The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-338

Chapter 338: Mating Room (6)

Shoooooosh-

Rain poured down like a flood, as if intent on drowning the world in water. Floodwaters surged as if to annihilate everything in their path—sawdust, bowls, wheels, water buckets, all swept away in the torrent. Within the confines of the room, everything churned violently, caught in the maelstrom.

…And in the midst of it all stood Vikir.

Truth and falsehood. Disclosure and silence. Amidst the crossroads of choice, Vikir made a dry judgment no different from any other time.

“I am night hound.”

Those words marked the beginning of all change. It was a declaration that would alter much in the days to come.

The first change was evident in Sinclaire’s expression.

Astonishment. Distrust. Confusion. Suspicion.

All these intricate emotions stirred up a storm in her usually serene eyes.

Around that time…

…Clang!

Vikir flipped his Picaresque mask inside out, transforming into a dog, and in an instant, utilizing the sudden change in size, he slipped free from the grasp of the Demonic Dragon’s fist.

Whizz…

Baby Madam, riding on Vikir’s shoulder, spat out a strand of web.

Snap…

Returning to his normal form, Vikir wrapped Sinclaire around his waist in the blink of an eye and leaped into the air, just like in the old Belial days.

Sinclaire, hanging onto Vikir’s waist, murmured with hollow eyes.

“Why, why Vikir? Why did you… Why did you save me? Back then… and now…”

“…”

“Then why did you treat me kindly…?”

Raindrops finally fell from Sinclaire’s brimming eyes.

But Vikir couldn’t simply stand by and watch her in that state.

Amidst the pouring rain and raging torrent, with everything being swept away at this very moment!

“An opportunity to escape. This is the last chance.”

Suddenly, the rising water overflowed into the middle of the room.

Splash! Clatter…

Vikir rode atop a floating wheel, exerted all his strength to jab it, and pulled the spider thread wrapped around his left wrist.

Splash! Gurgle…

The wheel, which had served as Vikir’s foothold, broke apart, sinking into the water. High waves rose, completely engulfing the nearby piles of debris.

By a hair’s breadth, Vikir narrowly dodged the wave and, pulling with all his might on the spider thread around his wrist, propelled himself vertically along the translucent wall.

And then, in an instant, he jumped once more.

Thud!

Since the height was slightly lower, Vikir’s knees hit the edge of the room. Vikir felt a sinking sensation of pain and the gradual relief as he somersaulted in mid-air, then landed outside the mating room, still holding Sinclaire.

Thud!

Vikir landed on the ground, cradling Sinclaire. Simultaneously, a status window appeared before his eyes.

[Mission Complete] – Escape from the Demonic Dragon’s Lab!

※ Surprisingly comfortable inside the Demonic Dragon’s room. With water, food, and a mate all provided. Is there really a reason to leave here for the harsh world outside?

※ A world where everything is provided except freedom, and a world with nothing but freedom. The choice solely lies in the challengers’ hearts~♥

Finally, the mission was cleared. It was indeed a harrowing escape drama.

Vikir gently lowered Sinclaire, whom he held at his waist, onto the black stone floor.

Eventually, Vikir’s and Sinclaire’s gazes met.

“…”

“…”

After a brief silence, Sinclaire spoke first.

“Familiar gaze.”

“…”

“A goal, and willing to make any sacrifice to reach it.”

For a moment, Vikir was taken aback. There had been a similar conversation with Sinclaire before.

“I’ve only seen one other person with eyes like yours. My father.”

“…”

“A person like me, an ordinary one, moving forward toward a grand goal unimaginable to most. I can tell by your eyes. You’re the same kind of human as my father.”

Tears welled up in Sinclaire’s eyes, trickling down her cheeks.

Vikir pondered whether to wipe away those tears or let them fall.

But then, the status window that appeared before Vikir’s eyes swept away such considerations.

[Special Mission] – Pursuit of the Enraged Demonic Dragon

※ If you think escaping means it’s all over, aren’t you being a bit naive?

※ Usually, when you try to escape, you’ll try to catch the escapee again, won’t you?

