Chapter 72: The 14th day (5)

「Hey Kibadios, What were you thinking? Why did you agree to his offer? He must be planning something!!」Reuk was screaming the moment the hybrid finally accepted the Yonko's offer to join the Hyakki Yagyo and be his sworn brother.

「Calm down, you perverted elf. What would you do, then? You've been living within me for long enough that you should know my limitations by now.」Kibadios indifferently replied.「I just cannot defeat him on my own without relying on HaoS. He clearly had achieved <Limit Break> and now is a <Transcendence> individual. In the end, you cannot expect anything less for someone who had claimed the title of Yonko. If I reject his offer, there is no way for us to stop him and his group from massacring Yllaner and everyone else.」Kibadios reasoned. 「Besides, despite how confident I am in my power, I'm not stupid. I don't tend to blindly engage in battles where I don't hold at least 50% chance of winning.」

「But why would he want you to be his sworn brother? He barely even knows you.」Argued Reuk. 「Maybe he's trying to trick you into dropping your guards.」

「He does not need to.」dismissed Kibadios, pointing out the obvious. 「Although I have leveled up greatly after my battle with Adela, had he wanted to, he could still have killed me ten times over during our brief encounter just now.」

「That's why I'm worried! Why did he not just kill you then? His actions just don't make any sense.」

「It may seem so at first, but...」Kibadios paused for a moment.「... though I may be wrong, I think I might have an idea on what he was thinking.」

.

.

.

「Senpai! Did you not hear what I said? The big boss told us to stand down. We are to take the Princess' side now.」Amaira angrily screamed at her vice captain after several attempts at communication. Although the Yves had clearly heard every single word his subordinate was saying, he simply elected to ignore it, for he could never step back from this rare opportunity to end the life of the abhorrent man standing in front of him. Thomas seemed to share the same sentiment as his adopted son, since despite noticing Kibadios' arrival and the end of the conflict, with Yllaes and his two bodyguards being surrounded by the mercenary group's captains, the old hero still did not retreat from his fight. Kibadios dono, I don't know how you do it, but you had just performed a miracle. Just minutes ago, we were on the verge of annihilation. Thomas thought to himself.

「Are you sure you can afford to be distracted?」Erik quickly took the advantage of the hero's carelessness and delivered a devastating strike with his burning sword. Although Thomas was able to hastily block it at the last moment before the swipe tore through his flesh, the sheer weight of the attack sent him flying a few feet away. … This is it… My role as Yllaner dono's guard is no longer needed. The old, weakened hero suddenly shot the Yves with a determined look that even surprised the demihuman for a brief moment. Now, I just have to settle this age old feud between us.

.

.

.

「Yeah yeah! And then, after I kicked that demi in the stomach, Ed here punched him so hard, he even felt onto the ground.」The mayor's teenager son proudly recounted how he, along with his gang of followers, had "taught" the demihuman named Erik a lesson in front of half a dozen other kids in town.

「Really??」「Did he cry? I bet he was cowering and begging for help!」「Man, I should have been there!」

「Don't worry! I can take you guys with us next time I decide to fuck with him.」The teen donned a twisted grin, imagining what future afflictions he would put the young Yves through. 「The more the merrier! Tormenting the demi for sure would score us points with the Astrals! Maybe they would even give our village their blessings.」

「And why would you think that, Matt?」The mayor's son quickly snapped back from indulging in his perverse fantasy the moment he heard the familiar deep voice from behind him. Matt slowly turned around, only to see the tall, muscular hero standing towering over him, causing him to momentarily shudder in fear as he noticed the man's frowning gaze.

「Tho… Thomas san? You're still here? I thought you have already set out for your mission?」

「I'm on my way...」calmly answered Thomas. 「Though, I just want to stop by and have a talk with you.」

「Have a talk with me? Why?」

「I just want to tell you to stop your childish bullying behavior, Matt. You and your friends have just hurt Erik this morning, did you not? Even if he is a demihuman, he did not do anything that warranted your harassments.」

「What are you talking about? Demihumans are disgusting. They are our enemies, aren't they? You're a hero who participated in the war against the Five Disasters that devastated our country, you should know how much atrocities the Demihumans have inflicted on our towns and cities. I just want to make Erik and his kind suffer for what they did.」

「Who are "they"?」

「What?」

「Despite living here for years now, Erik himself did not do anything wrong, did he? And none of the members of the Five Disasters was an Yves, so why are you directing your hatred toward him?」

「What are you talking about, Thomas san? Didn't you also hate him? You don't have to pretend to care about him, Helena san is not around, you know?」

