Chapter 88

This was the area of the town that was the nebulous border to the slum area, a large open area underground.

This was the place a bunch of thugs gathered called 『The Slugs』, who used this like an event hall.

They had carved the place out almost like an arena, and in the middle was something that looked like a ring cut into the ground. On the ceiling above the ring were things not unlike monitors showing everything going on.

Also, there were rich people in suits and dresses who were seated around as customers, with masks on their faces so no one could recognize them.

It was a strange sight. However, the atmosphere was even stranger.

「『Okay everyone, let's get ready! Tonight's going to be one crazy festival! Get ready to scream, boo, and make some money, okay?!』」

「『『Rooooooaaarrrr!』』」

Everyone was really fired up about the show they were about to see, and the masses in the place were undulating like snakes.

Even looking at that, even if it were kids that didn't know the difference, there was something very different about this crowd and this scene.

『UGaaaaaahhhh!!』

『Huhff?』

「『Ahhh! From the blue corner Wolf Mask has struck the other's face with his fist! The Bear Mask of the red corner is stumbling!』」

「Hey! Go get him Wolf Mask! I got a lot of money on you, bastard! Don't make a fool of me!」

「Ho ho ho, good job, there you go, he's scared now so break one of his arms, at least!」

Spit burst from his mouth, and while all the masses stared at the eyes deep within those masks, the two men with torn, dirty clothes went at each other, punching away.

There were about 100 rich-types that were seated a bit away from the ring, while the dirty skeleton of a ring hosted an illegal mix of a『betting show』and a『fight to the death』.

It wasn't rare to see a place like this where people bet on fights.

There were none in the imperial country, but the emperor's had a colluseum with a lot of large fights and people enjoyed going to see them.

However, what was different was that this emperor's colluseum ended in submission or knock out, so neither of them ended in the fighter dying.

『Fuh, fuh, Ugaaaahhhh!』

『S…stop…Gyaaaahhh!!』

「『Bear Mask cannot stand! Wolf Mask has put his eyes out!!』」

The purpose was to kill in the most gruesome was possible, so the fighters that did so and won were awarded additional prizes.

『Guwaahhh, ahh, no, guwaaahhhh!』

「『This is bad! He's been blinded and is now spinning around, grabbing for something!』」

『Heh hee, this way I'm going to get a lot of "Ramune" from the money I get, Gyah hah hah.』

The warriors themselves didn't gather there to fight, nor were they fighting slaves, but the 『Slugs』gave them all loads of drugs called 『Ramune』.

Then,

「『Ramuneeeeeee, Ramune!』」

「『Help, heeelp! B…brother!』」

…after that, it just became a fight between equals that devolved into a horrific show.

At the end of the room, from a distance place we watched the boring spectacle with cold eyes.

「Dammit, what a crappy show to have as a hobby.」

This black-as-sin show I was watching caused me to speak.

「Well, it's not really different from what we're doing.」

「I resent being called the same as guys that go crazy all they want though…」

Even with a sigh, I had to admit that if others saw what I was doing, they'd call it similar.

Well, it wasn't right, or a clean thing to do, but I couldn't help it as my opponent in this case was way worse.

And it wasn't that I didn't like doing it either…

「Well, this really is a terrible world, right?」

「It's okay. I know that I picked the right person to work for. I'm not going to just pick anyone to work with, after all」Shuria said.

「And you said it yourself, Master. We decide not to kill a bunch of people in this revenge so it didn't end up like that over here!」

「Learn wisdom by the follies of others, right? I see, it's a good expression.」

The border of revenge and needless cruelty.

We drew that line first, but haven't we already crossed it?

Maybe we're just monsters that have jumped through that hoop already without noticing?

For example, yes, I felt guilty when I involved innocent trade companies in this.

That's honestly how I felt.

Revenge doesn't allow you to justify everything you do.

「…」

Looking around, I could see all the enticing black desires that turned man into monster.

We looked something like that, but it was something we had to do after deciding who to avenge.

「No, we came here for revenge. We didn't come to take out trash. Change of plan, don't pay attention to the crowd.」

I wanted to kill all the trash gathered there to watch, but there was no 『and also』to revenge.

There was no way to fix the world through doing something about them.

If we went to attack these bad people, it would mean justice was meaningless.

We had to allocate all of our power to get rid of the 『Slugs』.

If we didn't, all of it's meaningless.

