The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-122

Chapter 122: Hunt for the Second Son (3)

[Andromalius of the Ten Corpses]

Danger Level: S+

Size: ?

Discovery Location: Depths of the Gate of Annihilation, ‘The Serpent’s Womb’

Also known as the ‘Tenth Corpse…’

An enemy of humanity, inscrutable, and unkillable, one of the ten calamities known as the ‘Unruly,’ ‘Unkillable.’

“It shall swarm like a swarm of flies.”

『The Decalogue』 10:1 –

One of the ‘Ten Supreme Demons.’

Refers to the ten corpses that became the bodies of the ten demon kings who opened the gate to the demon realm, or the bodies of those demon kings.

Before the regression, Vikir knew about the existence of Ten corpses roughly, but he didn’t know that one of them was Seth.

“I’m glad we met relatively quickly.”

Vikir thought as he stepped back.

If he had let that guy install more of them in Baskerville, more innocent children would have been sacrificed.

It was also clear that someone else had been unjustly accused, just like him before the regression.

Like his past self.

With a calm heart, Vikir watched the enemy in front of him.

Indeed, ‘Tenth Corpse’ Andromalius, after initially appearing like mist behind Seth, began to take on a distinct form.

Red eyes, black flesh, and horns curved like those of a male sheep.

On his severed left arm, a long, large snake wriggled.

This powerful evil spirit that had consumed Seth’s body roared through Seth’s mouth.

“I didn’t expect to show my true form to a human like you.”

“Maybe you should have hidden better.”

Andromalius’s expression, hearing Vikir’s short retort, momentarily froze.

Why wasn’t the human in front of him surprised even after seeing his true form?

Of course, Vikir had no intention of answering Andromalius’s questions.

He only compared the knowledge from before the regression with the information in the present and formulated the best plan to proceed.

“…Those villains who will bring about the age of destruction ten years from now, where were they hiding?”

Surely they couldn’t be this close.

Vikir cut off even the slightest hint of emotion towards Seth.

He was no longer the kind stepbrother from his memories.

Even if he was a demon, he wasn’t a mere monster but a genuine evil, with the bloodline of evil flowing through him.

“Even so, there’s no room for you to wield that sword.”

Vikir remained unshaken.

A steadfast aura enveloped at the end of Beelzebub.

Whoosh!

During the brief time Andromalius descended and changed the structure of Seth’s body, Vikir unleashed more than thirty-six swift strikes. It wasn’t a duel or a match, but a clear path with the intent to kill.

The demonic sword Beelzebub, emanating pure evil, followed an extremely efficient path, precisely targeting Andromalius’s vital points.

“Why, why is it so painful? Why does the pain of mere flesh reach the soul?” Andromalius cried out in astonishment as he finally noticed the dagger-like form of the sword wielded by Vikir.

“Could it be!? The Gluttonous Blade Beelzebub? The remains of the ancient demon lord, ‘King of the Flies’!?”

Long before Andromalius was born, the great seven demon lords ruled the demon realm.

Now, Andromalius could understand the source of Vikir’s confidence. Normal swords might harm the body Andromalius was possessing, but they couldn’t harm the entity behind it. However, with the Aura Blade, a pure concentration of mana, it was different.

But when it came to demonic or holy swords, the story was different. These were objects that could physically interact with entities even beyond the physical body. And if the Aura Blade was imbued with demonic or holy power?

It would become a formidable weapon, one that even a demon king couldn’t ignore. Furthermore, Vikir was a seasoned warrior who had slain countless demons in his past lives, accumulating a mountain of experience.

“Die,” Vikir declared as he tried to end the battle as quickly as possible, taking advantage of the fact that Andromalius hadn’t fully assessed the situation yet.

Before being completely taken over by Andromalius, Seth’s martial skill was at the level of a Graduator. Now, with Andromalius fully in control of Seth’s body, he could likely unleash power as great as a Swordmaster.

However, Vikir was equally confident. His strengthened body, the protection of the Styx River, the practical combat experience gained from two lifetimes, and the power of the Beelzebub sword from Baskerville’s swordsmanship.

If it came to a surprise attack or assassination, he could kill even a Swordmaster. Vikir had confidence and continued to thrust his blade into Andromalius’s body.

But Andromalius, a true boss-level adversary by nature, a terrifying archdemon who sought to destroy the human realm with just ten others, was not so easily defeated. Since breaking through the barrier and invading, he had quickly adapted to Vikir’s fierce onslaught and took immediate action.

With a hiss, the snake that had replaced Andromalius’s left arm opened its mouth and swooped down.

