Chapter 24

Chapter 24
## Chapter 24: The Forest of No Return (4)

The limbs of Nazran were elongated and possessed numerous joints, granting him a combat radius that was remarkably expansive. Beyond that, his striking velocity far exceeded the capabilities of any standard human being.

Consequently, the reality that every iron rod he swung was either parried or evaded…

Ching! Whoosh!

…the reality that the very arm he lunged with was severed with cold precision…

Crack—thud!

…and the reality that the raw wound was instantly cauterized by intense heat, halting his ability to heal…

Sizzle!

“This… curse it all!”

These failures were not due to Nazran’s incompetence.

The simple truth was that his adversary was an overwhelming force of nature.

Kadim lopped off a trio of arms in rapid succession before launching his axe toward the monster’s torso. The metal disk whirled through the air, radiating a fierce glow, and buried itself deep into the target.

Crackle, splat—!

“Keurgh!”

Nazran recoiled from the sheer momentum. He struggled to maintain his balance using the auxiliary legs protruding from his lower spine. Yet his resistance was futile; Kadim closed the distance in a heartbeat, delivering a secondary, more devastating blow.

Stab, crunch—!

He plunged his blade into the creature’s belly before dragging it horizontally through the ribs.

Against a lesser man, the steel would have snagged on the skeletal structure or thick muscle. However, the barbarian’s monstrous power tore through the anatomy without resistance. Ruptured organs spilled from the jagged opening, and the glowing metal hungrily seared the flowing blood.

“Kehuk… keheeeergh…”

The trauma was catastrophic, and the scorched flesh denied any chance of mending. Nazran’s blurred vision could only process the agony. Kadim applied heavy pressure to the axe head still lodged in the leper’s chest.

Sizzle—!

“Kaaaaagh! Kraaaah!!!”

The white-hot edge sank further, causing the surrounding skin to froth and boil. A spray of gore eventually lowered the temperature of the steel, but the leper’s spirit was already broken.

His last remaining arm collapsed. With nothing left but his withered original limbs, he was defenseless against the titan-like barbarian. Nazran squinted at Kadim through ragged breaths of torment.

“Uh… uheok… what are you…? Have you… also made a pact for demonic strength…? Kraaagh!!”

Kadim maintained his focus until the final moment.

One could never afford a lapse in concentration when facing a creature with regenerative traits. He systematically removed every remaining appendage and charred the stumps like logs in a hearth. Throughout the process, Nazran could do nothing but squirm like a trodden insect.

“Kaaaaagh! Kraaaagh!!”

The minutes ticked by, saturated with the scent of iron and burning flesh. Finally, the amputation was absolute.

Nazran was left without a single limb. Kadim pinned the creature’s shoulder down and pressed the tip of his sword against the leper’s throat. The bloodlust faded from the leper’s gaze, replaced by a hollow acceptance.

“Heh heh heh… I chose the wrong victim… I never imagined this pathetic frame would be dismantled so thoroughly…”

“……”

“I took you for a simple, hulking human… but you are a beast in a man’s shape… Did you steal a demon’s essence to achieve such power?”

“……”

Though he occasionally utilized demonic influence, he was not doing so now. Kadim remained silent, offering no confirmation.

Nazran offered a pathetic, desperate smirk.

“It might be pointless to ask, but let me survive. Deprived of my limbs, I am just a harmless leper. Why waste your steel on a wretch who is no longer a threat?”

“……”

“Ah, wait! You sought knowledge of this woods? I shall confess everything. There is no use in secrets now. This terrain was forged by a demon—one possessed of a strange trait that infects everything nearby with its own essence.”

“……”

With the flickering campfire behind him, Nazran was unable to read Kadim’s features. He saw only a dark, imposing silhouette. Driven by fear, he continued his frantic explanation.

“Yes, you likely suspected it—the demon’s nature is to divide and regrow whenever it is cut. And this corruption was not limited to the local wildlife!”

