RGS Volume 3 Part 1

A rock floating in the air. The air so still that even the dust is motionless. The sight of a person walking out unscathed from a pile of stones two stories high, where even bones should have turned to dust. Just this sight alone was enough to turn one’s mind blank and leave them dumbfounded. It took a long time to come to terms with the reality that defied common sense.

But the words of the person who walked out of the grave were simply, “I’m bleeding.” There was no more shock to add to the already bewildering situation. In a situation where even coming back to life was unbelievable, however, he just simply complained about mere blood? The heads of the frozen enemies were engulfed in a whirlwind of confusion.

All they could do now was watch him walk slowly towards them.

Tap. Tap.

The sound of his approaching footsteps echoed loudly as if emanating from the cave. After a moment, Karas, who was holding the fairy, stopped, and slowly looked around at them. Then he asked softly.

“What are you going to do?”

What?

Even though their minds were frozen by the unreal scene unfolding before their eyes, questions arose. Everyone’s gaze simultaneously swept over Karas’ unharmed body and stopped at his forehead. Indeed, there was blood. From a scratch no longer than a child’s fingernail. Fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep, and the blood had already clotted near the wound.

Even if they generously assume that his skin got wounded, isn’t there a war going on right now?

Those engaged in a daily battle every day never sustained scratches this minor. Yet here he is, looking as if his organs were about to spill out from a mere scratch. The enemy soldiers even forgot about the floating rocks in the air.

What kind of lunatic is he?

Still, as the king, he reluctantly spoke on behalf of them all.

“No, is he crazy? Unless he got hit on the head with a rock, how could he say such nonsense?”

He got hit with a rock. The king realized his mistake and immediately admitted it.

“…Right, he must have gone crazy.”

Once he admitted the truth, their eyes could not help but be drawn to the stones floating in the valley again. Their opponent wasn’t just hit by a single stone but was buried under numerous piles of rocks. Their previously unyielding heads now barely connected two halves.

What if the resurrected Karas were somehow linked to the floating stones in the air? No way…!

Ridiculous and unfounded speculation surfaced in their minds. They were aware of the legend that Karas’ lineage inherited the power of the dragons. But that was a long time ago, and they had heard that they no longer had any power. But what if this was something Karas had done?

They should have been suspicious first when he emerged unscathed from the collapsing pile of rocks and started talking nonsense. But their shocked minds only realized it now. It took a long time for them to realize, however their reaction was immediate. The two connected miracles now evoked a single emotion.

Fear struck everyone belatedly. The enemies trembled in horror, unable to take their eyes off Karas, shivering from the chill running through their bodies. It’s unbelievable. There can’t be any human capable of such a thing.

Even if one inherits the power of a dragon, how can one wield such tremendous power like this?

However, despite raising doubts, they instinctively knew the answer, just like how goosebumps spread through their bodies. The only one who wasn’t surprised by this inexplicable phenomenon. The crazy b*stard who shamelessly got angry despite being a little hurt was definitely the cause.

“I’m bleeding.”

Although it was a complaint repeated without any intonation, it sounded as cold as ice. However, this time, none of the enemies felt surprised. Even if the world were to perish, this was the kind of guy who would survive only to finish off the last remaining humans, claiming he was injured. Yet now, there was no doubt that he had gone mad.

Karas shifted his gaze from the king and looked around at the enemies who had turned into statues again. His slow movements and stillness became monotonous. However, the enemies, whose breath had even stopped, couldn’t feel the passage of time. Just witnessing the rocks rising into the air and the people who survived underneath was enough to shock them, but what they saw this time surpassed that shock.

They couldn’t take their eyes off as if they were under a spell. Their bodies became heavy and stiff as if tied by invisible strings. It was because they saw the eyes of the crazy b*astard they believed to be human. Gray eyes that suddenly turned into blades.

The hair on their bodies stood on end. The snake’s eyes, which were chillingly half-opened, stopped in front of the king.

“Moreover, it’s completely crushed.”

Ugh!

The king barely took a breath and trembled. An unknown fear engulfed his body, gnawing at his bones and insides. A fear he had never felt before gripped his heart painfully. The freezing cold that chilled his blood seemed to collapse his legs, but he couldn’t fall. Like a frozen frog in front of a snake, he couldn’t even collapse because he felt like he would be eaten if he moved even a little. It was the same when Karas said the same thing for the second time.

“What are you going to do?”

It wasn’t a difficult word, but the meaning was incomprehensible. However, as Karas slowly tilted his head and shifted his gaze elsewhere, the king knew he had to force his frozen mind to work. Behind Karas, the rocks floating in the valley’s sky began to move again.

The sight of countless rocks moving silently and slowly was mesmerizing. However, the stones were not drifting away somewhere. Before they realized it, a dark shadow had formed above the enemies’ heads, blocking out the sky. Just when the fear seemed like it couldn’t get any worse, a faint sound came from behind.

Tap.

Soon, the sound of running footsteps followed. Someone, unable to contain their fear, had started to flee, prompting everyone to instinctively turn their eyes. As if they had just realized that there was a way to escape, one by one, the motionless figures began to move slowly.

Shoulders twitching, torsos twisting, trembling hands that were clenched tightly. Some even took steps to follow the fleeing soldiers who had already gone a few steps ahead. But that was as far as they got. The darkness enveloped them before they could make any significant steps. The shadow descended swiftly over the heads of the escaping soldiers.

Thud, thud! Clang, clang!

