Episode 403

Tantata had admitted defeat, but I couldn't let my guard down. I wasn't saying that this guy would lie, but demons' promises to humans were worthless. A being as powerful as a demon king could easily break a contract obtained through sacrifice.

As the forgotten Martial God had once said, the power of the gods of disaster didn't stem from the faith of their followers. In other words, their urge to destroy our world wasn't some divine mission, grand plan or racial struggle. It was merely amusement or fleeting curiosity.

Damn bastards... I muttered inwardly.

Then, Tantata stirred where he had collapsed. "U-umm...?"

It didn't seem easy to get up. This was natural considering that his body was covered in layers of fat. Struggling only made it worse, and he eventually toppled over onto his back.

"Ummm...!" Nevertheless, he continued to twist and flail. His hands and feet twitched as if in protest.

I was shocked by his defenseless appearance. If I stabbed him right now, would I be able to kill him?

As if he had read my thoughts, a strange noise came from Tantata's body. It was like the sound of gas being released from somewhere. Then, Tantata's body shot straight up into the air and he finally managed to rise to his feet.

"Ah... Whoops...!"

Is this bastard farting now? I considered blocking my nose, but weirdly enough, it didn't smell bad. It felt strangely hot, and I was uncomfortable.

"Ho, hohoho...!" Tantata's cheerful smile looked so happy that I couldn't help doubting the words of the Dark Pope once again. In other words, the game was a strategy.

Honestly, the two of them could have been conspiring to trick me and I was ready to draw the Black Dragon Fang at any moment.

Tantata rose to his feet and blurted out something so unexpected that it felt as if he had poured cold water on me. "S-so... shall we start the next game?"

"The next game?"

"Y-yes...! Isn't a standard game rule called... Uh... Best out of three?"

I understood the demon's absurd words. I was probably the only one in this world who understood what he meant by this standard rule, and it was because I'd often heard my third senior brother mention it.

What is hell really like?

I knew that it was connected to many worlds. If that was the case, perhaps Tantata had occasionally descended in other worlds. For example, the same world where my third senior brother and Seren used to live.

If so, that world wouldn't be fine either.

I clicked my tongue and said, "Fine. Best out of three."

I hadn't expected the game to end so easily anyway. At this point, there was one thing that needed to be made clear.

I assumed my chicken fight stance, held the Black Dragon Fang like a torch, and continued, "I want to ask you something."

"W-what? F-feel free to ask me anything!"

"What happens if I lose the game?"

"U-umm...?" Tantata blinked stupidly, as if he had been caught off guard. Or perhaps as if I had asked the most ridiculous question ever. "O-of course... in a game, you die if you lose, right?"

Well, that was natural. I nodded in understanding.

"Ohoho...! T-then it is my turn to choose the game, right?"

I hadn't thought of this. I didn't know what type of game this bastard would come up with. I had nothing to lose, so I asked, "Can't I decide again?"

"U-umm...?"

"Hasn't it been a long time since you played like this? I wish you could be a bit more considerate. Mutual consideration is the best part of being a human being. Besides, there is one game in particular that I want to play with you."

"Hoh, hoh." Tantata nodded in understanding. Then, he said with a smile, "No."

It felt as if hellfire was burning in his small, button-like eyes. The air became strangely damp. If I hadn't been in my Luzard form, I would have broken out into a sweat.

"According to the rules, we must take turns choosing the game. We have to play happily while following the rules, right?"

I somehow got the feeling that if I insisted any further, this demon wearing a human face would tear me apart regardless of the game.

I reluctantly nodded. "I understand."

"O-okay... Ohuhu...!"

Tantata burst out laughing before saying, "N-Now... The next game is..."

Tantata made strange noises with his mouth, as if he were imitating the sound of a drum. Then, he opened his arms and shouted, "E-Escape freeze tag!"

Bang!

I even heard the sound of fanfare coming from somewhere.

I frowned at the absurdity and asked, "Escape freeze tag? What kind of game is that?"

Tantata spoke while bouncing up and down, looking as if he was going to die of excitement. "J-just what the name implies... It is a mixture of escape and freeze tag!"

"Give me a rough idea of the rules—"

"O-of course, I will explain! I-it is simple! The game is a mixture of escape and freeze tag!"

He had just said that.

Between this and the chicken fight game earlier, I couldn't help wondering where this fellow had learned these games.

"W-what are the conditions for victory? It's simple! If at least one of you is able to avoid me and escape from this building..."

"At least one of us? Are you saying this game isn't just between the two of us?" I asked.

