Chapter 156: Chapter 156: War [17]
"Pochi, do you see that thing?"
— Hmm...
The giant worm turned in the direction Regulus pointed.
Then, it nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.
— Pochi saw that thing.
"Oh, so what is that?"
Regulus asked, once again, smiling as lightly as a feather.
— A mountain.
A giant mountain, a mountain so high that humans couldn’t climb to the top in just a week.
"And Pochi, do you know what we should do if we see a mountain?"
If that giant worm named Pochi had eyes, perhaps right now, its eyes would be filled with excitement and joy.
— We have to destroy it!
"Then what are you waiting for, Pochi? Do it."
Without hesitation, Pochi shot towards that mountain like a rocket.
Boom!
The moment that giant worm made contact with the mountain of similar size, an explosion occurred.
A lot of smoke rose up, as if it wanted to cover the sky.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
3 continuous claps rang out.
And their master was of course Regulus.
"You’re amazing, Pochi!"
The smoke still hadn’t disappeared, but that demon could already guess what the outcome would be.
Because Regulus had always believed in Pochi’s destructive power.
And once again, the demon was right.
From within that smoke, a giant worm gently crawled out, without a single wound on its body, as if what it had just destroyed was just a cake.
Then, not long after, the smoke cleared.
And that was when another smile appeared on Regulus’s lips.
The smile of someone who had everything in the palm of his hand.
"See? I told you you could do it, Pochi."
There, where that mountain should have been, there was now nothing left.
There were only a few traces left, proving that there had once been a giant mountain there.
— Pochi could do it, of course.
— Pochi was the best.
That worm looked proud.
"You’re truly amazing, you know, Pochi?"
And that made Regulus feel proud too.
"Without you, I’d be nothing."
The demon hugged the worm’s slimy and disgusting giant body without hesitation.
If it were another demon or a human, they would feel disgusted to the point of vomiting.
But Regulus was the opposite.
For this demon, Pochi was family.
— Pochi would always be by Regulus’s side.
— Pochi would always protect Regulus.
"With your power, Pochi, we can destroy everything. Just like what we did here."
With that, Regulus scanned his surroundings.
The location he and the giant worm were in was the largest forest in the Lumindra kingdom, famous for its many large mountains and hills.
Or rather, the place that used to be the largest forest in the Lumindra kingdom.
Because from the time Regulus and Pochi set foot in this place until now, that forest had now been completely flattened.
Becoming a barren plain.
All the mountains and hills had disappeared.
The trees and grass had been destroyed.
All the animals had evaporated, leaving no trace behind.
And a lot of giant holes suddenly appeared on the ground out of nowhere.
Holes that if a person carelessly entered, they would surely die from falling from a high place.
What was once a beautiful, lush green forest was now just a pile of rubble.
It looked like the scene of a meteor shower.
"Hm?"
But, while he was admiring his work, something entered Regulus’s field of vision.
It was quite small, and black in color.
It was completely unsuitable for a place like this.
Regulus frowned unconsciously.
The demon had no memory of such a thing ever appearing in this place.
Regulus felt very curious.
So, the demon narrowed his eyes.
And the moment Regulus took a closer look at what it was, his eyes couldn’t help but flash with surprise and astonishment.
Regulus rubbed his eyes a few times, then looked again.
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
But, when he rubbed his eyes for the tenth time, the thing was still there.
"This isn’t a figment of my imagination..."
If that’s the case then...
"Why would a human wearing a black robe appear in this place?"
As if sensing the demon’s gaze, the young man in the black robe slowly raised his head.
And that was when their eyes met.
"Human, who are you?"
With the eyes of a superior, Regulus asked, his voice low, completely different from the demeanor he had a few minutes ago.
"..."
The young man did not reply, but looked around.
That made Regulus feel quite uncomfortable.
"You fool, I am talking to you. Besides you, are there any other humans in this place?"
"Perhaps you have misunderstood something."
The young man smiled slightly, his face hidden by his hood.
"It is true that I looked around to see if there was anyone. But the purpose was to make sure that innocent people would not be caught up in the upcoming battle."
"What!?"
Regulus gaped, having a surprised expression on his face.
"You’re the one the humans sent here to kill me and Pochi?"
Then, like a madman, the demon burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! One person! They only sent one person to confront the two of us? How funny! Is this a sign of humanity’s surrender?"
"You’re mistaken again, Regulus."
Once again, the young man smiled.
"They sent me here because I alone am more than enough."
"You’re a brave man, human! And arrogant too. I like it!"
Regulus paused, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
"State your name, human."
"Who am I?"
The young man retracted his smile, then immediately threw off the cloak.
"I am..."
***
Two children were fighting.
One was about 5 years old.
One was about 10 years old.
And Alaric was watching the scene from above.
"The Regulus and Pochi duo are really tough."
The two children began to fight.
"But, what’s really worrying is Pochi, a walking weapon of destruction. Not only does it possess enormous destructive power, but the worm’s defenses are also equally strong."
And the result was the 10 year old child winning.
It was no surprise.
"That’s why the worm’s opponent must be someone with equal destructive power."
But, not long after, another 10 year old child entered, facing the 10 year old child who had just won.
"Someone who can destroy its defenses."
Then, the two of them rushed to punch each other.
This time, the fight lasted much longer.
And it seemed like the one who just joined would win.
At this point, The King was no longer interested in watching.
He had already guessed the outcome.
"To defeat a strong opponent, we need someone as strong as or stronger than them."
And among all the people Alaric knew, there was only one person who met all the conditions.
He was...
***
With a confident smile, the young man stared at Pochi and Regulus.
The sword he held looked ordinary, but it made Regulus feel a chill down his spine.
It was as if that sword had slaughtered millions of demons.
Ah no... this feeling did not come from the sword.
It came from the person who wielded it.
"...Hans Varun! That’s my name!"