Chapter 25

Chapter 25
## Chapter 25: The Forest of No Return (5)

—

Hydra.

Among the demonic ranks, a creature usually had to sprout a third horn to earn a true name. Yet, the legendary band of heroes had labeled this beast long before it reached that stage, back when it possessed only two. It had subjected them to trials more grueling than those of many high-ranking demons, making the title well-deserved.

The monster mirrored the ancient fables of its namesake. It boasted nine distinct heads. Its necks possessed the terrifying ability to regrow instantly when lopped off. It even shared the specific weakness where searing the stumps with flame halted the healing process.

However, the legends of old never mentioned a creature capable of returning to life after being incinerated into nothingness.

Kadim tightened his core, fighting back the tremors threatening to seize his limbs. He locked his vision onto the Hydra’s primary, central head.

“I witnessed your entire form turn to cinder. By what means have you returned?”

A split tongue darted out, as if the creature had been savoring the moment. With a wet, grinding sound of shifting muscle, the Hydra lowered its massive skull toward him.

* *Hiss… Why should I grant you an answer? You ended my previous existence, and just now, you snuffed out the life of one of my subordinates.*

“……”

* *That diseased wretch was far more effective than I anticipated. It seems your kind finds the prospect of dying at the hands of a nine-limbed freak much more terrifying than a simple snake’s venom. Because of him, I was able to feast upon a magnificent bounty of agony and hopelessness for quite some time.*

“……”

* *No matter, his passing is of little consequence. He played his part perfectly. For a pathetic scrap of flesh, his grip on life was tenacious—he bled out pure despair until the very moment his mind went dark. Hiss…*

A look of grim realization washed over Kadim. The Hydra watched the barbarian with predatory amusement and leaned closer.

* *Look upon me, child of the wastes. See the badge of my promotion, carved out of your own cold-blooded choices.*

Behind its yellow eyes sat two sturdy horns.

One of them featured a horn ring at its base and appeared noticeably lighter in color—a clear indication that the beast had recently ascended to the status of an upper demon, fueled by the harvested pain and misery.

Kadim gnashed his teeth in silent fury.

He had no choice but to end the leper’s life. Yet, had he realized the price would be this exorbitant, he would have searched for any other solution, regardless of the difficulty.

Upper demons were beings of absolute perfection. Their martial prowess and supernatural gifts were leagues beyond those of the lesser or middle ranks. Lacking the god-tier strength, legendary gear, and loyal allies of his previous life, Kadim knew that defeating such a foe now was nearly a fantasy.

The demon was well aware of its advantage. A tone of arrogant comfort dripped from its frozen voice.

* *I should be the one questioning you. Do not mortals usually perish after a mere century? How is it you still draw breath after three hundred years? Has that crude, soil-covered deity of yours granted you a stay of execution?*

“……”

* *Though, you are not the sole survivor of that wretched little group…*

“……!”

The words hit Kadim like a physical blow to the head.

His eyes widened in shock.

His grip on his weapon faltered as his hand began to shake. He recognized that he might be wandering into a trap set by a manipulative monster. Even so, the question burned too brightly to suppress.

“You have encountered another from my past?”

The forked tongue slithered rhythmically.

The demon made no attempt to veil its delight at finding a crack in its enemy’s armor. It flaunted its advantage with a mocking hiss.

* *Hiss… So that is the knowledge you crave? I am not opposed to sharing, but such secrets are never given away… I see you have acquired a new traveling partner…*

“……”

* *A pathetic specimen, by all accounts. Shivering at the sight of a dead serpent? Such a coward. Where are those noble warriors you once followed? Why do you walk with such garbage? Is it to make yourself feel grander by comparison?*

“……”

* *However… he does possess a single quality. A desperate, clawing will to survive.*

The serpent’s maw curled into a grotesque grin.

* *Deliver him to me. Pluck out his eyes and sever his limbs. Tear into his vitals or strip the hide from his back—I care not. So long as his passing is a masterpiece of unendurable suffering… I will reveal the location of your former companion.*

Kadim bit down on his lip until he tasted blood.

The bargains offered by demons were always the same—a tempting lure designed to snag the soul.

“……”

From a purely logical standpoint, the merchant was an easy sacrifice.

Demons were bound to the truth when making formal pacts or deals. By giving up the merchant, Kadim would gain guaranteed information on his lost comrade.

Kadim felt no deep bond with the man. Thirty days of travel hadn’t been enough to forge a lasting connection. Nor did he feel much sympathy—if having a family to return to was a shield against death, Kadim would have had very few kills to his name by now.

The merchant wasn’t entirely useless, but he possessed no unique gifts. There was nothing about him that commanded Kadim’s deep respect. To find someone who had stood by his side against the archdemons was, on paper, worth more than the life of one fragile civilian.

In fact, the merchant’s own prediction had been correct: he was a disposable asset if the situation turned dire.

“……”

And yet, he would never be sacrificed by Kadim’s hand.

To Kadim, “objectivity” was merely a mask worn by the weak to justify their failings.

This was a deal that didn’t deserve a second of genuine consideration.

