The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-369

Chapter 369: Labor Camp (1)

Vikir lifted his head to gaze over the cliff. A man of sturdy build with golden eyes gleaming against his dark skin, D’Ordume D D’Orcdile, one of the five Majors of Nouvellebag, excluding the warden of the prison, he was practically unmatched in authority.

“Is it a riot?” Major D’Ordume’s voice simmered like molten iron from low temperatures.

Lieutenant Bastille below hurriedly replied, “Yes! One of the Level Nine inmates refused labor and injured the guards! We were just trying to contain the situation!”

“Hmm…” D’Ordume’s gaze shifted towards Vikir. In that moment, Vikir felt as if countless axe blades hanging from chains were swinging towards him, an instinctive warning that this was dangerous.

‘It’s risky,’ he thought. His reflexes, honed to the limit within the abyss tree, signaled danger by giving him goosebumps all over.

Vikir trusted his instincts and promptly stepped back.

Crash! The ground where Vikir had stood moments ago exploded with a deafening noise. D’Ordume had landed there. As the colossal figure of 298cm height and 220kg weight descended, a slight earthquake ensued.

D’Ordume landed, gripping the ground with one hand, then slowly rose to face Vikir. His eyes, glowing with a fiery yellow beyond the sulfur flames, emitted an eerie light. He carried a metal armguard and gauntlet on his forearms, with axe blades spiraling out like a whirlpool.

‘Indeed, he wields an unusual weapon,’ Vikir nodded, recalling his memories before regression.

Among the heroes who once roamed the frontlines, two stood out for their unique combat techniques: High Priest Mozgus Quovadis, who wielded aura-infused books to slice through opponents, and Major D’Ordume from Nouvellebag, who used the bizarre armguards and gauntlets to extend aura-infused strikes.

‘Seeing it firsthand, it’s quite imposing,’ Vikir thought. Besides his massive physique and overwhelming aura, there was something about D’Ordume that intimidated opponents.

A lifetime of imprisoning, torturing, and exploiting humans – the warden of human misery. Just as a dog instinctively lowers its tail to its master, any human would involuntarily shrink in the presence of this man, D’Ordume.

But Vikir was a demon hunter, and a Mid-tier swordmaster, who could even make demons kneel into submission. His presence not only nullified D’Ordume’s aura but also overwhelmed it.

D’Ordume flinched at the sharp energy emanating from Vikir.

“Can’t use mana, huh? If this is the extent of your pure physical prowess… impressive.”

Amidst the groans of the wounded lieutenants and mid-level supervisors scattered around, D’Ordume glanced briefly and remarked curtly, “Looks like I need to uproot this here.”

The opponent was already restrained with BDISSEM shackles and chains. Unless they could use mana, D’Ordume held an overwhelming advantage. “Just a warning, this would end in immediate execution. Ever since the ‘unfortunate incident’ between a supervisor and a prisoner nineteen years ago, the hierarchy’s been strict on control and punishment.”

“And the warden’s not here. That’s all.”

With those final words, D’Ordume clenched his thick square jaw tightly. Then, like a log, he surged forward with his thick arms, veins protruding like snakes.

Thud thud thud thud! An imposing sensation, akin to a giant bull charging.

Simultaneously, D’Ordume’s arms crossed horizontally and vertically.

With a click, Vikir intercepted D’Ordume’s fists with BDISSEM shackles. But the true force behind D’Ordume’s intended strike burst forth from his arms.

The sharp edge of the spiral-patterned axe blade on his forearm unleashed a gust of wind, rotating the shards of sharp aura.

Vikir felt a chilling sensation creeping over him. Instinctively, he knew that continuing to match strength with D’Ordume here would crush him like a twig.

Snap! Swiftly ducking and rolling aside, Vikir avoided the wind’s reach, finding refuge in a blind spot.

Then suddenly, a swirling vortex of aura, with a diameter of over a dozen meters, swept forward like a serpent, pulverizing everything in its path.

