Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: The Cyclops Assault
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There’s one item that’s always prioritized during large-scale subjugation operations.
Drums and horns.
Unlike on Earth with megaphones, when the group is small it’s fine, but the bigger the crowd, the more limited it is to issue orders by shouting.
That’s why they always make sure to bring drums and horns, using different beats and blasts to give basic commands.
But that’s for ordinary subjugation battles.
When facing an overwhelmingly powerful monster like this—one no one has ever fought before—even the supreme commander Reinhardt, who must watch the battle and issue orders, down to the subjugation leaders and the drummers and horn blowers, everyone has to be thrown into combat. So instead of those, they bring one extra sword.
The resolve to pour everything into it.
‘And that same resolve applies to me.’
From Kane to Rachel. I’ve pushed all my people onto the battlefield.
With my fingertip, I flicked the transparent Aegis visible only to my linked eyes.
Aegis, slowly spiraling around my body in defense mode—that’s all I trusted as I separated from the group, and a strange emotion swept over me.
Have I ever stood alone before a massive enemy, without Luna or Kane here after falling into this place?
I’ve never once been in a dangerous situation by myself, so I licked my slightly dry lips and summoned the Codex into the air.
“If we’d had just a little more time, we could’ve gotten even one more mage as support.”
“No helping it. We’ve always fought like this, and this time’s no different.”
The woman who appeared to be Reinhardt’s aide placed a helmet on his head.
They hadn’t brought drums or horns, but they had brought the base’s only short-range communication artifact.
They split it between them, and Reinhardt spoke.
“Then I leave this place to you.”
“Yes, Supreme Commander.”
—Thud, thud!
A slow vibration echoed from far away. Faint enough to barely reach my ears at first, it grew louder over time.
—Thud, thud!
And it wasn’t just the sound—vibrations climbed up from my toes. Between the hills and the forward base lay a canyon.
At its highest point, the command post held only me and Reinhardt’s aide.
Dozens of aura users with bows lined the canyon rim, while at the bottom, mercenaries and subjugation squad members formed a semicircle, weapons at the ready.
As the thudding vibrations grew, tension crept up to us like a fog.
“If it’s not too rude, I’d like to hear the truth from you. May I?”
Clink.
My fingertips felt numb, so I twisted Krueger’s ring, then turned to look at her standing beside me.
“Do what you want.”
At my smiling words, Reinhardt’s aide asked with cold eyes.
“Are you participating in this battle for fun?”
“As a novel experience? How many nobles lounging in the imperial capital have ever seen a Cyclops up close?”
What was her name again? Meisha?
Meisha pushed up her slipping glasses and spoke again.
“Do you think there’s a chance of victory, and that’s why you joined?”
“Of course. My party’s the strongest, after all.”
For some reason, she looked slightly surprised at my playful shrug.
Does she see me as some clueless idiot noble oblivious to the world?
“I see... A chance of victory.”
Her words blurred into the wind at that moment, and the siren wailed.
[Young master. You may need to stop by the main house urgently.]
“Ah, I’ll head there soon.”
“Kraaaah!”
The subjugation squads below the canyon charged with shouts toward the Cyclops that emerged roaring its intimidation.
Anti-monster arrows enchanted with mana flew from both sides of the canyon, and the few mages’ small spells embedded in the Cyclops’s body and exploded.
Reinhardt in silver armor leaped up wreathed in light, slashing behind the Cyclops’s knee, while Kane in all black sliced the Cyclops’s fingers with a sword larger than himself as it tried to grab a person.
[I’ve got the target pinned.]
His words echoed in my mind, keeping it from moving during activation.
I chuckled lowly and placed my hand on the last page of the Codex.
“A single judgment descended from the heavens, reflecting divine wrath.”
* * *
“Meisha. There’s something for you to look into.”
“What is it, Supreme Commander?”
Meisha pushed up her slightly slipping glasses with a finger and asked, and Reinhardt spoke.
“It was Adelrian, wasn’t it?”
The name of the Krueger family’s wastrel came from Reinhardt’s lips.
Already a thorn in her side, Meisha furrowed her brow slightly.
“What about him do you want me to investigate?”
“When we spoke earlier, I subtly released mana to pressure him.”
Monster subjugations aren’t mere games, so it wasn’t something usual Reinhardt would do—he just wanted to make things smoother with a bit of intimidation.
“Your mana? But...”
No matter how discreetly or weakly he’d released it to target only Adelrian, a powerhouse like Reinhardt couldn’t produce pressure that could be brushed off with a laugh.
‘But that Adelrian...’
He hadn’t shown the slightest sign. He’d just chatted away with that arrogant grin, smooth as ever.
“As if he couldn’t even sense my mana.”
“While I was watching, I didn’t notice anything unnatural either.”
Reinhardt stroked his jaw, where stubble had grown a bit, and continued at Meisha’s words.
“Yet by my estimate, the mana in his body was less than an ordinary person’s.”
Crack.
