Chapter 56 : Chapter 56

Chapter 56 - Tearing the Darkness

The man and woman, gagged to prevent suicide, were forced to kneel in one place.

A place where not only those forced to kneel, but also the one who forced them, did not particularly want to be.

“Heheheh…. A direct descendant of the Queen is different, after all. To think he'd make a nest in Eclipse.”

I looked up at the sky.

The sun was hidden and not visible.

Only the radiance leaking out around it could be seen.

“Don't you all worry too much. Seeing as nothing has happened to us even after coming this far, at least we won't die because of the demonic realm.”

He says not to worry while tapping their heads with the gun's muzzle.

“Did Millesdusk conquer Eclipse during the 15 years I was gone? In my time, they said you'd die just from breathing here.”

“……”

Edwin quietly affirmed it.

It was still the same now.

What do you mean Millesdusk conquered it.

This place was still a demonic realm.

‘But is the Youngest Son really here….’

His bleeding head recalled the events of a few hours ago.

‘I had seized victory, but everything was overturned because of that silver mask that suddenly appeared. Damn it….’

Who the hell was that bastard?

He was truly like a ghost.

If a Spirit Sorcerer handles ghosts, that man was a real ghost.

I attacked with my eyes wide open, but he wasn't there, and instead, I was hit on the back of my head.

‘This kind of power is likely to be an illusion. And there are few places that can cast an illusion this seamless.’

The suspects were gradually narrowing down.

A place comes to mind, but to tell my lord about this, I have to survive first.

And yet, to be able to win while my hands and feet are tied and a long needle is aimed at my heart.

That white-haired hunter was not an easy opponent.

Jeobeok-jeobeok─

Footsteps are heard from a nearby altar.

There were two sets of sounds.

One of them revealed a familiar face and a familiar pallor.

Clack─

At the same time, a gun muzzle was thrust at their heads.

“Hello there, folks.”

Halsin smiled brightly and greeted them.

On the other hand, the two people standing in front, the Youngest Son and the Butler, stared blankly at the scene.

Is any further introduction needed here?

He lifted the brim of his hat, revealing his wrinkled face.

“My name is Halsin Morpheor. I'm a vampire hunter. You know why I'm here, right?”

Josephine let out a faint breath and looked ahead with half-lidded eyes.

Both were unfamiliar faces.

But she was sure that one of them was a very familiar person.

She could tell by the voice.

“You must have come for your main job.”

A short reply to the hunter.

It was the first time I saw his face, but that voice was familiar to my ears.

Even though we were more than ten steps apart, the faint scent of blood reached my nose. That scent of fire, too.

On his slightly revealed forearm, a magic sword hidden by magitech was engraved in runes.

The person was, without a doubt, him.

‘500 gold coins….’

His identity was.

“Dante Black Millesdusk. The Fifth Son of the Millesdusk family. In other words, a direct descendant of the Vampire Queen.”

The hunter kindly explained.

The subject of that explanation let out a faint breath.

“I didn't plan on meeting like this.”

His blood-red eyes met her weakly opened blue ones.

Just by looking, I could feel that the wound was not shallow.

The smell of blood in the air.

That smell was not insignificant.

“I'm sorry. I've caused you trouble.”

The girl nodded faintly at the calm apology.

Fortunately, she accepted it.

And next to her.

There is one more familiar face.

“Edwin, you were here too.”

“…!”

Sorry, but I just saw him now.

The eyes that confirmed it became sad like ‘ㅜ.ㅜ’, clearly showing his disappointment.

Leaving him be.

The Youngest Son took one step forward.

But only that far.

The closer he got, the more strength went into the finger on the trigger.

“Stay there. Maybe because the times have advanced, but the trigger is quite light.”

“What do you want.”

“The annihilation of your kind.”

A concise answer.

But it was a vain dream.

“Do you think you can achieve such a thing with two hostages?”

“It's enough to catch you alone. For now, cut off both your arms. If you don't want to see the hostages die.”

“Before that, let me ask one thing. What is the reason you want the annihilation of vampires?”

