88 Chapter 78: The slave named Haden
Reuk sudden froze in place as she looked at the half naked man standing in front of her, his malnourished body filled with visible bruises resulted from Desmond's torture for years. Despite his face had just been bloodied by the rock thrown at him, on top of countless other partially healed injuries, the thirty something years old slave still retained distinct handsome features that he once possessed in his youth. It was his eyes, though, that caught the attention of the former elf, for it was the same eyes that the elven archer had back in the dark, wet cave. The eyes that reflected nothing but a bottomless abyss, that seemingly screamed out for the world to put an end to their sufferings.
「Fuck you, Desmond!」Reuk angrily shouted. 「Release this man from your control!」
Haden tried to restrain his movement for a moment, yet, the command of his master quickly overcame his mind, forcing him to lurch forward at Reuk, aiming the small knife at the girl.
「Damn it!」Reuk clicked her tongue, trying to leap away from the attack.
「The poor man was asking for you to end him, why can't you just oblige?」The smiling hybrid swooped down from midair like a hungry hawk hunting for prey. With the black oversized scythe on his hand, Kibadios swiftly swung it effortlessly at the weakened slave, creating a deadly arc that seemingly slided through the slave.
「Kibadios, you asshole!」Reuk screamed out angrily.「Why did you kill him?」The newly reanimated elf's hand was trying to reach out to the hybrid and grab him by his shirt hoodies before Ryan quickly intervened.
「Reuk! Calm down! Master's attack did not reach him. He was just aiming at the slave collar.」explained the hero.
「Huh?」By the time Reuk realized what Kibadios did, Haden's collar was already cut in half and had fallen down onto the hard ground. 「... I see…」
「Idiot elf!」The hybrid smirked. 「as if I'd waste my time killing people without a reason.」Kibadios glared down at the slave he just freed, who had already collapsed onto his knees after experiencing true freedom after being enslaved for almost fifteen years. 「... and if he really wants to die, he can do it himself.」
「Are you okay?」Reuk ran to Haden, trying to check out the slave's countless injuries as she took out several potions from her pouch. Yet, despite having finally escaped from Desmond's binding, the man simply sat there motionlessly as if he was still trying to process his own freedom.「Hey? Can you at least tell me your …name?」Reuk suddenly caught off guard the moment she noticed two lines of tears rolling down the man's bruised cheeks.
「... It's okay now… You're free… You're free now… We will deal with Desmond.」Reuk consoled the man while slowly wrapping her arms around Haden to provide him with the warmth of another individual, for she knew full well from her personal experience what was going through his mind.
「Hiii!!!」shrieked the monk. 「Get away from me, you monster!!!」
「Ah, Déjà vu…」Kibadios slowly made his way to the monk.「I think your bro also had the same look on his face as he realized he'd finally met his doom.」
「You… You're really the one who killed Corey?」Desmond asked and trembled in fear while just a few paces away, Haden's eyes widened at the mention of the man who stole his life.
「... and why would that concern you? Are you going to help avenging him?」Kibadios grinned.
「Who the hell are you?... No, what the hell are you??」Pointing his finger at the dreaded hybrid, the monk has lost his mind by now.「Not only did you kill a 15 years veteran hero, you also defeated a member of the gods and stole her body!! It's like you're declaring war on the Oracle itself, just like members of the Yonko! You're no mere demihuman!!」
Whooshhh!
The blood spurted out from what left of his arm splattered across his horrified face. By the time he was able to process what had just happened, both his arms were sliced right off by Kibadios' scythe. For a <Fighter> class like himself, who specialized in close combat, the lost of his arms would render him completely helpless. 「AHHHH!!!!」The man screamed in agony before losing his balance and fell to the ground. Knowing what would inadvertently come next, the monk broke down crying. 「Please, Kibadios… No Kibadios sama!!! Kibadios dono!!! Please spare me!」
「Spare you? Are you dreaming?」The hybrid was uninterested in the words of the half dead monk.「Why would I? But don't worry, it's not me who you should worry about. It's Reuk.」Kibadios pointed at the former elf, who was slowly making her way toward them.
