# Chapter 56
Chapter 56
“Ki-Kiriel Gongja-nim…”
“If anyone dares to speak carelessly about my son or daughter again, you’ll be the one turned into an animal.
You’ll be chewed up to the brain and cast out, so if you want to go ahead and make your move, go right ahead.”
“Th-That’s, we were just joking around…”
Crack—!
Divine power, like lightning, fell at the man's feet.
"Eeek!"
The man, swallowing his scream, tripped and tumbled to the floor in a clumsy heap.
“Let me warn you in advance.
I don’t want to interfere with my kid’s fight, so consider this a warning.
You’d better be grateful to my son.
Keep that useless tongue of yours in check, or I might just cut it off.”
The words were lazy and drawling, not carrying an ounce of anger.
However, when Kiriel’s red eyes slowly shifted toward the man, the man realised.
If he didn’t bow down now, tomorrow wouldn’t come.
The cold gaze was completely different from his languid voice and demeanour.
“I-I’m sorry.”
The man, pale as a ghost, lowered his head, struggling to get up and sit back down while tightly clenching his fist.
Kiriel clicked his tongue.
“Oh, what’s this?
You’re acting like you’re some kind of father, huh, kid?”
At Klein’s words from the side, Kiriel froze for a moment and blinked.
‘Now that I think about it, I only took this lightly at first…’
What had started as an attempt to confirm the strange demonic aura Bernie sometimes gave off had led to this.
He never imagined that taking care of a child would be so difficult.
He had thought simply providing for their basic needs would be enough.
But children were more delicate and sensitive than expected.
It took a lot more effort than he’d anticipated.
Oddly, though, Kiriel didn’t mind at all.
He had been indifferent to everything in life, and now here he was, shouting about adopting a child from a collateral branch.
Klein had every right to mock him.
But so what?
Kiriel had never paid attention to his brother’s words before, so it didn’t hurt him in the least.
Ignoring him as usual, Kiriel shrugged his shoulders and fell silent.
‘But…’
Kiriel’s eyes narrowed.
Clang—!
The spear made from Allen’s divine power shattered into pieces.
The difference in density was too much.
Allen, being younger and less experienced than Calvard, was naturally being overpowered.
‘This is getting a bit too heated.’
Allen was managing to defend himself well despite his age, but it was clear that it wasn’t enough to win against Calvard.
“You can’t even block one attack properly, you pathetic half-breed…!!”
Those who wield divine beasts were supposed to have a good heart.
The higher the rank of the divine beast they handled, the less they could afford to fall to evil.
Divine beasts were extremely sensitive to negative emotions, and a divine beast affected by such emotions could be dangerous.
Scrape—
The moment Calvard’s sword slashed through Allen’s summoned divine beast, the giraffe bellowed angrily and stood tall on its hind legs, its front hooves raised high above Allen’s head.
“…Ah…”
Having lost his sword and with his summoned beast in Calvard’s grasp, Allen’s eyes widened in shock.
“Calvard, stop!!”
Klein Udia shouted, and Kiriel, having placed Bernie down, quickly stood and rushed toward the arena.
Clang—!
The giraffe’s hooves came crashing down mercilessly on Allen’s head.
There was no time to dodge.
Allen’s head was struck by the hooves, and he collapsed to the floor, rolling.
“…Huh?”
Calvard’s eyes widened in surprise, and just as they did, the giraffe he had summoned emitted an eerie cry and began to rampage, its eyes glowing blue.
Kiriel, running quickly, caught Allen in his arms.
Bright red blood dripped steadily from Allen’s head.
“Allen.
Allen?”
“…”
Despite the crimson blood staining his pristine white attire, Kiriel, as though not caring in the slightest, held the child firmly, his body stiffened.
“…S-Sir…”
The small head, crushed by the hooves, had caved in so badly that it seemed impossible to think Allen could survive.
“Call the doctor!
What are you all doing just standing there?
Move!!”
Kiriel’s face twisted with an expression the likes of which had never been seen before, and he shouted harshly.
Only then did the others snap to attention and hurriedly start moving.
At the sight of Kiriel’s fierce energy, the giraffe’s eyes flared again, and it began to rear up, stomping wildly.
Its excited breaths came in sharp bursts.
Soon, the giraffe, unable to calm down, began to rampage.
“No, no…”
Chaos erupted all around.
In the midst of the noise and hurried footsteps, Calvard stood, pale-faced, taking deep breaths.
“No… I never intended for this…”
“Calvard Udia!
You damn fool!!
Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?!”
“…Father, no!
I never meant it!
I just wanted to win… I didn’t think it would end up like this…”
Sss—!
Calvard’s head whipped to the side.
The stinging pain from his cheek made his eyes tremble.
He clutched his cheek with his hand, swallowing hard.
“Do you think just because you have power and people fawning over you that you’re something special?
You pathetic fool…!
Wielding power you can’t control is what’s brought this on!”
Calvard stared vacantly with a look of contempt, then lowered his trembling eyes and hung his head.
“You fool.”
“…I just…”
Calvard muttered quietly, then finally shut his mouth.
At that moment, a pure white light burst around Klein Udia, and a fierce roar echoed out.
Kwah—!
A huge white tiger, as large as Klein Udia himself, appeared and immediately lunged at the excited giraffe, sinking its teeth into it.
“Ah… Father!
I’ll stop it!
Father!
Please, don’t… Agh!”
Panicked, Calvard rushed to Klein Udia, his face filled with shock.
However, his pleas were in vain, and he watched helplessly as the giraffe was torn apart and returned to its summoning, vanishing into nothing.
Calvard collapsed to the ground, stunned.
“Allen…?”
In the midst of the chaos, Kiriel was startled by a voice from behind and quickly turned his head.
How had he arrived so quickly?
Bernie, blinking his eyes, was suddenly standing right next to him, looking up at him with calm eyes.
“Bernie, you shouldn’t be here.
Go to your room…”
“Dad.”
In an unusual quiet tone, Bernie stared at Allen.
Kiriel, momentarily taken aback by the intensity of the emotion in Bernie’s voice, looked at him.
“Bernie?”
Several doctors had rushed to Allen, but none of them dared to approach him.
It was no wonder—Allen’s head had caved in severely, with blood pouring out, and his skull was completely crushed, leaving the inside exposed.
Wobble—
A mirage-like haze rose from Allen’s body.
The scent was unmistakable.
The smell of a soul meeting death.
It was a moment that demons cherished, a moment they loved the most.
Gurgle.
Bernie slowly raised his hand and clutched his chest, as if feeling the surge of emotions stirring inside him.