Chapter 53

Chapter 53
Chapter: 53

Chapter Title: Tongue, Teeth, and Jaw (1)

—

“You are to remain in the settlement, Duncan.”

“Huh?!”

The command struck him with the force of an unexpected thunderclap. Duncan became a statue of disbelief. Kadim finished swallowing the contents of the vessel in his hand before providing further context.

“Stepping into those woods will inevitably lead to you becoming a puppet for the demon. Unless you wish for your life to end by my blade, stay put and wait patiently.”

As the initial shock subsided, Duncan felt a conflicting surge of relief at avoiding the monster and dread at being abandoned. With a face full of uncertainty, he stammered a question.

“B-but just moments ago, didn’t you instruct that lady to return to the thicket? Are you suggesting that high-born women and yourself are immune, while I alone will succumb to the creature’s influence?”

The warrior from the wastes wiped a smear of gore from his lips and gave a firm nod. That was precisely the situation. No room for debate.

Though his ego took a hit, Duncan knew better than to challenge the order. He let out a heavy breath and scanned the area for a spot to settle. Kadim reached out and offered him a tool for self-preservation.

“Keep this on you. It is a loan for the duration of the night.”

“N-no, master! This blade is…”

“The radiance of its hellfire blade will draw too much attention, so reserve its use for dire circumstances. When the sun rises and the mist dissipates, you may follow into the forest then.”

Duncan nodded so fervently it looked like his head might tumble off, accepting the Hellfire Dagger. The shadow of worry vanished from his features, replaced by a wide, joyous beam.

Kadim let out a dry, brief snort of amusement and turned to enter the woods unaccompanied.

The flickering lanterns and distant murmurs of the village soon faded into nothingness behind him. Above, the thick canopy of leaves knit together into a ceiling of ink, shuting out the glow of the moon and stars. Nevertheless, the barbarian’s intuition remained sharp, reading the forest with precision. His widened eyes and sharpened sense of touch registered even the most minute shudder of a blade of grass.

However, even his heightened perception soon met a barrier.

The woman’s warning had been accurate. He had progressed only a short distance before a fog, saturated with gloom, swallowed him whole. The environment shifted violently in a heartbeat, as if he had stepped through a magical veil. This mist did more than just blind him—it scrambled his ability to smell, hear, and feel his surroundings.

It was the manifestation of the demonic qi emitted by the beast.

‘……’

Even the space directly in front of him turned into a gray blur. A sharp, sickening odor hit his nostrils, reminiscent of decaying cosmetics masked by a heavy, cheap perfume. Ghostly wails and sobbing sounds drifted into his hearing like auditory illusions. To prevent his mind from being overwhelmed by the sensory distortion, he was forced to dampen his sharpened instincts.

Yet, Kadim merely curled his lip into a smirk, as if this development played right into his hands.

Based on the reach and power of the demonic qi, this was clearly a creature of high rank. Finally, he had tracked down a target worthy of the hunt. Furthermore, he possessed a method to navigate through the miasma without losing his way to find the source.

‘There you are.’

A trail consisting of an endless number of maggots moved across the ground in a column. The ones without horns wandered without purpose, but the horned variants snapped at one another aggressively, crawling with singular intent toward a specific point. They moved like a colony of lemmings charging toward a cliff.

The hornless creatures were undoubtedly the females, while the horned ones were the males.

Kadim contemplated this as he tracked the path of the insects.

The fact that only the male maggots were migrating, the disappearance of the local hunters and the military scouts, the reason the lady had escaped the demon’s influence to return, and why Duncan could not be permitted here… it all pointed to a singular truth.

the entity haunting these woods belonged to a specific breed.

It was an ‘Enthrallment Demon,’ the variety that manipulates lust and primal urges to enslave the psyche.

Anyone caught in its web desired nothing but the monster’s approval, offering up grotesque levels of penance and loyalty until their utility ran dry, at which point they were tossed aside like scrap.

While it was restricted to charming only those of the opposite gender, once it established a cult of followers, it proved more difficult to eradicate than even ‘Possession Demons.’ Not only was the core body formidable, but its mesmerized thralls would commit any atrocity to shield their master.

Still, despite its raw strength, the tactic to bring it down was basic. Kadim understood exactly how to dispatch an Enthrallment Demon.

‘Remain immune to the charm and sever its life force.’

Once the demon fell, the spell over its servants would naturally shatter.

