Chapter 154 – The Fortress (２)

Bwooooooh!

The horn call rang out without pause.

It seemed to be erupting from every corner of the fortress.

“This won’t be an easy fight.”

Amalta said.

Amalta’s face was a little tense as well.

And how could it not be?

Soldiers enough to make the entire fortress tremble were heading this way right now.

And then—

“There they are!”

“Over there!”

Nuia warriors burst out of the fortress, spotted the three of them, and shouted.

Just as they had expected, the Nuia poured out in overwhelming numbers.

At a conservative estimate, several hundred.

“Well, nothing for it. Let’s sweep these bastards out first.”

Amalta twirled his massive Spear in a whistling arc as he spoke.

“That’s the way to do it. If we want to get in there and take down that bastard Bodge.”

He wasn’t wrong.

To break into the fortress, they had to cut through the soldiers first.

“Attack!”

“Kill them!”

“Don’t let them live!”

And so the three began their fight against the charging Nuia.

No need to use the Illusion Sword here.

Gijun decided to hold the Illusion Sword back for now.

Better to keep this as my ace in the hole.

That was Gijun’s plan.

This Illusion Sword was a move he meant to save for Bodge.

The reason was simple.

I’m being watched.

Eyes were on him from somewhere far off.

Whether it was Bodge or some other Nuia, he couldn’t be sure.

But the killing intent radiating from that distant Nuia was strong enough to prickle Gijun’s skin.

A Nuia far stronger than the three he’d just faced.

I can’t show all my cards yet.

With an enemy observing him, the last thing he wanted was to lay everything out on the table.

Besides, when facing multiple opponents, magic was undeniably more reliable than a sword.

Alright, then…

Gijun drew his Staff.

And the moment he began casting his spell—

[The effect of ‘Authority’ has been activated.]

The Authority he’d seized after defeating the Lord had just activated.

*

Flash—BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!

In the distance, explosions erupted in rapid succession, each one accompanied by a flash of light.

And a man was watching it all unfold.

That man was Gast.

Impressive indeed.

The reason he hadn’t recklessly joined the fight was simple: he was gauging the enemy’s full strength.

And what he saw stunned him.

To think he possessed power of that caliber.

The Seeker who had come to the fortress was far more capable than Gast had imagined.

And that wasn’t all.

The two humans who accompanied the Seeker were also fighters whose strength he couldn’t easily assess.

Especially that man in the golden armor… a truly terrifying powerhouse.

Even Gast felt a chill of tension from the power radiating off the man clad in gleaming plate armor.

And yet, he makes those two look ordinary.

Despite it all, the most remarkable one remained the Seeker, who was blazing with light.

He carries a charisma that overwhelms the entire battlefield.

Beyond sheer combat ability, the Seeker was reading every single aspect of the battlefield.

No opening in sight.

Even in a fight of three against hundreds, he not only protected himself and maintained the fight, but also issued ceaseless commands to the other two.

He clearly possessed a vast field of vision, as if he were observing the entire battlefield from high above.

He didn’t come here on a whim. He has the skill to back it up.

That was Gast’s final assessment of the Seeker.

But that doesn’t mean you’re walking out of here alive.

Of course, that’s where it ended.

If you dared to set foot here, you had to pay the corresponding price.

Then, it’s time to prepare.

Gast let out a whistle.

At that moment—

Kraaaaaaah-!

A deafening roar erupted from somewhere.

He possessed formidable combat skill.

But his true weapon wasn’t that alone.

He was a Tamer.

A Beast Tamer.

The ferocious beasts that dwelled in this deep darkness were his friends and his subordinates alike.

Even the monsters that had terrorized countless Nuia for ages would turn into gentle lambs before him.

“Tear them apart on the spot.”

At his single command, the beasts surged forth in response.

CRAWWWWW!

Then, from somewhere, a ground-shaking roar erupted.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

This was why Bodge had sent the Gast in the first place.

*

The fight was going smoothly.

That was only natural.

There was no way ordinary soldiers could harm the three of them.

Before the soldiers’ attacks could even reach them, they all had to turn to handfuls of ash and scatter into the air.

But numbers were the problem.

No matter how many Nuia there were—it was impossible to tell their count—the swarm never seemed to thin, no matter how many they cut down.

And then, Gijun’s senses began sending him urgent warning signals.

No sooner had that hit him than a colossal roar rang out from somewhere.

CRAAAW!

“…What was that?”

“This is…?”

Amalta and Klaim both felt it in that instant—something was seriously wrong.

‘This is no ordinary roar.’

Gijun thought.

It wasn’t just a common beast’s bellow.

The moment the roar exploded, the Nuia soldiers froze in their tracks.

And in front of Gijun, Amalta, and Klaim, an ominous message cascaded down.

[The Ruler of the Deep Darkness has appeared.]

[You have been consumed by the Deep Darkness.]

[All Stats are reduced by 15%.]

‘Fifteen percent?’

That was no small number.

And then, in the far distance, the creature revealed itself.

‘…An elephant?’

The thing had the shape of an elephant.

But this was no ordinary elephant.

It was an elephant that walked on two legs.

And that didn’t mean it was small, either.

Roughly 5 meters tall at a glance, with a massive frame to match.

What’s more, it had two arms on each side, and its entire body was clad in black plate armor.