“Because you killed all of my family. There is no longer a reason for me to live on this land.”

This time too, it was a concise answer.

At the cliché yet heavy response, the Youngest Son nodded his head.

“Then if a reason to live on this land arises. Could you postpone the annihilation?”

“…What nonsense is that.”

“I wanted to ask. In life, there is nothing more important than one's own will.”

He gestured with his chin to the side.

It was a kind of signal.

The Butler's eyes lit up.

The purple light coming from the boy's large eyes saw the human's soul.

It saw the bare face of the sinner who had trespassed into the land of demons.

“Your soul is quite damaged.”

The voice echoes eerily.

In this place where it was hard to see a single speck of light, the fine hairs on the skin stood on end.

That chill bound the whole body, and before that, it bound the soul.

Even a stray dog has a 50% advantage in its own house.

So how much of an advantage would a demon have?

It was enough to dominate the mind of one human.

Even more so if they were weakened by someone else's soul attack.

“Da…mn….”

Halsin put strength into his index finger.

No matter how hard he tried to pull, his body wouldn't move as he wished.

All he could move right now was.

Only the darkness he had assimilated in advance.

Swaaaaaaaaaaah─

Something moves.

The shadows surrounding the floor and surroundings move.

That unusual movement gathered around the master of its will and covered him.

“This is the first time I've seen a human who handles this kind of power.”

“Because it's more suited to the west than here.”

A mana assimilator.

Among them, the one with the constitution to channel mana into darkness was that man.

“Youngest Son. The power of soul domination is gradually fading. That darkness is shaking off my power.”

“Gatekeeper.”

“…How did you know I was hiding?”

The Gatekeeper, who had been trying to quietly steal honey, grumbled and stomped his foot.

It didn't take long for the two hostages to be rescued, tucked under his arms.

The long needles were, of course, removed.

The hostage rescue was resolved by restraining the hostage-taker's movements, but that restraint had been broken.

“Kuhuhuhut…. To think there would be such a variable.”

The man, clad in darkness like armor, also clad his firearms in that dark color.

Black smoke billowed from the gun barrel as well as the muzzle.

Josephine, whose gag was removed by the Gatekeeper, was the first to warn of the danger.

“The dark attribute allows him to move freely through the darkness and also move his attacks…! So the bullets—!”

“Are coming from all directions.”

The hunter, picking up on Josephine's words, scattered lead pellets.

The lead pellets that filled the bullets were coated with black smoke.

The muzzle wasn't aimed at the Youngest Son in the slightest, but the darkness swallowed the bullets.

And then it accurately spat them out at the target.

[Activating Unique Skill 「Wings of Steel」.]

A bird of prey with a lion's body leaped out of the spatial artifact and spread its huge wings to envelop its master.

The bullets seemed to bounce right off, but then.

“…This is interesting.”

They passed right through the wings and embedded themselves in my entire body.

To be precise, the darkness ate the bullets once more and then spat them out from within the wings.

A level of defense that was impossible.

“How about it. Vampire. The night is not only your friend.”

“Yes. It seems so. And I have quite a few friends too.”

The Gatekeeper ran.

The newly acquired Bone Sword, which he must have made another one of in the meantime, cut through the darkness.

It was empty space.

It was the same no matter how many times he attacked or where he attacked.

He freely got eaten by the darkness and then released, evading and attacking at the same time.

Since all he had to do was pull the trigger, offense and defense became very free.

“What a funny fellow.”

He laughed enough to reveal his beast-like fangs and stuck his sword into the ground.

After that, he tried to form the Mudra of Wisdom Fist… but.

“…Why are you stopping me?”

“I have decided to entrust the job to Butler Amon.”

“Is the butler that boy? But why does he have… horns, or something.”

“Because he's a demon.”

I didn't need to be told what kind of demon it was to know.

Amon, the demon summoned to the altar.

He flashed his eyes towards the sky.

He stared at the celestial sun.

He commanded the shadow that covered the sun.

Clear the way.

“Heh….”

The strength in the hand holding the Bone Sword was released on its own.

The others were not much different.

