Chapter 67
Chapter 67: Unable to Go Mad (1)
Cyan, the head of the Bayern family, emerged from the bathroom completely naked and headed towards the main hall.
With a ‘creak’, he opened the side door, and inside, the executives were already gathered.
“Are the preparations complete?”
Snake and Shane responded.
“The Royal Guard is ready.”
“We’re also finished on our end.”
Cyan looked around and asked with a puzzled expression.
“Where’s Blok? I told everyone to gather.”
Snake answered cautiously.
“He hasn’t regained consciousness yet.”
“That damn fool.”
Cyan clicked his tongue and spread his arms. A servant, looking nervous, approached and helped him into a robe.
“And the mercenaries?”
“I’ve contacted Raven; they should arrive soon.”
Cyan, his robe fluttering, walked towards the head seat.
As Cyan took his seat, Snake reported.
“The messenger will also return soon.”
Cyan suddenly muttered,
“Do you think Kazen will cut off his own arm?”
“That’s unlikely.”
“Then?”
“He’ll probably try to negotiate. He brought in Dark Soul, so he’ll think there’s a chance. He’s probably trying to buy time and raise money in the meantime.”
Suddenly, Cyan’s shoulders shook as he burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“Those clever bastards. They’ve done all sorts of strange things to find a way to survive.”
Cyan abruptly stopped laughing and his eyes filled with murderous intent.
“Those who don’t know their place need to be taught a lesson.”
Snake and Shane nodded with cruel smiles.
“Wise words.”
“Indeed. When will we depart, Father?”
“There’s no need to drag this out. We’ll leave as soon as the messenger returns. We need to finish everything before Urgon arrives.”
“Understood. Should we bring the people from Yale with us?”
Cyan smiled cruelly.
“Of course. We need to do things thoroughly.”
“I’ll go to the annex and inform them.”
Cyan shook his head.
“I’ll go myself.”
As Cyan finished speaking and rose from his seat, a loud ‘boom’ shook the ground outside.
“Listen, Bayern!”
Cyan and the executives tilted their heads, thinking they had misheard.
The doors of the main hall swung open, and a servant rushed in.
“You, you need to come see this, Lord!”
* * *
The iron fence surrounding the estate was shaking violently, and the main gate had been completely ripped off.
The gatekeepers were sprawled on the ground, crushed beneath the iron gate, and a group of people was entering the estate.
Cyan stood in front of the main hall and looked down at them for a moment. The sight was so absurd that he couldn’t comprehend the situation.
“What in the world is going on… Snake.”
Cyan demanded an explanation, but Snake was just as bewildered.
Shaking his head, Snake finally regained his composure and stepped forward to face the group.
However, after observing the group for a moment, his bewilderment vanished, and a smile crept onto his face.
“Lord Kazen. To what do we owe this pleasure? It doesn’t seem like you’ve come to beg for your lives. Are you here to negotiate? If so, your attitude seems a bit too arrogant for that.”
At that moment, a man with severed arms was flung from the back of the group and landed on his knees before the estate.
“Lord… Lord Kazen. Ugh…”
It was the messenger they had sent.
While Snake was once again speechless, Kazen glared at Cyan and spoke.
“Listen, head of Bayern.”
“…”
“Samael gave you a chance, but you’ve crossed the line too far. Considering your past atrocities, beheading you wouldn’t be enough, but I’ll give you one last chance. Disband your family and leave Khaoto immediately.”
“What? Hahahahaha!”
Cyan threw back his head and roared with laughter. After a while, he caught his breath and looked at Kazen.
“Listen, Kazen. Didn’t I say I’d spare your life if you cut off both your arms? What are you doing now? If you don’t have the money, you should at least cut off your arms to repay your debt. Even living as a slave with severed arms is better than being beheaded.”
Cyan looked around and said,
“Did you gain confidence because you brought in Dark Soul? Is that why you’re acting like this?”
Cyan suddenly looked at the Samael group and realized something strange.
“Where are the Dark Soul guys?”
No matter how he looked, he could only see Kazen, the elders, and a few kids.
At that moment, someone unexpectedly raised their hand and politely answered.
“They didn’t come with us.”
The mages of the main house had rushed out and lined up on either side of Cyan.
Kazen looked around once more and warned,
“This is your last warning. Leave Khaoto immediately with your family.”
Cyan smiled cruelly and gave an order.
“You’ve got some nerve. Bring that man here. I’ll cut off both his arms myself…”
“Wait!”
Someone interrupted at a rather opportune moment. It was the polite guy who had raised his hand earlier.
He looked at Kazen and said,
“Lord Kazen. We also need to respond to their declaration of war. You were too brief. Allow me to do it politely.”
As Cyan observed the newcomer, Snake whispered in his ear.
“He’s Kazen’s bloodline. His name is Ruin, and he’s completely insane.”
“That’s Ruin?”
Cyan had heard of him before.
He’d heard that Kazen’s son was causing trouble by hanging out with Blok.
But he looked a bit different from what he had heard.
Meanwhile, Ruin brought a wheeled platform from somewhere and unexpectedly climbed on top of it, facing Cyan directly.
Two kids walked out from behind and held onto the platform from both sides.
“Lord Cyan.”
His demeanor was so solemn that everyone in Bayern fell silent involuntarily.
