I Alone Regress in a Hero Party That Was Annihilated - Chapter 86

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#86. The Fall of Purosange (6)

The Purosange Family had been annihilated.

They had abandoned their duty as vassals and attacked their liege lord Mörsolt, and as the price for that, they had to meet a miserable end.

Thoroughbred, the Head of Purosange, had been tainted by darkness and transformed into an evil undead, meeting his final end by the blade wielded by Soleil, the Family Head of Mörsolt.

This story spread throughout the entire Northern Region.

It became the catalyst that made all the families who had been harboring different thoughts shut their mouths and bow their heads, and at the same time, it became a turning point for other families with righteous intentions to join Mörsolt.

And at the center of all this storm stood one person.

Featherback, the Young Family Head of Mörsolt.

* * *

On the road to normalizing the castles that had been owned by the Purosange Family.

Soleil spoke while watching the soldiers removing the contaminated materials from the Tochika Water Source.

“I’ve often heard tales of one brave person defending a castle against thousands of enemies… but this is the first time I’ve heard of someone single-handedly attacking and capturing a castle. And to think that the person behind such an achievement is my son.”

“You praise me too highly.”

Featherback nodded his head.

Soleil placed his hand on Featherback’s shoulder.

“You’ve achieved remarkable military accomplishments. And to reach the 4-Star realm at your age. This is unprecedented in the history of humanity. When exactly did this happen?”

“Recently. I had an enlightenment while conducting guerrilla warfare in the blizzard.”

“Hmm, indeed, people of the north grow through real combat. Well done. But I feel like this isn’t something that can just be ended with ‘well done.’ I don’t know how else to express it…”

Soleil’s eyes looking at Featherback were filled with pure joy.

Just then.

“Family Head.”

Sir Dvorak walked over from up ahead.

He bowed silently before Soleil, then lightly nodded his head to Featherback as well.

Originally, Dvorak was not one who particularly welcomed Featherback.

He was a stubborn old knight who would nag and scold more than anyone else about Featherback’s reclusive lifestyle and excessive spending on poetry, paintings, music, and such.

However, after Featherback climbed the snow mountain alone and cut off three hundred and fifty orc heads, Sir Dvorak’s attitude began to change little by little.

And since the recent subjugation of the ‘Nightmare-Eating Tree Spirit,’ Sir Dvorak had been deeply acknowledging and following Featherback as the young family head in his heart.

Not to mention now that he had crossed the 4-star barrier that no one else in the Mörsolt Family except Soleil had been able to overcome.

Soleil asked.

“Hmm, Sir Dvorak. What’s the matter?”

“Something suspicious has been discovered within Tochika Fortress.”

“Something suspicious?”

“It’s a basement attached to the Star Tower… There’s a pool of blood inside.”

Sir Dvorak continued with a rigidly hardened expression.

“Judging by the thick remnants of black mana that can be felt, I suspect it might be related to dark magic.”

“We’ll need to investigate. That’s another thing to announce to the public.”

Soleil stroked his chin in contemplation.

At that moment, Featherback stepped forward.

“I’ll investigate it.”

“Do you know something about dark magic?”

“I don’t know much, but I have a friend who would know well.”

Having finished speaking, Featherback looked toward a corner of the castle walls.

There was.

“Hmph, so you finally look this way.”

Quinbits with a sullen expression can be seen sitting on the stone wall.

* * *

Featherback took Quinbits and headed to the building in the most secluded area within Tochika Fortress.

A spire towering high in the isolated location.

This tower had only its walls scorched by fire, with no other significant damage.

While exploring the interior of this tower, the soldiers discovered stairs leading underground in a corner of the first floor.

“There’s already a disgusting stench coming from here.”

Quinbits, who was sensitive to the flow of mana, grumbled.

Featherback paid no mind and descended the underground stairs.

When he lit a torch, the underground scenery became visible.

