"Kururururu...."
There was no focus in Sakkuth's pupils.
His face was turned to the side, like an owl's, and froth and drool were dripping from the corners of his mouth.
"I don't need any of this. I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going to Level 9, so the 'boss' will have to look at me again."
The targets of his insane gaze were Kirko and Garm.
Thwack.
Kirko held her long sword horizontally, prepared to jump out at a moment's notice. But Garm was still shaking and sulking.
"Ki-Kirko. Don't you think we should run away now?"
"Then the damage will also affect the guards in other districts. I don't know if it's other prisoners, but if it's him, he might spread a plague throughout the region."
"Well, but...."
"If you're scared, you go alone, idiot, I'll fight."
Kirko glanced at Garm in a pathetic way, then fixed her gaze back on the scene before her eyes.
The gaseous aura of the Expert was at the tip of her sword.
It was so dense that it looked like it could turn into liquid at any moment.
Seeing it, Sakkuth laughed with his mouth open.
"Kurururu- not bad for a bitch born and bred in Nouvelle Vague."
Instantly, Kirko's expression changed.
A tiny crack appeared in her eyes, which had been tense but now radiated nothing but cold, merciless energy.
And Sakkuth didn't miss it.
"About twenty years ago, I believe, there was an incident where a prisoner forcefully degraded a guard, which is why the guards at Nouvelle Vague are so sensitive to the lower pole."
"...."
"Kuru-kuru-kuru- I heard that a child was born and was like a by-product of that unpleasant process."
The voice was touching a trauma hidden deep within Kirko's mind.
It backfired, and Kirko's anger exploded.
"Don't talk nonsense about prisoners."
With that, Kirko's longsword shot out like an arrow.
The aura, which has the properties of a gas, spreads widely in front and cuts and stabs as wide an area as possible.
It was an effective method for a large prisoner like Sakkuth.
However, it was merely a form of corporal punishment that used wide, shallow cuts to create fear by drawing bleeding and cuts over as wide an area as possible, and that was not a good way to quell the riot of a prisoner prepared to die.
"Kururururu!"
Sakkuth leaned forward, unperturbed by the multitude of strikes that dug into his entire body.
"You're like a frog born and raised in a well, you've never seen the outside world, right? After all, what right does a bitch born of rape have to walk on this earth? You're useless to everyone, so you're stuck in this deep sea!"
Sakkuth chuckled and reached out a thick arm to grab Kirko by the scruff of the neck.
"...ouch!"
Kirko tried to pull back, but Sakkuth grabbed her by the collar.
His teeth, sharp as nails, turned toward Kirko.
Kirko closed her eyes tightly for a moment.
...at that time.
"Take back that statement!"
A baton was shot from the other side.
Pug!
It snapped, breaking Sakkuth's teeth with a loud crack.
"Huh?"
Sakkuth staggered backward, clutching his mouth with both hands.
On the floor, Kirko looked up, dazed.
There, unexpectedly, was the back of Garm's head.
In a moment of confusion, Garm bravely stepped forward and swung his triple baton as if to protect Kirko.
It would have been more impressive if his arms and legs hadn't been shaking like aspens.
But Garm's voice was not trembling.
"Kirko is a worthy and honorable fellow, not someone a scumbag like you would dare to insult!"
"...What!"
For a moment, Kirko's earlobes turned red.
However, Garm didn't notice as he was too focused on Sakkuth, who was standing up in front of him.
"Kurururu...."
Sakkuth spat out his broken teeth and laughed.
Then he glared at Garm through his chapped lips.
"'Stupid Garm, you're feeling especially brave today for a stupid dog, is it because I messed with your crush?"
"...No, that's not it!"
"You've got a lot of nerve on the subject of stupid guards buying prisoners lunch, don't you? Does your crush know that you're a weak, cowardly, unqualified piece of shit of guard?"
"No, no, no!"
"Kuru-kuru-kuru- Nope. You and that bitch have a lot in common when it comes to giving something to a prisoner. Be it bread or a body. Kurururu!"
"...i, ig!"
Garm raised his triple baton and infused it with mana.
The mana, overheated by his anger, was shaking unsteadily.
Then.
"Stop."
There was a hand on Garm's shoulder.
