Story of The Ancient Demon King! - Chapter 111: The Oni and The Rogue

“-disrespectful.”

Heavy pressure was brought to bear.

Pressure that came from a single exclamation of the big man who stopped Grob’s fist, a fist which seemed to have been able to destroy everything.

The giant hand came from above the heads of the child and Tamaki.

“That’s outrageous! Even though I’ve made the same mistake in the past, I cannot overlook this.”

A shadow, a pressure, a power greater than Grob.

Even Grob, who rose to the rank of archbishop at such a young age, shrunk into himself, trying to make himself look small, just because of the other man’s sheer power.

All those around the man shrivelled as well, by instinct as living creatures.

“But rest assured, I will not try and dominate the weak.“

The big man with a jet-black long sword in one hand looked down at Grob.

“Goooooh!”

The robe that covers the man’s entire body, whose horns were glimpsed through the hood, swayed like a curtain due to Grob’s mana, who has been ignited by his anger.

“Oh…!”

Grob’s arms swelled and hissed from the force he was putting on them as he tried to escape from the giant oni who grabbed his fist.

Excessive mana gushed out from the gap between his fist being held by the oni’s hand.

But…..

(….damn it, damn it…! What the hell is going on?)

The oni did not pull, did not push, did not move a bit.

His fist was trapped, as if it had become one with a rock.

“Pity, boy. You have completely misjudged your own strength.”

“Ah…!”

The oni’s overflowing fighting spirit crushed everyone around him, even Grob.

The oni, with the air of a warrior, stepped in front of the child and said in a small voice,

“I’m at your service.”

“Yes. Make sure he can’t do whatever he wants anymore.“

The child below Tamaki’s head said, and the oni, having guessed the general situation, turned his attention back to Grob.

“….As you wish.”

“May I crush this?” The oni asked again.

“Ggghh……!”

Grob was overwhelmed by the Oni’s gaze.

“I think it’s a good idea. He’s too selfish. Force without style is just violence.“

“Very well said. Now….”

The oni’s grip on Grob’s fist tightened casually.

“Gah!”

Just hearing this sound sent chills down their spines, the raw crunching of bone and flesh.

Who could have imagined they’d witness the sight of human bones being crushed with such a relaxed and casual grip?

“Gaaaaaah! Aaaa……!!!!”

Grob, clutching his compressed fist of flesh, took a few steps backward in agony.

“….You’re a pathetic man. Once you raise your fist, how can you scream and yell in the middle of a fight? …..If you are a warrior, no matter how much blood you spill, fight valiantly until the hour of your death.”

“Don’t spill too much blood, it’ll make the streets dirty…..“ Chrono mumbled.

“Hey, stop bleeding. Don’t pollute the streets. You’re being a nuisance to everyone here.”

The oni’s absurd words fell on deaf ears, as Grob clenched his fists and groaned in agony.

“Aaahh….. you bastard!“

“The weak and the arrogant are the ones who bark and bite the most. If you walk through the world with that attitude, you’re much more comical than you think.”

The oni looked down at Grob’s hateful, murderous gaze with a bored expression.

“I can’t go down…. you’ve hurt my pride!“ Grob screamed.

“You’re not proud. What you’re feeling is vanity, arrogance.“

A child peeked out from the side of the oni and said.

“Shut up! I’ll blow your brains out! I’ll blow your brains out!!!“

Grob, burning up with determination he couldn’t back down from, unleashed his wings of mana.

“Hee!“

“Wings again. I’ve been seeing this a lot lately…. Is it some kind of a fad by any chance….?”

Tamaki hid behind the child, but suffered in a different way, a way that those around her had never experienced before, after hearing the child’s words.

“Whoa, whoa!“

“Jube-sama! Jube-sama!”

“Idiot! Stop praying and run!”

The entire pleasure district trembled under Grob’s spell.

“I’ll blow it all up! …..If any of you’re going to hold a grudge, hold it against these guys. It’s all their fault that you’re going to die as collateral damage!“

He exerted his body more than ever and gathered his strength.

“…..What the hell are you doing? It’s not even close to being practical. You’re taking a big swing, and if you get hit in the vital spot during this time, that’s the end of you.“

“Damn it, damn it! You’ll understand its power after you try it!“ Grob replied.

A blue streak appeared around Grob’s face as he rolled his body around. He was rolling so fast that the streak was almost making a full circle.

“You know, I don’t like you bastards….”

Grob’s left fist began to accelerate.

Like a tornado, his fist was filled with mana, and it roared with ever-growing momentum.

“When I get a chance to grab it, I’ll grab it! ……jaaaaan!”

“Noisy….”

The fist of mana that had been pushing forward to completely obliterate the buildings and the child, Tamaki, and the oni, came to a halt again.

What stopped him was not a jet-black sword. It was neither a palm.

His attack was caught by the oni’s index finger, which was gently thrust out with a sigh.

The sudden halt of the fist led to the vibrations ripping through the oni, blowing his robe to pieces, but he remained as immovable as a mountain.