"Of course! G-games are always more fun... when more people are involved!"

The development I had hoped to avoid most was unfolding. This game involved more than just me. The good news was that the rules were simple, but under the current circumstances, simple didn't necessarily mean easy.

The chimney is the route Jisal mentioned as a possible escape route. If only I could avoid Tantata and leave through that chimney... No, wait a minute. I am missing the most important part.

"Let me ask you one more thing," I said.

"S-speak...!"

"What will happen to the people you meet?"

Tantata doubled over, holding his belly as he burst out laughing. Then, his laughter suddenly stopped, and thick saliva started to drip down from his grotesque mouth. "W-while playing... I have to eat..."

Shit. Then, anyone who encounters this fellow will immediately become his meal.

I said, "Give me time."

"T-time?"

"That's right. Shouldn't I inform the others about this rule? This is only fair."

"U-um..." Tantata pouted in dissatisfaction before saying in an annoyed voice, "How long..."

"One hour," I blurted out.

Tantata's expression was immediately distorted, and veins bulged on his smooth, gleaming head.

"Thirty minutes." I hurriedly corrected myself, but the veins didn't recede. Instead, his skin started to turn a deep red color, just like an octopus.

Looking angry, Tantata jumped up and down on the spot as if he had started losing his temper. "Thirty minutes! Thirty minuteeeees...! It is long! Too, too, too, too long!"

Thump, thump, thump!

The tower started to shake each time he jumped.

I hurriedly said, "Ten minutes! Please wait just ten minutes!"

Tantata stopped jumping around and his complexion slowly started to recover. "H-hmm... Ten minutes... Ten minutes... T-that is reasonable."

"Then stand still. I will pass this on to the others."

"U-understood! T-then, how long is ten minutes when one counts it down?"

"It's six hundred seconds. You can start counting from one to six hundred," I replied.

"T-that is too long..." Tantata's face looked sullen, but he eventually sighed and nodded. "I-it can't be helped! A fun game also requires patience...!"

Tantata sat down in a daze, and the tower shook once again.

Nevertheless, Tantata closed his eyes and started to count. "One, two, three, four..."

Damn, he doesn't stutter while counting. Is the whole speech impediment just an act?

Before I could dwell on the suspicion, I hurled myself through the gaping hole. It seemed far faster than taking the stairs. As I plummeted downward, I caught glimpses of what was happening on each floor.

As expected, most of the cells holding the prisoners were in ruins. There were plenty of monsters capable of easily smashing through an iron door, so now that the punishment building's security system was offline, escaping from the cells wouldn't be difficult.

Thump!

When the landing was complete, I looked around and realized we were in the first-floor corridor. That lunatic Tantata had really smashed his way from the top floor all the way down. Normally, if a building were pierced vertically like this, the entire tower would be on the verge of collapse. Strangely, there were no signs of that happening. Just as the doors refused to open, the collapsing tower itself seemed frozen in the middle of its destruction.

In any case, I ran down the hallway and immediately headed to the communication room. It was equipped with means of contacting the outside world as well as relaying messages throughout the building itself.

It took around one minute to get there, but I opened the door and entered.

"Ugh..."

"I-I can't see anything... Is... anyone there...?"

"Tariq! Is it you? Wake up!"

It was chaos. The people were difficult enough to manage, but the communication crystals were in complete disarray. Despite supposedly being kept under strict control, nearly half of them had been smashed.

Think positively. Half of them have been destroyed, but more than half of them are still intact.

I quickly rescued the guards. Then, I turned to the man who seemed to have the highest rank among them and asked, "Do you know how to operate this thing?"

The guard looked half-conscious, so I eventually slapped him on the face.

"Ack!"

"Do you know how to operate it?" I repeated.

"I-I do."

"Then you should've answered sooner," I said irritably.

Luan Badniker had a temper.

"Please make it work somehow. I have a message to convey. It is urgent, so hurry up."

The guard nodded blankly as he fiddled with the communication crystal. Then, his face turned pale. "Ah..."

"What's the problem?" I asked.

"I-it seems that something is wrong with the main crystal. It isn't broken, but it seems to have temporarily stopped functioning due to external impact. In order to save it—"

"Just get to the point. Can you fix it?"

"It can be fixed, but it will take a bit..."

Why did he keep trailing off like that?

I wanted to smack the timid guard on the head but instead asked, "How long?"

"A-around ten minutes...?"

"I will give you one minute. Just think that you will die if you take too long."

