The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-306

Chapter 306: Age of War Enthusiasts (8)

“Are you talking about your mother?”

In an instant, the atmosphere turned tense.

Pope Nabokov, with a somewhat dazed expression, offered a gentle smile towards Amdusias.

“Well, well, well – demons are ultimately creations of God. Insulting a god is like insulting your own mother, isn’t it?”

[Shut up you deranged woman. Get lost.]

Amdusias huffed dismissively, as if deeming his opponent not worth the effort.

And then, in a swift motion, he thrust his massive hoof forward, aiming to strike Nabokov.

“No! Pope!”

Dolores leaped forward, but it was already too late.

…Crash! Thud!

It seemed too late to stop Amdusias’ attack on the pope.

“…?”

[…?]

Both Vikir and Amdusias froze in their places at the unexpected turn of events.

Surprisingly, with a gentle smile, Nabokov merely extended her hand, effortlessly twisting Amdusias’s foreleg into an awkward angle with a mere flick.

It was a direction that shouldn’t have been bendable.

“…Well, well, well. Indeed. You’re quite the talker. As you said, our Quovadis is indeed the descendants of those who ‘denied God three times’.”

The first pope and apostle, and the first patriarch of the Quovadis Clan.

The first apostle clearly betrayed Prophet Rune and denied God three times before the rooster crowed.

“…But there’s more to the story.”

Nabokov spoke with a newfound assertiveness, her voice clear and distinct.

At the third denial, the cry of the first rooster was heard, and the apostle wept.

He returned to his remote mountain village, where prophet Rune would resurrect, closing his eyes, ears, and mouth, dedicating himself to making sculptures.

The apostle who carved the shape of the tower from the rocky terrain at the foot of the mountain.

After who knows how long, one day he received the call of the resurrected Rune.

“Do you love me?”

“I love you.”

“Do you love me?”

“I love you.”

“Do you love me?”

“I love you.”

At the repetition of the question three times, the apostle shed tears of repentance and bowed his head.

Then Prophet Rune turned with a satisfied smile and began to descend the mountain.

The apostle, barefoot, followed closely behind, asking, “Where are you going, Lord?”

To which Prophet Rune replied, “I am returning to the place where I died to be persecuted again.” The apostle felt ashamed of his own cowardice.

“What originated from here is the name of our lineage, our holy lineage.”

.

.

.

Nabokov stopped talking and slowly,

She reached into the billowy folds of her skirt.

And soon, from Nabokov’s hand, a terrifying mace exuding a chilling aura was revealed.

Boom-

Nabokov swung the mace, whose weight couldn’t be discerned, as effortlessly as handling a sewing needle.

Thud!

Once again, Amdusias’ foreleg twisted unnaturally under the impact.

[What!? This crazy old woman?!]

As Amdusias stepped back, he also pulled the reins forward.

In that moment, Winston, with bloodshot eyes, grabbed a rolling sword and charged.

“Die, you old woman!”

The distinctive solid aura of a Swordmaster burst forth ominously.

But.

“Ugh, carrying something like this mace around is so tiresome. Just makes your neck stiff for no reason-”

Nabokov, with surprising ease, with just a slight retraction of her jaw, managed to evade Winston’s attack.

Simultaneously, her usually gentle gaze sharpened like a blade.

“A nun’s profession isn’t just about relying on sacred power, youngun.”

At the same time, Nabokov deftly caught Winston’s blade with the back of her hand, redirected it diagonally, and thrust her fist into the void left behind.

Thud- Crunch!

The sound of forcing open a locked door.

Winston’s eyeballs bulged as if they would burst.

Crack!

The flying iron bolt struck Winston’s skull with tremendous force.

“Ugh, ugh, my back hurts so damn bad, this old lady will die~.”

“Gah!?”

While Nabokov made dying sounds, so did Winston.

“Gah!? Ugh… Ugh!”

Blood and bits of organs sprayed from his lips.

Amdusias hastily transformed his black mane into flames, but as it touched Nabokov’s brilliant white light, it dried up instantly.

Even the fearsome Amdusias couldn’t stand tall before Nabokov.

And Vikir, observing all of this, wore a slightly dazed expression.

“Unbelievable. Was this what she was always like?”

When he first saw Pope Nabokov, he merely thought of her as a demented old woman with little time left.

…But now?

The pressure emanating from the small, elderly figure before him was reminiscent of Cane Corso, sitting on his iron throne in the Sword tomb.

[Urgh… How, how is this possible.]

It seemed Amdusias hadn’t expected Nabokov’s power to be this formidable.

Around that time,

“Hahaha- Here! I felt some potent energy! My blood is boiling, I can’t wait!”

“…Don’t let your guard down. We’ve already sent a request for reinforcements to the imperial family. Let’s hold them off until then.”

The Patriarchs Donquixote Clan and Usher House arrived.

Patriarch of the Reviadon and Young Lord of Baskerville, along with many other parents from various houses, also emerged from the ruins towards the center.

