To Be a Power in the Shadows!

Outlaw City is, in short, a gigantic slum.

Vagrants gather here and there, shanties line the streets, rubbish heaps fill the air with the smell of rot.

However, that is not all there is to Outlaw City.

The reason is because there are three skyscrapers soaring over the rest of the city.

“So that is the castle of the Queen of Blood, the Red Tower……”

So murmurs a man with a face like an evil pro wrestler while looking up at the blood-red tower within the light of a setting sun.

“What’s the matter, Quinton? You getting jelly legs?”

The person who is calling out to Quinton is a handsome young man with blond hair.

“Like hell I am, Goldoh. It’s just that I’ve never seen a building this tall before.”

“Hmph…… I’ve also fought in many places all over the world, but this is indeed a splendid tower. It would probably take a whole day to climb to the top.”

The two look up at the Red Tower and sigh.

The red-colored tower that looks like a spiral of blood piercing the sky. The two cannot even imagine how such a tower was built.

“Just because the tower is imposing, it doesn’t mean the person inside is strong. Let’s go.”

“This place is merely a gathering place for would-be’s. The head of the Queen of Blood shall be ours.”

Quinton and Goldoh might seem like opposites from their appearance, but they found a surprisingly rapport with each other the first time they talked. It might perhaps be because they share the common point of having lost to the same opponent, but even after the Festival of the God of War, the two have gotten closer and come to act together.

The two walk through the streets of Outlaw City as the sun sets. As they proceed deeper towards the center, the desolated slum gradually turns into a jumbled city where cultures clash and fuse in colorful and eye-grabbing ways.

“Well this is surprising……”

“I agree…… keep your eyes peeled.”

The center of Outlaw City that no one can imagine by looking in from the outside.

What’s changed is not only the buildings. The people walking on the streets are also no longer vagrants, but beasts with glittering eyes that seem to be searching for prey.

There is not a single small fry here.

Both Quinton and Goldoh understand that fully.

As they proceed while staying ready to draw their swords at any moment, the jumbled town seems suddenly unified under a gloomy air.

That is the proof of having entered the territory of the Queen of Blood.

Both of them sensed the change in vibe.

“We’re close.”

Mysteriously, there isn’t a single resident to be seen. However, they feel presences squirming inside the houses. The Red Tower also looks a lot closer now.

The two redouble their vigilance.

Then they finally arrive before the Red Tower.

“This is the entrance to the tower……!”

Quinton approaches the gigantic door. The door is decorated with intricate carvings of sinister figures that seem to be human yet not human.

“Let’s go.”

Quinton lays a hand on the door. But at that moment.

“Hihi, hold on a second……”

They are suddenly addressed by someone. The voice is terribly cracked to the point where it’s quite hard to hear.

Upon putting his hand back down and taking a look around, he notices a dirty rag that has fallen beside the door. Taking a second look, he sees it moving a slight bit…… it turns out to be a human and not a rag.

“Neither of you have the qualifications to open this door……”

So saying, the person wrapped in rags stands up.

And in doing so, reveals the figure of a terribly emaciated man. His height is above that of Quinton’s, but his cheeks are hollowed and his eyes are caved in. He looks exactly like mere skin and bones. Dull, dirty white hair reaches to his shoulders.

A living corpse. There is no other description more apt for him.

“No qualification, you said?”

“The only people allowed to open this door are the Queen’s underlings, her guests, or the truly strong……”

“Hmph. It’s true that we are neither underlings nor guests. However, we are strong enough to carve off the Queen of Blood’s head.”

Quinton looks up at the white-haired man and grins dauntlessly.

“Hihi, hihihi, hi, hi, hihihi……”

“What’s so funny?!”

“Hihi, hi, I know that I myself am a fool, but…… it always is amusing to see those who are even more foolish than me……”

“What did you say?!”

“Hihi, know your place…… once you become like me, it’s too late……”

The white-haired man draws back a part of his rags.

What is realized is his entire left side.

However, there is nothing beyond his left shoulder.

“This is what became of a fool who challenged the Queen of Blood four years ago…… The fool lost his dominant arm, and even know is kept like a lowly, wretched watchdog……”

There is a sturdy-looking ring around his neck that is connected by chains.

