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“Why is there a perfectly good door missing?!”

Michisige gritted his teeth and summoned his mana to strengthen his body. He then circulated the mana around to eliminate any abnormalities in his body and reinforced his eyes to search for any possible tricks.

However, no matter how much he churned the mana, he found no irregularities in his body, and even with his enhanced vision, the vanished door remained unseen.

His eyes that pierced the darkness only revealed the grotesque appearance of the mold that had settled in, and while his mana-augmented body gave him a sensation of wanting to leap out at any moment, it couldn’t dispel the ‘illusion’ in front of him.

There was no escape route.

“What the hell is this vile trick?!”

With a roar, Michisige gathered mana at his fingertips.

Without a sword, he intended to use his nails infused with mana as a makeshift weapon.

Psss.

Thus, Michisige concentrated mana at the tip of his nails and progressively created long thorns. He adhered mana to the thorns as if attaching flesh to them, constantly supplying mana from all over his body as he repeated the process.

In that way, Michisige fashioned a sword made of mana.

‘The mana consumption is rapid.’

Yet, the sword formed from hastily assembled mana, lacking mastery, was horrifically inefficient. The mana was not compressed properly, making the tip blunt, and unable to control the mana adequately, it leaked out bit by bit, constantly consuming more mana.

Despite his slightly anxious state, Michisige lifted the mana sword.

“Hiyaaaaaap!”

He swung it down with all his strength, as if pounding a heavy object into the ground.

As soon as the mana at his fingertips touched the ground, it transformed into countless mana bullets like a claymore, spreading out in a fan shape and crashing into the wall in front of him.

Kwahwaaaaang!

The mana bullets that struck the wall lodged in and exploded, scattering debris everywhere and shaking the underground space.

Kuguguguh-

However, Michisige’s attempt ended in vain.

Though his attack had the destructive power to shake the underground space and dislodge dust from the ceiling, it ultimately failed to find the ‘door’ he sought.

“Hiyaaaaaap!”

But Michisige refused to give up.

There are four walls in total.

So, all he had to do was attack four times.

Kuguguguh-!

He drew up mana and fired off another round of mana bullets, demolishing all the walls like rag cloth.

However…

“Damn it.”

There was no escape route.

“Bel Marduk! Bel Marduk!”

“Beneath the festival of Sakea, the condemned sits upon the throne, and he becomes not merely a condemned, but bears another title!”

“From the lowest to the highest!”

“From the most useless to the most useful!”

“The great Zoganes has spoken! Let the condemned who occupies the throne wield the same authority as a king!”

And as if to mock Michisige’s futile efforts, the voice crackled from the tape player.

“From the sixteenth of Lous!”

“The five suns rise.”

“Until the five moons set!”

“O great Zoganes, the glorious Zoganes who was once a condemned man turned king!”

“O Zoganes Hiramoto Michisige! Bestow your command!”

“Exercise the authority of a king and taste the sweetness of that power!”

“Pour honey into your flesh and stew the essence of your soul!”

Screech!

Michisige could not tolerate the irritating sounds in his ear.

As soon as he heard his name from the tape player, he charged toward it, swinging the mana sword still in shape, slicing it to pieces.

Then, the tape player, which had been nothing more than a plastic fragment, became trash sprawled on the floor, and the disgusting sound that had agitated his nerves moments ago vanished.

“Damn it, damn it.”

In the return of the dreadful silence, Michisige clenched his lips tightly.

“This is a trap. A trap. Everything is a trap.”

He spat out curse words, saying it was all filthy.

But no matter how much he cursed, nothing changed.

Regret, no matter how swift, is always late.

An animal trapped in a snare may realize its impending doom, yet cannot alter its fate.

“Once a king, the servant raises a question, O great Zoganes!”

“What is your desire?”

The voice began to echo again, mocking Michisige’s futile struggles.

The broken tape player twitched, resuming its place and playing the tape, and now the crumbled wall seeped mold, spreading out and staining black.

Amidst the spreading mold, areas created faces twisted and swayed, taking on the shape of a human face.

The face without eyes spoke.

“Would you like a feast?”

“There are dishes sprinkled with glimmering gold.”

“Here’s a beverage infused with sweet honey.”

“There are jewel fruits blossoming in the sun’s garden.”

A gigantic face, far exceeding human proportions, echoed.

“Do you require a woman?”

“Embrace the concubine of the servant who was once a king.”

