Driving the bald man onward, I pressed through the forest until we emerged into a ruined expanse. Countless undead corpses lay strewn across the ground, though these appeared somewhat distinct in nature from the ones wandering the surrounding area.
The two familiar figures stood there, glaring tensely as they confronted a monster with a sludge-like face. Behind the enemy loomed a towering wall of flesh—no doubt the handiwork of those star-headed creatures.
"H-Here! This is where they told me to bring you!"
Perhaps no longer capable of grasping the gravity of the situation, the bald man darted past the monsters and shrieked at the top of his lungs, pointing a trembling finger toward the ruins.
Despite the enemy's presence, Deimos and Lucas immediately dropped to their knees before me. One look at their expressions told me everything I needed to know. In all likelihood—
"Forgive me! It was my blunder that allowed Lady Laila to be taken!"
Deimos delivered his report in a shaking voice.
"No, this was entirely the result of my own failing and overconfidence. The blame lies with me!"
Lucas spoke as well, his face heavy with dejection.
Just as I feared. Laila had been taken... My worst prediction had come to pass.
"Lowering your guard right before us—♪"
"How utterly laughable! ♬"
Singing their taunts, the star-faced undead lunged toward Lucas while the square-faced one closed in on Deimos. But with Murasame thoroughly imbued with magic power, I pulverized everything below their necks down to the cellular level, carving up the towering wall of flesh behind them in the exact same breath.
The flesh wall dissolved into fine dust, scattering into the cold air.
"Huh?"
"What?"
They hadn't even been able to process the strike. For a brief moment, the square-faced man and the star-faced woman stared blankly at me, mouths agape in stunned disbelief.
"W-Why aren't we regenerating?!"
A stark contrast to his sing-song tone from moments before, the square-faced man shrieked in a shrill, cracked voice.
In that labyrinth, monsters that regenerated instantly were an everyday occurrence. Imbuing my attacks with magic had simply become second nature. It wasn't even refined enough to be called a proper technique—just an ordinary slash. Yet that alone was enough to strip most monsters of their regenerative powers and send them straight to the afterlife.
I drove Murasame straight through the square-faced creature's cheek, pinning it firmly to the ground.
"I dislike excessive noise in situations like this. I'll dispose of you properly later, so just wait quietly."
I delivered the words curtly, brooking no argument.
With just that simple gesture, both the star-headed and square-headed undead clamped their mouths shut, trembling faintly.
For now, these pathetic small fry could wait. What mattered was taking immediate action.
"Lucas, Deimos, I'll hear the details later. Groveling there won't change a thing. If you believe you have failed, redeem yourselves from this moment on."
As I issued the stern command, both responded in unison.
"Understood!"
"Understood!"
They bowed their heads deeply and reverently.
Though I spoke harshly, seeing their desperation made it impossible to truly fault them. I had never intended to treat those who gave their all to fulfill their duties with cruelty. Everyone makes mistakes. As long as they learn and grow from them, that is enough.
Still, reassuring them now would do little to ease their guilt, and more importantly, this was an emergency. Tending to my subordinates' spirits would have to wait.
"You two are to gather any boys and girls in the vicinity who require protection, take them back to the plaza, and rendezvous with Asta and the others. Leave no one behind."
"As you command!"
"By your will!"
Lucas vanished in an instant. Deimos, grinding his teeth in frustration, dashed into the building, hoisted a young boy onto his shoulder, and sprinted off toward the plaza.
Now then, with Laila taken, I couldn't afford to waste a single second. Nor was there any reason to hold back. I didn't know who was behind this, but they had dared to lay a hand on my precious childhood friend. I trusted they were prepared for the consequences.
"Come forth, all of you!"
Flipping through the Subjugation Compendium, I began the summons. The situation demanded urgency; half-baked strength would serve no purpose here. I was bringing out the absolute elite of the compendium.
One after another, hundreds of monsters materialized—the highest-ranking martial executives representing each faction.
"Eeeeeeek!"
To the bald man shrieking in terror beside me, I spoke in a voice that sent a chill even down my own spine.
"Ah, that's right. Thank you for guiding me here. As your reward, I'll grant you a painless death."
With a single left punch, I obliterated his head, silencing that grating mouth forever.
In all likelihood, the man had been hired by Babel to gang up on Lumine, Roman, and the other youths to slaughter them. Under this wretched examination system, he had probably butchered countless other young examinees just to earn some quick coin. I never had the slightest intention of letting such an irredeemable wretch draw another breath.
"Eep!"
"Ghh!"
A mere glance down from me was enough to draw small whimpers from the star-faced woman and the square-faced man.
Foolish creatures. If this was the extent of their strength and resolve, they should have stayed huddled in fear in some forgotten corner of the world.
"..."
Exhaling deeply, I surveyed the legions of monsters summoned from the Subjugation Compendium. Across the earth, perched atop withered trees, lining the rooftops, and hovering in midair, every last one of them prostrated themselves in unison.
"Our Great One, pray bestow upon us your command."
The seven-headed golden dragon—Ladon—stepped forward to address me on behalf of the gathered host.
I yanked Murasame roughly from the square face, rested the blade over my shoulder, and drew a deep breath into my lungs.
"My childhood friend has been abducted by bandits! Locate and protect the blonde girl! That is your top priority! Your secondary objective is the complete extermination of the rats who orchestrated this! In other words, a rat hunt! Do not leave a single one alive in this world! Grind them into mincemeat down to the very last cell!"
I barked the order at the top of my lungs.
The supreme commanders of the Subjugation Compendium roared in bloodthirsty delight before scattering in every direction.
Reaching down, I grabbed the hair of the star-faced and square-faced heads as they wept foul fluids from what served as their eyes and noses, lifting them up with my left hand.
"Listen closely. Pray. Pray that not the slightest harm has come to the girl you took. That is the only way you will perish in peace."
I whispered the words directly into their ears.
"Aaaah..."
"Ghh..."
Leaving the two heads groaning in despair, I called out into the open air.
"Belze!"
At my voice, a giant bipedal fly sporting a crown welled up from my shadow. Beelzebub seemed quite fond of my shadow, having built a nest within that dimensional pocket to manifest in this world.
"Wring the location of the filth who took Laila Helner out of these two! As accurately and swiftly as possible!"
"Understood, yes indeed♫"
Prostrating itself, Belze gave the two severed heads no time to scream before his swarms of flies dragged them away, dissolving back into the darkness of my shadow.
Leave the craft to the craftsman. Belze was best suited for interrogation. He would undoubtedly deliver the exact information I needed in no time at all.
Laying waste to the entire region would have been the fastest solution, but as long as Laila was being held captive, that remained off the table.
Rather than searching aimlessly across this vast area, pinpointing their whereabouts through Belze's intelligence was far more efficient. Once I had their exact coordinates, I could close the distance on foot in moments. For now, the priority was to have the monsters of the Subjugation Compendium encircle the enemy, restrict their movements, and lock down their location.
"Laila, please be safe."
Fighting down the searing impatience twisting my gut for the first time in ages, I squeezed the words past my clenched teeth.