“……”

“The common folk were ignorant. They trampled through the brush, felling trees by the hundreds. That is why the greenery surged so violently, turning into this labyrinth. Just recently, a group of soldiers arrived and hacked away at the growth, causing the forest to swell even further…”

Duncan stroked his jaw, nodding to himself. It appeared that the forces of Viscount Adlen had indeed moved through here, likely sourcing wood for their fortifications and camps.

Kadim gave no sign of emotion. Yet Nazran felt as though a cold blade was hovering over his heart. He began to babble even his own wretched history.

“As for me? It is a simple story. I failed to mention how I caught the demon’s blight. It was a dark miracle for me. My flesh was rotting, my parts falling away… but through the infection, I grew far more powerful limbs…”

“……”

“Existence was tolerable after that. I would kindle a fire each night, and eventually, some fool would wander into my trap. Much like your group, heh heh heh… Though, ironically, that very fire led to my ruin…”

Kadim had extracted the necessary information. His shadowed face took on a grim cast.

“……”

The execution of the leper was the immediate priority. Corrupted by demonic forces, he was no longer human. To spare him was to risk him finding a way to restore himself…

He hoisted his weapon once more. Nazran’s expression collapsed into terror, his lips twitching frantically.

“W-wait! I gave you what you wanted! Why are you still doing this?”

“……”

“I-I want to stay alive. Do not end me. There is so much I haven’t tasted, so many things I desire. To walk among people in the sun, to drink in a tavern, to touch a woman… I finally, finally had a body that wouldn’t fall apart from disease…”

Kadim’s resolve was unshakable. Instead of offering mercy to the subhuman creature, he asked a single question.

“When your victims begged you for their lives, did you ever show them mercy?”

“……”

For a split second, the creature’s pale eyes flickered with hesitation.

Slash—thud!

The keen edge carved through the line of his neck.

He was a being devoid of empathy for others, and thus deserved none for himself. Kadim’s face remained a mask of stone as he kicked Nazran’s severed head into the glowing embers of the fire pit.

—

Demons constantly emit a corrupting aura. Any lifeform in their vicinity is inevitably warped by it. Beasts become rabidly aggressive, while humans descend into madness or physical mutation.

However, there existed demons that went even further, transferring their specific “nature” to others. These entities were known as “Mutators.”

Kadim held a deep hatred for all demonkind, but he felt a particular loathing for Mutators. They were fonts of endless misery, acting as anchors that empowered all nearby monsters. Unless a higher threat existed, a Mutator was always his primary target.

Yet, Kadim’s dark mood wasn’t just because this was a Mutator. There was a much more haunting reason.

He had encountered this specific “regeneration nature” Mutator once before—during his initial life.

In the Demon Realm, at the very end of a journey defined by slaughter and hopelessness.

“……”

The recollection was agonizingly clear.

The ability to split and heal when cut had spread to an army of demons. Foes that were already nightmares became nearly invincible. Even the demon lord of that era utilized that power, making it a near-impossible task to kill.

He remembered seventy-two hours of ceaseless carnage without food or rest against a tide of undying horrors.

He had prevailed only by discovering that fire prevented the regrowth. A sorceress had enchanted his weapon with hellfire, ensuring that those he decapitated stayed dead.

The problem was that he had never seen another Mutator with this exact “unique nature.”

In the records and his own memories, every Mutator possessed a distinct trait. Kadim had believed these abilities were as unique as a fingerprint.

‘It cannot be the same entity. Melissa incinerated its remains until nothing but dust remained. How could another exist with the exact same essence…’

“Uh… m-my lord! Look over there!”

The merchant’s terrified shout broke Kadim’s trance. He snapped his head up, and the sight was indeed grim.

To the untrained eye, they seemed like mere hanging vines. But a closer look revealed the truth—no plant life possessed shimmering scales and rhythmic breathing.

Ssssslither—

* Hiss! Hiss!
* Hiss!

