The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

Chapter 407: Escape (5)

…Flash!

The shot fired by Vikir streaked toward the center of the whirlpool.

A black sun generated by Aura extended vertically.

“AHHHHHHHHHH-!”

The piercing scream of Major Black Tounge dissipated into bubbles underwater.

…Rumble!

The black bricks crumbled like sponge blocks.

And,

Major Black Tounge couldn’t stop his momentum towards the unknown depths of the abyss ocean.

A section of the corridor he was standing on broke off like a piece of cake, floating away from Nouvellebag

Exposed to the pressure of the ocean at 10,000 meters, survival was very unlikely.

Even if it’s Major Black Tounge. One of the Five Pillars of Nouvellebag.

Squelch…

Transparent mucous began to fill the hole created by Vikir’s aura.

Flubber quickly enveloped the entirety of Nouvellebag in minutes.

The corridor Vikir had destroyed just now was now enveloped with Flubber to prevent more seawater from entering.

The influx of water drastically decreased and soon revealed the floor.

Trickle, trickle…

The remaining seawater flowed down the spiral staircase of the ramp.

Vikir stood on the wet cobblestones, peering beyond the transparent mucus.

Right at that moment.

“……!”

Vikir’s crimson eyes narrowed between his wet bangs.

Something was approaching.

Something massive from the depths of the distant abyssal sea was heading this way.

At a frantic pace!

[GRAAAAAAAHHHHH!]

Major Black Tounge! No… Something else entirely!

It no longer resembles a human.

With countless tentacles attached, it now resembles a slender shape, more akin to a sea serpent or abyssal eel.

A monster.

It had a distorted and melting face, revealing sharp teeth.

And with terrifying speed, it swam towards Nouvellebag.

Upon closer inspection, Vikir concluded it was not Major Black Tounge.

‘Major Black Tounge is dead. That must be the true form of Asmodeus, One of the Seven Calamities.’

The demonic blade Asmodeus sucked all the blood from the dead black tongue.

And regained it’s true essence.

[Roaaaaaaar!]

In a form unlike anything ever seen in this world, the grotesque sea serpent opened its mouth wide.

Gums and teeth protruded in all directions, creating a ghastly sight.

Vikir clicked his tongue.

“So, this is what a demon that devoured its master looks like….”

The demonic sword Beelzebub resonated loudly.

Vikir extended his finger and tapped Beelzebub’s blade with a resounding thud.

“Don’t even dream.”

Simultaneously, He emitted a crimson glow from his eyes.

Baskerville 8th Form, Black sun.

With eight fangs, it crushed everything in its path.

As Asmodeus was sucked inside, it writhed in grotesque agony, but ultimately could not escape its fate of being drawn into the heart of the black sun.

Crash! Screeeech!

Amidst the clamor, the sound of something shattering was heard.

Vikir, with his mastery over 8 fangs, could feel through his hands that Asmodeus had been completely destroyed.

Gradually.

As the black sun set, nine broken pieces of the sword could be seen within.

Silence. The frenzied beast had been culled.

“…A dog that bites its owner will eventually get burned.”

Vikir murmured coldly as he gazed at the sinking debris of the sword.

It’s a fact he knew well from experience.

In the end, Asmodeus, one of the Seven Calamities, perished in the deep ocean

With the destruction of one of the seven demonic swords, leaves the total up to six.

“But I can’t be completely sure. It’s such a resilient blade, it might just survive.”

But is there anyone capable of wielding it now?

On that point, Vikir was skeptical.

It’s a bit regrettable, but anyway, handling more than two demonic swords at once was an impossible feat.

Vikir completely discarded any lingering attachment to the sunken Asmodeus.

Instead, he decided to focus on stuff he gained.

“More importantly, finally got my hands on it.”

Vikir raised his left hand.

The tough leather pouch felt substantial in his grasp.

Opening it revealed a bunch of shiny eggs inside.

These are the egg sacs of the rare leech that Black tounge was researching on.

“So this is the mutant variant created by Major Black Tounge’s dedicated effort, huh?”

Vikir recalled how the leech attached to Kirko’s abdomen gradually began to resemble Kirko’s appearance. Perhaps if he had been a little later, the leech would have grown into an exact replica of Kirko.

‘It’ll be an amazing secret weapon.’ Vikir thought.

