Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Excavation #4
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The Anger Plains were vast. Even for the swift-footed centaurs, traversing from one end of the plains to the other required a considerable amount of time.
The terrain sloped upwards from south to north, and the land just before the Northern Limit Line, which the centaurs considered the effective end of the Anger Plains, had an average elevation comparable to a decent-sized mountain.
The surrounding geography also grew more rugged the farther north one went, with rocky mountains, wastelands, and steep hills becoming more common. This was because the influence of Ainkel's magic of life weakened with distance from the small temple.
After encountering the Cassius pack, which included the flying monster Geist, Ingong's party sent five centaurs back south and picked up their pace. They didn't know the exact nature of the anomaly, but they were almost certain one was occurring, so they wanted to minimize their time in the north.
Two days after increasing their speed and heading north, Ingong's party reached the point the centaurs considered the end of the Anger Plains.
“The Northern Limit Line is a little farther up. But we call this place the end of the Anger Plains.”
Fierce Eye, standing beside them, waved the spear in his hand back and forth. It was as if he were drawing an invisible line.
Felicia added an explanation for everyone's benefit.
“The centaurs migrate with the seasons, and this is the northernmost point of their territory.”
The nomadic centaurs considered the entire Anger Plains their home. Although the overall environment worsened the farther north they went, it was a reasonably habitable place if one timed the seasons right.
Ingong and Karak, who were here for the first time, nodded appropriately. Daphne, also a first-timer, had a slightly different reaction. She seemed to have no capacity to listen to Fierce Eye and Felicia's story, her face pale as she spoke in an anxious voice.
“A sinister power is growing stronger as we approach the north. I can feel the spirits' fear.”
She even shivered slightly, as if chilled to the bone.
Felicia looked at Daphne with concern. Over the past two days, Daphne's condition had worsened the closer they got to the Northern Limit Line. As a dryad, who could be considered half-spirit, she seemed to be sensing the northern energy more acutely than Ingong or Felicia.
Green Wind whispered in Ingong's ear.
‘Master, I too can feel the ominous energy of the north. If the energy we felt from the Drake Ogre and the Cassius pack was a firefly, what we feel from the north now is comparable to moonlight. It's possible the source of the violet energy is there.’
In other words, the very being they had come all this way for was nearby. And that wasn't all.
‘White Eagle's grave also seems to be in this vicinity. It is not far. For now, I can only tell the general direction, but it is certainly located before the Northern Limit Line.’
White Eagle was also nearby. They had reached the effective end of the Anger Plains, but they still had to push a little farther north.
Karak, unable to hear Green Wind's voice, looked around at everyone and asked.
“What's the plan? We haven't found anything special these past two days. Are we gonna keep going?”
Delia, who had initially frowned at Karak's rudeness whenever he acted as he usually did, now seemed accustomed to it and simply waited for Felicia's response. Felicia stood with her arms crossed, head tilted, and after a glance to the north, she spoke.
“It's dangerous, but... with an omen this blatant, we can't just turn back without checking it out, can we?”
If they were to turn back now, what was the point of traveling north for the past two days?
Fierce Eye pointed his spear to the northwest.
“That way, there is a watchtower built by our ancestors. It's somewhat collapsed, but it was originally built to watch over the Northern Limit Line, so it’s a good place to survey the area. If we still can't find any clues after going there, I believe we should turn back.”
‘Master, that is almost the same direction as White Eagle's location.’
Green Wind added.
White Eagle was the property of a brave centaur warrior who had fought the northern beasts at the Northern Limit Line. It was only natural that his grave would be near the watchtower.
“How far is it?”
At Ingong's question, Fierce Eye calculated in his head before answering.
“At our current speed, we should arrive within an hour.”
It was still early afternoon, so the distance was more than manageable.
“I'll follow your judgment. Like I said before, you're the leader for this operation in the Anger Plains.”
Felicia said to Ingong, her gaze averted as if not to pressure him. Ingong nodded.
“Alright, let's head there for now.”
“Understood. I will lead the way.”
At a slight nod from Fierce Eye, the remaining elite centaur warriors began to move in unison. Karma, in particular, shot ahead of Fierce Eye, as if claiming the role of guide as her own. As Ingong turned his Draco to follow them, he happened to glance back at Karak.
“What's wrong?”
His expression was sullen, just like when they had first set out.
Karak met Ingong's gaze, then shook his head.
“Not gonna say.”