A literal wall of serpents. Vertical pupils were locked onto the intruders. Dozens of thick snakes tasted the air with flickering tongues.

Perhaps “dozens” was an understatement. Many shared tangled bodies with multiple heads and tails. It was possible the very snake he had cut down the day before was lurking among them…

“Tch.”

Kadim gave a sharp click of his tongue.

No matter how many times he swung his blade, they would simply multiply. If they were to advance, they would need to burn a path. But that was a massive gamble—managing a forest fire was a feat reserved for a master of the elements like Melissa.

“We are retreating, merchant. We must seek an alternate route.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

The pattern repeated itself throughout the following hours.

They would push forward, encounter a sea of snakes, and be forced to turn back. Every detour eventually led to more serpents. The two of them circled through the woods like vermin trapped in a shifting maze.

Kadim realized the manipulation was far too blatant. Every path was being systematically closed off, steering them toward a specific destination.

Guided by whatever power controlled this forest and its scaled minions.

They were being herded into a trap.

The canopy above was so thick it swallowed the sun, leaving them in eternal twilight. The swampy earth dragged at their boots. The oppressive, oily atmosphere against their skin intensified. Eventually, a palpable sense of evil began to crawl up his spine.

He needed to prepare for a confrontation before they were completely surrounded.

“Merchant. Pay close attention.”

“……Y-yes, my lord.”

“From this point on, do not stay at my side. Collect wood here and ignite a flame. Once it is burning, keep a torch lit and follow at a distance. If you lose sight of me or feel your life is forfeit, set fire to everything around you and flee in any direction.”

“Y-yes!? ”

“There is no time for a lecture. If you fail to do this, neither of us will leave this place alive.”

“……”

“I am certain of it.”

Duncan was paralyzed with shock.

The barbarian had never spoken with such grim finality. Not even when being hunted by knights, besieged by wolves, or standing before a demon. What could possibly be waiting for them?

Shaking, Duncan drew his flint and began to strike. Kadim watched him for a heartbeat before turning to walk into the gloom.

Ten minutes passed.

Gnarled, dead trees loomed like ancient hags over a pitch-black mire of unknown depth. A sickening odor rose from the water, enough to turn the stomach. A dense fog of demonic energy obscured the path, hiding everything beyond a few feet.

They had reached the center of the trap—the heart of the forest.

A shiver raced through Kadim’s frame, his muscles tensing instinctively. The air was thick with a toxicity no mortal should breathe. He calmed his heart and rested his hand on his sword.

Then, a raspy, echoing voice drifted through the demonic mist ahead.

* In the beginning, there was only despair.

Two burning eyes flickered into existence.

Through the haze, pupils filled with ancient spite glowed yellow, staring with lethal intent.

* I knew the cost. I knew how many centuries of patience it would take to rebuild what I lost. To suffer that wait here, in this pathetic corner of the world so far from the Demon Realm? I cursed my fate every single day.

Four eyes were now visible.

The sickly yellow light cast an ominous glow. They emerged to the flanks of the first pair, moving forward with slow, rhythmic heavy steps.

* But in the end, it was the correct path. I have finally reclaimed my full strength… and at last, I have found you again.

Six eyes appeared, then twelve.

Eighteen glowing points of light focused on the lone warrior. A massive shadow moved through the swamp, exerting a pressure so heavy it felt as though the air itself was crushing Kadim’s bones.

As the creature broke through the mist, its true form was revealed.

Vast sections of reptilian hide protected by scales as hard as plate armor. A creature so enormous it defied the eyes’ ability to process it. Nine distinct heads, each hiding fangs dripping with azure venom.

* It has been a long time, child of the plains. Where are the fools who traveled with you? Why have you come to this forest alone, like a discarded pup?

Kadim’s eye twitched, and he tilted his head back to look up.

A central, massive serpentine head, adorned with twin horns at its temples, peered down at him from the heights.

It was the exact nightmare he had faced 300 years ago in the depths of the Demon Realm.