I ignored the startled guard and went out into the hallway. Then, I took a deep breath and shouted, "This is an announcement addressed to everyone in the punishment building!"

Yes, everyone. There were no exceptions. Anyone alive, whether guard, model prisoner, or violent criminal released from confinement. At present, it didn't matter whether someone had committed a crime or how severe their crime was.

"A demon king has descended in the punishment building! He is the cause of all the anomalies happening in the tower! His goal is to annihilate all living things in the tower! He looks like a male human with an enlarged body and a disgusting smile!"

I took a deep breath again. "The demon king intends to play a game with us! The name of the game is escape freeze tag! The condition for victory is for at least one person to escape the tower alive! If you're not confident that you can protect yourself, just run away!"

Time was tight, so I couldn't afford to say a lot.

Naturally, not everyone in the tower would have heard this. Still, most of the guards would be concentrated on the first floor, so it was enough to reach their ears.

Just in case, I climbed up through the opening to around the fifth floor and shouted the same thing again. I wanted to shout one more time from the edge of the tenth floor, but I couldn't afford to.

I quickly returned to the communication room and asked the guard, "Did you fix it?"

"F-for now. But it isn't in perfect condition..."

I pushed away the guard and stood in front of the crystal. Then, the guard hurriedly added, "The settings are ready. You can just speak."

I nodded and tried to open my mouth.

I stopped because I got an eerie feeling.

Rumbleeee!

The sound of a massive boulder falling down came from outside the door.

Shit. Why is he already moving? It must've only been five or six minutes, right? Even if my internal clock is off, it should only have been around seven or eight minutes.

What was certain was that ten minutes hadn't passed.

This bastard...He is counting wrong.

I urgently shouted, "Get out of here right now—"

Bang!

At that moment, the door was smashed open, revealing Tantata. "Oh, ohoho! E-everyone is gathered here!"

We were completely screwed. In fact, he was blocking the only entrance.

Should we break the wall and escape? That would also be difficult, as I was aware of the abnormal durability of the tower now.

At that moment, one of the guards who seemed to have lost all sense of fear pulled out an electric baton. "D-don't move! Go obediently to the confinement room—"

His voice stopped.

Tantata opened his mouth with a smile, and a green tongue shot out at blistering speed. The protruding tongue instantly coiled around one of the guards like a chameleon's tongue.

"Uh?" The guard tilted his head in confusion.

In an instant, he was pulled into Tantata's mouth. No matter how wide Tantata opened his jaws, they were not large enough to swallow a grown man whole, so what happened next was inevitable.

"Aaack!"

The guard's body was crushed from the lower half up, as if a person was being sucked into a hole the size of a fist. His bones, muscles, and joints were compressed all at once. It also looked like he was being flattened under a giant press.

"I-it hurts! It hurts! Ack! It hurts! Stop! Stop—" The guard's voice was cut off abruptly as he disappeared into Tantata's gaping mouth.

Without even chewing properly, Tantata ran his tongue over his face, as if he was licking his lips. The blood and flesh that covered it were wiped clean.

Screams erupted, and all the guards panicked. This was a horrifying death that shattered reason itself.

Tantata was even happier to see this. "S-stop...! Y-you don't have to rush! I can eat all of you!"

This crazy bastard. I gritted my teeth and pulled out the Black Dragon Fang. Now that we had been backed into this corner, forget all this bullshit about games. I just had to fight.

I stepped in front of the tongue that shot toward a guard and swung the Black Dragon Fang. The green tongue coiled around the sword as if it had been waiting and yanked at a ridiculous speed.

Afraid it would drag me along if I kept holding on, I released the sword.

—You...!

Vulcanus' bewildered voice faded away.

The moment I let go of the Black Dragon Fang, the light illuminating the surroundings dimmed. It wasn't complete darkness, but it was close.

"Ho, hohoho...!"

Under the dim light, Tantata's eyes curved into a crescent moon shape. This time, those eyes were fixed on me. "O-okay...! T-the main dish... I wanted to save it for last..."

Drool spilled down and formed a small puddle.

I didn't know what he ate, but this bastard's saliva was thick and bloody.

"I-I can't hold back any longer...!"

Tantata lunged at me. I didn't bother to think or hesitate before I used the First Fire Technique. I decided that this wasn't the time to mess around in the Luzard form.

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out. "Shout Freeze!"

The moment I realized who it belonged to, I abandoned the attacking stance and shouted, "Freeze."

The tongue that had been shooting straight at me abruptly veered off course and slammed into the ground.