The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-465

Chapter 465: Dawn of Counterattack (1)

For the first time, Phlorosya took a direct hit.

Black tongue, regarded as the most dangerous person in Nouvellebag, was the one able to hit Phlorosya..

……However.

The appearance of Black tongue was quite different from what Vikir remembered.

First of all, he was much shorter and had a smaller build.

His previously hazy eyes, which had turned dull, now radiated a sharp focus.

While the black veins still covered his entire body like armor, his physique was undoubtedly feminine.

.

.

.

It was Kirko.

Captain Kirko Grim was standing there, looking at Vikir.

…Thunk!

Soon, the demon sword Asmodeus was pulled out from Phlorosya’s back.

The sword had swollen considerably, having already absorbed a large amount of blood.

[This is impossible……!?]

As the enraged Phlorosya turned his head, blood of red death filling his mouth, he saw a green substance covering his entire field of vision.

Splurch!

Not only the poison spewing from Phlorosya's mouth but also his entire body was enveloped by a liquid monster.

The dense form of Flubber extended from behind Kirko and enveloped Phlorosya.

Sizzle…

The red death spirits emitted by Phlorosya was absorbed by Flubber.

Witnessing this, Vikir opened his mouth.

“…You.”

Kirko. She was supposed to have perished in Nouvellebag.

But now, Kirko was here on the surface, right in front of Vikir's eyes.

And she had brought Bdissem handcuffs, the demon sword Asmodeus, and even Flubber with her!

Eventually, Kirko’s lips moved slightly.

“…It was you, wasn’t it? You saved me.”

“….”

Vikir did not deny it.

It was because, just before escaping Nouvellebag, Vikir had taken a certain measure to save Kirko.

It was during the process of removing Bdissem just before the breakout.

‘Please save me… I’ll do anything.’

‘Normally, it would be quicker to just kill you.’

‘Eek!’

‘…But I’ve found something else I want. If you’re lucky, there might be a way for you to survive.’

‘What is it? What do you want?’

‘I want two things. First, the original goal: to remove all Bdissem’s handcuffs, shackles, and prison. And the second…’

During the large-scale breakout he caused using Bdissem, Vikir had ensured Kirko’s safety.

‘Wait outside the window of the fifth-floor breeding ground. Someone will come out. Save that person and take her to the surface. Her name is Kirko Grimm, her rank is Captain, and she is a woman.’

He valued her potential genius and wanted her to contribute to the Human Alliance if she survived.

And the measure Vikir had taken had eventually led Kirko to the surface now.

Someone who should have been dead by now according to her original fate.

“…But why did you become ‘Black Tongue’?”

In response to Vikir's question, Kirko briefly explained what had happened.

“When Nouvellebag collapsed and I was being swept away by the seawater, I heard a voice calling me.”

It was the fragment of a sword sinking deep into the sea.

The voice of Asmodeus, broken into nine pieces.

The call of the sword, faint yet clear, was indescribable in nature.

The demon sword Asmodeus. Along with the demon sword Beelzebub, it was one of the Seven Demonic Swords.

It had been broken into nine pieces by Vikir and sunk deep into the sea.

Ordinarily, no one should have ever found it again.

…But the demon sword cried out desperately, finding a new owner.

Its desire was clear.

It wanted blood, and for that, it needed a host to coexist with.

In the cold seawater, under the crushing pressure, Kirko unconsciously accepted the sword's invitation.

And her fate completely changed.

Kirko, chosen by the sword, now possessed the superhuman physicality characteristic of a vampire leech, much like Black tongue.

A body capable of withstanding the horrific pressure of the deep sea. Mobility that allowed her to move even after holding her breath for days.

At that point she was saved by Bdissem, she ascended to the surface after rescuing several other guards swept away by the seawater.

Naturally, the majority of the guards, whose lives were saved by Kirko, bowed their heads in obedience to her strength.

Looking back at Flubber, which was crawling up her shoulder, Kirko said, “I saved this guy back then too. I think it felt a kindred spirit with me due to its strong attachment to Nouvellebag.”

Flubber was a primordial sea creature that had never left Nouvellebag.

Its strong attachment and obsession with the place were recorded in various ancient documents.

Despite the collapse of Nouvellebag, Kirko’s decision to stay and see it through to the end greatly impressed this gloopy monster.

