Chapter 470. The Rise of the "Ultimate Four"
「The bully originally intended to be aggressive, wanting to seize the initiative, or even to usurp the leadership and take over this faction for himself.」
「After being captured by the Kingdom's army, he, like the other villagers, had suffered considerable torture. His heart was already filled with a deep-seated dread of the Kingdom.」
「In his view, the only reason this faction could annihilate an army was through conspiracies and good luck—mostly good luck. Yet, those subordinates were so deluded by this luck that they actually went around constantly talking about rebellion.」
「They seemed to genuinely believe they could succeed in a revolution; it was truly laughable.」
「Rather than dying without self-awareness, it was better to stay here comfortably and be served by them as their lord. In that way, he could be considered a "big figure."」
「Hahaha… Filled with such fantasies, the bully wanted to laugh out loud and demand his way, but he couldn't... He could not understand why, after Ayanokouji Kiyotaka told him to follow, he had obeyed so submissively.」
「How was this possible?」
「He was about to burst into a rage, but Ayanokouji Kiyotaka suddenly stopped; they had arrived at the destination.」
「This place was the slave camp within the faction. Without Ayanokouji Kiyotaka needing to give so much as a glance, his fanatical subordinates immediately pulled open the gates. He strolled inside, and the villagers behind him followed instinctively.」
「What met their eyes was a scene of the utmost filth... All the slaves were so dirty they were covered in lice and grime, lying scattered about in tattered clothes, their faces masks of exhausted agony.」
「This was their rare rest period; most of their day was spent in high-intensity labor, during which they were constantly subjected to insults and lashings.」
「"…!?"」
「Upon seeing Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, the slaves' pupils shrank in terror. Intense emotional fluctuations replaced their numbness as fear took over.」
「"Heh, a bunch of nonsensical clowns." Smelling the stench in the air, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka smiled contemptuously. "Since an even more nonsensical group of clowns has migrated here today, you shall put on a performance. If it is interesting, I, the Earth Emperor, shall not be stingy~"」
「"Wait, what do you mean? Keyaru, you—"」
「The villagers were not idiots; they immediately connected the dots. The bully's eyes widened as he tried to speak first, but in a flash—shing!—the tongues of every villager, including his own, were sliced out.」
「Receiving the Emperor's command, the subordinates roughly shoved them into the slave pens. Neither man nor woman, elder nor youth was spared.」
「Every villager, including the village chief who was over seventy, was "cared for" by four people... The slaves surged forward one after another, crowding frantically, putting every ounce of effort into "performing" themselves.」
「Not a single slave questioned or doubted the truth of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's words, for as prisoners, they knew clearly that they could only believe. Their time in these pens felt like an eternity; even rest was stifling, so absolutely no one wanted to remain a slave!」
「A portion of the slaves worked exceptionally hard; they were the soldiers who had originally followed the General to capture the villagers. Having been cast into this hell, they harbored an extreme hatred for these villagers, viewing them as the root of all evil that had led to their current predicament.」
「They didn't dare to resent the Earth Emperor, so they could only pay it back twofold upon these villagers... Pay it back twofold, damn it!」
「"Hahahaha! Don't let them stop! I want to see if these stupid pigs who dared to provoke the Emperor will act like swine and dogs under the slaves' performance!"」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka sat to the side, gulping down strong liquor and laughing loudly, appreciating how these fools who overestimated themselves were being "wiped out" by the slaves.」
「Stupid pigs; these were truly stupid pigs.」
「Setting aside the fact that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was cold and ruthless by nature, even if he hadn't taken over the body, the original Keyaru would have surely undergone a drastic change in personality after three months of the ultimate insult to a normal human being. He would have been someone not to be trifled with.」
「And yet these stupid pigs actually thought of coming here for extortion? It was simply hilarious.」
「Maintaining the aura of the Earth Emperor, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka remained entirely unfazed by the filthy environment. As an invincible Emperor, he should have no weaknesses; if he could not endure a harsh environment, that too would be a flaw.」
「He simply enjoyed this unique performance with pleasure.」
「He was truly delighted, so much so that several subordinates, after requesting permission, joined the performance as well. If it could earn a smile from the Emperor, these subordinates could absolutely endure the disgust brought by the slaves—they absolutely could!」
「"The time to perform has come! Witness my loyalty to you, Emperor!"」
「…The scene was chaotic for a time. However, no matter how chaotic it got, the bully received the most "exquisite" and "excellent" treatment. By the end, many had stopped, having finished or being rendered powerless, vomiting from the sheer revulsion of it.」
「Until only four men remained standing as victors. Two were fiercely loyal subordinates, and two were grime-covered slaves.」
「With a wave of his hand, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka immediately pardoned the two slaves, elevating their status in one bound to high-ranking subordinates.」
「"I have given you names: you shall be the 'Ultimate Four.' In the future, there will surely be a place for you to demonstrate your value~"」
「He knew that the Kingdom's Blade Hero, Blade, loathed men to the point of vomiting at their touch. These "finest specimens of men," the Ultimate Four, would serve as his secret weapon to provide her with an unprecedented "thrill"~」
「"This subordinate shall serve the Emperor unto death! Unto death!!"」
.
.
.
Crash—
In the village where Keyaru was born, a large group of people looked as though they had lost their parents. Their strength left them, and they slumped to the ground in terror, their mouths hanging open, yet unable to utter a word.
"Damn it all!!"
While the villagers were paralyzed with fear, the Blade Hero, Blade, was not. She immediately shrieked in rage, though her voice was weak... because she was currently vomiting from the "performance." She was sick to her stomach with revulsion!
"You damn Ayanokouji Kiyotaka! You goddamn disgusting man!"
Blade was fuming with rage. "Since you thought of this and actually did it, I will make you regret it! I'll make sure you regret it! You, who are so obsessed with playing a game of wits against that Hikigaya Hachiman—if I get the chance, I will get to him before you do and kill him! I'll tear him into ten thousand pieces!"
"Since you have no emotions, I suppose this is the only way to make you suffer, to make you cry, to make you sick! Ha, hahahaha!"
"I will definitely do it! I'll turn your beloved Hikigaya Hachiman into dust! Hahahaha!"
Read ahead (160 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting