However, before the soldier could so much as reach the door, Shurnak’s hand waved slowly.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
The doors of the hall began to turn pitch-black. Black energy seeped down, then sealed the hole in the door completely. The entire door had been enveloped in that dark aura.
“Gah!”
The soldier, who had been trying to kick the door open with all his might, clutched his foot with a pained scream and collapsed on the spot. The door had become as hard as an iron wall. The windows were no different. A soldier gritted his teeth and brought his halberd down again and again, but the door did not budge an inch. Drained of strength, the soldier eventually had no choice but to slump down where he stood.
“G-God…”
In the blink of an eye, the wedding hall had turned into utter chaos. Since they had been perfectly cut off from the outside world, terror was written plainly across the faces of the people inside. Watching them, Shurnak slowly turned his head and cast his gaze upon the paladins gripping their swords. The light flickering in his eye sockets was so chilling that the paladins could not help trembling.
“You who dare resist the authority of His Highness Kerubim! You shall never be forgiven.”
Shurnak slowly raised his right hand. Blue flames seemed to waver from his bony hand, and then they transformed into a massive burst of light that shot out in every direction.
Fwoosh.
As the light exploded outward, everyone inside the hall squeezed their eyes shut at once. The eerie radiance stabbed so fiercely at their eyes that they could not possibly keep them open. A moment later, when they opened their eyes, they were left stunned by an unbelievable sight. It had only been an instant, literally, but the situation inside the hall had changed completely. In a word, it could only be described as despair.
The first thing that caught their eyes was the demons standing packed along the walls, blackening them completely. The demons, roughly human-sized, had two curved horns jutting out from either side of their heads and wore solid-looking helmets. They were armed with malformed swords whose tips bent like hooks.
Strangely, blue flames flickered from those warped blades, and their gray-white bodies, clad in nothing but helmets, were covered entirely in writhing muscle. The sinister gazes shining from the eye slits of their helmets made the legs of all who saw them go weak. There were around a hundred of them—more than twice the number of soldiers at a glance—so the guests’ faces all turned ashen. The demons had been concentrated around the windows and doors, as if they would permit no one to enter or leave.
That was not the only astonishing thing. Around Shurnak stood about a dozen demons, and four among them looked especially powerful. Unlike the other demons, they held long swords, from which Death Blades could be seen surging at a glance. The horns protruding from their helmets were also incomparable in length to those of the other demons. The way they curved in several branches and covered their entire heads was terrifying just to behold.
Moreover, merely thinking about the identity of the pitch-black shadows standing on either side of Shurnak was dreadful. They were the monsters of terror said to have displayed tremendous ferocity in the Dark War once waged in Truvenia: Dark Shades. Nearly four meters tall, with wings spread wide and flapping, their edges gleamed with sharp claws said to tear through steel armor as if it were paper. It was obvious that the tips of those claws were coated in a deadly poison capable of paralyzing the whole body with a mere touch.
When two of the fearsome Dark Shades, said to make short work of two or three paladins as a single meal, revealed themselves, the people’s complexions turned as white as sheets. This was no force they could even attempt to fight. Shurnak looked around, as if savoring their terrified expressions, then let out a satisfied, grotesque laugh.
“Heh heh heh. Humans. No matter how desperately you struggle, you will be no match before them. These are elite warriors belonging to His Highness Kerubim’s Demon King’s Legion. Shall I introduce them?”
After speaking, Shurnak extended a finger and pointed to the demons filling the walls.
“Their name is Doom Warriors. They are powerful warriors who have newly risen as the main force of the Demon King’s Legion. After the First Dark War ended in failure, His Highness Kerubim felt the need for powerful undead warriors, and as a result, he came to create this new combat race. Each and every Doom Warrior possesses fighting power comparable to a Death Knight, so you would do well not to act rashly.”
After speaking, Shurnak turned his gaze this time to the demons around him.
“Well, I assume you are already familiar with Dark Shades, so I will omit the explanation. These four are commanders of various ranks within the Demon King’s Legion. They bear the name Elite Doom Warriors, and their fighting power cannot even be compared to that of ordinary Doom Warriors. Since there happen to be suitable opponents here, I shall have them display their might.”