“First of all, on behalf of Samael, I apologize for breaking down your main gate. However, as the apprentice commander of Samael, I would like to explain why we attacked Bayern. The reason is…”
It was a masterful speech, starting with a polite apology and ending with a cliffhanger, making everyone curious about what would come next.
Cyan’s eyes narrowed…
Suddenly, Ruin continued with a catchy melody.
“The crime of insulting Samael, the benefactor of the continent. The crime of violently knocking out Samael’s gatekeeper. The crime of forcibly flicking the foreheads of Samael’s eldest son and the Crazy Mage. The crime of massively seizing Samael’s innocent businesses.”
Amidst the confusion, the wheeled platform rolled forward quickly.
“The crime of destroying Samael’s main gate, signboard, and walls. The crime of forcibly closing down Donkey’s back alley. The crime of forcibly threatening Samael’s family under the pretense of loans. The crime of violently seizing Mount Khaoto and attempting to destroy Samael.”
Finally realizing he was being mocked, Cyan was about to shout when the kids holding the platform shouted in unison.
“Who is the sinner?”
“Who is the sinner?”
Cyan choked and coughed, and Ruin seamlessly interjected once again, delivering the final blow.
“The crime of spreading shameless lies in Khaoto, claiming that Samael couldn’t repay Urgon’s debt, and deceiving the people of the continent. The crime of deceiving Urgon by making Khaoto seem peaceful while deceiving everyone outside. The crime of completely destroying the peace of Khaoto, an unforgivable sin!”
“Who is the sinner?”
“Who is the sinner?”
It was a perfect harmony, leaving no room for interruption.
“…”
Cyan’s face turned red, and he lowered his head, pointing at Ruin with his finger.
* * *
As expected, the traditional song from the past was effective.
The song I just performed was a verse sung by the commander of an unknown small nation hundreds of years ago after beheading the enemy general during a foreign invasion.
It’s called “Who is the sinner?”
Thinking about it, the commander of the small nation must have been a very sincere and respected man. The word “sinner” was such a polite expression.
In fact, if I were to express it my way, it would be more fitting to say “Who is the asshole?”
It was the perfect song to play for shameless bastards like Bayern who didn’t know who the asshole was.
Indeed, seeing Cyan unable to say a word and just listen, I felt the greatness of the song.
I gave a thumbs up to Zion and Palge and looked back at Cyan.
His face was not just red, but beet red.
“Are you feeling ashamed now?”
Cyan looked at Snake with bloodshot eyes.
“Snake.”
“Yes.”
“Bring that bastard here first. I need to tear his mouth apart.”
As expected, he couldn’t feel shame. That’s how shameless people are.
But it’s even better this way.
I stayed on the platform and watched Snake approach.
With both enemies and allies watching me and Snake, we looked into each other’s eyes.
It felt like the vanguards of each camp were about to have a one-on-one duel.
I opened my mouth first.
“Is your neck okay?”
“You insolent bastard.”
Snake, wearing blue gloves on both hands, cursed at me.
“I told you what would happen if you ran your mouth.”
I stepped down from the platform and replied.
“You’re being rude. It seems you need another slap to knock some sense into you.”
As soon as I saw Snake start forming hand signs without a word, I kicked the platform hard with my foot.
With a whoosh, Snake leaped over the platform as if it were a vaulting horse.
‘Wind Push.’
I wrapped flames around my feet and jumped towards him.
Snake smirked and swiftly turned his head, clearly anticipating my move.
It seems he remembered getting hit by me once before.
Whoosh—
The tip of my foot grazed Snake’s cheek, missing by a hair’s breadth.
My kick cut through the air, and the momentum caused me to lose my balance in mid-air.
“You fool.”
Snake, having completed his hand signs, reached out towards my face.
But did he know?
This was also part of my plan.
Letting the momentum carry me, I twisted my waist and accurately slapped his cheek with my other foot.
The moment I felt the satisfying impact on my foot, I unleashed flames from my toes.
Fwoosh—
“Argh!”
Snake, his face splattered with embers, was flung backward and sprawled in front of the main hall.
His cheek, torn and tattered by the flames, was left with a bright red burn mark in the shape of a footprint.
I looked around for a moment, and everyone who was surprised was from Bayern.
I asked Snake a question with a trap.
“Is your cheek okay?”
No matter what he answered, I was going to rush in and take his head off.
Of course, I was curious about what he would say, so I would listen to his answer until the end before killing him.
I wondered if he would say his cheek was fine, not fine, beg for his life, or attack again.
But Snake gave a completely different answer.
“Ugh… Kill that bastard!”
“…”
Surprisingly, about half of Bayern’s youngsters rushed forward at once, forming hand seals.
As expected of third-rate scum.
They dared to have their underlings interfere in a sacred duel.
Moreover, these guys seemed to have no sense of hierarchy, as they rushed forward on their own even though Lord Cyan hadn’t said a word.
“Charge!”
In response, the apprentices from our side also rushed forward.
They were admirable for thinking of their captain.
Suddenly, a faint red light fell upon the estate, which had been gloomy until now.
The dark clouds covering the sky parted for a moment, and the evening sunset stretched out red through the gap.
‘Hmm.’
While I was momentarily distracted by the sky, a few of Bayern’s youngsters approached me, forming hand seals.
That was the moment.
“It’s a burning stone, you bastard!”
Wham—
“Ugh!”
“Gah!”
Zion, who had jumped out from behind me, simultaneously struck the jaws of two youngsters with a well-heated flat stone.
———