Dark Fantasy’s Extra Chapter 220

Though Charmol was bewildered by the sudden change in the sky, he quickly turned his attention back to the battlefield.

The day had merely returned, but the war situation hadn’t changed.

He still held an overwhelming advantage, and if he kept pushing forward, he could recover all the corpses scattered across this battlefield to repair the damage suffered so far.

Though it would take some time, he was more confident in hiding than anyone else in this world.

He would hide and wait for another opportunity.

Of all the many behemoths from 500 years ago, only Blanc and himself remained alive.

And he firmly believed that would continue to be the case.

The reason Charmol wanted Blanc wasn’t just her desire for death, but also the thought that she could stay with him forever.

That’s what he believed without a doubt.

“Hmm…!”

And just as Charmol predicted, Bari began withdrawing all her forces including Arachne.

“Master, they’re retreating. The damage isn’t too severe yet, shall we pursue?” 

Yorick suggested.

His eyes glowed with intense excitement at the prospect of being able to control that massive Arachne.

“No. We’ve already gained sufficient benefits. Now we’ll recover the remaining corpses and restore our forces.”

Charmol wasn’t in a hurry.

He had achieved victory against a witch.

Though he felt surging emotions like Yorick at the thought that he was now equal to Kenken, who even Rusalka had avoided direct confrontation with, he couldn’t abandon his careful methods that had worked until now.

“Understood…”  

Though Yorick was clearly disappointed, he didn’t dare disagree with his master’s opinion.

“…That Arachne too, will someday be mine.”

Though Charmol also seemed regretful as he licked his lips, he quickly turned away.

“Then shall we collect the spoils…?”

Charmol stopped.

Yorick beside him also froze in place.

Not just them, but everything remaining on this battlefield stopped as if rooted to the spot.

Everyone here could feel it.

The curses within their bodies stirring.

From the lowest zombie to Charmol himself, when traced back, they all started from the same place.

The name of that origin was…

“Red Hood…”

Charmol slowly turned around.

“Hello, son?”

Red Hood Karen was somehow already there.

“You always stay locked up inside and never come out, what brings you out now? And to even bully our sick sister. What a naughty child.”

“Surely you didn’t come just to say such things?”

“My, family is important you know.”

“How amusing. I’ve never seen a family that hates and opposes each other as much as your kind.”

“True, we did. But shouldn’t we reconcile someday?”

“Enough of that and get to the point. Why have you really come to a place like this?”

Charmol desperately wracked his brain.

Red Hood’s appearance was completely unexpected.

Like himself, she always hid somewhere and rarely did anything noticeable.

Besides the major incident 500 years ago when Iron Hans convinced a group of fellow behemoths to try to kill her but was annihilated instead, she hadn’t left behind any notable achievements.

Since then until now she was the witch who had cursed the most Beasts in this world, but unlike other witches except the Frog Princess, she hadn’t even built up her own forces.

“Let’s say it’s surveillance.”

“Surveillance? Don’t tell me you mean me?”

“That’s right.”

“Since when did you care about Beast affairs?”

“I said it earlier, didn’t I? Family is important. I was just watching in case you might overly provoke Sister Bari.”

“…Are you serious?”

“I am serious.”

“Just what are you plotting?”

In response to Charmol’s question, Karen pointed at the sky.

“I’m not plotting anything. Charmol, you should remember. Who the true master of this world was.”

“Master of the world? …There was that faith in Noah. They said that god created the world. But in the end it was just an empty belief. That god did nothing, and the faith was forgotten.”

“Though you didn’t believe, you knew he existed.”

“Don’t tell me… are you saying he has returned? Like how the sky has returned?”

“That’s right.”

“…”

“Isn’t it joyous news? Now there’s no need for family to fight each other.”

“How amusing.”

“What is?”

“What does it matter if that god has returned?”

Charmol pointed his iron mace at Karen.

“Are you saying we should submit to some ancient god? A god who was no different from a hermit, never involving himself in the world? So what if he’s returned? Does he intend to manipulate the world as he pleases now? Don’t make me laugh.”

“Hmm… though it’s blasphemy, since it’s not wrong I’ll let it slide. I didn’t come to meet you anyway.”

“Hmph.”

“Besides, you’re the only behemoth in this world who remembers 500 years ago. It would be somewhat wasteful to kill you.”

“Right. In the end your kind treats us like that… huh?”

“…”

“What did you just say?”

Karen only smiled at Charmol’s question.

“The only one? No, that can’t be right. We’re the only two behemoths.”

“No, you’re wrong.”

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence.

But inside Charmol, flames of intense passion began to rise using doubt and rage as fuel stronger than ever before.

“Where is… Blanc?”

“She’s gone now.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Charmol swung his massive iron mace.

But Karen blocked it with her axe without budging an inch from her spot.