「...Maybe… I've changed my mind.」Thomas softly muttered under his breath. His times training the young Yves, seeing his determination rekindled after strenuous sessions whenever Helena and Rita's names were brought up as motivations for the kid, had caused the fisherman's ice cold heart to melt.「Just listen to me: Don't you ever come close to Erik or hurt him again. I'd make sure he would never hurt anyone in the village either.」Thomas firmly warned, causing the teenager to break out in cold sweat and slowly nodded…

「... What was that?」Matt asked himself once Thomas had left. 「There's no way Thomas san would be soft on a fucking demi like that, right?」

「Did that demi fuck with his mind?」One of the kid suggested

「Huh?」

「Maybe he's controlling Thomas san with his disgusting extra eyes or something?」

「I don't think Yves can do that, can't they?」

BAMM!! The loud sound of Matt's fist slamming against the wooden wall quickly quieted down the conversation between the kids. 「...If that's the case, then it settles.」

「Settles what?」One of the kids asked.

「If that Yves can control people, then for sure he's controlling Helena san and Rita. Just think about it, who in their right mind would be harboring a demi in their homes? We cannot let him continue to exert his power over them anymore. We'll fucking end that filthy Demi's life and bring sanity back to Thomas san's family!」

「You don't mean...」

「Yeah… I got a plan.」

.

.

.

After losing the two people he loved most in the world, the hero suffered through an empty life without a purpose. He had fought hard and dutifully carried out his missions as a hero for the betterment of his family, to ensure the tender smile of his wife would never fade away and the innocent laugh of his daughter to continue to echo throughout the town. Although he did not want to admit, at one point, he was also fighting for Erik's sake. Yet, everything he held dear had shattered, leaving the man to feel as if he was standing in front of a bottomless abyss that creepily called out to him. He just wanted for his life to end. The only thing that kept him going was his unwavering sense of justice, knowing that he owed it to this world to continue fighting as one of its heroes. Yet, the more he fought, the emptier he felt. Due to countless encounters with demihumans who yearned to become a demon lord, the hero began to revert back to his old self as his distrust toward demihuman continued to build. Only if Helena had never taken Erik back to our home, she and Rita would still be alive now , Thomas lamented. Only if demihumans never exist … Though, on the fateful day when the Catastrophe Class attacked Lorian, he finally realized his hatred toward demihuman was misplaced, for the city and entire region was saved, not thanks to him and his fellow heroes, but to Kibadios and the peculiar Yonko. Those powerful demihumans, who should have been viewed as the pinnacles of threats to the human's peaceful ways of lives, ironically were their saviors. Was I wrong? Thomas kept reflecting, the last words that Erik had ever said to him began to reverberate inside his head… Erik … As his thoughts settled, the old hero finally realized one thing: he did not owe the world nor the Oracle anything. The only one person who he owed an apology to would be the demihuman that he had been despising for decades.

.

.

.

「Tired, old man?」Erik noticed Thomas' slow movements, as if they were full of hesitation.

「... No, I can do this all day.」answered the hero.

「Drop the act. Both you and I know you don't have much strength left.」Erik correctly deduced.「Let's end this here and now!」

「... You're right.」Thomas nodded before lunging himself straight forward, his hand gripped tightly onto his harpoon, which was imbued with small swirling streams of water as if he was Tanjirou, readying to cut down the isekai'ed Michael Jackson. 「Our feud has been going on long enough. It's time for it to end.」

「You foolish old man! You think you can take me down with such a head-on attack like that?」Erik was pissed at how the old hero looked down at him. 「<Zhuque's Piercing Slash>!!」

To counter Thomas, Erik activated his skill, allowing his sword to burst out in burning flame, ready to receive the hero's attack. Yet, in that brief moment, the hero suddenly dropped his weapon down, confused the Yves for he was expecting another trap. Despite not having his weapon, the hero still charged straight at his opponent without changing his trajectory.

「What are you planning, you fucking old man?」Erik screamed loudly. Though by the time he ended his sentence, Thomas was already standing in front of him. Yet, the experienced vice captain of the Hyakki Yagyo suddenly froze in place, unable to move an inch, for his sword had now pierced through his hated adopted father's flesh.

「... Wait..What… are you doing?」For the first time during the fight, Erik broke into cold sweat, not knowing what had just happened. Just seconds ago, the old hero was going to strike him down but now, he had discarded his trademark weapon and willingly flung himself into the demihuman's open blade.

「... This is the end, Erik.」Thomas softly admitted.「Now that Kibadios dono is here... and the Princess is safe, I have … accomplished everything that I set out for...」Blood started to drip down from his trembling mouth. 「All that left is for me to settle this… stupid fight between us… and with my death, please consider it settled. Consider this as my atonement to you.」

「What the fuck are you talking about?」This was not how Erik imagined things would end. He had always thought about the moment he defeated the man who rejected him, who viewed him as nothing but a monster to be exterminated. He wanted to stand triumph and looked down at the miserable hero but this… this was not it.

