Chapter 352: Outside the Tower (4)
'I don't know what it is, but bring it to me, son.'
'....'
'I would like to go in person, but I cannot leave because of the current tension with the Morg Family. I'll give you the entire Knights Order if you need it.'
While Hugo was busy analyzing the newly installed Morg's delegates, he left Vikir with a mission.
To retrieve a Wraith Tree in the middle of the salt desert.
In the process, Vikir had taken over full military control of Baskerville from Hugo.
Even though it was only a power that was effective for half a day, allowing the army to stand by within a certain distance at the right time to blow the whistle, it was actually an enormous power as it could summon all seven knights, including the Seven Counts of the Iron Blood Swordman Family
In other words, Vikir became the de facto military commander of the Baskervilles for half a day from the time he blew the whistle.
"...Order."
Young patriarch Osiris bowed respectfully, and the Six Counts behind him did the same.
Vikir gave a short command.
"Bite him to death."
The hunter unleashed the hounds.
No sooner had Vikir's command been uttered than the shadows behind him shot forward.
The prey had just escaped the cage... Amdusias!
...Papapat!
The first to attack Amdusias were the triplets at the front, Highbro, Midbro, and Lowbro.
The Three Swords. Swords that multiply in power when wielded in unison.
Together, Highbro, Midbro, and Lowbro breathed aura into their swords with all their might and then slashed.
Taaang!
However, the triplets' combined auras were unable to pierce Amdusias's iron-like hide.
[Aah! It just tickles...!]
Amdusias was just about to snort.
"Puppies stay back."
"Let's see if this one tickles, too."
Two huge shadows loomed over the triplets' backs.
Boston Terrier Le Baskerville, leader of the Pit Bull Knights.
Great Dane Le Baskerville, leader of the Mastiff Knights.
The most fiercely competitive of the Seven, they bared their teeth at the same prey.
kwa-kwakwakwakwakwang!
The strikes from Boston Terrier and Great Dane weren't as smooth as those from Highbro, Midbro, and Lowbro.
The extremely concentrated auras drew six teeth, piercing through Amdusias's hide.
[Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!]
Amdusias screamed in agony.
The total number of teeth embedded in his body was twelve. Boston Terrier and Great Dane had not only sunk their teeth into the hide of their prey, they had ripped it to shreds.
After that, four other Seven Counts joined.
'Isabella' La Baskerville, leader of the Doberman Knights.
'German' Le Baskerville, leader of the Shepherd Knights.
'Metzgerhund' Le Baskerville, leader of the Rottweiler Knights.
'Cu-Chulainn' Le Baskerville, leader of the Wolfhound Knights.
It was quite unusual to see all the Knights Leaders in one place, save for the currently vacant position of CaneCorso.
"Hehehe... I see your face often these days. It seems like it was just yesterday when we executed Set."
Count Boston Terrier chuckled lowly.
But neither Great Dane nor any of the other Seven Counts had any particular response to that comment.
Each took a hundred Graduators under their command to intercept Amdusias. Meanwhile.
"Break his horns first, then his neck. Then the hind legs. Then the lungs and liver."
Vikir was giving orders, step by step.
The Six Counts and the Osiris dutifully followed his orders.
Everyone who watched eventually realized.
"Vikir, was that guy... from Baskerville?"
"I never heard of a guy like that in the Ironbloods Swordman?"
"Yes, dude, I've heard of him, the supernova that appeared on Baskerville Family!"
Some of the more gossipy of the group spoke up.
"It is written that at the age of 15, he rescued a woman from another noble family and died heroically!"
"That he even received a letter of commendation from His Majesty the Emperor?"
"I heard there was even a golden statue of him in a city somewhere."
"What? Wasn't that a rumor?"
"I thought that was a rumor started by the Baskervilles to raise the family's stock price..."
"Now that I think about it, I wonder what the Baskervilles are upset about that would do such a thing. That closed family."
"I can't believe he was a real person in the first place... and that I went to school with him all these years."
The public is shocked.
But Vikir couldn't care less.
"What are you doing? A demon who almost dragged your sons, daughters, and disciples into the abyss."
