Chapter 398: Brave Person

「I was once killed by a human. I guess it’s my destiny to overcome it. 」

The worst manifestation of death…The Controller Drigman spoke as he got up and turned his back on his throne. Faced with that seemingly innocent yet frightening appearance, Richard reflexively raised his black sword.

The sound of scraping metal echoed across the area, unbecoming of a throne room.

Richard understood. The strange shape in front of him, although looking like a human, had an overwhelming presence. This was what those demonic beings referred to. Even without saying anything, every nerve in Richard’s body felt it.

Richard wrapped his numb fingers tightly around his hilt and signaled to the soldiers behind him with just his gaze. In the face of this menace, relying on numbers seemed pointless. In that case, it was wise to let the soldiers do something else.

The soldiers nodded and took a few steps back. On the other hand, Richard looked ahead of him. At that point, he realized that the alarm bells that had been ringing in his skull for a while had finally stopped.

Maybe his instincts were telling him it was too late. Richard took a step forward, while the lines on his face deepened. Drigman’s gaze, which had the viscidness of a demon, felt like it was burning Richard’s whole body.

「Were you the one who set the royal capital on fire? You took very harsh measures. It’s surprising. 」

The demonic being spoke without any emotion. Although he professed those words, there was almost no emotion in them. It felt like he was wearing a mask.

Richard opened his mouth and said it proudly. As if he were savoring every word.

「We must take terrible measures in order to kill a terrible disease. No matter how harsh and cruel it is. 」

Richard took another step closer. He held the black sword in his hand, which was called a great sword. Even his beard swayed. With each step closer, the miasma attacked his old body. It was as if the air had become a heavy liquid.

「I’m the one who’s surprised. Your name is Controller, right? I thought you’d be with the runaway demonic beasts to prevent them from being attacked. 」

Did you decide to wait alone? Are you that prepared to throw your life away? Richard’s lips bounced and twisted. He even bent his knees.

Intuition stroked his cheeks, telling him that this was his limit.

He was still a long way from that demon. But still. Richard already had a knife stuck in his throat. Richard snapped his wrist, feeling something cold on his neck.

Drigman said, raising his arm slightly and spreading his right palm.

「That’s a funny thing to say. Why do I have to pretend to run away from humans? Would you ever abandon your home in the face of insects…? 」

As soon as he finished speaking, Drigman’s outstretched palm closed. The moment it came into view, Richard kicked the floor immediately. He jumped forward to the right, almost throwing himself off.

At that moment, he heard a sound. It was a very, very unpleasant sound. It was the kind of sound that seemed as if an object was forcibly crushed.

Richard looked sideways. He felt as if the place where his feet had been placed just a moment ago was being twisted along with the space itself. The floor stones were broken, and the sky was screaming and writhing in agony.

A fragment of a fallen floor stone gouged his cheek, creating a laceration. Without wiping away the dripping blood, Richard jumped on the floor again. He was unprepared amid this abnormality, but he forced its feet to move.

There was no time to stop, not even for a moment. He had to run forward in order to kill the enemy. The miasma crawling on his skin became heavier.

During that time, the image of the white-haired girl appeared in Richard’s mind. Something mixed with demonic nature. A mysterious demon that looked like a human. Regret crawled through Richard’s chest.

After all, he should’ve listened to Lugis no matter what he said. Those words rolled into Richard’s head without realizing it.

That girl said that the root and source of the Controller was neither the work of blessing nor the power to crush death as long as he stood on the ground. All of those were given to him by the Bastion Beast Zebrililith. There was only one original source.

…Control is the proof of his existence. That bastard has serious regrets. The past that he couldn’t forget and grasp with his hands. That’s why he tries to control everything.

Those words were true. The monster in front of him was an overwhelming threat that used its palms to crush even the empty space.

That’s why that white-haired child should’ve been killed. Richard thought so.

No matter what kind of person she was or what kind of demon she was, having that information out there was a big weakness. It was the same as a demonic beast that was supposed to be invulnerable but was driven away by humans because they were well aware of its nature.

The fact that it was unknown was enough of an advantage in itself. If someone knew their weapons, their habits, and their swordsmanship, it would be difficult for them to achieve victory no matter how strong they were.

Therefore, the more talented demonic beings were, the more they tried to hide their true nature. It was necessary to kill all witnesses and stay out of the public eye as much as possible.

It would be even more so if it was a magical devilish being. However, the white-haired girl was well aware of the Controller’s power. In other words, she was very close to this demonic being. She was on the enemy side of the human race.

Richard was left with regrets. That thought passed through Richard’s mind for a moment.

However, as if not allowing even the slightest regret, Drigman’s left palm aimed at Richard’s body. What it represented was a clear death.

Should Richard avoid it? No, time was precious. He didn’t have the time to give up.

The black sword aimed at the sky, using its own gravity as power. The tip of the sword drew a beautiful ellipse as it bit into Drigman’s left wrist.

He just needed to bounce off that hand even at the distance. The black blade boldly thrust into Drigman’s flesh. Blood flew in the air.

And that was it. The black sword didn’t gouge Drigman’s flesh or break his bones.

Richard reflexively opened his eyes. His swing created with all his might was enough to cut it in half. Richard was sure he could at least twist Drigman’s arm.

Even so, the black sword was still biting into Drigman’s left wrist, and all it did was make him spit a little blood. The sharpness that was supposed to tear flesh and blood disappeared.

It was unnatural. Richard’s movements stopped for a moment as he realized that the impossible was possible. In that moment, he heard his voice.

「You’re a brave person, aren’t you? It’s been so long since I’ve been hurt by a normal human that I can’t even remember. 」

Richard thought deeply about it when he heard those simple words. He had heard that demonic beings were a species that humans couldn’t resist.

Their very existence was different. No matter how great the characters in a book were, they couldn’t hurt the person who read it. How could you hurt someone who was of a different rank?

Therefore, if you wanted to kill a demonic being, then you’d have no choice but to become a demonic being yourself. Richard heard those words somewhere before.

Richard let out a deep breath and stopped his movements. Drigman felt a sense of admiration as he watched Richard’s body slowly lose its strength.

In this encounter, the other party could feel the difference that distinguished the two species. Therefore, Richard showed that he was prepared to die by removing his strength from his body.

How rare was that for humans? Most people were filthy. It was rare to find someone so pure.

Drigman tilted his open palm and aimed it at Richard’s skull. Drigman understood that the greatest mercy was to kill this adversary instantly.

The moment that pity ran through Drigman’s body.

…Black light danced in the air. The inverted piece of iron struck Drigman’s skull with a sharpness that looked like lightning.

The impact was soft. However, it was certainly much more responsive than the previous blow. Richard had a look on his face as if he were chewing a bitter insect.

「You reminded me of disgusting things. Okay…great. Let’s do some hero work for the first time in a while. I’ll kill the likes of you. 」

A man who was once called a hero and brave man said this while wielding his black sword.

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Despite being old, Richard sure has guts.

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