Stone walls covered with reddish moss, stalactites hanging down like teeth, and parched dirt floor.

There, a single pond rippling with blood sat alone.

Quinbits pulled out a leather bag.

Featherback looked at it with curiosity.

“Can you really bring them back to life?”

“To some extent.”

“I already killed and eliminated them. And that wasn’t enough, so I burned them too.”

“I told you, those things are different from ordinary life forms. I’m only reviving the traces that remain on the record of causality. To put it metaphorically… it’s like picking out the less burned fragments from the ash left after a tree burns?”

After finishing her words, Quinbits turned the sack upside down and shook it over the blood pond.

Fsssssssss…

What poured out from the sack was acrid ash powder.

Ash left behind from something that had burned.

When those things were sprinkled into the blood pond, a small change occurred.

Crackle— Crackle— Crackllllle—

The ash clumped together with the blood, becoming a sticky, viscous mass that bubbled like foam.

And soon.

[Grrrrrrrrrr…]

The mass of blood and ash began to mold itself into human form.

It was none other than Shedyoldis’s face.

Quinbits nodded her head.

“As expected. For those who have learned Dark Magic, even death is not easily granted.”

“So she’s been alive all this time in the form of this Ash Powder?”

“Strictly speaking, it would be hard to say she was alive. Her body was transformed into countless fragments of powder and scattered.”

“Hmm.”

While Featherback and Quinbits were conversing, the Ash Powder and blood clot mixed together viscously and emerged from the pond.

Shedyoldis, her body turned dark red, clutched her chest in agony.

She alternated between human and Lizard form as she pleaded.

[S-save me… Please give me a body… It’s too hard… to maintain… Anything… an organism… to use as a body… Please… even just one Small Kid…]

Right at that moment.

Thwack—!

Featherback’s Kick Attack shattered Shedyoldis’s Severed Head.

Quinbits frowned.

“Geez, we went through the trouble of reviving her. At least let’s hear what she has to say.”

“Sorry. It was instinctive.”

Featherback apologized.

It took about 3 hours for Shedyoldis’s once-shattered severed head to reform back to its previous appearance.

[Grrrrrr…]

Shedyoldis had changed into the face of a young girl, neither the enchanting woman’s face nor the lizard’s face.

Quinbits said.

“This seems to be this bastard’s true form.”

“Didn’t it change its appearance to make it harder to kick?”

“Yeah. It probably doesn’t have the strength left to think that much.”

“Hmm.”

Featherback stood up from his spot.

Shedyoldis trembled and bowed her head.

Featherback asked Shedyoldis.

“What’s your name.”

[She, Shedyoldis…]

The moment she opened her mouth.

Thwack―!

Featherback’s kick attack swept across one of her shoulders.

The shoulder that had only roughly taken shape burst apart and Shedyoldis’s body rolled across the floor.

[Kyaaaah! Please stop! It hurts so much!]

“What’s your name.”

[Little, little finger! I’m the cult’s little finger! Please stop…!]

“A cult. What kind of cult?”

[…It’s, it’s just an indigenous religion that follows primitive teachings as they are. It’s not very famous.]

Shedyoldis avoided answering while reading the situation.

Then Featherback spoke.

“Cocytus.”

[…!]

“Judging by your reaction, I’m right.”

At Featherback’s words, Quinbits behind him tilted her head.

“Cocytus Cult? What’s that?”

“….”

Featherback fell silent for a moment.

The Cocytus (Κωκυτός,) Cult.

A deranged pseudo-religious group that spread terrifyingly before the world’s destruction.

A Dark Religious Order that had spread apocalyptic theories they’d been advocating for ages, converting countless humans into believers.

But the roots of that cult ultimately traced back to the Demon King, and all humans who converted to this religion became sacrifices for the Demon Army.

To be precise, their blood, flesh, and bones were all stripped away to become passages for High-ranking Demons to descend into the Mortal World.

