Barbarian in a Failed Game

The memory ended there. Khan could infer why this was, from Esperus’s last words.

After being defeated by Karyan, Esperus returned to the Blood Domain and separated his collapsing body from his soul. He then employed some method to make them each a living entity.

Naturally, there could be no memories following the moment of separation. From that point on, Esperus ceased to exist, and ‘Yoro’ began to live a completely different life.

“… This is ridiculous. So, you’re saying I’m a fragment of Esperus?”

“Pretty much. You’re likely the physical half of Esperus.”

Esperus had mentioned that the soul imbued with his power would rule the Blood Domain in his absence, while the collapsing body, though powerless, would be immortal. Logically, the former referred to the Blood King, leaving the latter to be Yoro.

In truth, Yoro was abysmally weak in terms of power for someone claimed to be Esperus’s fragment. Yet, he had survived an inconceivably long time without dying. It matched Esperus’s words about the Blood Domain’s power preventing Yoro’s death.

‘Still, there’s something off.’

What kind of ‘power’ allowed Yoro to repel the Blood King’s descent? If Esperus’s words were true, Yoro should have been powerless.

『It’s simple. This world does not seek his death, so it intervened.』

“What are you saying?”

『Just that.』

As if saying “don’t you get it?”, the Spirit of Resentment explained with a mocking tone.

『The command left by Esperus to this world was his ‘survival’. If the Blood King descended, he would inevitably get caught up and die, so the world itself stepped in to prevent that. Otherwise, it could be that the soul and body are never meant to reunite as separate entities.』

“Can the Scion of the Arch Demon really pull off something like that? Normally.”

『Considering the unique nature of the Blood Domain, it’s easier to understand. The Blood Domain itself is Esperus’s domain, so altering the rules to some extent wouldn’t be difficult. Even that weak sea dragon could wield the power of an ancient dragon in its nest.』

Yoro, still engulfed in confusion, posed a question to the Spirit of Resentment.

“Then… if I were to meet the Blood King, what could potentially happen?”

『Hmmm. While I never agreed to entertain questions… you’ve provided quite the amusement, so I’ll answer. There are two possible outcomes.』

In its miniature dragon form, the Spirit of Resentment skillfully wiggled two claws.

『First, consider why Esperus separated his soul and body.』

“His purpose… wouldn’t it be the restoration of the body?”

『That’s foolish talk. As long as the spirit, the source of power, is intact, the body can be regenerated at any time. Yet, Esperus discarded his form once and created you in the process. There must have been a compelling reason for him to do that…』

The Spirit of Resentment lowered one claw.

『First possibility: Karyan used some method to make body restoration impossible, so Esperus had to create a new body from nothing. In that case, when the soul-bearing Blood King encounters the body, they would naturally merge into one. Since the Blood King has the transcendental essence, the control would lie with him.』

However, the Spirit of Resentment immediately dismissed this hypothesis.

『This is unlikely. I’ve never heard of Karyan having such power, and if this were the case, there would be no reason to prevent their meeting. So, the second possibility is…』

The Spirit of Resentment curled its remaining claw and let out a sinister laugh.

『The second possibility is that the separation of soul and body was not just for the restoration of the body. The Blood King has another objective, and the conditions weren’t met, so the world itself prevented his descent. That’s my thought.』

“Then, are we safe for now…?”

『Well….』

The Spirit of Resentment’s ominous laughter clearly indicated otherwise. Anyone could see that they were far from safe. Just before his descent was canceled, the Blood King sensed a particular energy.

Given the circumstances, that energy undoubtedly belonged to Yoro.

“If you think about it, from the perspective of the half-soul Blood King, your existence would be quite tempting.”

“E-excuse me?!”

“Think about it. The chance to become a complete being by absorbing you. Do you think the Blood King wouldn’t jump at that?”

“But… the Blood Domain’s power would prevent that….”

“Don’t count on it protecting you forever. After all, he’s a transcendent being like you, another half of Esperus.”

“…….”

Yoro lowered his head at Khan’s heartfelt warning. The Spirit of Resentment’s ominous laughter echoed through the room.

『Indeed, it will be interesting to see what kind of trick Esperus pulled.』

***

Despite unexpectedly witnessing the ancient war and uncovering Esperus’s secret, Khan’s immediate plans remained unchanged. Although he now understood the secrets of the Blood King and Yoro,

“I still don’t have a way back to Midland….”

Ultimately, the plan to meet the Blood King in person remained the same. However, an unforeseen complication arose—figuring out what to do about Yoro.

