Chapter 23: Execution Match Part 2

“Oh crap! If it comes down to this, then I’ll take care of it!” With a shout, Gordon, known as the “Beheader Axe” charged forward.
As the manager had claimed, this guy seemed to have genuine strength, instantly gathering fighting spirit to strengthen his body and closing the distance between us with a single stride.
Then he swung his massive axe with all his might.

On the other hand, I had strengthened my scissors with fighting spirit and calmly caught the axe.
It was fairly heavy, but it couldn’t damage my reinforced exoskeleton.
My defense couldn’t be pierced by this level of power.
Gordon seemed surprised by the force of my counterattack.

“Ugaaaah! Die, you insect-like thing!”

Gordon swung his axe over and over again, but I caught each blow with my claws.
No matter how many times he repeated the same action, the outcome remained the same.
Instead of shattering my exoskeleton, the blade of his axe gradually started to crumble.
Panic was written all over Gordon’s face.

Well, I had roughly assessed Gordon’s abilities.
While I could handle his fighting spirit, both the total amount and control power were not comparable to my own.
It appeared that he was either unable to use spirit arts or not proficient enough to use them in battle at this stage.

Overall, he was stronger than the small fry I had mowed down in the “Rookie Battle” preliminary matches but inferior to Woodsorrel and the scarlet-eyed dog.
Gordon was the weakest opponent I had faced since becoming the Rookie King of the Year.

As the bandit leader, Gordon was certainly stronger than the average person.
However, he was no match for someone like me who had undergone rigorous training.
There was a clear gap in our respective abilities.

If I were to simply stab him with my poisonous stinger, he would surely die.
There were plenty of opportunities to strike and I could have even killed him right then and there.
But I chose not to.
Why? Because Georg had ordered me not to kill him yet.
I could have defied the order, but I didn’t want to face any consequences just to kill Gordon.
So, I obediently followed orders.

It appeared that, as a major criminal, Gordon was to be tortured to the limit before being executed.
As the manager had stated, he would be “executed while writhing in agony.” This was not a fight, but rather a public execution.

If the spectacle of forcing beasts to kill criminals and sinners were to become established, it would certainly change the history of the “Battle Beast Tournament”.
I think they chose me for the first time because, as they said in the storage facility, I could attract the audience.
If things go as planned, the manager has a good chance of becoming well known in history.

As I effortlessly parry my opponent’s hefty axe swing, my thoughts wander to a much darker place – contemplating ways to inflict agonizing pain on my victim.
This isn’t something I typically dwell on, as my focus has always been on dispatching my enemies as swiftly as possible. .
What should I do? Well, let’s start with a punch.

“Aaaahhh!”

With my left claw, I deflected his large axe before I struck my adversary’s shin with my right claw, and the sound of bones snapping echoed through the air.
Huh…? He was using his fighting spirit to defend himself, but it seemed his control was too weak to be effective.

I thought I had failed, but the audience was delighted to see Gordon writhing in pain.
Is this really what they enjoyed? I still didn’t understand the appeal to it.
Anyway, it seemed I just needed to hit and cut him without killing him.
I didn’t feel good about the act, but I had no choice but to do it.

Then I systematically tortured Gordon.
I punched him with claws, whipped him with my tail, cut him with an open pincer, and stepped on his feet with the tips of my jointed legs.
Every time blood flew, Gordon screamed, and the audience cheered.

“Please… please stop it… hi… hi…”

Gordon resisted at first, but once he realized that none of his attacks were effective, he began to plead for mercy with tears and snot, while his face was a mess.
It seems that even the worst villains valued their lives when they were on the brink of death.

Should I stop now? Although I was aware that Gordon was a despicable criminal, I couldn’t help but feel indifferent towards the fate of a species I had never encountered before.
My lack of empathy towards the victim made it seem like I was simply bullying the weak, and the entire situation felt hollow and unfulfilling.
Can he just give me permission soon…?

“I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!”

While I hesitated, Gordon made a desperate counterattack.
He swung his huge axe, which he never let go of no matter how much I hurt him, at me.
It was the sharpest blow so far.

It seemed he had saved his strength for the final attack.
So, all of his previous actions were just an act.
I was completely fooled.
That’s why you cannot underestimate the human race.

I intentionally did not block the axe and let it hit me directly.
It happened to hit my softest compound eyes, but it only hurt a little and didn’t break.
The wall of strength between us could not be breached with just a surprise attack.

“Impossible… aaaaahh!”

I gripped Gordon’s wrist as he held the large axe and twisted it, cutting through it with force, causing the wound to become jagged.
Even if he were to receive treatment, he wouldn’t be able to move his hand as before.

I picked up Gordon’s axe and used my pincers to sever the blade, leaving the handle intact.
With this, he wouldn’t be able to launch another counterattack.

Nevertheless, the unexpected attack after putting on an act was quite effective.
It was a valuable lesson as a means to win battles.
I should express my gratitude.

Georg finally gave me the permission, and I plunged my poisonous stinger into Gordon’s chest.
The venom flowed into his body through the puncture, spreading through his veins.

“Guh…ugh…”

Dark purple veins began to appear on Gordon’s skin, and he stumbled away, vomiting black liquid before collapsing.
Soon, his skin turned purple all over, and he began convulsing while standing.

Since I had the ability to adjust the potency of the poison, I opted to administer only a moderate dosage to him.
Surprisingly, it proved effective against the Furu race, serving as a valuable lesson for me in my desire to eliminate Georg someday.