Featherback looked at Shedyoldis while ignoring Quinbits’ gaze.

“I’m asking for confirmation, so answer properly. I’ll be questioning you mainly about the Cocytus Cult’s sphere of influence, the identities of high-ranking believers, things like that.”

[N, no. I can’t answer. I have a Prohibition Spell cast on me…]

“I brought a Mage here to break that Prohibition Spell. She’s quite skilled, so don’t worry.”

At Featherback’s words, Quinbits gives a thumbs up.

Shedyoldis’ expression becomes colored with despair.

And what puts the finishing touch on her despair is.

“I’m not sure how effective my torture techniques will be against the undead. But I’ll do my best.”

These were Featherback’s torture techniques, honed through the Age of Destruction.

* * *

Several days passed after that.

[Keeee—yaaaaaaaak!]

From the basement where Featherback and Quinbits had entered, ear-splitting screams echoed steadily, repeatedly, endlessly.

“It’s, it’s quite brutal.”

Hasadin.

The gatekeeper who had once guarded the gates of Tochika Castle.

Having been the greatest contributor to the fall of Tochika Fortress, he had now become Featherback’s subordinate and was standing guard in this area.

Beside him stood Sir Hounded, blocking anyone from entering the tower.

“Kuk kuk kuk— Our Young Master is conducting another torture session. Just the other day, there was this incredibly tight-lipped Purosange Ranger. Well, wouldn’t you know it, after our Young Master got his hands on him, within 5 minutes he was spilling everything, even the color of his wife’s underwear. It was black, I think?”

“Why would the Young Master be curious about another man’s wife’s underwear color?”

“Hey, it’s just a figure of speech. Our Young Master doesn’t have such hobbies. Even then, he only asked about military secrets and such.”

“Then what are the Young Master’s preferences when it comes to the opposite sex?”

“Why are you curious about that?”

“I was a gatekeeper for a long time, wasn’t I? I’m quite knowledgeable about the noble ladies of exceptional beauty in this area. I’ve exchanged greetings with them at the gate regularly, so I’m thinking of opening a matchmaking service once this war ends.”

“Oh, damn. Hey, before you take care of the Young Master, take care of me first.”

“Come now— given the difference in our stations, how could I do that? The Young Master comes first in everything.”

“Hey, you bastard, think about our Young Master’s age. He’s only fifteen now. Look at me, on the other hand. I’ve been serving on the front lines and missed my marriageable years, so what’s this about? And the Young Master is already incredibly popular. Right now, noble young women in their teens and twenties from the Northern Region are lining up for hours just to catch a glimpse of the Young Master’s face. Even among the commoner women, those confident in their beauty have all gathered, making it a complete chaos in front of the main castle.”

“I’m envious. I wish I could receive that kind of attention from women at least once in my life…”

The two had gotten along quite well since the siege of Tochika, chatting back and forth while standing guard duty.

Right at that moment.

Crumble— Crack!

The stone floor split apart, revealing stairs leading down to the basement.

From below, Featherback and Quinbits came up.

Featherback had the same calm expression as when he went in, while Quinbits looked pale, having vomited several times.

Both were covered in blood, but neither had any wounds.

And in Featherback’s hand was a long iron chain, with a small-framed girl bound at the end of it.

The girl with dark red skin and sharp teeth was Shedyoldis.

[Grrr… grrrrr… where are you… taking me… again… I told you everything… sob sob sob…]

But Featherback didn’t even blink at Shedyoldis’s pleading.

“Please take care of the cleanup.”

“Yes!”

Hounded and Hasadin answered Featherback’s request simultaneously.

And soon after, when the two went down to the basement, they both had to drop their jaws in shock.

Whatever had been done there, the ceiling, walls, and floor were completely covered in blood, flesh, and bone fragments.

The moment he saw it, Hounded vomited and Hasadin collapsed unconscious.

It was quite some time later before the basement was finally cleaned up.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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