NOVPUB
Chapter 93
Roaring cheers echoed within the grand, oval-shaped coliseum. Most of the audience comprised slave demons from the labor camps. It seemed that the execution ceremony served as entertainment to relieve the stress of the slave demons toiling in harsh labor. Creating a scapegoat for public catharsis and entertainment was a recurring tactic throughout human history, so the similarly amused Suho. 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝖔𝔪
“It wasn’t always like this,” Esil said, suppressing her anger. “The coliseum was once exclusive to demon nobility. Each noble house would send gladiators to measure their strength against each other. It was used to rank our positions in the hierarchy.”
With all the demon nobles gone, the arena had turned into a playground for someone wanting to imitate the nobility.
“What’s the tyrant’s name? Everyone seems to call him the Tyrant or Tyrant King.”
“Not only does he have the audacity to imitate us, but he now dares to call himself king! He would have been ground to dust in the good old days.”
“Esil, you sound like a boomer.”
“What?!”
Amused by Esil’s flustered reaction, Suho chuckled softly before swiftly scanning the audience. “Anyway, it looks like the tyrant isn’t here.”
“Nukira mentioned earlier that the tyrant only shows his face if there is a strong demon he could devour. Since this is your first match, he probably doesn’t think you’re worth watching.”
“That makes sense”
Just then, the demon hosting the execution ceremony bellowed out to the audience, “Well then! Attention everyone! The opponent for Single Horn is...”
Creak!
The door opposite Suho opened.
“Our merciless butcher, One Arm!”
The thunderous applause of the crowd was deafening. With explosive cheers, an immensely muscular demon appeared.
[One Arm (consumed by Mad Blood Poison)]
True to his name, the demon was missing an arm, but the remaining one looked powerful enough to compensate.
Laughter erupted from the audience stands.
“They sent out One Arm for the first match!”
“This will end so quickly!”
“Seriously? A fight between Single Horn and One Arm?”
“I can’t wait!”
Suho smiled wryly, realizing what the demon guards meant by needing a persona. “They really care about the entertainment value here.”
The execution was more like a well-planned fight. As cheesy as the matchup was, the crowd seemed to be enjoying the imminent clash of Single Horn and One Arm. But the similarities ended there. Suho was dwarfed by the enormous demon.
So this is why they called this an execution. “I’m being seriously underestimated here.”
“Well, you shouldn’t underestimate him, either. That demon almost marinated in mad blood poison.”
Suho could sense the sinister mana flowing around the demon’s body. Judging by the reaction of the audience and the demon’s notorious reputation, it was clear that One Arm had survived long enough to become a coliseum favorite.
“This little one, huh? You look deliciously tender,” One Arm said, licking his lips with glee.
“I think I know how he has survived this long, despite the poison.”
“He must have replenished the blood he lost by drinking the blood of other demons, which would have also powered him up even more.”
Esil’s explanation was correct, but she had overlooked an important fact—the poison also caused extreme pain. But having endured this for so long, One Arm had turned into a berserker who no longer felt any pain.
Roaring cheers continued around them.
“Do you hear that? Everyone is waiting for your screams to burst out of your mouth.” One Arm looked up at the cheering crowd with a cruel smile.
“But you should rejoice. They want this show to last as long as possible. And I...” The creature flickered his serpentine tongue as he approached Suho. As its massive muscles drew nearer, an overwhelming aura overflowed from him. “Being the kind demon that I am, I simply cannot let all those good demons down. So be grateful. I will grant you a slow death...”
Suddenly, Suho vanished from his sight. In a moment of confusion, One Arm turned around to search for his smaller opponent. This is impossible... But somehow, he couldn’t speak. What’s happening? Is that my... The demon’s enormous, headless body was standing right in front of him. That’s my body... The demon realized that his head had to be in Suho’s hands. That was his last memory.
[One Arm (consumed by Mad Blood Poison)]
[Vulcan’s Horn has devoured the demon’s soul.]
The demon’s giant body toppled over and crashed to the ground. Devoid of the cheers and joy of just moments before, the arena was stunned in silence. Even the announcer was flustered, not knowing how to react.
Suho had effortlessly torn off the demon’s head in mere seconds, and he stood impassively as he watched the shocked crowd. He then turned to face the announcer. “Where is the next one?”
[Title: The buff of “Demon Slayer” is...]
The announcer felt a chill run down his spine. It felt like he had encountered a natural predator.
***
A round of belated cheers erupted from the coliseum. The vibration from the sound was so loud that it felt like the arena was about to be lifted off the ground.