It was not the path of a Great Warrior of Atala.

In Kadim’s world, demons weren’t negotiators. They were targets to be carved, butchered, and broken. They were things whose skulls should be shattered and whose lifeblood should be drained from open veins.

He felt a brief flash of self-contempt for even pausing. Why hesitate? The answer was the same as it had always been—why would he ever bow to an enemy and try to bargain?

It was better to die in a blaze of defiance than to live as a coward who sold his soul. Looking directly into the demon’s vertical slits, Kadim let a sharp, jagged smile cross his face.

“I have a counter-proposal for you.”

* ……

“I’m going to kill you with more precision than I did the first time. In return, you’ll tell me exactly where my friend is.”

A tremor of rage rippled through the creature’s scales.

Hatred burned in all eighteen of its eyes. Without a word of warning, the nine heads lunged forward in unison.

* *You are fool enough to pick a meaningless death. We are done speaking.*

The lead head struck with the weight of a falling mountain, dripping with malice.

* *Hiss!*

――――― Cra—sh!!

The sodden earth buckled under the impact. The head, having carved a furrow in the dirt, snapped back around to lunge at Kadim once more.

* *Hiss!*

Kadim dropped into a low crouch and brought his blade up. The steel sang as it swept across the underside of the monster’s neck. Using the demon’s momentum against it, the sword grated harshly against the olive-toned hide.

Scraaaape—!

But the strike left no mark. Mosquito’s edge was unable to find purchase on scales as durable as reinforced plate armor.

The Hydra gave him a look of pure disdain and flicked its tongue dismissively.

* *A toy sword. Did you pillage that from a peasant’s pantry?*

“……”

Another head whistled through the air.

* *Hiss!*
* *Hiss!*

The assault wasn’t solitary this time. The fourth and sixth heads gnashed their teeth and converged on him with terrifying speed.

―――――― Cra—sh!

He threw himself into a desperate roll, barely clearing the impact zone. The sixth head crunched into the mud. The fourth head adjusted its trajectory mid-air, spinning with feline grace to snap at him instead of hitting the ground.

Kadim surged to his feet, aiming a thrust at the creature’s eye. But the fourth head was merely a distraction. As he moved to strike, the third head swung around from his blind side like a heavy mace, slamming into his back.

――――――― Thud—ack!

“Guh!”

The force of the blow felt like his spine was being crushed. Kadim was sent tumbling across the clearing, rolling through the muck before forcing himself back up.

The central head hovered low, watching him with a sense of confused curiosity.

* *This is pathetic. You cannot even evade such simple strikes? You do not appear to be a senile old man after three centuries—why are you so incredibly weak?*

“……”

* *Hiss… Could it be that you are holding back your true power?*

He wasn’t holding back. The simple reality was that this current body—when compared to the near-godlike physical form of his first life—was nothing more than a well-conditioned human frame.

However, Kadim did have one “ace up his sleeve.”

He simply couldn’t play it yet. He needed the right conditions and the perfect moment to strike. Without a word, he raised Mosquito once more.

The Hydra’s gaze sharpened, its voice growing cold.

* *I am bored with this game. Fight me with everything you have, or your remains will be left to rot in this mire.*
* *Hiss!*
* *Hiss…*

What followed was a relentless storm of violence.

The nine heads became a blur of motion, cloaked in a dark, misty aura of demonic power. They didn’t just bite; they hissed and shrieked to disorient him, sometimes dangling a head as bait to lure him into a crossfire.

* *Hiss, hiss!*

The attacks came from every angle. Remaining on the ground was a death sentence. Kadim began to leap, using the heads as stepping stones, running along the beast’s massive spine before dropping back to the earth.

But the sheer number of threats was overwhelming. He couldn’t dodge everything.

Kwach!

He moved his head just in time to avoid losing it, but the rest of his body was taking a beating. Several heavy impacts had already fractured his ribs and collarbone. The thick demonic energy in the air made every breath a struggle, and his lungs burned with every gasp.

“Hah, hah……”

Despite the damage, he had accomplished his goal: he had bought the necessary time.

Looking over his shoulder, he spotted a flickering orange light moving through the trees. Kadim sprinted toward it, his legs feeling like lead. For some reason, the Hydra stood its ground, watching him go without giving chase.

As he closed the distance, Duncan stepped forward, holding a torch with trembling hands.

“M-my lord! I-I am so sorry! Everything was so wet, I couldn’t get it to catch… Here, take the torch……”

“Get out of here, merchant. Run before the monster turns its attention to you.”

Kadim grabbed the torch and shoved Duncan away. He slammed his sword back into its sheath and pulled a throwing axe from his belt.

With the torch in his left hand and the axe in his right, he charged back into the thick of the fog like a whirlwind. He forced his mind into a state of absolute, icy calm.

‘I only get one shot at this…’

Bzzz—

Was he imagining it? A strange vibration traveled through his palm. It felt as though the axe itself was screaming for a taste of blood.

His pace quickened. Through the swirling gray mist, a massive shape loomed. His target was the central head—the brain of the operation. As soon as the two distinctive horns came into focus, he launched the axe with every ounce of strength he possessed.