“Now that you’ve obtained the throne, that woman is yours too.”

“Indulging in pleasure is your rightful privilege.”

A slender face chimed in.

“Would you like entertainment?”

“All the world’s amusements are here.”

“Shall I show you warriors battling?”

“Would you like to see performances by beautiful women?”

And then the tape spoke.

“Oh, Zoganes! O Zoganes!”

“O great Zoganes Hiramoto Michisige!”

“Speak your desires and receive them, fueling your body!”

“Make your sullied soul fattened!”

“The sun rises and sets, as is the law of the world!”

“At last, humbly accept the death that draws near at the end of the festival!”

“O foremost god, the god of magic and spells!”

“The creator of the universe! The one who summons storms!”

“The one who governs everything from a single grain to the laws of the world!”

“In the name of Bel Marduk!”

The face declared.

The tape spoke.

The walls voiced.

“You are the sacrifice.”

“Damn it!”

“You shall not escape from here!”

“Damn itttttt!”

Michisige once more summoned mana and drew out his sword.

Then, like a seizure, he started to dash around, slicing at the tape and the faces.

But it was no use.

Biiiiiiing-

Thud—

Dudududung—

Thud-!

The sliced-up tape player, as if it was meant to be, reassembled and resumed playing its music, turning into a liquid-like form before once again shaping itself into the tape player.

The face, even if it was cut, quickly sealed back like water, filling the space and continuously uttering its dreadful voice.

A voice like that of some hideous being rising from the depths.

“O Zoganes. The first sun has risen. What do you desire?”

And in response to such grotesqueness, Michisige screamed at the top of his lungs.

“Bastards! Damn bastards! Do you think I’ll die just because of this?! I will never die! Not according to your wishes! Absolutely never die!”

I will not die!

I cannot die!

Absolutely! Absolutely will not die!

“Why must I, who has done nothing wrong, face such an unjust death?!”

It’s unreasonable.

This cannot be happening.

Guilt?

What crime could I possibly have?!

“O Zoganes, you have become a condemned man because your hands are stained with blood.”

“My hands are stained with blood?”

“What does that even mean?!”

Animals?

What’s so wrong with killing animals in the first place?!

It’s not like I killed them out of boredom; they were sacrificed for mana!

There’s no difference from just butchering to eat!

And people?

He didn’t kill anyone to begin with.

It was the first head of the Yatadoarangkryu who did that.

All Michisige did was turn a blind eye to that fact!

Besides, why is that even a crime?

What’s the big deal in slaying a few laborers doing menial tasks?

Not even as if he did it just to test his sword, nor that he had no choice but to kill to keep a secret!

“I am innocent!”

Moreover, that was a story from when the Yatadoarangkryu branched off from the Shiheng Style. Decades had passed, and legally speaking, it couldn’t even be considered a crime.

So, there was no fault.

Even if there was, it had long been washed away.

“Killing animals to eat, standing atop others to survive! How is that any different from what I do? What’s the difference?!”

He proclaimed his innocence loudly.

His words were filled with genuine conviction, and there was a force that emerged from his heart.

Because that was the truth!

He was innocent, without a shred of shame!

“O first sun. The first demand.”

And to that earnestness, the moldy face responded.

Like a stiffened machine whispering softly.

Or like a minister who had rolled and rolled in political circles, mocking while wearing the guise of politeness over his skin.

It twisted only some of his words into a ‘request.’

“O Zoganes has decreed that he wishes to kill animals and consume them.”

“In that case, it is only right to kill the animals and offer their blood and flesh to fill his belly. So, all the servants awaiting to serve Zoganes must exert their utmost effort to bring forth the animals, slice them open and chop the meat pleasingly.”

“They shall draw blood and pour it into cups, adding honey to create a sweet and life-giving drink.”

“The most precious parts shall be crafted in gold before cooling and served on a tray adorned with jewels.”

“Thus, O servant, come forth.”

Drurk.

Druk.

The moldy face grandly recited, blending seamlessly with the perpetually vibrating music, and as if to echo it, a sound of wheels touched the stone floor from the darkness. Amidst the shadows were seen the feet of human figures, followed by a cart pulled by a person.

The cart contained a calf and was filled with golden trays.

“Here comes the servant, Uchikawa Ryosuke, bringing the cart to fulfill the orders of Zoganes.”

The one pulling it spoke with a blank expression.

 

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