Feeling grateful for him being my test subject, I manipulated sand and created two large pincers.
With them, I dismembered Gordon’s body and put an end to his life.
The sand pincers were a popular technique among the audience, and the moment Gordon was torn apart, the excitement in the arena reached its peak.

“The match is over! The righteous hammer has struck down on the warrior Gordon!”

A righteous hammer, huh? This spectacle, which could hardly be called a battle, was not that grand.
After all, there is no such thing as justice in an arena that uses life and death as entertainment, right? I should choose my words more carefully.

Besides, if the rumored Justice Church finds out, I don’t know what they’ll do.
Although I didn’t act on my own will, I still played a part and could become their target.
I’ll pray to some appropriate god to make sure that doesn’t happen.

After fighting the easiest opponent since joining the “Battle Beast Tournament” I was transported as usual, cage and all, to the Marquis’ mansion.
Since I didn’t have a scratch on me today, I could clean and maintain my claws and tail segment inside the cage without enduring any pain.
If every fight was this easy, that would be great, but it’s not going to be like that, right? I thought to myself.

The carriage traveled through the streets of the capital city as the sun began to set, and we arrived at the Marquis’ mansion without incident.
We were transported in the opposite direction from the usual route, and I was thrown into the basement as usual.
All that was left was to eat my first meal in a while and have the slave clean my body….or so I thought.

(It’s late… it’s already deep into the night.)

However, no matter how long I waited, the slave never came.
Not only that, but even Georg, who usually comes under the pretext of making adjustments after the match, did not come.
Did something happen? It was worrying, but there was nothing I could do while I was chained inside the cage.
With a strange premonition, I finished my daily training in controlling my fighting spirit and spiritual arts before falling into a light sleep.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

The day when the battle, later known as the execution match, was first held in the “Battle Beast Tournament” had arrived.
There were people secretly gathering throughout the capital city.
All of them were wearing white armor and carrying long swords on their waists.
They also wore pure white cloaks embroidered with the holy emblem of the “God of Justice”.

Though only a few were present in each location, the total number exceeded a thousand.
They were the members of the Marius Holy Knights, the private army of the Church of Justice, and those who considered themselves as enforcers of justice.

In the basement of the Duke of Dalbaren’s mansion, members of the Marius Holy Knights were also waiting.
Unlike other locations, there were over a hundred people gathered here, and there were multiple underground rooms besides the one where they held the meeting a few days ago.
The people gathered here were the most elite force of the Marius Holy Knights.

Over the past few months, they had infiltrated the capital city in small groups, disguised as travelers or migrant farmers.
Their purpose was, of course, the coup d’état planned by Prince Ludwig and Duke Dalbaren.

“I have a report.
The Kendil Squad has finally arrived.
It seems that the delay was due to the breakdown of the shared carriage they used.”

“Understood.
You may step down.”

“Yes, sir!”

The young and serious-looking Holy Knight reported to “Lightning” Gaius, the commander of the Holy Knights.
Upon receiving the report, Gaius closed his eyes and nodded slightly.
One of his aides confirmed this and urged the young knight to leave.
He bowed and briskly left the room.

“We thought they wouldn’t make it in time, but to arrive on the day of the execution.
This must be the god’s will.”

“Indeed.
It means that the ‘God of Justice’ is always watching over us.”

Those in the same room as Gaius were the high-ranking members of the Holy Knights participating in the operation.
They were all highly skilled and excellent leaders who could command their subordinates.
Above all, they were devout believers of the ‘God of Justice’.

They offered their prayers to the god they believed in, hoping for the success of the coup d’etat they planned to carry out tonight and for a future where the teachings of justice would illuminate their country.

“However, it’s simply in poor taste to let those who don’t understand the teachings of justice execute punishment. 

“They even stated their act as the ‘Hammer of Justice’! This is nothing but an insult to us, and especially to our god!

“To think they not only continue to allow the barbaric spectacle of the so called ‘Battle Beast Tournament,’ but have made it even more brutal… truly foolish.”

“And it was the king who allowed this, wasn’t it? How lamentable.”

The topic of conversation among the holy knights was the execution match held earlier that day.
They rejected the culture of the “Battle Beast Tournament” seeing it as nothing but evil to kill living beings for personal gain and entertainment.

They were outraged that such a wicked spectacle had been used as a public execution, with the so-called strike of a “Hammer of Justice” all bragging about executing justice without even considering the righteous executioners themselves.
The members of the Marius Holy Knights order felt that their faith had been tarnished and were all filled with anger.
It seemed that their misgiving about the hades scorpion were spot on.

“Calm down.
Will that evil not be destroyed soon?”

“Once His Highness Ludwig, who understands the righteous teachings, is crowned, the light of justice will envelop this country.
We just need to endure a little longer to get closer to our ideals.”

The other leaders tried to pacify their comrades, who were burning with righteous anger.
They too harbored the same strong anger, but they had to play the role of restraint as they could go out of control if they didn’t calm down.

“However, many want to kill that infamous Scorpion of the Underworld.”

“That’s not a problem.
The marquis, who is its master, is the target of our purge.
We can use the attack as an opportunity to kill him.”

“Is it the Kendil squad that’s heading there? Ah, this is truly God’s will.
They will be pleased to accomplish such a great task.”

Gaius kept his eyes closed, not joining the conversation of the high-ranking members.
The strongest holy knight continued to sharpen his mind until the time of the purge arrived.