Chapter 95

WHOOOOSH!

Countless bloodstones coalesced in the air and sank into the horn of Suho, the one-horned demon.

The sight filled the watching demons with sheer shock and terror.

“This... is impossible.”

“Only demon nobles can create bloodstones, isn't that right?”

Even the Demon Jailers were staring at Suho in horror. Just as they said, bloodstones were a power over blood granted only to demon nobles.

A refined way for nobles to dine?

Far more important than that nonsense was the fact that bloodstones were the very foundation that had allowed the nobles to pass their strength down to their heirs, preserving their clans' power across generations. They were a power that allowed demons' strength to be absorbed and used with the greatest efficiency.

Wasn't that why they themselves were conducting research after research to create bloodstones? They had been developing things like Frenzied Blood Poison and Stardust for that purpose, but all of it was ultimately an attempt to imitate bloodstones, the exclusive province of the nobility.

'We've finally managed a fairly close imitation recently, but... '

That only made them all the more certain that what One-Horn had just created were genuine bloodstones.

But how could that be possible?

“Weren't all the demon nobles wiped out in the War of the Monarchs?”

“Even the Radir Clan, the last survivors, was destroyed!”

“Then what the hell is he?!”

Even as they spoke, Suho was utterly dominating his demonic opponent.

He had the Demon Slayer title, which boosted every stat by a full forty percent, and Vulcan's Horn, which had feasted on demon souls. As if that weren't enough, he was now using Esil's ability to continually drain his opponent's strength as he fought. The synergy of it all was beyond imagination.

[“Kihaha! Magnificent, Young Monarch! You truly are the natural enemy of demons!”]

[“Master! I am so proud to be your first knight!”]

Beru and Quay cheered Suho on fervently from within his shadow.

He could have subdued his opponent even faster by bringing out his shadow soldiers, but winning the fight wasn't what mattered right now.

Suho's goal was to draw out the Tyrant King. To lure that coward out, he needed to attract his attention in the most “demonic” way possible.

BOOM!

[You have defeated an Intermediate Frenzied Blood Demon.]

[Vulcan's Horn has devoured a demon's soul.]

The battle was over, but no one cared about its outcome.

“I-is he really a noble?”

“Then what's going to happen to us now?”

Every demon in the stands could only watch Suho's every move, too stunned to do anything else.

It was the execution announcer who stepped forward into that suffocating atmosphere.

“... O-One-Horn wins!”

Meanwhile, the Demon Jailers ground their teeth.

“That's impossible.”

“The nobles are all dead.”

Above all, the Demon Jailers had seen Suho up close. Their senses weren't so dull that they would fail to recognize a demon noble standing right in front of them.

“Then what is he?”

“What the hell is going on?”

Their gazes suddenly turned to the head jailer behind them. He was glaring icily at Suho, who stood in the middle of the colosseum.

“Tch. As if that wretch could be a noble.”

If One-Horn were a demon noble to begin with, he would have had no reason to let them capture him without resistance and enter an execution match.

'There's something going on.'

But what?

'I don't know what it is, but... '

One thing was certain.

“We need to get rid of that ominous bastard.”

His eyes flashed as he bellowed at the jailers.

“Prepare the minotaur!”

“...!”

The Demon Jailers' eyes widened.

“Are you planning to kill One-Horn outright?”

“But he might be a demon noble...”

“So what if he's a noble? We just have to kill him!”

“...!”

The head jailer's words shocked them. For ordinary demons, daring to turn a weapon on a noble was unthinkable.

“This is no longer the Demon Realm of old! So what if One-Horn is a noble? Should we run out there and kneel before him?”

A sinister gleam flared in the head jailer's eyes.

“Don't forget! We already belong to the Tyrant King! That bastard is nothing but a prisoner awaiting execution! If he keeps surviving, we simply send out stronger opponents, as the rules dictate! Prepare the magic beasts at once!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

At his thunderous command, the jailers rushed off.

* * *

The executions were temporarily suspended.

When the announcer declared that they would bring in the magic beasts used in the labor camps as One-Horn's next opponents, a confused commotion swept the stands.

“Holy shit! A minotaur?”

“Have they ever released magic beasts this early in an execution?”

“Have the jailers lost their minds? Can they really treat a demon who might be a noble like this?”

The jailers were normally terrifying figures who wielded whips, but while the slaves sat here in the colosseum, they were free even to jeer at them.

At the same time, the possibility that Suho might be a demon noble was enormously exciting to them.

The execution of a demon noble! To think they would get to witness such a sacrilegious, almost forbidden act!

And this raucous atmosphere was exactly what the head jailer wanted.

'Yes, letting the slaves blow off steam like this from time to time keeps them from rebelling. The Tyrant King's strategy for ruling really is perfect.'

However powerful the Demon Jailers might be, if the slaves gathered in the colosseum decided to attack them all at once, this seemingly unshakable hierarchy could be overturned in an instant.

Without the authority of the nobility, demons were simply creatures that devoured one another anyway. And with Frenzied Blood Poison now widely used throughout the Demon Realm, it was common for a weaker demon to suddenly go berserk, devour a stronger demon, and grow more powerful.

'That's precisely why we need these executions.'