Rather, the one trembling was Charmol who had attacked.

Of course, that trembling didn’t just come from the difference in power.

“You’re saying Blanc is dead?! Do you think I’d fall for such lies!!”

“It’s not a lie.”

“Shut up! Just who could possibly kill Blanc?! Who could have caught that woman that no one else could catch?!”

“You already know, don’t you?”

“…!!”

Charmol faltered.

“Ah, no…!”

“The person Blanc had been waiting for all along.”

“No!”

“That weak hunter.”

“That’s impossible!!”

Charmol raised his iron mace above his head.

Red ghostly forms gathered and wrapped around the mace.

“Eugene.”

“Raaahhh!!”

He brought the mace straight down.

Karen caught the mace with the curved part of her axe and deflected it at an angle.

The mace struck the ground, releasing countless screams and shockwaves that created a small earthquake.

“You’re saying that bastard killed Blanc?! Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Just how could he have killed her?! It’s something that can’t be done no matter what weapon he brings! Are you saying that god you mentioned answered his prayers or something?!”

“Almost something like that.”

“What?!”

“I said it’s almost something like that. You won’t be able to control the corpse either. Since that’s how it turned out.”

“…!!”

Did that mean not even a corpse remained?

If there was at least a corpse, somehow…

“No… no! That can’t be! Blanc is mine! She must be mine!”

“If you wanted her that badly, you should have taken her earlier.”

Karen said coldly.

“You had 500 years. What did you do during that time?”

“I, I… I cultivated power. Power stronger than any other behemoth! I’m telling you I’ve become a mighty being who can even defeat the Witch of Death today!”

“You should have taken what you wanted with that power. Instead you just blindly survived and only pursued power.”

“I said shut up!”

Charmol swung his iron mace again but this time was sent flying back by Karen’s counter.

“Ugh…!”

The impact was so intense that even Charmol, who moved as just a spiritual body inside armor without flesh, had trembling hands.

He couldn’t resist power that came from fundamental curses, not just pure strength.

“Well… being blinded does make you quite behemoth-like.”

Karen turned away from Charmol.

“Then shall we get going? I need to go meet my sister.”

“Where… do you think… you’re going…”

Charmol stood up.

“You think I’d fall for such lies… about Blanc being dead…”

“Sigh, you really…”

“Until I confirm it with my own eyes… until I meet this so-called god…!”

Before Charmol could finish speaking, Karen stepped on his back from behind, knocking him down and pressing her axe blade to his head.

“Know your limits. You think you’re even a match? Don’t you understand even after seeing that moon return to its original form? The concept of opposition doesn’t even apply to you.”

“Then I’ll meet Eugene…! You said he must have been the one who asked the god!”

“…Well, I can’t break that stubbornness of yours. Since you are a behemoth after all.”

Karen withdrew her axe.

“I’ll take you to where Eugene is.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s not a lie. And though I can let you meet him, I absolutely won’t interfere.”

“That’s fine. It’s what I prefer actually.”

“Alright… Then follow me.”

Karen left first and Charmol got up to follow her.

“M-Master? What should I…”

Yorick asked while following behind him.

“Take the corpses back to base for now and wait. Stay well hidden until I return.”

“Understood…”

And Charmol continued following Karen.

“…Are we just going to keep walking? Isn’t there some secret passage or shortcut?”

“Why? Worried about being exposed? You’re the best at hiding in the world after all.”

“…”

“Well, don’t worry. You won’t have to fight any hunters or my sisters’ Beasts right now.”

“…Because of that god?”

“Yes. It’s a kind of forced ceasefire. Though I’m not sure yet if this is temporary or will continue forever.”

“Hmph. Peace is nothing but an illusion.”

If it had been another witch, Charmol would have absolutely avoided exposing himself for days, but at least Karen was a witch who didn’t lie.

Though hard to believe, if Karen said so it was probably true.

And during over a week of walking, just as Karen said, they never encountered any Order hunters or other Beasts.

The world was quiet to an unnatural degree.

“We’re almost there. It’s over there.”

After walking for days, they arrived at what looked like some ancient ruins.

In Charmol’s memory, this was probably a place called holy ground in the Noah faith 500 years ago.

Of course, not a trace of that faith remained now.

“…Didn’t you say we were meeting Eugene?”

“He’s inside.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t bring you here to suddenly put you before Noah for judgment or anything like that. Truly, purely, I just brought you because you said you wanted to meet Eugene.”

“…Fine.”

“Then shall we go in… Open sesame!”

Karen chanted the spell in front of the ruins’ monument.

Though it was truly a ridiculous spell, even Charmol could recognize that the subsequent spatial distortion and transportation phenomenon was high-level technology that made his eyes go wide.

And what appeared was the entrance to a mansion covered in rose vines.

“Eugene is in there.”