Vikir swung the edge of the swirling blood wind to strike the snake, but the snake’s fangs grazed his forearm, leaving a long trail of blood.

Then, a wicked smile appeared on the face of Seth, possessed by Andromalius.

“That should do it. You’re finished.”

Before long, Andromalius extended his right hand with a quick motion. Vikir’s forearm seemed to turn white for a moment, and then blood started to spurt out from the wounds.

Slurp! Slurp! Slurp! Slurp!

Andromalius absorbed the blood drawn from Vikir’s body into his own.

It was at that moment that Vikir heard an unpleasant buzzing sound in his ear. Flies.

These grotesque, plump insects were now sucking the blood from Vikir’s wounds.

“…Bloodsucking flies?”

Vikir crushed the flies to death and quickly applied pressure to his arm to stop the bleeding, but it was futile.

Whine!

Flies were buzzing all around. The flies that had been greedily licking children’s bones were now clinging to Vikir.

Slurp! Slurp! Slurp! Slurp!

Andromalius was drawing blood from Vikir’s body regardless of how far away he was.

The blood vessels spewing from Vikir’s body were being elongated like snakes by the flies and absorbed through Andromalius’s right hand.

“Hehehe, my strength is returning.”

Seth’s mangled body was beginning to regenerate.

Infinite bloodsucking using a swarm of flies.

Andromalius possessed the power of a vampire. As long as there were those who were tired and injured nearby, his life force was infinite.

The method of piercing others’ wounds, siphoning off their life force, was widely practiced among demons.

And the one who excelled at it the most was none other than Andromalius before him.

“It seems that Seth has been his prey for a long time.”

The desire to be acknowledged by his father, and the inferiority complex towards his older brother.

Seth had these two emotional wounds while living, and they must have made him a perfect target for Andromalius.

In the end, Seth was completely drained by Andromalius, leaving only an empty shell behind. This was the result.

Vikir remembered the soliloquies Seth used to say before he regressed.

“I want to be acknowledged by Father. I hope he’ll look back and see that I’m here.”

“My brother is truly amazing. I wanted to be like him. I wanted to walk alongside him.”

Whether it was a faint trace of Seth’s subconsciousness or if Andromalius had memorized Seth’s previous words and mimicked them, it couldn’t be known for sure.

But at least when Seth was alive, he had such emotions, and it was clear that Andromalius used these points to gradually erode Seth’s consciousness.

“…….”

This greatly displeased Vikir. While he didn’t have any particular fondness for Seth, he could empathize with certain aspects of his situation.

Crack!

Vikir swatted away the snake and the swarm of flies that were tearing at his chest. Thanks to the protection of the Styx River, he didn’t suffer fatal wounds, but his flesh had been torn in several places.

Andromalius looked at this and sneered. “Well then, shall we continue sucking blood…?”

But that sneer didn’t last long.

Ping.

Was it an illusion? For a moment, his vision went pitch black.

And when he realized that it wasn’t an illusion, his head throbbed.

Stumble.

As he tried to regain his composure, he felt his strength leaving his legs.

“Cough!?”

Andromalius felt a suffocating sensation, not just in his nose and throat but all over his body.

Something seemed to be blocking his blood vessels everywhere, causing a simultaneous occurrence of symptoms such as stroke and other medical conditions.

He probed his own body to see what was happening, and soon, he felt dark clumps clogging his bloodstream.

These clots blocked blood flow throughout his body.

Mana flow was also interrupted when blood couldn’t circulate.

Andromalius lost control of Seth’s body in an instant.

*Gack!? What is this!? What’s happening!?”

Andromalius’s mana turned into something akin to a lost soul, scattering throughout the body.

He felt like he couldn’t breathe as various conditions like stroke hit him all at once.

Andromalius was suffocating, and his vision grew dark.

Dum-dum-dum-dum-dum.

Dead flies fell from the sky.

And there, Vikir stood with an expressionless face, raising his arm.

From the wounds on his forearm, the blood that had flowed earlier turned into tar-like spots on the ground.

Sizzle! Bubbling, bubbling, bubbling…

Vikir’s blood, when it touched the ground, made an unpleasant noise as it began to boil and turn black.

Andromalius stared blankly.

Now he understood why his body had changed so dramatically.

“Y-You… Your blood…!?”

Normally, it was just ordinary blood, but when the owner harbored evil intentions, it became a lethal poison.

A deadly toxin called “Venom” that even the mightiest of demons would falter before.

Madam Eight Legs, known as the Nightmare Of the Mountains, her vengeful spirit’s dreadful poison was now engulfing Andromalius’s entire being!