Episode 164 Crime and Punishment (3)
[Ah! sister! I’m scared!]
[Hyung! Save me!]
[Someone help me!]
The faces of children crying.
Dantalian seems to have caught and eaten children who tried to escape the orphanage and put their faces together.
Bikir recalled the strange code of conduct at the orphanage he had seen not too long ago.
It was probably to frighten the children and prevent them from running away, and to ensure that no one would reach out to the children who had run away.
And Dolores, who learned all this, was able to create an intense torch that had never been possible before.
…currrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Pure white flames began to burn all over Dantalian.
[Quaaaaaagh!?]
With the sound of burning skin, Dantalian twisted his whole body.
But Dolores hadn’t seen it.
“Bad… the world’s bad… you bastard!”
There are not many curse words that I know how to do.
My vision is blurry because tears are overflowing from my eyes.
She lowered her head, unable to meet the eyes of the children in pain in the flames.
His innate divine power was at a tremendous level, but it happened because he had not yet accumulated practical experience to effectively express it.
……But there was a skillful touch that compensated for that.
Plenty!
Bikir. The hound of night bared its razor-sharp teeth again, slicing through Dantalian’s flesh.
‘It’s an opportunity.’
Dantalian, engulfed in the flames emitted by Dolores, suffers from a terrible blast pain.
At this moment, if Dantalian’s body was slowly cut with a knife, there was a good enough chance.
…Hook!
A red aura exploded from the tip of Bikir’s sword.
The sticky liquid aura that symbolized the top grade of the graduate was now heavy enough to be close to solid.
[Ugh!? Humans dare!]
Dantalian raised his body from burning white flames and pulled out the purple tongues.
Chanang! window! kang!
Vikir’s sword and Dantalian’s tongue began to collide fiercely.
Even in the blink of an eye, a high-speed battle where dozens of sums come and go.
However, the seasoned Vikir continued to attack without losing Dantalian’s demonic speed.
Ta-ang!
Hitting Dantalian’s tongue with the back of a kill, Vikir felt his wrist bones tingle.
‘……Certainly stronger than Andromalius.’
Andromalius, who was in the body of Seth Les Baskervilles, was also a super-high-ranking demon of the Demon King class.
However, the difference was that the knights of the Baskervilles fought together at that time, and the finish was built by Hugo Les Baskervilles.
However, Vikir, who is now playing 1:1 with Dantalian, had a strong helper.
“Night Hound! Step back!”
Dolores created a barrier with white flames in her hands.
Vikir, who had been wielding his sword without blinking or breathing in the high-speed battle, was finally able to retreat behind the barrier and reorganize.
Sizzle sizzle…
The white heat that eats up the darkness drove Dantalian far away.
But Dantalian wasn’t impatient at all.
[Ho-ho-ho! This is the first time people have pushed me like this. Interesting, right.]
“Interesting? Let’s see if I can say that before I die.”
[Did you die? Are you trying to kill me now? Hohoho- you’re full of ambition, right.]
Dantalian pulled the face of the gentleman with the mustang mustache forward, and then spoke politely.
[okay. All humans believe they are special. chosen. special. A hero who can kill demons and bring peace to this world. Hero. Something like that.]
His face soon changed to that of a bewitching woman.
And the next one changed to that of an innocent child, then that of a stubborn man, and then that of a ferocious old man.
Cheonseosaeng (千面書生). Indeed, it was a change worthy of Dantalian’s face.
[But no. In fact, everyone in the world is special. Everyone’s a hero, a lover, a jerk, a villain. All of them are main characters and have their own unique story.]
At the same time, Dantalian emitted a thick black mist from his mouth.
Fog filled the entire space in an instant, like smoke from a fire.
Flutter-
Three unpleasant objects fell in front of Vikir and Dolores, who had stepped back.
It was a black leather sack, similar to the one Ephebo Hebe Pedo Geronto had once worn over its face.
The leftmost sack wriggled.
…flutter!
Dark blue veins vibrate on the outer surface of the thin leather bag.
yet.
…flutter! …flutter! …flutter!
The three leather sacks started running wild.
Its ominous leap was like the sack covering the face of a hanged man as he wriggled on the brink of death.
Dantalian chuckled in a satisfied tone, as if he had already peeked inside the sack.
[……Let’s listen to your story from now on?]
* * *
Inside the thick fog.
Dolores looked around for Dantalian, who had disappeared behind the fog.
“What is this fog? It doesn’t disappear even with divine power.”
“……be careful.”
Bikir has already been through Dantalian.
Therefore, the attack pattern of the monster was also predicted to some extent.
Before long, one of the three black bags floating in the air is seen opening wide.
Bikir said in a dry voice.
“That’s the ‘Sack of Shame’ carried by Dantalian the Face Collector.”
“……?”
The moment Dolores tilts her head.
The hilt of shame veered toward Dolores before pulling something out from inside.
Seeing what came out of the sack, Dolores’s expression turned to surprise for an instant.
“Ah!? That’s it!?”
It was Dolores herself who emerged from the sack.
[…]
Fake Dolores looking at Dolores with an expressionless face.
Bikir calmly explained further.
“The bag of shame makes the target put on a shameful expression. It is a mental attack by bringing the most shameful memories into reality.”
