through the streets were the work of Gurba’s monstrous allies.
“Now then, lads—let’s boil over. Time to remind these fools of our king’s return!”
■
“Of all people… it had to be you—Bifrons.”
“Y-You bastard—AAAAAGH!!”
“Long time no see.”
With every step, frost spread beneath my feet as I carried Rena through the frozen streets of Gagiur.
My expression twisted not from fear, but sheer annoyance.
“L-Let me go!”
“Stop squirming, Rena. You’ve got a city to save, remember?”
Adjusting my grip on her, I faced Bifrons at the base of the giant tree.
“Corpse King… I never forgot you… NOT FOR A SECOND, EVEN IN THE DEPTHS OF HELL!!”
“If you still can’t stay dead, I’ll just kill you again, you slimy bastard.”
Bifrons.
“Never forgot”?
That’s my line.
I remember the screams of my classmates—the ones you slaughtered.
Trampling over their dignity, defiling their corpses, using them to kill even more. You were always on my list.
“Because of you, I can’t even enjoy movies or anime anymore. Every scream just brings it all back… How are you gonna make up for that?”
“WHAT NONSENSE ARE YOU—CORPSE KING!!”
Pointless complaints spilled out. Nothing I say will bring them back.
Back then, I wiped out Gagiur’s demons—starting with him.
He probably doesn’t even realize I was part of the hero’s party—that I slaughtered them all for revenge.
But now?
I have no words left for this defective, writhing mass of slime.
“I WAITED IN HELL FOR THIS… THIS MOMENT!!”
“Yeah, yeah. Shut up.”
A sweep of my arm sent ice surging forward.
Icicles erupted from the ground at blinding speed, impaling Bifrons’ amorphous body.
“GRGHH!?”
“Rena, lend me your sword. You don’t use it, right?”
“How’d you know…? Whatever. I can’t wield it anyway.”
Despite the grotesque demon before us, Rena was calmer now than when we met Gurba. She handed me her sword and adjusted her shin guards,
tapping her toes lightly against the ground.
“Uh… that thing clearly has no weak points—”
“Yep. Basically immune.”
“Wait, WHAT!? What do we do!?”
“I’ve got a plan. Besides, I’ve killed it once already. No idea how it’s alive, though.”
“Huh!?”
“That tree’s magic is because of him. Kill this disgusting thing, and the famine ends. Let’s do this, Rena.”
“So… it’s him?”
I swung the sword lightly, glaring at Bifrons as he ranted.
Rena, though nervous, stared at him with eyes full of hatred.
“MOCKING ME…!? YOU DARE—CORPSE KIIING!!”
Bifrons sizzled, melting the ice as his magic flared.
In the next instant, a horde identical to the demons attacking the city materialized.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“AAH… I HATE YOU… HATE YOU, CORPSE KING!! YOU SLAUGHTERED MY KIN, AND NOW YOU DARE RETURN TO MY CITY!?”
“…Your city? Don’t make me laugh, you filthy demon.”
Rena’s eyes sharpened, her voice dripping with disdain.
“This is the Iron family’s city. A vomit-inducing blob like you has no place here.”
“Gh—!?”
“Pfft—HAH! Nice one, Rena! Perfect!”
My laughter seemed to piss Bifrons off. His body bubbled like boiling water
That’s probably an instruction. A group of demon corpses created by Bifrons started to rush into the two of us, screaming and scattering as if they had a mind of their own.
The wave of demonic corpses surged toward us, forming a living wall to protect him.
“Uh, there’s WAY too many!?”
I stopped Rena from charging in with one hand, stepping forward lightly.
Dodging strikes by a hair’s breadth, I countered with precision—
ten, twenty, then too many to count. Limbs, fangs, claws—all deflected or pierced.
Gurba’s sword lived up to its reputation.
“Rena. Just tell me what you need. I’ll make it happen.”
I already knew her ability. My role was simple—support her.
For the girl who’d save Gagiur.
This title could be her salvation.
She would kill this slimeball. I’d just pave the way.
As I fended off the horde, Rena took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
“…I need time to prepare. Can you… protect me?”
“They won’t lay a finger on you. Count on it.”
The moment her focus deepened,
Rena exhales deeply and shuts her eyes.
then a scorpion-like demon shot a stinger at her.
“—Tch!”
I kicked off the ground, intercepting the projectile midair. Another demon slipped beneath me—until my sword speared its skull. Yanking the blade free, I kept moving.
No brute force. Just speed.
Thirty. Forty.
Bifrons wasn’t having it.
“HOHOHOHO! WHAT’S WRONG, CORPSE KING!? PATHETIC! THE MIGHTY RULER, BROUGHT LOW!!”
“Typical underling—gets cocky the second they’re ahead.”
“DIE IN DARKNESS, FALSE KING!”
The horde pressed harder.
Hold. Just a little longer.
“YOU KNOW IT TOO, DON’T YOU!? YOUR WEAKNESS! THE YOU OF OLD WOULD’VE SLAUGHTERED THIS MANY IN SECONDS!!”
“If you think this is weak—”
“Rena, focus! Don’t listen!”
Her eyes widened at Bifrons’ taunts,
but I couldn’t afford to comfort her.
Blood streaked my cheek as attacks grazed me. I twisted my body recklessly, pushing past limits to keep them at bay.
Almost time. she always thinks of me first.
The horde’s pressure mounted.
I was running out of moves.
Another minute, and I’d be overwhelmed.
But a minute was too long for her.
“—My apologies for the wait. We have completed our sweep of the demons in the area, now cleared of hostiles.”
“Knew I could count on you, right hand.”
“Fufu… ahem… at your service. —Treasure Vault Goetia, No.—”
“Twenty-Five.”
Of the seven high-tier demons I’d slain, this one was Bifrons’ worst match.
Nifl opened her abdomen, and I plunged my hand inside.
At the same moment, a demon knocked my sword away.
Now unarmed.
The blade spun in slow motion.
Seizing the opportunity, Bifrons’ form twisted in grotesque triumph.
“HOHOHOHO! CORPSE KING—DIE!!”
“—The Twenty-Fifth Chain of Glasya-Labolas.”
The horde stopped.
“…WHA—!? TH-THOSE CHAINS—!!”
Chains coiled around every demon, their origin—a small box in my hand.
“High-tier demon, Earl… Glasya-Labolas. You two ruled Gagiur together, didn’t you? Such good friends, for a pair of monsters!”
I crush the small box in my palm.
Instantly, the demon bound by chains shatters into countless fragments.
“THOSE CHAINS—Glasya-Labolas!!”
“Playing with your comrades’ corpses is your specialty, isn’t it? Quit pretending to grieve. …Go on, laugh like you always do.”
The faces of my classmates flicker through my mind, and my self-control slips. Not that I had any intention of holding back.
“You’ll die pathetically… by a weapon made from your own allies’ remains.”
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
■