Revenge of the Iron-Blooded Sword Hound Chapter 433

Revenge of the Iron-Blooded Sword Hound Chapter 433

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]

Chapter 433: The Lion King (4)

...Rumble!

Amidst the collapsing ground, a gigantic horse’s head emerged, along with a body covered in pitch-black bark.

Having a horse appear in the presence of knights was not unusual, but the horse that appeared now was eerily familiar.

For those who graduated from the Colosseo Academy, it was impossible not to remember this bust.

[‘Fifth Corpse’ Amdusias]

– Danger Level: S+

– Size: ?

– Discovery Location: Depths of the Gate of Destruction, ‘Womb of the Serpent’

– Also known as the ‘Fifth Corpse’.

One of the ten corpses.

“Take away the lives of those born in that year.”

– 『Ten Commandments』 10:1 –

Amdusias, the unicorn of the abyss. The fifth corpse..

This demon, in the form of a giant horse, was roaring with its mouth wide open towards Night Walkers.

“H-How is this possible!?”

“Vikir already killed him, didn’t he?!”

Hearing Tudor and Bianca’s astonished cries, Monte chuckled and responded.

“It’s not the real one. It’s a remnant thought of Amdusias. It can’t exert the full power of the original, but it can reproduce some of its abilities similarly.”

Amdusias’s remnant thought scattered into countless fragments after he was shattered.

Monte seemed to have picked up a sizable fragment from those.

“Amdusias was always a noble steed I wanted to tame. What could be more honorable than taming a beast-class demon, who was treated as my equal? It’s all thanks to your friend.”

Monte climbed onto Amdusias’s back.

“Die, demon!”

Tudor wielded Gungnir, but...

“If you have a good horse, you need a good body and a good weapon, right? Ah, Tudor – recklessness is the privilege of the young! I’ve waited so long for your courage to mature beyond your physical form.”

This only made Monte’s grin widen further.

At the same time,

Swoosh—

The rough bark covering Amdusias’s body began to rise like tentacles.

Everyone could tell that these were not ordinary trees.

“...Abyss tree!?”

Dolores exclaimed in horror.

It seemed Monte had also obtained Amdusias’s ability to control plants.

Though only a few remnants of the Abyss Tree were present, it was enough to recreate a dream world once more.

“Abyss Tree is perfect for destroying the minds of prey. Ideal for taking over a body without leaving a single scratch. Ah, you must be well aware, having experienced it yourself?”

Monte’s voice flowed smoothly.

The remnants of the Abyss Tree extended rapidly, entwining the night walkers.

Creak—

Everything was just as it was on that day.

The roots of the abyss bound Dolores and everyone else tightly, dragging their minds to the deep, distant depths of the abyss.

“Now I understand why Amdusias was so obsessed with souls ripened within the Abyss Tree.”

Monte muttered in a low voice.

“I’ll let you slowly ripen until you are almost worn out, then I’ll pluck you. Souls are like fruit; they are sweetest and softest just before they rot.”

* * *

“...Ugh.”

At that moment,

...Thud!

Amdusias collapsed to the ground, before Tudor could even block its path.

“...What? I didn’t do anything!”

Tudor hurriedly waved his hands, trying to dispel Bianca’s narrowing gaze beside him.

Meanwhile, Dolores inspected Amdusias’s body as it lay on the ground.

It appeared to be a minuscule fragment of the many remnants left by the real Amdusias.

Exhausted and on the verge of disappearing, it opened its mouth.

[...Run. He is coming.]

Everyone tilted their heads in confusion at these words.

Amdusias continued, tears of blood streaming from its eyes.

[This is the realm of that monster that destroyed the Abyss Tree and trapped me within his own mindscape. I don’t know how you ended up here, but you’d better run. This monster’s inner world is so desolate and barren that even a demon’s mind will break if trapped here for too long... Hehe... Heheh—]

Those were the final words of the fragment of Amdusias’s will.

Tsutsutsutsu...

Amdusias’s soul fragment crumbled into black dust and scattered.

It seemed Monte had managed to harness the fragment of Amdusias within Vikir’s inner world.

“I don’t fully understand, but... it means we’re trapped in a fragment of the Abyss Tree that copied Vikir’s inner world. This landscape is Vikir’s inner mindscape, right?”

Everyone nodded at Tudor’s summary.

It was hard to believe, but given the situation, they had no choice but to accept it.

“It seems like a result of the combined powers of the Fourth Corpse and the Fifth Corpse. Our priority is to find a way out of this world.”

No one disagreed with Dolores’s statement.

Monte intended to confine them here and gradually break their minds.

In this harsh environment that could even shatter a demon’s will, humans wouldn’t last long.

“Damn it, since this is a mindscape, we can’t even take our own lives. If we lose focus, Monte will take our bodies.”

Tudor looked around, sweating nervously.

But the bleak, monochrome landscape of this world was maddening just to behold.

‘What kind of life has Vikir lived?’

This was the only thought that ran through everyone’s mind.

Just then.

[...Demons.]

A voice came from behind, freezing everyone in place.

But their bodies didn’t react out of fear or dread.

It was a voice they longed to hear, a voice they desperately wished to hear again.

[...Demons... must....]

It was the voice of an old friend, a comrade they thought they’d never hear again.

“Vikir!?”

Figgy was the first to turn his head.

Dolores, Sinclaire, Tudor, Sancho, and Bianca quickly followed, turning to face the source of the voice.

Standing there was the person they all thought of.

Vikir.

Vikir van Baskerville.

The exemplary student who had never lost his position at the top.

And the notorious villain known as the ‘Night Hound,’ who had thrown the entire Imperial City into chaos.

[...All Demons must die..]

He stood there, looking exactly the same as he did years ago.

In this desolate and lonely place. All this time. Alone.

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]