Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight
Chapter 357: SS 5

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Side Story Chapter 5: Theo's Escapade (3)

When the black-clad man tore through the void and emerged, Rose and Honey Bee felt bewildered.

What the hell is that? Could dimensional portals really be opened that easily?

Naturally, opening and closing dimensional portals was something only particularly exceptional beings among the Grand Mages could accomplish.

Even then, it required many materials and lengthy preparation time.

Yet this man crossed through dimensional portals as easily as opening an ordinary door.

'What the hell is his identity?'

'Was there really such a mage in the world?'

At that moment, the black-clad man's gaze turned toward the two of them.

The instant they met his eyes, which seemed to contain molten rubies, both felt goosebumps rise across their entire bodies.

Chills and terror flowed down their spines before spreading throughout their entire bodies.

There wasn't a single part from head to toe that wasn't trembling.

Powerful?

Such words were inadequate.

They couldn't see the end of it.

They couldn't even dare to gauge it.

'Wh-what the hell is this?' 'Wh-where did such a monster appear from?'

In their terrible confusion, the two suddenly found their answer.

The words of the boy they had kidnapped to use as a sacrifice came to mind.

Damien Haksen.

The transcendent being who had saved the world over ten years ago.

The absolute being who had single-handedly slaughtered five Great Demons.

The despair of dark mages.

'N-no way...'

'That brat was really Damien Haksen's nephew...?'

To dark mages, the name Damien Haksen was synonymous with death.

Damien Haksen despised dark mages and never forgave even third-rate dark mages.

In fact, the number of dark mages worldwide had reached near extinction levels due to Damien Haksen.

'I-I want to live.'

'I-I don't want to die.'

But they couldn't just quietly die like this.

Even mindless insects struggle to survive—that was the law of the world.

But their opponent was Damien Haksen.

With their abilities, they could never win.

They had to find another way.

Perhaps because they had been lovers for so long.

Even without exchanging words, the two were in agreement.

"Stop!"

"Move and we'll kill this brat!"

The two almost simultaneously pressed blades to the boy's neck and shouted.

***

The moment he saw this, calm disappeared from Damien Haksen's eyes.

His face, which had at least retained some humanity, transformed like a beast.

'...'

'...'

Seeing this sight, both realized immediately.

They had doused themselves in oil and leaped into a fire pit.

Grrrowl.

The moment Damien Haksen lost his clam, the entire world burst into flames.

It wasn't actual fire rising up.

It was just the extremely enraged Damien Haksen unleashing his killing intent.

But to the two, it made no difference.

Their lungs burned as if drinking fire.

Their skin felt like it was sizzling on a hot iron plate.

It seemed like the fluid in their eyes would evaporate.

If they relaxed even slightly, their hearts would stop and they would die.

'Ugh, ughhh...'

'Guh, guhhhh...'

In this moment, the two felt like they had become ants.

Yes, ants.

Insignificant creatures too small to properly see the world.

Pitiful insects that couldn't properly recognize humans even when they were right in front of them.

But what if those ants could recognize the existence of humans?

What if they learned that beings tens of thousands of times larger and more powerful than themselves existed?

What if those powerful beings were aware of them?

Wouldn't those ants go insane?

'Huh, huhhhh... huhhhhhh...'

'Hah, hahhhh... huhhhh...'

Eventually, the two had to use dark magic to protect their bodies in order to overcome their fear.

It was the first time they had used dark magic not to kill someone, but to survive.

But even so, nothing much changed.

Their hearts were still beating as if they would burst, and their bodies were crying out in pain from the rapidly rising blood pressure.

I don't want to die.

In their fear of death, the two prayed sincerely.

And someone responded to their sincerity.

<Foolish children.>

A familiar voice was heard from deep within their chests.

It was a voice the two had relied on countless times.

<Why do you fear that thing? Why do you think of death when faced with such a trivial being?>

Their opponent was Damien Haksen. He wasn't a being that could be called ‘such a trivial thing.’

However, the two gradually felt their hearts becoming at ease.

That's right. The great one was with them.

A Great Demon.

A powerful being that had once nearly pronounced the world's doom was with them.

Though it was merely a thoughtform, its greatness had not diminished.

The more powerful a being's thoughtform, the clearer sense of self it possessed.

<Do not forget. I am always by your side.>

At the benevolent voice, the two shed tears.

The fear that had been strangling their entire bodies melted away like snow. Their bodies no longer trembled.

"My Honey Bee, did you hear?"

"My Rose, of course I did. They have bestowed a revelation upon us!"

The two looked at each other with bright smiles.

"Honey Bee, there's nothing more to fear. They are with us."

"Rose, there's only one thing we need to do."

Rose pulled out a staff from subspace.

Honey Bee also drew his longsword.

"Damien Haksen! Prepare yourself!"

"We'll avenge them here!"

Tremendous power flowed from him.

Massive dark magic swirled around them.