At the implication, Meisha clenched her fist, snapping the quill she held; black ink trickled down her hand.
“If even you couldn’t gauge it, Supreme Commander, there are only a few reasons.”
A powerful artifact, or a powerhouse of extremely high realm.
“Either way, we can’t ignore him. And for someone like that, this Cyclops subjugation...”
“It’s practically a playground for him.”
Or perhaps he has other motives.
Reinhardt narrowed his eyes slightly as if recalling something and spoke.
“If he’s behind the recent sacrificial rites and the Cyclops’s movements, I’ll have to ask a favor.”
I’ll take all the responsibility.
Remembering the magic bombs embedded in cliffs everywhere as a last resort to halt the Cyclops’s advance, Meya—no, Meisha—nodded.
* * *
Boom! Boomboom!
Bang!
Dozens of enchanted arrows flew, exploding on the Cyclops’s body.
The few mages poured out their spells with all their might, and subjugation members slashed at its massive hand with aura-infused weapons.
Yet outwardly, not a scorch mark, not even a minor scratch.
“Don’t stop—keep attacking!”
“Its mana’s decreasing bit by bit!”
Monsters beyond a certain level have mana infused in their hides, repelling normal attacks. Like the Twin-Headed Ogre last time.
Stronger ones even have a thin mana layer like a shield over their bodies—what the subjugation teams called a “shield.”
“We can’t pierce the hide!”
“But we can strip the shield!”
The subjugation members charged screaming.
“Argh...!”
Dodging a swinging arm to land another slash, only to fly back with a thud, or get twisted in its grip.
Just once more, once more!
They couldn’t cut the mana-infused hide, but the shield chipped away with every hit.
To save Reinhardt’s mana for the killing blow on its neck.
Even weak swings and thrusts from hundreds of subjugation members and mercenaries scratched at the unscratched instep and stabbed the descending hand.
“Grah, kraaa!”
Like flies swarming below, stabbing away.
The Cyclops raised its hand high, then slammed it down hard, crushing the explosions in its palm and shoving them into its mouth.
Spreading blood and the sweet scent of life force.
Addicted to the taste, it reached out again—when one black fly unleashed a sudden powerful strike.
Its fingers recoiled without grabbing, the shield and mana-infused hide sliced together. And in that instant.
A blade larger than the fly’s body released from midair, wrapping the Cyclops’s wrist like thorny vines and slamming it to the ground.
“Khehk!”
As it tried to pull its dragged hand back up, a sword bloomed from the vine’s end, piercing its hand and pinning it down. Simultaneously, clouds gathered above its head.
“Everyone, fall back for a moment!”
At the black fly’s mana-laden shout, the other flies instinctively leaped away.
Kwarrrrk!
“Kraaaang!”
Bang!
White lightning from the sky flashed repeatedly, blinding everything.
The Cyclops’s shield shattered entirely—black smoke rose from its body, charred skin cracked and flaked off to the ground.
Red muscle fibers writhed, eyes blinked a few times, and it regenerated fully in moments.
“Whew.”
As if holding it any longer was impossible, Kane reverted Skar to a normal longsword form and retreated.
The aftershock of the mana burst like an explosion left a bloody taste in his mouth; he grimaced slightly, and Reinhardt in silver armor approached.
“Rest and recover from the back for a bit.”
“Krraaak!”
Kane swallowed blood and wiped his mouth with his sleeve as Reinhardt charged with his greatsword toward the Cyclops hurling rocks from the cliff.
By the time he reached Reinhardt’s age, he’d surely be stronger.
But.
‘Right now, a bit more.’
Feeling his depleted mental strength and aura slowly refill from overforming Skar, Kane charged.
The Cyclops staggered, knee hitting a pre-dug pit, and Kane leaped onto its body, up to the ribs, thrusting Skar in.
The tough hide, recovered, yielded over a foot before popping through, resistance like pushing a sword with a boulder.
Unbelievable for a living body—he swung his arm against the sensation, green blood—not goblin red—bursting, condensed steel-like bones catching on the blade.
Before shattering them properly, a palm larger than a mansion door slammed down; Kane twisted away, leaping back.
Enraged, the Cyclops stomped, shaking the ground like an earthquake; some couldn’t hold balance and fell.
Stomping to crush them, red flesh wedged between toes, blood soaking heel craters.
“Those who’ve spent mana, fall back!”
Confirming the protective shield gone and hide mana waning from thousands of strikes.
One subjugation leader signaled inside the cliff, and a massive ballista rolled out on heavy wheels.
Useless against a shielded body.
Each bolt enchanted fully piercing, budget-limited so few, but scraped together—huge arrows.
Loaded onto the ballista with chains attached.
As the rampaging Cyclops stomped, someone unleashed dozens of spells, drawing its head that way—a drop signal.
Phewing! Ping! Pack!
Massive arrows with iron chains flew, piercing the body, heads blooming like umbrellas.
Two in one arm, one at waist, one per leg.
Five total embedded— the leader shouted.
“Pull!”