"Let's rest at an inn, then move as soon as the sun sets."
"Understood."
Dordon, a low-level Expert, had become the representative of the ten officers.
He rested at the inn with his comrades, then followed Astan straight into the slums.
A storm of blood began to sweep through Ventella's slums.
SLASH—!
"Aaaagh!"
"A...... a demon! Why is th-that demon in Ventella......?!"
Had one of the criminals escaped from Alf?
Someone called Astan a demon and fled in a panic.
The streets of the slums became a red river in an instant.
SQUELCH—!
"Gah......!"
"P-please...... spare me......"
Madness flickered in Astan's eyes.
Some 500 criminals lost their lives in just 1~2 hours.
As the terrified criminals scattered in every direction, Astan captured the branch heads alive and turned them into thralls.
"Three...... It isn't enough, but it'll have to do. You two stay and keep them under control."
He had made too many people into thralls in Alf.
But if he simply killed them off, he would lose the officers' trust.
That was why he left two officers he had brought from Alf in Ventella.
Five officers in all would control the city.
The three newly made officers bowed to Astan, then began gathering the surviving criminals and taking control of Ventella's slums.
"Ryumila is next, then?"
"Yes. I'll guide you there."
At their next destination, Ryumila, Astan likewise slaughtered hundreds of criminals. In Rustol, he killed close to a thousand and even earned the nickname "the Fiend."
"P-please leave it to me!"
Lucas had become the head of Chaos's Rustol branch.
A man who had reached a mature level even among mid-level Experts, he became able to wield a high-level Expert's Sword Aura as soon as he was made a thrall.
He was thrilled to gain strength, a longer life, and youth, but more than anything, he was afraid of Astan.
'Th-this man is a demon. How could he kill a thousand people......?!'
Was this why people feared demons?
Lucas kept his head bowed to the floor and his eyes squeezed shut until Astan left.
Only after Astan disappeared did Lucas press a hand to his chest and let out a deep sigh.
"Haa......"
Even as a high-level Expert, he could not fathom the extent of Astan's abilities.
He was a monster who used Sword Aura and Magic at the same time.
Lucas would rather fight the branch heads in a large city than face a monster like that.
***
News that the slums of Alf, Ventella, Ryumila, and Rustol had fallen to Chaos reached the criminal branch heads in Albarid as well.
Skull, Despel, Akid, Penber, and Barbaras were all rival organizations.
For that reason, none had readily considered an alliance.
But after Rustol's slums fell, some members of Despel began murmuring among themselves.
"Shouldn't we form an alliance with the other organizations while we still can......?"
Chaos was crushing other organizations by force and making them submit.
Its momentum was alarming.
Of course, some people were not particularly concerned.
"Puhahaha! Are you scared?"
"Our branch head's a top-level Expert, you know? A monster who could take on the knight commander of a viscount's house without a problem!"
"I heard he could even stand shoulder to shoulder with the knight commanders of a count's house."
"Chaos's leader...... They call him 'Blood' now, was it? Anyway, there's a rumor that he's a top-level Expert, but he isn't as accomplished as our branch head."
"Right. Being at the same level doesn't mean they're equally skilled."
"And it's only a guess that they'll attack Albarid, isn't it? Skull's branch head is a top-level Expert, too...... Do you really think those bastards will attack Albarid?"
"Well......"
It was true that Albarid's slums were on a different level from those in the other cities.
"Our organization alone has more than a thousand members!"
"And Skull has over 800, right?"
"If you count Akid, Penber, Barbaras, and all the smaller organizations......"
Despel's members began belittling and dismissing Chaos.
In fact, Chaos was tiny compared with Skull and Despel.
Those two organizations wielded the greatest influence in the southern region of the Rabadian Empire.
Even Akid, Penber, and Barbaras, which were considered large organizations, could not stand against Skull and Despel.
How formidable could an organization that had only just been formed really be?
Reassured by their comrades' words, the anxious members gulped down their beer and erased Chaos from their minds.
'Right. Unless they've lost their minds, Chaos won't attack Albarid.'
While the members drank heavily and indulged themselves, Astan and his party, who had ridden their horses at full speed all day, spent the night at an inn in Albarid.
Bandits and magic beasts encountered along the way had made the journey take nearly eight hours.
'If I'd brought the other members along...... it would have taken two more days.'
Astan sighed softly and looked out the window.
People were walking the streets, beginning their day.
"......I should sleep."
Astan and his party spent half a day in the clutches of the demon of sleep without moving.
By the time they woke, the sun was setting and people were returning home.
After dinner on the first floor of the inn, Astan and his party headed straight for the slums.
THWACK—! THWACK, THWACK, THWACK—!
"Guh......?!"
Dordon beat a criminal and broke the man's right arm.
CRACK—!
"Aaaagh!"
"Take us to Despel's branch."
"P-please...... spare me......"
"Guide us there and I'll let you live."
"Nnngh......"
The criminal lowered his head and set off for Despel's branch.
