Trash of the Count's Family Vol 2. Chapter 456: …Can I Take It All? (19)

Choi Han and the holy knight had been facing each other off.

But that standoff broke almost immediately.

BOOM!

The holy knight retreated, then swung his sword through the opening—

and Choi Han had to fall back as well.

“......”

The holy knight lowered his gaze to his hand.

It had been a very long time since his palm had tingled like this.

It doesn’t look like he’s fully grasped his individuality yet.

Until now, it had been like the appearance of a seed.

Now, that seed was writhing, on the verge of blooming.

In other words, nothing had bloomed yet.

And even so—

This much power?

The highest-ranking holy knight could not tell what that power—holding both despair and hope, those contradictory things—would become, what kind of individuality it would turn into.

Interesting.

An individuality trying to be born not from the despair and hope he had possessed before, but from something else entirely.

And one that required such prolonged tempering.

Setting aside whether it would become Five-Colored-grade, he had the sense that something special might emerge from it.

Woooooo—

The highest-ranking holy knight’s face hardened, and the gray smoke rising from his sword thickened even more than before.

It was impossible to tell what shape the smoke was taking.

That itself was the identity of that holy knight.

“Come.”

At the highest-ranking holy knight’s words, Choi Han charged him again, carrying that minute force.

There was not a trace of fear for his life in that figure.

Only the enemy.

That enemy alone filled his eyes.

I’m still far from enough.

Even in the middle of it all, Choi Han’s mind kept growing colder.

I can’t beat him.

With his current strength, defeating that holy knight would be difficult.

So he would endure as long as he could.

And this is a chance.

Choi Han felt that if he kept fighting this holy knight, he might come to understand his own individuality more clearly.

A chance to grow stronger.

But don’t think about that.

Now Choi Han knew what truly mattered.

That was why he opened his mouth.

“Fall back!”

He was speaking to Clopeh, who was trying to support him.

If that man kept fighting now, he would be badly hurt.

No—he might die at the hands of the highest-ranking holy knight.

Choi Han refused to watch that happen.

Right.

He refused to watch anyone get hurt anymore.

Woooooo—

The black force trembled and began to pour out a cry.

For an instant, it sounded like the cry of some fierce beast—

or something greater than that, the cry of a dragon.

BOOOOM!

Choi Han and the holy knight collided again.

And Choi Han shouted.

“You bastard!”

Fury rose on his face.

The highest-ranking holy knight grinned.

“You mustn’t forget your role.”

The highest-ranking holy knight blocked Choi Han’s sword with both hands.

Hands wrapped in gray smoke stopped the blade.

And the two swords—

“Clopeh! Human!”

—shot toward Clopeh and Cale.

“If you take away the soil that lets the seed bloom, it will collapse in the end.”

If Choi Han kept fighting him, he would grow stronger.

So to prevent that, the easiest and most efficient way was to break Choi Han’s heart.

“!”

For a moment, Choi Han could not say a word.

One sword flew toward Clopeh.

And one sword flew toward Cale.

Despair flickered across his face as he moved too late to chase after them, but—

“I’m here!”

Raon appeared.

Back during the battle in Henituse territory, the one who had always firmly supported them from behind, or at their side, had been Raon.

Woooo—

Two black shields appeared in front of Clopeh and Cale.

BOOOOM!

And the gray swords slammed into them.

Raon’s shields started to break.

But Raon hurriedly cast more over them.

Even if they broke, all he had to do was keep making new ones and hold out.

Even if the shields shattered, as long as the person inside did not get hurt, that was enough.

The young dragon knew that.

“Ah!”

But Raon’s eyes went wide in shock.

There was something he had failed to notice.

“Damn!”

Choi Han was the same.

“Cale-nim!”

He called out to Cale without realizing it.

And Cale, who had been standing there blankly, turned his head then.

A single sword.

It looked like it was flying toward Cale.

But it wasn’t.

“How sly.”

The moment Cale said that—

CRAAAAASH!

—a thunderous roar rang out.

And the shield that was still covered in gray appeared.

The shield endured the sword.

“Ugh—ahhk, ngh—”

The shield had protected the Pope.

That sword had been aimed at killing him.

“What are you?”

At Choi Han’s question, the highest-ranking holy knight smiled and replied.

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m here to save the Pope.”

He spread both arms, called the swords back, and started walking toward Cale and Choi Han.

THUD!

This was different from before.

Gray smoke rose around him, wrapping his body.

One who had begun life together with chaos.

The strongest within the Order, one who could stand shoulder to shoulder with a Five-Colored-grade Wanderer.

Smiling, he said:

“Death itself is salvation. To leave this place and go to the world of chaos.”

The highest-ranking holy knight.

This bastard was a fanatic whose faith in the God of Chaos surpassed even Clopeh’s.

“...Damn it—”

Trouble spread across Choi Han’s face.

“The highest-ranking holy knight is weird! Nobody gets to touch our human or our family!”

Raon shouted, hardening his resolve.

At that moment—

Sniff, sniff.

Cale alone had begun to look strange.

His attention had been fixed on something off to the side for a while now.

Sniff, sniff! There’s no inside pocket either!

The Sound of the Wind was searching for the divine relic.

It was looking for Wind-Borne Chaos, but it was having a surprisingly hard time.

If I can just find that, we can get out of here!

He had beaten the Pope enough.

And neither Choi Jung Soo nor Sui Khan was in good shape.

Take care of the one top-tier holy knight who had turned the team leader into that state, then get out of here.

There was no need to fight the highest-ranking holy knight.

That was why he had been trying to find the divine relic first, but—

Sniff, sniff.

It still could not find it.

Sniff, sniff. It’s definitely here.

It had said the Pope had it.

Even so, it could not see it, and that was becoming a problem.

Then—

Sniff, sniff... Oh.

The Sound of the Wind let out a small exclamation.

It was surprise.

I found where Wind-Borne Chaos is.

That was when the highest-ranking holy knight’s sword flew toward the Pope.

When the shield had spread and blocked that sword.

Cale had found the answer.

He looked down at the Pope, who was still trembling inside the reddish-gold lightning.

The divine relic reacted just now.

The Sound of the Wind told him.

It’s in the Pope’s heart.

That did not mean it was in an inner pocket near his heart.

The divine relic was in his heart.

The Sound of the Wind had told him the exact location.

Watching the Pope tremble in pain and the highest-ranking holy knight’s fanatical behavior, Cale reached one conclusion.

“Hey.”

He whispered to the shivering Pope.

“Wind-Borne Chaos. There’s more than one way to activate that divine relic, isn’t there?”

The Pope’s eyes turned toward Cale.

In a low voice, Cale said:

“One of them is stabbing your heart, isn’t it? No—does it trigger when you die?”

The moment he said that, Cale caught the emotion on the Pope’s face, that tiny flicker of emotion.

“You’re surprised?”

The Pope had been startled by that.

As if Cale had struck the nail on the head.

In the middle of his pain, there was a strand of emotion he could not hide, something he had failed to cover up in time. Seeing it, Cale let out a sigh.

If it’s in his heart, how am I supposed to take it?

His head started to ache.

And as he realized one more fact, his thoughts grew even more tangled.

If the Pope’s heart was pierced—if the Pope died—gray sickness would spread through the Demon World.

This is troublesome—

Cale was continuing that thought when he froze.

“......!”

His gaze snapped toward the window.

Outside the window.

Beyond the walls of Moraka Castle visible there.

The forest that should be stretching out beyond it.

Yes. It was coming from around there.

Cale!

the Ancient Tree warned.

RUMMMBLE—

The floor trembled.

Cale, something’s coming!

The dominating aura reacted urgently.

Cale felt it too. Something was approaching.

From the forest surrounding Moraka Castle.

Closer and closer.

A vast force, a presence, was drawing near.

What is that?

It felt similar to the force the highest-ranking holy knight was releasing now that he had begun fighting seriously.

No.

It’s denser.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Cale’s heart started pounding again.

This was instinctive.

A warning of danger his body was picking up before his mind could.

Hm.

And suddenly the Water that Devours the Sky let out a low sound.

It’s water.

The moment she said that, the highest-ranking holy knight let out a sigh.

“So the third Emperor has come.”

Ah.

Cale let out a groan.

The third Emperor.

A Wanderer of the Five Colored Blood hunter family.

And one of the three beings who possessed Five-Colored-grade individuality.

The third Emperor had come.

And it was said that his individuality took the form of a water dragon.

Wow.

For a moment, Cale’s head started to hurt.

This had suddenly become a lot more complicated.

How did he show up now?

Cale had expected the third Emperor to come to the Demon World to look for Choi Jung Gun.

But how could he have reached this place so fast?

And Choi Jung Gun was not even here.

Only Cale’s group was.

Of course, Cale had intended to rampage through the Demon World and draw the Wanderers’ attention here instead of toward New World.

Then, while their attention was fixed here, he planned to deal with Transparent Blood in the Third District and use the fact that eyes had shifted away from New World to find where the Absolute God would be.

But now, all of a sudden—even though Cale had not openly made his move in the Demon World—

he had only just started using his power, and the third Emperor had already appeared. That made the situation strange.

Ah.

But soon Cale arrived at a likely explanation.

The Demon King.

The Demon King, the hunters, and the Order of the God of Chaos.

Those three were connected.

There was a high chance the third Emperor had appeared here because information had been shared through that alliance.

Damn.

This was bad.

He had been planning to drive a wedge between those three.

At this rate, Cale’s group might end up getting crushed instead.

Do we run?

But would they even get the chance?

Even if they used Raon’s teleportation, could they hold out long enough against the highest-ranking holy knight to make it happen?

And what was he supposed to do about the divine relic in the Pope’s heart?

Other than beating the Pope half to death, they had not really landed a proper decisive blow yet.

Cale.

As Cale’s face twisted—

Sniff, sniff.

The Sound of the Wind spoke quietly.

There’s a bead-shaped force sleeping inside the heart. I think it activates if that bursts.

To be honest, the words barely registered in his ears.