Whoooosh—!!

The weapon spun through the air like a lethal bird of prey, finding its mark with unerring accuracy.

―――――― Cra—kack!!

The steel edge shattered the olive scales and buried itself deep into the creature’s forehead.

The impact was so severe that the Hydra’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. The axe tore through poison glands and bone, creating a horrific spray of gore and brain matter. Stunned by the sudden agony, the Hydra let out a deafening, high-pitched scream.

* *Hiiiisss!!!*

But Kadim knew these wounds wouldn’t last. Regeneration would mend the flesh in seconds unless fire intervened. He pulled a small bottle of camellia oil from his pouch.

He smashed the vial against the thrashing head.

Waiting for the beast to dip low in its pain, he lunged forward and thrust the burning torch into the oil-soaked wound.

Whoooosh—roooar!

* *Hiiiisss!!!*

The fire erupted. The Hydra’s convulsions grew even more violent as the smell of burning meat filled the clearing. The mixture of dark magic and thick smoke turned the air into a toxic, swirling kaleidoscope of colors.

“Hah……”

Kadim let out a heavy breath. With the main head occupied by the flames, the other eight would be reduced to acting on blind animal reflex. He could take a second to recover, then systematically dismantle the beast.

The barbarian warrior was about to recreate the myth, ending the Hydra with steel and flame once again…

* *…Did you truly believe I would fall for the same tactic twice, you arrogant child of the dirt?*

Kwa—chak!

Suddenly, massive teeth clamped down hard on his forearm.

It wasn’t just a bite. The fangs were so large they sheared through muscle and bone instantly—his left arm was effectively severed. His forearm and upper arm were held together by nothing but a thin strip of skin.

The attack was so lightning-fast that the pain hadn’t even registered yet. The second head maintained its crushing grip. Kadim looked on in silent horror.

The central head—now completely healed and untouched by fire—stared back at him.

* *Three centuries ago, when you took my life with that flaming axe, I made a vow: if I ever walked the earth again, I would possess a form that fire could not touch.*

“……”

* *Through my evolution and my new horn, I have achieved that goal. My regeneration is now absolute. Even if you burned this entire forest to the ground, I would simply shed my skin and emerge renewed to bring this world to its knees.*

His master plan had failed. His enemy was unharmed. He himself was mutilated, facing a wound that should have been his end.

There was no way out of this trap.

Kadim gave a small, weary sigh and let his eyelids fall shut.

He had occasionally wondered what it would be like if his life were a scripted story or a grand legend.

Tales where heroes face impossible odds only to win through cleverness. Stories where the protagonist is saved by a sudden stroke of luck. A journey that moves through darkness toward a guaranteed, happy conclusion.

But his life was not that kind of story.

There were no safety nets here. No destiny ensuring he would win. He lived on the edge of a knife, where a single mistake meant falling into the void. Even his “endings” just looped back to new beginnings; he was starting to doubt if a final rest even existed.

Furthermore, he was no hero.

He didn’t possess brilliant wit or divine favor. He didn’t have a noble spirit. He made his own choices, lived by his own grim logic, and wiped out his enemies to the last man. He was a monster soaked in the blood of others, leaving a trail of red wherever he stepped.

There was almost nothing human left in him.

His journey was a chronicle of nothing but suffering and agony.

It was a violent, terrifying, and hateful story.

“……”

And yet.

And yet.

Regardless of all that, this particular story…

Was never going to end with a weak human being crushed and forgotten.

* *Hiss?!*

The second head let out a shriek of pain and jerked back. Blood sprayed from the roof of its mouth. The primary head’s pupils shrank in genuine terror.

* *…How is this possible?*

Kadim slowly held up his mangled left arm.

New bone and muscle were knitting together at a visible speed; the gaping wound was closing before their eyes.

He reached down and casually gripped his sword.

The steel, now saturated with the blood of a demon, pulsed with a dull, crimson light. Even in the heat of combat, the blade could now draw out the essence of his foes. With a single cut, Mosquito would gorge itself and pass that vitality to its wielder.

Because the Hydra was a creature of supreme healing, its blood provided the most powerful regenerative boost imaginable. But the transformation went deeper.

His muscles expanded with raw power. His bones became harder than tempered steel. His senses sharpened until the world seemed to slow down. A primal, savage bloodlust radiated through his entire nervous system. He felt a desperate, driving need to bathe in the gore of his enemies.

Since it came from an upper demon, the blood-fueled empowerment was overwhelming.

Kadim’s lips pulled back into a predatory snarl.

“Your words are trash, but your blood is top-shelf.”

* *Hiss…*

“It’s not enough, though. I’m still feeling a bit thirsty.”

The Hydra’s yellow eyes began to tremble. A memory from ages past, vivid as a nightmare, flashed through its mind.

A madman wielding a white-hot axe, a creature of slaughter more terrifying than the fires of hell, slicing through nine necks and drinking deep from the stumps.

The Hydra flicked its dry tongue and tried to look away.

But a red-eyed demon in human skin was already glaring back.

He was the exact same nightmare it had faced in the abyss three hundred years ago.