“Single Horn! Single Horn!”
“Did any of you see him move?”
“I saw!”
“Yeah, right! He moved so fast!”
“Wow! The way he asked for the next fighter was frightening. You could hear how badly he wants to fight again.”
“We haven’t had such a brave demon in a long time!”
“That’s right! One Arm had it coming, anyway!”
Admiration and astonishment poured out from the audience. The most surprised were the guards who had brought Suho to the arena. They had expected nothing from the one they named Single Horn.
“Does this make any sense to you?”
“One Arm has devoured more than ten demons!”
“How the hell did Single Horn manage to do this?”
“Maybe the mad blood poison increased his speed?”
“Who cares about the effects? The match ended too quickly!”
The guard didn’t care which demon lived or died. Entertainment was an important factor, but so was the duration. The organizers wanted the executions to be slow and brutal for the audience’s twisted sense of amusement.
Not only did the entertainment relieve the stress of the weary slaves, but the concentrated energy from the worked-up crowd could act as an invitation for the Tyrant King. They wanted the honor of his presence at the coliseum.
“The fight was too quick!”
“It ended before the Tyrant King could even show interest!”
“At this rate, the time it took to gather the crowd would be longer than all the fights combined!”
“I should’ve told Single Horn to fight as slowly as possible.”
Eventually, they turned to the chief guard, who was looking at them menacingly.
“What should we do, sir?”
“Single Horn is asking for the next opponent. If we stop the fighting now...”
Basking in the applause, Suho stood defiantly in the middle of the arena
“Hmm...” The chief guard gritted his teeth. We took a lot of time dosing One Arm with the right amount of poison... But then, a cunning smile crept across his face. “No. This is actually for the better. It’s been a while since a decent one showed up. Let’s see how long this one can last.”
“Does this mean...?”
“Yes. Give Single Horn what he wants. Send in another one before the audience gets restless.” One Arm had established himself as a crowd favorite, but favorites came and went like the seasons. “It’s time for something new,” the chief guard said.
Following his order, the guards hurriedly rushed to the prison.
Meanwhile, the announcer had regained his composure and resumed his duties. “Incredible! Let’s give a roaring applause to Single Horn for swiftly defeating One Arm! To mark the special feat, for one day only, we will immediately proceed with the next execution!”
The crowd erupted in cheers, and the guards brought out another demon from the prison.
“One Arm died? That’s a pity. I wanted to devour him.” The new demon licked his lips. His smug attitude suggested that he didn’t care about the demon guards at all. “Wait, One-Arm’s body is still out there! Can I eat it if I kill the little one?”
“Do as you please. Just don’t let your guard down. And remember, take your time.”
“There’s no need to worry about what I do with my prey.
The door across Suho opened, and the second demon revealed himself.
[Intermediate Mad Blood Demon]
“If this one is an intermediate-level demon, was the one I just killed a lesser demon?”
“This isn’t the time to be concerned about ranks. The amplification rate varies depending on how much blood they’ve drained after consuming mad blood poison,” Esil warned.
“Amplification rate?” Suho’s eyes gleamed as he pondered those words. “Well, this doesn’t change anything.”
[Item: Vulcan’s Horn]
[Acquisition Difficulty: ??
Type: Sword
Attack Power +40
It’s a sword made from the horn of the greedy demon Vulcan.
Vulcan’s power imbues it with the ability to inflict greater damage.
Effect “Destructive Desire”: Increases physical damage by [83%]
Effect “Demon Devourer”: As it feeds on demon souls, Vulcan’s power grows stronger.]
[Devoured Demon Souls : 53]
Despite Vulcan’s Horn being mounted on Suho’s head, its features remained fully functional.
“The last demon had eleven demon souls in its possession.”
“Those were the souls of the demons it devoured. It must have consumed everything, down to the last drop of blood and fragments of bone.”
“That’s great for us.” Eyes sparkling, Suho looked at his new opponent, and without any fanfare, he killed him almost instantly.
“Gah...”
Thud.
[Intermediate Mad Blood Demon has been defeated.]
[Vulcan’s Horn devoured the demon’s soul.]
Once again, silence enveloped the area. This time, their disbelief lasted much longer than before. The demons stared down at Suho in stunned silence.
“Now, bring out the next one,” Suho said.
Two executions had taken place in less than a minute—an unprecedented event in the history of the coliseum.
Suho turned and fixed his gaze on the chief guard sitting at the back. “Or, you could come out yourself.”
The chief guard’s demonic eyes flickered with fear.
