Chapter 78. Kin, Radiation (4)
Thud!
Covered in blood, Radiation collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
As he fell, he looked up at Michael with confusion written across his face.
"Ghk... I, I told you... everything... So why...?"
Radiation couldn't understand what had just happened.
He had used every bit of knowledge he possessed to find the information Michael wanted.
Yet no matter what Radiation revealed, Michael's expression remained unchanged. The thought that he might really die had only made Radiation more desperate.
Finally, when he began talking about Infection, Michael showed a positive smile for the first time.
Radiation had felt a glimmer of hope that he would survive. However, what he received in return was a strike from Michael's Durandal.
"P, please... spare me..."
With a long diagonal sword wound across his body and only half of his upper body remaining, Radiation stretched an arm toward Michael in a desperate plea.
CRUNCH!
However, Michael brought his foot down and crushed Radiation's head, putting an end to his pathetic begging.
With Radiation's corpse beneath his foot, Michael spoke coldly.
"A demon shouldn't trust others so easily."
Having finished Radiation off, Michael turned around.
Pat, pat.
Now that he had heard everything he needed to know, Michael dusted off his hands.
"Oh, right. He's one of Marbas's kin."
Swish.
Michael turned his palm toward the sky, extended his index finger, and flicked it upward.
Fwoosh!
White Flame rose from Radiation's severed corpse and burned it to ashes.
Among the remains, Michael spotted the upper body of someone who had once been his subordinate, which had been cut away when he struck Radiation.
"I'm sorry I left you trapped in such a disgusting place."
Michael observed a brief moment of silence for his departed subordinates before turning toward the only one of Radiation's children still alive.
"M, meeeeeh!!"
There stood the mutant goat, unable to decide whether it should attack Michael.
"Do you want to give it a try too?"
"...M, meeeeh."
The moment Michael looked at it, the goat shook its head from side to side and lowered its soft, wriggling legs.
It was a foolish creature that hadn't even dared attack while its master was in danger of dying. However, Michael could sense that it wanted to live just as desperately as its master had.
"Hmm... What should I do with you?"
It was a creature that knew how to adapt to a situation and was quick to understand danger. Michael stroked his chin, wondering whether there might be somewhere he could put it to good use.
"Meeeh! Meeeh!"
Having lost its master, the goat began sweeping its soft legs across the ground as it tried to back away.
A moment ago, it had been debating whether to attack Michael. Now that its master was dead, it had boldly decided to run away.
But Michael had no intention of simply letting it escape.
Tap!
Channeling aura into his feet, Michael leaped into the air and landed on the goat's head, right between its two long horns.
"Should I just burn you?"
"M, MEEEEEEH!!"
Terrified by Michael's cruel suggestion, the goat let out a sorrowful cry.
The problem was that its cry was incredibly loud, causing Michael to frown.
"If you don't shut up, I'll really burn you."
Silence!
The moment the goat saw White Flame rising from Michael's hand, it immediately fell silent. Its eyes trembled with fear.
Clap!
"Ah! That'll work."
After thinking for a moment, Michael clapped his hands as a good idea came to him. A sinister smile spread across his face.
Seeing that smile, the goat could only tremble in fear as it imagined the future awaiting it.
In front of the Hungry Tree at Namsan Tower, Marbas was resting his hand against the tree's trunk.
Behind him, Infection and Insect were waiting for their next instructions.
"Tsk. I suppose that was the natural outcome for a fool who relied entirely on radiation and was full of empty confidence."
The two kin cautiously paid attention to Marbas's sudden, unexplained remark.
"Radiation is dead. He couldn't even buy us enough time to reach the climax."
At those words, Insect, who had been kneeling on one knee, flinched.
Radiation's death had been expected, but it had happened far too quickly.
He and his kin were supposed to hold Michael back at least until the tree began to bloom.
Now someone else would have to step forward.
Glance.
Insect quietly looked around with his lifeless left eye.