Chaos's officers wore Hus's Ring, Saran's Necklace, and Alpha's Ring.
They watched their surroundings while concealing their demonic energy.
Unlike in small and midsized cities, a senior priest resided at the temple in a large city.
That was a high-ranking priest just below the high priest.
What was more, Albarid's slums were in a different league from those in any city they had visited so far.
'A place where even a low-level Expert couldn't become an officer......'
'Maybe we should've brought Lucas after all......'
As the officers voiced their quiet concerns, Astan placed a hand on their shoulders.
"Keep watch around here. I'll...... bring Phyllis back."
"......Understood."
Phyllis was the head of Despel's Albarid branch.
Fortunately, Phyllis was a woman.
How dreadful it had been each time he turned someone of his own sex into a thrall.
He was gradually getting used to it, but it still felt unpleasant.
CRASH—!
"Wh-what was that?!"
"Aaaagh!"
Dordon and the others kept watch at the front entrance without reacting to the screams from inside the building.
The low-ranking Despel member whose right arm Dordon had broken, on the other hand, stared blankly at the branch building.
Could these people be members of the rumored Chaos?!
And was the person who had just gone inside its boss?
'S-surely the branch head will......!'
Sadly, his wish could not come true.
The purple-haired woman had been beaten by Astan and turned into a thrall.
She, too, put on Saran's Necklace, Hus's Ring, and Alpha's Ring and swore loyalty to Astan.
"From now on, you're the head of Chaos's Albarid branch."
"I shall obey your command."
When Astan emerged from Despel's branch with Phyllis, the low-ranking member who had waited with Dordon and the others stared at her in disbelief.
"B-branch head......"
Dordon glanced down at the Despel member.
"What should we do with this one?"
"Dispose of him."
"Understood."
Dordon nodded and snapped the man's neck.
"I will guide you to Skull's branch."
Dordon flinched slightly as Phyllis volunteered to guide them.
The woman before him was one of the ten most wanted criminals in the empire's southern region.
She had always been an object of fear...... and now she was politely offering to guide them.
'......Looks like I backed the right person.'
Astan and his party followed Phyllis through the streets of the slums.
At that moment, news of Chaos's attack reached Skull's Albarid branch.
Despel, they said, had been attacked first.
On hearing this, Liger, the branch head, let out a quiet, incredulous laugh.
"Ha! They stormed Despel's branch?"
"Yes. That makes it far less likely that Skull will be attacked. Phyllis is a swordswoman and a top-level Expert, just like you, branch head."
"Well, it's good that we haven't suffered any losses, but......"
Liger smiled bitterly and picked up a wineglass from the table.
"There is a chance he might defeat Phyllis...... No, wait. How about we take this opportunity to attack Despel?"
His adjutant rubbed his chin for a moment at Liger's question.
"The bastards in Akid, Penber, and Barbaras might make a move. Perhaps you should first assess Despel's losses and proceed slowly......"
"Hmm......"
Liger drank his wine and sank into thought.
This was a golden opportunity for Skull to gain control of Albarid's slums.
If they swallowed Despel and then devoured the forces of Akid, Penber, and Barbaras as well......
He could rule the slums of Albarid like a king.
"We should move after all."
"Sir?"
"Call every member! We're launching an all-out attack on Despel!"
Just as the adjutant was about to dissuade him......
KABOOM—!
A massive explosion erupted on the first floor, shaking the entire five-story building.
"......?!"
Liger's face contorted.
"Get down there and find out what's happening!"
"Y-yes, sir."
The adjutant hurried out of Liger's office.
CRASH—! CRASH, CRASH—!
As the explosions continued, Liger frowned and took down the greatsword hanging in a wall cabinet.
"What insolent bastard......!"
Liger rushed out of his office and headed downstairs, but the scene before him stopped him in his tracks.
Dozens of members lay sprawled on the floor, their corpses headless.
His adjutant, a high-level Expert, was being held by the collar by a black-haired figure.
"That is Liger."
A purple-haired woman stood beside the figure.
Liger flinched when he saw her.
"Ph-Phyllis? What the hell are you doing here, you bitch......?!"
Phyllis's red lips curved into a grin.
"What do you think? From now on...... I'm the head of Chaos's Albarid branch."
"What......?"
Liger stared at Phyllis, his eyes wide.
What kind of bullshit was that woman talking about?
She had been Despel's branch head...... and now she was Chaos's branch head?
Liger narrowed his eyes at the black-haired man.
No, he was not a man.
Judging by his height and face, he was no different from a boy in his early to mid-teens.
"You...... who are you?!"
At Liger's lionlike roar, the boy gave a short laugh and sliced through the adjutant's neck.
Blood shot skyward as the adjutant's body collapsed.
It was a brutal sight one would never expect from a teenage boy.
"Do you really need to know...... who I am? You're going to die anyway."
"How dare you, you fucking shitty brat......!"
The Sword Aura of a top-level Expert shimmered along Liger's greatsword.
"Die-!"
Liger leaped high and brought his greatsword down on the boy.