Chapter Eighteen: The Power of the Progenitor

I despise the sound of snoring, especially the guttural rumble emitted by the Iron Bridge lungs of the transformed ranger. It keeps me from sleep, worsening my mood. To make matters worse, we’re sealed in a carriage, tormented further by Yune’s roaring engine.

Oddly, I remember Lamia never snored; she was like a spotless little angel. Bella had already emerged from her coffin and was grooming herself before the mirror, as if preparing for a ball. Her beauty perhaps rivaled Lamia’s, but she vulgarized it, making it accessible to all. Thus, though she was dazzling, she herself diminished that allure.

Bella opened the collar of her ranger jacket, exposing what ought to be exposed, and sighed, “The rangers need better taste. This uniform is hideous.”

I replied, “Indeed. Even the bandits outside dress like this.”

Bella laughed, “See? At last someone understands.”

Our conversation woke everyone else. I felt a wicked satisfaction—it was they who had disturbed our rest first.

The vehicle halted. The driver, Warden, switched on the internal intercom. We heard him say, “Would an officer please come up for a look?”

Xisus turned to me, “Let’s go.”

Bella chimed in, “I’m coming too!”

Warden added, “Be careful. There are many demons ahead.”

We climbed up through the internal shaft, entering the cockpit. Bella exclaimed, “Heavens! Cain protect us!”

Under Yune’s headlights, I saw three black demons as large as elephants—more robust than their red kin—with four limbs planted on the ground and a pair of wings, not fully degenerated but utterly useless, and two fangs protruding from their faces. Around them, thirty white demons and five red demons paced slowly.

Demons eat plants but delight in flesh as well; their broad diet sustains their numbers even in the apocalypse.

Bella asked, “Is Yune equipped with any weapons? Cannons perhaps?”

Warden answered, “No time for modifications yet.”

The demons noticed us, turning their heads with fierce, predatory gazes. Yet they were deeply intimidated by Yune’s enormity, not daring to act rashly.

I pointed, “Look there!”

The demons had piled human corpses into a… an altar, upon which lay a black demon as massive as Yune. It seemed neither awake nor alive. The demons were worshipping it.

Warden adjusted the lights, allowing me to see the black demon was, in fact, a statue.

Relieved, I heard Bella ask, “Why would demons sculpt?”

Her question sent a chill down my spine. Why indeed? Could demons possess such craft, perhaps even the ability to reason?

I was certain no one had dared travel outside at night; no one had witnessed such a scene. If they had, they surely perished.

Warden asked, “Sir, what now? The cannery Faga mentioned is three kilometers ahead.”

Xisus said, “We’ll detour, avoid conflict.”

I countered, “No. If we show weakness, the demons will pursue us. Drive closer, but avoid the statue. Let them feel Yune’s oppressive presence. Drive right through—even if we crush a few demons, it doesn’t matter.”

Xisus asked, “Are you sure? If we’re attacked, what then?”

I said, “Running would make things even worse.” Resolute, I seized command. No one knew the wilds better than I. Military action demands a single voice. I declared, “Do as I say!”

Xisus retorted, “Why? You’re only a lieutenant!”

I replied, “Because Yune was found by me!”

Xisus said, “That was Officer Lamia’s achievement!”

I retorted, “Even Lamia wouldn’t say so! Before coming to Black Coffin, I survived alone in the wilderness for months, even a year!”

Bella interjected, “Xisus, shut up.”

Xisus looked as if he’d been shot. “Miss, I am a ranger lieutenant! You have no authority—”

Bella suddenly kissed him, silencing him in an instant. As they parted, I saw a thread of crimson saliva connecting their lips.

Bella had drawn Xisus’s blood.

Xisus collapsed, unconscious.

Bella wiped her mouth with a tissue and smiled, “Warden, follow Longinus’s instructions.”

I sighed, knowing the issue of command hadn’t been settled—merely postponed. Next time a disagreement arose, Xisus would still contest me.

I regretted not securing a higher rank before this journey.

Even with air conditioning, Warden’s sweat soaked his shirt as he drove Yune forward. A few white demons staged accidents, ending up under the tires. The tires were tough and reliable—more so than the car’s body—immediately flattening them.

The demons weren’t angry, but instead cleared a path. I was right; they had a natural reverence for massive things, perhaps accustomed to oppression by larger demons. Maybe it’s why they avoided skyscrapers.

We passed close by the demon statue, gradually leaving it behind. Warden, relieved, wiped his brow and said, “Cain above, that was close.”

Suddenly, the demons issued a roaring cry, like tigers howling. Bella opened the window to look back. I shouted, “Careful! Get back in!”