「Hm…I think these people watching have the same guilt as that Grond pig, we won't be the same type of evil if we kill them all.」

「I think the same as Shuria, but whatever the master says, I'll do. What he says is weird, but I knew that was also true from the beginning.」

「…」

『Kaito, buddy, you have a strange way of making sense. It's the bald truth, there's no doubt.』

『Why is it that you worry about meaningless things sometimes?』

I remembered that Leticia mentioned that about me frequently.

Maybe I think about it too much? No, I think I'm right.

What is more dangerous, more than guilt or confusion, is when you feel nothing.

That's when your feelings of revenge get crushed by nothingness.

「…okay, let's do it. Forget the spectators, and instead, in order to put fear into the Slugs' hearts souls and minds, kill them!」

「As you wish, master.」

「Roger that.」

They both replied.

「Could you wait a second first?」

The one calling out was the guy preparing the next match.

He had a polite tone, but there was something still vulgar about him that he hadn't gotten rid of. He was a thug that was first someone covered in blood and violence.

I understood that these loser thugs had learned to act like honorable men in order to talk to these high-class folks correctly.

(It's not something they have to do in an arena like this…but it's easy to tell who they are, so it helps.)

「I guess we do change a lot, huh?」

Because of that, the guy came to speak with us, I guess.

「Just do whatever you want. If we're going to get this whole revenge ball rolling…」

「You're not…a customer, what are you…Gah!!」

「Just smile silently while you cut them down.」

I grabbed hold of the face of this thug that must have felt uncalm about our presence, and blew him through the central screen of the arena with all the magical power I could muster.

『Wh, what the hell was that?!』

『What the? What's happening?!』

The thug flew in a straight line, exploding with the destruction of the magic monitor.

The crashing sound was humongous and what happened to the thug reminded me that the human body really is made mostly of water.

Pieces of the monitor fell bit by bit into the ring, with pieces of thug-meat accompanying them.

『KYaaaaahhhh!!』

『Quiet down! Calm down everyone!』

『Move! Out of the way!』

In front of this strange event, panic broke out as the spectators rushed for the doors.

「They decide quickly! They can sniff out oncoming disaster quite well.」

We were on the opposite side of the exits watching the crowds scramble away, as space quickly opened up.

There were a few thugs left here and they're trying to look rough, but the crowd was pretty much gone.

「I guess we should use this fighting arena now that we're here.」

「We've got the room, and the irony makes it funny too.」

「Okay then.」

Minnalis nodded and we moved to the middle ring.

We stood on the hard floor, as the cold, dry air surrounded us.

「Just like a movie or action show, huh?」

The walkway to the ring was made so that unauthorized people weren't allowed on. Because there was no one there anymore, a bunch of guys in black suits showed up to fight.

「Hey, asshats, you made a mess of our show, so you know what we gotta do to you, right?!」

One guy that used the mic to gear up the crowd yelled at us.

It was a voice with a funny feeling to it, heavy and growling.

「What a surprise, a bunch of black cockroaches to fight with.」

「Yeah, good expression there, Shuria.」

I mean, I really didn't notice that they looked like that myself.

Talking about it calmly seemed to rub these guys the wrong way, and we could see their faces get red with anger.

「Whaaaa?! Why are you so relaxed?! You can't win against this many of us!! We may be as many as ants so don't think you're something after just beating one of us!!」

「Hey, you've got to fire each other up by acting tough, but you can't defend against us being fired up!」

「What the hell does that mean!?」

「Still yelling like that again? Well, since all your capillaries are going to burst yelling like that, it means you're stupider than bugs! No place in the world for you!」

「What…you…you bastards!」

It was hard to find thugs this simple nowadays.

If they were just acting and getting their faces that red and eyes that full of blood, they deserve Oscars for that performance.

「I mean, you guys can't even see straight.」

「Whaaa?」

「Calmed down? Us? How are you going to say that about us after seeing us, huh?」

Me…or Minnalis…or Shuria.

The voices in my head were telling me to kill them now.

I wanted to jump out of myself, like a hot sharp rock that sprung from my body.

Jump out and strike, but since I was now controlled by a cool composure, I could just barely keep myself calm enough.

—but.

「We'll leave all those fat rich pigs alone. They're trash, but they have nothing to do with us this time…but…」

—but, it doesn't matter now.