Of the original five kin, two had died, and one had gone out on a mission. Only Insect and Infection remained.
Just as Insect was about to stand, thinking it might be his turn,
"Is it time for me to go?"
Infection spoke first, his eyes shining.
There was a hint of anticipation in his expression.
However, Marbas shook his head in refusal.
"I'd like to tell you to go, but an uninvited guest has arrived at the stage I've prepared. Someone of at least cardinal level."
Turning his back on the tree, Marbas looked toward the distant sky.
He pointed in that direction, then shifted his gaze to Insect.
"Things will become considerably more troublesome if that one joins the others. Insect."
At Marbas's call, Insect raised his head.
"You'll have to go and deal with it. You may take your army with you. Hold that one back for as long as possible."
He had been ordered to buy time, not to kill the enemy.
That meant there was a real possibility he might die.
It could have been a blow to his pride, but Insect placed Marbas's orders above such insignificant feelings.
"Brrrrrp."
No other emotions were necessary.
As a servant, all he had to do was obey his master, Marbas, and stop the enemy.
RIIIP!
The back of his hooded cape tore open as a pair of wings unfolded.
The thin, transparent wings were so delicate that their blood vessels and veins were visible. They began vibrating according to Insect's will.
BUUUUUZZ!
As the vibrations grew faster, Insect slowly rose into the air.
"Brrrr, brrrrp. Brrrrp."
An ear-piercing sound spread in every direction from Insect's mouth. Soon afterward, rustling movements could be heard throughout the forest.
Chirrr! Buzzz!
They came from the insects that had been gathered throughout the forest.
Hearing their responses, Insect flew toward his destination to carry out Marbas's orders.
Small flying insects and other tiny bugs spread their wings and followed him.
BUZZZ! BUZZZ!
Next came medium-sized insects, including creatures like TseTse, which were as large as children.
Rustle, rustle!
Finally, enormous insects resembling giant centipedes dug through the ground and followed the direction in which Insect was flying.
Their numbers were so great that they stretched beyond the visible horizon, making them almost impossible to count.
It was truly an army of insects. Even so, Marbas didn't have particularly high expectations.
"Hopefully, they'll at least buy enough time for the fruit to grow."
Once Insect had departed, Marbas turned back toward the tree.
No matter how numerous those common soldiers were, against an enemy like Michael, who possessed attacks that could cover a wide area, they were little different from flood victims being swept away by an overflowing river.
"It would be better to accelerate the blooming process."
No longer paying any attention to Insect, Marbas covered both hands in demonic energy and placed them against the tree.
It would take more time to make the tree move, but he could make up for that time by supplying it with sacrifices.
Besides, apart from the process of awakening it, the Hungry Tree wasn't particularly selective about what it consumed.
"It's time to make the tree move. Infection, use the children you've raised to make up for the shortage of food."
Infection bowed to indicate his acceptance.
Marbas's order to use his children meant that Infection was to sacrifice demons.
As far as Infection knew, the only children still in the surrounding area were his own subordinates.
"As you command, Demon of Plague."
Even though the order required him to sacrifice his own subordinates, Infection raised neither objections nor questions.
He, too, obeyed Marbas's orders absolutely.
Hummm!
A yellowish light slowly appeared on Infection's skin, which had been concealed by the darkness, as though tattoos were being drawn across it.
The demons scattered around the area received the signal and began gathering.
Every one of them had discolored skin. After bowing their heads to Marbas, they approached Infection, who had summoned them.
"Lord Infection, did you call for us?"
"There's something I need you to do."
"Just give us the order. Should we capture some humans? Or would you like us to destroy the priests' barrier?"
The demon's confident voice was full of determination.
And it had good reason to be confident. The demons standing before Infection were what one would call elite soldiers.
They were already strong because Infection had personally raised them. In addition, after receiving his diseases, their demonic energy and combat abilities were completely different from those of ordinary mid-ranking demons.