So, what is in front of me now is to reproduce the memories of Dolores’ most embarrassing time in her life.
This was a truly terrifying technique that not only destroyed the bond with his colleagues in an instant, but also made him lose his composure.
……but?
Shhh-
Dolores, who walked out of the sack of shame, didn’t take much action.
……I just peed in my pants.
“…”
“…”
Vikir and Dolores shut their mouths at the same time as if they had promised.
“Dead!”
Dolores immediately scattered white flames and blew away the hilt of shame.
[Ah!? What! How did you overcome such a disgraceful face so easily!?]
Dantalian’s embarrassed cry was heard from beyond the fog.
It seems that if you overcome this illusion, it is a structure that damages the demon beyond it.
yet. The next sack moved as if it were alive, opening its mouth at Dolores.
Bikir’s expression hardened.
“Next is the ‘Sack of Fear’. It makes the other person’s face look terrified.”
In other words, it brings out the face that the other person fears the most.
In time, what came out of the bag of fears stood before Dolores.
It was a middle-aged man with a well-groomed expression.
Bikir recognized his face at once.
‘Cardinal Humbert!’
The godfather of the Old Testament and the biological father of Dolores.
Dolores’ expression hardened as Humbert’s face appeared.
“Ah father…”
I was so flustered that I couldn’t even say a word.
[Dolores. Why are you out and about at this time? Did you finish all the assignments?]
Cardinal Humbert looked down at Dolores with an overbearing attitude.
The cane in her hand made her pupils tremble mercilessly.
“That’s it…”
Dolores only breaks out in a cold sweat and can’t meet Humbert’s gaze.
Right then. There was a
slash
that blew off Cardinal Humbert’s head.
Bikir. He intervened in Dolores’ memories.
“……An illusion is just an illusion. There is nothing to be afraid of.”
When Bikir’s voice was heard, Dolores finally exhaled.
Cold sweat dripped down her cheeks and down her chin.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have a good relationship with my father. I forgot that it was an instant illusion.”
“……I understand.”
Bikir just nodded without asking any further questions.
Eventually, there was only one sack left.
“…That’s the ‘sack of love’.”
Hearing Bikir’s words, Dolores nodded.
At this point, I know what’s coming. Perhaps the face of the one you love will appear.
However, it was difficult for Dolores to predict exactly what kind of face would appear.
I couldn’t remember with confidence that I had ever loved someone.
Of course, he has acted according to the Law of the Church of Rune, ‘Love your neighbor’, but Dantalian’s ‘love’ would not be that ‘love’.
And soon after.
Tsutsutsutsutsutsu…
What came out of the sack of love began to take shape.
That’s a guy with a dark outfit.
It was a monster who covered his body with a black cloak, wore a hat, and covered his face with a grotesque mask in the shape of a stork’s beak.
It was the ‘Night Hound’.
“…”
“…”
There was an awkward silence between Vikir and Dolores for a moment.
“……This?”
“Oh no! That sack is weird! It’s driving people crazy!”
As Bikir slowly turns her head away, Dolores shakes her hand hurriedly.
Just then came Dantalian’s sneer from beyond the fog.
[Hot ho! My sack is honest. Even more than the parties! It captures and brings out even the smallest emotions hidden in the deepest corners of the heart! Even the feelings he didn’t know about!]
Dolores’ face turned red at those words that were like a confirmed kill.
“Wait! I feel unfair! I swear!…No, I’m not going to swear, but I never thought of that…!”
“…”
Bikir didn’t say much this time either.
He just drew his sword and fought the hound of the night in front of him.
Caen – Caang! hooked!
Bikire, carrying the sacred fire of the saint on his back, pierced the body of the night hound without difficulty, and soon it was scattered in a handful of mist.
“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be able to reproduce the power of the main body.”
It’s probably because Dantalian hasn’t stocked up on mana yet.
This is because Dantalian, when they met in the battle of destruction before returning, was able to reproduce the face and power of the other person’s memories as they were.
Bikir thought it was fortunate that he found Dantalian even a little earlier.
Meanwhile.
“…”
Saint Dolores was fidgeting without saying anything.
When Bikir ponders for a moment what to say to her.
…gurgling!
The three sacks started moving again.
[Ho-ho-ho-ho, to be honest, I didn’t expect much from the saintess. How long can such a fledgling have a past?]
“…”
[However, I’m looking forward to you.]
Dantalian’s words were accurately sniping at Vikir.
A demonic technique that brings out the subject’s shameful memories, fearful memories, and memories of a loved one and brings them to life.
It is now unfolding towards Bikir.
yet.
Tsutsutsutsutsutsu…
The first ‘sack of shame’ began to trace Vikir’s memories and reproduce them in the present world.
yet.
Certain landscapes and objects began to materialize in the fog.
“……omg!?”
It was something that would startle Dolores.
[…… Huh?]
Even Dantalian, who created the hallucination, is at a loss for words to be surprised.
The sky dyed dark red. A mountain of corpses. A river of blood.
The center of a world where everything has been destroyed.
A tall pillar stood on the terribly barren land.
Dolores’s gaze naturally goes to the top of the pillar.
And soon, the ‘something’ on top of the pillar was deeply engraved in her retina.
neck.
One of the severed necks had been put on hold.
