Chapter 36 – The Might of the Demon Sword
Krurung.
A gigantic horn, towering at least 5 meters tall, a creature with the head of an ox and the body of a human, and feet with bovine hooves – its name was the Minotaur.
It was so massive that the shadow it cast could swallow all the slaves, including Lian.
The roars of excitement erupted, and the announcer shouted away.
Clang.
Amidst the chaos, there were those paralyzed with fear, dropping their swords.
“We, we can’t possibly defeat such a thing!”
“We’re all gonna die! I don’t want to die!”
Two terrified slaves screamed as they bolted toward the passage they’d come from. The Minotaur, who had been eyeing Lian, suddenly lifted its head.
Showing your back to a predator, especially one as hyped up as this guy, was practically begging for it.
Thump! Thwump!
The Minotaur lightly stomped its feet and, as if equipped with springs, soared into the air like it was training for the Olympics! It landed right in front of the panicked slaves.
“Aaaaah…!”
“Sa-save me—!”
Crunch, CRACK!
With a single swing of its dual-bladed axe, the Minotaur obliterated two slaves in a flash. They were now officially on the guest list for the afterlife.
Thud.
The chestnut-haired slave, trembling and unable to run, dropped to the ground, hands shaking as he clutched his sword. The big slave, holding his shield, wore a vacant expression like he’d just seen a ghost.
“How, how are we supposed to beat… That’s totally impossible!”
The chestnut slave yelled, terror making his voice rise an octave. Realization of impending doom struck hard.
When humans get scared, anger tends to bubble up as a survival mechanism. Unfortunately, in this case, it was about as useful as a chocolate teapot.
“Krheung.”
His scream just revved the Minotaur up even more. Its predatory gaze zeroed in on the chestnut slave.
“Hiiiek?!”
The chestnut slave squawked, trying to scramble back. His body was too tense, making him flop around on the floor like a fish out of water.
“Ooooooh!”
“Puahahahahaha! Kill him! Just kill him!”
The frantic crowd erupted in jeers, their voices echoing in the arena, demanding blood.
“Throw him! Throw him high!”
“Kahaha! Rip his head off!”
The chorus of screams nearly choked the poor chestnut slave. To him, it felt like the whole world wanted him six feet under.
Thump, thwump.
The Minotaur, eyes bloodshot from whatever stimulants it had, snorted and slowly advanced, seeming to toy with its trapped meal.
Ah—I’m totally going to die.
Lian’s calm voice suddenly cut through the panic, much to the chagrin of his two companions.
“Why do I get pixelated out, but my body doesn’t? Ah, is it because of the eye-equipped organs?”
Lian shrugged past the chestnut slave and walked forward. His nonchalance as he strolled towards certain death seemed more casual than a walk in the park.
“Woooooo! Don’t kill that weakling; sell him elsewhere instead!”
“Scrape off that shiny face!”
As Lian, looking younger than the other slaves and blessed with a face likely to break hearts in the future, walked toward the Minotaur, all kinds of ugly shouts erupted.
Calls to sell him into slavery were the mildest comments; there were even horrifying suggestions about flaying his skin. The crowd in the arena was on the edge of their seats, salivating for Lian’s gruesome demise.
“Ah, can you just quiet down for a sec? I’m about to try something.”
Lian, seemingly unfazed by the surrounding chaos, appeared lost in a conversation with himself, murmuring away.
The Minotaur was now close enough to give Lian a high-five (though he’d probably prefer to avoid that).
“Let’s see… Does this work?” Lian casually lifted the sword he held.
He swung it in the air with the finesse of a child playing with a toy sword.
“Krurung!”
The Minotaur scoffed at the foolishness of the prey before it and lifted its axe—or tried to.
Sssrk.
A fine line appeared across the Minotaur’s upper body, as neat as if cut with a paper cutter.
“…-?”
The Minotaur stared at Lian, wide-eyed and confused. Had it just gotten hit? Its gaze went from Lian to the ground, trying to make sense of this.
