The Laughing Swordsman

The four-horned demons were those that were directly under him. They were supposed to aid him in managing the city as well as act as commanders in wars.

The only issue stemmed from the fact those beneath him did not like being ordered around.

It wasn't as if Serosh forced them to do excessive amounts of work. He assigned reasonable amounts and handled the rest on his own.

However, Serosh didn't realize how ambitious the four-horned demons were.

They wanted to usurp his position as the ruler of this city.

...They knew Serosh didn't break any rules. However, they twisted the truth for the sake of public opinion.

Serosh grit his teeth.

"You have gotten quite unruly now, haven't you, Bryce?"

The four-horned demon at the front, Bryce, chuckled.

"The only unruly person here is you."

Bryce turned to look at the villagers behind him.

"Don't you see, my fellow demons? Our ruler has betrayed us! He has brought in our worst enemies, humans, right in our city walls for their reconnaissance."

The demons in the crowd whispered to each other, giving Serosh heartbroken and angry looks.

Serosh's voice boomed throughout the city.

"If I betrayed our kind, I wouldn't have created your houses. I wouldn't have provided the food you all eat each day."

The anger was clear in his eyes.

"I created this entire city myself. If I wished to provide intelligence to our enemy, there would be no need to invite them in."

Serosh took a deep breath.

"WAKE UP, MY SUBJECTS."

His roar reverberated throughout the city, displaying his clear dominance.

The crowd snapped out of it. However, before they could ponder any further, Bryce spoke up.

"Do not listen to him!"

His eyes narrowed.

"The traitor simply raises his voice like a barbarian to convince you! Don't be convinced by his lies."

The crowd got rowdy.

Bryce slammed his staff on the ground, filling the air with a deafening tap. The crowd fell silent.

"Don't you see where we stand? I am at your forefront, while the traitor hides behind our enemies."

The crowd immediately began panicking.

Bryce's arguments weren't the most logical. This was especially so for the last one. The position where a person stands was a pretty loose indicator of their allegiance.

However, this appeared to be enough to convince the crowd.

Serosh furrowed his brows.

"His arguments are logically flawed! If you have some semblance of intelligence, you would realize that!"

Unfortunately, the crowd did not listen to him.

They looked at Serosh as though he was a freak.

"Why... the ruler betrayed us?"

"Heartless! He is just a barbarian that cares for himself!"

"How could he! Doesn't he know how hard it is for us to live?"

Demons weren't all that different from humans.

When either side chose between logic or emotion, emotion almost always won.

The individuals themselves may think otherwise, however, this is rarely the case.

The leader that gained the support of the masses was not the one that provided the most benefits.

It was the one that made their rivals look evil.

Strangely enough, the masses did not prioritize the people that actually wanted to help them. Instead, they chose the person that defamed everyone else.

"He is not our ruler anymore! He is a traitor!"

"Dethrone him! We need someone that cares about us demons, not humans!"

"Dethrone? He should be killed! Kill the traitor!"

Bryce was originally prepared to say more, however, it appeared there was no need to. A bright smile emerged on his face.

"Now sire... no, traitor. Will you stand down on your own or do things the hard way?"

Serosh glared at Bryce silently.

Layla furrowed her brows.

"Why are they so mean to friend? We should all be happy together!"

Apollo pressed his lips together.

"...I don't like those people."

Serosh sighed.

"It appears I am a terrible host. Sorry for my unruly subjects."

His voice was strangely calm. A soft chuckle escaped him.

"Dealing with so many demons... I'm going to get in a lot of trouble."

Apollo waved his bokken around.

"I can protect you!"

Layla nodded.

"Yes, we can protect friend!"

Serosh looked at Apollo and Layla for a few moments.

"It would be improper of me to delegate my issues to my guests..."

A small smile appeared on his face.

"But, if you are truly willing, then I ask you to help me."

Bryce pointed towards Serosh.

"Look! He's requesting help from a human! We must put an end to him!"

Mana began gathering above Bryce's staff.

Apollo looked up at Serosh and gave him a thumbs up.

"Don't worry! I am pretty good at swinging the sword."

Layla's tail swayed.

"Hehe, I will protect friend!"

The other four-horned demons began casting spells while a few demons in the crowd began to charge forward.

A two-horned demon charged forward with determination. He was still a few meters away when Apollo's bokken snapped out while his thumb pressed against the hilt.

The two-horned demon froze. It couldn't comprehend why it stopped moving, but it did.

Did he lose his will? Was he a coward?

It couldn't have been that kid's slash, right? The kid just had a wooden sword, plus he was so far away.

Unbeknownst to the two-horned demon, a thin line of blood appeared down the middle of his body.

Then, he split it two, splashing blood on the snow beneath him.

Apollo used the technique The Vanquisher showed him.

The demons that witnessed their compatriot's sudden death, couldn't help but freeze. What in the world just happened?

Bryce furrowed his brows.

"Do not falter! For the sake of our race, we cannot back down!"

This was enough to rile up the demons, making them charge forward once again.

Layla pulled back her hand. It was in the position of a claw.

"Wah!"

Her claw started moving slowly, but rapidly accelerated.

A thunderclap resounded throughout the village.

The group of demons had only taken a few steps forward before they were directly pulverized. The others were utterly terrified and retreated.

Chunks of flesh and blood flew in the sky, splattering against Bryce.

Blood fell from Bryce's face, but his expression was as cold as ever. He finished casting his spell.

"Die!"