"Stake him down!"
"..."
The faint roar of the Demon King echoed in the distance.
The subtle yet synchronized movement of the demons.
As he heard those sounds, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Asurat, opened his eyes. And he thought—
'Ah, is it today?'
Yes.
At last, it was today.
The days had been long. Endless.
That sharp, tingling pain.
Even when he closed his eyes.
Even when the tears flowed.
That intense, electrifying jolt searing through his sixth vertebra.
Was that all?
How about the stench of compost?
'......'
His sense of smell was long dead. Fragrance? What was that again? Once upon a time, this very nose could detect beautiful scents. There definitely have been such days.
But now, he couldn't even recall the scent of normal air or breeze. He could only think that the air of this world must simply be made entirely of compost stink.
But it is over now.
As of today, farewell.
Very soon, a new biological lightning rod(?) would be born to take his place! Then, naturally, he would be set free! At last! On this very day!
"......Phew."
Asurat lifted his head with difficulty.
And then, he saw a welcome banner.
[(Congrats) Inauguration of the 2nd Lightning Rod (Cheers)]
...…Yeah.
This wasn't a dream.
This was real.
That flag fluttering, bearing such clear letters. That new stake being firmly erected beside him.
Even the figure of General Fikamir of the 1st Star Legion from the neighboring district, securely bound to that stake—everything!
'Heh heh… hehehe…!'
He was happy.
He felt like crying.
No, he actually did cry a little.
"Uuuugh! Ugh ugh! Urgh ugh!"
From the stake beside him, he could hear Fikamir groaning something. Turning his head, he saw the guy staring at him with a desperate face and eyes full of confusion.
So Asurat gave him a warm, friendly smile.
'Hehe. You must be flustered.'
Having gone through the same ordeal first, Asurat could perfectly understand Fikamir's current state of mind.
One look at Fikamir's severely charred body, and it was clear he'd been scorched by Credos's lightning. That must be why he was completely limp and powerless.
'And to be tied to a stake in that condition… it's awful, really.'
Of course, it doesn't end there.
Worse things were to come.
Namely…
"Wrap the mat!"
The Demon King's roar rang out once again.
At that moment, a tear-stained smile crept across Asurat's lips.
'Ah, finally!'
Freedom was coming.
The mat that had bound him all this time.
The restraint stolen from the Holy Order of Crusaders by the Demon King two generations ago, a demon-exclusive shackle. Its official name was something like Purifying Cloth of the Corrupted, but Credos, saying it was too long, just called it "the mat"—this horrid, wicked thing.
The day of liberation from that thing!
'Is finally here!'
Asurat shivered in near-ecstatic joy.
Now the lower-ranking demons would surely come rushing in. Just like when they bound him, they'd now unwrap the mat coiled around his body. Then they'd wrap it around Fikamir.
And he'd be free.
He could escape this agony.
No more struggling as a living lightning rod! …So he thought, as his chest swelled with anticipation and hope.
"Mat! New Mat!"
"New mat! Bring the new mat!"
"Wrap him up! Roll roll roll! Brand new mat!"
But the lower demons didn't come his way. They dashed off in a completely different direction. And then—grabbed a brand-new mat that looked exactly like the one wrapped around him!
"...!"
Huh?
Why?
What for?
'There's… there's another one of those mats?'
Is this… for real?
That one's not a knockoff or something?
Asurat wanted to reject the information his eyes had delivered. But reality was cruel. The new mat wrapped Fikamir with the skill and precision of a housewife with thirty years of plastic wrap experience.
And that was that.
The Demon King gave some kind of speech.
The demons cheered in response, seemingly.
Then they all left in a rush, without a backward glance.
…Whoooosh.
A cold gust of wind swept over the abandoned land, kicking up dust. A thick cloud of it brushed against the cheeks of the mat-wrapped Asurat and Fikamir—not gently, but with a loud slap slap slap as it passed by.
"....."
Ah, life.
Only then did Asurat realize. Just because the second lightning rod was inaugurated, didn't mean the first one had to retire.
And he realized one more thing. The Demon King's grudge was far stickier and more vicious than he'd ever imagined.
'.....'
Blood Flame of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Once a being who struck fear into all.
Asurat lifted his head as tears welled up again.
He smiled slightly to stop them from flowing.
Why was he like this?
What was he trying to say?
All the hopes he had for today drifted up into the sky.
The single hope he'd dared to hold.
The disappointment he never thought would come with tears—all of it.
'…What the hell is this? I… damn it… IU, damn…'
In the end, the tears he couldn't hold back streamed down Asurat's face like sad chicken droppings.
***
'What a fine day, such a fine day!'
…Crack!
The crystal ball shattered into pieces.
The 1st Star Master, Saruthul, twitched his eye muscles, still unable to contain his anger. And he thought—ah, that crystal ball. It was expensive.
"....."
In any case, there were more crystal balls.
The real problem was that the Demon King, Credos, had learned of their entire plan.
'Fikamir, that bastard…'
The 1st Star Master understood.
His trusted aide, Fikamir, had been displayed on a stake like some exhibition. Which meant—the Demon King had wrung out every piece of information he could from Fikamir. That's why he'd hung him out like trash for all to see.
"......."