Vikir's words brought everyone to their senses.
The first to step forward was Professor Morg Banshee.
"Professors, listen up! Our first priority from now on is to protect our students!"
At the same time, Professor Banshee unleashed his full power.
Six magic circles were drawn, and within them, magic from the elements of earth, fire, wind, water, iron, and wood poured forth and began to envelop Amdusias.
The other professors awoke and drew their own swords and magic.
"Hehe- I was distracted for a moment, shame on me."
"You will pay dearly for touching my daughter!"
The spear king Cervantes and the Archon Roderick also unleashed their sharp momentum.
kwa-kwakwakwakwakwang!
A large number of people united to attack Amdusias.
Even a land-based demon with a 1:1 strength ratio would be no match for such a large number.
Especially after the destruction of the Hell Tree, his secret weapon.
[...!]
But Amdusias did not give up.
Despite the nineteen piercing holes in his body, he stood up on all fours.
He raised his broken horn and pointed it at Vikir.
[I cannot fail in my duty, and you must die here].
An uncanny amount of determination. It had a solidity that could never be matched by Vikir's.
Even when his body is torn apart and his soul torn to shreds, Amdusias rises.
Somehow, on all fours, on all four hooves, it stands tall.
...kwakwang!
Amdusias begins to move.
Even in the midst of the cascading storm of auras, he was running straight for Vikir.
A demon ready to throw away his life. His final dive was one that even the power of the many gathered here could not prevent.
"Vikir! Get back!"
"Vikir! Dodge!"
Camus shouted, throwing a fireball at Amdusias' body.
Dolores shouted as well, imbuing Vikir's body with holy power.
But Vikir remained where he was.
"...."
He was merely looking for a momentary gap in Amdusias's strength. [o-oooooo!]
Amdusias ran. It lunged. His crumbling body pushed forward, unafraid of death.
To eliminate the hated enemy in front of him, the variable that might be the greatest obstacle to his future endeavors.
But.
...Boom!
Something massive crashed down on Amdusias' head.
It was a metal object, heavy and solid enough to be indestructible even by Amdusias' charge.
[...A vault?]
Amdusias's charge was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a vault in the middle of the wall, dented by the impact.
The massive vault, made of adamantium and orharcone, was one that Amdusias was surely familiar with.
[This is Belial's...?]
Suddenly, something loomed in Amdusias's vision as he turned his head.
Demian. And the white-haired girl next to him.
Sinclair stood there with an expressionless face.
Charak-
Sinclair placed one hand on his hat and chanted an incantation.
The vault above Amdusias's head seemed to melt for a moment, then began to transform.
A rabbit with a pocket watch.
Looking like it was in a hurry to get somewhere, the rabbit struck Amdusias with a watch made of a mixture of adamantium and orharcone.
...kwakwang!
Amdusias' legs snapped.
Above him, Camus black fireballs rained down with terrifying force.
[He-aaaaaghh!]
Amdusias screams.
The barrage of heroes pouring in from all over was gradually sinking Amdusias.
And then.
...Bam!
Vikir took a step toward Amdusias.
His hands glowed brightly with Dolores' blessing.
Vikir slowly stroked Beelzebub's sword.
A crimson aura blazed, and it stretched out to form a massive greatsword.
"Demon..."
With that, the tip of Vikir's sword exploded with layers and layers of aura.
Boom, boom, boom!
The sun rose and filled the sky above the Academy.
The giant Black Sun was the result of eight teeth snapping together to form a sphere.
It was the ultimate manifestation of Vikir's power after leaving the tower and reaching the 8th Form, mid-Swordmaster rank.
"Kill."
No exceptions.
From the first blow, to the last. There was no room for second thoughts.
The demon must be struck down.
...Flash!
With a blinding burst of light, the Black Sun fell.
Woo-duddeuddeuk!
It sucked the slowly crumbling body of Amdusias into the center of the sphere, where it was swallowed up in an endless chain of crushing.
[...! ......! ...!]
An end without even a final word, let alone a will.
A Eternal Annihilation.
It was the end of Amdusias, the 'Unicorn of the Abyss', the 5th of the Ten Corpses.