Bella replied, “Relax. Damn, damn, the giant demon has awakened!”

Warden and I were aghast. I said, “Wasn’t that a statue?”

Bella yelled, “See for yourself!”

Looking through the window, I saw the demon’s skin fracture, molten light flowing across its body. It howled at the sky, its voice echoing through the night, chilling to the bone, rivaling Yune’s engine when first started.

It was not a statue.

Bella cried, “You fool! Look at your plan! We should have detoured!”

I replied, “A detour wouldn’t have helped—and how could I know it wasn’t a statue?” With ordinary demons, we’d have been fine, but this was a site of worship.

Warden shouted into the intercom, “Hold on tight!” He floored the accelerator. Yune roared, surging ahead. This was Yune’s advantage: at full speed, it could reach 120 kilometers per hour, and its chassis remained stable, hard to overturn.

But we crashed through several small buildings, unable to pick up speed. Bella snarled, “You incompetent driver! Can’t you keep to the main road?”

Warden protested, “These streets are narrow, never meant for traffic.”

The molten demon charged at Yune, its steps cracking the earth. It gripped Yune, shaking it forcefully. Yune was heavy, even the demon couldn’t lift it, but inside we were battered brutally.

Warden spun the wheel, throwing the molten demon back a few steps. He cursed, “Go to hell! Die!” His skill was evident; Yune struck the demon, sending it tumbling and crushing more buildings.

But the demon immediately rose, unscathed, furious, and spewed fire at Yune. Bella saw the flames, her face drained of color as she screamed. But Yune’s armor was made of anti-nuclear metal; after prolonged burning, we felt no heat.

The people in the lower compartment shouted, “What’s happening?”

Bella commanded, “Everyone shut up! Warden, find a chance to escape!”

Warden turned the vehicle, but three black elephant demons rammed the tires, impeding Yune. More demons climbed onto the body. The hull, still hot from the molten demon’s attack, was scorching, but these demons seemed oblivious to pain—or their terror of the molten demon suppressed it. They reached the windows, pounding on them, but that could not damage the special glass. Warden’s vision, however, was obstructed; he couldn’t operate.

I said, “Yune’s wipers are practically guillotines!”

Warden shouted and activated the wipers, slicing through the white demons. The molten demon’s fist ignited, smashing the window with an explosion. We saw tiny cracks form in the glass.

Bella cried, “What do we do?”

Warden was petrified. The molten demon readied another fiery punch, determined to destroy Yune. The window took another blow, cracks no deeper, but no one knew how much longer it would last.

I gritted my teeth, “I’ll go out! Draw them away, then you shut the door immediately!”

Bella hesitated, “Thank you. I won’t forget your bravery—and I’ll tell Lamia.”

I replied, “I may not die.”

I coated myself in hardening solution, opened the door, and obliterated a demon with a blow of the Glorious Hand, then slammed the door shut.

I turned, thinking, “Don’t let me fail!”

I emptied my Godblade rounds, all striking the molten demon’s head. It howled, the sound alone nearly deafening me.

The Godblade rounds couldn’t kill it; its skin was too thick, even Ether rounds couldn’t penetrate—like a mosquito bite to a human. But I had enraged it. A wave of fire shot toward me.

I leaped from the vehicle, the hardening solution sparing my legs from breaking. I wielded Stonefir, slaying two white demons. The rest still climbed Yune. I darted through gaps in the demon horde. Suddenly, the molten demon spewed fire again. I dodged, but the blast sent me sprawling.

Its fists blazed, eyes fixed on me. I knew the next punch was meant for me.

But in the next instant, a shadow dropped onto the molten demon’s shoulder and, with a single palm, severed its stone-like head.

The molten demon toppled like the buildings it had crushed. The remaining demons hesitated for a few seconds, then fled in terror.

That figure held the demon’s head aloft, letting its blood pour over him, the moonlight tinged dark red by that gore.

I recognized Abel.

Abel landed before me, blood dripping from his long hair, staining the ground with black spots.

He reached out to me. I felt as if in a dream, only after a long moment did I allow him to help me up.

He spoke in Sumerian, “Why do you hide your strength?”

I stammered, “I… actually… really…”

Abel’s expression fell. He said, “A compatriot who speaks the ancient tongue—a worthy opponent. I hope you recover your power soon.”

He tapped my forehead, nose, and lips with his fingers. Then, he tossed the demon’s head away as if it were a pebble and vanished. I couldn’t even trace his movements.

Bella and Warden watched from the window, utterly dumbfounded.