Chapter 81 – Fear, Flee. Inescapable.

—UaaaGH!

—aaaH!!

This is… this is a nightmare. Yes. It must be a dream. It can’t be real. Dammit. What in the world is this.

Only moments ago, an arrogant ability supremacist had charged headlong into battle. Now, he crawled on all fours, desperately trying to escape.

It wasn’t as if his legs were injured. His limbs remained unscathed, without so much as a scratch.

But even so. I couldn’t run. No, worse than running, I couldn’t even walk.

No strength. Unable even to stand. My legs just gave out, and I was left helpless.

“Save me! Save me!!”

“Monster. A monster! aaargh!!”

My comrades, the ones who would have faced down anyone from the Empire, even that Sword Demon, Shabel, with unwavering resolve.

The ones who chose resistance over surrender even as the subjugation operation began in earnest, calmly embracing their end. Now, their wretched screams filled the catacombs.

That alone was horrific enough, but something else was even more chilling.

—Thump. Thump. Thump.

With each sound, the man barely restrained himself from covering his ears. Right now, it was crucial to crawl away, to get even a little further.

‘This is, this is Hell. I have to escape. I have to escape!’

Just a little while ago, they had called this place their final refuge, their sanctuary. Some had mocked it as an underground tomb, but they hadn’t cared.

But perhaps that had been the correct name all along. Literally, this place was becoming their tomb.

“He-help me! Save me!!”

“A survivor! Quick, get him here!”

Familiar comrades hastily gathered the man and moved him along.

Only the final point remained. If they failed to hold here as well, the only option left was the passage to the outside. And there, Empire espers, the Special Task Force, would be lying in wait.

The man was half tempted to simply surrender, but his comrades seemed to feel otherwise.

Rather than facing the fully rested Special Task Force outside, they seemed to prefer continuing to maneuver through this immense catacomb, hoping to exhaust the monster even a little.

The moment he heard that decision, the man retreated as far back as he could. He knew all too well that it was impossible.

Why else would it be called a monster? It was a monster because humans couldn’t handle it. That word was affixed because it could never be defeated, even if you died and came back.

What? Humans kill monsters? Bullshit. Monsters kill monsters. And unfortunately, there were no such monsters here. Only humans.

No matter how powerful they were as espers, how could they possibly win against an opponent so far beyond their league?

—Kugugugu!!

A massive boulder rumbled down the narrow passage, creating a deafening roar. A trap that most espers wouldn’t even be able to react to properly.

And it didn’t end there. After the boulder rolled past, a hidden ballista was triggered. Intruders, focusing only on what lay ahead, would find themselves with gaping holes in their backs.

“…Th-these madmen!”

But as several espers with keen eyesight recoiled in horror, the man could only confirm what he had already suspected: a monster was a monster.

—Kwaang!

The monster, mid-stride, casually nudged its shoulder against the rapidly approaching boulder.

A deafening blast followed, and the boulder shattered into fragments. In contrast, the monster was merely dusted off. Not even a scratch, let alone a broken bone.

And the ballista? They were already broken, or their bolts were flattened, lying on the floor for a long time.

If you asked if there was even a shield behind that back the answer is no, the monster simply faced the trap with his bare skin. As if they were made of mud, just utterly ruined!

“How! How can it be tearing through this entire catacomb! Not even a scratch, not a single drop of blood! aaargh!!”

That was terror. That was death. The Empire had lied. Defeated demons?

Nonsense. That right there was a demon. Yes, if that wasn’t a demon, then what was?

God must have finally abandoned this world. Sending a demon to mislead the entire Empire!

“Damn it! Plan C! From now on, it’s every man for himself! Scatter! Spread out! Get to the surface or hide in the deepest corner of the tunnels! Someone has to survive and get the word to the others!!”

The other areas still didn’t know the situation here. They knew about the Empire’s subjugation, but they couldn’t imagine that such a monster had been deployed.

