Chapter 107
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Cultists in the Underground Sewer
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After going quite a ways in the direction the cultists had come from, we finally spotted some kind of light source. Crimson light spilling from beyond the corner suggested some facility existed there. A strange smell seemed to waft over as well.
"Smells super fucking suspicious. That's gotta be it."
"Might be a cultist temple."
We lowered our stances in tension and slowly peeked around the corner.
Since I had the black hair, I'd make for the best camouflage, so I stuck my head out first. Very slowly, cautiously, ready to pull back at any moment, I beheld the truth beyond the corner.
"...!"
It was an altar.
Beyond the corner lay a large room.
In the center of that room stood an altar with some kind of flame burning atop it. And the symbol. That same symbol we'd seen so many times before was carved massively into the wall behind the altar, while four robed cultists stood around staring blankly at it.
I scoped it out briefly, then quickly pulled my head back.
I immediately explained to the others what I'd seen.
"Four cultists total. Altar in the center, and the fire seems to be coming from there. Pretty big setup... Merian. Any guesses? Looks like they've been nesting here for a good while. To keep a fire like that going, they'd need firewood and such."
There were sewer exits outside the city too, so they might've come in that way. What was their connection to the undead, anyway? Maybe they were minions of that necromancer.
"No clue. More importantly, you okay? This is getting scarier by the minute..."
"Believe in the money. Money."
We kept our voices low as we discussed how to deal with those four.
They hadn't noticed us yet, so the best plan seemed to be charging in and stabbing them one by one. But now that I thought about it, seeing that altar made me worry there might be a high-level mage among them.
If so, we'd have to take the risk.
"Merian, you stay here... Think we can each take one? They don't seem to suspect intruders. No signs of them being on guard or anything."
"Should I go in first?"
Meria said confidently.
She might be overconfident in her shield, but when it came to ambushes like this, nothing beat that kind of self-assurance. If you truly believed your shield would protect you from enemy attacks, your combat power skyrocketed.
"Alright, numbering them one to four from left to right based on our view. We rush in order and take 'em all down. Meria's first, so she gets the leftmost guy, and the rest of us handle the ones next to him. Okay?"
Pre-assigning targets like this would let us carve through the panicking foes in perfect sync.
"Sounds good."
"Doesn't matter to me."
"Hm, got it."
We set the order: Meria, me, Claudy, Kobson. With resolve set, the ambush began. We crept forward stealthily to the edge of danger. Planning to strike from an optimal spot.
Moving as quietly as turtles, they didn't notice us even as we got right up close. They were too busy mumbling something while staring at the altar.
Praying? Didn't matter.
It was a golden opportunity for us.
They'd probably lived without ever imagining an ambush.
And.
—Flash!
We burst out in silence, each marking our target, and launched the assault.
"...Dat? RoUga?"
The heavy footsteps alerted the cultists, who turned to spot us. But it was too late. We were already charging, and they were just now reacting. No time to respond.
"Fuck 'em up!"
I roared like a beast and charged my target. To the left, Meria rushed with shield raised. To the right, Claudy had already decapitated her guy.
"Sya!!! PoDat!!!"
"Hraaah!!"
—Boom!
Meria slammed into the leftmost one. The impact sent his wand flying as he was flung back. She drew her sword and pounced on the fallen cultist. Her blade sank into him like into a sheath. At the same moment, I locked eyes with my target.
"Daoc!!!"
I thrust my blade straight at his face.
He twisted away with a scream of alarm, dodging my sword. But that was it. Throwing himself aside without thought for what came next left him wide open for the follow-up.
As Karin had taught me, I calmly kneed his gut. He spewed bile, his back arching like a shrimp. I grabbed my airborne sword reverse-grip and jammed it into his back.
"Guwaaak!!"
The blade pierced through, blood gushing from his mouth as he collapsed. I kicked his head and checked on Meria. She was in mount position, savaging the cultist's neck. That made three down for sure. One left. Ambush was a huge success.
Battle thrill surged through my chest.
"Khaak!!!"
—Right then, Kobson's scream erupted.
Had he gotten hit? No idea by what, but he went flying back. I yelled Claudy's name in a frenzy.
"Claudy!"
Responding to my call, she charged the cultist who'd repelled Kobson, arms extended in an X with her curved swords. Incredible speed. The blades gleamed white in the altar's firelight.
—Flash!
Like a wolf barreling downhill, Claudy swung at the cultist's neck. A merciless strike severing life itself, devoid of any mercy.
—Slash!
In that instant, the cultist vanished.
"B-Blink!"
Horror burst from my mouth.
Claudy's sword cleaved empty air. It was Blink, the short-range teleport spell high-level mages memorized for emergency escapes! No incantation—he was definitely a high-level mage!
—Whoosh!
The vanished cultist reappeared near the altar.
"Jyao! HaDa! SyaruMee!"
Now fully in combat mode, he raised his wand and bellowed. It all happened in a flash.
"Tch!"
But against Claudy, such tricks wouldn't work. She kicked off the ground, changing trajectory to pursue the Blink-escaping cultist. Despite the sharp turn, she lost no speed and unleashed a second attack.
—Clang!
"What the fuck is that whore bastard?!"