“It’s ambiguous.”
With that murmur from Lian, the Minotaur dropped dead, tongue lolling out like it just got the worst punchline ever.
“…”
The audience, utterly stunned by the surreal twist of events, could only stare, mouths agape.
Shshaaaak!
The Minotaur’s waist was cut cleanly, spraying blood everywhere and revealing its insides. Its head, shoulders, and arms flopped to the ground.
The pungent scent of blood signaled the Minotaur’s defeat.
“Waaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
A thunderous cheer erupted, shaking the foundations of the arena. The announcer, finally snapping back to reality, spoke with a trembling voice.
“The youngest gladiator has felled the Minotaur in a single blow! A new star is born!”
The excitement in the announcer’s voice was palpable, roaring even louder than the crowd.
“Selective eating doesn’t help you grow tall?”
Lian, completely unfazed by the wild celebration, gave a lazy jab at the grumbling demon sword that was whining about the tasteless Minotaur blood.
[ It’s all because your blood was too delicious! ]
The demon sword buzzed, voicing its complaints. Lian tilted his head, pondering.
“Uh… thanks?”
[ Yuck…! ]
Ignoring the sword’s complaints, Lian glanced towards the passage he came from.
‘I need to get back to Iris quickly.’
Though the match wrapped up faster than he anticipated, anything could happen in the meantime.
For all he knew, someone might have tried to jump Iris, or she might have wandered off to the cafeteria and snagged a random snack.
To Lian, Iris was as helpless as a baby left unattended at the edge of a river.
“Now, let’s interview this miraculous gladiator—”
The announcer, unable to contain his exhilaration, zoomed over on a magical flying carpet, heading straight for Lian.
Caught in his worry about Iris, Lian didn’t even see the approaching announcer. He strolled past the Minotaur and continued toward the passage.
“Huh? Wait, you can’t just go like that!”
The announcer’s bewildered voice trailed behind him, but Lian ignored it. In a comedic world, it’s only natural for a resident to charge ahead when they see their goal in sight.
And if you try to stop a sprinting comedic character—
“Waaah?!”
You’ll end up in the stratosphere, just like that announcer.
‘Did something just fly past me?’
Lian passed through the passage, entirely lost in his humorous mindset. Since he had just scored such a monumental victory, no one dared to stand in his way.
*
Bang!
“Iris!”
“…!”
Iris, who had been hunched over on the bed, snapped her head up wide-eyed. The moment she recognized my face, she leaped out of bed and dashed towards me.
I instinctively reached out to grasp Iris’s hand.
“Sorry, I’m late—”
Before I could finish my sentence, Iris dove into my arms. I froze, my hand still outstretched.
“Euu…”
Iris rubbed her face against my chest, crying softly. That sound jolted my frozen brain back to reality. I quickly grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away.
“Ah, Iris, are you crying?!”
There are beings in this world you should never let cry. The first is a child, the second is a woman. And if that woman is beautiful? Diving off a cliff is a better life choice.
Iris is a beautiful girl. And a terrifying one, at that. Not to mention she’s the protagonist of the story!
Making her cry was practically an instant ticket to doom.
‘Is Iris… an assassin?’
I thought to myself as I broke away from Iris and walked to the center of the room, kneeling down.
“Mother, I shall go first.”
I lifted the sword I held to my neck, tears trickling like morning dew. I had to show some dramatic flair to escape whatever cliché horror might be brewing.
“…?!”
Iris, with an expression I had never seen before, rushed over and snatched the sword right out of my grasp.
[ Oh! Finally held by a proper human -… Arghhhh! Is, is that divine power?! Let me go! Release me, you dog of the gods! Arrrgghhh! ]
The demon sword, which was thrilled to be in the hands of a normal human rather than a weirdo like Lian, screamed in horror.
Thinking I might lose this handy weapon, I reached out to Iris again and said,
“Good girl, Iris. Quickly give that to me.”
Iris then hid the sword behind her back and shook her head vigorously.
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