He opened the Andromalius Barrier and stored the leech eggs inside. They would prove useful someday.

“Now, it’s time to capture BDISSEM.”

The final stage had begun.

Boom!

The symbol of Nouvellebag, the “Gate of Good and Evil,” opened.

…Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud!

Along with a massive rush of seawater like a waterfall, numerous iron maidens fell to the first floor.

And the gulper eels that had departed from the surface also arrived through the fifth-floor underwater dock.

“Open the gates!”

At Head Captain’s command, the guards stepped forward and twisted the iron maidens open.

Prisoners were pulled out from inside.

Prisoners who had endured a journey through the deep ocean.

Most of them either had blank expressions, drooling in a daze, or were already dead.

Some prisoners were reduced to mushy mixtures of flesh and blood, resembling stew.

“Ugh, this one’s for Lieutenant Colonel Flubber’s dinner.”

“Hey! This one’s alive, right? Send him to the infirmary! Huh? He just died.”

“Gather the corpses in one place. Send them to Lieutenant Colonel Flubber!”

“Madmen need a strong hand! Make them come to their senses!”

Sounds of clubs and whips echoed throughout.

Eventually, the surviving prisoners moved sluggishly towards the infirmary location.

This time, there were quite a few newcomers, so the guards were also moving about frantically.

Just then.

…Thud!

The last iron maiden fell.

As the guards approached it,

“Wait! Don’t touch it!”

“We’ll handle that prisoner ourselves!”

A deep voice resounded from behind.

Head captain Bastille and all the guards turned their heads in surprise.

There stood Major D’ordume and Major Soaure, who had just returned to Nouvellebag.

They each grabbed one side of the final iron maiden and descended underground.

“This one’s a Level Nine prisoner. And with such a terrible record, she’ll be transferred straight to Level Ten.”

At this, all the guards swallowed nervously, their faces tense.

Just how dangerous a monster must this prisoner be that the two majors were so cautious?

Meanwhile, Major D’ordume told Bastille some other news,

“Master Orca will return soon. Prepare for the welcome ceremony.”

“Yes, sir!”

Head Captain Bastille quickly turned his head.

At times like this, competent subordinates should move swiftly.

“Garam! Where’s Captain Garam?”

Head Captain Bastille searched for the sharp young officer he had recently appointed as his aide.

But Garam was nowhere to be seen amidst the chaos caused by the influx of new prisoners, making it difficult for the guards to move around efficiently.

Then, Head Captain Bastille spotted a guard stepping back.

Lieutenant Kirko Grim, she too was a young officer recently appointed as an aide.

“Hey! Lieutenant Kirko!”

At Head Captain Bastille’s call, Kirko raised her head.

“Quickly, summon Captain Garam! Master Orca will return soon, and we need to prepare for the welcome ceremony! This is your chance to impress him too!”

“Yes! I’ll call him right away!”

Kirko nodded in understanding.

She had just received a sudden order to go to the fifth floor from Garam, so finding an excuse to comply was fortuitous.

She swiftly left the scene of the influx of prisoners and rushed downstairs.

The path to the fifth underground floor. To reach the gulper eel breeding grounds Garam had mentioned, she had to pass through several corridors and bridges connecting the towers.

Tap-tap…

Water droplets fell in the corridor.

As she passed through the empty corridor and crossed the arching bridge connecting the towers, she saw familiar faces.

They were her comrades she had known since her days as a junior guard.

“Ah! Head Lieutenant Kirko! At your service!”

Her old comrades saluted her as she passed, recognizing her even in the dim light.

Then, one guard asked Kirko,

“Is Lieutenant Kirko heading to the fifth floor as well?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Just now, Captain Garam passed by here. What did he say? He mentioned something about not needing to stand guard anymore and quickly going near the breeding grounds…”

“…!”

Kirko’s expression hardened for a moment.

It seemed like something serious was about to happen.

“Don’t disregard Captain Garam’s words.”

With that, Kirko ran forward, ignoring the attempts of the junior guards who were standing watch to stop her.

“Just a moment, Captain!”

“From here on, it’s an area where not even High-level Lieutenants have autonomous access…!”

But the guards couldn’t finish their sentences.

Crash! Roar!

In the distance, a black aura rose outside the window.

It was the deafening roar and shockwave that shook the entire fifth floor.