Barbarian in a Failed Game

After discovering something that would greatly benefit Khan in the future, they traveled for four days straight.

The place Esperus, inhabiting Yoro’s body, led them to was neither a grand palace nor a settlement of numerous demonkin powerhouses. It wasn’t even the headquarters of the demon legions.

“The Land of Storms…? You’re saying the Blood King is here?”

The Land of Storms.

It was an area where crimson storms raged, a place Khan had encountered on the outskirts of the Blood Domain when he first arrived. Among the demonkin, there were rumors that the storms were the result of Esperus’s wing beats, still affecting the area.

Even the mightiest demonkin powerhouses dared not act rashly in the Land of Storms. No matter how tough their bodies were, they would be torn apart by the ferocity of the storms. The idea that the Blood King resided in such a place seemed hard to believe, yet somehow, it made sense.

A transcendent being born from Esperus’s soul could certainly withstand such conditions.

“Yes. I can sense his presence here.”

“Yoro, are you sure… Well, if you say so, I guess it’s true.”

“Thank you for your trust, Kurtank.”

Yoro bowed his head in gratitude, but Kurtank’s gaze remained uneasy. She had noticed that Yoro’s demeanor had changed since the day he started claiming to be Esperus.

However, seeing that Khan continued to keep Yoro close without concern, Kurtank decided not to question it further.

“Hey, Yoro! If the Blood King is really here, does that mean we have to enter this storm too?”

“Hm… We’ll know for sure once we get closer.”

“What do you mean, ‘we’ll know’? Are you trying to lead us into a trap?”

“Haha…”

As Esperus awkwardly laughed, Tulkan looked ready to bash him at any moment. Khan, who had been watching the tense exchange, finally spoke up. While he was curious to see Tulkan pummel Esperus, the idea of braving the dangerous red storm was unsettling even to him.

“Explain as we go.”

The red storm scattered vicious winds that could be felt from afar. Fortunately, the storm didn’t move from its point of origin, but there were multiple storms, making it impossible to easily avoid them.

“It’s a result of the rift. The phenomenon was caused by the disruption during the process of returning through the already torn dimensions. You could think of it as a scab formed from forcibly scraping the dimensions. If there were more time, closing it would be possible, but dealing with the collapse of my body was overwhelming enough. The neglected rift resulted in these crimson storms.”

Esperus casually discussed the massive scale of dimensional rifts and collapses as if it were nothing.

“In fact, I utilized part of those scabs to evade my siblings’ gaze.”

As he explained, the group halted at a location quite close to the red storm. The wind was so fierce that it was difficult to keep their eyes open. Esperus, with his frail body, stumbled briefly, and Tulkan grabbed him by the scruff of his neck to steady him.

“Thank you. Now, back to the topic at hand. You all know that no demonkin has survived being caught in a red storm, right? It’s an obvious fact. Surviving the aftermath of a dimensional collapse is virtually impossible without an exceptional level of resilience. Moreover.”

Esperus paused his explanation and asked the group to move closer to the storm. They cautiously shortened the distance, stopping about a dozen steps away. By then, none of them, except the eyeless Esperus, could see properly.

“Beyond this point is connected to another place.”

“Hold on!”

Suddenly, Tulkan’s voice expressed his alarm. As Kurtank and Vess squinted to assess the situation, a strange suction force from the storm began pulling them in.

Grggrrrk.

Naturally, they tried to resist. Each of them, confident in their physical prowess, dug their feet into the ground, struggling to hold their ground, but the suction force of the red storm was too powerful to withstand.

In an instant, they were all pulled into the storm.

“Ahhh!”

“My king!”

Tulkan and Vess flailed helplessly, fear gripping them as they expected the storm’s blades to tear them apart. Despite the chaos, Tulkan instinctively pulled Esperus, who he was still holding, close to protect Yoro’s fragile body.

“Wahhh…!”

But instead of the expected horrendous impact, Tulkan only felt a mild shock, leading him to scream out of reflex rather than actual pain.

“Ahhh…?”

“What are you doing?”

“Hm, it’s rare for me to be protected like this.”

The horrifying disaster Tulkan anticipated did not occur. There was no cutting wind, not even a breeze.

Realizing this, Tulkan opened his eyes and saw a familiar landscape. The red sky and barren land—the scenery of the Blood Domain.

“This, this is?”

“Among transcendent beings who can claim ‘divinity’, it is possible to create realms imbued with their power. This place is no different.”

With a bewildered expression, Tulkan released Esperus, who was calmly explaining the situation from within his embrace. Esperus talked nonchalantly about forming a domain on the fragments of dimensions and attempting to separate his soul from his body for resurrection.