After speaking, Shurnak glared at the paladins and soldiers standing there in a daze.
“Subdue them lightly and show them the power of the Demon King’s Legion. However, considering that this is the glorious occasion on which His Highness Kerubim takes in his bride, do not take their lives…”
“qlfdjajrdmf.”
One of the Elite Doom Warriors answered in a bizarre sound that seemed to be the language of the Demon Realm and slowly walked forward. Seeing that, the paladins grew tense. It was a monster they had never seen before, but judging from the lich’s words, it was not an opponent they could afford to take lightly. However, they too were paladins capable of controlling mana; none of them thought they would simply be defeated.
“Not a chance.”
“We will send that cursed body back to the Demon Realm without mercy.”
The two paladins decided to strike first. Thinking to make full use of their numerical advantage, they attacked the slowly approaching Elite Doom Warrior from the left and right at the same time. Two longswords, brimming with blue mana, cut toward the Elite Doom Warrior’s neck and waist. But—
Clang.
Their attacks were blocked far too easily. The instant they struck the great sword the Elite Doom Warrior had drawn and swung, both swords shattered on the spot. Despite being protected by abundant mana, the paladins’ blades were smashed to pieces.
“Huk.”
Having absurdly lost their swords, the paladins hurriedly covered themselves with their shields. They had no time to feel the pain radiating from their torn palms. But the Elite Doom Warrior did not leave them be. As the great sword came flying in with a tearing sound, the paladins pushed mana into their shields with all their strength.
Kwa-boom!
A shield shattered outright, and one paladin was sent flying with the armor over his entire body crushed. The force was enough to put an ogre to shame, and as the paladin lost consciousness and slammed into the floor, dark red blood sprayed from his mouth. Even so, the other paladin’s situation was somewhat better. The instant the blow struck his shield, he had released the handle. But there was no longer any room for resistance. The hand that had held the shield was already paralyzed from the tremendous impact, and the webbing of his right hand had been torn open, leaving him unable to grip a sword any longer.
“Uuuh…”
The Doom Warrior approached the paladin as he staggered backward in terror and raised its sword high. It looked as if it intended to split him in two from top to bottom. Watching that, the word death could not help flashing through the paladin’s mind. At that moment, Shurnak’s gloomy voice rang out.
“Enough! Do not kill them. Instead, subdue the remaining humans. I will not permit you to take their lives either. Before long, I shall allow you to fully enjoy a feast of blood, so carry it out.”
“wpswkd.”
After spitting out an incomprehensible word, the Elite Doom Warrior shot like lightning into the midst of the soldiers standing awkwardly. The soldiers’ pained screams erupted all at once.
“Kraaagh!”
“Ugh!”
It did not take even thirty seconds for the soldiers to be completely wiped out. It took only ten seconds to knock down the soldiers who tried to resist, and the remaining time was spent chasing down and felling those who fled. Having subdued the situation in the blink of an eye, the Elite Doom Warrior strode back and stood beside Shurnak. Shurnak burst into a pleased, roaring laugh.
“Heh heh heh. Humans. Do you now realize the greatness of His Highness Kerubim’s power?”
Silence settled over the hall. No one dared open their mouth. The only sounds that could be heard were the low groans of the soldiers sprawled across the floor. To think that the Demon Realm warriors called Doom Warriors, newly risen as the main force of the Demon King’s Legion, were that powerful… With the forces he possessed annihilated in the blink of an eye, Count Teudret’s face had already turned deathly pale.
Shurnak swept his gaze over the humans as if appreciating their terrified expressions, then turned his eyes this time to Morser, the groom. There was no trace of blood left in Morser’s face. Shurnak opened his mouth in a sinister tone.
“Are you the groom?”
“Th-that is right.”
Morser shouted as if in desperation. Otherwise, he felt he could not possibly maintain his sanity. Shurnak looked Morser up and down with apparent amusement and continued speaking.
“You are quite fortunate.”
“…”
“Until now, when emissaries from the Demon Realm came to retrieve His Highness Kerubim’s bride, in situations like this they would take both the groom and the bride to the Demon Realm at once. The bride would be wed to His Highness Kerubim as planned, while the groom…”
Looking at Morser, Shurnak made the light in his eye sockets blaze even more intensely.