“Hah. I am Quinton, a man famed for my relentlessness in the Festival of the God of War. And this here is Sure-Win Golden Dragon Goldoh. We’re on a completely different dimension from a small fry like you!”

“Hihi, never heard of either of you…… it’s my personal policy to not remember the names of those weaker than me……”

“Ahh? Then who the hell are you?”

“Hihi, I am but a mere watchdog…… but long ago…… there were those who called me ‘The White Demon’……”

“‘The White Demon’? Never heard of it. How about you, Goldoh?”

Quinton asks Goldoh.

“I kind of feel like I might have heard it somewhere, but…… sorry, nothing comes to mind.”

Goldoh shakes his head.

However, his eyes are still fixed on the Watchdog in vigilance.

“So there you have it, Nameless Small Fry-san.”

“Hihi, that’s fine. The name of a fool is best left buried and forgotten……”

“I’m sorry, but you’re gonna have to let us pass.”

“I am a Watchdog…… I can’t let any small fries pass……”

“…… Don’t blame us no matter what happens.”

Quinton glares at the Watchdog who refuses to get out of his way and draws his greatsword.

The Watchdog also draws a thin, single-bladed sword. It is a beautiful piece of work longer than the height of an average man.

“Stay sharp…… Quinton.”

Goldoh also draws his sword.

“What do you mean by that?”

“This man…… I cannot see the depth of his strength.”

“Haah? This one-handed sack of bones? You’re pulling my leg, right?”

Quinton ignores the word of caution and dashes in with a swing.

The trajectory of his greatsword glitters within the twilight——then blood spurts out in the next instant.

“……a?”

The severed part of his greatsword falls to the ground with a dry sound.

“Qu-, Quinton!!”

Goldoh’s shout and Quinton falling over with his stomach sliced open happen at the same time.

“So next…… would be you……?”

Before Goldoh stands the Watchdog, stained in Quinton’s blood.

“Y-, YOU BASTARD!”

Goldoh almost could not catch the sword that cut Quintin.

The only things that he can see for sure is the fountaining blood and the broken greatsword.

What absurd skill with the sword.

Despite having his dominant arm stolen away and having been starved until he is but mere skin and bones, this Watchdog is still in a place much higher than where he and Quinton are. This, Goldoh now understands.

However, Goldoh still stands ready, with his sword up.

His time with Quinton was short. However, they are comrades who share the same will after helping each other recover from defeat.

“Don’t worry…… he’s not dead. He can’t be used anymore if he’s dead……”

The Watchdog laughs derisively.

“How dare you do such a thing to Quinton!!”

Goldoh imbues his sword with magic and releases his most powerful technique.

“EVIL GOD・INSTANT KILL・GOLDEN DRAGON SWORD!!”

The moment he unleashes his technique, Goldoh’s eyes meet those of the Watchdog’s.

The Watchdog’s terrifyingly blood-shot dark pupils.

When he see those unfathomable eyes, his memory regarding the White Demon comes back to him.

“D-, don’t tell you, you are……”

The Watchdog’s lips curl upwards.

If this one-handed Watchdog is the White Demon, then——

Understanding the despairingly vast difference in strength between the two of them, Goldoh promptly chooses to just let his sword strike hit the ground.

“Nnn……?”

Sand and dust rise up in a huge cloud.

“Quinton!! I promise——I promise I’ll definitely come back for you!!”

So Goldoh shouts even while dashing away.

“He ran away…… I can’t give chase…… I’m a Watchdog after all……”

Clearing the dust cloud with a single swing of his sword, the Watchdog watches Goldoh’s back receding into the distance.

“Hihi, but…… can he actually manage to get away……?”

What is being reflected in the Watchdog’s eyes is the doors of the numerous houses opening up and ‘them’ rushing to capture Goldoh.

“Hi, hihi, hihi, hihihi……!”

The Watchdog looks up at the tower soaring into the sky.

The place where three towers stand and three rulers reign is the rubbish dump of the world——Outlaw City.

A world of strong eats weak that swallows in evil and wealth and power from all over the world.

Kings, knights, and even demonic monsters have no power here.

This is Outlaw City.

Here, strength is law.