But for some reason, his expression and his reply already felt like he had said everything. Ingong let out a sigh and forced a grin. He felt the ominous premonition as well, but now was the time to move.
“Let's go, Maybach.”
At the soft call of its name, the Draco responded immediately. It began to run lightly, following the centaurs as if on autopilot.
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“That is the watchtower.”
True to Fierce Eye's word, after about an hour of steady riding, they saw a steep, rocky mountain spread out like a folding screen, with a watchtower built in its center. The watchtower, its outer walls heavily damaged, was completely flush against one side of the mountain. It looked as if it had been built for the sole purpose of observing what lay beyond the mountain.
“Let's go up.”
As befitting a centaur structure, the stairs were wide enough to ascend even while riding a Draco. Fierce Eye went up first to check for any potential dangers, after which the entire party ascended the watchtower.
The watchtower was larger than expected. The top floor had to be at least ten meters long and wide.
Ingong swallowed dryly before approaching the outer wall. A cold, dry wind blew, brushing against his cheek.
And then, Ingong's gaze fixed on a single point. It might as well have been a biological instinct. Not just Ingong, but everyone who approached the wall stared at a single spot amidst the vast landscape.
Something was there, hundreds of meters away. It was engulfed in a massive violet flame, and surrounding it, numerous monsters wreathed in smaller violet auras stood in formation. There had to be at least two hundred of them.
The source of the ominous feeling Green Wind had spoken of.
The moment he realized it, a low scream was heard. It was Daphne, who was nearby.
“Miss, are you alright?”
Karak, who had quickly caught Daphne as she nearly fell from her mount, asked. Daphne, seemingly without the strength to reply, simply hung her head and trembled. Felicia moved away from the wall to check on Daphne and said.
“She's feeling the ominous energy too directly. Like I said, this child is as good as half-spirit.”
Ingong also stepped back from the wall, along with the centaurs. It would be disastrous if they were spotted staring blankly.
Felicia stroked the head of Daphne, who had finally started to take deep breaths as she regained her composure, then turned to Ingong.
“That thing is an undead. A high-level one, at that. It has to be at least a Lich.”
There were two main types of undead in the Demon World. One was naturally occurring, formed by the flow of magical energy throughout the realm, and the other was artificially created through necromancy.
Naturally occurring undead were usually low-level, like skeletons or zombies, but occasionally, powerful individuals surpassing even artificially created undead would emerge.
“That thing is definitely the cause of this whole situation. A high-level undead like that would have intelligence. Let's head back and prepare a countermeasure. We need to inform the Demon King's Castle about this.”
It was the logical course of action. But just as she finished speaking, Felicia suddenly looked behind her, in the direction they had come from.
“Felicia?”
“I hear something behind us.”
Felicia said, her ears perked. As a dark elf, her hearing was the best in the party.
Fierce Eye and the other centaurs also clamped their mouths shut and listened intently. A sound like the rumbling of the earth could be heard.
Instead of waiting, Ingong grasped Green Wind's sacred relic.
“Green Wind, can you share your vision?”
What Green Wind had shown Ingong when she brought him to the small temple wasn't an illusion. It was a direct transmission of what she had seen.
‘I will try my best.’
“Go up into the sky!”
At Ingong's command, a thin green light shot from the relic into the air. Green Wind, who hadn't even formed a physical body, looked south from high in the sky, and in that instant, Ingong stifled a groan.
The mini-map was turning completely red. Thanks to the expanded detection range from sharing Green Wind's vision, red dots were appearing endlessly.
“Shutora?”
“It's an encirclement.”
Ingong replied, practically spitting the words out, and he understood. This had all been a trap from the beginning. The reason they hadn't encountered any monsters, including the Cassius pack, during their journey north was because they had been hiding, avoiding his party. The undead responsible for this situation had clearly been waiting for this moment to surround them.
*That thing can share its vision too. At the very least, it has a way to receive real-time information from its subordinates over long distances.*
Otherwise, there was no explaining such a precise maneuver.
“We have to escape! Enemies are closing in from all sides!”
There were no questions. Karak, seeing Daphne trembling too much to properly ride her Draco, lifted her up and placed her in front of him. Felicia listened intently once more, and Fierce Eye looked at Ingong. Ingong immediately nodded.
“I'll take the lead! Run!”
Ingong looked at the mini-map and the path ahead simultaneously. The encirclement was still forming. If they could exploit a gap, they could open a path to escape.
‘Master! Look at the sky!’
