When an enemy too powerful to ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ handle appeared, there had indeed been an unusually high number of casualties.

In truth, that had only been natural.

When a powerful monster appeared, a great many people dying was unavoidable.

But.

‘If they hadn’t died to that monster.’

Then their deaths had not been at the hands of a monster, but of their own kind...

humans.

—If you offer up lives, I in turn shall take the lives of others. That was the contract.

If they had offered people as sacrifices and borrowed the Grand Duke’s power,

“Ugh...!”

The moment he realized that, Kaio couldn’t hold back the nausea and bowed his head.

It had been said lightly.

But the powerful enemies they had faced in that capital had not been just one or two.

He couldn’t even imagine how many people had been offered up as sacrifices.

“Don’t take it too seriously.”

The Chairman still spoke in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.

“By offering up those thousand lives, we were able to save at least ten thousand. And by offering up a thousand among those ten thousand, we would have been able to save another ten thousand.”

“What kind of bullshit is that...!”

“It was fortunate, at least, that we had plenty of suitable sacrifices. If we had delayed making a deal with the Grand Duke even a little longer, we would have run short of survivors to pay as the price.”

Because of what they had thought was Jinlei’s brilliance...

more people had survived in the capital than expected.

A city that had originally held a massive population to begin with.

‘A monster... that eats humans.’

By maintaining that population

through a deal with that monster, they had made continuous transactions possible.

That was what the Chairman was proudly saying.

Stagger...

If Kaio had gotten his way, he would have pulled out his hammer on the spot and crushed the Chairman’s skull where he knelt.

But under the pressure of that giant’s presence, standing properly was hard enough as it was.

—You think us vile.

Then, the giant’s voice rang out once more.

—We are beings who live on blood. We were simply born this way, and so we crave blood in order to live. There is no emotion in it.

“......”

—Had I been able to help you without such a price, I would have preferred it. But my kin remain suspended in death. To help you, I merely needed blood to restore them... My guest likely did not do this out of desire either, so I would ask that you not blame them.

It was a monster that ate humans.

But its words were logical, and its voice was merciful.

Kaio couldn’t help feeling an overwhelming sense of dissonance.

“But now even this method has reached its limit.”

Up to now, by offering people as sacrifices and receiving the Grand Duke’s support, they had been able to avoid most crises.

But not anymore.

‘Beyond the barrier... the place that giant spoke of.’

The beings out there were not something a deal like this could stop.

So.

“Grand Duke, as I told you last time.”

The leadership had made its decision and proposed a different kind of bargain.

“We will offer 99% of surviving humanity as sacrifice... so please take the selected 1% of humanity as your bloodline.”

“...What?”

“These gathered here are the first to be selected. As you promised, please accept us.”

***

At the words their Chairman spoke, Kaio widened his eyes and shouted,

“What are you talking about!?”

“Didn’t I tell you? The enemies outside that barrier cannot be defeated by human power.”

In response to Kaio’s harsh tone, the Chairman instead spoke as if soothing him.

“In that case, there is only one method left. We must become a different species, one that surpasses humanity.”

“What kind of insane—!”

No.

Even if, being generous, one accepted cooperating with that monster.

Still—

“For the sake of 1% of humanity, you’re going to offer the other 99% as sacrifice?”

“It is not as though I wanted to make this choice. That is why I delayed it. But... even so, should we not leave behind at least some trace of humanity in this world?”

The problem was that the price of the bargain was too absurd to even speak of.

“If we could save everyone, that would be best of all. But with a bargain like that, humanity would only become the lowest class of slaves beneath that bloodline. This bargain is different.”

“......”

“By offering all remaining humanity as sacrifice, we can be reborn not as the lower class of their society, but as high-ranking knights whose status will be properly acknowledged. As direct retainers of the Grand Duke, if we earn enough merit, it would even be a position from which we could become nobles.”

The words were polished.

But the conclusion was simple.