“For the crime of daring to marry His Highness Kerubim’s bride, he would be dragged to Purgatory and subjected to the Hundred Great Tortures one after another. There, one cannot even die as one wishes. If you die, they revive you again and inflict punishment for eternity…”
Drip, drip.
Yellow liquid flowed from the front of Morser’s trousers. He had already been driven half out of his mind by fear. But Shurnak’s tone suddenly softened.
“This time, however, the circumstances are different. You should count yourself extremely fortunate that I, and not some other demon, came as the emissary. As one who was once human, I am on a different level from those ignorant demons. Discord must not intrude upon the glorious occasion on which the great His Highness Kerubim takes in his bride. That is why I intend to resolve this matter properly.”
After speaking, Shurnak spread his bony hand wide. Then one of the Elite Doom Warriors approached and placed a longsword in the lich’s hand. When Shurnak gripped the sword and half drew it, a dazzling golden radiance stabbed fiercely into Morser’s eyes.
Shing.
Without meaning to, Morser cast his gaze toward the longsword.
“G-God…”
A light of greed filled his eyes. Even at a glance, the longsword was by no means ordinary; in a word, it was a treasure.
Not a single flaw could be found on the vivid golden blade, and the scabbard was lavishly adorned with all manner of jewels. The ruby set into the lower part of the hilt was a genuine article Morser could identify with certainty, and eminent gems such as emeralds and sapphires were set all around the scabbard. In short, it was a treasured sword whose value was impossible to calculate. Morser, who had wandered through countless jewelers to buy gems as gifts for his lovers, could not possibly fail to recognize whether jewels were real.
“G-God…”
Already captivated by the value of the sword, Morser’s fear had vanished without a trace. Looking at him, Shurnak let out a grotesque laugh.
“Heh heh heh. Do you like the sword?”
“…”
Although he coveted the sword, Morser could not carelessly reveal his true feelings, so he remained silently quiet.
“I shall explain. This sword’s name is Shire Blade. It was once the sword symbolizing the royal family of Tranbel, a kingdom of the fallen Truvenia. The entire blade is made from Gold Dragon bone—”
and the scabbard, as you can see, is pure gold. Of course, every jewel set into it is genuine.”
As befitted the symbol of Tranbel, once the wealthiest nation in all Truvenia, the Shire Blade displayed its dazzling splendor before Morcer’s eyes. Seeing Morcer run his hands over the Shire Blade in a daze, Shurnak burst into a delighted roar of laughter.
“Kakaka. Now I have a proposal for you. A transaction.”
“A-a transaction?”
Looking at Morcer, who asked back in bewilderment, Shurnak enunciated each word clearly.
“In exchange for obtaining this Shire Blade, are you willing to hand the bride over to me? To avoid discord, I am breaking with precedent and offering you a bargain.”
“……”
Morcer could not answer easily. He was eager to accept the offer, but with so many people present—especially the Lord of Arne—he could not reveal what was in his heart. If this transaction had taken place elsewhere, away from people’s eyes, he would undoubtedly have agreed without a second thought.
To him, Matilda was merely one of countless beauties he could take as his wife. When Morcer hesitated and failed to answer, a fiery gleam burst from Shurnak’s eye sockets.
“If you have no desire to make a bargain, then I have no choice but to follow precedent. If you wish to protect the bride even at the cost of being dragged to Purgatory and suffering the Hundredfold Poison Torture, then so be it.”
Morcer’s complexion changed completely in an instant.
“Y-you mean to take me?”
“Of course. All the other emissaries have done so until now. I alone am trying to break with precedent. Consider it an expression of loyalty, so as not to let discord intrude upon His Majesty Cherubim’s wedding. Now, what will you do? Will you take the sword and hand over the bride? Or will you suffer eternally in Purgatory in exchange for protecting her?”
With matters having gone that far, there was no longer any reason to hesitate. Morcer took a step back with an embarrassed expression.
“I-I’m sorry. Forgive me, Matilda.”
The moment his words ended, Matilda’s face turned deathly white. How could she not be shocked, when the fiancé who had promised to marry her had sold her off for a single sword? Her vision went black, and dizziness made her mind reel. As she staggered, unable to support herself, the elite Doom Warrior standing beside her quickly tried to steady her. Shurnak glared at the elite Doom Warrior with savage eyes.