Green Wind shouted just as they left the watchtower and started running. Ingong quickly looked up as the bizarre shrieks of Geists echoed through the air.
“Kieeeek!”
Five Geists began to dive. Fierce Eye quickly drew his bow and fired at them. One arrow neatly pierced a Geist's neck, and a sharp gust of wind from Felicia twisted another one's flight path. But three still remained. The elite centaur warriors quickly drew their spears or bows, but they weren't as fast as Fierce Eye. Two centaurs failed to properly dodge the Geists' attacks and were knocked to the ground.
“Just go!”
There was no time for a rescue. Fierce Eye, who had shot down another Geist that had landed to attack a centaur, shouted loudly, and Ingong gritted his teeth. As Fierce Eye said, this was no time to delay.
“Everyone, stick close!”
Ingong shouted, drawing his Dwarven Dagger and thrusting it into the air. The Power of Conquest erupted like a storm.
“Beneath the King's Banner!”
A pure white light enveloped the entire party. New strength flowed into the legs of the Dracos and centaurs, and they galloped at a much faster speed than usual.
“Daphne!”
Felicia called out to Daphne, requesting a dryad spell that could aid their escape. But Daphne was in no condition to respond. She could only tremble with a pale face, her lips barely moving.
‘Master! It's coming! It's coming!’
There was no need to look back. There was only one reason for Daphne's worsening condition.
A chill and a malevolent aura washed over them from behind. One of the elite centaurs, unable to bear the anxiety, looked back and let out a horrified groan.
A massive undead, shrouded in violet malevolence, soared through the air on a chariot pulled by Phantom Steeds. A large crown made from the bones of various monsters sat atop its skeletal head. It wore partial armor made of bone and held a pitch-black sword. It looked like both a warrior and a mage.
Flanking the colossal figure, which appeared to be at least five meters tall, were several skeletal knights on Phantom Steeds. Clad in black armor, they blew on horns that produced a bizarre noise as they charged through the air.
They were still some distance away, but it felt like they would be caught in an instant if they delayed even a little.
Ingong looked at the mini-map. The control wasn't perfect; the red dots weren't moving in complete unison. It felt like they were moving according to their initial orders rather than adjusting to the party's path.
*Find the weakest point and strike.* Just as he had that thought.
“Kuraha!”
Karak let out a battle cry towards the sky. A swarm of Geists was closing in again. Fierce Eye and the centaurs shot down many of them with a volley of arrows, but it wasn't enough to stop the party from slowing down.
Moreover, the surviving Geists charged at them blindly, just as the Cassius had. A few more centaurs tumbled to the ground along with the creatures.
The encirclement was tightening. Every time the party was distracted by the Geists, their speed dropped, and the distance to the massive undead pursuing them from behind shrank.
Finally, the monsters forming the encirclement ahead became visible to the naked eye. Not only the Cassius pack shrouded in violet malevolence, but also creatures that looked like zombies and skeletons were covering the plains.
Could they escape? Could they break through the encirclement like this?!
*Kwaang!*
A deafening roar shattered the party's formation. The massive undead, having finally closed the distance to about twenty meters, had unleashed a spell. A huge ball of fire rained down from the sky and slammed into the ground, and the resulting explosion engulfed several centaurs.
The massive undead fired another ball of fire. This time, it was aimed ahead of the party's path, and the Dracos, startled by the explosion and the roar, cried out in terror. The Draco carrying Karak and Daphne fell to the ground. The centaurs, though not dead, were mostly in no condition to run.
A decision had to be made. Ingong and Felicia exchanged glances, and almost simultaneously, let out a curse. Felicia summoned a fire spirit and a wind spirit to both her hands. She created a massive wall of fire in front of them on the plains. The wind spirit controlled the size of the fire wall and the direction the flames spread.
It was a move that cut off their own escape route, but it was also a barrier to stop the monsters forming the encirclement. Ingong leaped off his Draco and equipped Earthquaker.
‘Master! Are you planning to fight?!’
When they defeated Mustapha, the monsters that lost the violet malevolence experienced a sharp drop in combat ability and mental confusion. Having come this far, there was only one way to break the encirclement and survive.
Defeat the massive undead. Strike it down, extinguish the violet malevolence, and shatter the encirclement.
‘Dragon Blood.’
He unleashed the power of the Dragonoid. Earthquaker let out a low growl as it shifted into its combat form, and a pure white aura flared up from Ingong's body like a flame.