※ If the escapee manages to hide somewhere… Uh-oh!

※ Let’s run away well until the gate opens! …Good luck!

Simultaneously, something huge fell from above.

…Roar!

The Demonic Dragon’s fist fell like a blue lightning bolt. Not content with turning the mating room into a sea and letting them escape, it also delivered a stinging blow, making it impossible for Vikir to leave the spoils of victory unclaimed.

Crash! Squeak!

Vikir had to withstand this heavy thunderbolt with his bare hands.

“Ugh!?”

Overwhelming weight. Shock beyond imagination. It was the fist of the Dragon Clan, once the strongest ruling species, now imbued with demonic power.

For Vikir, who couldn’t exert his original strength, it was undoubtedly beyond his capacity to bear.

Woosh…Crack!

Skin tore, muscles ripped, bones broke. It felt like all the skin outside his body was burning, and his internal organs were melting away.

The pressure inside his body surged.

Mana veins connecting throughout his body were severed, and the mana, now directionless, spread out in all directions.

If it weren’t for the basilisk’s regeneration, mana eruption might have occurred long ago.

Then…

“…!”

Vikir’s eyes narrowed.

Tssss…

He saw the gate opening behind Sinclaire, leading downstairs.

It was a black oval gate, likely a one-person gateway leading to different places judging by its size.

*Ding!*

[You’ve discovered ‘Paradise’ on the 10th floor underground]

An escape route leading downstairs.

It indicated to Vikir and Sinclaire that they were almost there, right in front of them, just one step away.

But Vikir, currently bearing the Demonic Dragon’s fist, couldn’t enter the gate.

“Big brother!”

Sinclaire quickly got up from her position.

And with what little mana remained, she drew a magic circle.

…Flash! Boom…

Sinclaire’s golden hand protruding from her hat began to support the ground and the Demonic Dragon’s fist. The pressure on Vikir’s body slightly lessened. As the veins in his eyes receded, Vikir’s vision also began to return to some extent.

At that moment…

“…”

“…”

Vikir’s and Sinclaire’s gazes met once again.

In that fleeting moment, Sinclaire saw it.

The wavering in Vikir’s gaze.

And then, that gaze was soon obscured by a giant shoe.

“…Shoe?”

In that instant when Sinclaire’s vision was completely covered by the puzzling sole…

Whack!

Suddenly, Vikir’s sole struck Sinclaire’s face.

“…!?”

With a scream, Sinclaire’s head was thrown backward. But for Vikir, it was an inevitable action. In the situation where both his hands were occupied with the Demonic Dragon’s fist, Vikir had few options. He could only kick Sinclaire towards the gate on the other side.

“!…!…!”

Sinclaire was pushed backward and flew through the air, landing on the gate on the ground.

Gradually, the darkness inside the gate began to engulf Sinclaire’s body. Yet, even amidst this, Sinclaire desperately tried to rise and extended her hand.

Once again, the gazes of Vikir and Sinclaire met.

That moment was extremely brief, yet the silent conversation between their eyes, like fleeting moments, was much faster than that.

‘The demon is pure evil. An ignorant child wouldn’t be foolish enough not to know that, right?’

‘Treating you like a child…Considering your age, it doesn’t seem like there’s much of a difference…’

‘Although it’s not necessarily being on the side opposing absolute evil, at least in the moment of decision, I believe you’ll know which side to stand on.’

“…”

“What to see, what to believe, what choices to make, it’s entirely a personal matter.”

The sting Vikir received from the Demonic Dragon’s fist, the power of defiance, and even the choice to risk his life to save Sinclaire at the last moment—all of it was Vikir’s decision, borne from his own beliefs.

“Ah, no… No…!”

As Sinclaire struggled to push through the suffocating pressure on her back…

Thud!

The Demonic Dragon’s fist fell completely to the ground just in front of Vikir.

Everything underneath was obliterated beyond recognition.

Blood…

Was the last thing that passed through Sinclaire’s vision as she fell into darkness through the gate.