「You guys, we're not letting go.」

—from now on, we don't have to hold back.

「Even if you're worthless, the lowest, it doesn't matter. We're not letting you go because you're low-level.」

「!?」

They were a step up to Grond, and that step had to be eliminated by me.

…that's why, there was an unbearable evil in what I said to them.

—「Crush all of them to death.」

「Eek, wha? Agh, gyeeee!!」

I stabbed a finger through a guy's eye socket and threw him down to the ground.

Thud, he hit the ground with the sound of a dropped wrecking ball, and then silence returned.

「This is a convenient world though.」

I picked up half his fallen body and smiled at the rest.

「All of you, from the weak to the strong. I'm going to crush you with all my might.」

「Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa??!」

I stomped a foot down on his leg, and ripped his arm out of its socket with a squishing rip.

Rip…and the blood spewed forth and hit my cheek.

There was no more reason to hold back.

I looked up at rest, as they looked at what was left of their companion in a mix of confusion and fear, and once more, I smiled at them.

☆

Splish, the sound of blood falling, and its warm heat echoing.

It was like something ancient, recorded in days of old.

In the middle of it, I…we were the ones laughing.

『Brother look, this vegetable is in the shape of a sword!』

『It's okay, brother is careful.』

『Let's go, brother! You're a B-Rank…no an A-rank adventurer, so you're going to be famous!』

…yeah, so why did I end up like this?

No idea, no idea, no idea.

Why am I in this place?

Why, in front of me, is my dead brother there?

Why is my hand covered with such red blood, my brothers?

That place is almost like the lid to hell itself.

There's a body roll that's lost its human shape.

Within that dead body somewhere is the person that I thought was my brother, but maybe he's out of pain now.

「…hah hah, no way…no way.」

Why am I thinking about it like this now?

Did my medicine wear off? Then why, in this instant?

Why, if my brother was a little faster, then it would be, it would be me who would have been killed.

Even so, even if I had stayed crazy, this, this!!

「…」

When I noticed, I saw the head of the lid to hell standing.

He looked down on us coldly, and he didn't seem the type that could have created this cruelty, as he was covered in a calm light.

「Please, kill me. I have no way to be saved, so kill me.」

I can't take it, this world. I can't take it anymore.

「You don't…want to get revenge?」

「…no. I'll only be like this right now. And you can't help me. Right?」

「…」

I had given up yet wanted to be saved, and the man frowned at me.

「Hah hah, what's with the face?」

In order for him to do all this without pause meant Satan himself has somehow taken the shape of a human.

「If I'm going to die either way, I'd rather be killed by you. I don't want to take those drugs any more.」

「…I see.」

He closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them silently.

And all I could see was dark, dark, dark flames.

「Then relax and die. I'm going to kill all of you anway.」

「Heh, hah hah hah, okay then. I'll be waiting for you in hell.」

I just had to laugh, and it was the first time in a while I felt that way.

I couldn't remember laughing like that.

Fwoom, a light hit, and it was the simple sword that the man held.

He raised it up, and the man was bathed in a beautiful black flame.

「Why did it happen like this?」

It was the last thing I said, as my world closed in darkness.

☆

「Geez…」

I had cut the guy in half with the [Beginning Spirit Blade].

In front of me was a guy deep into Ramune, a crazy human.

「That whole thing about being sober when you die…whatever…」

What I couldn't save was who was here from when I arrived at this time. I knew the two who had gotten in the ring couldn't be saved, and we weren't the compassionate type.

All of the co-conspirators we had met had all left out of the exits.

And even more, in the very last instant, I didn't want 『revenge』but to『save』.

But it was too late.

Someone who just gives up on revenge can't just take henchmen. For example, even when you feel like you need to deal out death, you have to kill the person that wants death.

Because of that, if you don't kill, your sense of revenge is lost and you only think about not doing it.

His feeling of revenge was a bit too shallow for us.

「Well, even so. We'll avenge you too.」

It was too much and too heavy to walk away from. Already one or two, and it was increasing more and more.

「…hah hah.」

I let out another smile and laugh.

「Heh heh hah hah hah hah hah…ahhh, I'm fired up now!~ Let's go onto the next one, you two! I can't wait one second before wanting to kill him again!」

「As you wish, master.」

「Okay, Kaito.」

Onto the next one then.

The lid to hell for these Slugs was still open, and they still needed to drink.