Whether One-Horn was a demon noble or anything else didn't matter, as long as he could stir the demon slaves into this sort of frenzy. The more brutally they executed slaves who stood out, the more the others would be consumed by the fear that they could meet the same fate at any time.

'If he's strong, we just send out someone stronger!'

Having already observed Suho's fighting style, the head jailer had judged the minotaur to be the perfect choice.

“One-Horn relies on speed and agility in battle. In a case like this, sending out something that can take a beating will make the fight last much longer, won't it?”

“As expected of you, Head Jailer.”

“Still, it won't be entertaining if it's too one-sided. Take One-Horn to the armory.”

“Oh! Brilliant as always...!”

Sinister smiles spread across the Demon Jailers' faces at his order. While the minotaur was being prepared, they led Suho to the armory.

“Choose whatever weapons you want.”

“...”

Suho silently surveyed the wide variety of weapons before him. The armory was packed with vicious-looking weapons of every kind: swords, sabers, hammers, axes, gauntlets, and more.

Of course, if he needed a weapon, he could simply take one out of his inventory right now.

But...

'It would be rude to turn down a free gift.'

With a peculiar smile, Suho began slowly looking through the weapons.

Very slowly.

“What's the matter? Why is he taking so long?”

“Having trouble choosing because you've never seen weapons this good before?”

The Demon Jailers were beginning to look impatient with Suho's dawdling. Even so, they didn't bother hurrying him or forcing a random weapon into his hands.

“Yes, that's right. It's good to see you being so careful.”

“If you really can't choose, you can take several. You've only got one horn, so it's only fair that you have plenty of weapons. Hehe.”

Their mockery continued behind Suho as he silently handled the weapons.

“Still, waiting is getting tiresome. We'll be outside. Come out when you've finished choosing.”

After the Demon Jailers left the storeroom, snickering, Suho narrowed his eyes, alone in the armory.

“These weapons look like they're made of something similar to the bars of my cell.”

[“Good eye. They're all weapons forged from hell iron.”]

Esil was quietly impressed by his keen eye. Just as she said, most of the weapons here had been made from ores mined at the labor camp.

[“Hell iron isn't just durable. It also amplifies mana, so it's mainly used to make weapons.”]

Suho gave a small chuckle.

“But every weapon here looks terrible.”

[“However closely I look, there isn't a single good weapon here.”]

Beru muttered through gritted teeth.

Whether through neglect or otherwise, the weapons were all rusty, their edges blunt.

[“I suppose all they care about is that they're sturdy.”]

Suho nodded at Esil's words. The weapons alone made their intentions obvious.

[“They want you to struggle for as long as possible before you die.”]

He could already picture the spectators snickering at a ridiculous clown, flailing about with weapons that were sturdy but had completely lost their edges.

“Still, free is free.”

Suho chuckled as he looked at the weapons. They were junk items with pathetic attack power. But there were so many that inspecting them one by one really would take a long time.

So he might as well take them all first.

“Gray, come out for a moment.”

WHOOSH.

A little wolf pup emerged from Suho's shadow.

“Grrr!”

The moment Gray appeared, he scanned his surroundings with a fierce gaze. Having gained a few levels lately, he looked ready to leap at an enemy and tear out their throat.

But then...

“What are you doing? Pick up everything you see.”

“Ruff?”

Gray tilted his head. His master was stuffing every weapon he could lay his hands on into his inventory like a petty thief.

No, he was actually skipping the inventory altogether and selling them straight through the shop window.

CLINK! CLINK!

“This one's 130 gold? And this one's 100? Well, every little bit adds up.”

“Arroo?”

Gray was bewildered, but soon followed Suho's lead, opening his little mouth and grabbing weapons in his jaws.

DING! DING!

[You have found 'Item: Hell Iron Longsword.' Would you like to acquire it?]

[You have found 'Item: Hell Iron Axe.' Would you like to acquire it?]

“That's right. Good job. Accept all. Sell all.”

The pet system allowed him to acquire items remotely through Gray as well.

With Beru and Quay joining in, Suho completely cleaned out the once weapon-filled armory and smiled in satisfaction.

“Now that was a proper gold haul.”

[“W-wait. What are you going to do if you get caught?”]

Esil was beside herself at Suho's outrageous behavior. But he had thought it through.

“I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. If I don't take them now, aren't they just going to show up in demons' hands in front of me later?”

[“Fair point.”]

He wasn't going to be on friendly terms with the demons going forward anyway, so it was better to make sure he reduced the enemy's strength while he had the chance.

Besides, the Demon Jailers who would discover this first had already been poisoned with Frenzied Blood Poison. Getting angry when they found out would only hasten their deaths.

When Suho finally emerged from the armory after taking care of everything perfectly(?), the Demon Jailers frowned.

“What? Is that all you're taking?”

“After making such a show of choosing carefully, all you picked were gauntlets and two swords? Why so little?”

“Oh dear. He'll die in no time at this rate. Looks like I lost the bet.”

“You know backing out now is against the rules, right?”

The Demon Jailers snickered at one another.

Suho merely shrugged at their reaction and strode toward the arena.

“What's the rush? Are you that eager to die?”

As the Demon Jailers snickered behind him, Esil muttered,

[“Hey. You're doing this because you're afraid they'll catch you, aren't you?”]

“...”

Suho hurried on in silence.