After that, the professors and elite students began to appear one by one.

Among them was a transfer student from Morg, excitement could be seen on her face.

“Oh my god! V-Vi… Wh-whoa!”

Camus, about to casually call Vikir’s name, suddenly closed her mouth and waved her hand.

At almost the same time, her brow furrowed as she looked at Dolores, who was right next to Vikir.

“…What’s this? A date? You enjoying yourself?”

Vikir didn’t bother to reply.

‘Now it’s the final act.’

Camus showing up is messing with his head, but, regardless, the fight has reached the final point.

And now, all that was left was Winston’s choice.

“…”

Vikir quietly stepped back into the crowd, waiting patiently for the right moment.

Then.

“Night hound! You’re under emergency arrest for treason!”

Someone pressed against Vikir’s back from behind.

Prof. Banshee. He held Vikir’s wrist firmly, with a determined expression.

Behind him, Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, and Bianca stood guard by their teacher’s side, each holding a weapon with a resolute expression.

“Night hound! I arrest you! Receive the aura of the great hero Tudor!”

“Uh, uh-hem! Uh-hem! We must help the professor! Don’t let your guard down!”

“Ugh… My legs feel weak!”

“We should arrest this vile criminal! I might become a total celebrity at this rate, right!?”

The massive demon and the infamous villain Night Hound stood before the crowd.

To the public eye, both were enemies of humanity, so it was unavoidable.

Just then,

“Hmm?”

Professor Banshee noticed something odd.

It was something only the one clinging tightly to night hound could see.

A bracelet.

A bracelet distributed only to students of the Colosseum Academy.

“It’s a newly developed key that can pass through the magic barrier. It’s bracelet-shaped. I make them by hand whenever I have time. The students’ ones are all made, so just distribute them. As conditions permit, I’ll gradually make them for the professors too.”

These bracelets, made of gray sprouts and roots, were specially crafted artifacts for the students of the academy to use when passing through the magic barrier at the main gate, painstakingly created by Principal Winston.

…Why was it now clasped around the night hound’s wrist?

“W-Wait, What if?”

As Professor Banshee raised his head with a puzzled expression,

[…You will not achieve what you desire. Nothing at all.]

A fierce stream of darkness began to surge from Amdusias’ entire body.

Simultaneously, Vikir sensed it.

‘Here it comes. The final skill.’

Finally, the demon began its final outburst.

So far, the Ten Corpses, each one of them possessed unique abilities.

Andromalius, the Tenth Corpse, could turn water into blood.

Ninth Corpse Dantalian could spread diseases and boils.

Eight Corpse Sere could turn humans and livestock into corpses.

Seventh Corpse Decarabia could drain mana like a starving locust.

Sixth Corpse Belial could suck wealth like blood.

And now, the Fifth Corpse, Amdusias before him was also about to display a peculiar ability.

[The fifth corpse, Amdusias]

Threat Level: S+

Size: ?

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

– Also known as the ‘Fifth Corpse.’

One of the Ten Calamities, an enemy of humanity, impervious, invincible

“Reap the lives of those born that year.”

-『Decalogue』10:10 –

His ability: Child Hunting.

Facing the multitude of parents gathered here, Amdusias unleashed their worst miracle.

…Grrrr!

Strange sounds echoed everywhere.

It was the sound of seeds sprouting. The sound of plants growing rapidly, extending roots and stems.

…The problem was that these sounds were coming from the wrists of the students of the Colosseum Academy.

“W-what!?”

Professor Banshee exclaimed in horror, stepping back.

The bracelets worn by Vikir (In night hound form) and all the students of the Colosseo Academy began to vibrate violently, then erupted with black light simultaneously.

The small seeds attached to the bracelets quickly sprouted roots and extended stems at an astonishing speed.

“What’s happening!?”

The parents tried in vain to cut off the plants sprouting from their children’s wrists, but it was impossible.

They were too tough and grew too fast.

Before long,

The unidentified black plants swallowed up all the students of the Colosseum Academy.

And they intertwined their stems and roots with each other, merging into one.

It was like witnessing a giant intertwined tree.

S-sasasasasa…

Trees scattered throughout the academy withered and died at an alarming rate.

They seemed to be channeling all the nutrients to the black tree rooted in the center of the ruins.

“…Unbelievable.”

Professor Banshee stared helplessly at the rapidly growing giant tree.

Shuaaaaak-

All the students of the Colosseo Academy were sucked into the massive trunk of the tree.

“No! My son!”

“Kwaaaah! Release my daughter!”

“This can’t be! Give back our students!”

But no matter how much the parents and professors protested.

Kwakwakwakwa-

Explosions rang out loudly, but the tree remained unyielding.

A worst creation by Principal Winston.

‘Tree of Abyss’.

It was the cursed behemoth that should never have existed in this world, swallowing the entire Colosseo Academy in one gulp.