‘To secure status for themselves among those monsters.’

That was what it meant—

they were going to offer up the rest of humanity as sacrifice.

“You’ve gone completely insane.”

Until now, he had still hesitated.

But at this point, Kaio made his decision.

Craaaack...

“It seems your mind has gone wrong. Which leaves me no choice but to treat you.”

Holding his staggering body together, he gripped his weapon.

Aside from Jinlei, he was considered the strongest warrior in the guild.

Even against the Chairman, he was confident that if he truly meant to do it, he could kill him in under ten seconds.

...But.

“Please calm yourself, General.”

“...?”

Then.

There were those who stepped in to stop him.

“Why are you...?”

The dozen or so generals gathered here.

Some of them moved to block Kaio’s path, then glanced at the Chairman and said,

“We have one question for you, Chairman.”

“Go ahead.”

“If the bargain stands as stated, then only 1% of humanity will survive in the end. In that case, what will the standard be for selecting that 1%?”

“If possible, it will be according to ability. Only those with ability will be able to distinguish themselves in bloodline society and help other kin who come from humanity.”

“I see. So that’s why you called us here.”

“I thought that if it were you, even after becoming the same kind of species as those monsters, you would still be able to distinguish yourselves. When that time comes... I assumed you might offer something in return to those of us who selected you.”

At those words, the generals standing in Kaio’s way thought for a moment, then said,

“It can’t be based entirely on ability. Instead, promise us that you’ll divide that right of selection with us.”

They made that demand.

“Ah, I see. I was shortsighted. I failed to consider that there might be people each of you would want to save separately.”

“Will you promise it?”

“Of course. For your sake, making room for a few more seats would hardly be difficult.”

“Thank you.”

Hearing that exchange, Kaio realized what they were thinking and shouted in horror,

“Have you all gone insane!?”

“General Kaio. You’re from the capital, aren’t you?”

Toward the horrified Kaio, the generals leveled their weapons.

“We are awakened from other regions. And we... to be honest, we always felt inferior to you and General Jinlei, who came from the capital.”

“Inferior? What are you talking about...?”

“At least from our point of view, the two of you looked like men who had survived and broken through crises by your own strength. Compared to that, we...”

One of them spoke with a bitter expression.

“We survived pathetically—betraying others, looting them, selling them out...”

The world after the ruin was too harsh.

Those who had survived in such a world had already stained their hands with dirty blood, more often than not.

And among them, the generals stood at the very top.

“Unlike you noble men, we are already used to things like this.”

“General...!”

“There was a time when I felt an inferiority complex about that. I even regretted it, thinking maybe if I hadn’t made those choices back then, I might still have survived without wrongdoing, like people like you...”

Then.

A faint smile touched the lips of the general who had been wearing that bitter expression.

“But... now I see it was pointless regret.”

“What?”

“So you people survived by sacrificing at least hundreds of thousands of your own kind, and all the while acted noble and virtuous? Pfft!”

The general, sneering openly, took a step toward Kaio.

“We weren’t that much trash, at least!”

“Y-you bastards...!”

“You survived until now by offering up your own kind as sacrifices, General. Now it’s our turn!”

KWAANG!!!

Kaio’s hammer, burning with rage, crashed against the generals’ weapons.

***

After the swift conquest of the capital, Beijing, succeeded, the title given to only the strongest survivors from the surrounding regions was general.

Twelve across the entire continent.

Considering the continent’s population and size, the fact that there were only twelve humans at this level was proof enough of just how hopeless this ruin truly was.

KWAANG!

And.

Among those generals, General Kaio and General Jinlei had long been called the strongest.

In Jinlei’s case, no one had directly witnessed those exploits.

But that was not true of General Kaio.

BAM!

“Ghk...!”

After several exchanges of weapons, the first general who had attacked Kaio had his skull blown apart.

“You insane monster bastard...!”

“This is all he can do while fighting ten of us?”

Enormous size, superhuman physical ability.

