Chapter 7: 2nd Legion (1)

I woke up in an unfamiliar bed.

“Where…”

Crack

“Ouch!”

A searing pain shot through my muscles as I sat up.

“Ugh…”

As the pain subsided, the memories of the battle flooded back.

“Well, after all that, it would be stranger not to be sore…”

I hadn’t felt it at the time, fueled by adrenaline, but my body had been on the verge of collapse long before I’d landed that final blow. It was a miracle I’d lasted that long.

‘At least I’m alive…’

The vision in my once blood-blinded eye had returned, albeit blurry. I tried to raise my hand to my aching head, but…

Jingle

“Huh?”

My right wrist was chained to the bedpost.

‘Who changed my clothes?’

I was wearing a simple dress, not the blood-soaked rags I’d been wearing before. They must have changed me for hygiene reasons.

‘They would have had to remove my clothes to bandage my wounds, so it makes sense…’

Even with the memories of my past life as a man resurfacing, I’d lived as a girl for years. I wasn’t embarrassed.

Probably…

‘Unless it was a man who changed me… No, don’t think about it.’

“Where am I, anyway?”

Creak

The door opened.

“Awake, I see? How are you feeling? I tried to be gentle, but…”

She spoke casually, as if our brutal fight had never happened.

‘Anyone would think we were friends.’

“Thanks to you, I’m incredibly sore.”

“Better than being dead, right? Be grateful I spared you.”

She approached the bed. I hid my nervousness, pressing on with my questions.

“How long have I been out?”

“Exactly a day. I thought I might have accidentally killed you.”

“Where am I? And why did you kidnap me?”

“Kidnapped is a bit harsh…”

Swipe

“Ugh.”

She placed her hand on my throat, a playful smile on her lips. It was a light touch, yet the underlying threat was clear. She could snap my neck in an instant. I knew better than to underestimate her, unpredictable as she was.

“Don’t get any ideas. I can still kill you.”

“You would have done it already. You kidnapped me instead, which means I won, didn’t I?”

“…Tsk, you’re no fun. Fine, you won. I was planning to take you anyway.”

I hadn’t expected her to concede so easily.

She added,

“By the way, what made you think you could survive that? Holy power doesn’t work on you. The captured priests couldn’t even heal your arm. You’d have lost it permanently if not for an emergency potion.”

So she knew about my immunity to holy power. I’d suspected as much when I saw my wounds were healed.

“I wouldn’t have won otherwise.”

“Well… that’s true. Even I had a moment of panic.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want my new toy getting damaged.”

Are all demons this insane, or is it just her…? I studied her face, trying to discern whether she was joking, but her expression gave nothing away.

“But first things first.”

“W-What are you…!”

She leaned in close, her breath on my face. I squeezed my eyes shut.

Click

The sound of metal. The chains were unlocked. I opened my eyes. She was standing a few feet away, the key in her hand.

“Follow me. We have somewhere to go.”

“Where?”

“If you don’t want to die, just follow me.”

Her smile was chilling. Definitely insane.

“Stooop!”

She’d brought me to a room filled with clothes. Servants stood waiting, their arms laden with garments. I’d been forced to change outfits for an hour. Where did they even get these clothes in the demon realm?

‘Did she kidnap me to torture me to death with fashion?!’

“You’re thinking strange things again.”

“…”

‘Can’t even think in peace.’

“Try this one next.”

“…”

‘Kill… me…’

Two hours later, I was finally released.

“So… you kidnapped me just to play dress-up? What’s the point?”

“No reason. Isn’t it natural to want to dress up a pretty doll?”

“…”

‘Definitely insane.’

“Here we are.”

She led me to what appeared to be a training ground.

“What is it, Legion Commander?”

“Find me a suitable opponent for this child.”

“Huh?”

“No, I’ll choose.”

She scanned the area.

“Ah! That one will do.”

She called over a demon.

“What is it, Legion Commander?”

“Spar with this child.”

“Huh?”

She wanted me to spar with him.

…

‘Wait, what the…?’

“Seriously? With this human girl? She’s injured. And why is a human even here?”

“She’s my new toy. Now get ready.”

“I… see. Understood.”

‘Wait, did this demon just… accept that? No conscience…’

Then it hit me.

‘Oh right… she’s a Legion Commander. ’

Even in a dog-eat-dog world like the demon realm, this felt… wrong. Like a superior officer ordering a subordinate around in my past life.

‘I guess that’s accurate. A Legion Commander and her underling.’

The chain of command was the same, whether human or demon.

“Choose your weapon.”

I formed a blade of shadows in my hand.

“I’m good.”

The demon realm, perpetually bathed in moonlight, was ideal for my shadow manipulation.

‘A human with the most useful ability in the demon realm… funny, and fortunate…’

“Right, that’s your ability. Then you don’t need a weapon. Follow me.”

She led me to the sparring arena.

“The rules are simple. A fight to the death. The one who kills their opponent wins.”

“?”

‘Wait, what? I thought this was a spar?’

Silence fell upon the training ground.

“Legion Commander? I thought this was a spar, and she’s your precious human…”

Slash

Asmodeus’ blade grazed the soldier’s cheek.

Trickle

Blood flowed, but the demon remained silent. He knew better than to provoke her further.

“No arguments.”

“…”

She smiled at me.

“And don’t hold back. You might be the one who dies.”

“…Understood.”

“Any more questions?”

‘Does it look like I have any…?’

“Then begin.”

We charged.

Clang

Steel clashed against steel. The fight began.

Clang

A sword flew from a hand.

“Ha…”

“…I lost. Kill me.”

Ten minutes. I’d finally disarmed him. He accepted defeat.

“I’m not going to kill you.”

“What…”

Slash

“Huh?”

“That wouldn’t do~”

A clean cut. The demon collapsed, blood spraying onto me. I was too stunned to react.

“Wh… why…”

“I told you.”

Until one of you dies?

“Disarming him means you’ve already won. I just finished it for you.”

“But he surrendered! Why… ugh…”

Bang!

A kick to the stomach sent me flying. I hadn’t been prepared. The pain was intense.

“Ugh… ack…gah…”

My lungs struggled for air, my vision filled with static.

Grip

She grabbed my hair, forcing me to look up.

“Surrender? There’s no such thing as surrender in the demon realm.”

“And if he had won, he would have killed you without hesitation.”

Her voice was calm, matter-of-fact.

“When you lose, you die. That’s how it is in the demon realm.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

Her words, though unwelcome, were clear. I’d been naive, lulled into a false sense of security by the relative peace. I’d seen her kindness, her playful demeanor, and forgotten that she was a demon, a Legion Commander, one of the strongest beings in this realm. And this was my new reality.

I was in the Legion Commander’s private bath. I’d been in a daze since the fight.

She’d led me here, helped me change out of my bloodstained clothes, and even spoon-fed me dinner while I sat in a stupor.

I hadn’t even registered what I was eating. Only after she led me to the bath to wash the dirt and blood from my face did I finally regain my senses.

“Ahh… this feels good…”

“…”

She sat beside me, soaking in the hot water. She turned to me when I didn’t respond.

“Going to stay quiet?”

“What do you want.”

“Hmm… you sound a bit tense.”

“…You don’t know?”

I’d anticipated this. I knew that choosing to follow the original storyline would be difficult, even life-threatening. But I hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

Drip

Drop

Water dripped from the ceiling. The image of the demon’s severed neck, the gushing blood, flashed through my mind. I flinched.

It wasn’t the blood itself that disturbed me. I’d seen plenty of blood during the fight in the city.

It was…

“Hey… Asmode…”

“Hmm… I don’t like that.”

“What?”

“That name. It’s not my real name.”

“…”

I knew. Asmodeus was a title bestowed upon a demon when they became a Legion Commander. Titles taken from legendary archdemons.

Like Baal, the First Legion Commander, or Mammon, the Fourth. She was no different.

“Then what should I call you?”

“How about… sister?”

“What?”

My blood ran cold.

Snap

My hand instinctively flew to the dagger at my hip as she grabbed my wrist.

Splash

Water cascaded down on us, but our attention was locked on each other.

The training ground incident was nothing compared to this. And I was trapped here, with her, indefinitely.

The thought made my hands tremble. She’d dragged me into this hell, and now… what? She wanted me to call her by the same affectionate term I used for my only family, my precious sister?

“You don’t like it?”

“…”

I hated it. Her calm demeanor, her knowing smile, made me want to scream. But I was no match for her. She could kill me in an instant.

“Then just call me Bathory.”

Bathory. Her true name, only revealed in the game. The Blood Countess. A fitting name for her madness.

“Bathory, then.”

“I’d prefer sister, but this will do.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

I would never call her sister.

“…So why did you call me?”

“Why did you kidnap me?”

“To make you mine, of course.”

“Choke!”

I choked on my own saliva.

“Cough, cough… w-what?”

“I just want you as my toy. A toy that obeys me, that smiles only for me.”

‘But first, I’ll break you.’

I didn’t realize then that she’d omitted the last part, a sinister promise hidden behind a smile. I didn’t know the depths of the hell she was about to drag me into.

“…”

‘Why didn’t you just say that in the first place…’

“I… I misunderstood!”

I felt pathetic for even entertaining the slightest bit of hope in this situation.

“Oh? How so?”

“N-Never mind.”

“Even if it’s a misunderstanding, I don’t m…”

“Stop!”

She finally stopped teasing me when I raised my voice.

“Anyway, let’s go.”

She led me out of the bath. I looked out the window.

‘Disgustingly beautiful. Maybe my head really is messed up.’

Unlike the human world, the demon realm had no sun or moon, only a single celestial body that shifted from blue during the day to red at night. The sky, shining even in this hellish abyss…

…felt more beautiful than terrifying.