It was Kirko, standing beside him with a calm demeanor.
"Don't get caught up in the mind games. He can't use mana. He's just trying to shake our composure."
"Ugh! Is that what he's doing?"
"Yeah. Let's do something about it, just the two of us."
Garm's face instantly brightened at Kirko's calm tone.
"Yes! I will. You're amazing, Kirko!"
"Ugh, you idiot...."
However, looking at the rare smile on Kirko's usually grumbling lips, she didn't seem to be in a very bad mood.
...However.
This wasn't the kind of frenzied battle that usually happens in heroic novels or shonen comics.
peoeog!
With a loud sweep of his arm, Sakkuth sent the BDISSEM chain flying. It cracked like a whip.
Kirko's face, which had been showing a slight smile just a moment ago, turned sideways.
Quack!
Unable to even scream on the spot, Kirko fell out of the way, hitting her head on a rock, her neck twisting in a strange direction.
chiiiiig...
Red blood spurted out of her head, pressed against the hot ground.
"...?"
Garm looked dumbfounded, as if he hadn't yet understood what had just happened.
Sakkuth walked in front of her, giggling brightly.
"Oh? What is it, she's alive, what a great woman."
He pursed his lips as he watched Kirko squirm intermittently.
"It's a quality with a promising future. If she survives that blow, she'll be quite the hero when she's older."
At this point, a sinister and unholy glow of lust emanated from Sakkuth's eyes.
"It would be a good idea to trample on such a hero-level bud in advance. It seems that you've got a pretty good face and body too...."
But Sakkuth didn't go any further.
Chaang!
Garm. He was standing in front of the fallen Kirko with a baton.
"You will never lay a hand on Kirko."
"Kurururu-"
"I will defend her with my life, for she is someone I admire and respect...."
But Garm was cut off mid-sentence.
This is because Sakkuth threw his fist and blew away the man as if he was annoyed.
Splat!
Garm crashed into the rocks and laid there like a marionette with a broken string.
Sakkuth chuckled loudly.
"You talk a lot for a scum who hasn't even become a lieutenant yet. I've already risked my life. I need to get to Level 9 and get my boss to trust me again."
He stalked toward Kirko, his eyes bloodshot.
But.
Pfft.
An unexpected triple baton hit Sakkuth's shoulder from behind.
It was a blow that was clearly wielded by Garm.
"...?"
Sakkuth turned his head to look at Garm in disbelief.
A cracking sound escaped Garm's throat.
"Kirko, don't... touch... her...."
Viper-like veins sprouted on Sakkuth's forehead.
"You troublesome bastard."
Sakkuth raised his elbow and smashed it into Garm's jaw.
Thud.
All the bones in the jaw shattered, teeth popping out.
Droplets of blood scattered in all directions.
But.
Thud!
Garm collapsed, still clinging to Sakkuth's ankles.
"Kir...ko...don't...."
"Ah~ You're so persistent. I was just trying to have some fun with a girl for a change...."
Garm squirmed on the floor, but Sakkuth looked down at the man that was spewing killing intent to him as if it were insignificant.
He bared his bloodied teeth and smirked.
"Sweetheart, when you spew out killing intent towards someone, you really have to have a strong, focused intention to kill them and stab them in one place. That way, at least my skin will feel itchy. You can't do anything with that kind of dirty dog mentality. Do you understand?"
With those words, Sakkuth turned away, shrugging off Garm's hand. It wasn't even worth stomping on.
"Kurururu, now-"
Sakkuth stretched out his hands toward Kirko, who had fallen to the ground.
...No, he tried to stretch.
Kuoooooo!
If only it hadn't been for the explosion from behind him and for the killing intent that looked like it was going to rip his throat out at any moment.
"...hugh!?"
Without realizing it, he covered his throat with his hand.
The killing intent that had just been blasted from his back was beyond his imagination, it was something that would not only shred his throat and heart, but would pierce his entire body dozens or hundreds of times.
He turned his sweaty face to stare at the place where it had come from.
Stupid dog, stupid Garm. Behind the fallen lowly guard stood another prisoner of similar size.
"Is this really a way to radiate killing intent?"
A terrifying burst of killing intent was emanating from him.
Vikir. The Night Hound.
He was watching everything from behind.