And that wasn’t all.

‘Three on the left, four in front, two on the right.’

It was hard to imagine from that massive frame, but what General Kaio was most proficient in was not martial arts...

it was tactics.

‘The right side only looks weak. That’s the trap. The real weak point is... the front.’

PWHAAAAAAAK!

“General Peng!”

The ability to identify the enemy’s weak point in an instant and build a strategy on the spot.

Because of Jinlei’s overwhelming exploits, most awakened praised only him as a hero.

But in truth, he had been closer to the guild’s idol.

So exceptional that no one could dare approach him, no one could draw close.

A distant being, like something to be worshiped from afar.

By contrast, the one the awakened fighting on the front lines had experienced most closely, and therefore feared most,

was—

“Huff, huff...!”

—General Kaio.

“You really are a monster...”

Of the twelve generals, ten were attacking Kaio.

And of those ten, two had already been hideously crushed by that gigantic hammer.

“General Tao! Let’s strike from both sides!”

“Agreed.”

But.

That did not mean victory was Kaio’s.

“General Wen...!?”

When it looked as if two generals were about to attack him together, Kaio swung his weapon first, targeting the one who charged ahead.

Given the gap in skill, it was an attack that one person alone could not stop.

Ordinarily, it was the kind of attack that would have been knocked aside by the other general in the pincer.

But—

“We said we’d attack together, so where are you going...!?”

PERRRKK!!!

The other general did not block the attack aimed at his comrade.

Rather, the opposite.

“General Tao’s sacrifice will be remembered!”

“...!”

The general who had baited the attack toward his ally drove into the opening that created and swung his weapon.

BAM!

The strike that found the opening flew straight for Kaio’s head.

“Got you!”

Kaio’s skull caved in.

His cranium shattered, exposing the red flesh inside.

A grotesque sight, with a third of his head gone.

...The problem was,

“Ghk...!”

“...Huh?”

—even in that state, Kaio did not die.

KWAAAAAAANG!

Another general went flying from the impact of that weapon.

But.

With his consciousness dimming, Kaio stared straight ahead.

‘Still... too... many...’

There were still too many generals left alive.

Before the battle began, Kaio had already expected he would be at a disadvantage.

No matter how strong he was, he was not strong enough to take on ten other generals all by himself.

But the actual fight was a little harder than even that.

‘Th, these... people are... used to fighting humans...’

Kaio had always fought monsters.

Even the massive hammer in his hands had originally been made with giant large-scale monsters in mind.

But they were different.

Just as they themselves had said, they mixed in filthy tricks with practiced ease, like men who had fought their own kind countless times.

‘Can’t... win.’

That all-too-obvious conclusion was becoming certain.

***

“Let’s stop this here, General Kaio.”

No matter how strong Kaio was, he could not handle every other general.

“This is the Chairman’s and the leadership’s judgment. If the enemies beyond that barrier really are that strong, then shouldn’t at least a small number of humans survive?”

“If you survive, General, we’ll be able to do even more in their society. Join us, even now!”

It seemed they knew that as well.

The generals tried to persuade Kaio.

‘If we keep fighting here and even one more dies, the loss will be too great.’

‘Who it is doesn’t matter. It absolutely cannot be me.’

Whatever their reasons, if Kaio surrendered here and now, they were confident they could generously accept him.

But.

“Dog...”

From inside his own skull, he could feel something leaking out that should never have leaked out.

“S-so...und...”

“Persistent bastard.”

Grinding his teeth, Kaio remained standing.

The reason was simple.

‘If I don’t stop this here.’

The moment that bargain was established, the fate of the humans outside would effectively be sealed.

“Ha, damn it.”

“Then at least die quietly. Don’t drag anyone else down with you.”

With that, the generals advanced, weapons in hand.

“Truly...”

And then.

“Don’t you think this is a very entertaining sight, General Kaio?”

Between those generals and Kaio, a man came strolling forward at an easy pace.