A pitch-black, semi-transparent barrier appeared, blocking Claudy's strike and repelling her. Cursing in shock, I rushed to support her.
—Flash!
But Claudy was a seasoned warrior. Flung to the wall, she kicked off it and shot back. Her curved swords blurred like rippling water. Residual images couldn't keep up with the speed.
—Whoosh!
Yet that transcendent strike clove air again. The cultist had Blinked. Two Blinks and one shield. He'd perfectly evaded killer Claudy's assaults with those timely skills.
This was a mage. The power of a mage.
"Tricky bastard... Ah?!"
As she righted herself and raised her swords for another charge.
—Shreeeeek!!
—Shreeeeek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
—Shrieeek!!!!
Gargoyles poured from holes in the ceiling! The black swarm rushed Claudy like dark mist.
"Katt! The mage!"
Colliding with the gargoyles, Claudy shouted. No time to reply—I charged the cultist. He'd Blinked again, now clinging to the wall with the symbol.
"Meria! Fuck that bastard up!"
I screamed her name as I ran. She'd finished her kill and joined me in the charge.
Run! Goddamn it! No clue what happened to Kobson.
—Roar!
As we charged together, a familiar dark fireball flew at us. Curse magic! Shockingly, it targeted Meria with her shield and homed in on her.
"Hah!!"
Shield forward, she showed no fear and barreled straight at it.
A grim premonition flashed through my mind.
A guy with memorized Blink and Shield casting at the shielded Meria? What if it was a spell shields couldn't block?
"—Don't block, dodge, you fuck!"
Realizing that, I twisted and tackled her. Whatever it was, a direct hit would've shattered her shield and worse.
"Kyaaak!"
We tumbled entangled across the floor. The momentum from our speed made it hurt. Her shield flew through the air, followed by a massive explosion behind us.
—Boom boom boom!!
The curse magic aimed at Meria had detonated.
She thanked me in a daze.
"Th-Thanks."
Not curse magic after all. Just a plain attack spell. From that insane explosion, even if she'd blocked with her shield, her upper body would've been obliterated. Dodging was the right call.
"That fucking bitch! Thinks she can just hurl that shit at people?!"
I paled at the power.
We stood, facing the emboldened cultist.
"GuHuHuHu..."
Grinning wickedly, he pointed his wand at us. Incanted darkness birthed black flames again. The inscrutable abyss gathered at the wandtip into a sphere and shot toward us.
—Roar!
"Left and right!"
"G-Got it!"
On my signal, Meria and I dodged opposite ways. The explosion behind us was our cue—we charged from both flanks. His casting speed suggested full sprint could clinch it.
"Now fuck him uuuup!!!!"
Roaring, I swung wide to cleave him in two.
Worried about the barrier, but if it repelled me, Meria would follow up. That's the advantage of two-on-one. Absolute superiority. Ranged maybe different, but up close, we had this.
"—You motherless fuck!"
My bastard sword's blade reflected the altar flames as it dug toward his shoulder. Full-power diagonal slash loaded with my primal strength.
—Boom!
"Wha?!"
A harsh metallic clang,
—and the attack was blocked.
In a flash, he'd tossed his wand and drawn a dagger from his robe. He parried my strike skillfully. My sword trembled against his dagger's crossguard.
"Ciao!"
"Wha-Huh?!"
He deflected my blade and counterattacked instantly.
Panicking, I swept my sword away and focused on defense. This bastard... a master! Despite the short dagger's reach disadvantage, he slipped inside my bastard sword's guard and pressured me.
—Clang!
—Clang!
"Kgh!"
Offense and defense traded.
"Meriaaa!!! Save meee!!!"
His reckless aggression made me scream. Me, pushed back in swordplay? His godlike daggerwork made blades seem to double; I backpedaled desperately defending.
If that was a one-hander instead of a dagger, my head would've been gone! Heart pounding like mad.
"Eiit!!"
As his blade aimed to pierce my brow in a do-or-die moment, Meria's intervention saved me. Her mighty swing forced him to halt and dodge.
"Hah... Hah...!"
Now it was two-on-one again. Without his wand, rememorizing spells would be tough. His memorized ones were probably tapped out at three.
"Shiiik! Shiiik!"
As we caught our breath, the dagger-wielding cultist hissed like a snake, menacing us.
"Barbarian!!! You okay!!!!"
Kobson's voice broke the brief silence, checking on us. He appeared with Meria's shield, stepping in front.
"What the fuck, you shitty bastard! Why show up now?!"
"I remember that fucker cultist bashing my head with his wand!"
Looked like he'd been knocked out briefly. Blood streamed from his forehead.
Claudy? Glancing back, she was raging against the onrushing gargoyles. No help from her. No—we had to finish while she held them off.
"Unite our trio's bond as one!!!!"
I bellowed frantically.
I had comrades I trusted, who trusted me!
Regaining numerical superiority ignited unbelievable ferocity within me!
This was it! Exactly this!
Kim Katt, who only fought sure wins!
With headcount filled, I feared nothing!
"We'll smite this evil shithead!!!!!"
No need for orders—we charged the cornered bastard together. He recoiled in horror at the three of us. No matter his knife mastery, against armed thugs from three sides, he was helpless.
"Die, you red bastard fuuuuck!!!!!!!"