The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 171

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 171. Discouragement

[Do what you must and return.]
A voice suddenly magnificent and resonant rang clear through the air.
It was a grating, unsettling sound—as if someone were speaking directly into a microphone pressed to the ear.
“…Hmph.”
Foul Humility clicked his tongue briefly in disappointment, then obediently turned to leave.
Before departing, he waved languidly toward Marcel Gioinea, whose jaw clenched so hard it looked in danger of shattering.
Seol Jihoo watched Foul Humility recede into the distance, a wave of helplessness washing over him.
‘This can’t be happening.’
Beyond the sheer arbitrariness of his actions, Seol Jihoo couldn’t even grasp what he ought to do in the face of such a presence.
‘Something like that.’
By his Intuition, the gap between his own aura and that creature’s was impossible to fathom—not merely heaven and earth, but something like the distance between the cosmos and dust.
‘How am I supposed to confront that….’
It was impossible not to succumb to discouragement.
Was this a god descended upon the earth? A being granted Divine Power?
His teeth trembled. Seol Jihoo clamped his jaws to suppress the sound of his chattering teeth.
Unable to bear the sight any longer, he forced his instinctively averted gaze forward, and his eyes caught upon a figure striding deliberately out from the central army.
The being wrapped in a black cloak stood over two meters tall, yet appeared lean and elegant rather than brutish.
Though broadly human in appearance like some medieval nobleman, the pallor of his face—a sickly white—and the sharp, scissor-cut points of his ears made it unmistakably clear that this was no human.
And then,
[Fear and chaos… emotions I savor.]
As he opened his mouth, the crimson-tinged fangs visible within were sharp as needles.
[However.]
His movements halted.
[People of humanity.]
The Parasite Queen’s honor guard and commander of the Nosferatu.
Undying Diligence spoke in measured tones.
[Do not be afraid.]
Yet his gaze swept the fortress with barely concealed arrogance.
[The reason we have come to this place today
[is not to destroy humanity,
[nor to seize Haramag.]
The voice continued methodically.
Seol Jihoo could scarcely believe his ears.
Not this, and not that either? Then what in all the hells did they come here for?
As if to explain precisely that, Undying Diligence spread his cloak wide.
[The Queen is magnanimous.]
He raised both arms as if in praise.
[And merciful, besides.]
A smile played across his face, barely visible.
[Hear me—people of humanity. The Queen commands us thus: take what you desire, then depart in silence.]
He then folded his arms and gave a casual shrug.
[Well… we must hurry back because of Tigol Fortress.]
Teresa’s brow furrowed severely. The expression of utter bewilderment.
Indeed, the very notion of the Seven Armies attempting dialogue was unprecedented.
“…Some of it appears to be true.”
Ian gazed down at a Communication Crystal whose light was fading, his expression grave.
“The Federation has launched an operation to retake Tigol Fortress. And…”
He worked his lips a moment before continuing, struggling with the words.
“The Parasites have withdrawn from every city except Haramag, they say.”
“What did you just say?”
Teresa’s head snapped around in shock.
“In several cities, the Parasite forces withdrew in the direction of Tigol Fortress…”
Teresa gripped her temples. Her mind had become a chaotic tangle.
The intention behind the Parasite Queen’s encirclement of all human-held territories became suddenly clear.
It must have been a feint—to prevent reinforcements from being sent.
But why?
Why would the Parasite Queen risk Tigol Fortress becoming vulnerable, sending more than half of the five armies that exist in the Material Realm to this place?
It couldn’t possibly be because of Aden Gorge Fortress.
Unable to make sense of it no matter how she turned it over in her mind, Teresa let out a low curse.
[One.]
At that moment, Undying Diligence slowly extended his index finger.
[One will suffice.]
He raised his stiffly held second finger high into the sky where everyone in the fortress could see it.
[Among you, there is surely one who has suddenly risen to prominence in recent times.]
Undying Diligence continued his words calmly.
[If you simply hand over that one person.]
Teresa’s eyes, which had been listening blankly, suddenly flared wide as lanterns.
She started to turn her head halfway without thinking, then caught herself with a small gasp.
[We will withdraw in good faith. I stake my name upon this promise.]
And at last, he revealed his purpose.
Murmur, murmur—the fortress descended into sudden chaos.
Cho Hong furrowed her brow.
“What is that thing even saying?”
“Risen to prominence recently…?”
Pi Sora’s head tilted uncertainly, then suddenly her mouth fell open. “Ah.”
She wasn’t the only one who understood. In moments, dozens of pairs of eyes fixed upon a single young man, and just as Undying Diligence’s gaze began to follow where the others were looking.
“Don’t spout nonsense!”
Teresa’s furious cry rang through the air with a sharp clang.
The eyes that had been converging on one point reflexively snapped toward her instead.
Undying Diligence smacked his lips.
‘No matter.’
Though Teresa’s interruption had prevented him from identifying anyone specifically, her reaction just now made it nearly certain that the person was here.
