75. Evergard Terror

“……”

Silberna, who had been waiting outside, watched Isaac emerge slowly.

‘I wanted to greet him with a smile.’

Just moments ago, they were training together, eating together, trading jokes.

Though only ten minutes had passed, his expression held a complexity, as if something had changed within him.

‘What am I supposed to say in a situation like this?’

If Anna, her aide, were here, what would she say? Would those romance novels she read have instructions for a scenario like this?

Silberna, forcing back the frustrated feeling, simply waved her hand.

At best, all she could do was act like nothing had changed, treat him like always.

“You’re here?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go eat something delicious. I know some good places nearby.”

As if nothing happened.

As if nothing was wrong.

Silberna vaguely smiled and offered.

But Isaac shook his head.

“I don’t think we have the time for that, do we?”

“Hm?”

As if on cue, a coarse, almost howling sound erupted.

Something that sounded like a person, and also like a beast, and at first it was difficult to pinpoint where it came from.

“Isaaac!”

The moment it roared again, he realized it was a kind of bellow coming from underground.

And that it was rising up from the sewer drain below.

“Wait, this can’t be…”

Silberna urgently untangled the spear she carried on her back, and Isaac, too, re-fastened the sword he’d entrusted to someone to his waist.

KWAANG!

The sewer lid shot into the sky, and with it, something bizarrely mixed and jumbled.

If one had to categorize it, flesh.

Yes, a chaotic mess of flesh, intertwined with a red aura.

KoooNG!

The moment five fingers from within the lump of flesh gripped the ground.

He belatedly recognized that it was someone’s arm.

CREEEEEAK!

Cracks began to spread around the sewer, and then, shattering the ground and spraying a mist of water, what emerged was…

“IsaaaC!”

Alois, his severed right arm grotesquely and massively mutated.

“What the—?!”

“I didn’t think it would get this far.”

I had anticipated betrayal, but I never imagined Alois would devolve to this extent.

This was not mere thrall-taking, but something far beyond.

The magic of the Transcendents had warped Alois into a fiend that could no longer be called human.

“Aisaaak!”

And those bloodshot eyes of his were fixed, with clear intent, on his nemesis.

“Kyaaa!”

“W-what is that thing!”

“It’s a fiend! Get the, get the guards!”

Alois was not alone in his appearance.

Through the massive hole he’d torn into the earth below, similar fiends were surging forth, like a morbid tide.

Judging by the armor and helmets grafted into their flesh, they must have been the jailors guarding the dungeon deep below.

Unlike Alois, they scattered through the city like dandelion seeds on the wind.

Silberna’s eyes widened. She flinched, and nearly bolted forward.

*Thump.*

Isaac patted her back, nodding.

“Go.”

“…Don’t lose.”

Trusting him, Silberna turned and followed the dispersing fiends.

Alois, for his part, paid her no heed.

“I didn’t think things would fall apart this badly.”

He deliberately refrained from drawing it, instead placing his hand on his sword hilt.

A torrent of abyssal energy erupted from him, lashing out in all directions like ravenous tentacles.

Each tendril didn’t appear to be moving with Alois’ direct control, but Alois still grinned, drool dripping from his twisted mouth.

“I’ll break your legs and grind you with my teeth! Where is my sister? You worthless scum. I’ll lick, chew, defile, and devour her fair skin-!”

“I should cut out his tongue first.”

It seemed that whatever thoughts plagued his mind were spilling out unfiltered, not unlike a thrall.

A constant stream of vile, repulsive words poured from Alois’ mouth.

Then, without warning, he swung a monstrous right arm, attempting to crush Isaac whole.

*Whoosh!*

A heavy, exhilarating sound ripped through the air, as if rending the very wind itself.

Not only that, the floor was dyed crimson as if a bucket of blood had been spilled.

Alois’s proud right arm was easily severed and fell to the ground.

Standing before Isaac was Rienna, who had somehow armed herself with a greatsword.

She must have noticed the commotion outside during the conference with the princess at the church.

“Ah! aaah! Sisterrrrr!”

“…Alois?”

Rienna frowned.

Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying just moments ago.

But her grip on the sword did not waver.

She had regained her composure, yet a look of bewilderment crossed her face as she gazed at her ruined brother.

“Really… is that you…?”

“Aah! Sister! You recognize me! Truly, we are bound by blood! Aah! Sister! My beloved sister! I desire to lick your fair and pale skin! To ravish your lips! To chew upon your tongue-!”

“….”

Rienna’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Isaac, standing beside her, offered a sort of explanation.

“The words in his head are just spilling out non-stop, without thought. I’ve been calling it a hole in the tongue.”