In contrast, Grob–

“–!”

A moment after contact, a force like an electric shock pierced through his left fist from the base of the middle… finger to the top of his head.

In an instant, his left arm was in danger, and cold sweat broke out faster than the pain.

“AAGHGHGH!!!“

The bone from the base of Grob’s middle finger to his elbow was shattered to pieces.

“Aaaaahhh, aaaaahhh!”

The smaller the surface in contact, the more force would be concentrated there.

It was unimaginable how much force was put into the tip of a sword edge, the tip of a spear….. or the tip of a needle, among others, when they were pierced.

The stronger the force of impact, the greater the recoil upon contact with an immovable point.

The moment Grob’s full force strike struck the oni’s index finger, the force of the strike was concentrated on a single point and returned.

Leaving the more powerful oni behind, the weaker man was left to take the full force of the blow…..

“Gu, gahhhh……”

“To face him with just this extent of power….. –That’s not a good look, kid….“

“Huh?“

Grob was frightened by the oni’s frustration.

Not only Grob, but all life around him stopped moving.

Grob ducked, not blinking an eye, so as not to direct his anger at himself, so as to draw not even a little bit of attention to himself.

“I cannot bear to see what you’re doing. At least go away as a warrior in the end…..”

The oni’s fist rose high….

“You said you’d blow it all away. Let me show you what that looks like. Think of it as a souvenir to the underworld.“

The oni’s left arm was getting thicker and thicker….

His left arm, which was much thicker than Grob’s, tightened up quickly……

Grob’s body was frozen in place…..

The fist of the oni that emitted a strange aura brought the expectation of the end of this pleasure district. Everyone felt that this land would become a wilderness with this blow.

Finally, the oni dropped his fist as if he finally put his weight on it.

But….

“……Naturally, we mustn’t make any unnecessary sacrifices, right?”

“Yes.”

With a thud…. the fist was suddenly dropped so lightly that it almost made no sound.

However, contrary to its light appearance that defies expectations…

“Gah!”

…Grob, who received the huge fist was buried into the ground, cracking it.

“……”

“……”

Everyone was stunned by the great being that easily destroyed Grob, who seemed so powerful that he seemed untouchable.

“I’m going to throw this in the bushes. I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry about all this.”

“You flatter me.”

♢♢♢♢

We ended up meeting again by chance.

“You should eat one too, Asura. You were the one who took care of him.”

“I’m grateful.”

I looked up at Asura, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, and offered him the tray of grilled rice balls, from which he picked up one with his big hands.

The onigiri was supposed to be large, but Asura was so big that it was about the size of a small pea.

“It’s been a long time, how have you been? Did you get a haircut?”

“….Yes, it’s been a long time, I’m afraid. As you can see, I’m in perfect health, great shape in fact. And you’re right, I did cut my hair a little four days ago.“

“Well, it’s good to take care of yourself, isn’t it?”

The grilled rice balls were already sold out at the eaves of the brothel.

The prostitutes ended up buying them.

“Why did you end up coming to this town? Are you here for sightseeing?”

“No, I heard a rumor that there were some people who call themselves martial artists in this town, so I decided to stop by for a while on my way to your place. I heard that a young man had already ravaged the area and that he was in this brothel area, so I followed him here.“

“Hmm.“

A group of martial artists that could make Asura stop by…… probably the [Obscure Ghosts].

And yet, there was a person who defeated them, and then Asura went after them.

Hildegard herself was in danger, and there were also villains who were after her.

This place is more dangerous than one would think…..

“So what are you going to do now? Are you going to go back to your training?”

“No, I was on my way back when I decided that I had enough strength for the time being. I was going to make a stop in this city and the royal capital before continuing on my way.“

“……”

For a return trip to the Vajra Wall, this was a long series of detours.

Quite a roundabout series of detours, too……

“What do you want in the royal capital? If you’re willing to tell me, I’m sure I could make things easier for you since I do know a lot of people who can help in the royal capital.”

“I mean…… someone claiming to be the Demon Lord has come out of the woodwork, so I thought I could smash him.”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“Huh?”

I guess we were supposed to meet in the royal capital anyway.

“I’m sorry. I’m very sorry…. But I’ve also heard rumors of a powerful Black Knight, so I thought I could drop by the royal capital to test his skill too.”

“Yeah, that would be me too.”

“Huh?!”

It seems that both of them would’ve been reunited, one or the other way.

Why would Asura go to such great lengths to terminate strong targets in various locations? The way he was acting, it made me wonder if he was programmed to do so. (1)

“But then again, thugs are pretty strong these days. I’m a little surprised.“

“Are you referring to the guy from earlier? …..He was certainly quite impressive for a street thug. If only he had volunteered for the military, I’m sure he could have gotten a decent position….“

Asura and Chrono both folded their arms, as they lamented on how the youth were squandering their talent.

“Kokuto-kun, I’m done selling.“

“Oh? …… I’m sorry you ended up having to help me.”