「... I have always hated you as a demihuman, Erik...」Despite his mutilated eyes, the hero looked straight at the confused Yves. 「Yet… at times, I did love you as a son...」

「What … what are you rambling about, old man?」

「I… am sorry… Erik… 」Thomas knew he did not have to explain any of his actions to Erik, nonetheless, he still wanted to apologize to the Yves. He gathered all his strength to move his hand and reached out to the dumbfounded man's cheek.「I'll be keeping... Helena and Rita's company... as you have always wanted,… son.」

「Stop messing with me, Thomas!!!」Erik screamed out as his adopted father's body fell lifelessly onto his shoulder, passing away with a faint smile still on his face. He should have rejoiced at the passing of his hated enemy, he should have been proud to finally defeat the man who has always held him in such contempt for years, who falsely blamed him for the tragedy that befell on them all. Yet, all he felt was an expansive emptiness that consumed his once fiery heart, the same feeling he experienced when he held Helena and Rita's unmoving body in his arms during that fateful stormy night.「... Thomas… In the end, you have won… 」The Yves noted as he realized the hero had successfully deprived him of the satisfaction he had always yearned for.

.

.

.

「You did it, didn't you?」Helena walked up to Thomas, who was watching his daughter innocently played with her adopted brother in the small meadow next to their home.

「Did what? What are you talking about?」

「You were the one cover Erik in his blanket, weren't you?」

「...No?」

「Oh, then I guess the blanket just flew out from our drawer and dropped on top of him as he sleeps then.」Helena sarcastically laughed. 「Somehow, this morning, he woke up and thanked me for it, although I did not do anything.」

「... I was just worried he would catch a cold and spread it to Rita.」Thomas embarrassingly came up with an excuse.

「Of course, of course.」His wife simply nodded in agreement as she leaned onto her husband, her eyes gazed at her two playful children. 「I'm glad you have finally accepted him after all these years, Thomas.」

「Accepting who?」The hero feinted ignorance.

「...I just wish our family can stay happy like this forever.」Smiled Helena.

.

.

.

「Lay down your weapon, Soen, Caen.」Yllaes ordered the dryads, for he knew victory had completely vanished away from his grasp the moment the Hyakki Yagyo switched sides. No, it was even before that… Yllaner had already checkmated me days ago, the only reason I was able to advance this far was because of that Yonko's whim, Yllaes thought to himself as he turned to the Princess. 「... This is my complete loss, Yllaner. Well play.」

「Nii chan...」Yllaner was going to reach out to her defeated brother, only to be stopped short by Uran

「Please be vigilant, Princess.」The elven lord shook his head. For all her calculating personality, Yllaner was still soft with those she held dear.

「Ha, Uran is right.」Yllaes smiled.「Making one small mistake like rushing to me and I can still take your life, my dear sister.」His veiled threat was quickly met with prompt responses as three of the Hyakko Yagyo's captains quickly raised their weapons against the elf.

「We can't let you harm our potential paymaster now, can we?」Ashura grinned.

「Paymaster?」Kibadios asked.

「Yes, since technically, it's thank to us that the Princess was able to end this bloodless civil war, we expected to be compensated with Orcan in full, in the same amount that her brother had promised us.」explained the Yonko, confident that any of his terms would be readily accepted by Yllaner for he and his force were now the Kingmakers in this conflict.

「We did not agree on that, did we?」Kibadios reminded Ashura.

「Don't worry, Kibadios. I fully intend to buy the Hyakki Yagyo's service, if that's what it takes for them to stay out of this.」Yllaner turned to the mercenary group's leader. 「I accept your proposal, Ashura dono.」

「Good! Nice doing business with you, Yllaner dono.」

「Likewise.」nodded Yllaner. 「Since everything has been settled, let's apprehend my brother back to our camp. I hope your forces can help with it?」

「Sure thing!」

「Kyl chan!」After making a deal with the Yonko, Yllaner quickly ran to her beloved hero with a bright smiling face, given that he had finally woke up from his coma.「Thanks the Spirits you're alright...」Though, her face quickly turned pale as she reached out to hold onto the hero's ice cold hands. Now, with all the hectic fights had settled down, she finally had a good chance to take a look at the hero's face, only to see his expression was as white as a ghost, his eyes slowly turning opaque. 「Kyl chan, why are you so cold?」The Princess asked concerningly, only to struggle as the muscular man slowly fell into her embrace. 「Kyl chan!」

「Kyles?」Kibadios noticed the man's Nen.

「... That hero… It's a miracle that he could be standing here.」The second captain who dressed in Heinan clothing noted.「His life force had completely dried up. Had he been a regular person, he'd be dead by now.」