The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 86

Leaning against the rough stone wall of a damaged building in the Southern Training Camp, McBurney gasped for air.

“Haa… haa…”

He was badly hurt. His chain armor, once so carefully made, was ripped apart. His skin was bare and bleeding, and dark red blood bubbled from a large wound in his stomach. He could feel the wetness spreading, and a wave of dizziness washed over him.

*Please, let my guts still be inside,* he thought grimly.

Ordinary men would have clutched their bellies, but McBurney had no way to do so, as he was using his one good arm to wield his sword against the enemy.

“He looks like he’ll die if we just leave him be, eh?”

“Why not give up? We’ll kill you without pain if you do.”

Hector’s soldiers. They sneered as they approached.

There were three of them. They slowly advanced, encircling McBurney, weapons raised as if ready to strike at any moment.

It was a very dangerous moment.

McBurney’s mouth was parched. Dizziness blurred his vision, but he bit the inside of his cheek, trying desperately to stay conscious.

Faint…

“Screw you, you bastards.”

A salty taste spread in his mouth. Blood was still water, and he felt a slight relief from his thirst.

“Anyone who attacks first, I swear on my life, I will kill. So come on, then. If you’re willing to sacrifice yourself for your comrades, try attacking me with your life on the line. I’ll personally tear out that bastard’s throat with my teeth.”

He snarled fiercely. His eyes gleamed with venom.

Hector’s soldiers hesitated to attack, unnerved by McBurney’s unwavering defiance.

It wasn’t just an empty threat. A soldier who had underestimated McBurney and attempted an attack was now lying dead on the ground.

‘Bloody hell.’ He cursed inwardly. He tried his best not to show it, but his physical condition was, in truth, terrible. He could collapse at any moment.

He was holding on by sheer willpower, and Hector’s soldiers, knowing this, were safely biding their time.

‘If only my right arm was alright, I could kill them all.’

Faced with reality… He felt a surge of despair.

Back when he was active on the Western Front, McBurney could easily take on two or three enemies with just a sword. He didn’t learn swordsmanship in a formal way.

It was a practical swordsmanship he had learned while fighting in battles, and countless soldiers of Chronos had died by his aggressive swordsmanship that was better than anyone expected.

However… It was different now. His left arm wouldn’t move as he wished, and he hadn’t even managed to kill a few before being beaten to a pulp.

It was over. Death was at his doorstep.

Knowing that he would soon die, McBurney wanted to take at least one more with him.

‘I wonder what happened to Roman Dmitry.’

Suddenly… The face of someone who had left a deep impression on him came to mind.

Roman Dmitry was the first proper nobleman he had met in the Southern Training Camp, and unlike the others, he showed a willingness to prepare for war. The only person who didn’t let go of the tension even on the Southern Front.

Although he was assigned to the 5th Defense Line, Roman Dmitry seemed like the kind of person who would somehow accomplish something.

He was curious what he was doing.

Strangely enough, the person who came to mind at the edge of death wasn’t family or friends, but Roman Dmitry.

‘I guess that means I have that much attachment to the battlefield.’

Grip. He gripped his sword tightly. He lowered his stance. Ready to pounce at any moment.

Whether blood flowed from his abdomen or not, his sharp eyes searched for the opponent’s weakness.

It was then. Suddenly, the sounds outside grew louder, closer. Boom!

“Kraaah!”

“Attack!”

From outside the building… Noisy sounds began to be heard.

Roman was a step late. When Roman arrived, the Southern Training Camp was destroyed. Dead soldiers were everywhere. It was a gruesome sight. The air smelled of blood and death. Twisted bodies lay in unnatural poses, their faces frozen in silent screams. Weapons were scattered around them.

Noise could still be heard from the surroundings. Roman knew some enemies were still there, so he gave an order.

“Immediately eliminate the remaining enemies and rescue the survivors.”

“Understood.” Soldiers, including Chris, scattered in all directions.

Roman carefully surveyed the surroundings. As the soldier’s last words indicated, the Southern Training Camp seemed to have been attacked by the Hector Kingdom.

He saw dead soldiers from Hector Kingdom too. They wore light armor, maybe to move fast. Most were corpses of Cairo Kingdom soldiers. Just by looking at the corpses, it was clear that Hector’s surprise attack had been successful.

He drew up his mana. He expanded his senses and listened to the surrounding sounds.

‘…McBurney?’

Among the many sounds… He heard a familiar sound. McBurney was fighting someone, and judging from his panting voice, it seemed like he was in a very dangerous situation.

He immediately kicked off the ground. A building not far away. When he opened the door and entered, the scene he had expected unfolded.

“Wh-what is this?!”

“Did Cairo already send reinforcements?”

Hector’s soldiers looked flustered. According to their calculations… Reinforcements should not have arrived at the Southern Training Camp. In a situation where the front-line defense positions were under attack, they didn’t think they would send reinforcements to this place, which had no special significance.

But who on earth was that?

Hector’s soldiers looked angry and pointed their weapons. Roman quickly looked at them and then at McBurney to understand what was happening.

‘He’s still alive.’ McBurney was one of the survivors. His face looked like he was about to die at any moment, but he still had the strength to stand on two feet.

McBurney’s eyes were filled with astonishment. Leaving that gaze behind, Roman approached the enemies. He felt a surge of anger at the gruesome scene before him.

‘I will capture them alive.’ The decision was made. He wanted to know why they attacked.

Just as Hector’s soldiers shouted at him not to come closer, Roman suddenly appeared before their eyes.

Wham! Smack! A fist struck a Hector soldier’s face. His pupils blurred as blood erupted violently, and Roman immediately sealed the enemy’s pressure point as he collapsed.