I cheered for Tamaki-san, who had just finished distributing the grilled rice balls.

“It’s okay, this much. You can rely on me as much as you want okay? But…“

A knock on the forehead.

“Huh?“

I felt Asura tense up, getting ready to move, but he forced himself to stay in place, as I’ve already explained the situation to him.

“Yeah, but?”

“What would have happened if the Oni-sama hadn’t helped us? You shouldn’t be so reckless, right?”

She scolded with her hands on her hips.

“Well, it was my fault, that’s for sure. I was a little thoughtless. I’ll try to be more thoughtful from now on.“

“Hmm, but you’re words were too difficult, Kokuto-kun.”

Tamaki-san was frightened for some mysterious reason.

“Um… don’t scold him too much, okay?”

The prostitute came up to me and said softly to Tamaki.

“Hm?“

“I was so happy to hear his words. That blonde man was so selfish…… But he was incredibly strong and no one could say anything.“ The prostitute continued.

“I see. But… Oni-sama here broke both of his fists, so he can’t misbehave anymore.” I added in.

“……”

Asura looked indescribably uncomfortable when I took the liberty of referring to him as ‘sama’.

While the prostitutes were finishing their grilled rice balls, we enjoyed a little chat.

As the prostitutes sat side by side on the wooden benches, we talked about various things, and we eventually started talking about our dreams and goals.

“Oh, so you became a prostitute to make a fortune, huh?“

“Yes, if I lived a normal life, I wouldn’t be able to get together with a rich man, would I?“

“That’s true. It seems like it would be difficult just to get to know a rich man.“

The prostitute who was pushed by the thug seemed to have become a prostitute in order to become popular in the brothel and marry a rich man.

“I’m saving up to open a diner in the future. What about….”

“…debt! Not as positive of a reason, sorry!”

“I want to be a stage actor! I want to be on stage with a big audience….. I’m practicing while working as a prostitute, but I’ll definitely make you all proud!”

“I haven’t really thought about it…. but maybe I’d like to open a restaurant too.”

“Then why don’t you work in my restaurant?“ The other prostitute asked her.

Yes, it’s nice to see two rivals having a lively conversation.

It’s also stimulating for me to hear about different professions.

“Yes! I’m going to start my culinary training tomorrow!“

“Culinary training….?”

Oops, It seems Asura is curious.

But he’s curious just in time too, since I can talk to him about a problem that’s been bothering me.

“……You seem to have gotten stronger since then, and I was wondering if you could do me a favor. I feel confident trusting you with this since you’re this strong now.“

“Anything. I will bring you the head of any powerful person at once.“

“Why are you this obsessed with killing strong people…..?”

………

……

…

After asking Asura for a favor and seeing him off in high spirits, I returned to the Kagetsutei.

Asura had left immediately, even though I had told him to wait until after he had had enough time to relax.

But I am at ease now. Because….

“……what are you upto?“

When I went to greet Hildegard after coming back, I was greeted by Hildegard standing with her arms folded.

“Where have you been?”

I asked Tamaki to go back to her room first because she looked sleepy, but it seems like it would have been better if she had stayed.

Hildegard seems to be in a very bad mood….

“Where? I was just selling grilled rice balls, as I told you.“

“So, where did you?”

“At the broth–”

She hit me with her hand-held fan.

“….I’d like to hear the reason why you’re scolding me. You’re not even being funny.”

I folded my arms, ready for a thorough argument.

Hildegard began saying, “It was a mistake to expect any common sense from you. I’ve never seen anyone this hard to deal with…. mhm?“

“What’s that…..?“

I pointed at the disturbing iron object.

“As you can see, it’s a steel cage. I realized it was a mistake to give you freedom. So sleep here.”

“Do you know what human rights are?”

I have to complain about this.

“I have no privacy. I’ll be in full view!“

“It’s almost the same as yesterday. Don’t try to fool me.” Hildegard retorted.

“It’s not the same at all! The night sky, the nature, the earth… I had three wonderful things to soothe me then!“ I exclaimed.

“I’m still here for you, aren’t I?”

“I don’t know, you can’t possibly make it up! Don’t get your chest puffed out over something like that!”

And she actually dared to get a little embarrassed, and act bashful when she said ‘she was sufficient’…

“Human rights violation, disregard for privacy, cold floor! This, I’m talking about the stress trifecta!”

“You should be…. ashamed of yourself.” Hildegard suddenly rebuked me.

“Why?!”

I don’t even know what she found for me to be ashamed of.

“What about the hard work of those who carried this cage? If you don’t go in there, it will be a waste of time. Be an adult and respect other people’s work. Do you understand? Then get in.”

“You… Do you think you can fool me with that…..? How stupid do you think I am?”

And so a thorough argument took place with Hildegard until the wee hours of the morning.

Translator’s Note:

(1) As far as I remember, Asura ended up meeting Chrono cause he was searching for Kageha (the bandit killer)

Also, do you guys prefer full chapters like this, or like the parts I used to split up and upload?