If he wanted, he could tear this fortress to pieces in less than ten minutes, but….
‘Let me shake them once more.’
[Nonsense? Why would you call it nonsense?]
Undying Diligence opened his mouth.
[This proposal is not an order, and far less a request. It is a negotiation.]
He continued, emphasizing the word negotiation.
[If you simply hand over one person, you are guaranteed safety. Where else could you find such a favorable negotiating position?]
Teresa tried to shout something, but Undying Diligence gave her no opening.
[Of course, you might think we’re being deceptive. But consider this carefully—whether or not that one person is here, do you truly believe we cannot overcome you, and that is why we’re doing this?]
As he added the words ‘trusting in that meager fortress?’, Teresa’s face went slack.
[The appearance may be similar, but the substance is nothing but a toy compared to Tigol Fortress.]
Foul Humility let out a sneer.
[Let me state it once more.]
Undying Diligence raised both his hands again.
[This proposal is the mercy and compassion of the Queen.]
[One opportunity should suffice. We are rather occupied ourselves, so there will be no third chance.]
Undying Diligence had already tacitly admitted that Tigol Fortress was currently under attack.
In other words, he was diplomatically expressing that if they refused again, there would be no more negotiation.
He was also displaying his confidence that crushing worms like them was nothing.
At Undying Diligence’s ultimatum, the fortress fell silent as a grave.
While everyone exchanged nervous glances, a bearded man cautiously spoke up.
“There’s… no choice, is there?”
“What did you say?”
Teresa whipped her head around.
Faced with her furious expression, the man flinched but pressed on stubbornly.
“Well, isn’t it so? Since three of the Seven Armies have appeared, we’ll die whether we fight or run. Rather than all perish here, perhaps one person….”
He glanced around as though seeking agreement from the others.
“Shut your mouth.”
Teresa cut him off sharply, as if she couldn’t bear to hear another word.
The man bristled.
“What, what did you say?”
“I said close that trap of yours. What do you mean ‘what’ and ‘how’?”
Teresa growled as though ready to throw down right then and there.
Seol Jihoo, sensing the hostile atmosphere building gradually, was about to open his mouth when.
“Just stay quiet.”
Pi Sora spoke quickly in a hushed voice.
“He’s looking this way right now.”
She pretended to glance around, then subtly shifted her steps to stand before Seol Jihoo, blocking his view.
Pi Sora whispered low.
“You search too. Like those two.”
Those two referred to Cho Hong and Hugo.
Both had been turning their heads this way and that for some time.
Only their eyes gleamed with the murderous intent of “I’ll kill anyone who looks over here.”
Only then did Seol Jihoo understand why they were acting this way, why Teresa was shouting crude insults to draw attention.
“It’s absolutely impossible.”
Ian stepped forward as well.
“Undying Diligence’s proposal carries no guarantee. They’re dangling safety as bait while demanding a sacrifice.”
“Ian, but—!”
“Of course, there’s a chance they’ll simply withdraw. Then we’d sigh with relief and return unharmed. But if we meet the Parasite’s demands by handing over one person and letting them leave, and the Haramag Royal Family permits this act—what do you think will happen when word spreads? Haven’t you been too blind to even consider that possibility?”
Ian spoke rapidly, laying out every point.
“No matter what excuses we make—Earthians and Paradiseans alike will surely lose faith in us. Beyond that, we can’t know what foreign royal houses and the Seven themselves might think. So you must not do this. Consider carefully how deeply this action would wound the Haramag Royal Family’s standing.”
The man’s face wavered with dizziness, but he shook his head roughly and protested.
“That’s… that’s absurd! Even if they curse us, they’ll understand in their hearts. These are the Seven Armies. Three of them came!”
“Listen here.”
“If one person leaves, we all live! Are you saying we should all die together!?”
Having taken the plunge, the man let forth his arguments with abandon.
Ian’s gaze turned cruel.
“Then why don’t you go first?”
“What? Why me? I—”
“Now that I think about it, didn’t you brag not long ago about excavating some ruins? You earned yourself quite a reputation from that, didn’t you?”
“D-don’t joke with me! Over one lousy ruin!”
“As I’ve been saying all along.”
Ian’s voice dropped lower.
“Undying Diligence’s word is worthless. The odds are high he’ll reject you and demand someone else instead. But yes, these are the Seven Armies. One person missing or two—there’s no real difference. So go on. As the one who suggested it.”
“That’s sophistry!”
“Sophistry? Perhaps. But from where I stand, success would be nice, and failure means nothing to me either way.”
Ian shrugged.
“Wouldn’t you say?”
The man’s face flushed scarlet with fury, yet his mouth clamped shut.
“…Don’t palm off on others what you yourself cannot do.”
Ian spoke smoothly at first, then suddenly opened his eyes wide and glared.
“That’s an order.”
This last command was directed at everyone as he looked around.
Only then did the furtive glances fade away, fleeing one by one.