“You fool. If the bride of the great His Majesty Cherubim were to suffer so much as a scratch, all of us would be annihilated that very day. See to it that you attend her properly……”
“alclssha dmdlrm.”
After uttering words no one could understand, the elite Doom Warrior tried to carefully lift Matilda into his arms. But Matilda coldly brushed his hands away.
“Let go. Now that it’s come to this, whether my destination is the Demon Realm or hell, I’ll go proudly on my own two feet.”
Glaring at Morcer as if she would devour him, Matilda slowly closed her eyes. She looked as though she had given up on everything. As the elite Doom Warrior, at a loss, returned to his place and stood firm, Shurnak slowly walked toward Morcer.
“First, throw away the sword at your waist.”
At Shurnak’s words, Morcer unfastened the sword he wore and threw it far away without the slightest hesitation.
Clang.
His attitude showed not the least lingering attachment. As if satisfied, Shurnak lifted the treasured sword and held it out to Morcer. Morcer’s hands trembled with anticipation as he received the Shire Blade, adorned with all manner of jewels. His mind was spinning busily.
‘It can’t be helped. Matilda is a shame to lose, but I can’t very well let myself be dragged off to the Demon Realm like this, can I? Even if I fail to obtain the Arne territory, now that I have such an incredible treasured sword, this is by no means a losing deal.’
As Morcer ran his hands over the sword in a daze, Shurnak’s confident voice rang in his ears.
“With the groom’s consent, the transaction has been completed without issue. Is there anyone here who objects?”
Before he had even finished speaking, someone sprang to his feet and shouted furiously.
“Of course there is. As long as I live, you will never take my daughter to the Demon Realm.”
The one who shouted was none other than the Lord of Arne. His beard bristling upright in extreme rage, the Lord of Arne glared fiercely at Shurnak as if he would never yield. Matilda’s mother, too, though trembling in terror, showed no sign of backing down. Shurnak sneered as if he found them laughable.
“How admirable, a father’s heart. You wish to be dragged to the Demon Realm with her and experience the Hundredfold Poison Torture? Your courage is commendable, but without power, there is nothing you can do. If that is what you want, I shall grant it.”
When he lightly waved his hand, something black hurtled mercilessly toward the Lord of Arne.
Swaaaak.
The demonic creature that launched itself forward was a Dark Shade. Approaching at a speed invisible to the eye, the Dark Shade easily subdued the lord and his wife and lifted them up. It truly happened in the blink of an eye.
“Y-you bastard…… ghuuugh.”
The struggling lord soon went limp. His entire body had been paralyzed by the Dark Shade’s deadly poison. The lord’s wife, too, could only move her eyes and could not so much as twitch a finger. The Dark Shade gently carried the captured lord and his wife over and set them down beside Matilda. Shurnak’s chilling gaze swept over every inch of them.
“Then look forward eagerly to the Hundredfold Poison Torture you will receive in the Demon Realm’s Purgatory……”
Unable to bear it any longer, Matilda embraced them and burst into tears.
“F-Father, Mother. Why did you do that?”
“D-don’t worry, M-Matilda. As long as I-I draw breath, I will protect you.”
Though he spoke haltingly, the lord’s heart was already steeped in despair. Now their family had no choice but to be dragged helplessly to the Demon Realm. Looking them over in satisfaction, Shurnak shouted once more.
“Now there should be no one left with any complaints.”
No one dared move so much as a finger. With even the groom having given her up, who would volunteer to be dragged to the Demon Realm? Moreover, resisting the lined-up demonic creatures was, quite literally, no different from striking a rock with an egg.
There were four elite Doom Warriors standing firm, each of whom had smashed two paladins and fifty soldiers to pieces in the blink of an eye, and the two Dark Shades that kept flapping their wings were terrifying just to look at. On top of that, how could anyone possibly deal with the Doom Warriors filling the walls? The people held their silence, not even daring to breathe.
At that moment, a single voice shattered the silence within the hall.
“Here.”
Everyone’s eyes focused on him at once. Though his courage was commendable, the gazes of the people were filled with pity, for they thought he would soon share the same fate as the lord and his wife.