「Pleasseee, Reuk dono?」Desmond turned to the girl before turning toward his other former party member.「Please, Ryan dono? Please spare my life!!!」Begged the monk.「It was not my fault! Everything is Corey's fault! He was the one who influenced me with his twisted mind and turned me into a monster… Noo… no… It's not my fault… Please… Spare me!」
「Kibadios.」Reuk, whose expression was as cold as ice, called out to the hybrid.「Remember Fukushuu o Koinegau Saikyou Yuusha wa, Yami no Chikara de Senmetsu Musou Suru?」
「... Fukushuu… Hmm.. Ah right? That revenge manga… Wow, you remember the whole Japanese title? That's a mouthful, what a weeb… But yeah, what about it?」Kibadios was curious. He had a hunch of what Reuk was hinting at, though he rather had the former elf say it out loud.
Reuk turned around to look at the abused Haden before continue「Let's have Desmond have a taste of what that perverted merchant experienced.」
「Ho?」Kibadios was amused. 「... Fine, it's rather befitting, wouldn't you say?」The hybrid cracked his fingers while conjuring the dark shadow underneath his feet. 「Shall we begin?」
「Wait… what are you doing? Waitt… Wait a minute!!! Please don'ttttt…」was all Desmond could say before the nightmare that he could have never dreamed of descended upon his flesh. 「Ahhhhhh…」
By the time Kibadios and Reuk finished, even though he was still alive, Desmond's bloodied, mutilated body was barely moving. The witty, confident monk had transformed into nothing but a pile of minced flesh, with part of his genital being sliced clean off. Still, the gruesome scene elicited no visible disgust from any of the four other individuals, all of whom merely leered down at the near death monk as if they were looking at nothing but an insect.
「Let's put an end to this.」declared Ryan coldly before slamming his sword down at the half dead man's skull.「If you soul and Minerva's (Did I ever name the priestess? I don't think I did, but lmk if she already had a name lol) ever cross path, remember to beg for her forgiveness!!」
Haden, who had merely sat immobile and watched over Desmond's torture with a satisfactory smile on his face, slowly walked to the dead body. Despite the monk already lay dead on the ground, the former slave still angrily mustered all his strength to kick and stomp on his head before spit on his corpse.
「... Thank you…」Haden faintly muttered without looking directly at the hybrid nor the other two, before his attention turned to the high cliff.
「So… With him finally dead… what will you be doing?」asked Reuk hesitantly. Although the former elf had just met the man, she still felt a strange connection to the severely abused slave, for she knew he also shared the same trauma she did when she was still "Reuk." 「What… what are you doing?」Reuk called out to Haden, who had made his way to the edge of the cliff.
「... Thank you, strangers, for granting me my freedom…」The man bowed to the group before allowing himself to fall forward into the ravine below.「Sorry I'm late, Ariel, but I'm finally coming for you.」
「Wait!!」Ryan called out.
「He's really ending his life?」The unconcerned Kibadios realized. Among the three, it was Reuk who swiftly leaped forward and reached out to catch onto the former slave's hand.
「Are you crazy?」yelled Reuk, who tried her best to hold onto Haden.「You had just been freed from that perverted monk and yet, the first thing you want to do is to end your life?」
「... Please… Just let me go…」Haden begged Reuk.「My life is not worth saving… Desmond and his sworn brother, Corey, had taken everything from my life… my beloved fiance, my cherished comrades… At least, with my death, I'll be closer to them.」
「STOP SPROUTING NONSENSE!!!」Reuk angrily screamed out with all her might as she struggled to pull the former slave up from the cliff. 「I know there's nothing that can describe the tragedy that you have experienced. I know that it may appear to you that there is nothing left in the world that is worth living for. And so, in your mind, death may be the eternal rest that you have been longing for. But ask yourself this: Would your death make your fiance happy? Or would she rather see you retake your life and once again, live to the fullest? Carry on the memories of your loved ones and continue to live in their stead!!! Don't you owe your fiance and comrades at least that much? 」
「... I…」Before he could reply, he could feel droplets of Reuk's sweat and tears falling down onto his face. The former elf was frustrated. He knew exactly what the man was thinking, for at one time, he had also wished for Kibadios to end his suffering. Yet, only afterward that Reuk had realized how much previous "life" was after having spent his time living inside the hybrid and having the opportunity to live through Kibadios. Despite his foul mouth, Reuk was grateful to Kibadios for "resurrecting" him inside this homunculus body. Now, looking down at the abused slave, Reuk saw her own reflection within the man. She knew she had to save him… from his own depressed thinking.