Of course, that only applied when comparing them with ordinary demons. They still couldn't compete with high-ranking demons.
"Become sacrifices for the tree."
However, awakening the tree according to Marbas's orders was the highest priority. Infection had therefore decided to sacrifice his elite soldiers.
Their demonic energy would be far more efficient than sacrificing hundreds or even thousands of low-ranking demons.
Besides, with Infection's ability, he could produce demonic energy almost as easily as manufacturing goods, even if combat ability was a different matter.
"Pardon?"
Although he should never have questioned his master like that, the demon couldn't help frowning and asking again.
"Tsk, tsk."
It wasn't Infection who clicked his tongue at the demon's mistake.
At the same time, the demon felt a gaze directed at him in reproach. A chill ran down his spine, and cold sweat began pouring from his body.
Apart from Infection, there was only one other high-ranking demon remaining in this place.
"L, Lord Marbas."
The demon had unintentionally raised his head and looked directly at Marbas's face.
Marbas's two eyes, radiating a green glow, were fixed on him.
The silent pressure contained in that gaze seemed to strangle him.
Wh, what kind of gaze is... Ghk!
Blood vessels began bulging across the demon's face. Groaning in pain, he grabbed his head.
For some reason, he felt that his head would explode if he didn't hold it together, so he desperately tried to endure the pressure.
Looking more closely, he realized that the demons who had come with him were all clutching their heads in the same way.
However, Marbas's power wasn't something they could withstand through determination alone.
"Ghk!!"
"L, Lord Marbas! Wh, why?!"
Several demons desperately tried to question Marbas, but,
"Creatures who aren't even worthy of being extras should simply follow the instructions of the leading and supporting actors. Who gave you the right to have wills of your own?"
Under the oppressive force coming from the coldly speaking Marbas, the demons' heads could no longer withstand the pressure.
BOOM!
Their heads exploded.
The demonic energy of the fallen demons was absorbed through the branches into the air, while their bodies were pulled into the ground and became nutrients for the tree.
BLOOM!
Then, a massive white flower bud, enormous enough to match the size of the tree, opened.
A fragrance spread from the pure white flower throughout Seoul.
"Haaaaah. This fragrance. Infection, look. It's a flower made from your children."
Marbas gazed at the tree's branches as though witnessing something dazzling and fell into a state of ecstasy.
"So that's the White Horseman's flower..."
Infection felt neither pity nor sorrow for the subordinates he had just sacrificed.
He had already sold out his own comrades. Why would he care about a few demons, let alone feel any desire to avenge them?
In fact, the beautiful flower seemed to give his subordinates' insignificant sacrifices a noble purpose.
For some reason, I can't take my eyes off that flower.
Had it begun when the flower bloomed, or when he first smelled its fragrance? Infection's eyes were fixed on the stamens, which were barely visible between the pure white petals.
It was as though the flower were beckoning him closer.
Wanting to examine it more closely, Infection naturally rose from his kneeling position and began stepping backward.
Snap! Snap!
At that moment, Marbas snapped his fingers twice to help Infection, whose attention had been completely captured by the flower.
"Don't become too absorbed in it, or you'll be eaten."
Eaten? By what?
Only then did Infection come to his senses. Hearing Marbas's warning, he blinked.
Gasp!
Suddenly, Infection's eyes widened at the cold sensation against the back of his neck.
Rustle.
Even without turning his head, he could tell that something had been aiming for his life.
He could also tell that Marbas had been the one to stop it.
"No matter how captivating it may be, resist the flower's temptation. It doesn't distinguish between friend and foe."
As Marbas said, if Infection had been drawn in for even a moment longer, he would have become nourishment for the tree.
"Thank you..."
CRAAAAACK!
RUMBLE!!
Just as Infection was about to thank Marbas, the roots of the tree, which had tasted the demons already caught by its temptation, broke through the ground and began moving in earnest.