So, they had to be warned. Traps didn’t work, esper abilities didn’t work, so they had to go to the surface and take civilians hostage, or everyone had to unite and capture it at once!

‘I knew it. I knew it would be like this!’

Barely had strength returned to his legs when he fell again.

He’d met its gaze. Seen the baleful glint in the monster’s eyes.

His muscles locked up then, as if paralyzed, and he crumpled to the ground.

Escape. Get away from that monster, somehow. Better to die by the Special Forces than its hand.

He didn’t want to be caught in that monster’s grip. He’d seen what happened to the others.

Crushed like flies, they were. One swing of its arm and bodies turned to pulp.

“Hey. Over there.”

“S-save me! Save me! Take me with you!”

Normally, he would have noticed the strangeness. How could anyone walk away unscathed when everyone else was being butchered?

But the man was consumed by terror. Logic, superiority—survival came first.

“Should we take him?”

“Might be useful. We need someone to provide information anyway.”

His comrades—or rather, the Empire’s disguised Espers—helped him up and quickly turned to leave.

Even as allies, the thought of watching that monstrous subordinate was a nightmare they couldn’t bear.

*

—KWAANG! BOOM!!

Something, something terrible was happening. That was the Special Forces’ conclusion.

“Sir, are you sure this is alright?”

“Are you worried about that subordinate of ours?”

“No, not the subordinate. I’m worried about the insurgents.”

Punishment was a given, but many more remained scattered throughout the region.

Those who knew high-level intelligence needed to be captured alive and made to talk. It was the only way to end this sooner.

But the chilling aura emanating from afar… it threatened to make that impossible.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Senior Officer Shavel?”

“Why do you toil here? What is the source of your suffering?”

“Uh… Esper Supremacy, sir?”

Shavel nodded firmly.

“Dealing with those who use their abilities for crime is already a headache. And then we have those fools who want to use their powers to reshape the world’s order. It’s enough to drive a man mad.”

“Indeed.”

“But what if our remarkable subordinate wipes them all out? Then information becomes irrelevant, doesn’t it?”

“Huh?” came the chorus of replies. Of course. It wasn’t as easy as saying it.

Esper Supremacy was like a fire that smoldered and flared anew with each new Esper born. So long as the abilities existed, it would always be so.

Everyone believed that even if they eliminated all the insurgents, complete eradication was impossible.

“I thought the same. That it would be impossible so long as Esper abilities remained.”

“You’ve changed your mind, sir?”

“Yes. The answer was simpler than I imagined. Look over there.”

—KUGUGUGU!!

Even without Shavel’s direction, the Special Forces soldiers had already turned toward the source of the rumbling.

The Catacombs were collapsing. Not just any underground city, but the Catacombs. The underground fortress the Espers had built with all their power.

How many traps were laid within, how many ambushers waited? Removing a single pillar wouldn’t bring the place crashing down. They’d need to seize at least half to even attempt internal collapse.

And yet, in this very moment. These seemingly impossible feats were unfolding right before their eyes.

Not through a large-scale assault, nor even in a manner befitting an elite squad. Simply one person entered and, from start to finish, utterly decimated everything, just as described.

The rebellious zealots who swore to fight to the death, they were scrambling out like frightened rabbits, begging for their lives. Promising to spill everything they knew if only they could be freed from that monster.

‘What in the world is happening inside?’

‘Haha… I knew our junior was a bit… intense, but is this even possible?’

Saber, kind to allies but a blade-wielding demon to enemies. Even she found the dissenters unwavering in their resistance.

Given that, what horrors had they witnessed inside to so utterly shatter their fighting spirit, to grind their very minds to dust?

“Um, Senior. We really caught all the demons, right?”

“I heard two demons surrendered to the Empire. You’re sure our junior isn’t one of them, right?”

“Of course, she’s not a demon. And truly, even if it were a one-in-a-million chance, we wouldn’t want our junior to be a demon.”

If she *were* a demon, who could stop her? Even *I* would struggle. Saber smiled.