The soldiers disappeared without a chance to scream, as they were hit by the falling pile of rocks in an instant. In the place where the fleeing soldiers had been, a rock mountain as high as a two-story house suddenly appeared. The shock of being buried under the pile of rocks was only momentary, as the fallen rocks rose back into the air.

Unlike when they fell, they rose lightly almost without making a sound. Underneath the disappearing tomb on the ground, there were gruesome corpses. Covered in countless rocks, their bodies were literally torn to shreds. The bodies, which were nothing more than pools of blood, torn clothes, and hair, were beyond recognition as the fleeing soldiers. At that moment, a voice that startled them was heard.

“Run away.”

Karas’ kind provocation sounded even more cruel because of his following words.

“That’s when it becomes satisfying to kill.”

Thud.

Someone finally collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Soon, the sound of others falling to the ground, as if contagious, followed suit. Among those standing under the shadow of the stones covering the sky, only one person remained standing still, the king. While those who had fallen had already lost their senses in anticipation of the impending fear, he managed to barely stand on his two legs.

However, as the last appearance of a king of a country, he knew how pitiful his dignity was. He had never bowed his head to anyone and even believed that his autocratic personality was the driving force behind strengthening the monarchy. Thus, he pushed forward with the war. Even in the face of defeat, he had no regrets.

However, in the face of a miraculous power beyond human capabilities, both dignity and ambition were stripped away. For the first time, the king was filled with concerns befitting a true monarch of a nation.

This person is the calamity itself. It’s a disaster that could engulf my entire country. He could even kill all of my people.

At the thought, a shiver ran down his spine to the point where his hair stood on end. It was all his fault. He hadn’t taken the name of the King of Slaughter seriously, insisting on war without compromise. A wave of belated remorse engulfed him. It was heartbreaking to think of the innocent people dying helplessly in such a dire situation.

Now there was only one thing left for the king to do. He wanted to save at least one person. After all, the war was as good as over. So, the best he could do before he died was to appease Karas and minimize the damage that would follow.

He forced himself to recall what Karas had said.

It was crushed.

Rather than the fact that he was bleeding slightly, he realized that this made Karas angrier.  Bleeding might merely irritate him, but the word “crushed” was uttered coldly devoid of any emotion. The king turned his gaze to the valley, which was brightly illuminated by the sunlight. And he remembered the words of the attendant.

‘The Regas always works.’

The blood-stained ground in the middle of the valley came into view. It was clearly a corpse that would have been torn to shreds if seen up close, just like the soldiers who tried to escape. As he realized why Karas was angry, the king’s voice trembled.

“Uh, Abel ended up like that… I’m sorry.”

He felt his soldiers staring at him in surprise. However, the king tightly clenched his trembling hand and bowed his head to Karas.

“If it was your precious one who died and you’re angry… I apologize.”

“Your Majesty! W-What is this…?”

Instead of Karas’ response, the familiar voice of his soldier was heard. Even in such a desperate situation, the king bowing his head to the enemy was unheard of. However, the king’s apology continued.

“Please tell me how to ease your anger. We can’t bring back Abel who has died, but…”

Thud! Clang! Clang!

The king could tell the source of the earth-shaking sound without even looking behind. Unlike the fleeing soldiers before, this time he heard screams.

“Aack!”

“Gasp! P-please, s-save…”

“Ugh!”

The screams, filled with terror rather than pain, soon disappeared, but the black shadows weighed heavily on the remaining soldiers in the air. The king who became flustered, quickly spoke up.

“I-I’m sorry. About Abel’s matter…”

Thud, thud, thud!

With the sound of falling rocks, screams repeated. The king finally forced himself to look up at Karas, whose eyes he hadn’t dared to meet out of fear. The king trembled heavily as he looked at his cold snake-like eyes.

“S-S-Sorry, I’m sorry. Ab…”

Before his name could even be fully spoken, a horrifying sound echoed again. Finally, the king could understand what had touched Karas’ heart. Abel.

Was it merely mentioning the fake name of the bait that made him sad?

Was Abel that precious to him?

At that moment, a forgotten fact surged into the king’s mind. There was another survivor from the valley before him.

Who was he?

The king hastily glanced at the fairy nestled in Karas’ arms. Though an arrow pierced his arm, he didn’t appear dead.

That means Karas saved him. However, if the bait was that important, then shouldn’t he have saved him first?

The king looked back at Karas, his gaze vacant, and asked.

“C-Crushed, you say… What exactly…”

The dead bait was undoubtedly nothing to Karas. The king examined the fairy again, but besides the arrow wound, there was not a single scratch on his body that could be described as crushed.

Then, why was he angry?

At that moment, a word came out from Karas as if he was annoyed.

“Pomegranate.”

“Pardon?”

Unconsciously, the king widened his eyes in response. Karas’ mouth twisted slightly upwards.

“My armor is crushed.”

Armor? It was still an incomprehensible word, but just by seeing Karas’ expression for the first time, the king could tell how important it was.

Thud. The king kneeled in front of Karas, forgetting his embarrassment, and bowed his head to the ground, apologizing again.

“I-I’m sorry. If the pomegranate… being crushed upset you, I-I offer my neck and apologize. So please, calm down…”

“You’re not going to die.”

Startled by the casual remark, the king looked up. Karas, who had become expressionless again, tilted his head to the side and looked down.

“You have to stay alive to continue the war.”

At first, the king didn’t understand the meaning, but soon realized and felt a chill in his heart. His intention was what the king feared the most.

“That way, I can exterminate all your people.”