In each hand, it held a scimitar-shaped sword.

The creature swung them wildly.

Sshhhhkk! Sshhhaa!

“Gyaaahk!”

“Crawww!”

It was charging straight for Gijun, hacking through the Nuia blocking its path without a hint of restraint.

‘What the hell is that thing?’

Gijun narrowed his eyes.

It had been ominous from the moment it appeared, and its appearance was even more unsettling.

“Master Jun! Leave this one to us!”

“Right! You get inside and take down the bastard who summoned this monster!”

“That sounds best. He must be somewhere, watching us and controlling this beast.”

Right as the two of them shouted that—

Kyaaaaaah!

Kuaaaah!

“…?!”

“…!!”

Another massive roar erupted from all sides.

And then, heavy footsteps began to pour in from every direction.

“This is going to be tough.”

“…It seems so.”

The unknown monsters weren’t just that bipedal elephant from before.

And in that moment—

“Can’t be helped. Let’s take one each and take them down first.”

Gijun spoke, his eyes fixed on the elephant that had appeared first.

And then he drew the Sain-geom.

There was no need to use the Illusion Sword, but there was no reason to keep the Sain-geom hidden either.

*

“Go.”

Gast smiled with satisfaction as he watched the monsters pour out from every direction.

“No matter how strong you are, you won’t bring them down easily.”

Those beasts were monsters Gast himself had captured and trained since childhood.

Their feed was Nuia.

In other words, they were born as living weapons that feasted on humans, not beasts — literal killing machines.

Even now, they were indiscriminately devouring the Nuia in their path.

‘If you think I sent out the soldiers just to hold you back, you’re mistaken.’

A cold smile curled at the corner of Gast’s mouth.

‘The more they devour Nuia, the stronger they become.’

Long ago in ancient times, no Nuia lived on this land.

And the moment the Nuia descended into this deep darkness, they had to fight the monsters that existed here.

Naturally, countless Nuia became their prey.

From then on, the beasts of the deep darkness had acquired a taste for Nuia.

Gast exploited that trait.

He raised them on Nuia as bait, and the more Nuia they devoured, the more savage and ferocious they grew.

It was the same now.

The creatures were rampantly feeding on the Nuia blocking their way, their wildness rising without pause.

‘You won’t even get to see me.’

Gast laughed.

Before those three could reach him, they’d all be meat in the beasts’ bellies.

*

Kyaaaaaah!

Kraoooooh!

In an instant, the roars of the monsters erupted from all around.

They had already swallowed countless Nuia.

With each meal, they grew more frenzied.

‘…So those Nuia were all just meant to be their feed from the start.’

By now, even Gijun couldn’t miss it.

The Nuia who’d first charged in weren’t there to stop them — that was the truth.

‘I don’t know if they realize it or not…’

This was something Gijun could hardly accept.

If this were just a game, he could’ve let it slide with a lighter heart. But Gijun knew.

That none of this was a simple game.

[Disgusting. Truly.]

“Yeah.”

Libre felt the same as Gijun.

[At least the Nuia I knew weren’t this cruel.]

All of this must be that bastard Bodge’s doing.

Just as Hadon had feared, the root of all this was Bodge.

‘I’ll end this in an instant.’

Gijun gritted his teeth.

He had no intention of dragging out this fight.

Until a moment ago, he’d been holding back, conserving his strength.

With the fight against Bodge in mind.

Thud!

Gijun stamped his foot and lunged toward the monster.

At the same moment, flames erupted along the blade.

As Blaze Sword completed itself, a Fireball roared to life around Gijun’s body, blazing fiercely into view.

Shrieeeek!

Gijun’s Fireball shot forward in an instant, streaking straight ahead.

KROOOAAAR!

The monster, too, swung its four-handed sword wildly and charged toward Gijun.

Its movements were impossibly fast for such a massive frame.

In a flash, the creature was on him, swinging its sword without hesitation.

And then—

Flash!

The Fireball blazed with intense light as it hurtled toward the beast.

Mid-flight, the Fireball transformed its shape.

Not a sphere—an arrow’s form.

Gijun had judged that an arrow shape would pierce thick plate armor far more effectively.

Finally, the Fireball struck the monster’s armor.

In that instant—

CRACK-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

“……!!”

The Fireball tore mercilessly through the creature’s body, punching clean through.

Despite its thick plate Armor, the beast’s defense couldn’t stop Gijun’s Fireball.

KROOOAAAAR!

The creature writhed in agony, holes riddling its entire body, letting out a monstrous roar.

But that wasn’t the end.

Leaping into the air, Gijun rained down another barrage of Fireballs at the beast.

Almost done.

Gijun mouthed the words.

He wasn’t speaking to this monster.

He was speaking to the Nuia—hiding somewhere, watching him from the shadows.

And at the same time, to Bodge, who had orchestrated this entire farce.

Where the bombardment had passed, a single spot remained.

Uurgh… Uurgh…

The smoke cleared, revealing the monster’s form.

Its full-body plate Armor was riddled with gaping holes, blood spurting from within.

Thud!

Without hesitation, Gijun drove the Sain-geom straight into the monster’s nape.

It was over.

The creature’s enormous body collapsed limply to the ground.

Whump—THOOOOM!