Josephine and Edwin lifted their chins with their mouths agape as if a fly would enter.

The tide of radiance that filled the land, which had been only dark, like a flood.

The Youngest Son spoke.

“Let there be light.”

And so there was light.

The being based on darkness was helplessly washed away by the decision of the heavens, revealing its bare skin.

“Isn't this cheating.”

Jingle─ Thud─

He threw the firearms in his hand to the floor.

His empty hands went up to the sky.

The Gatekeeper approached for restraint, but he was once again stopped.

“You'll die if you go.”

“…Yes?”

“……”

Halsin's expression hardened.

It was none other than Josephine who understood the Youngest Son's meaning.

“That's right. You can't go. The core in that person's body right now. It's very unstable.”

It was a core made without anyone's help in the first place, so its safety was thrown to the dogs.

And yet, with the burden of battle, a fuse was created.

He had become a living bomb that could be detonated whenever he himself wanted.

Only the two with expertise in cores noticed Halsin's change and did not let their guard down.

The hunter chuckled and lowered the hands he had raised in surrender.

“Nothing is going as planned. Have I been cut off from the world for too long?”

“Butler. Knock him out.”

“Of course. Youngest Son.”

The boy snapped his tiny fingers.

Thud─

At that moment, the hunter also collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

With the darkness lifted, the power that had blocked the soul domination also lost its strength.

The Gatekeeper lifted the fallen man.

“Where should I bury him?”

“Your words are too harsh. If someone heard that, they'd think we were the villains.”

“Millesdusk is treated as a villain anywhere on the continent.”

“This is inside the east. And should you kill a kid's father so easily? What sin did the kid commit?”

“…Have you seen this person before?”

“I saw him for the first time today. Just tie him up, hmm. That would also let him escape the moment he touches darkness.”

“Let's just kill him.”

“Why do you keep talking about killing? Just stay still. There must be a way.”

“Um…. I think I know the way.”

Josephine approached the unconscious Halsin.

She placed her hand on his chest.

She infused her own mana and extended it to the core.

She imbued the mana with the property of freezing within her body and infused it.

Halsin's core froze as it was, and its activity was blocked.

He could not use his mana unless Josephine took another action.

“It's a method the family's executioners use, so this should be safe.”

“I don't know why you know such a thing, but… good. Then load him onto the Griffin.”

While the Gatekeeper tied Halsin onto the Griffin's back.

The Youngest Son looked back at Edwin.

“Why are you here.”

“Why, why am I here…! Miss Josephine was being taken, so I was trying to save her… that is….”

“You were captured too.”

“If it weren't for the interference of that silver mask, ahh! Y-Youngest Son! I have something to tell you!”

Something he had forgotten for a moment due to the commotion came to mind.

“There is someone who told the hunter where you were, Youngest Son. That person was wearing a silver mask and was an illusion user. In my opinion….”

“Yes. I know what you are thinking. Go back now. Rest.”

“I understand.”

Edwin bowed his head and retreated.

Next was Josephine's turn.

She was staring at the gradually setting sun, her mouth open again.

“I'm sorry our first meeting was like this.”

She, who hadn't even noticed him approaching because her mind was elsewhere, gasped and shook her head.

“No, it's alright. I know well what it's like to be chased. This is quite good.”

“I'm grateful you think so.”

“I'll go with Sir Edwin too.”

“Now that I've secured a home site, I'll call on you from this side soon.”

Is he talking about an invitation?

Josephine nodded slightly.

“Ah, and Josephine. Your ear for a moment.”

I told her something that would be better for her to know now.

“Yes, yes…?”

“Go now. You make the choice.”

She was startled.

She followed Edwin with a thoughtful expression.

The Youngest Son also got on the Griffin with the Butler.

Behind him was the hunter tied up by the Gatekeeper, and the Gatekeeper already looked sick and tired of this place.

“Youngest Son. Where are we going now?”

“To the Pantheon.”

It was time to go to the main house.

It was time to go and show those who said it couldn't be done.

That even the sunlight shining down on this land is in my hand.

The Griffin took flight.

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