But a basic plan did not equate to a simple journey.

To reach the demon’s throat, he first had to fight through the legions of lust-drunk slaves hidden within the gray veil.

* Kkrrk… …Zzzt.
* …Zzzt, zzzzt…

Through the dark haze, muffled snarls and the sound of something wet and heavy moving echoed. Even for a master of combat, identifying the foe’s nature, location, and proximity in this fog was nearly impossible.

This did not apply to Kadim. He reignited his suppressed senses. The adversaries were clearly gargantuan thorned maggots. He rotated his torso, coiling his muscles to generate maximum momentum, and launched the salmon directly at the source of the noise.

Splaaaatteraaaack, spluuurt – crunch!

* …Zeee!
* Zzzt, zzzzt…
* Zzzzt, zzzzt…

As one creature expired, the others accelerated. They moved with a velocity unnatural for insects. Kadim caught the returning pull of the salmon while simultaneously sending the Hellfire Dagger spinning into the mist.

Hwooo – whuuuum, kwarrrrk, craaack!

Squeee – spluuurt, fwooooosh!!

* Zeeeeeeee… zee… zee…

The heavy axe shattered a tree and crushed the skulls of the insects, while the dagger carved a path of fire, burning through their carapaces. As soon as the axe handle returned to his palm, Kadim threw it once more and sprinted toward the landing site of his dagger.

* Krzzzzz…

Craaack – crunch!

* Chiiiiiik!

While running, he swung at a creature that rose up, waving its barbed legs. The edge of Mosquito tore through its soft underside, absorbing the viscous fluids. It seemed the taste was poor—the blade hummed slightly as if revolted by the meal.

* Kkrrrrk, zzzt!
* Zzzzz, kkrrrrrk!

The moment he retrieved his dagger, the pack of thorned maggots had completely surrounded him. Kadim remained stoic, preparing his defense.

He sidestepped a spray of corrosive liquid from the lead insect and sent his axe flying. He slammed his fist into the head of one trying to sneak behind him, crushing the skull until the eyes popped and pale fluids sprayed. He kicked the dying, twitching mass away and drove his sword into another, cleaving it in two.

Craaunch – !

* Chiiik!

Hwooo – whuuuum, splaaaatteraaaack!

He caught his axe and launched it again. He grabbed a maggot by its thick neck and lifted it high. He spun in a violent circle to clear the space around him, then used the momentum to smash the creature against a trunk. Its chitinous segments exploded, and a slurry of internal organs poured from its jagged mouth. The spikes on its carcass served as an obstacle for the others.

The air became a soup of poison, blood, guts, and high-pitched screeches. The bugs kicked their legs in their final throes before going still.

* Chiiiiiik!
* Chiiik, chiiik!

Death wails drifted into the fog. A mound of broken, sliced, and shredded remains formed in minutes. It was evident that these giant thorned maggots were no match for the desert warrior.

Just then, new entities moved among the high branches. Kadim gauged the timing and sent the salmon upward.

Splaaaatteraaaack – !

The descending attacker barely avoided the axe edge and tried to strike from above. Kadim dodged by an inch and whipped Mosquito around in a counter.

Klaaang!

Surprisingly, the blade did not bite into meat; it struck metal. Kadim narrowed his vision to analyze his new opponent.

He saw a steel shield decorated with woodland motifs and a suit of plate armor. Empty, hollow eyes peered through the visor of the helmet. The limb not holding the shield had been transformed into a chitin-covered insect appendage.

This was certainly one of the lost soldiers.

“Sa-save Lady Mesetis, Me-Mesetis Lady…”

It twitched its bug legs while muttering gibberish, though its heart was still human. It was a victim of the demon’s enchantment. Eliminating the master would free the man.

Kadim, however, showed no mercy.

Splaaaatteraaaack, kwaaaang!

“Gaaaaaaaah!!”

The returning salmon smashed through the steel plate, turning the soldier’s chest and heart into a ruined mess of bone and flesh.

Leaving these thralls functional would only create risks during the final confrontation with the demon. He saw no reason to kill those who were harmless, but he felt no obligation to spare those trying to end his life.

He never left a job half-finished. Kadim’s code was absolute. The smallest oversight could lead to a future execution. Pity for his foes could be felt only after their skulls were split.

“Lady Mesetis!!”

“Sa-save Lady Mesetis!!”

“Gaaaaaaaah!!!”