It’s only staying inside the heart. It hasn’t become one with it. I think it should be possible to separate it from the Pope’s heart.

Even while the Sound of the Wind was talking—

RUMMMBLE—

the massive tremors were coming closer.

The third Emperor was coming.

Faster and faster.

As if he meant to sweep everything away.

And yet—

...Heart?

At the word heart, someone other than Cale reacted.

...A force held inside a heart...?

Cale flinched.

...Crybaby?

Heart’s Vitality.

The crybaby old man reacted to the word heart.

And—

I’m hungry.

the gluttonous priestess said she was hungry.

Huh?

At that moment, a strange light flashed in Cale’s eyes.

This felt like there might be an answer here.

Pulling only the force out of the Pope’s heart without killing him—

“...I think this might be possible?”

Just then, the crybaby old man spoke in a slightly excited tone.

Cale! M-maybe I can finally get stronger too?

Huh?

Cale flinched.

That was not where his thoughts had been going at all.

I-I want to take an elixir too. I want to eat something delicious too. I want to get stronger too...!

The old man spoke very carefully.

...Can I have it?

Huh?

Noona.

The crybaby old man spoke to the gluttonous priestess.

Can’t you eat the force inside that heart?

Hmm.

Cale stood there blankly.

For now, that question was in line with what Cale himself had been thinking.

This—

It felt like things were about to go in a very strange direction.

I can eat it.

The gluttonous priestess answered in a hungry tone.

I can do it because chaos is smeared on the shield right now.

The gluttonous priestess even told him how.

If you drive the shield into the Pope’s chaos and pull, I think the force inside the heart will be dragged over here. Then, until we wipe the chaos off the shield, the shield should be able to hold that force for a while.

Oh.

Store it in the shield?

Cale had been thinking of using his own receptivity—

but the gluttonous priestess suggested a simpler method.

If I pull, those mouths will probably spit out the force in the heart.

The gluttonous priestess sounded matter-of-fact.

Because those mouths got scared watching me eat.

Oh.

Cale was impressed.

The gluttonous priestess was suddenly starting to look incredibly cool.

Then the stingy old man reacted to what she had said.

At this rate, Cale’s going to end up taking all the God of Chaos’s divine relics! He’ll steal them all from the holy land of the beginning! He picked up the knife! He picked up the broken one too! Hahaha!

Oh.

Come to think of it—

that was true.

At this rate, he really might end up taking all the Order of the God of Chaos’s divine relics.

...Am I allowed to take them all?

Was that actually okay?

L-let’s keep it in noona’s shield first, and if it looks safe, we can eat it. Okay? I want to get stronger too!

Cale ignored the crybaby old man for the moment.

RUMMMBLE—

The third Emperor was coming.

Right now, changing the situation in Cale’s favor came first.

“......”

Cale’s gaze turned toward the Pope.

The Pope started to feel a strange fear under the way Cale was suddenly looking at him like he was some priceless treasure.

“U-ugh, ngh—”

He groaned in pain, yet still felt a foreboding rise from that bizarre look in Cale’s eyes.

Then—

Hummmm— Hummmm—

the Knife of Chaos inside Cale’s clothes began to vibrate.

The Pope was not the only one here who had once devoured chaos and spewed chaos back out.

Of course, now—

[Knife of Chaos (Grade: Legend)]

[Its original attribute, chaos, has vanished, leaving behind only immense divine power of the attribute nothingness.]

—all it held was immense divine power with nothing contained in it.

And it now recognized Cale as its owner, but—

Hummmm— Hummmm—

having seen something delicious, it had begun to covet it.

No, that one’s mine!

the crybaby old man shouted fiercely.

Cale’s head was getting noisy.

“Quiet.”

At his words, both the ancient powers and the divine relics fell silent.

And everyone else’s eyes turned toward Cale as well.

Well, that was only natural.

Their eyes had to be drawn to Cale, who was still gripping the Pope by the throat.

Especially now, when the third Emperor’s arrival had turned the situation urgent—his allies naturally looked to their leader, and the enemies had to watch how the head of the opposing side would react.

It was then.

“Hey.”

Cale opened his mouth, oblivious to all those eyes on him.

He spoke to the Pope.

“Try raising a whole lot of chaos.”

“...Ugh, wha?”

The Pope was still suffering, wrapped in the reddish-gold lightning, but Cale calmly said what he had to say.

“Use your chaos on me.”

Enough for him to drive the shield in.

“As much as you can. Like that wave before.”

The Pope’s pupils shook.

How could they not?

The enemy holding him by the throat was suddenly telling him to attack with his full power.

When his eyes really did begin to fill with chaos—

“Aren’t you going to hurry up?”

Cale looked at him with a vicious, irritated stare.

The Pope flinched without realizing it and began to raise chaos.

“Heh.”

Watching that, Cale laughed.

And the faces of the enemy forces turned white.

But Cale could only laugh.

No matter what—

At least I’m going to strip the Order of the God of Chaos clean.

Right now, Cale was faced with the possibility of taking all of the God of Chaos’s major divine relics for himself, maybe even gutting the God of Chaos completely—and his heart was pounding fast at the thought.