Should Yoro and the Blood King meet?

Or should I ensure they never meet?

In reality, this wasn’t a decision Khan could make lightly. Yoro had been nothing but friendly towards Khan since their first encounter, so he wanted to respect Yoro’s opinion as much as possible.

Yet, there was a significant problem.

‘We don’t really know Esperus’s true intentions.’

While it’s clear that he created the Blood King and Yoro to restore his body, the complexities of the plan and the long time it required suggested there was more to it. If it were simply about restoring the body, why go through such an elaborate, drawn-out scheme?

Wouldn’t it make more sense to create just the Blood King and keep Yoro isolated somewhere, without a sense of self?

‘…It’s typical for demonic entities to have hidden motives, but acting without understanding could result in disaster.’

In summary, Khan decided to respect Yoro’s choice as much as possible, but if Yoro couldn’t make a decision, Khan would proceed with what he thought was best.

“The Blood King has moved.”

But it seemed they wouldn’t have the luxury of time—The Blood King’s forces had invaded the frontier. Kurtank delivered the news from the other residences in the frontier with a grave expression.

“Every settlement bordering the central region, except for the first settlement, has been destroyed by the legion. There are very few survivors, and those who did survive said the legion had no intention of sparing anyone. They slaughtered everyone without question.”

“He’s tightening the noose, worried that intervening directly might lead to the same disruptions as last time.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“Just something like that.”

Khan brushed off Kurtank’s doubts and glanced at Yoro, who sat in a corner of the meeting room. The Blood King’s strategy was obvious—destroy all escape routes and then personally confront Yoro.

Knowing Yoro’s kind nature, Khan was sure he was feeling significant pressure from recent events. Yoro might even be feeling guilty about the innocent demons killed because of him.

‘But staying idle will result in more demon deaths….’

Currently, Khan and the frontier forces were not in a position to counter the Blood King’s assault effectively. Unlike the legion, brimming with thousands of powerful demons, the frontier lacked adequate forces.

Their only viable asset was Kurtank’s enchantment ability, but the Demon Generals under her control couldn’t operate independently for long periods, making it difficult to counter simultaneous legion attacks.

“Yoro, have you decided what to do yet?”

“…I’m sorry. If you could just give me a little more time—”

“Even if I want to give you more time, it doesn’t look like they’re willing to.”

“…….”

“Besides, we don’t really have a way to protect the other residences.”

“That’s right. The Blood King personally leading the legion wasn’t something we were prepared for. We need to come up with some sort of plan…”

“I’ll crush those weaklings myself!”

Interrupting Kurtank’s anxious mumbling, General Bes, who had voluntarily joined the so-called ‘Four Heavenly Kings,’ swung his massive arm and shouted.

“I’m ready to fight anytime, hyungnim!”

Not wanting to lose face, Tulkan stepped forward to challenge Bes, escalating the tension in the room. Khan, observing the commotion, finally spoke up.

“If we’re at a loss for solutions and can’t make a decision right now… then how about this, Yoro?”

“……?”

“Since they don’t seem eager to meet you right away, let’s close the distance ourselves this time.”

Yoro tilted his head, puzzled by the cryptic suggestion.

“We’ll abandon the first settlement.”

A mischievous smile appeared on Khan’s face. Despite his confident tone, the idea of abandoning their stronghold was hard to swallow. Tulkan, after contemplating for a moment, spoke up.

“Hyungnim, what do you mean by that? We’ve worked hard to capture this fortress, and now you’re saying we should just abandon it?”

“Exactly. Protecting the entire frontier is beyond our capacity. It’s only a matter of time before we get isolated.”

“But still… wouldn’t it be better to gather all the demonkinss and fight it out? Simply giving up seems…”

“Who said anything about giving up?”

“Huh? Isn’t that what you meant?”

The self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings, who had misunderstood Khan’s suggestion as an act of retreat, cast puzzled looks at him. If they were Khan’s comrades from Midland, they wouldn’t question it.

Khan’s colleagues in Midland knew well that Gordi Khan was not the type to retreat quietly after taking a hit.

“Are we really supposed to stay in a shattered fortress with crumbling walls and a missing roof forever? Since I’ve become a king, shouldn’t I conquer and take a proper castle for myself?”

There were no immediate replies, indicating that the implications of his words hadn’t fully sunk in yet. But it didn’t matter to Khan. The plan was simple enough that no elaborate explanation was needed.

“We’ll conquer and loot the central residences.”