“…Esperus.”

“You’re perceptive. Yes, I am Esperus.” he said, smiling kindly at Kurtank as he took a step forward.

“But a problem arose. The child I created with a soul imbued with authority became self-aware. He realized he was a ‘fake’, born as a disposable tool for my resurrection.”

Esperus lacked facial features, but Khan could somehow sense that he was smiling broadly. Indeed, his aura was radiating with joy. He seemed genuinely pleased by the unexpected turn of events.

“Then, by a fortunate coincidence, he discovered the other half. The child grew impatient and had to hasten his plan, which he had been preparing in secret.”

Red blood rained from the skies over the entire Blood Domain. The Blood Domain was entirely within Esperus’s realm of influence. Even another Hell Monarch could not interfere and cause such phenomena within the Blood Domain. But the Blood King was an exception.

“The child intended to be reborn. It’s quite an admirable idea, isn’t it? He aimed not just to deny his origin but to devour it.”

The Blood King’s plan, as revealed by Esperus, was nothing short of shocking. He sought to deny his identity as the “other half” of the Blood King and become a completely new being.

“If he had succeeded, a new Hell Monarch might have been born.”

“…So, you resurrected in Yoro’s body and came here to stop him?”

“Ah, Kurtank, that’s incorrect. My early resurrection was not by anyone’s intention. The other half discarded his identity and transformed, and that naturally awakened me.”

“Does that mean the Blood King has become a new Hell Monarch?”

“Haha… Didn’t I say? If he had succeeded, that would have been the case. But he failed. Miserably.”

“What?”

Esperus didn’t immediately answer Kurtank’s puzzled expression. Instead, he approached Khan, who had been silent since they entered the storm.

“What do you think? Is the fragment of my brother within you reacting to the birth of a new Hell Monarch?”

“…No.”

The Heart of Predation was utterly silent. Instead, the two stigmas on Khan’s heart and forearm were reacting violently. Khan gave Esperus a cold look, and Esperus smiled, confirming Khan’s suspicion.

“The Blood King, your other half, is already—”

“Dead. To be precise, his consciousness was completely shattered and consumed by the authority. What’s left is a corrupted soul in a half-formed state. A massive lump of power without any self-awareness.”

What is your true goal? The question died on Khan’s lips as he noticed a small dot in the distance moving towards them.

An incomprehensible wail echoed from the direction of the small dot. The ground beneath their feet began to shake.

Boom. Thud. Boom. Thud.

Given the small size of the dot, it seemed to be far away, yet its impact reached the group.

“It’s coming at just the right time.”

The meaningless wail echoed again in response to Esperus’s voice, now closer and deeper. The ground trembled even more violently. By the time the next wail was heard, the small dot had grown to the size of an orc.

The creature had a hybrid appearance, combining features of a spider and a centipede. Its long body resembled a centipede, while its back was lined with hundreds of spider legs that crushed the ground as they moved. Where its head should have been, there was a large, single eye.

“Damn…”

The large eye was hollow, filled with something else entirely—chaos.

“This is far more unexpected than I anticipated.”

Esperus’s voice, usually filled with amusement, now carried a hint of surprise. The monstrous wail of the hybrid creature, born from the shattered consciousness of the Blood King, was a hollow, meaningless sound.

“Tsk…”

Khan was overwhelmed by an unprecedented torrent of emotions. The emotions in the creature’s wail were all too similar.

“What are you so resentful about?”

The monster wasn’t wailing out of resentment; it was likely the final death throes of the Blood King, mourning his existence as nothing more than a disposable tool for someone else.

“Haha… Who would have thought it would become a void creature while trying to attain a new identity?”

“Shut up and stand back.”

Khan pushed the leisurely musing Esperus aside, gripping his axe and sword. He awakened the Heart of Predation. The blood stored in the Blood Essence rapidly depleted as vengeful whispers filled Khan’s mind.

『This is the first time using Blood Art with giant’s blood.』

His blood began to boil. Blood Art was originally a power devised by vengeful spirits to convert the endless life force of dragon kinds into strength.

Naturally, it was far too dangerous for a mortal to wield. The extreme pain it brought was a backlash for handling a forbidden power. Furthermore, using a mortal’s life force as fuel wouldn’t yield proper efficiency. But using the blood of another transcendent species?

『This will hurt.』

“Eat shit.”

Khrhh.

The Spirit of Resentment chuckled as ash-gray flames of energy erupted from Khan’s eyes, enveloping his entire body.

Thus, he burned the life force of the giant, stepping into a new realm.

『Strength: 86 -> 89』 +1