But there was one thing Ian hadn’t anticipated as he turned to leave: the trembling man suddenly threw his hand up high.
“Undying Diligence! I shall reveal myself!”
Ian, caught off guard, spun back in shock.
“Hehhh—!”
But the words never finished.
Marcel Gioinea shot forward like an arrow and struck him hard across the throat.
“Madman.”
As the man rolled on the ground, coughing, Marcel kicked his abdomen hard, then took the Laurel of Victory that Seol Jihoo handed him and aimed it at the enemy outside the walls.
The man’s eyes bulged wide with pain.
“Stop…!”
Twirrrr! The bolt sang out, rendering his weakly outstretched hand useless.
The man cursed, and though the bolt didn’t so much as graze Undying Diligence’s hair, Marcel didn’t stop firing.
Teresa made no move to stop him.
She spotted Depraved Purity standing silent beside Undying Diligence, mouth clamped shut, shoulders trembling with barely suppressed laughter—and fury blazed in her eyes.
She drew the Silver Longsword that Seol Jihoo had given her and shouted.
“Blade Ballista! Load!”
Whirrr, whirrr! The pulley spun with violent force.
Undying Diligence watched the situation unfold silently, then let out a sigh.
“These vermin’s reasoning is beyond me… even when I offer them a path to survival…”
“Didn’t I tell you? I said they’d grow arrogant.”
Foul Humility let out a giggling cackle.
Undying Diligence shook his head slowly, then loosened his neck and wrists.
“Can’t be helped. If he wants to die, we’ll have to oblige him.”
“Let’s finish this quickly and get back. If Tigol Fortress gets retaken while we’re gone, we’ll have to seize it all over again….”
At the mere thought, Foul Humility’s frame trembled with revulsion.
Undying Diligence nodded in agreement, grunting affirmation.
“I’ll leave the lower approaches to you.”
“Have no fear. We’ll break through the City Gate in one breath.”
And then Foul Humility,
[OOOOOOOOOOOOO!]
Kicked the Phantom Horse and unleashed a thunderous roar.
At that majestic command, the Death Knights lined up in file—the undead wrapped in pitch-black plate armor—answered with a bone-chilling howl that seemed to split the very heavens.
In moments, with Foul Humility at the vanguard, the army began its charge in a wedge formation.
A terrifying rumble that shook the earth and sky.
A violent tremor as if an avalanche had been unleashed.
Faced with an army charging forward as if to cleave the gorge in two, Teresa raised her longsword with valor.
“From the left! Fire in sequence!”
Twang, twang, twang, twang! Blade boomerangs screamed through the air.
“Ho! What manner of weapon is that…?”
Foul Humility cried out in wonder but did not slacken his pace—instead, he drove forward with even greater force.
In that same instant, a sickly blue glow blazed in the hollow eye sockets visible within his helm.
Just as they were about to collide.
Foul Humility’s entire army became half-transparent, then swept past like a phantom, the blade boomerangs passing clean through their ranks without touching.
Teresa’s eyes went wide. She clenched her teeth and screamed.
“Archers! Loose!”
The volley of arrows loosed in a high arc proved just as futile.
The intangible army passed like ghosts even through the desperate defensive line of Haramag heavy infantry, and swung their weapons freely among the ranks.
To look at it, hundreds or thousands seemed to be charging forward.
“Did you truly think we would stand firm?”
Foul Humility laughed with delight as he cut down a screaming soldier.
“We might have, save that we’re rather pressed for time!”
Amid the soldiers’ dying wails, Foul Humility surged forward, reveling in bodies bursting forth in all directions like fountains—a figure of death incarnate.
Then came the moment. A sickly blue gleam flashed across Foul Humility’s eye sockets as he suddenly neared the fortress.
A tall woman stood before the City Gate, watching him intently.
Hundreds upon hundreds of Magic Circles, emitting a deep violet radiance, blanketed the ground around her.
“Hoh…?”
In the instant Foul Humility sensed something amiss, his teeth clattered together.
Whooooosh!
The Magic Circles blazed to life all at once, and Valkyries in feathered helms burst forth from the circles, violet cloaks billowing as they materialized in an instant.
“Go!”
The woman thrust her arm forward with a sharp cry.
A hundred Valkyries formed their ranks in a heartbeat, meeting him with spears and shields locked forward. Foul Humility had no choice but to yank hard on the reins.
“What manner of strength is this…?”
A Valkyrie sidestepped the Phantom Horse’s descending hooves and wheeled around, driving her gleaming spear forward.
Foul Humility parried deftly with his longsword, then steadied the Phantom Horse with soothing murmurs before he spoke.
“Could it be…? The one who leads Sloth—I was certain I had slain her myself in ages past?”
The leader of Sloth among the Seven Deadly Sins, until now thought to have no master.
Tichiana Cheonji spat out her cigarette and regarded her opponent with profound eyes.

(To be continued in the next part)

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