When Rose raised her staff, thousands of magic circles were drawn in the night sky.

When Honey Bee gripped his longsword, a dense aura blade shot up.

The two had been chosen by the great one.

They had transcended the realms of Great Mage and sword master.

All that remained was to kill Damien Haksen with this tremendous power...

KRAAAAAAH!

With a beast-like roar, Damien Haksen suddenly kicked Honey Bee.

In that moment, Honey Bee's form disappeared.

Rose looked at Damien Haksen with a bewildered expression.

"...Huh?"

Rose couldn't understand what had just happened at all.

She hadn't seen Damien Haksen move or kick Honey Bee.

"Ho-Honey Bee? Where did you go, leaving me alone..."

Then, something dropped from the sky with a thud.

Blood and flesh stained the ground in a long line.

Seeing this, Rose suddenly came to her senses.

Her mind cleared as if she had entered ice water.

'Wh-what was I just thinking? H-how dare I think of killing Damien Haksen?'

Now that she had returned to her right mind, she realized how ridiculous her thoughts had been.

Grrrowl.

Damien Haksen slowly turned his head to look at Rose.

Breath seething with rage was streaming from deep in his throat.

"Um, excuse me..."

“Grrr.”

"Y-your nephew is safe. W-we didn't do anything to him..."

“KRAAAAAH!”

Damien Haksen mercilessly kicked Rose. Rose's body shot high into the sky.

A moment later, red rain fell to the ground.

"Oh dear."

Theo, who had been watching the scene from the side, smacked his forehead with his palm.

"That's what happens when you provoke Uncle."

***

Only after kicking the two did Damien Haksen regain his reason.

Damn bastards... I killed them too nicely.

Theo looked at Damien with an incredulous expression.

As if to say, ‘You call that killing them nicely?’

Damien, unconcerned by his nephew's gaze, extended his palm into the air.

Then black wind began to gather.

The black wind clumped together in one place and became a black mass.

<KYAAAAAAH! AAAAAAAAH!>

Surprisingly, the black mass was screaming.

Damien twisted one corner of his mouth and spoke to the black mass.

"Iota, I never expected to find a fragment of you in a place like this."

<Damien! Damien Haksen! How dare you kill Theta...! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!>

"You think a mere thoughtform can accomplish what even the main body couldn't? Well, I suppose a thoughtform can't think properly anyway."

The more powerful a being, the clearer thoughtform it leaves behind.

What about a thoughtform left by a Great Demon-level being?

Not only was it intelligent enough to be mistaken for being alive, but it possessed tremendous power.

Enough to be difficult to handle unless you were Damien Haksen.

But even so, a thoughtform was still just a thoughtform.

It didn't have proper thinking patterns.

Just like how Iota's thoughtform was blindly trying to kill Damien Haksen.

What a nuisance. Disappear already.

Damien clenched his fist and annihilated the thoughtform.

Iota's thoughtform disappeared with a scream.

"Uncle!"

Theo ran toward Damien with his arms spread wide.

Damien smiled brightly and embraced Theo...

This little brat dared to disobey his mother?

...or rather, punched him in the forehead with his fist.

Theo tearfully grabbed his forehead.

"That hurts!"

"When you do wrong, you have to be punished."

"Ow! It hurts!"

Theo protested, but Damien Haksen hit him one more time.

Only after being hit three times did Theo shut his mouth.

“So why weren't you at home? Why did you run away?”

"...I wanted to see the Snow Flower Festival."

“You disobeyed your mother just for that reason?”

"You don't know how much Hazel made fun of me for not seeing the Snow Flower Festival!" Hazel? That little brat from the Ryan Bloom Marquis family?

Theo nodded repeatedly with tears welling up in his eyes.

“Even so, you shouldn't disobey your mother. I'm going to tell her about today.”

"Can't you let it slide if I promise I won't do it again?"

“Didn't you say the same thing when you were caught by bandits last time?”

"This time it's for real! I absolutely won't break my promise!"

Theo jumped up and down as he shouted.

But Damien was firm.

"When you do wrong, you have to be punished. There are no exceptions."

"Waaah..."

Theo drooped his shoulders and sniffled.

Damien glanced at such a Theo and then casually said,

“...Instead, let's go back a bit later.”

"Huh?"

“You said you wanted to see the festival or whatever. Even if you get scolded, you can still see the festival.”

At those words, Theo's mouth spread into a wide grin.

"I love you, Uncle!"

“Don't give me that sweet talk.”

"I mean it!"

Damien chuckled and waved his hand through the air.

Mana enveloped Damien's body.

He returned from being a giant with gray skin to human form.

He hadn't actually become human.

He had just disguised himself with magic.

It was to blend naturally into the festival.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

"Chicken skewers!"

“Anything else?”

"I like anything as long as I'm eating it with Uncle!"

Theo stuck close to Damien's side.

The two clasped hands and began strolling through the streets.

Behind them, pure white snow flowers were falling.

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]