「Ryan! Get over here and help me out!」Reuk called out to her friend, who hurriedly reached out to Haden's hanging arm. 「Kibadios, you too! What are you doing? Can you not lend us a hand?」
「... Master?」Ryan noticed the hybrid had yet to bother to react.
「I gave him back his free will, yet he still wants do die, who am I to deny his death?」Kibadios slowly walked over, spreading his dark incubus wings unconcernedly. 「If he cannot appreciate his life, if he does not want to live to preserve the memories of those he loves, then so be it. Pathetic!」Kibadios leered down at the man as if he was Omniman and the former slave was the newly formed Guardian of the Globe. Before Reuk could open his mouth to yell at the hybrid for not being helpful, Kibadios continued. 「Still, answer me, nameless slave. Do the wish, the hope and dream of the people who you profess to love mean that little to you?」
「... What…」Haden was confused, though Reuk could see doubt begin to fill his eyes, whether it was due to what the former elf had said or because of what the hybrid was saying, she could not tell.
「If the roles were to reverse, and it was you who died while one of your comrades or your fiance had lived, would you have wished for them to continue living and hopefully be able to acquire some form of happiness in the future, or would you wish for them to die "to be with you"?」asked the hybrid.
「I… I would want them to continue on living, no matter what…」
「Then wouldn't your loved ones also desire for you to be able to break free from your past nightmare and live your life how you see fit?」concluded Kibadios. 「Yet, due to your own weakness, you'd rather disregard their desires by ending your life.」
「... I」frowned Haden.
「So, now shall I help you ending your life or would you rather me pull you up?」 Kibadios looked down at the man and simply gave hima devilish grin.
.
.
.
「I'm sorry, Reuk.」Haden leaned against the large boulder behind him while staring straight at the barely flickering fire that the former elf had helped ignite a few hours back.「How's your arm now?」The former adventurer worryingly asked the girl since it looked like Reuk had dislocated her shoulder trying to hang on to him earlier in the day.
「What? Don't worry about it! I told you, right? This is just a homunculus body so such injury means nothing to me.」Reuk swung her injured arm around, trying to prove that everything was fine.
「... Is that so?」The man sounded relieved
「... Hmm… Aren't you going to ask me about that?」
「About what?」
「About why is this a homunculus body?」
「I… I just don't feel like it's something I should pry.」answered Haden honestly.「Though, I have seen that homunculus body before, when its owner met with Desmond a few months back.」
「and yet, you're still not curious about what happened and why it's now in Kibadios and my possession?」
「I think I could piece together the fragmented clues I have learned to, at least, know that Kibadios sama somehow was able to defeat that Astral. Though, like I said, I will not pry about it anymore… It's not my place to.」
「If you know Kibadios attacked an Astral, aren't you afraid of him? Wouldn't he be considered a being of evil in your eyes?」asked Reuk while carefully studying the man's facial expression.
「Ha!」Haden let out a brief laugh.「After they brought their so-called Emissary to this world and allowed him to do what he did to my party and me, you think I would still worship the Astral, blindly follow their tenets and consider anyone who opposes them "evil?" On the contrary, Reuk! Knowing that Kibadios sama fought and defeated an Astral fills me with nothing but awe and admiration. That's not to mention he was the one who killed that viled hero and his twisted sworn brother. Not only he freed me from Desmond's control, his words also saved me in that moment…」Haden turned to the former elf, looking gratefully.「I owe my life to him, and you too. There's no way I can consider him "evil." If anything…」The man stopped for a moment, seemingly hesitated before continuing. 「if anything, I view him as a god… someone who had delivered me my salvation.」
… Just like I thought… Kibadios… Zaeryn… Just… who are you? Reuk remained quiet for a moment. 「... You know Kibadios really was not trying to save you? He was just saying what was on his mind at that moment. He might be getting softer toward those he knew intimately, but for a stranger like you, he really did not care whether if you lived or died.」
「... It seems like you… don't like Kibadios sama?」noted Haden.
「No. Despite what I say, I actually like him.」answered Reuk without hesitation. 「Even though I knew everything about him, even though I knew the atrocity that he's capable of, I'm still fond of him… Even though I know I should not be by his side, I could not find myself hating that man. That, is the peculiar feeling that I'm struggling to understand…」Reuk stared at the confused man.「You know what? I will tell you everything about the man named Kibadios and let you decide for yourself whether he's still a god or devil reincarnate… I'm really curious what you'd choose. 」