“So, the fact that he desires to do such things to me… doesn’t mean his mind is corrupted?”

“….”

“He was thinking about things like this, even before?”

“Maybe?”

With a shrug, Rienna’s expression darkened rapidly as her grip tightened on the greatsword.

“Aah! Sister! Even your anger is so beautiful! I want to see! That sight of you weeping! Begging me-!”

“….”

“That dog-like b*stard saw it alone! Kwaaak! You b*tch! I can’t stand it, I tell you!”

Rienna’s face paled, turning ashen. She seemed to question if this was truly her brother.

“Sister’s first night! Aah! That day when maiden blood flowed! Do you know how much I suffered?! I repeated self-harm, and more self-harm! Brandishing my greatsword, I charged into the bedroom-!”

*Thwack!*

Rienna’s greatsword pierced Alois. Her expression conveyed that she no longer needed to hear anything more.

“Helmut will no longer be able to hurt Isaac.”

Rienna’s resolution was evident, but her eyes trembled slightly.

“Mother! Mother should have just killed that thing! Not used him for blackmail, just killed him outright— Hnghk?! This is! Ah! This is— Sister’s flavor!”

Alois’s essence begins to grow larger and more immense, absorbing Rianna’s own.

Not only that, but the severed parts are being restored to their original state.

“I don’t think essence will work after all?”

Isaac said, stepping forward, and Rianna nodded in agreement.

“Sissssterr! Don’t stand next to that man!”

“Just shut up, Alois.”

* * *

Listening to the screams of people and the sound of violent destruction, Lizel, a transcendent being considered the main culprit of this Evergarde terror incident, smirked.

A panoramic view from the rooftop of a tall building, witnessing the tragic deaths and chaos of humans.

“Ah, so sweet.”

She swilled stolen wine into her mouth, smiling brightly.

The red grape juice flowing down her lips was as sweet as human blood, intoxicating her.

“They couldn’t consider living under this sky a blessing, but just took each day for granted.”

Lizel savored the taste, brandishing the wine bottle like a conductor leading an orchestra.

“Foolish ones. You held peace so lightly and took the sky of this land so naturally. Your demise and end—!”

“Ehem, pardon?”

Lizel’s gaze slowly turned.

Standing at the entrance to the rooftop was none other than a girl with pigtails.

Sharen Helmunth.

With a greatsword slung over her shoulder, she shrugged sheepishly, interrupting her.

“You seem to really enjoy talking to yourself, so I was trying to give you time?”

“But it didn’t look like you were going to finish, so I just butted in. Nothing to be ashamed of, it’s not bad to talk to yourself a lot.”

“It just, well… makes you look like you don’t have any friends? Just that much?”

Clang!

Crimson aura surged from Sharen’s greatsword as she took her stance.

“How did you get here?”

Lizel asked, filled with doubt, and Sharen smiled brightly, as if it was the question she’d been waiting for.

“Isaac told me to keep an eye on Alois. So I was diligently keeping watch, and I sensed you.”

“Helmunth…”

Helmund, as always.

His senses, almost on par with a Transcendent.

Riesel’s head tilted slightly.

The number of demonic beasts rampaging in the city seemed a little low.

“Lohengrin’s holding them back. Even that imbecile can manage to plug the dungeons, I suppose.”

“More… proactive than I expected.”

“Right? I’m surprised too. Isaac apparently warned Lohengrin to be extra careful. Told him just to keep his head in the game for today.”

“Again… Isaac?”

The North, the Sword Emperor, Blackthorn.

And now, even here in Evergarde.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that this man was always a step ahead.

Not a significant power in himself, but capable of twisting the flow and blocking them at every turn.

‘I can’t just ignore him.’

With a sigh, Riesel stretched her tail out long and straight.

Nails sprouted from both hands.

Sharen grinned confidently, gripping her greatsword.

“You need a manicure. You really think you can win with those?”

“…”

Helmund, regardless.

Sharen was undeniably a superior swordsman for her age, while Riesel, conversely, couldn’t be considered a combat operative.

A situation with a high probability of defeat.

“You know what?”

Riesel decided to play a different card.

“Ha! You gonna try to talk your way out of this?! Sorry, but conversation happens after I knock you on your as-!”

“This is all -! A smokescreen.”

“…Huh?”

Sharen hesitated for a moment.

Seizing the opportunity, Riesel pushed off the ground with her tail, propelling herself forward.

She lunged with the spring-like force.

*KWAANG!*

Easily parried by Sharen’s greatsword, yet–

“Our real target is…”

Using the narrowed distance, Lizel whispered with a smile.

“Your old man.”