Stupid Fikamir.
He'd cherished the guy like a right arm all this time.
And yet he spilled every secret so easily?
"Tsk."
He felt indignant.
He even considered trying life as a lefty for a while.
But, of course, that wasn't the real issue right now.
'Demon King Credos. That bastard's trying to bait me out.'
He could feel it.
Displaying Fikamir like that was an obvious provocation. A move to enrage him. To lure him out from the cliff's edge.
However…
'Did you think I would be so easily shaken, Demon King?'
1st Star Master Saruthul smiled confidently.
This place, this Cliff of the Dead that he ruled.
Here, he was invincible.
No one could catch him.
So why would he ever step outside?
'This is a patience game I will win no matter what. Demon King Credos, no matter how hard you try to provoke me, I will not be swayed.'
The 1st Star Master smiled with certainty.
He would never fall for a provocation. This was a battle he was destined to win.
He truly believed that.
At least—until Kim Jangcheol established the farming-specialized demon unit, the "Farming Corps Youth Association," and held a chuno feast in front of Lightning Rod No.2, Fikamir, as a founding celebration.
Crunch, munch!
"...…"
Wow, they're really going at it.
Chomp, chew, gulp!
"...…"
That chuno stuff—was it really that delicious?
Was that why they were all grinning while eating, fanning their mouths and smearing soot around their lips?
He didn't know.
He didn't know why he felt like this.
Why just watching them made his insides boil.
Saruthul clenched his teeth unconsciously as he watched the footage his scout demon had sent. His fists balled up. And he tried to suppress his emotions.
It's fine.
It's a cheap provocation.
Don't fall for something like this.
...Or so he resolved.
But then—the crystal ball zoomed in on someone's face.
It was the Demon King, Credos, chewing on freshly roasted chuno with pure, blissful joy—a full close-up shot, more real than reality.
Nom nom nom! Chomp chomp! Slurp slurp slurp, munch munch!
"...…"
CRASH!
At the very moment he saw the Demon King loudly and deliberately stuffing potatoes into his mouth, Saruthul smashed the crystal ball with his fist before he even realized it.
And then, he made a decision.
This couldn't go on.
He had no choice but to act.
***
This wasn't going to work.
There was no way around it.
"......"
Just after stepping beyond the heart of the abandoned lands—
Just as he reached the edge of this cursed earth—
The level 9990 NPC, Aged Kimchi, stopped walking for the first time.
And listened.
From somewhere, a sorrowful voice echoed.
"Some... one... please... help... me...."
At first, he intended to ignore it.
But for some reason, it bothered him.
Could it be a monster luring adventurers in to eat them? Even if it was, it wouldn't be a threat to him. Then maybe… he should at least check.
After a moment's thought, Aged Kimchi turned in the direction of the voice. And thanks to that, he found them. Not monsters—but two people who genuinely looked like they were in distress.
"…Huh?"
The two of them stared at him with wide eyes.
One was a silver-haired pretty boy. Beside him, a brown-haired fellow with a potato-like vibe. Both looked like a total mess. The silver-haired one in particular seemed to have a broken leg—he was clutching a poorly splinted limb and sitting on the ground.
"A-a person! Please help us!"
The brown-haired, potato-faced one shouted urgently.
Aged Kimchi approached them.
"…What happened."
He didn't understand.
This was still the abandoned land.
And yet, there were humans, not monsters or demons.
That he would run into such people here—and even be talking to them—
"..."
He had never imagined anything like this.
Not even in any of his nineteen previous lives.
And then—
"G-Goblins! We were attacked by them! They stole all our food and dragged us into their den… we barely escaped with our lives! But the young master's leg got broken, and I tried to carry him, but I collapsed from exhaustion… huff…!"
Maybe they thought they had finally grasped the last thread of hope.
The brown-haired one, eyes teary, spoke with desperation.
It didn't seem like a lie, no matter how he looked at it.
Aged Kimchi hesitated for a moment.
Should he help them?
He didn't know.
But turning away… he didn't want to do that. These were the first "humans" he had met, finally, after going through twenty lives.
Having made up his mind, Aged Kimchi approached and knelt to meet them at eye level.
"If that's what happened, then you've been through a lot."
"Sniff… y-yes, we really have…"
"Then, how can I help?"
"If it's not too much trouble… could you take us to the nearest town or village…"
"You want me to escort you?"
"Yes! Yes, please! Thank you so much! Truly, thank you!"
The brown-haired one cried.
The silver-haired young man looked at him with grateful eyes.
…Yeah.
Maybe this meeting was fate, in a way.
He—who had lived through nineteen lifetimes of blood and slaughter. And now, at last, was given the chance to show kindness to another.
Maybe this was…
'A chance to wash away the karma of killing.'
Maybe that's what this was.
The thought came to him.
And at the end of that thought, Aged Kimchi smiled warmly.
Then, reaffirming his decision to help, he asked—
"Then, since we'll be traveling together for a while, let's introduce ourselves. My name is Aged Kimchi. And you are?"
"Ah, we are…"
The brown-haired one quickly wiped away his tears and smiled.
"This here is the noble Lord Reivaj Asrahan, whom I serve. And I am his servant, Dyoll Frontera."