To the bewitched soldiers, Kadim offered a swift end, granting them blood and death in equal measure.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Deep within the forest lay a clearing where massive, ancient trees stood like the columns of a cathedral.

Orbs of pinkish light floated in the air like glowing insects, piercing the pre-dawn shadow. In contrast to the rest of the woods, the air here was clear, though the specific odor—a blend of perfume and rot—was far more concentrated and lethal.

A giant tree stump sat at the center. Intertwined vines and crawling bugs formed the arms, while a parasitic growth created the back, serving as a throne for the forest’s master.

A woman who looked like the personification of a spring morning sat there.

Her hair, the color of pale cherry blossoms, fell in soft waves. Under long, dark lashes, her eyes held a misty, hypnotic glow. A perfectly sculpted nose sat above full, red lips that popped against her luminous skin.

She was draped in tattered, platinum-colored silk that served as a gown. Though the fabric was worn, her figure made it look like the most expensive dress in existence. The cloth pooled around the stump, and the men gathered at her feet watched with starving eyes, desperate to touch even the hem.

She rested her head on her hand, looking bored. She crushed dozens of insects beneath her weight, yet more rushed toward her. In front of her sat rows of servants, all begging for a scrap of her affection.

With a slight gesture, she motioned for one to stand.

The man was once a leader in the Goltaran army. He stood with a sense of pride far exceeding any military honor. Thorned maggots shifted nearby, other beasts watched with jealousy, and fellow soldiers ground their teeth in envy.

The woman spoke to him in a voice like honey,

“Tell me, what is it you want?”

“…I beg your pardon?”

“You must desire something from me. Speak it.”

“……”

After acting as shy as a young boy, the officer admitted his wish to kiss the back of her hand. She giggled, covering her mouth with her fingers, and then narrowed her eyes into a mischievous smile.

“Very well, you have my permission.”

“T-truly?”

“However, as payment, I want you to remove your right arm and present it to me. That isn’t too much to ask, is it?”

The officer beamed with joy and nodded.

“Yes, with pleasure.”

He pulled a blade from his belt and immediately buried it in his own shoulder.

Stab! Squish, squish –

As the blade tore through the muscle, a fountain of scarlet blood erupted. He managed the soft tissue, but lacked the leverage for the bone. Like a man using a hammer and chisel, he held the blade against his shoulder and smashed the handle with heavy stones—thunk, thunk, thunk. When the joint finally gave way, he twisted the limb with a sickening snap, and it came away.

“For you, Lady Mesetis…”

He held out the bleeding arm. Despite the agonizing trauma, his expression was one of pure bliss.

But the woman looked unimpressed. She inspected the limb briefly before tossing it onto the dirt.

“I am underwhelmed. The muscle is weak, the bone is thin—this is trash. I cannot fulfill my end of the bargain for such a pittance.”

The officer’s eyes filled with tears of horror. He slammed his head against a stone in a deep bow.

“Please forgive my failure, Lady Mesetis! B-but I still have my left side! Please, allow me to offer that as well…”

“I have no interest. If the right was this poor, the left will be no better. Go back to your place. Others deserve a turn.”

“……”

The man limped back to his spot. The other thralls hissed with mockery. The thorned maggots began to feed on the discarded limb.

The cycle repeated.

She called forward servants, demanding parts of their bodies. They complied with smiles. Those who provided high-quality offerings received their reward. Those who failed lost their limbs for nothing. Amidst the growing scent of iron and gore, her whims dictated who experienced paradise and who experienced hell.

As a pile of limbs grew beside her throne, a butterfly landed softly near her ear.

It vibrated its wings, whispering in a language only she understood. Her beautiful brow twitched in annoyance.

“…Every one of the scouts I sent out is gone?”

* ….

“Hm, they are easily replaced… but this is strange. I sent a great number… Has a rival demon entered my territory?”

* ….

“…Not a demon, but a lone human male? How has he not fallen under my command yet?”

* ….

“Haah… It must be a boy with a stubborn soul… Tell me, does he have strong arms and legs?”

* ….

Upon hearing the butterfly’s report, her smile turned predatory. She toyed with the silk at her chest and whispered,

“My darlings, I have finally found something I truly desire.”

The eyes of her followers blazed with a manic intensity, as if they were ready to tear down the stars for her.

As she leaned forward, two horns that had been concealed at her temples became fully visible.