As a result, Flubber clung closely to Kirko, behaving very amicably.

It seemed that Kirko could control flubber’s acidic abilities, as they were not manifesting in her presence.

Vikir, observing Kirko, fell into thought for a moment.

‘…She possesses incredible talent and potential, coupled with the luck to gather all these fortuitous encounters.’

Perhaps he had saved an extraordinary butterfly from under the wheels of fate.

And the butterfly effect she was causing was astonishing.

Bang!

Kirko, who now wielded the combined powers of Bdissem's chains, the demon sword Asmodeus, and Flubber, was the embodiment of Nouvellebag itself.

She effortlessly halted Phlorosya, who was spewing red death.

While Phlorosya, entangled in Bdissem's chains, was startled by the sudden break in his mana flow, Flubber devoured the red death, and Asmodeus exploited the gap.

Thunk!

Asmodeus sucked up another chunk of blood.

[Gah!? Where did these come from……!?]

The extraordinary forces of Nouvellebag, hidden at the very edge of the abyssal deep sea, were unfamiliar even to Phlorosya, who had meticulously investigated everything in the human realm.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

When Phlorosya swung the poison spear Ouroboros, Kirko’s attack was also interrupted.

But buying time was sufficient.

Kirko retreated and spoke.

“After that, I met Aiyen and came here together. I’ve heard quite a bit about you too.”

“Given her confusion about your identity, I offered a lot of advice. I told her that the surface is a good place to live. Ahem, I’m quite a warm-hearted woman, you know, hubby.”

Aiyen said, jumping down beside Kirko.

The attitude of the Ballak tribe toward nature must have been a great lesson for Kirko, who had just emerged onto the surface.

“Once I reached the surface, I searched for you. You saved me against my will, so you have to take responsibility.”

Kirko gazed at Vikir with unwavering eyes.

At that moment, hands rested on Vikir’s shoulders.

“…We’ll talk about this later, boyfriend.”

“I’m quite a bit curious too. Responsibility… what do you mean?”

“Big bro? Who’s this uniformed woman? What trouble did she get into?”

Camus, Dolores, and Sinclaire surrounded Vikir, emitting a tense aura.

Just then.

[Hohoho— This isn’t the time for a chat about recent events~]

Sade, who had transformed into a Majin, interrupted.

She was swinging her whip toward the swarming Poison Humans.

Kirko and Aiyen also hardened their expressions.

There were countless untold stories about their journey to the surface: crafting a raft from corpses, being attacked by a swarm of sharks, engaging in a sea battle with a mysterious ghost ship, and more. However, all of this could be skipped for now!

They could recount their adventures in detail after they had defeated the demons.

[You've brought some rather troublesome companions. But being unique alone isn't enough to turn the tide.]

Phlorosya glared at Vikir as he spoke.

He tightened his grip on the poison spear Ouroboros, preparing once more to unleash the red death.

Vikir lowered his stance, ready to face Phlorosya.

Certainly, the addition of Aiyen and Kirko was a great help to the battle, but it wouldn't be enough to take down Phlorosya.

As Vikir was planning his next move,

“Waaaah!”

Tudor's cheers erupted from the rear.

Tudor jumped up and down, looking toward the back.

Soon, Sancho, Figgy, and Bianca, equally excited, raised their voices.

“…!”

Vikir also turned his head.

He had sensed the disturbance from the slight tremors in the ground.

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

The sound of hoofbeats shook the earth.

Waaaah!

An army bearing four banners was rapidly approaching them.

The Poison Human’s camp was crumbling. The poison human soldiers were being trampled like rotten leaves.

The four allied houses were bringing their elite forces to reinforce them!

- The Mage Clan, Morg.

- The Religious Clan, Quovadis.

- The Industrialist Clan, Bourgeois.

- And the Iron-blooded Sword Clan, Baskerville.

Kirko wiped away cold sweat and smiled faintly.

“It was worth buying some time.”

Thanks to that, they could see the reinforcements coming.

The expressions of the knights on the battlefield became resolute once more.

Vikir also raised his head to look at Phlorosya in front of him.

[…]

Phlorosya's face twisted with frustration, having not anticipated this situation.

The stage was now steadily advancing toward its final act.