Thud thud thud… The immense suction force sucked in the surrounding rocks, crushing them into sand. It seemed evident that anyone caught in it would be reduced to a mere handful of blood in seconds.

“Ugh, D’Ordume’s using his full strength!”

“Everyone, take cover! If you’re unlucky, you’ll be swept up!”

“Major D’Ordume! Even the supervisors are in danger…!”

Terrified, everyone in the labor camp began fleeing in panic before D’Ordume’s indiscriminate power.

Meanwhile, Vikir couldn’t help but admire, ‘So, this is the power of one of the five majors.” Before his regression, Vikir had never witnessed firsthand the prowess and deeds of the heroes from Nouvellebag. But now, seeing it with his own eyes, their strength truly lived up to their reputation. Thud thud thud!

Before his eyes, mountains crumbled and rocks turned to grains of sand, scattering in all directions.

The swirling currents mingled with sulfur gas, igniting flames that soared into the sky, causing a violent explosion.

Crash! Boom! Crackling!

And amidst it all, D’Ordume’s whirlwind of onslaught tore through the explosion and flames, barreling towards Vikir.

“Such a monster lurked within Nouvellebag. But whether this man will fight demons in the future is uncertain.”

In the world before his regression, D’Ordume had indeed participated in battles against demons. However, it was a result of complex circumstances, and many innocent lives were sacrificed in the process.

In this life, Vikir has already changed many things on the surface, so it’s hard to predict how things will unfold.

‘Indeed. Many allies had suffered at his hands. Perhaps his absence could be more beneficial.’

Vikir trembled as he watched the prisoners and supervisors being swept away by the whirlwind of onslaught, screaming in terror.

And then, veins bulged on D’Ordume’s forehead as he growled, “Dare to be complacent?”

Taking a deep breath, D’Ordume expanded his frame and doubled the rotation speed of the aura swirling around his forearms.

Whirrr…

The rocks sucked into the vortex of onslaught turned into fine dust, swirling around like a sandstorm.

“This is going to be hard to evade.”

Vikir lowered his head to avoid the slashing wind.

His nerves had been screaming since before. He had to stay focused, controlling and maneuvering his body with extreme precision, relying on his heightened reflexes without using mana.

“I must focus on the fundamentals.”

Vikir utilized his spatial awareness and reflexes to the fullest. Passing through the onslaught of attacks without getting hit was even more challenging than navigating through raindrops without getting wet.

‘One miscalculation in size and position, and I’ll be torn apart.’

‘But on the contrary, perfect calculations mean not a single hair will be harmed.’

Vikir moved swiftly,

Whoosh!

With each step, the ground he had just stood on split apart entirely.

Blood—

As he tilted his head, tiny threads burst from the shoulders of his prisoner’s uniform.

Vikir continued to advance into D’Ordume’s embrace.

And then—

Thunk!

His fist, wrapped in BDISSEM chains, dispersed D’Ordume’s aura and plunged deep into his abdomen.

“It’s in.”

As Vikir pondered inwardly,

[…Human! Danger! Get back!]

A faint voice echoed from his chest.

Almost simultaneously,

“…!”

Vikir also felt a sense of unease he hadn’t experienced before.

No matter how much a human trained their body, there were limits to the resilience muscles could offer, given that they were essentially comprised of bones, flesh, blood, and skin.

However, D’Ordume seemed different.

The sensation upon striking his fist wasn’t ordinary. Though Vikir aimed for the abdomen, the returning force felt solid and dense, unlike what one would expect from hitting a human body.

This was not something typical of hitting a human.

It was as if…

“…Dragonic physique?”

As Vikir furrowed his brow,

Whoosh!

Amidst the dense sulfur gas and fragments of aura generated by the whirlwind, D’Ordume’s form was revealed.

Thud!

Pressing fiercely against Vikir’s body, it was unmistakably not in the shape of a human.