Army of the Damned

VOLUME 17 Chapter 4

As another night passes after a few days in the ocean and morning once again arrives, Jackson alone goes to the canteen for the breakfast meal. Though it was nothing lavish nor even comparable to what he would have for months inside Alana's mansion, it seemed to do the job and the close tight knit space gave way to lots of conversations and active movement.

But oddly enough, in one of the tables, a lone lanky man with skin as pale as a tallow was staring at his metal plate and the food on it. Donning a General's uniform, he had a monocle on him and even though he seemed to be in the middle teenage age, his white hair was showing through his visor cap. The black leather trench coat he has covering his medals and uniform. Though apprehensive at first, Jackson could see the table for Level 200s were full, with some of them noticing him and putting their metal cups up in celebration of his survival which he replies with a smile.

Approaching the lone General on the table, he gave the young man a beaming smile. "May I sit next to you?" this person then changes his attention from his plate towards him. "Of course! As to one Strategist to another." Seeing his gold tinted monocle, Jackson is surprised at the youthful yet mature posh he was giving out effortlessly. "Thank you. Nice accent by the way. That's super elegant. The way my Vampiric Companions taught me is not even to that level."

With a giggle, the teenager returns to look at his plate as Jackson got his plastic utensils and began eating. "Lady Alana and Elizabeth's accents are indeed quite exquisite. Hearing them shout out orders is quite an exhilarating experience." stopping as he chewed the soggy bread, he slowly looked at him. "Wait... what. Who are you?"

"It is I, Sir Jackson. Former Demon Lord Barbatos." This made his eyes and mouth open wide, his teeth and the food inside his cheeks showing. "Barbatos?! You have a Human form?!" nodding, the Demon in a Human disguise audibly laughs. "This magic is elementary for High Class Demons. It's paramount we know this to infiltrate Mankind's society." swallowing his food, the Knight General scratches his head as he looks at the still untouched plate of Barbatos. "You uhhhh... unable to eat food?"

Shrugging his head, the teenager just lifts the plate and showcases the beans and bread and butter on it with two pieces of bacon. "I never ate Human food. Ever since I was awakened by the Men of the Woods alongside Eligos. I've been tasked with commanding its Skeletal Forces. I am curious but in the Demon World, we have our sustenance through the souls of the dead that emit from our surroundings."

"Dang... just so you know, we kinda harvest that to make Black Steel." the Demon nods as he picks up the bread and takes a bite. "Hm. Pretty good. So this is how it is to taste. You of Man really likes the Black Steel of my damned world, don't you?" Jackson nods profusely. "It's the coolest thing ever. My entire plate armor is made out of it. Bahamut and I worked so hard to get it to where it is now."

"Ah, yes. That armor of yours is truly a work of wonder. It has taken so much beating for the last few days yet it holds still." clicking his tongue, Jackson's eyes flare up as a memory comes to him. "Oh yeah. Do you have any Black Steel? I really need to get that thing repaired. I trust it to protect me but I've never used it to this extent continually and with a constant amount of heavy damage levied against it. I have this feeling on the back of my head it might just crack suddenly."

Barbatos then frowns as he sighs. "Sorry, General. but I am no longer within the ranks of the Demon Army. Just a Lord now, a hybrid of sorts. Hence, I cannot give you the keys to Pandemonium." This made him lift his hands up his face and just breathed out in desperation. "Man... here I was thinking I could ask the Men of the Woods to get easy Black Steel... You know, I've always wanted to ask this question to a Demon."

"Former Demon. The Apostles of Sin would have me branded and tied in Pandemonium's balcony and have me burn in the purifying flames of Heaven if they were to see me now. Eligos though... for someone as higher ranked than me, he would've been experimented on." With this new information, Jackson's eyes squint as his free hand lifts up to his chin, rubbing it slowly. "If in the Lore book, it states that Demons can plan, think, retreat, and develop organizations and hierarchies with goals and achievements to attain, why not do good?"