Akatsuki Translations

The sturdy fortress of the Abyss was thrown into chaos by the sudden onslaught of the Rabidaemons. Shuou, the very person responsible for summoning their source, had managed to infiltrate Uzumi the moment the Rabidaemons charged the high castle walls, slipping through the gaps in the crumbling rubble.

After running with all his might through the courtyard where the alarm bells rang out fiercely, he collapsed into a corner of the barracks, leaning his back against the wall to hide.

As a result of running for an extended period, his exhausted body took shallow breaths, and he was hit with a wave of nausea so intense it felt as if all his bodily fluids might spill out. His knees trembled, making him worry if he could even stand up again.

The Rabidaemons, having completely lost sight of their original target, Shuou, amidst the writhing mass of people, were indiscriminately attacking any Coral soldiers they laid eyes on.

Looking up at the sky shrouded in the depths of night, he realized more time had passed than he thought. He had run through the Abyss to lure out the Rabidaemons, but given the nature of the place, it was not a world where one could simply proceed straight ahead. While choosing routes to avoid overlapping dangers, he had expended more time and energy than anticipated.

–That girl.

He moved his steaming head, but A Shara, who had run all the way here with him, was nowhere to be seen. He remembered her shaking shoulders beside him up until the moment they lured the Rabidaemons to the castle walls, but after that, he had no room to spare worrying about the girl as he was preoccupied with his own predicament. While concerned for her safety, Shuou swiftly shifted his focus.

Whipping his trembling legs, he headed towards the entrance to the underground prison in a corner of the grounds. Amidst the angry shouts and screams rising from all directions, the two soldiers guarding the prison entrance seemed bewildered by this sudden turn of events.

Seizing the opportunity, Shuou ran as if crawling on the ground. The two sentries showed no signs of noticing the mass of malice approaching from the darkness. It was only when he was about to enter range, less than ten paces away, that one of them finally noticed and let out a dumbfounded cry.

“Huh?!”

Rushing in with all his might, Shuou grabbed the head of the sentry who noticed him first and slammed it against the stone wall. Knowing his strength had completely drained, Shuou wrapped his arm behind the back of the other one who had yet to fully react, drew the sword the opponent had sheathed from behind, and held it to his neck. The eyes of the Coral soldier, looking up from the side, were tinged with fear.

“The key?”

The restrained Coral soldier’s gaze pointed to a nearby shed.

Releasing the sword he held, the soldier’s face showed a hint of relief for just a moment. Without missing a beat, Shuou slammed his face against the wall with tremendous force. The sentry, who had collapsed head-first, lost consciousness without so much as twitching.

A nauseating stench hung in the air of the underground prison. Grimacing at the odor, reminiscent of a livestock pen, he stood in front of the room where everyone was locked up. Countless glittering eyes all turned to him at once, and a murmur arose.

“Shuou, huh.”

Borge emerged from the darkness, his eyes sharp enough to kill with just a glance.

“Is everyone safe?”

His softly spoken words echoed. The murmur turned into cheers. The pressure of the voices raised by the many made him shrink back. Observing anew with a calm eye, the sheer number of people crammed into the prison cell gave rise to a slight unease.

“Did you bring help?”

Sanji, his face gaunt, smiled with a gentleness Shuou had never seen before as he asked. Shuou shook his head in denial.

“No.”

The cheers once again reverted to murmurs.

“Hey–“

Beckoned by Borge, Shuou leaned in close, the iron bars between them.

“–What’s the situation?”

“I lured the Rabidaemons here.”

Borge’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but he quickly broke into a grin.

“Heh, no wonder it’s so noisy.”

“I was thinking we could all escape from here amidst the commotion, but my calculations were a bit off.”

Borge nodded slowly, his gaze lifted to his lips.

“The numbers, huh? Indeed, there are too many to escape with everyone. Quite a few are injured, barely able to walk.”

The number of Murakumo soldiers confined in the prison cell was just shy of filling a medium-sized tavern. Securing an escape route for this many people in this situation would be difficult.

As Shuou pondered, Borge made a suggestion.

“Why not take him out?”

“Huh?”

Surprised by those unexpected words, Shuou looked up.

“The chaos upstairs must be considerable. Rather than rushing out without a plan and fearing pursuit, taking advantage of the commotion to seize the head honcho here might be an option. We have enough numbers to search the premises.”

“The head, huh…”

Recalling the face of A Zan, wearing an expression of delight in his sadistic tendencies, Shuou hesitated. A high-ranking military officer entrusted with a strategic border stronghold and the father of A Shara, the princess of Coral. He should be more than valuable enough to capture as a hostage and use as a bargaining chip for their freedom.

“…That might be best.”

Borge nodded in agreement.

“We should gather those skilled with horses and send them to New Moon Fortress. We can’t expect much, but they might be inclined to send a welcome party on a whim.”

Approving of that suggestion as well, Shuou took out the key and held it out to Borge.

“Inform everyone about the current situation and what’s to come.”

Borge, however, laughed without taking the key.

“Come on, no one’s even looking at me anymore.”

Following his gaze, Shuou saw the men staring at him anxiously. Accepting their thoughts, Shuou wet his lips and conveyed the current situation. While everyone seemed uniformly in disbelief, the occasional intense sounds and screams coming from above served as a measure of persuasion. When the conversation reached the point of seizing the lord of Uzumi Castle, an old man Shuou recognized, Old Man Jin, raised his voice in exasperation.

“We don’t have any weapons. You’re not telling us to wander around an enemy-infested castle empty-handed, are you?”

Shuou instantly searched his memory.

“On the first floor of the east wing, the southernmost room serves as a small armory. Let’s head there first.”

It was information he had gathered while wandering around with Shara’s pleading. Having gained some acceptance, Old Man Jin nodded deeply and gave him a strong look.

Confirming that no one objected, Shuou was about to insert the key when Borge suddenly stood in front of the door and addressed the men in a commanding voice.

“From here on out, I won’t allow any selfishness. Shuou is in charge. Anyone who can’t follow his instructions will be left behind. If you have any objections, speak up now.”

Strangely, Borge’s gaze seemed to be directed at one spot. In the dead silence, he turned around and urged Shuou to unlock the door.

As the door swung open, everyone’s faces lit up at the taste of freedom they hadn’t experienced in a long time. As they exited one by one, they touched Shuou’s shoulder or arm, leaving words of gratitude. The last to emerge sluggishly from the corner of the room were the familiar duo, Saburi and Hario, each wearing a complicated expression. Saburi flashed a troubled, forced smile on his slightly haggard face, while Hario, his face marred by bruises, glanced briefly in Shuou’s direction before lowering his gaze expressionlessly and following the others.