Even if he woke up, he couldn’t move. As one of Hector’s soldiers tried to attack in anger, Roman deflected the attack and subdued the opponent in the same way.

Thwack! A fist landing squarely. And fingers sealing a pressure point. It all happened very fast. Even though they were veteran soldiers, two of them were subdued in a fleeting moment.

The last one. He tried to run away. He sacrificed his comrades and ran towards the opposite door, but he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck by an unexpected presence.

Thud.

“Gack.”

“I told you I would,” a voice grunted. “I said I’d take one of them down with me.”

The voice was McBurney’s.

McBurney saw Roman wanted to capture the enemy alive. So, instead of using his sword, McBurney used his left arm to choke the soldier.

Even though McBurney only had one arm, the enemy fought back hard.

McBurney gritted his teeth, his arm tight around the soldier’s neck. Slowly, the soldier stopped struggling and went limp.

Plop.

“Haa, haa.”

McBurney collapsed onto the floor.

He had reached his limit.

His mind felt blurry, and he felt sick to his stomach.

In his hazy sight,

Roman’s face appeared.

“You’ve done well. Leave it to me from now on, and rest for a while.”

Trickle.

Roman poured a potion on McBurney’s body.

He couldn’t even say thank you.

As the potion’s power flowed through him, McBurney passed out.

* * *

The fight was over.

Chris had checked around the Southern Training Camp. He told Roman what he found.

“There weren’t many Hector soldiers,” Chris said. “We found twelve enemies and stopped them. We also rescued five people from the camp. The survivors said Viscount Vale was hurt fighting the Hector soldiers and ran into the mountains.”

It was unexpected.

Viscount Vale? Roman thought.

Roman had thought Viscount Vale would run away quickly, like Baron Bruce. But Vale had fought back against the enemy.

But that was all.

It didn’t change the outcome.

Because they weren’t careful enough, most of the soldiers at the camp were dead. Only a few people, less than ten, had lived.

*(They attacked the camp with their main force, then left?)* Roman thought. *(The survivors said there were hundreds of enemies. Why attack here and then leave? It must be a trick.)*

One idea came to him.

He felt more sure of it.

Even though he thought he knew what the enemy wanted, he couldn’t rush into anything.

His decision would decide…

Many lives were at stake.

He knew many lives depended on him. So, Roman didn’t rush.

“What about Hector’s soldiers?”

“They are all locked up in one building.”

There was only one way to know for sure.

Roman started walking.

“Chris, do not let anyone inside the building until I give you an order. That is an order.”

“Understood.”

Creak.

Thud.

The door closed behind Roman.

* * *

Inside the building.

Hector’s soldiers were tied up.

When Roman walked in, one of the soldiers screamed. His face was bloody and bruised.

“Don’t keep us alive like this! Just kill us! We won’t tell you anything, you Cairo cowards!” He spat on the floor.

Thick spit fell at his feet.

Roman didn’t care.

Roman ignored the soldier. He didn’t answer.

However.

He said in a cold voice,

“Listen carefully,” Roman said, his voice hard. “Each of you gets three minutes. I’m going to ask questions. If you answer what I want in three minutes, I’ll kill you quickly, without pain. If you don’t, you will suffer terribly before you die.”

“You son of a bitch!”

“Kill us, I said kill us!”

Hector’s soldiers struggled.

Roman looked calmly at one soldier and asked,

“First question. What is the purpose of the Hector Kingdom?”

“Screw you!”

He kept his mouth shut.

These soldiers…

…were very patriotic.

They were determined not to tell any secrets, even if they died.

Time passed.

The Hector soldier just kept shouting insults. When the time was up, Roman said,

“3 minutes are up.”

Tap.

He pressed a pressure point.

The soldier still didn’t understand.

Instantly.

His eyes widened.

His muscles twisted all over his body. Pain shot through him.

“Kraaah!”

“I call this… muscle-ripping pain. You’ll feel like your bones are breaking and your muscles are tearing apart. You’ll suffer a lot before you die. You attacked Cairo. I won’t let enemies like you live. Unless… you help me.”

The other soldiers watched what was happening.

Seeing their friend scream, eyes wide with pain, filled them with fear.

“Second question. Why are you in the Southern Training Camp?”

The soldier swallowed hard.

He wanted to give up, but he remembered the promise he had made.

Eventually.

“3 minutes are up.”

“Kraaaah!”

He also screamed in agony.

Now it was the last one.

As Roman approached, the third soldier screamed, thrashing about even before he asked a question.

“Do you think this will change anything? It’s too late! Even if you know our plan, you can’t stop it now! Do what you want. Cairo will pay for being so foolish. You’ll be remembered for your shame! Hahaha!”

He laughed.

He laughed like crazy to hide his fear.

Instantly.

Roman looked at him and smiled, a strange smile that the soldier couldn’t understand.

“I was waiting for that answer.”

“…What?”

“I didn’t want the truth from you. I just wanted to see how you’d react. Because you’re so sure of yourself, I can guess what’s really happening.”

The soldier was flustered.

Roman said something that shocked him.

“The rear base. That’s where your real purpose lies.”

At those words.

The soldier lost control.

That was enough.

Roman hadn’t needed an answer to his question. He just wanted to see the soldier’s reaction. That reaction told him everything.

“Die now.”

Tap.

Roman turned and left the screaming soldier behind.

*(The attack on the south is just a trick to hide what they’re really doing.)* Roman thought. *(Their real target is somewhere else. If they succeed, the south will be lost.)*

His blood ran cold.

He was sure now.

The southern front was in far greater danger than people expected.

Someone had leaked the plan – the plan they thought was perfect.

This was the second surprise for the Hector Kingdom.